Ch.5

I awoke reborn once more, curing myself mentally. Still, I was alive or so my tiny baby hands revealed. I saw a red haired man with three scars over his left eye and instantly thought. 'Shanks, One Piece.'

The red haired man laughed and spoke. "Look Captain, he knows who his papa is."

I reached my chubby baby arms out and tried to touch him just to make sure he was real. His face felt real enough so I wasn't in some sort of hell realm being played with by Zeno for whatever reason. I relaxed and soon enough years passed me by. I'd been born three years before Roger's death and now I was being raised by Rayleigh and Shakky.

My mother died in childbirth and my red hair was a dead give away who my father was so there was no real place safe enough for me. At the age of five I'd been captured by assholes and sold to a slave auction house in grove one. Rayleigh allowed himself to be captured over gambling debts so he could free me after showing me how to rob those that bought us. Unfortunately, I was sold to a world noble and before he realized it, I was branded on their ship heading to the red line and their home.

I blacked out from the pain after a scream that knocked the guards out and woke up in grove thirteen back in bed. Shakky was taking care of my back and arguing with Rayleigh for taking his damned time. I begged them to kill me and let me die because I'd rather be dead than a slave. They told me to sleep and I told them no, screaming to let me go.

The walls cracked and whatever energy I had in me gushed out, trying to force them to do my will and end my life. I blacked out or rather I was knocked out by Shakky. Over the next ten years Rayleigh raised me on an island full of monsters who used haki. I fought with my fists mostly and resided to back down even from the strongest opponents.

Rayleigh taught me the sword after I turned ten years old and gave me a black jacket to cover my brand when we left the island after I could no longer progress there. Hell, for the past year I'd been fighting him because none of the beasts would fight me, not even in the center of the island. Rayleigh approved of my swordsmanship and said he was contacting an old friend of his that would give me shelter.

I stared at him coldly before telling him I had plans of my own. Shanks showed up with his new crew and Shakky said it was a surprise neither Rayleigh nor I had known about. I stood before the happy red haired man and asked him coldly where my mother was. He grew somber and told me she was dead.

I nodded and turned to Rayleigh. "I'll meet whoever later. I'm heading out to get a devil fruit of my own. I have plans and they don't involve dying anymore."

Rayleigh nodded slowly and Shanks grew still before asking what was wrong. I ignored him and walked out, heading to the pirate ships docked at grove twenty-one. Shanks caught up and asked where I was going. I asked. "What's it matter to you old man?"

He sighed. "I figure you could use a ride."

I drew my sword on him and told him. "I'm not weak or incompetent, but seeing as you're already crippled and haven't seen me once, I can't expect you to know any of that. Leave me alone, it's what you're good at after all."

I sheathed my sword and he grumbled. "Just wanted to help, jeez."

I grunted. "I can get to sky island on my own just fine. It shouldn't be hard to get to Jaya and use the knock up stream to get there easily."

He raised an eyebrow. "And what's there that's so valuable you'd risk dying by falling if the knock up stream fails?"

I huffed. "Billions in gold and the world's most powerful logia devil fruit, the lightning-lightning fruit. With it I'll destroyed the red line and kill all those fuckers for marking me as a slave!"

His eyes went wide and he grabbed me by the scruff of my shirt. "Billions in gold you say? I didn't see any there when we were last there."

I growled. "It's buried under the clouds in the city of gold now let-me-go!"

I pulled myself away and he smirked. "It seems you'll have to race us there then, or you can come with us."

I snorted. "I won't join your crew."

He smiled easily. "I wasn't asking you to. I was just asking to give my son a ride to make up for not being there to stop what happened."

I growled and punched him, repeatedly. I beat him black and blue tell him to fight back because he didn't have the right to come back now apologizing for something he knows nothing about. I ranted, beat him and cried when he refused to fight back, laying there bleeding. He muttered that Shakky was right, sometimes you just needed your dad.

He hugged me and I stilled, not used to being touched. Damn these teenage childish hormones, where's my Saiyan indifference? Why? I pulled away after going quiet and told him I had things to do and I couldn't do them sitting around crying about the past. I became cold again and he smiled, ruffling my hair and saying his crew would enjoy a trip to sky island.

A month later I snatched the world's strongest logia devil fruit from Enel who stole it from a sacred temple. Even his observation couldn't see me until I was there. His crew was pissed, but Shanks and his crew beat them down for whatever reason. I gave him an annoyed look as I knocked out Enel. "I didn't need your help, they're weak."

He shrugged. "Maybe not, but the crew wanted to earn their share of the gold you promised."

I scoffed and asked if he knew how items ate devil fruits. He shook his head and I told him about the elephant sword, dog bazooka and lama cannon. He seemed fascinated by the knowledge and I was forced to eat the damned fruit since I didn't know how it was done and neither Rayleigh nor Shakky knew either. I barely swallowed the burned rubber and hot garbage taste, throwing the fruit away as it turned into a regular fruit.

Lightning arced over my fingers and for a moment I felt dizzy as I instinctively knew the basics of what I could do. Yassop tapped my head with the butt of his gun and asked about the gold. I snorted and floated up, telling them to follow me. I flew us to the dirt island with huge trees, into the old ruins that remained before pointing at the cloud ground. "There. All the gold is there and no one here knows nor cares about gold. It's all for the taking, just don't damage the buildings."

They frowned and Shanks cut the cloud like substance, pulling it up to show a literal city covered in gold. The pirates all cheered and I grunted, flying down before using my power to carefully melt and extract the gold into balls, bars and coins. Soon the ground was littered with a small mountain of gold. They all happily took it and loaded up their ships with gold.

Once they were done, I emptied the gold from the giant snake's stomach into three large sacks. With some effort, I made a thick thundercloud that followed me like a magnet and put it on the cloud. Seeing that it worked, I made it larger and thicker before tiring out. Finally, I added my share of the gold which amounted to a fourth of all the gold.

I sat on my cloud and told Shanks. "I'm headed to speak to the locals about dials in exchange for the city's location. Clear out, I won't be going wherever you're going next."

Shanks shrugged and agreed, wishing me the best and warning me not to attack until I mastered my fruit and more or I'd die. I huffed and zapped him like a Pikachu. His crew found it hilarious and said I got him good. I floated away and told the Shandorians the location of their precious holy city in exchange for the reject dial and all the basic dials they had.

From thunder dials to heat, water and cloud dials, I had plenty of each. I went to Angel beach and collected a fuck ton more dials, trading verth with the locals for all the spare dials they had as well. When I was done, I took my medium sized Thunder cloud and left, floating beyond sky island and using the magnetic pull of the island to pull me along. When I was back over Sabaody, I bolted down in a flicker of lightning and walked into the bar like nothing had changed.

Rayleigh wasn't there, but Shakky was. She asked how it went, calling me a kid. I flickered to a seat near her saying I needed food and I had gold to pay her and Rayleigh back now. She called me sweet before saying it was an exorbitant price by now. I scoffed and told her food first so she gave me a plate and I ate, more and more until there was a table of empty plates.

Feeling better, I told her to follow me. She did and my cloud floated down where I then unloaded most of my treasure except the three bags and a chest of coins. Shakky smiled happily saying we were even. I grunted and told her. "Not yet, I need something from you, hence the extra gold."

She grew serious and I told her what I wanted. Shrugging, she said she'd see what she could do. She still happily took the gold and some of the dials I offered. My cloud went back up, much smaller now yet even more concentrated.

When Rayleigh returned a month later, Shakky told me where Robin was and Rayleigh brought Hawkeye Mihawk to me. Hawkeye narrowed his eyes saying I ate a devil fruit before asking why. I grunted and told him. "I don't limit myself to just the sword and yet I'm not good enough with a gun. Besides, I couldn't figure out how to make a ring eat a devil fruit so I was left with the basic option."

I flickered around and made a plasma sword of lightning like a freaking lightsaber. He watched me and asked if I was really 'that redhead's brat'. I got angry and my conquerors haki lashed out in full force, cracking the ground and splitting a few cracks in the nearby grove trees. People all over Sabaody fell unconscious while some tried to resist.

I growled. "Don't ever call me his brat. I have a name and you will you is!"

His eyes narrowed and he replied. "We shall see. So what is this name of yours?"

I huffed. "Ren, just Ren."

My plasma sword dissipated and I put away my conquerors haki, looking to the red line and snorting before going to leave until I dodged a sword thrust. I growled and drew my sword, using my expanded observation haki to see every last detail of the situation. A sword fight ensued and we destroyed grove nine before I was forced to retreat or lose my head.

Hawkeye said I had potential, but I was getting in my own way and my cheap sword was holding me back a lot as well. I grunted saying it was the best I could steal from a dumb pirate at the moment. He ignored me and told Rayleigh they'd be even if he taught me. Rayleigh laughed and agreed before telling him not to go easy on me because I'd rely on my fruit too much like most arrogant logia fruit users if left unchecked.

Hawkeye tossed me a pair of sea stone cuffs and told me to wear them on one wrist and not to take them off the entire time I stay with him or my training would be canceled and he'd force me to leave. I put them on and ended up island hopping for the next three years. The last island I ended up on had just gone through a recent war that wiped out everyone except an ape/baboon species called Humandrills.

Hawkeye wished to test them so he had me fight them and their leader whom he gave a white copy of his Yoru blade. He personally beat it down and it picked up his style and skills quickly, training with me which ended in them learning all three forms of haki to boot. As my final fight with them, my blade broke even when I'd won. I took the white blade it had and challenged Hawkeye.

He insisted we fight on another island and we destroyed said uninhabited island, ending in my loss and a giant cut that marked my chin, down to my hip. It damned near killed my having nicked my throat, but I healed fine and with minimal scarring. He'd cut my sea-stone cuffs off and the lightning healed me while he said my training was completed with him. I smiled even through the pain. "I got you didn't I?"

He scoffed and said I was still far from the top. He limped away and I knew I'd injured him with the last attack. I put Yoake, Dawn, in it's scabbard on my back as I stood up weakly. I fell back and my cloud caught me as I fell.

When I woke, the island had finished sinking and I was damned close to ocean level on my cloud. I made it go back up and went searching for Robin. It took a few months, but I found her in the west blue hiding from another pissed off pirate group she screwed over. When they caught up to her, they all fell down dead and I stood on the other side of the group of dead pirates, hands sparking with electricity. "That's no way to treat a woman."

I walked over to Robin and she was clearly on guard. I offered my hand saying. "Join me and you'll never need fear them or anyone ever again. I can sink islands with a thought and end anyone that comes for you, Nico Robin."

She hesitated and I sighed. "You need never fear me, even now. I ate the lightning-lightning fruit, if I wanted to hurt you I wouldn't be offering a hand."

She calmed down and took my hand, relaxing further and asking. "are you a pirate?"

I smirked. "Not yet, but someday soon I will be. On that day the world will know me and many will come for my head, just for existing. So, will you join me and turn this world upside down once more like Roger?"

She hesitated. "Only if you guarantee you won't get in the way of my dream to find the true history of the world and share it with the world."

I chuckled. "I'd never dream of it."

I made my cloud lower and told her to help me gather their weapons, money and supplies. We did so and I turned in the bounties of those with them to the nearest marine base, earning a cool twenty million berries. We did that for the next two years, robbing pirates, turning them in and building up an arsenal with a war chest. I kept my hair cut short and always wore a black hat that hid the blood red hair.

Robin had been surprised when she learned of my true background. Another year passed after I cut a deal with Iceberg of water seven in secret to build my ship from Adam's wood. My ship, the Wicked Lightning, was built for speed, flying and power using the dials I provided and the basic idea of what I'd wanted. I'd made sure CP9 hadn't been around when I'd cut the deal and the ship was long done by now.

In fact it floated on my cloud, loaded with treasure, weapons and gold. It was coated on the inside with gold and copper in places to allow me to power the engines I'd designed for it's primary devil fruit powered propellers. The secondary system was the jet dials and flying system he'd made while the basic sails were what would be used on lazy days. Still, it was designed to be the fastest ship to have ever sailed the seas.

We'd left water seven after I gave him the ideas on how to make water seven a floating island. I paid well as well so it was fairly even give or take. In the meantime we headed to the Florian Triangle where we met Brook and I invited him to join my crew. He said yes before saying he couldn't because his shadow was taken by Moria and given to a zombie.

I scoffed and nodded to Robin. "Is the bag ready?"

She nodded and I patted the cloud, telling Brook. "Grab what you want to keep and get on. Don't worry, we'll stay below the cloud bank so you won't be destroyed."

He grabbed his cane sword and a shell that had his old crew mate's music along with a violin. I hesitated before grabbing a guitar and asking if I could keep it. He agreed and we flew up enough before I snapped a finger and set the sails of the ship on fire. "The Rombar pirates are at and end, may their hearts and souls go on to the ends of the seas and beyond for eternity."

Brook cried and I passed him a bottle of wine while the ship burned below. Moria's ship soon came, attracted by the light in the fog. When they found the sinking burnt ship, they missed us above. I sensed for the swordsman and found him before finding the invisible pervert, the ghost chic and several others.

I grabbed a mask and told Robin to deal with the zombies using the tons of salt I'd acquired for this journey. She agreed and I struck down, appearing before the swordsman Ryuma. I drew my sword and told him I'd be taking the shadow in him along with the sword he has. He got serious and agreed. "It's the winner's right after all."

I nodded and we needed no more words. I destroyed him fairly easily and Brook got his shadow back before I slaughtered everyone on Moria's crew except Perona. She was playing with her ghosts and missed everything. I could feel her ghosts, even the invisible ones, with my observation haki.

Soon Moria's head decorated a pile of bodies I'd gone through while I robbed the island of gold and supplies. With the invisible pervert dead as well, that made two devil fruits while the crew, an off shoot of big mam's crew, was left with the blame. They never saw any of us that's for sure. We left and headed to Ruskania where I spent the next year catching Brook up on haki and his devil fruit's true powers.

Robin got used to his panties jokes and my calm demeanor in the face of insurmountable odds. They both learned basic haki and both were fairly gifted with observation haki after the year was over. I gave Robin her mission when she was ready. "You'll join Crocodile and his Baroque Works agency. Promise your services in reading Poneglyphs in exchange for his protection and the right to further your goals."

She nodded and asked. "So there's a Poneglyph in Alabasta?"

I nodded. "Actually, there are two. I'll ensure you have the location of both by the time your mission is over in four years. This is deep uncover and you'll have two main goals besides reading the Poneglyphs, am I clear?"

She nodded with a smile. "Yes captain-San."

I narrowed my eyes and huffed. "The two goals are simple, keep track of all the treasure crocodile funnels around keep an eye out for potential crew mates to send our way should you think their personalities fit. Besides that, train your devil fruit, think outside the box and above all, practice your haki. I won't allow my crew to be weak because the new world and my goals won't allow us to survive if we're weak."

She nodded seriously and I gave her a hug, putting a snail phone and a vive card in her hands. "The snail is to call me in case of emergencies. The vive card is to tear pieces off and give to those you deem passable to join us. Remember, keep safe, I value your life more than I do this mission or any amount of gold. I don't even care if you forget how to read Poneglyphs Robin, you're my friend, my crew and I don't like losing anything that's mine. I'm a greedy stubborn bastard after all."

She smiled and kissed my cheek, sighing. "See you around Captain."

I snorted as she hopped down on a ship of dead ship of bad pirates that raped and butchered innocent people. She had a log pose pointing to Alabasta so it was fine and we watched over her from above until she made dock. Brook asked what we'd be doing and I made him scream as I tackled him, coming up and showing his hair in corn rows. "Your Afro stands out. For now we need to be inconspicuous and while you're a skeleton Brook, you're still quite noticeable. It's time we get you a change of clothes and started our own work."

He nodded slowly in agreement before I took him shopping in Alabasta, giving tux of this age and switching his top hat out for a more laid back Fedora. My own bowler hat went bye bye and I traded it in for a black cowboy hat. I told him he could keep his top hat and in four years he could wear it, but until then he had to leave it off because we had work to do and anyone knowing he was a pirate would hinder our work.

He agreed reluctantly and I took him to see Laboon before taking him to the East Blue. I told him to end Arlong Park, recruit Nami if possible and become a pirate hunter, but to only go after the worst scum in the East Blue, be they pirates or mountain bandits, his goal was to earn money and find Roronoa Zoro to recruit him into our crew as a fellow swordsman within the next four years.

I left him a boat of supplies, a campus, a map of the East blue and a list of goals with a snail phone to call if he has questions or just wants to talk. I reminded him to train and use the weakling assholes here as training dummies if necessary. He asked where I was going and I sighed. "To the find a blind man and recruit a doctor hopefully. It'll depend on how accurate Shakky's information network is."

He nodded and I left on in the Conami island, heading to the west blue first since it was closest. Six months later I ran into the man I was looking for the most, Fujitora. I already had Law with me and now we were in the north blue in a gambling den sitting across from the would be admiral. I asked him. "How about we make a bet that's actually interesting?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and what would you like to bet on?"

I smirked. "First we talk about the stakes which are simple, my life vs you joining my crew as the first mate."

He hesitated and hmmm'd a lot before nodding. "It depends on the bet."

I grinned fully now. "The bet is simple, that you can't beat me. If you can't, I win regardless of whether I beat you or not and if you can, I give you my life and the five hundred million in gold I have stashed above us on a cloud. I'll even tell you openly that I've trained in all three forms of haki and I have the most powerful logia type devil fruit."

I nodded to Law. "If you agree, my friend here will clear this area of the island and ensure no one is hurt. What's more, if I win, two hundred million berries will be left for repairs so the people here can rebuild their homes."

I turned to Fujitora. "If you'd like, I can regale you on my goals, my reason for being a pirate and why it is I chose you as my first mate while you attempt to kill me."

He stood up. "Very well."

I smiled. "I love this the best. My life decided on the flip of a coin as it were. You're never more alive than the moment you're about to die after all. I fully understand why Roger smiled now."

I stood up and Law sent people away, clearing our part of the island out until only he and us remained. I waved him off. "Come back and treat us when it's over, but if he wins, do nothing. Protect the villagers until it's over. Think of it as my first order as your captain."

Law shrugged and agreed before leaving to protect the people. I turned to Fujitora and dodged a sword slash, speaking to him with laughter in my voice. I told him about my brand, what it means and why I was forced into this life or choosing to remain weak forever. I told him how I wanted to die rather than be a slave and how I was knocked about by two people who cared and forced to live.

I told him my plans of ending the world government, bringing down the red line and raising Fishman island. I told him of the ugliness of this world and my plans to end it. Finally, I told him what I'd planned for him once it was all said and done, what my goal would be and how I'd unite this corrupt world. He faltered with his blade at my throat and I told him softly. "Once it's done, the pirate age will end, but an age of adventure and unity will begin, it can, no, it must be done if we're to see the end of the darkness in this world."

I tapped his blade away with my finger and told him. "There will always be those that give into evil, but my plan is to limit it and bring the people real justice. Call it a dumb plan, call it a fool's dream or a sad kid's hope, but I'll die for if I have to."

He sighed. "And where do you end up in all this, supposing I don't kill you now?"

I chuckled. "If you were going to kill me, you'd have done it by now. No, still, I told you, there won't be any room in this world for pirates anymore. Assuming I survive and everything goes to plan, I'll retire and enjoy basic life. I don't have the patience to lead a world nor desire to listen to people's bullshit and lies. A simple life as a fisherman or farmer will do with a white picket fence and a boat that can sail if the sea calls me for adventure once more."

I moved and stood beside him in the blink of an eye. "The real questions are, will you be up for it? Could you handle the stress? Do you have the stomach to do what it'll take to see this dream done? Are you strong enough to stand by me and see my dream through even if I die in front of you? Could you finish what I start even if it means your life?"

I smiled easily. "I don't care if you kill me Fujitora, I never wanted to live in this world to begin with. It's weak, full of corruption and even the average man is labeled a pirate if he only wants to see the world. I will follow my dream and see it through or see myself dead, no matter the cost."

My will was absolute and it made even him trembled. He sighed and sheathed his blade. "It seems I've lost in more ways than one. You were right, I can't kill you captain."

I chuckled. "What's wrong? Can't kill the dead?"

He shook his head. "No, I can't kill an idea, a hope. I am many things, but I am not a god."

I chuckled. "Come, let's introduce you properly the ship's doctor, Law. If you ask it, he will tell you his story."

He nodded and I paid the villagers before sitting down with Fujitora and law while drinking sake. I told them of Robin, her true story and her dreams along with Brook. Finally, I told them we had work to do and three and a half years to do it. For this time I told Fujitora to teach law of haki while we traveled and hunted the worst scum that gave pirates the bad name so we could build up money and resources while meeting potential crew members along the way and acquiring devil fruits of course.

Law asked why the devil fruits and I told him my intentions to seal them all away for good so that all men will be created and governed equally in the end, be they marines, civilians or criminals. Three years and a half years passed and soon enough it was time to start returning to origin as it were. Brook had acquired the smooth-smooth and fire-fire fruits on the same island before Ace ever set foot on it.

Ace ended up finding the wind-wind fruit and becoming Windbreaker Ace or so his bounty spoke of. Sometimes you just can't change date it seems. As for Brook, he did manage to recruit Nami, but failed to recruit Zoro. I let him return to bounty hunting and told him to leave Zoro be.

The north, east and west blues were picked clean of evil bounty holders for the most part. Law, Fujitora and I had swapped out when we turned in bounties to ensure they didn't find a pattern. Fujitora was called the Blind Swordsman, Law was the Pale Sword and I was given the title Black Sword Ren. I never carried Yoake anymore because it's similarities tied me to Hawkeye.

Still, bringing in dozens of bounties worth tens of millions apiece each time makes an impression all on it's own. Every one of us had been offered a place as a marine and we all declined repeatedly. As for the East blue, Brook had done some real damage there with his apprentice in haki, Nami. They brought down pretty much every bad pirate including Buggy, Alvida, Bluejam who had a hundred million berri bounty and Arlong of course to name a few.

Hell, even Don Krieg had ran from them when Brook cut down twenty of his fifty ships. So the morning finally came as I released a puff of smoke from my North blue herbal joint. "It's time."

Law and Fujitora nodded and got on the cloud. All the money we'd gathered had paid for intel, eternal log poses and proper weapons for Nami and the crew members Robin had gotten to agree to joining us in secret. Hell, it'd even helped the villages harmed in fights we'd caused by taking down bounties. Still, we had billions in berries and that would only grow.

We arrived in the East Blue a couple hours later over the island Brook was on. There we lowered the ship into the sea and filled the cargo hold full of supplies. The money remained aboard the cloud which floated back up and once I was sitting in my chair, Nami took over as our navigator after greeting me. I slid off my coat for the first time in years and strapped Yoake to my back.

I put Shusui on the wall hooks behind my seat and told Nami. "Take is out to the Baratie. We have a cook to take on and work to be done. Have you seen every island in the East blue and made notes yet?"

Nami smiled. "Yes captain!"

I nodded. "Then once we have our cook we'll head to Loguetown. From there we'll restock and head to the grand line. I've taken to filling the navigation room with all the eternal poses we could get our hands on and several log posses, maps, sea charts and well, everything navigators may need. I managed to get ahold of several stacks of one thousand year paper, deep sea squid ink and some tools you may find useful."

Nami had stars in her eyes as she thanked me before Brook finished loading the tangerine trees. I told Nami that she was the only current non devil fruit user on the ship so if anyone goes overboard it's on her to retrieve them. She was worried about that, but Law told her his operation room devil fruit can switch people with things and my lightning fruit made me one of the fastest people alive with the ability to float so I could save anyone on the surface regardless.

He pointed to Fujitora and told her that he could make things float as well with his gravity fruit. Brook announced he'd done as Nami asked before asking to see her panties. She gave him lumps on his skull and he said he regretted nothing. I barked out a laugh and soon we were underway.

When we arrived at the Baratie, our black sails with a skull and a sword behind it with lightning in it's eyes and behind it drew a lot of attention. A marine ship fired on us and I sent the cannon balls back at them with electromagnetism. Gotta love being the definition of electricity in all it's forms. Fujitora sank it and left the marines swimming.

Brook laughed and undid his corn rows to reveal his Afro. He put on his top hat once more and drank tea saying today was lovely. I chuckled. "Let's go get us the best cook this restaurant has to offer."

Law dropped anchor and I raised the sails with a wave while Brook tied us in. Nami asked how I raised and tied up the sails so I showed her the thin wires of gold in them. "Electromagnetism like the compass and log poses. I can control all forms of electricity, from static to lightning. It takes some concentration, but hardly any effort really."

She was fascinated with it and I explained that all the ropes, sails and even the ship itself was lined with gold so I could power it to make it go faster if need be. I told her that we would see everything eventually and a ship meant for devil fruit users wasn't much in the grand scheme of things. Brook told her the climatact she used was in fact made of shell dials from one of the many sky islands.

He told her all about them while we sat down to eat. When Sanji came out, he made a beeline for our table and asked for our orders while drooling over Nami. Once he got passed Nami, I told him my order and added. "I'd also like your best chef as a cook on my ship if he's willing. I can't promise much except adventure, money, strength and a chance to see every inch of this world with their own eyes."

Nami leaned over and added. "And plenty of beautiful women to meet."

She was laying it on thick and Sanji ate it up, still saying that he was the best chef and he had to decline. I shrugged. "Well, I guess running a restaurant isn't a bad dream. Simple, but not bad, I wish you luck with it. Let me know who the next best cook is and I'll offer them the same. I hear the All blue is every real chef's dream so I want one of those chefs on my crew. Someone with the strength and will to go all the way and laugh at the word impossible. Dreams mean nothing if you don't have the will to see them through after all."

Sanji was practically shaking by my words while the head chef Zeff had come down after feeling my presence knock out everyone else in the restaurant except those at my table. He heard my words as well while Sanji struggled under them and my will. I released him and snorted. "Go be a restaurant chef kid. You don't have what it takes to see the all blue because you aren't strong enough. You don't have the will to see your dreams come true because you falter and cower behind excuses."

He gritted his teeth and Zeff watched Sanji head to the kitchen before asking me after he saw me take my hat off. "Are you that man's brat?"

I scoffed. "I'm my own man, old man. Don't ever assume to call me that man's anything or we may just find out how much power you've lost in your old age after losing a leg, Red Shoe Zeff."

He gripped the railing and nodded. "Fair enough. Was all this necessary though?"

I nodded. "I had to know if the boy that would be your successor was worthy to join my crew. He faltered and he falters even now. He lacks conviction and out there where we're going that'll get him killed and us as well trying to save him. I have a dream old man, and I will kill anyone who gets in the way of that dream. I won't have my own crew faltering."

He nodded slowly and came out with the food a few minutes later. It was delicious and at the end, I paid in gold before Sanji came out saying he'd do it. I put him under my will and put a blade at his throat. "You'd better mean what you say. If you falter and it costs me my dream, I will end you. Everyone on this crew has a dream and we work together to see them through. If you join us you take that oath to do the same, even if it means killing, overturning kingdoms and starting wars, boy. This crew is the damned and we'll be damned if our dreams don't come true or this world burns us alive."

He gulped before agreeing and I sheathed Yoake. I held out my hand with a smile as the pressure left him. "The names Ren. I'm the captain of the Lightning Sword pirates."

He shook my hand and gave me his name. I chuckled and the others introduced themselves. We set sail and passed a certain Caravel ship on our way. I met the gaze of the would be future king of the pirates and smirked, sending a cannon blast shot as us at even greater speeds back at the marine ship that fired it. The ship sank and we went on our way.

We were stopped by Don Krieg's ships few minutes later as the captain and several weak crew members demanded food. Sanji gave them food with my nod and once the entire crew had eaten, Krieg s declared they'd be taking our ship. I smiled. "Brook, take our newest recruit, cut them down and sink them. Let this be an end to the Krieg pirates."

Brook laughed and told Sanji to come follow him. He jumped over to their ship and beat Krieg in seconds, cutting the fool's armor off of him and leaving him in a pile of his own blood. Sanji beat the crew including Pearl before they jumped back over and Brook slashed out, cutting the ship in half. The galleon began to sink when a pissed off and tired Gin crawled up the edge of my ship from the other side.

He asked for food and Sanji gave it to him before he saw the destruction of Krieg and his old crew. He looked to me and I scoffed. "They asked for food and turned around to try and attack us. Don't tell me you empathize with fools and weaklings who have no honor."

He gritted his teeth and asked. "So what now?"

I shrugged and offered him a hand. "Join my crew, join them or get off at the next stop, what'll it be?"

He stood up and I pressured him with my will. He had surprisingly strong conviction for a would be nobody. After a minute Nami told him what we could give and he accepted, saying he wanted to be strong. I grunted and told Fujitora to give him the same training Sanji needed.

The old man nodded and I turned to Gin. "You'll get your strength, but in return you'll give your word to help everyone here with their dreams as we will with yours so long as it isn't something like become a world noble or clashes with their dreams."

He smiled. "I just want to be the strongest I can be and sail under the strongest captain there ever was."

I grunted. "I'd have to beat Whitebeard then huh? Rogers is dead and Whitebeard is getting old. That leaves Kaido, Big Mam and my old man."

He spluttered and even Fujitora said I was even more surprising and interesting than he thought. Brook laughed and I told them of the Yonko's origins. Even Brook remembered Rocks D Xebec and Roger. I turned to Nami and told them the clown they caught for the marines served with my old man on Roger's ship along with Crocus. I turned to Brook for the last part before Law asked who Crocus was.

I chuckled. "He was the doctor of Roger's crew and you'll meet him soon enough."

We stopped by Conami islands to make sure Nami's village was doing fine before heading to Loguetown. There we restocked supplies and I watched the platform before heading to a bar to drink called the Gold Roger. The old man said they'd be shutting down soon and I scoffed with Fujitora before ordering all the casks of saki and wine they had.

I spent a small fortune before we headed out and rejoined the crew. I even stopped by and picked up the cursed blade from the shop for fifty thousand berris. The owner refused to sell until I tested it against my luck. I won and kept my arm while he offered another sword for free.

I shook my head and told him to give it to a green haired swordsman who would no doubt be coming here soon. I'd seen him on Luffy's crew alongside Usopp and a random person I'd never seen before. Fate seemed to be wrapped around Luffy like a cloak, pulling others in as needed. Anyways, I ended up beating Smoker down hard along with some parts that wanted to rape and pillage.

We robbed the pirates and I took Smoker's seastone stick. He saw the mark on my back and I told him. "The world government has no one to blame for what's to come except themselves. Stay out of my way Smoke man, it'll be far less painful for a good man like yourself."

I walked away and Fujitora finished beating Tashigi. He told her she had skill, but lacked understanding and will. My bounty came in after we met Crocus and Laboon at the capes and Crocus showed it to me. The picture showed my slave mark and they called me the lightning demon now. Fujitora was the blind demon while Brook, Nami and Law now had bounties as well. Most were accurate to the stories like Surgeon of Death Law, Dead Bones Brook, but Nami was called the lightning Demon's Bride Nami.

She'd been caught on camera giving me a kiss on the cheek for all the gold we stole from the pirates we robbed and sank the ship of. I was at ninety-five million, Fujitora was eighty, Brook was eighth and Law was sixty while Nami was worth forty because she dropped a battalion of soldiers with her climatact that summoned a lightning storm. Nami was annoyed and so was Sanji, but I hardly cared about either.

Crocus gave Law all his old medical books so Law was happy at least and Brook was happy to have seen Laboon again. We ended up with a couple stowaways until we arrived on Whiskey Peak. They fled and I waved off Gin and Law. "Let them go, they're harmless and weak we stay an hour here to restock our water and empty the toilet levy. We don't have time for amateur bounty hunters and their games."

I tilted my head. "That being said, Nami, do be a dear and find out if they have anything worth taking. Take Sanji and try not to cause a scene."

She smiled and agreed before I turned to Fujitora. "Lets go gamble and drink. I'm sure the odds are in our favor here."

He grinned and I left Gin in charge of loading the ship with supplies. Once Nami found a vault, I sent Brook to deal with the covering them and we made off with everything. Six hundred million in berri and six devil fruits. I put away the devil fruits and we made sail before anyone could wake up. We headed to Little Garden and when we reached there, I made an ionized barrier field that worked like a big bug zapper.

Harmless to anything bigger than a crab, but powerful enough to kill all small insect life in the area. I spread it wider and wider until it zapped more than half the island of bugs. I told them Jurassic islands had old diseases and bugs carried them to pass them on. I told them we'd stay for a week before leaving because I needed large meals to accommodate my energy expenditure and I really needed to store energy if we run into anyone dangerous beyond vice admirals.

Fujitora trained them and we met the two giants of the island. I apologized for the electric bug zapper, saying it was necessary to protect my crew from any ancient diseases on the island. Dorry and Broggy didn't mind at all so we camped with them and Ishared our saki. I went and killed the island eater as they called it and we had large meals.

I was constantly eating and storing energy that translated into electricity, making me a human sized battery or more accurately a human sized arc reactor. Sanji loved being able to cook with exotic ingredients and meats. We did notice the wax place, but with so many high bounty targets and one logia, the baroque workers stayed away for now. The fact that I carried a replica of Hawkeye's sword and didn't hide my slave tattoo only made them even more terrified to act.

My actions showed I wasn't afraid to let my passed be known and I was willing to declare war on the world government. Almost a week in Luffy's crew showed up and the giant fish was only a skeleton. Sorry and Broggy had agreed to join my crew after a fight where I'd overpowered them in sheer physical strength and shattered their old weapons.

I'd reforged them stronger, sharper and ready for war so they'd build a giant boat raft of logs the cut down. They'd used a giant crocodile's skin I'd killed as a sail once it was made into leather. When Luffy introduced himself, I tossed his navigator a log pose. "It takes a year for the log pose of this island to change. Keep it, we took ours from the bones of the other dead pirates that came here along with that one."

I turned to Luffy. "The name's Ren, I'm the captain of the Wicked Lightning."

He nodded with a smile. "Monkey D Luffy, captain of the Going Merry."

Usopp shouted his name and that he was the captain and I raised an eyebrow. "Which one of you is the captain?"

Luffy hit Usopp and said he was the captain so I shrugged. "Then it's been fun Monkey D Luffy, but it's time we left. Your welcome to the food and drinks we left at the camp and by all means, check out the island, but once we leave the dome of electricity will leave and any poisonous or diseased bugs that get in will be able to get in. I couldn't risk my crew, but we can't stay and protect yours as well."

He shrugged saying they'd be fine and I nodded. "By the way, how's my dad's hat treating you?"

Luffy stumbled and asked. "Your Shanks's son?"

I nodded slowly, gloomy that he phrased it like that. I picked the hat off his head and looked it over saying. "The earliest memory I have was of my old man wearing this hat."

I offered it back to him. "Keep it safe because it belonged to Roger before he gave it to my old man."

Luffy nodded happily and I laughed before telling him he had a couple stowaways on his ship. I turned to Vivi and the duck and Vivi said she was sorry. I shrugged. "I'm headed to Alabasta next if you'd like a ride princess. I intend to beat Crocodile half to death and fry him into a glass statue in places for funzies."

She said she was fine with Luffy and I shrugged before looking to Zoro. "How about you swordsman? Did you beat my teacher? Would you like to have a go at me as well?"

Zoro frowned and shook his head. "I'm game if you are."

I thoroughly beat him down and while he lay there bleeding, I held out Shusui and the cursed blade, Sandai Kitetsu. "You lack swords capable of withstanding your strength. You also lack understanding of what makes a swordsman on the grand line. You can't yet cut nothing so you can't cut everything."

I tossed him Yamaoroshi. "For when you inevitably break one of your new swords. Your lack of understanding will no doubt lead to more swords being destroyed."

I hopped about my ship and turned to Luffy. "He has a big dream, but not unreasonable for a swordsman. I already know your dream and although I don't share it, if you get in the way of my dream I will not hesitate to kill you Straw Hat Luffy."

Luffy nodded and said he'd do it, become king of the pirates and one day he'd fight me. I chuckled. "Until then see to your friends, they're weak and will only get you killed if they remain so."

I withdrew my lightning dome bug zapper and the giants laughed as we sailed off together towards kingdom of sand. We drank and partied for a good deal of the time, avoiding storms and catching food using Dorry's sword. He thought it odd until I grabbed the heavy fucker and dipped it to the hilt in the ocean and ran a current through it so powerful it had every sea king for a mile going belly up and floating to the surface.

They weren't dead, but they were sure as shit stunned and paralyzed. From there Sanji made plenty of food using our extra large kitchen. We made it to Drum island first and only stayed long enough for Nami to map out the island before moving on directly for Alabasta. When we arrived, a fleet of Baroque works agents was seen coming in.

I contacted Robin and she said they were all billions, small fries. So I destroyed them all with a lightning storm off the coast that fried their sails and burned their ships. The sea kings ate well and I sent out the crew to rob all of Crocodile's stashes of dance powder along with his money in stash houses and safes Robin gave me the locations of. Soon Crocodile was outed as the one behind the drought because of his devil fruit's weakness which is a rumor I started and paid others to start.

I made sure every place across Alabasta knew of it and the fact that Crocodile was the leader of Baroque Works. Hell, I spread word to the rebels to look for baroque works tattoos to find traitors in their midsts. The same went for the king in the capital which was damned funny to see when baroque works agents were caught all over. Hell, I even got another sword by killing Mr.11 who attacked me when he found me spreading the rumors.

Soon enough baroque works was routed and outed. I made a thunderstorm cover Alabasta and it brought heavy downpours for days while I brought down Crocodile and left him beaten, barely alive at Smoker and Tashigi's feet. I tossed her. "It's name is Kashu. Think of it as me eliminating scum and giving it to someone that'll make sure it has a good home."

She called me scum as well and I chuckled. "Perhaps, but I'm scum that did what you couldn't. I liberated a country and stopped a drought killing hundreds if not thousands. My only crime in fact is not giving into the masters you navy serve as dogs to. For that and the mark they left on me, the world government will burn and I'll butcher every fucker who stands between me and them. Call me scum, but I'll be the one to free this world from their stranglehold even if I die doing so."

I turned to Smoker. "If you've come to take me in, do know that I can and will kill you if I have to. My dream is too important for me to allow anyone to stand in it's way."

He huffed and shook his head. "I can't, you took my sea stone club."

I raised an eyebrow and he said seastone weapons were hard to come by. I pointed to Rain Diners. "Inside you'll find a cage made of sea stone. My people will leave you a bar of it, enough for two dozen clubs. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a friend I haven't seen in a long time and work to do."

I walked away and stopped. "You'll find all the dance powder stuffed into the hideout below the casino with the cage. I didn't have a reason to keep it and I don't want to haul that crap all over."

The marines shook as I passed them and Smoker told them to stand down. All the baroque works numbers in the city lay unconscious all over where my people beat them that way. I walked into Rain Diners and hugged Robin who returned it happily before introducing me to Zala, Babe, Drophy, Gem and Mikita. The rest either declined or simply didn't get an invitation.

I nodded seeing them and sighed. "Only one non devil fruit user, very well. Tell me about yourselves and what it is you seek to gain beyond my protection from the marines outside."

They each took turns and Sanji practically loved Mikita for being a chocolatier. I chuckled and welcomed them aboard as most sought basic dreams, safety and strength. I told Zala that if she poked holes in my ship I'd be very cross with her. Still, I had to decline Babe and Drophy who wanted to take over Alabasta and make it a home.

They were simply too radical and left on their own when I told them I had very little interest in Alabasta. When Nami said the cloud at back had all the money and the boxes of sea stone bars, I made sure she left one and raised it back up. After that I took the barrel of saki from behind the counter and tossed it to Fujitora. "It's time to go my friend. We have two stops to make before we leave Alabasta for Jaya then sky island."

He nodded and I turned to Sanji. "Go tell Brogy and Dorry to bring the ships up river to the capital."

I tossed him a case of money. "Take Brook and buy all the saki and alcohol in town before going to see them first. Can't have our friends thinking we don't care."

He agreed and Brook left with him, taking the newbies. I stopped the newbies and had them hauling dead banana crocks to the giants for meals. I made sure Gin and Law helped them while Fujitora, Robin and I headed into the desert with Nami. It took a few hours, but I was able to find the right place and fry the sand over the area into glass before cutting a stairway down.

Robin read the Poneglyph I brought her to and said it had the history of Alabasta from the royal family's leaving the world government to now, including a small tidbit about the war. I had Robin write a few letters and I carved them into the Poneglyph with my name in the ancient language. We headed to the capital next and I made a land crab take us.

I told it to go fast or be lunch and considering it saw what I did to a bunch of sand lizards and a rather large scorpion, it went very fast. We met the crew at the river and crossed it, leaving the crab alone. A giant fish tried to swallow the ship and really did become lunch. When we made it to the capital the king happily greeted us which was odd until Robin told me she'd been working with him in secret for the last four years to find proof of Crocodile's crimes.

I shrugged and we stopped two of the agents, seven and Father's Day or something. I deactivated the bomb and kept it, leaving it on the clouds before Brogy and Dorry joined us in the capital. Fujitora stayed on the ship while the king showed us the Poneglyph. When Robin said it was about a weapon called Pluton, I scoffed and lost interest which made the king ask what it was we sought.

Robin told him and looked to me. "This is the last lead I had."

I waved her off. "I know where two more are and one is easily gotten to. Now let's go party and enjoy some downtime. You deserve it more than anyone else Robin. I know putting you in that position wasn't fair or very nice."

She waved me off. "I've been in tighter spots and besides, I knew you'd be there if I needed you captain."

I smiled and we went to party. The king thanked us and bowed in the showers which I waved him off of. "I've no interest in your thanks. Only your help in stabilizing the surrounding islands when I bring down the world government and your support for Fujitora here when he takes over leading the world into the next era after us. Justice should be blind and judge everyone equally and by the same standards, no one above anyone else. Be they king, criminal or commoner, everyone should be treated equally because a good king is but a servant of the people."

I patted the king's shoulder. "And you are a good king."

He thanked us and agreed to help where he can when that day comes. I sighed. "Then perhaps this world can have a better future if more kings like you exist. Don't worry about the rest, just wait until the fall and we'll take care of the big things."

Gem and Gin were surprised by my dream as I laid it out for them and spoke of their dreams which sparked everyone including the women next door to speak of their own dreams. Hearing them, Brook and Sanji were up on the wall which prompted everyone to do so and damned if we didn't see a lot of all the female crew members. Still, my eyes never left Robin who smiled at me while the others had nose bleeds from seeing Zala, Mikita and Nami completely nude.

Nami charged them money and I just hopped down with the rest since Robin was still wearing a towel. I saw Brook's skull steaming and Sanji having hearts in his eyes saying the female's names. Brogy and Dorry had a lake I'd made by turning sand into glass and carving it out. The rain filled it up so they were having a blast.

Sanji cooked giant river fish for them and myself that I brought in and we stayed a week until Luffy arrived before leaving. I left a good portion of gold and the crew had helped rebuild villages so it was time well spent. Hell, I'd made a glass highway all around Alabasta including thick glass bridges high enough for ships to go under. It helps that I pulled all the metal, treasure and gold out of the deserts from their sandy tombs to pay for the portion of gold we left.

Fujitora and I had taught dozens of classes on haki for the civilians and Royal guards as well as our crew members that needed the training. Even the fighting Dewgongs had learned a lot from us and took it to heart to practice it. I'd had fun teaching them the many karate styles of my last life including the turtle school training methods. No doubt they'd take it to the extreme and fuck up anyone coming to mess with Alabasta from now on.

Their aptitude for fighting was second only to the Humandrills I'd met in the animal category of fighters I knew so far. Anyways, the king of Alabasta had the royal carpenters help turn the giant's raft into a giant ship, reinforced by metal I shaped and glass I spun in places. It wouldn't last if it takes too much damage, but I'll be damned if it doesn't have stability now.

We headed out and the marines attacked in a fleet. I kept the iron spears they fired at us and sent the cannon balls back at them, protecting our ships and sinking half a dozen marine ships. Hina had to save them and we left their encirclement easily, sinking another half dozen that fired regardless, making an even dozen marine ships. The crew had sunk them without my help which was great and pretty funny.

Nami beat Hina when they went head on and we moved on. The giants laughed and split another six ships apiece when more chased us after we were free of the encirclement. We laughed together and headed to Jaya, stopping at half a dozen small uninhabited islands along the way for Nami to map them. When we ran into a salvage operation, we met the monkey brothers and they greeted us.

I'd made friends with them and cricket my first time around with Shanks and they remembered me. I told them we were going to Jaya before heading to sky island again if they wanted to come along. I told them they'd get to see the city I emptied of gold and the giant gold belfry there that hasn't been touched or found yet. They agreed to meet us in three days at Cricket's place.