Chapter 52: Shakky's Rip-off Bar (II)

Law told me about his plan. It was the same plan he had in the show. In my opinion, it was way too complicated.

He'd first work his way up to a Warlord of the Sea position, use it to gather intel on Joker, and eventually leverage that information to get close enough to defeat him.

"Although your plan seems way too complicated for me, I'll help you when I can. After all, it was a promise I made. But there is one thing you need to promise."

"Hmm, what is that?"

"You need to kill Doflamingo by yourself."

He looked away, his expression tense. "That'll be hard. He's really strong. His crew is also strong."

"You don't need to worry about his crew. I will ensure that there are no interruptions during the fight. And I think you're smart enough to get a couple of pirate crews to help you out."

Law gave me a long, searching look. "Why are you so set on me taking him down by myself? Isn't it smarter to use other people?"

"Blah, blah, blah! That's going to be boring. If you really want your revenge, then you'll get stronger, stronger than you have ever been before. Strong enough so that even Joker will fear you. Besides, it wouldn't be a satisfying revenge story if the hero didn't finish the villain personally, would it?"

"You know you're weird, right?"

"Yeah, people keep saying that. But you have to admit—it'll make a hell of a story."

He chuckled. "Can't argue with that."

"That's the spirit! Whenever you're ready to face him, call me. I'll back you up."

Law's eyes drifted to the sword at my waist. "By the way, where's your new sword? Don't tell me that's it."

"Shut up. I'm in the process of getting it. It's in Wano."

"That's Kaido's territory, isn't it?"

"Yeah," I sighed, "this is turning into a lot of trouble just for one sword."

"Why not just use your old one?"

"It… kinda broke."

Law rolled his eyes, giving me a look that could kill. I shrugged. "Not my fault. Had a few close calls. Speaking of close calls, I actually need a favor."

"What kind of favor?"

"A medical one."

Law's brow furrowed. "What, are you sick or something?"

"It's more along the lines of something. There's an adjacent room along the bar. I already told Shakky that I'd need it tonight. Let's go."

We moved towards the back room. Shakky had a table there. I thought that it would be enough. If not, then Polar Tang has high-end medical facilities. We could finish the procedure there. Law didn't wince like the others after seeing my scars. He was a trained doctor, after all. He has seen worse than this. But even then, his eyes went towards the scar in my heart.

"That one looks nasty. Vergo?"

"Yeah. Got stabbed clean through the heart." I lay down on the table as I spoke.

"How are you even alive?"

"Well," I said, recalling the event, "I stopped the bleeding by stabbing myself with my sword, then managed to float to an island. Though I don't remember much—I was unconscious most of the way."

"And you're sure a ship didn't pick you up?"

"Nope. Just me." I paused, then added, "I heard that if you can stop the bleeding fast enough, you can survive a stab to the heart. Is something wrong?"

"What you heard is true, but stopping the bleeding only buys you about half an hour. That's nowhere near enough time for a human body to drift to another island. Plus, why didn't any predators attack you?"

"That, I know. I think I was unconsciously using haki."

He studied me, surprised. "So, you have Conqueror's Haki?"

"You know about Haki?"

Law nodded. "Of course. We're headed to the New World. What kind of captain would I be if I didn't know what kind of powers are waiting for us?"

That checked out. Law was always thorough when it came to information gathering. I still didn't get why Luffy hadn't learned anything about haki from Garp. Well, whatever. Not my problem.

"Don't head into the New World just yet. I'll be on Sabaody for five more days. I can teach you some things."

"Fine. But I still don't get how you survived."

"Well, there must be some willpower bullshit at work here. Don't worry about that. Just tell me if you can remove these scars or not. It's not very appealing to the eyes."

Law's eyes softened a bit. "Yeah, I can remove most of them now. For the heart scar, though, I'll need some equipment from the Polar Tang."

"Works for me. Just take care of what you can today. I'll come by for the rest tomorrow."

Law activated his Room, and within half an hour, he'd cleaned up most of my scars. He explained the procedure in detail, but most of it flew over my head. All I cared about was that I didn't look like a crazy madman anymore. He told me to meet him on the Polar Tang at noon the next day, then left to wake up the crew while I headed back to the hotel where I was staying.

It was close to midnight, and yet there were people everywhere. 1 to 29 number islands of the archipelago were the lawless zones. The place where pirates, bounty hunters, and drug dealers roamed around freely. The Navy ignores this place, even though it was right under their nose. It was weird, to say the least.

I always wore my mask after exiting Shakky's bar. The mask along with the two swords hanging from my waist kept the unsavory people at bay. I might've also dropped a few bodies on the first day I came here. Fear is a good tool to use sometimes.

Suddenly, I noticed a fight at the corner of the street. A few people had ganged up on a lone figure who hid their original appearance pretty well using a dark veil. Usually I wouldn't bother myself with this sort of thing. But, just with a glance, I knew that this person was strong—very strong. Intrigued, I leaped onto the nearby rooftop to observe.

The lone figure dispatched each thug with a single strike, a swift and practiced style. I didn't recognize the martial art they used. After the fight, the person sighed and muttered, annoyance clear in her voice.

"Every time I come here, I have to beat someone up. This place is a hassle."

She lowered her hood, and I recognized her instantly. The orange hair, the large, expressive eyes—this was Koala. She didn't have her usual hat or outfit, but her presence was unmistakable. An idea came to mind, and I made my presence known. Her senses were sharp; she spotted me immediately and took a defensive stance.

"It's not often you see a top member of the Revolutionary Army around here," I said, giving a small nod. "What brings you here, Miss Koala?"

"Who are you? What do you want?" She was certainly alarmed.

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down. I'm not here to fight. As for who I am... you could say that I'm a mutual friend of your chief of staff."

"Sabo-kun? What about him?"

"Tell him to remember his past. Remember about Luffy and Ace. Otherwise, he might lose one of his brothers."

"How do you know about his past? Who are you?" Koala's eyes sharpened.

"As I said, I'm just a mutual friend. My identity is not important. But as a gesture of goodwill, I'll show you face." I said as I removed my mask. She did't have any visible reaction seeing my face, which was normal considering I was still a nobody in this world.

"My name is Zephyr," I said. "But like I said, who I am isn't important. What's important is the message. You met me here for a reason. Just tell Sabo what I said."

"Why should I believe anything you say? I don't even know you." She sounded skeptical.

"You don't have to believe me. But what if I'm telling the truth? Are you willing to face the hate of your friend if I'm right?" I shrugged, slowly disappearing into the shadows. Before vanishing, I repeated, "Tell him to remember. Remember Ace and Luffy."

As I walked away, I couldn't help but feel a thrill. If Sabo remembered about his past, would the Revolutionary Army get involved in the Marineford War? Or would they stand by as they did in the original timeline? Will Dragon intervene? Or, will he still remain in the shadows?

So many questions, and even I have no idea what's going to happen. The future was changing faster than even I could predict, filled with new and unexpected variables.

A grin spread across my face as I walked the bustling streets of Sabaody. So many strong and legendary figures were gathering. The thought sent a shiver down my spine. Excitement pulsed through me as I made my way back to the hotel, eager to see what awaited in this ever-evolving world. But before all that I needed my sword.