Tides of Fate: A Rival’s Oath

After crossing Reverse Mountain and nearly being devoured by Sea Kings in the Calm Belt, the crew finally reached the Grand Line...only to face an enormous obstacle.

"Is that a giant whale!?" They exclaimed in disbelief.

"Damn it! We need to stop the ship, or we'll crash into it!" Nami shouted.

"Leave it to me!" Luffy grinned, running toward the cannons.

"Luffy, don't-whatever you're thinking, don't do it!" Ryomen protested, but his words went unheard.

The front cannon fired in the whale, halting the boat's speed, but the impact still destroyed the figurehead.

"My special seat!!" Luffy cried out, staring at the ruined remains of the figurehead.

The massive whale opened its eyes, focusing on them.

Luffy marched up to its eye, yelling, "That was my special seat! Why did you do that!?" Then, to everyone's horror, he punched the whale.

"You idiot!!" The crew screamed in unison.

The whale retaliated by sucking the entire ship inside its mouth. Luffy, however, managed to cling to the whale's side.

"What do I do now? They all got eaten!"

…

Inside the whale, the crew, minus Luffy, found themselves standing on what looked like an island beneath a painted sky.

"Did we die? Is this the afterlife!?" Usopp screamed, his eyes wide with fear.

"No way! Right...?" Nami replied uncertainly.

"Do you really think the afterlife looks like this? A painted sky and a small house inside a whale?" Ryomen rolled his eyes. "Someone's obviously living here."

"Let's hope they're human." Sanji muttered.

"Even if they aren't, they couldn't be worse than you." Zoro quipped with a smirk. Before Sanji could respond, a man exited the house nearby.

The man stood silently, staring at them, which quickly irritated Sanji. "Say something already!" He snapped.

The man simply sat down on a lounge chair.

"You looking for a fight!? We've got cannons, you know!" Usopp yelled, though his voice trembled.

"Forget it. Someone's gonna die." The man finally said.

"Oh yeah? Who?" Sanji asked.

"Me."

"Listen here, you!-" Sanji began, but Zoro held him back.

"Who are you, and where are we?" Zoro demanded.

"Isn't it polite to introduce yourselves first?" The man replied.

Zoro frowned but nodded. "You're right. My name's-"

"My name's Crocus, I'm the keeper of the Twin Capes lighthouse. I'm seventy-one, a Gemini, and my blood type is AB."

Zoro twitched in annoyance. "I'm gonna kill him!"

"Easy now." Ryomen muttered as he restrained Zoro. "Sorry about them. I'm Ryomen. Can you tell us how to get out?"

Crocus briefly glanced at Ryomen, his expression changing ever so slightly before pointing toward a gate. "There's the exit."

Nami's eyes widened in surprise. "We can actually leave!?"

Just as the crew celebrated, the ground beneath them shook violently.

"What's happening now?" Usopp panicked.

"The whale...Laboon...is ramming his head into the Red Line again." Crocus said grimly.

"Why?" Ryomen asked, concerned.

Without answering, Crocus dived into the whale's stomach acid, shocking the crew.

"What the hell!? He'll dissolve!" Usopp shouted.

"Leave him! We need to get out of here!" Zoro responded.

As they neared the gate, three figures suddenly fell into the water, Luffy, and two others.

"Who are those people?" Usopp asked.

Ryomen frowned. 'That girl... She looks familiar.'

…

"The whale's calmed down." Nami observed, her voice laced with relief.

"Well, who are you guys?" Zoro asked, eyeing the two strangers who were whispering to each other and avoiding the crew's gaze.

Usopp smirked, casting a quick glance at Ryomen. "Looks like we'll have to use our secret weapon." He said with a smug tone, signaling Ryomen with a subtle nod.

Ryomen sighed, clearly reluctant, but he complied. His voice turned cold, commanding immediate attention. "We asked you something. Who are you?"

The two strangers froze, their eyes widening as they turned toward Ryomen. They trembled visibly, struck by the intensity of his gaze—two pairs of crimson eyes piercing through them like a predator's. The atmosphere around him grew tense.

The woman, however, blinked with a mixture of fear and curiosity, as if recognizing those eyes from a distant memory.

"W-We just came for the whale!" She stammered, her voice wavering. The man beside her quickly nodded in agreement.

"T-That's right!" He added, his hands trembling.

Crocus suddenly appeared at the door Luffy had fallen through, his voice booming with determination. "No, you aren't! As long as I'm alive, you won't harm him!"

The man smirked, his confidence returning. "Oh yeah? But we're already inside his stomach!"

"You can't stop us now!" The woman chimed in, a wicked grin spreading across her face as she and her partner revealed rocket launchers.

Ryomen's expression darkened. His voice was low, almost a whisper. "Dismantle."

In an instant, their weapons disintegrated before their eyes, the pieces clattering to the ground. The two stood there, utterly shocked, their confidence shattered.

Ryomen took a step forward, his crimson eyes gleaming with a dangerous edge. "Where did you even hide those?" He asked coldly, his tone making it clear they were in no position to lie.

The strangers couldn't respond. Their mouths opened, but no words came out. They stood frozen, too terrified to move.

Before they could even process what had happened, Luffy appeared behind them, knocking them both out with a casual punch. They crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

…

The crew regrouped on Crocus's artificial island, where they were treated to a story about Laboon, the whale. They learned that the whale was ramming the Red Line, waiting for a pirate crew that promised to return after sailing the Grand Line fifty years ago.

Crocus explained that the two strangers, who were bounty hunters, had been hunting Laboon for food to feed a nearby village.

While the others were focused on the whale's tragic story, Ryomen had his mind elsewhere. "What's with that nearby village? How could they take down something as big as that whale?"

Crocus sighed. "They're bounty hunters pretending to be civilians. They lure pirates in with parties and either kill them or hand them over to the Navy."

"And you didn't think to warn us sooner!?" Ryomen snapped, his usual calm demeanor cracking slightly.

Crocus shrugged. "I'm telling you now, aren't I?"

"I'm gonna beat him!" Ryomen growled, but Sanji and Zoro quickly restrained him.

…

The crew eventually left the whale's stomach, returning to the open sea under a real sky.

Luffy jumped to the deck, throwing his hands in the air. "We're outside!! A real sky!!"

Ryomen smirked, shaking his head. "I'm surprised he even realized the last one was fake." He muttered to the others with a small smile.

The group then threw the two bounty hunters overboard.

…

At the lighthouse, the crew talked with Crocus about Laboon's crew and the reason they didn't return.

Luffy, without anyone noticing, took the mast of their ship and climbed on top of Laboon. "Gomu-Gomu no…Bouquet!!" He swung the mast down onto one of the whale's fresh wounds, causing Laboon to wail in pain.

The massive whale, now enraged, rammed his head into the cliff where the crew stood, sending tremors through the ground.

Luffy, seemingly undeterred, punched Laboon right in the eye, only to be thrown into the lighthouse by the whale. Despite the chaos, he stood tall and shouted, "It's a draw!! I'm pretty strong, huh!?" He grinned as though it had all gone according to plan.

With unwavering determination, Luffy proclaimed, "Our match isn't over yet. We still have to settle it. Your friends may be gone for good, but now you've got a rival—me!!"

Laboon stopped in his tracks, staring at Luffy with a quiet intensity. For the first time, the whale was silent, as if Luffy's words had reached something deep within.

"After we circle the Grand Line...I'm coming back here." Luffy's voice softened, and a rare moment of emotion crossed his face. "And we're gonna fight again!!"

Laboon began to tear up, letting out a resonating wail of happiness that filled the air.

…

Some time later, the whale now bore a poorly drawn version of Luffy's pirate flag on its head, the mark of their new bond.

"That mark is our contract!" Luffy declared proudly. "So don't go ramming into stuff and erasing it before we're back!"

As the crew prepared for their voyage, a sudden scream from Nami broke the calm.

"What's wrong?" Ryomen asked, instantly alert.

"The compass, it's broken! It's spinning like crazy!" Nami exclaimed, staring at the needle as it wildly spun in all directions.

Ryomen's brow furrowed in disbelief. "Nami...you led us into the Grand Line.. without a log pose!?" His voice was laced with shock, bordering on disbelief.

"What's a log pose?" She asked, genuinely confused.

Crocus, watching from the side, chuckled softly. "A special compass used to navigate the Grand Line."

Luffy, as usual, was one step ahead, holding up a strange-looking compass. "Like this?"

Nami's jaw dropped. "Where did you even get that!?"

"Those strange people dropped it." Luffy smiled innocently, completely unaware of the significance.

Crocus began explaining the mechanics of the log pose, how each island would reset its direction until it converged toward the final destination, and how, eventually, all routes led to one place.

"Laugh Tale. Only the Pirate King's crew ever reached it. It's the stuff of legends."

"Is that where the One Piece is?" Usopp asked, his curiosity piqued.

Crocus shrugged. "Who knows? No one else has made it that far."

Luffy, ever confident, grinned. "You mean…until we get there!!"

The mood was quickly interrupted by Sanji delivering a swift kick to Luffy for eating the food meant for Nami, sending him flying straight into her. In the commotion, the precious log pose was shattered.

Nami, fuming, tossed both Luffy and Sanji into the water. "Go soak your heads!!"

Crocus, amused by the crew's antics, offered his own log pose as compensation for helping Laboon.

As Luffy and Sanji made their way back to shore, two unexpected figures emerged from the water beside them.

Sanji's eyes instantly locked onto one of the figures—a young woman. "Allow me… Ms. Wednesday." He rushed to her aid, helping her to her feet with a gentlemanly flourish.

"Oh, thank you," She responded sweetly.

The man with her, however, wasted no time. "Hey! We have a request!" He shouted, urgency in his tone.

…

Nami crossed her arms, eyeing them both suspiciously. "Why should we help you?"

Without hesitation, the two dropped to their knees, begging for assistance.

"Hm. But we broke the log pose." Nami feigned innocence, casting a sideways glance at the crew.

"What!! It was mine!" The man exclaimed, clearly exasperated.

"We got down on our knees and begged, and you're stuck here too!?" The woman, Ms. Wednesday, added, frustration creeping into her voice.

"Oh, but Crocus gave us another one." Nami replied, barely suppressing a smile.

The two strangers, realizing their predicament, fell to their knees once more, pleading with even more fervor. "We appeal to your kindness and compassion…"

Luffy, always the wild card, suddenly chimed in. "It's okay. You can come with us."

Zoro, however, remained skeptical. "Don't think that's a good idea, knowing what they actually are." His voice was low, but his words carried weight.

Ryomen, who had been quietly observing, stepped forward. "It doesn't matter, Zoro. It's better than sailing toward a completely unknown island." His calm yet cryptic response silenced any further protests.

With that, the crew set sail on the Merry once again, bidding their farewells to Crocus and Laboon.

As they drifted further into the Grand Line, Crocus watched them depart from the lighthouse, a nostalgic look in his eyes. "Could they be the ones we've been waiting for, Roger? Those two…seem eerily similar to them."

…

The crew soon left the whale and set out on their journey. Along the way, winter suddenly arrived.

"Done! This is Mr. Snow-Man!" Luffy proudly presented his crude snowman.

"Pff, feast your eyes on the Snow Queen!" Usopp grinned, showcasing his detailed sculpture of Kaya.

"Not bad." Ryomen chimed in. "But behold-" He unveiled a miniature snow version of the Going Merry, complete with every crew member. "What do you think?"

"This is what I think!" Luffy punched straight through Ryomen's and Usopp's creations.

"Why did you do that!?" Ryomen and Usopp yelled in unison, destroying Luffy's snowman in revenge.

As the three continued their snowball fight, Nami watched from a distance, shaking her head. "How can they play like that in this cold?" She muttered, but a small smile crept onto her face.

Meanwhile, Sanji was shoveling snow diligently. "Nami! How long should I keep shoveling the snow for!?"

"Keep going until it stops, Sanji." Nami replied, barely sparing him a glance.

"Yes, my lady!" Sanji responded, hearts in his eyes.

The snowball fight intensified, but it abruptly ended when Nami screamed.

"Alright! Enough playing around!" Nami barked as she handed out commands. Soon, the crew was scrambling around the ship, trying to deal with the sudden change in direction. The ship swerved to avoid icebergs, the weather shifted erratically, and the sea itself seemed to be playing tricks on them.

Eventually, the seas became unnervingly calm.

"I definitely didn't miss this part of the Grand Line…" Ryomen grumbled, sprawled out on the deck, clearly exhausted.

Ms. Wednesday, despite her initial fear, couldn't contain her curiosity. "You've been here before?"

"Yeah." Ryomen replied simply, his eyes closed as if recalling memories best left buried.

Ms. Wednesday looked like she wanted to ask more, but before she could, Zoro stirred from his nap. "What are you guys doing? We better be going the right way."

The crew all turned to Zoro with glares of annoyance, and Nami swiftly knocked him out with a broom.

…

Soon after, Luffy spotted something in the distance. "It's an island! I can see giant cactuses!" His excitement was infectious.

"So this is Whiskey Peak." Sanji murmured.

The two bounty hunters—Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday—suddenly said their goodbyes and leaped into the sea to escape. However, Ryomen moved quickly, catching Ms. Wednesday by the arm before she could dive in.

"Not so fast." Ryomen said, his grip firm but not cruel. "We still have questions."

Ms. Wednesday's face paled, but she put on a brave front. "Let go! This won't end well for any of us if you don't!"

Ryomen's expression softened slightly, his voice calm yet sharp. "Is it because of those animals? The ones keeping an eye on you?"

Her eyes widened in shock. "How did you know?"

"You weren't that far from us." Ryomen said matter-of-factly. "I noticed."

For a moment, Ms. Wednesday remained silent, as if weighing her options. Finally, she let out a resigned sigh and began to share some details about her organization.

…

"Baroque Works, huh?" Zoro said with a knowing smirk. "Thought you two seemed familiar."

"You've dealt with them before?" Ryomen asked, curiosity piqued.

"Yeah. They tried to recruit me. It didn't go well, as you can see." Zoro replied with a smirk.

Before they could dive deeper into the conversation, Nami interrupted. "That's enough for now. We're approaching the docks."

Ms. Wednesday, still visibly shaken, turned to Ryomen. "Now what am I supposed to do?"

Ryomen's tone softened. "Just follow us for now. We'll figure it out." His attempt to reassure her seemed to calm her nerves, if only slightly.

As the ship drew closer to the docks, the fog began to lift, revealing dozens of people waving and cheering, welcoming the crew to Whiskey Peak.

The crew disembarked, greeted by a man who introduced himself as Igarappoi, the mayor of Whiskey Peak. Ryomen noticed the brief flicker of surprise in both Igarappoi's and the townspeople's eyes when they saw Ms. Wednesday, though they quickly masked it.

The mayor warmly invited them to a banquet, an offer that Luffy, unsurprisingly, accepted without hesitation.

"Wow! This place is great!" Luffy exclaimed, running around like an overexcited child, trying to take in every detail of the island.

Ryomen raised an eyebrow at Luffy's exaggerated enthusiasm but couldn't help smiling. "Thanks for telling us about this place, Wednesday. Never thought an island that loves pirates existed."

"Y-yeah, well, now you know!" Ms. Wednesday stammered, trying to sell the act to the onlookers.

Luffy, oblivious to the subtle tension, raised his arms in excitement. "Alright! Time for a party!!"

…

On another side of the island Mr.9 finally reached shore.

"We managed to escape…Ms. Wednesday let's go right a letter to the boss, and quickly get back in his good graces." He waited for an answer, but nothing was heard.

"Ms. Wednesday?" He looked around, and found himself standing there alone. "Oh no."