Sabaody Archipelago – Grove 13
Atop a quiet little hill sat a small, lone bar.
The sign outside read:
Shakky's Rip-off Bar!
It hung askew, half-faded—as if the bar had given up on being open for business.
Inside, seated at the counter, was an old man wearing a white shirt, shorts, and sandals. His long white hair and beard gave him a weathered look. He sipped quietly from his glass, saying nothing.
That man was—
Silvers Rayleigh!
The "Dark King."
Former right-hand man to the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
Smack.
The quiet was broken as the bar's back room door opened.
Out walked the elegant barkeep, Shakuyaku, dressed as effortlessly as ever.
"It's started, hasn't it? The war between Whitebeard and the Marines?"
Rayleigh asked calmly.
"No, not yet. But things are heating up at the plaza," Shakky replied, handing him a freshly printed report.
Rayleigh took the paper and frowned.
"Eustass Kid, huh? That's a bit unusual."
He knew the general strength of this generation's Supernovas—enough to raise an eyebrow at the current developments.
Shakky grinned mischievously.
"Oh, it gets better."
She handed over a second report—this one about the incident at the tavern in Grove 24: "The Duel of the Two Kids."
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow.
"Two... Kids? As in, two Eustass Kids? Real or fake?"
Even his eyelid twitched.
"I was hoping you could help figure that out," Shakky shrugged.
Rayleigh was about to respond, but then—
"…Someone's coming."
His expression shifted as he felt a powerful presence drawing near.
Unfamiliar—yet somehow vaguely nostalgic.
"Who is it?" Shakky asked warily.
Just as she spoke, the sound of a bell rang out as the bar door creaked open.
And then—
Leading the group, Straw Hat Luffy entered, followed by the rest of the Straw Hat crew—a total of ten members—plus Yamato and another individual.
They stepped into view.
"Luffy!!"
Rayleigh's eyes widened in shock.
"L-Luffy… and everyone else… How are you all—?!"
Shakky gasped too, hands covering her mouth in disbelief. Her mind raced, struggling to process what she was seeing.
They never expected it.
At this moment, in this place…
The Straw Hats had regrouped at Sabaody Archipelago.
It defied all logic.
After the truth had been revealed about Tyrant Kuma's mysterious actions that day, they had suspected the crew might've survived.
But even then…
Reuniting this quickly? Not even half a month had passed.
They'd expected it would take at least a year or two.
And yet…
Here they were—back together, standing tall.
But what shocked them most was how much they'd changed.
Their auras. Their postures. Their very presence had evolved.
As if they'd been completely reborn.
Robin's darker skin tone and Franky's mechanical overhaul were just the most obvious signs.
"…Wait a minute," Rayleigh narrowed his eyes. "Are you really Luffy and the others?"
"Haha! Of course we are, Rayleigh!" Luffy beamed.
"We're the real Straw Hats—all 100% legit!" Usopp added cheerfully.
"Except… we're from two years in the future!"
"Two years later?!"
Rayleigh and Shakky both froze in place.
Even Rayleigh, with all his vast experience, was staggered.
Before they could ask more questions—
Thump thump thump—footsteps echoed from the basement below.
Emerging into the bar were three familiar faces:
Hatchan, Camie, and Pappag.
They had been hiding out in Shakky's bar to lay low—but when they heard the noise, they came running.
And the moment they laid eyes on the full Straw Hat crew—
They were stunned.
Then—
"WAAAAAHHH!!"
Tears burst forth.
"It's really you! Luffy! Nami! Everyone's back!"
Camie cried with joy.
"They're back! They're really back! Thank goodness!!"
Hatchan and Pappag sobbed along with her.
Back during the incident with the Celestial Dragon, the Straw Hats had stood up for Hatchan after he was unjustly attacked—and as a result, chaos had erupted.
The guilt from that day had weighed heavily on them.
Camie, Hatchan, and Pappag had never stopped blaming themselves for the crew's apparent "destruction."
Shakky had offered to help them escape back to Fish-Man Island, but they had refused.
They'd stayed—waiting. Hoping. Just for a sign the Straw Hats were alive.
Now, seeing them with their own eyes...
That heavy stone in their hearts finally shattered.
---
"Camie-chan, don't cry!"
Sanji stepped forward gallantly, wiping away her tears.
Then—
"If you really want to thank me… how about a kiss?"
He leaned in expectantly.
What met him wasn't Camie's lips.
It was Nami's fist.
BAM.
"Let me handle the explaining," Robin said, stepping forward gracefully.
In just a few minutes, she calmly and concisely laid out everything that had happened—and why they were here.
---
"This… This is insane!!"
Shakky took several deep breaths to calm her racing heart.
"You're saying… Luffy and the others aren't the Luffy of this timeline, but came from two years in the future?! Oh no, oh no, what about the Luffy and crew of this time?!"
Camie panicked again.
"Think, Camie," Hatchan said firmly. "If they've returned from two years in the future—and are perfectly fine—then that means the current Luffy and crew must have survived, and will one day gather again!"
"…You're right!"
Pappag nodded vigorously.
"Camie, really, it's okay," Nami reassured her. "We're all alive—and stronger than ever."
Chopper and the others chimed in with similar words of comfort.
Finally—
Camie's trembling heart began to settle.
"Still…"
Rayleigh finally spoke, the disbelief still written all over his face.
"This kind of thing—it shouldn't even be possible."
He looked deeply troubled.
"Time only moves forward. Even Toki Toki no Mi's power could only send people into the future—not the past."
Rayleigh shook his head.
"Old man Ray," Shakky cut in. "Robin already explained—it's likely some kind of outside-world interference. Something beyond our understanding."
Robin added, "Rather than saying we've returned to the past, it's more accurate to say we've arrived in a parallel timeline. Changing things here won't affect our original timeline."
She smiled gently. "So there's no need to worry about paradoxes."
"If you still don't believe it—then let me be your proof," a deep voice said.
Jinbe stepped forward from the back.
"Warlord of the Sea—Jinbe?!"
Shakky's eyes widened.
"Jinbe Boss?!"
"Boss, what are you doing here?!"
"And why are you with the Straw Hats?!"
Hatchan, Camie, and Pappag all burst out in unison.
"…You guys just now noticed me?"
Jinbe nearly tripped over himself.