It had been five days since the Going Merry left Drum Island, and while Luffy and his crew were always noisy, that day was particularly chaotic.
"Usopp and Nami ate Devil Fruits?"
"That's what I heard."
"I-I'm getting sucked in…!"
"My 100 million Berries~!!!"
Zoro answered Luffy's remark, while Usopp and Nami each shouted, causing a racket on the deck.
Usopp grabbed whatever he could and started sucking the items he held into the pouch on his overalls.
Nami sat on the deck in stunned despair, foaming wildly from her hands, and even her tears had turned to foam as they dripped down.
"How did we end up with two Devil Fruits on our ship?"
"Luffy, I had specially prepared fruits just for the ladies."
"But right after Nami and passing-by Usopp ate the fruits, they almost vomited before their powers manifested, and that's the situation now."
"Sanji, what's a Devil Fruit known for~?"
"Well… having a strange pattern on its skin?"
"Whoever knew that went and… did this?"
"I had bought several! I asked Marimo to cut off their skins!"
"I was doing the dishes the whole time! If I'd seen them, I'd have noticed something was off!"
"…How would I have known what a Devil Fruit looks like?"
"Still, it's a relief Hancock didn't eat one."
"The rumor that eating more than one Devil Fruit kills you is so famous, it's even in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia."
"Those rotten things dared to try killing me?!"
Kyaaah~!"
Hancock said that, and with her whip-shaped sword she struck Zoro and Sanji, knocking them both down.
"Sorry, Hancock… I shouldn't have left the peeling to stupid Marimo…!"
"How was I supposed to know about fruit patterns or that eating two kills you?"
"Luffy~ I was really scared~!"
Hancock, cradled in Luffy's arms with her chin on his shoulder, recalled Sanji placing a plate of sliced fruit on the table just moments ago.
"I didn't realize it when Sanji brought it from afar, but when I tried to pick up a slice with a fork, I instantly felt a life-threatening aura from those pieces!"
"In that shock and panic, Nami and Usopp ate them before I could stop them! If I had eaten first, there'd be no beautiful future for just the two of us~!"
"Yeah, it's really a relief you didn't eat any."
'In the official databook released after the original story's conclusion, it says Devil Fruit users can sense nearby Devil Fruits, so unless you do it on purpose, you won't accidentally eat one and die.'
'Considering Hancock's reaction and that databook info, it's a relief none of us will die in a stupid accident.'
Luffy patted Hancock's back as he thought that, when Vivi arrived holding a book, accompanied by Karoo.
"Luffy, I checked the peels Zoro cut off."
"According to the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia on our ship, the one Usopp ate is the [Seongseong Fruit]—the very fruit Wapol said he ate."
"I half-expected that… but is there info on the fruit Nami ate?"
"Based on its description in the encyclopedia and Nami's manifested ability, it's the [Bubble-Bubble Fruit], which grants the power to create bubbles."
"But it's so strange… this was the fruit Miss Valentine was thought to have eaten."
"The woman we saw at Whiskey Peak ate that fruit?"
"Thanks to our investigation into Baroque Works, we knew Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine had explosion and bubble abilities, respectively."
'I already knew Mr. 5's explosion power from the original story.'
'But Miss Valentine's fruit is completely different from canon—did I fail to recognize it because she sealed it with Armament Haki?'
Startled by Luffy gently pushing Hancock from his arms, Vivi spoke.
"By the way, how did Wapol's fruit or Miss Valentine's fruit end up on our ship?"
"Vivi, from my memory of checking all the ingredients, those fruits were originally ones I bought in Loguetown."
"To be precise, I bought fruits that would later develop the typical Devil Fruit patterns."
"Does that mean our ordinary fruits somehow turned into Devil Fruits?"
"We're not sure."
"But it is suspicious that our ordinary fruits became Devil Fruits."
"Especially since they grant the same powers as those eaten by people you and I killed."
"Zoro, you mean…"
"When a Devil Fruit user dies, a new Devil Fruit may appear nearby?"
"..."
"Hold on, that's a huge issue, but let's solve the immediate problem first."
In the sudden hush, Luffy spoke.
"Usopp! How long are you going to keep doing that with your pouch?!"
"Luffy! I just couldn't help it… it's so fascinating!"
"Stop sucking things on deck in and then spitting them back out!"
"I'll try!"
"And… Nami, stop crying already. I've been telling you it's impossible to reverse eating a Devil Fruit."
Wheeeee~… "100 million Berries… If I'd known I'd eat it like this, I'd have hidden it and sold it…"
"So that was what Buggy felt wronged about… but that's embezzlement, Nami."
When Nami half collapsed to the deck, Hancock lifted her upper body, and Vivi, using the tissues Karoo brought, wiped the foam-turned tears from her eyes and said,
"You only just recovered from that fever, Nami. You still need to take care of yourself."
"Yeah, Nami, if you cry too long your head will hurt. So don't cry."
Squawk.
"Okay… ahem! I'll stop crying now."
"But if you're going to gain a power, it'd be less unfair if it were something impressive. All you can do is make bubbles. That's the most unfair."
"Nami… my power from eating the fruit at the same time is honestly just fascinating, but it doesn't seem all that great or strong."
"If you think of Wapol, the answer's right there."
"That's true, but…"
"And bubbles might be a more powerful natural phenomenon in our world than most people realize."
"It's not my specialty, but from what I heard in Loguetown…"
"Hey, there's an island ahead and a ship. It's a pirate ship."
As Usopp spoke, Zoro, standing at the bow, looked through his telescope and told the crew,
Luffy joined him and said,
"We're still far from Alabasta… the island must be too small to be in the log register."
"But, Luffy… they saw our ship through the telescope, and their reaction was strange."
"What kind of reaction?"
"They're not on guard… they seem happy."
"Happy? At the sight of a ship flying a pirate flag?"
"I don't get it either… but they seem to like us."
Zoro lowered his telescope and said,
"A lot."
"…Let me see."
Taking the telescope from Zoro, Luffy looked at the ship anchored by the small island and its crew.
The pirates aboard, upon seeing the Merry, waved enthusiastically, and one woman with a telescope put it down and met Luffy's gaze, then said,
"Sis?"
"Sis? Is that woman Robin?"
"No, not that sis… why is Anne there?!"
The woman in a large orange brimmed hat, smiling brightly, was Luffy's sworn sister, Portgas D. Anne.
*****
"Everyone, it's so great to meet you. I'm Luffy's sister, Anne."
"I used to be the captain of the Spade Pirates, but now I'm the 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"I'm three years older than Luffy. We're not biological siblings, but we're truly precious family!"
"By the way, Luffy, how did you get so tall when I haven't seen you? Three years is plenty of time to grow, I guess."
Before the crew who had landed on the island, Anne introduced herself.
Anne's black hair, hidden under a wide orange hat, just touched the nape of her neck, and faint freckles dotted beneath her eyes.
She wore a top that left her arms and midriff exposed, and short shorts that revealed her defined abs.
With her catlike smirk and flawless looks, she had the playful beauty of a mischievous feline.
"Being the brother whose the captain, is there anything tough about it? Now's your chance to say anything!"
"Rather than tough things… I think I feel more gratitude."
"Yeah, most of us became crew because we received Luffy's help and were charmed by him."
"Hmm… orange hair aside, you must be that Hancock."
Anne looked at Hancock and then pinched both of Luffy's cheeks hard.
"Ah! What are you doing?!"
"How old are you to be so perverted?!"
"Why are you acting all crazy all of a sudden?!"
"Why are their chests so big?! Does that even count as female chests?!"
"No, why are you asking me that…!"
"That girl Nami's chest is big too, but Hancock's are even bigger! You asked to join because of big chests, didn't you?!"
Pinching his cheeks, Anne continued, making Luffy glance at his female crewmates' chests.
"Even seeing this, you still won't admit it? Picking female crewmates who are only pretty and big-boobed…!"
"It hurts, stop it…!"
Suddenly, both Luffy and Anne's gaze fixed on Vivi's chest.
It was clearly above average like Anne's, but compared to Nami and Hancock, it inevitably looked smaller.
"You know… for us, this is above average."
"See, I didn't think it was small! Those two are just unnaturally big!"
"Vivi… I didn't say anything."
"Shut up, Luffy! You don't say anything!"
"Oh right, I've made my greeting, so now let me introduce the others."
Anne turned her head, and Luffy followed her gaze to see about fifty men standing tensely.
"I used to just hitch rides, but I overheard them talking about Luffy, so I joined in. Their captain said he admires you and became a pirate to sail."
"After meeting their captain and telling him you're my brother, we got along so well that I hitched a ride—and now we've finally met."
"The guy at the very front is the captain. Greet him! He said he wanted to meet you!"
"I-it's an honor to meet you, Luffy-senpai! I'm Bartolomeo!"
Bartolomeo's light green hair was spiked fiercely upward in the center, and his sharp teeth and nose piercing gave him a brutal look.
"Bar-tol-meo?"
"Y-you're saying my name…!!!"
"That's great, Romeo!"
"Gambia! I'm so happy right now!"
"Congratulations, Boss!"
Bartolomeo clasped his hands in excitement with an expression of giddiness that didn't suit his fierce appearance.
The man called Gambia, with a blond Afro, patted his shoulder in congratulations, and his crew cheered.
"So… you admired me and became a pirate? Since when?"
"You've been to Loguetown, right?! It's been since then!"
"It hasn't even been a month since I left there… why would you admire me in all that time?"
"I-I'll be as honest and concise as possible, is that okay?"
"Do it."
'You're supposed to appear in the mid-late part of the original story.'
'Why is this guy who became a pirate after seeing me cause so much trouble appearing now?'
"Thank you! Ahem! Before this story, in my childhood…"
"I said concise, then childhood~?"
"This is the minimum background needed to understand the cause-and-effect…"
"…Keep it short."
Bartolomeo continued, recalling his past.
He briefly recounted how, growing up in the underworld with his friend Gambia, they toppled the gang that exploited them and that he eventually became the boss ruling over more than a hundred towns.
"But one day I learned that Luffy-senpai had come to Loguetown!"
Bartolomeo recalled handing someone information about it in a small tavern right after Luffy arrived in Loguetown, and receiving money:
"Here's the promised money."
"What's the other half for?"
"Help me, and I'll give it to you as a reward. I put in more than the left half."
"…I refused."
Shortly after giving Buggy that information, Bartolomeo saw Luffy on the execution platform where the Pirate King had died.
With the plaza almost empty, he saw Luffy wearing a Sea-Prism Stone pendant around his neck, arms bound by huge chains, pulling them with his leg strength and slowly breaking the platform as he shouted,
"I won't… lose to… this rotten world anymore!!!"
Recalling his shock at that sight, Bartolomeo clenched his fists and spoke:
"I remembered then! The passion and resolve I had when I decided to topple the gang oppressing my friends!"
"That mindset to resist the fate the world seemed to force on me by oppressing and crushing me!"
"While I had forgotten that resolve and endured dull days, Luffy-senpai rekindled that fire in my heart!"
"I want to follow you! Please accept me and my crew!"
With that, a brief commotion passed, and then Luffy said,
"So… in the end, you helped me when I was about to die, right?"
"I-I'm sorry!"
After the commotion, Luffy sat on a flat rock, looking with a dry gaze at Bartolomeo lying on the ground, severely beaten.