"Thank you again. How about I give you an apple as thanks for helping me twice already?" Doc Q said, rummaging around the side of his horse, retrieving an apple basket which he shoved in front of my face.

"How kind of you!" I said with twitching eyes, promptly snatching one of the apples as the other shot towards Doc Q's mouth, squeezing his Jaw and forcing it open as I shoved the evil fruit in his mouth.

It seems that my action took Doc Q by surprise, allowing me to force him to bite into the apple, which he did, chewing on it with some difficulty, swallowing with a big gulp.

"It seems that you're quite lucky, Mr pirate captain," Doc Q said with some difficulty after swallowing a mouthful of apple. "Luck has nothing to do with it," I said with a scowl on my face, watching as the bitten fell from his mouth to the ground.

"I make my own luck," I said with a shrug, snatching another apple and causing Doc Q to sweat, thinking that I'll shove it into his mouth again.

I merely smirked as I covered my hand in Haki and crushed the apple causing it to explode in my hand, away from Laffite, Doc Q, and myself.

"In the end, it doesn't whether you're lucky or not," I stated with a smirk. "The only thing that matters is whether you're strong enough to change your luck or not," I added with my fist raised in front of my face.

"Join my crew, and I will change your luck for the better, starting with this sickly body of yours!" I concluded, reaching to grab the apple basked from his hand, throwing it away, and smirking as it exploded immediately upon hitting the ground.

"The only reason I can think of for you to want me in your crew is that you need a doctor on your ship, and yet you're promising to cure my illness, which even I couldn't cure," Doc Q remarked, chuckling and gasping for breath in between words.

"What an interesting man," he concluded in a dismissive tone, shaking his head and vomiting another mouthful of blood.

"I know a lot of great doctors, and I'm going to gather them in one place to treat the body of one of my friends soon," I explained with a smirk, not taking any offense at his dismissive tone, even as Laffite frowned.

"Tag along with us until then, and if I can't keep my word then, you are free to leave," I added in a serious tone. "You have nothing to lose if I fail, but you have everything to gain if I manage to do it," I concluded.

"When- cough - you put it like that, then I'd be a fool to refuse, but...," Doc Q said, trailing at the end of his sentence. "But I don't just follow anyone, so prove your strength first," he concluded, reaching to his back at incredible speed, retrieving his scythe and swinging it at me with a maniacal smile on his face.

I merely smirked as Laffite rushed in front of me, blocking the incoming scythe with his cane, a cheerful smile on his face.

"Don't you know it's rude to attack someone's captain right in front of their face?" Laffite asked, still smiling cheerfully as he and doc Q pushed each other, trying to overpower one another.

"My apologies," Doc Q remarked. "Then allow me to beat you down and get to your captain next," he concluded with a chuckling tone, still wheezing and gasping for breath as his horse, Stronger, raised one of its hooves, trying to kick Laffite in the gut.

Laffite didn't reply, merely using Kami-e to twist his torso strangely, avoiding the hoof and kicking Doc Q's scythe upwards as he thrust his cane forward, aiming for the sickly doctor's face.

Doc Q gasped for breath, moving his head to the side and avoiding Laffite's cane by hairbreadth as he swung his scythe downwards at Laffite.

The navigator used Soru to dodge, disappearing and appearing behind the sickly doctor, only to find him facing the other way already, mid swinging motion.

Laffite frowned at Doc Q's speed and reaction time and moved incredibly quickly, clashing with the sickly doctor's scythe with his cane and taking a step backward to stave off the impact.

"For a sickly person who can barely walk, you pack quite the punch," Laffite said with a cheerful smile, promptly pushing himself forward by using Geppo without waiting for a reply.

Surprise took Doc Q because of the strange technique, allowing his weapon to slip downwards, and Laffite took advantage of that, whacking the scythe with his cane to send it barreling down into the ground.

Laffite then pinned down the scythe with the tip of his cane, using that as leverage to perform a flip into the air right above the sickly doctor as he activated Shigan, his index finger glowing ominously in a red hue.

Laffite, who was in the air with his feet high and his head facing the ground, pushed himself with Geppo towards Doc Q, thrusting his finger towards the sickly doctor's shoulder.

Doc Q, however, reacted quickly, using his free hand to block Laffite's incoming finger. Still, it wasn't sufficient as the navigator used a watered-down of his searing beam, penetrating right through the sickly doctor's hand and hitting his shoulder.

Doc Q merely winced in pain while using his injured hand to hold on to Laffite as the other swung the oversized scythe in the navigator's direction.

Laffite barely had any time to dodge, and the scythe ended up cutting into his shoulder as he whacked the sickly doctor's wrest with his cane and freed himself, jumping backward to make some distance between them.

"You had no foothold, so how could you dodge my last attack like that?" Doc Q asked in his usual wheezing tone, uncaring about the hole in his shoulder and hand.

"It's a simple technique that the captain taught me," Laffite replied with a smile while gesturing towards me with his chin.

"Is your captain as strong as you are?" Doc Q asked, alternating his tired gaze between my navigator and me. "He's a lot stronger than me," Laffite replied with a smile.

"In fact, he will become the world's strongest man, sooner or later," Laffite added, his smile turning into a smug smirk, which caused me to chuckle as well.

"The strongest man in the world, eh?" Doc Q remarked, his gaze focusing on me, and I met it with unflinching eyes. "I wouldn't mind following someone like that," he added, putting his scythe away.

"I will follow you for now and make the final decision after you gather those doctors you were talking about, if you would still have me," Doc Q said while looking me dead in the eye.

"Welcome aboard, Doc," I said with a smile. "But we need to make some ground rules first," I added in a firm tone.

"Rule number one; no apples, exploding or otherwise," I said, raising a finger. "Rule number two; don't harm your crewmates in any way. I will personally gut anyone who breaks this rule, regardless of their reasons," I added, my tone turning murderous and my smile vanishing.

"Rule number three; Don't harm innocent civilians unless absolutely necessary. We're pirates, not psychopaths," I concluded, my smile returning as my tone turned pleasant again.

"A little strict than what I'm used to," Doc Q said with a frown. "But I can work with that," he concluded.

"Then patch yourself and Laffite up first," I instructed. "Then follow me. I'll introduce you to our ship, the black pearl, and her crew," I added, watching as the sickly doctor nodded and went to work immediately.

-0-

"This is the black pearl, my pride, and joy," I say with a smile while pointing at my ship as we arrive at the docks. "Am old shipwright from West Blue built her for us. Her keel is Adam wood, while the rest is Bally wood, which is only second to Adam wood," I concluded with a smile.

"It looks like a great ship," Doc Q said in his usual wheezing tone. "Isn't it?" I remarked, my smile growing broader as we made our way into the ship.

"Everyone gather up. We have a new crew member," I exclaimed, loudly causing everyone to gather on the black pearl's deck. "This is Doc Q, the newest addition to our crew. He may look like he's dying, but the guy is strong, and he's an excellent doctor," I explained as soon as everyone was close enough to hear me.

"This is Wilson, my first mate," I said while pointing at Wilson, who only grunted in acknowledgment, seemingly occupied with a bottle of alcohol. "He's a muscle head who only enjoys fighting, drinking, and eating!" I explained with a smile.

"You've already met Laffite, our navigator," I remarked while pointing at Laffite, who was standing next to the sickly doctor. "Not only is he strong, but he's also very crafty and knowledgeable about the underworld," I concluded.

"This is Elly, our resident land spotter, and marksman," I said as I turned to look at Elly, who nodded with a smile on her face.

"That there is Bob, our cook," I said while pointing at the cook. "He's a lazy asshole, but he's strong, and his cooking is great," I concluded, causing Bob to raise his middle finger in my direction.

"The blonde over there is Byron, an axeman and a musician extraordinaire," I said with a smile. "He's only second in music to yours truly," I concluded with thumbs up, causing byron to roll his eyes.

"That moss head over there is Kozue, a sword and bow expert who is just as knowledgeable about the underworld as Laffite," I say while pointing at Kozue, and she merely smiles while waving her hands in greeting.

"Just between us, she's a pervert, so you better steer clear of her," I concluded, quickly moving my head to the side to dodge a smut book that came flying at me from Kozue's direction.

"We still have something to do here before we go check on that weather Phenomena Laffite spoke about and then go into the grand line, so everyone try to enjoy our brief time here," I concluded, causing everyone to nod.

-0-

Six days had passed since Doc Q joined the crew (albeit not officially), and he seemed to be getting along with everyone without any trouble.

He seemed to have developed an excellent relationship with Laffite, which isn't surprising considering that they both believe in luck, fate, and dreams more than anything else.

Now that I think about it, that seemed to be the theme of the entire black-beard pirate crew, believing in luck and fate, I mean, but I digress.

Wilson didn't seem to enjoy interacting with Doc Q too much because of how he usually spoke in between gasps, In a wheezing tone, and the four-armed gorilla didn't have the patience to deal with that.

The two, Doc Q and Wilson, rarely spoke to each other because of that, but they seemed to accept each other regardless, so I wisely chose not to interfere.

Charles was also doing the same with some of my companions, taking the initiative to teach him like Bob initially did. His day consisted of being instructed to brawl in the morning by Bob, who would then proceed to prepare breakfast for the crew, and Elly would take over training him to shoot before lunch, while Kozue would teach him swordsmanship before his bedtime.

The town's folk also seemed to warm up to us after spending a week here, even though they weren't exactly friendly towards us, but they stopped glaring and whispering to each other, at least.

Their change of attitude was doubtlessly the result of the copious amounts of money we spent in the town, which shows the incredible power of capitalism.

I also spent the time to train my devil fruit abilities further and finally managed to get the hand of phasing through solid objects yesterday.

Still, it wasn't easy, and I lost count of the times where I'd make myself weightless and begin floating in the air, creating numerous craters all around the island.

I finally stopped making myself weightless and unwittingly making myself float after two days. Still, it wasn't over yet as I faced another problem with burying myself into the ground while trying to phase.

But I was no stranger to hard work, both in this life and the one before it, and my hard work paid off. I'm now not only able to phase through any solid object, but I can also achieve weightless flight, which is a lot faster than Geppo and a lot less taxing on the body.

"Are you sure about this, captain?" Elly asked with a concerned tone, looking at me as I stood on the black pearl's railing. "Not really, no," I replied with a smirk.

Elly wanted to say something else, but I cut her off by waving my hand as I made myself weightless and levitated myself above the seawater surface.

'Here goes nothing,' I murmured to myself as I began lowering my density even further, and lowering myself into the water.

What I'm trying to do is basically testing if I can phase through the water, which would open so many doors and potential uses for my devil fruit abilities.

I was just about to drop myself into the water when I suddenly heard the sounds of bells ringing from the direction of Pleasure town, and a couple of seconds later, Laffite showed up, standing behind the railing.

"What's going on, Laffite?" I ask with a frown. "A pirate ship is approaching the town," Laffite replied while pointing at the sea, causing me to turn around and notice a pirate ship with a black flag that had a skull, shooting lasers out of its eyes, approaching.

"It seems to be that Artur Bacca who destroyed pleasure town before," Laffite added while pointing at the jolly roger. "What do you want us to do, captain?" he asked, causing me to jump back into the black pearl while heaving a sigh.

"It's none of our business, but we can make use of this to find out where Wolf is living," I reply while rubbing my chin thoughtfully. "We'll have to pick the best time to interfere, though," I added with a smirk.

"Too early, and they won't be grateful because there won't be any damage. Too late, and the town's people will blame us for not helping them earlier," I explained.

"So let's wait for the best time," I concluded, causing everyone to nod, preparing themselves to fight.

It didn't take long for the pirate ship to reach the docks, and a man with long black hair and wearing an elliptical pirate hat, who turned out to be Artur Bacca, was the first disembark.

A man who looked like a Sumo wrestler was next to disembark from the ship, the rest of their pirate crew following them.

"You're not welcome here. Bacca," Rudd, the police officer in red uniform, said with armed town folk standing behind him. "Was destroying our town once not enough for you?" Rudd asked angrily, a scowl on his face.

"I'll destroy this filthy town as many as it takes until you people spit out the location of the treasure," Artur Bacca replied with a disdainful expression on his face.

"Don't think you can do whatever you want this time around too," Rudd said, still scowling as the town's folk brandished their weapons. "We're ready for you this time," he concluded.

"I always do what I want," Artur Bacca said while dismissively waving. "Observe," he concluded with a smirk, his eyes glinting and shooting black lasers that were roughly as fast as a bullet, hitting the towns folks' weapons, turning them into liquid.

Artur Bacca and his crew then made short work of the town's people, but surprisingly enough, they didn't kill anyone, so we didn't interfere.

"That's what you get for standing in my way," Artur Bacca said while looking down on Rudd, who was collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath as the pirate delivered a kick to his abdomen.

Artur Bacca then looked at my crew and me as we watched the previously mentioned events from our ship, making his way towards us with a cocky smirk.

-0-

"I don't know what kind of pirates you people are," Artur Bacca said while standing in front of the black pearl, his subordinate right behind him.

"But stay out of my way, don't get any ideas about my treasure, and I won't kill you," he concluded, causing the pirates behind him to erupt in a mixture of cheers and provocative jeers.

"Rehahahaha," I couldn't help myself and burst out laughing on the spot.

My companions all showed different reactions to his statement as well.

Wilson merely snorted in disdain. Laffite and Doc Q joined me in chuckling while the rest looked at the pirate captain like he was mentally ill.

"What the hell is so funny, you bastards?" the pirate captain asked with a vein bulging on his forehead, the pirates behind him brandishing their weapons and threateningly pointing them at us.

"It's just that a loser who couldn't even reach the grand line, threatening us like is so funny I couldn't hold myself," I replied in an amused tone while looking at the pirate captain.

"I had intended to let things be and not interfere, but now that you've come and threatened me...," I said, trailing off at the end of my sentence. "I can't so easily let go. My crew would look down on me otherwise," I concluded, unleashing my conquerors, Haki.

A silver, transparent wave shot out of my body, engulfing the surrounding area, causing everyone in range to fall to the ground, unconscious.

Artur Bacca, and his second in command, volcano, were the exception, but they too fell on their asses with sweat rolling through their foreheads.

"You stay out of our way and avoid becoming an eyesore, and I just might not kill you," I stated in an amused tone, shooting his words back at him.

"Doesn't that sound like a good deal?" I asked while looking the pirate captain straight in the eye, and he nodded, absentmindedly standing up and leaving.

"What an idiot," I remark while shaking my head as I watch Artur Bacca leave first, leaving his subordinates behind.

-0-

Third person's point of view:

A couple of hours later.

"Are we really going to let this go, captain?" Volcano asked with a scowling expression. "This is the first time someone disrespected so much in north blue!" he added, hitting a table in front of him and smashing it in the process.

"Of course we're letting it go," Artur Bacca replied with a scowl. "If you want to die, then go ahead and kill yourself, but don't drag me with you!" he added, moving in front of the sumo wrestler and holding the collar of his Sumo outfit.

"He already said that he's not interested in the treasure, and people like that man don't tend to linger in the north blue, always going into the grand line," he exclaimed. "We only have to endure until that demon leaves for the grand line, then we can get back to doing whatever we want in this sea," he concluded, panting for breath.

"Bu-But he could be lying about not wanting the treasure," the Sumo wrestler said, still unconvinced. "What reason would he have to lie to us when he can kill us all whenever he wants?" Artur Bacca asked.

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"And even if he was lying, is the treasure more important than your life?" he asked again, causing the Somu wrestler to shake his head in resignation.

"At any rate," the pirate captain remarked after taking a second to calm himself, straightening his disheveled clothes. "It's already been two hours since we beat up the town's people, so it's time we go back there and begin our plan," he concluded after taking a deep breath, turning around, and walking towards Pleasure town.

-0-

Johnny's point of view:

"There seems to be something happening in pleasure town, captain," Kozue said as I was relaxing on black pearl's deck, causing me to remove my hat from my face, getting up with a sigh.

"I'll make my way there and see what's going on," I remarked while stretching lazily. "You guys can come or stay here," I concluded, launching myself into the air with Geppo and making my war towards the town.

I landed on a rooftop in the middle of the town, not bothering to hide as I made myself comfortable, sitting on the edge of the roof with my feet dangling in the air as I took out my whisky bottle.

"Gather up all the town's people and bring them here," Artur Bacca instructed in a loud tone, and his subordinates obliged, combing through every inch of the island and bringing everyone they found to him.

"That last time I came here, and you people refused to share the location of the treasure with me, I only destroyed the town," The pirate captain said, taking a quick look at me from the corner of his eyes and resolutely pretending he didn't see me.

"But I'm not feeling so merciful this time around," he added in a severe tone, shooting lasers from his eyes that hit all the townspeople, causing them to scream.

"I just used my devil fruit ability on everyone here, and you people don't get the treasure and give it to me in twenty-four hours, then you will all turn to liquid and die," Artur Bacca explained. "Just like this rock," he concluded, using his devil fruit on a rock, which promptly turned to liquid.

"The clock is already ticking, and your bodies are already beginning to liquefy," he stated with a grin. "So hurry up and bring the treasure to me, or your lives will be forfeit," he concluded, turning around and leaving.

'How boring,' I sigh while looking at this scene. 'I thought this guy's devil fruit ability would be dangerous when I heard about it from Laffite, but it's a joke,'

'It could be helpful in some scenarios, but the fact that it's applied through eye lasers that are roughly the same speed as a bullet makes it useless against anyone worth their salt,' I concluded, shaking my head again.

'At any rate, this development is beneficial to me as the town's people will have to come to me out of their own initiative when they run out of options,' I smiled as I got up, turning around and making my way back to the black pearl.

It doesn't take me long to reach my ship, and I instruct Laffite and Kozue to keep an eye on the town since Wolf or even Law himself might show up after such a commotion.

I then get back to lazing around and relaxing on the black pearl's deck since any training I do now will most likely be interrupted again.

"You sure are going the extra mile to recruit this Law person, captain," Elly said as she made her way towards me, leaning on the railing next to me.

"That's how useful Law can be to us if we manage to recruit him," I replied with a smile. "Besides, he has some connections even he doesn't know about which are just as useful as his abilities," I added.

"What kind of connections could he possibly have that would make you so interested in them, captain?" Elly asked in genuine curiosity. "This isn't like you," she added, smiling in a playful manner as she took my hat and put it on her head.

"He's connected to the marine's fleet admiral himself, and yet he doesn't even know it," I explained with a sigh, not bothering to take back my hat because she'll pout and keep taking it repeatedly.

'I'll take it back later and make a run for it when it's time to help the towns folk or law and wolf show up.'

"How can he be related to the marine fleet admiral while not even knowing about it?" Elly asked again, both curious and confused.

"Well, Law doesn't have a direct connection to the fleet admiral, and even the fleet admiral himself doesn't know about it," I explained with a smirk. "Then how do you know about it, captain, and how are they connected?" Elly asked with a raised eyebrow.

"How I know about it is a secret," I replied, shaking my head. "But The fleet admiral raised a particular orphan as his own son, and that very orphan sacrificed his life to save law, making him the fleet admiral's grandson in all but name."

-0-

"Fine, keep your secrets, but I'm keeping your hat," Elly said in with a pout that quickly turned into a beaming smile. "Still, I can see how that connection could be useful, but how do you plan to make use of it, captain?" she asked while nodding her head.

"It's too early to talk about that," I replied with a shrug. "We haven't even met the guy, after all," I added with a smile.

"So, even you can't see that far into the future, captain," Elly said with a playful tone. "I suppose that makes sense," she concluded.

"Hey, I don't see into the future," I replied while wagging my index finger at her. "I predict it," I added, earning a chuckle from Elly as she rolled her eyes at me.

-0-

It's been several hours since my conversation with Elly, and I'm listening to Kozue's report about the happenings in the town. "Not much happened. The town's people basically kept running around like headless chickens, trying and failing to come up with a solution to their dilemma," Kozue explained while shaking her head.

"Still, that Rudd person seems to have thought of something," she added, causing me to raise an eyebrow while gesturing for her to elaborate.

"Laffite spotted him leaving the town and heading towards the forest, so he asked me to report back to you," Kozue said. "Laffite thinks that he's going to get help for that inventor, Wolf, or possibly even Trafalgar Law," she added.

"Do you want me to go after him to find out where Wolf is living?" she asked. "If I go now, I'll still be able to follow his tracks," she concluded, pointing her finger at the forest.

"Hmm," I hummed, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. "You do that, but keep yourself hidden and don't make contact," I instructed while nodding my head.

"If Rudd went to get wolf's help, then we'll meet him here, but I need to know where he lives just in case," I concluded, causing her to nod, saying, "On it, captain," as she jumped off the ship rushing towards the forest.

-0-

Third person's point of view:

"This should be the place," Rudd murmurs to himself while standing in front of a cave, promptly making his way inside.

The beginning of the cave was a dark tunnel that led to a vast clearing inside the swallow-shaped mountain, which surprisingly had a house and a farming area right next to it.

Even more surprising is that the place was well lit, and the light was no different than actual sunshine, which reached the clearing through a small hole in its roof.

Still, such a small hole wasn't enough to allow so much light through, but it was a strange device strapped to that hole that amplified the sunlight to such a degree instead. That not only made the clearing livable with a proper day-night circle, it also made the clearing suitable for farming.

"Wolf, are you there?" Rudd exclaimed in an anxious tone while standing in front of the house. "Oh, is that you, Rudd?" said an elderly man with slicked-back gray hair, who wore a strangely patterned aloha shirt, short pants, and a red sun visor as he made his way out of the house.

"It's rare for you to visit me here," the elderly man, wolf, said with an amiable smile. "What can I do for you?" he asked, still smiling as he gestured for Rudd to come inside.

"There's no time for pleasantries, Wolf," the police officer replied in a hurried tone, dismissively waving his hand at the offer. "Artur Bacca is back, and he's going to kill everyone if we don't give him the treasure in twenty-four hours," he added with a complicated expression.

"Goddamnit!" Wolf swore with a scowl. "Wait here for a moment. I'll be right back," he added, quickly making his way back into the house.

Wold came out of the house roughly thirty seconds later, carrying a mirror that had a strange contraption attached to its back. "Let's go," Wolf said, walking past the policeman without waiting for a reply. "There's no time to waste,"

-0-

Johnny's point of view:

"Hmm, so he's actually smart enough to invent something like a sunlight amplifier?" I ask, not bothering to hide the fact that I was impressed.

"That's right, captain," Kozue replied while nodding her head. "I would have never believed that such a place could exist inside a mountain if I had I not seen it for myself," she added with a smile.

"Interesting," I remark with a smile of my own. 'So that's why even Laffite and Kozue couldn't find the slippery old coot,' I think to myself in amusement.

"So, what happened next?" I ask in a serious tone, focusing on the matter at hand. "Rudd informed Wolf about the situation in the town, and they're making their way towards the town with a strange contraption that looks like a mirror as we speak," Kozue explained.

"I wonder what that contraption is for," I remark with a smile. "But I guess we'll figure out, sooner rather than later," I say while gesturing towards the inventor and policeman as they rush into the town to confront the pirate captain.

"So an inventor, a policeman, and a pirate captain," I said in an amused tone. "I wonder what's going to happen if they walk into a bar," I add while chuckling lightly.

"Let's just see for ourselves, captain," Kozue replied, rolling her eyes with a smile as she did.

-0-

"Artur, you bastard, there's no treasure for you here!" Wold said as he stood in front of the pirate captain, who was surrounded by his subordinates.

"Wolf, haven't you learned your lesson already from last time?" the pirate captain said with a scowl. "Or do I have to destroy this filthy town again for you people to cough up the treasure," he added while pointing at the surrounding buildings.

"There is no treasure to give, you fool," the inventor said in a firm tone. "I already found it a year after you left and used it to rebuild the town," Wolf added with a frown.

"So take your men and leave already. There's nothing for you here," the invent said, bravely standing his ground without flinching as the pirate captain's face turned murderous.

"Did you really I'll simply leave after hearing that?" the pirate captain asked, rage dripping from his tone. "If I can't get that treasure, then no one can," he added, his face twisting in anger.

"So I will destroy this town that you rebuilt using MY TREASURE," he concluded, turning to look at one of the buildings, preparing to shoot one of his eye beams.

Still, he didn't get the chance to do it as he suddenly had to dodge a punch that came from Wolf, who rushed towards him with a scowl.

"You'll have to get through me first, you ungrateful piece of shit," the inventor said, quickly raising the small mirror gadget in his hand to deflect a liquefying beam that was heading straight for his torso.

"So be it, old man," the pirate captain said in a sinister tone. "I will have to first walk over your cold dead body first, then," he added, not showing any surprise at the gadget.

"This trinket of yours might counter my devil fruit ability, but I'm still stronger than you," he remarked, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"You guys don't interfere," Artur said with a blank expression. "I'll take care of this old bastard myself," he concluded, charging towards Wolf.

I really wish I could say that the ensuing fight was interesting or worth talking about, but it, unfortunately, wasn't. The battle began with both of them punching and dodging each other's attacks, and they seemed reasonably well-matched, with no one getting the advantage.

Still, the fight quickly turned advantageous for the pirate captain because he was younger and thus had more stamina, and so he began pushing back the old inventor further and further as the fight continued.

Still, something interesting did actually happen, and it wasn't a fight itself, but it was two young men who wore oversized hats that covered their eyes coming out of the forest, only to rush back inside after watching Wolf fighting the pirate captain.

'Those two should be Penguin and Shachi if I'm not mistaken,' I thought to myself with a smile. 'I can only assume that they're going back to call law for help,'

'Now is the best time for me to act and get the proper gratitude,' I concluded as I watched Wolf falling on the ground with a bloodied face, gasping for breath.

-0-

"It's finally time for you to die, you stubborn old man," Artur Bacca remarked while looking down on the collapsed Wolf, who was gasping for breath while laying on his back.

"Now go to hell!" the pirate captain exclaimed, taking out a gun, aiming it straight at the inventor's head, and preparing to kill him, but he suddenly froze as a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.

"I can't let you do that," I said with a smirk as I landed right behind the pirate captain, my hand gripping his shoulder. "You said you wouldn't interfere as long as we stay out of your way!" Artur Bacca said in a calm voice after taking a moment to relax his rigid body.

"I also specifically ordered you not to be an eyesore, and you weren't pleasant to look at from over there," I replied while gesturing towards the rooftop where I was sitting a moment ago.

"You're not an easy man to find, Wolf," I said as I turned to look at the inventor, cutting off whatever the pirate captain wanted to say. "Who..., who are you?" Wolf asked with some difficulty, wincing in pain as he spoke.

"My name is Johnny silver hand," I replied with a smile. "A pirate captain, an adventurer, and a musician," I added, raising a finger with each title.

"If you're here for the treasure, then you're too late. There is no treasure left," the inventor said with a scowl, struggling to adjust himself and sit cross-legged on the ground.

"I already have more money than I can spend, and I can always rob more when I need to," I remarked in a dismissive tone. "So no, I'm not interested in some paltry treasure that a dead pirate left behind," I added while shaking my head.

"Then why are you here?" Wolf asked with a perplexed tone. "I'm here because I want to recruit your ward, Trafalgar Law, but we can get to that later," I replied and promptly proceeded to knock out Artur Bacca and Volcana, unleashing my Conquerors Haki to take care of the rest.

"No wonder you're not interested in the treasure," Wolf said with a dazed expression while looking at the surrounding collapsed pirates.

"What do you plan to do with him?" Wolf asked while looking at Artur Bacca with a complicated expression. "Nothing, in particular. I'm going to leave deciding his fate to you as a meeting present," I replied with a smile.

"I see, then I'll take you up on that offer," Wolf remarked, standing up after some struggle, and went to pick up a sword from the ground, quickly making his way back towards the pirate captain with a resolute expression.

"Are you going to kill your own son, Wolf-YA?" Came a calm voice from the side, causing Wolf to freeze mid-swing as he tried to cut off Artur Bacca's head in one single, swift motion.

"This ingrate is no son of mine," Wolf said with a scowling expression. "He was going to kill me along with everyone in Pleasure town!" he added, sword still in his hand.

"He was always selfish since he was a child," the inventor explained, heaving a tired sigh. "No matter what his mother and I tried, he never changed," he added, shaking his head.

"I even went with him when he decided to become a pirate, hoping for the cruel reality of a pirate's life to change his heart for the better, but he grew even more selfish and evil," Wolf said with a pained expression.

"He even came back here and destroyed Pleasure town when he failed to reach the grand line to look for some worthless treasure, causing his own mother to become ill out of heartbreak and die because she thought it was her fault that he turned out like this!"

"I have to take responsibility for all evil deeds he committed as the person who brought him to this world, or he will continue to harm innocent people!"

"I know that much, Wolf-Ya," Law replied in a calm tone. "But he is still your flesh and blood, and you already know my past," he added with a complicated expression.

"I don't wish to see more families tearing each other apart anymore, Wolf-YA!" Law said, shouting this time as he made his towards Wolf, gently resting a hand on the inventor's shoulder.

"That person, his own flesh and blood, his brother, killed him after he saved my life," Law explained with a pained expression. "If you do this, then you will surely regret it, Wolf-YA," he concluded, causing the inventor to close his eyes with a sad expression and look away.

"If you people have some sea stone, then I might have a solution to this dilemma that doesn't involve killing him," I interjected from the side while pointing towards the pirate captain.

"And who are you?" Law asked in a suspicious tone as he turned to look at me. "He's the person who took care of this ingrate and his subordinates, a pirate captain," Wolf explained, causing Law to raise an eyebrow, seemingly even more suspicious.

"The name is Johnny," I added from the side with a smirk. "And I don't suppose you've helped Wolf out of the kindness of your heart, did you now?" Law asked again, frowning as he looked at me.

"Not at all," I replied with a beaming smile. "I helped Wolf because I want you because he's related to you, of course," I added, still smiling.

"And what do you hope to gain from me by helping Wolf-YA?" Law asked, his frown becoming deeper and deeper as the conversation continued.

"I want you to join my pirate crew, Law, or would you prefer I call you by your full name, Trafalgar D. Water Law?" I stated, taking a step backward to avoid a sword swing by the surgeon.

"Who are you, really? And how do you know that name?" The surgeon asked with a scowl, pointing the tip of his sword at me.

"My full name is Johnny D Linder," I said, smiling as I raised my hands in mock surrender. "I know a lot of things, like how Donquixote Rosinante and the special devil fruit he gave his life to get," I added, dodging another sword swing as I did.

"Are you trying to threaten me?" Law asked an icy tone of voice, his scowl becoming more pronounced. "Not at all. Now, how about we take care of this guy before we finish this conversation, hm?" I asked, delivering a kick to Artur Bacca's head as he woke up and tried to stand, knocking him back to unconsciousness.

"He's right, Law, besides he saved my life, so stop attacking him," Wolf said from the side, causing Law to hesitate for a second. "I'm sure we can find out what this man wants from you after that," he added, causing Law to sheath his sword with a sigh.

'Bingo! This guy seems to be close to Law, which means that the wait was worth it!'

"Now, how about the sea stone?" I asked after Law put away his sword. "I have some stashed in my lab, but what do you intend to do with it?" Wolf asked with a frown.

"Just get me some, and I'll show you," I replied while shrugging my shoulder. "So be it, Penguin, Shachi. You two hurry up and get that red box from my lab," Wolf instructed with a sigh causing the two young men to rush into the forest.

"It looks like all the fun is over," Came Wilson's voice for the sky as he landed next to me. "Why did you even bother telling us to come along if you were going to end everything before we even arrived, captain?" Kozue added with a pout as she landed next to Wilson.

"Sorry about that," I said while shrugging my shoulders, not even putting in any effort to look sorry with a deadpan expression. "If it's any consolation, then it all ended in a matter of seconds, and it wasn't fun in the least," I added with a sigh.

"Whatever," Wilson said, seemingly uninterested in the fight. "Who are those two?" he asked as he turned to look at Wolf and Law as the inventor met his gaze with a nod while the latter seemed vigilant.

"Wilson and Kozue meet Wolf and Law, the two people we've been looking for," I introduced them to each other with a smile, with everyone nodding at each other, except for Law, who had a frown on his face.

"This is Law? The guy we came here all the way here from west blue to find?" Wilson asked while giving the surgeon a once over, causing me to nod. "He doesn't seem much," Wilson concluded with a shrug.

-0-

"Looks can be deceiving, my friend," I remarked with a smile, causing Wilson to shrug his shoulders carelessly again.

"You people are from west blue?" Law asked, still frowning, but there was more curiosity than suspicion in his tone as he asked. "That's right, and we came all the way here just to recruit you," I replied as I turned to look at Law.

"Doesn't that make you feel special?" I asked jokingly with a smile on my face, earning a snort from the surgeon as Wolf chuckled lightly.

"At any rate, how did you knock out so many pirates without touching them?" Wolf asked after a second of silence with an impressed expression on his face.

"That's something called Conquerors Haki," I replied, unleashing it again on a smaller scale and letting it wash over Law and wolf, which caused the inventor to sweat while the surgeon merely frowned.

"Law here should know a thing or two about it since he used to work for someone who was capable of doing the same thing," I added while gesturing towards the surgeon.

"It's basically overpowering others' wills with your own, but only a handful of people can use it, and it doesn't work on those with a strong will," Law explained in a grave voice. "Or so someone told me," he concluded.

"That's the gest of it," I assured with a smile. "By the way, what was that mirror-like gadget you used to deflect the liquefying beams?" I asked about the tool Wolf used during the fight as I suddenly remembered it.

"Oh, this?" Wolf said with a smug smile. "It's something I came up with after this ingrate destroyed the town the first to counter his powers," he explained.

"It works by changing this mirror's frequency to the same as the liquifying beam, which enables it to deflect the beam since a normal mirror can't do the same," he concluded with a proud expression. (Author's note: This is just pure nonsense on my part, so take with a grain of salt.)

"I don't really get it, but it sounds impressive," I remarked while nodding my head, earning a satisfied look for the inventor.

We spent the next couple of minutes in comfortable silence until Penguin and Shachi arrived with a red wooden box, which they handed to Wolf, who promptly opened it.

"I only have tiny shards because I haven't figured out how to process them, as you can see," the inventor explained as he opened the box, revealing a bunch of small sea stones with many different irregular shapes.

"all of those shards have little effect on devil fruit users as well since I got them from shallow waters," Wolf added. "So, what do you plan to do with them?" he asked in a curious tone.

"That's even better, since I only need them to stop him from using his devil fruit powers," I replied with a smile. "You see, I ate a devil fruit that allows me to manipulate the density of my body and any object I touch," I explained, picking up a rock and lowering its density as I dropped it to the ground, causing it to phase through it.

"So you intend to insert one of those sea stones into Bacca's body?" Wolf asked, realization dawning on his face. "Yes, but not exactly," I replied with a smile.

"I'm going to lower the density of Bacca's body so you can insert one of the sea stones inside his body since I can't touch those things myself," I explained as I picked up the unconscious pirate captain, promptly altering his density.

"Whenever you're ready," I instructed, passing my hand through the pirate captain's torso to demonstrate, causing Law and wolf to open their eyes wide in surprise.

"So be it, this method should stop my foolish son from using his devil fruit powers ever again while physically weakening him enough to not be a threat to anyone," Wolf said with a sigh as he picked up one of the sea stones and put it inside his son's chest.

I merely smiled as I changed his density back to normal after seeing the inventor nod in my direction. "Now then, how about we go somewhere private and discuss what I want from you, law?" I suggested as I turned to look at the surgeon, throwing the pirate captain to the side and ignoring his existence.

"Very well, I'll listen to what you have to say at the very least," Law said in a thoughtful voice. "Follow me," he added, turning around and walking away, causing me to follow him with a smile.

We reached a clearing in the forest after several minutes of walking, and Law suddenly stopped. "This place should be private enough," Law remarked. "Now tell me what do you want from me," he added with a calm tone.

"As I said, I came all way for west blue here to ask you to join my crew," I replied with a smile. "I refuse, now leave," Law replied firmly, without even thinking about it.

"And I refuse your refusal," I stated, shamelessly taking copying Luffy without a shred of hesitance. "That's not how refusal works," Law said with twitching eyes while glaring at me.

"It does now," I replied, still shamelessly smiling. "Besides, do you intend to rot in north blue for the rest of your life?" I asked.

"Doflamingo is already the king of a nation, and you're merely wasting your time here," I stated in a grave tone, my smile vanishing. "You'll never have a chance to defeat him if you keep going like this," I added, causing him to frown.

"Is that alright with you?" I asked, crossing my arms in front of my chest. "How the hell do you know so much?" Law asked after a second of silence.

"I know a lot of things, like the fact that Doflamingo wanted to use you to obtain eternal life through your devil fruit," I replied, raising one finger. "I also know that Rosinante sacrificed his life so you can get away, only to be murdered by his brother," I added.

"But you already know all of that, don't you?" I asked, and Law did not answer, merely glaring at the ground while gritting his teeth. "Then let me tell you something you don't know," I remarked, causing Law to raise his head and look me in the eye.

"Doflamingo is a celestial dragon, all be it a former one," I explained, raising a third finger, causing Law's eyes to widen in shock. "And he knows about some national treasure in Mariejois, which means that he has other celestial dragons by the balls," I added.

"You have absolutely no chance of defeating him on your own," I concluded, lowering my fingers.

"Even if I can't defeat Doflamingo, that doesn't mean I should join your crew," Law said while shaking his head. "Or are you saying that you can defeat him yourself?" he asked in a mocking tone, causing Kozue to frown while Wolf and Wilson didn't show any reaction.

"Not right now, no," I said while shaking my head. "But I intend to take down Kaido, the strongest creature in the world," I added with a grin.

"Taking down, a mere warlord of the sea is nothing compared to that," I concluded, still smiling confidently. "Words are cheap," Law replied firmly, seemingly unconvinced.

"Take a look at this," I said, taking out my wanted poster and throwing it at the surgeon. "This is my first bounty. Do you know I got it?" I asked, causing him to shake his head with a frown.

"My crew and I all gained our bounties a couple of days before leaving west blue," I explained. "And we gained them by attacking a defeating a marine ship that had a rear and a vice admiral," I added.

"If I can defeat a vice-admiral now as I am right now, then I'll leave to you to imagine what I'll be able to defeat in a couple of years," I concluded with, smiling as I finally noticed some hesitation on Law's face.

"I need some time to think and make sure that what you said is true," Law said after hesitating for a minute with a complicated expression.

"We'll only be staying here for another week, have a reply by then," I stated, turning around and leaving with Wilson and Kozue following me.