Monkey D. Luffy woke up exactly the way he did everything else: loudly, completely, and driven entirely by his stomach.
"MEATTTTTTT!"
Luffy bolted upright in the massive, silk-lined bed of the Alubarna Royal Palace. He had been asleep for three straight days. He was covered head-to-toe in heavy white bandages, his body completely drained from the poison, the blood loss, and the sheer physical trauma of beating a Warlord of the Sea into the bedrock of the desert.
None of that mattered. He sniffed the air, his eyes wide and perfectly clear.
"I smell roasted crocodile!" Luffy declared, throwing the heavy blankets off.
Across the spacious royal infirmary, Roronoa Zoro cracked one eye open. The swordsman was resting against the stone wall, his chest wrapped tightly in gauze after his brutal fight with Mr. 1. "You beat the crocodile three days ago, idiot. Go back to sleep."
"Can't!" Luffy grinned, stretching his rubber arms high above his head until his joints popped. "If I don't eat right now, I'm gonna shrivel up and die!"
The door to the infirmary swung open, and Sanji walked in, adjusting his cuffs. Princess Vivi and a very relieved-looking Nami followed closely behind him.
"See? I told you he was awake," Sanji sighed, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "The absolute second the royal kitchen started roasting the sea-boar, I felt a disturbance in the air. I'm heading down to the city market now to gather the last of the high-protein supplies for the ship. We're going to need a lottt of it to fill this bottomless pit."
Luffy didn't even say thank you. He was already vibrating with excitement. "Hurry up, Sanji! Food!"
Vivi ran forward, tears of joy springing to her eyes. "Luffy! You're finally awake! You did it! You saved Alabasta!"
"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed, giving her a massive, blinding grin.
Nami leaned against the doorway, letting out a long, exhausted sigh. "Don't celebrate just yet. We still have a massive problem." She crossed her arms, her face falling into a serious, calculating frown. "Captain Smoker has a blockade on the rivers, and the royal guards are saying Marine ships are patrolling the outer coasts. They know we're here. We have to figure out how to get to the Going Merry without causing a war with the Navy."
Zoro rested his hand on the hilt of his swords. "If they get in our way, we cut through them."
"We are not fighting the entire Marines right after fighting Baroque Works, you moss-head!" Nami snapped.
Sanji waved a hand dismissively, heading back out the door. "Relax, Nami-san. I'll scout the Marine patrols while I'm at the market. We'll slip out right under their noses."
⬛ ⬛ ⬛
On the other side of the capital city, the mood inside the temporary Marine command post was grim.
Captain Smoker stood by the window, chewing on the ends of two lit cigars. The white smoke billowed around his head like a storm cloud. Below him, in the city square, hundreds of Baroque Works agents were being loaded into heavy Seastone transport carriages.
It was a massive victory for the World Government, but it tasted like ash in Smoker's mouth. The Marines hadn't saved this country. A pirate had. And now, Smoker was expected to arrest that same pirate to protect the World Government's fragile pride.
The door to the office opened, and Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi hurried in. She looked exhausted, her glasses slightly smudged, carrying a single, heavily classified file.
"Captain Smoker," Tashigi saluted. "The last of the Billions have been processed. Have you... have you decided what we are going to do about the Straw Hats?"
Smoker blew out a thick cloud of smoke. "I told them I'd let them go if they took down Crocodile. I don't go back on my word, Tashigi. But it's out of my hands now. HQ doesn't trust us to handle this quietly."
Tashigi blinked. "Is Commodore Hina's fleet arriving early?"
"No," Smoker said, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous rasp. "I just got off the Den Den Mushi with Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Hina isn't coming. They redirected a Rear Admiral from Sabaody."
Smoker walked over to his desk, picked up the file Tashigi had brought, and flipped it open. The name at the top was Light Yagami.
Tashigi looked down at the name, and the blood instantly drained from her face. Her hands began to tremble. "Captain... they didn't. They wouldn't send him into a civilian kingdom."
"They did," Smoker growled, crushing one of his cigars against an ashtray. "And they gave him absolute operational authority over the Alabasta sector. He's dropping anchor on the western coast by nightfall."
Tashigi stared at the file in sheer horror. Even in the East Blue, the ghost stories of Paradise had reached them. The Marine who didn't take prisoners.
"Captain, the intelligence reports from Mock Town..." Tashigi stammered, her voice barely a whisper. "They say he cut the island's mountain half in a slash. They say he slaughtered three thousand men in a single afternoon and didn't leave a single survivor."
"The 'Smiling Reaper'," Smoker spat, his face twisting in disgust. "He isn't a Marine, Tashigi. He's a rabid dog. If he lands on this island, he isn't just going to arrest the Straw Hats. He'll execute them in the streets. He'll slaughter half the Baroque Works prisoners currently sitting in our holding cells just to pad his casualty reports."
Tashigi looked up, panic setting in. "But... but the Straw Hats saved this country! If Rear Admiral Yagami kills them, it goes against everything we stand for!"
"I know," Smoker interrupted sharply. He grabbed his heavy jitte from the wall and strapped it to his back. "Get your coat, Tashigi. We're going for a walk through the market."
⬛ ⬛ ⬛
The Alubarna central market was bustling, the citizens slowly returning to the streets now that the civil war had been quelled.
Sanji was standing at a spice merchant's stall, haggling over the price of saffron, when the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood up. He casually glanced over his shoulder.
Walking down the center of the market street, parting the crowd like a battleship cutting through waves, was Captain Smoker. Tashigi trailed nervously behind him.
Sanji tensed, subtly shifting his weight onto his leading leg. 'Damn it. If he spots me, I'll have to cause a scene.' He pulled the brim of his hat down, turned his back to the street, and pretended to inspect a bushel of desert apples.
Smoker stopped walking. He was exactly ten feet directly behind Sanji.
Sanji held his breath, waiting for the shout. Waiting for the smoke to lash out.
Instead, Smoker lit a fresh cigar and spoke. He didn't yell, but his gruff voice was pitched perfectly to carry over the ambient noise of the market, aimed squarely at Tashigi.
"Tashigi," Smoker grunted, crossing his arms. "Order all our men to pull back from the perimeter. We are officially stepping down from the Straw Hat pursuit."
Sanji froze, his hand hovering over an apple. What?
"C-Captain?" Tashigi asked, genuinely confused by the sudden public declaration.
"You heard me," Smoker continued, his voice hard, staring dead ahead at a merchant's awning. "Rear Admiral Light Yagami is dropping anchor on the western coast in exactly three hours to take over the operation. I won't have our men caught in the crossfire of the 'Smiling Reaper'."
Sanji's eyes narrowed. Smiling Reaper?
"Make sure the men know the details from the Mock Town report," Smoker said loudly, taking a long drag of his cigar. "Make sure they understand that eight months ago, he slaughtered three thousand Grand Line veteran pirates in an hour. Make sure they know he cut a mountain in half with a single sword swing. And most importantly, Tashigi, make sure they know he does not take prisoners. If he catches the Straw Hat crew on this island... he'll execute every single one of them without a trial."
Smoker let the words hang in the hot desert air for a few heavy seconds.
"If those idiot pirates don't get off this island and out to sea in the next three hours, they are risking a bloodbath," Smoker finished flatly. "Come on. Let's go."
Smoker didn't look back. He simply resumed his patrol, disappearing into the crowd with Tashigi hurrying after him.
Sanji stood at the fruit stall, a drop of cold sweat rolling down his temple. The cigarette dropped from his lips and hit the sand.
Smoker hadn't been talking to Tashigi. He had been talking to him. A Marine Captain was too proud to openly assist a pirate, but he was just honorable enough to leave the door unlocked before the executioner arrived.
Cut a mountain in half. No survivors. Three hours.
Sanji didn't bother buying the apples. He turned and sprinted back toward the royal palace as fast as his legs could carry him.
"LUFFY! WE HAVE TO LEAVE!"
Sanji kicked the infirmary doors open so hard they rebounded off the stone walls. Zoro, Nami, Vivi, and Luffy all jumped.
"Sanji? Where's the food?" Luffy asked, blinking.
"Forget the food!" Sanji snapped, breathing heavily. He looked at the crew, his visible eye deadly serious. "Smoker just deliberately leaked intel to me in the market. Headquarters took him off the case. They're sending a Rear Admiral to hunt us down, and he's dropping anchor on the western coast in less than three hours."
Zoro scoffed, settling back against the wall. "So? Let him come. We just took down a Warlord. We aren't running from some Marine."
"You don't understand, moss-head," Sanji growled, stepping into the room. "Smoker... He was genuinely terrified of this guy. His name is Light Yagami. They call him the Smiling Reaper. Eight months ago, he walked into a pirate haven called Mock Town and slaughtered three thousand men by himself. Smoker... that guy... he intentionally let me have the intel! Do you understand what that means?!"
Sanji paused, letting the weight of it sink in. "Moss-head... Smoker said he casually cut the island's mountain with a single slash."
Zoro's single visible eye widened slightly. He knew he wasn't at that level. Nami let out a small gasp, her hands flying to her mouth.
"Even after knowing our strength, for Smoker to have passed information like this... means the danger is real." Sanji finished grimly, looking at Luffy. "I'm not saying we can't take him in a fair fight, but we are in no shape for a war with a monster like that."
The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence.
Luffy sat on the edge of the bed. He was quiet for a long moment, the shadow of his straw hat hiding his eyes.
"He kills people?" Luffy asked softly. "Even if they surrender?"
"Yes, that's what Smoker said." Sanji confirmed.
Luffy slowly looked up. He... trusted Smoker. The childish, carefree idiot was completely gone. The look in his eyes was the exact same terrifying, unyielding intensity that had finally broken Crocodile.
"I don't like guys like that." Luffy said flatly.
"It doesn't matter if you like him, Luffy!" Nami pleaded, stepping forward. "Sanji is right! You are injured, and Zoro can barely stand! If we stay here, it would be very dangerous1 We have to get to the Going Merry."
"OHH! I am suddenly contracted with 'Go-Back-To-Merry' disease Luffyy... can we goo??" Usopp's eyes were already crying.
Zoro slowly sheathed his swords, his face unreadable. He looked at his Captain. "Your call, Luffy."
Luffy stared at the floor for a few seconds. He reached up and pulled the brim of his straw hat down firmly.
"We're leaving," Luffy said, his voice tight. "But if this Reaper guy tries to hurt my friends... I'll kick his ass!"