The morning briefing at Marineford had been proceeding smoothly until Tsuru entered with a folder marked "Urgent." Sengoku looked up from the recruitment reports, applications had tripled overnight across all four seas, and noticed the slight tension in her shoulders.
"What is it, Tsuru?"
She placed the folder on his desk with deliberate care. "Incident report from last night. Doflamingo along with Pacifista attacked Gecko Moria in the back alleys of Marineford."
Sengoku's golden eyes sharpened. "On whose orders?"
"CP0. Apparently, the higher ups decided that Moria's performance was unsatisfactory and decided to demote him from his position." Tsuru's tone carried disapproval. "They didn't consult us."
"Of course they didn't." Sengoku opened the folder, scanning the details. The report was thorough, Doflamingo had cornered Moria near the old supply warehouses, strings slicing through shadows like razors. "Status of Moria?"
"That's where it gets interesting. Doflamingo reported mission complete, but..." Tsuru paused, pointing to a specific section of the report. "No body was recovered. Blood trail led to a dead end, and there are reports of strange shadows moving in the area after the attack. Additionally, witnesses reported hearing what sounded like Hogback's distinctive laugh echoing from the harbor district."
Sengoku leaned back in his chair, processing the information and connecting the dots. Absalom's invisibility and Hogback's medical expertise, of course they would have contingencies for their captain's survival. Moria might have been lazy and complacent, but he inspired genuine loyalty in his crew, something even former enemies had noted.
"Issue a surveillance notice for Gecko Moria," he ordered. "Alive, not confirmed dead. And put surveillance on any islands with large graveyards or abandoned medical facilities. If Hogback is involved, he'll need somewhere to work on his zombies."
"Already drafted," Tsuru said, producing another document. "I've also included Absalom and Hogback in the alert. Though I have to ask, why the concern? One wounded former Warlord hardly seems like a priority given everything else we're managing. The reconstruction alone is consuming most of our administrative resources."
"Because wounded animals are often the most dangerous," Sengoku replied, signing the notice. "And because loose ends have a habit of becoming bigger problems later. Moria's abilities are tricky and with the doctors help, can raise an army of zombies."
Tsuru nodded thoughtfully. "Understood. Speaking of loose ends, any word on Luffy's whereabouts?"
"Shanks took him." Sengoku's expression remained neutral, while internally processing all ramifications. "Where, I don't know yet. But given the boy's injuries and psychological state, he won't be a factor for some time."
"If ever," Tsuru added quietly.
"Perhaps." Though privately, Sengoku doubted it would be that simple. The Will of D had a way of persisting through seemingly impossible circumstances and if canon was to be followed, he might have already reached Rayleigh. "Still, trauma changes people. The boy who challenged the World Government so recklessly may not be the man who eventually resurfaces."
**************************************
Half a world away, on the untamed island of Rusukaina, Monkey D. Luffy's eyes snapped open to unfamiliar sounds, exotic bird calls that seemed to echo from impossible heights, the distant crash of waves against rocky shores, and something else... the rhythmic pounding of what sounded like giant drums, though no drums could be that loud.
For a blissful moment, his mind was blank, peaceful. The warm sand beneath him felt comfortable, and the strange sounds were almost soothing. Then memory crashed back like a tidal wave, each recollection hitting with physical force.
Ace's final smile as flames consumed him. Jinbe's body crumpling under Akainu's magma fist. Ivankov's desperate sacrifice. Garp falling to Sengoku's golden light, the old man's eyes filled with disappointment and sorrow.
"No... no, no, NO!" Luffy bolted upright, his scream tearing across the jungle landscape. "ACEEEEE!"
The sound of his voice carried impossibly far, echoing off distant cliffs and causing a massive flock of colorful birds to explode from the canopy in a riot of feathers and panicked cries. Somewhere in the depths of the jungle, something enormous responded with a roar that made the ground vibrate.
He was on his knees in the sand, hands pressed against his head, the weight of his failures crushing down like the ocean itself. Each breath felt like swallowing glass, each heartbeat a reminder that he was alive when so many others weren't.
"It should have been me," he whispered, his voice breaking. "It should have been me, not them. Not Ace, not Jinbe, not..."
"Easy, kiddo."
The familiar voice made Luffy look up through tear-blurred vision. Silvers Rayleigh sat nearby on a fallen log, his expression gentle but serious. The Dark King had aged since their last meeting at Sabaody, new lines around his eyes, a deeper weariness in his posture, but his presence still radiated the quiet strength that had once helped the Pirate King conquer the Grand Line.
"Rayleigh..." Luffy's voice cracked. "Everyone... they're all..."
"I know." Rayleigh moved closer, his weathered hand resting on Luffy's shoulder. The touch was gentle but firm, anchoring. "Shanks told me what happened when he brought you here. Every detail."
"It's my fault," Luffy whispered, his usual confidence shattered. "If I hadn't gone to Marineford... if I'd been stronger... if I'd listened when everyone told me not to go..."
"Then Ace would have died alone, believing nobody cared enough to try saving him," Rayleigh said firmly. "And Jinbe and all the others, they made their choices knowing the risks. They chose to stand with you because they believed in something worth fighting for."
"But what was the point?" Luffy's shoulders shook. "I couldn't save anyone! I'm supposed to be the captain, and I couldn't even protect my own brother! What kind of Pirate King can't even save the people he loves?"
"You're seventeen years old, Luffy." Rayleigh's voice carried decades of experience, battles won and lost, friends saved and friends buried. "I've seen grown men with bounties over a billion berries break under less pressure than you faced at Marineford. The fact that you're still breathing, still capable of feeling this pain, that's not weakness. That's strength you haven't recognized yet."
They sat in silence for long minutes, listening to the jungle's symphony. Gradually, Luffy's breathing steadied, though tears continued to streak down his cheeks.
"Shanks..." Luffy finally asked. "Is he...?"
"Fine. He wanted to stay, to talk to you, but..." Rayleigh smiled slightly. "He said something about a promise involving a hat, and not wanting to see you again until you'd proven yourself."
Despite everything, Luffy's hand instinctively went to his head, where his treasured straw hat should have been. The absence felt like another loss.
"Here you go," Rayleigh gave him back the hat. "He believes that you will uphold the legacy tied to it."
"I don't know if I'll ever be ready," Luffy admitted, staring out at the ocean. "That Sengoku... he wasn't just strong. And not just him, the admirals as well. It was like fighting knowing I would lose . How do you beat someone like that?"
"The same way Roger would have," Rayleigh replied. "By being yourself, but better. Stronger, smarter, more prepared." He stood up, brushing sand from his clothes and gesturing toward the jungle interior. "This island is perfect for training, you know. Rusukaina; 48 seasons per year, 500 different species of beasts, each more dangerous than the last. Roger and I spent some time here once, a long while back."
"Training..." Luffy looked up with the first spark of determination he'd felt since waking. "You mean..."
"Two years," Rayleigh said seriously. "Give me two years, and I'll teach you to use Haki properly. Not just the basics you stumbled into during the war, but real mastery. The kind that might let you stand toe-to-toe with someone like Sengoku and not get swatted aside like a fly."
"My crew.."
"Will be training too, in their own ways. The world has changed, Luffy. Pirates are scattered and afraid. Your Straw Hats are probably laying low, getting stronger, waiting for their captain to return." Rayleigh's expression grew thoughtful. "Actually, knowing your crew, they might be worried sick about the condition of their dear captain."
Despite his grief, Luffy found himself almost smiling at the thought.
"Two years," he repeated slowly. "And then?"
"Then you'll be ready to challenge the new world order. But first..." Rayleigh gestured toward the jungle interior, where roars and crashes suggested very large, very angry creatures. "We need to make sure you can survive a single day on this island without me holding your hand."
As if summoned by his words, something massive bellowed in the distance, a sound that made the ground tremble beneath their feet.
"What was that?" Luffy asked, some of his old curiosity flickering back to life despite his emotional exhaustion.
"Dinner, if you're fast enough," Rayleigh replied with a grin. "Or the thing that eats you, if you're not. This island doesn't care about your tragic backstory, kiddo. It'll kill you just as dead whether you're mourning or celebrating."
Luffy stood up, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. The grief was still there, would always be there, but alongside it was something else. A growing ember of determination that felt familiar, like coming home after a long absence.
"Rayleigh," he said, his voice steadier now. "Teach me everything. I don't want to just survive the next time I face them. I want to win."
"That's more like it," Rayleigh nodded approvingly. "But remember, this isn't about revenge, Luffy. Revenge makes you predictable, and predictable pirates end up dead or in Impel Down. This is about becoming the man your friends believed you could be."
Another roar echoed through the jungle, closer this time. Luffy's stance shifted automatically into a fighting position, muscle memory overriding conscious thought.
"So," he said, a ghost of his old grin appearing. "Where do we start?"
"With not dying in the next five minutes," Rayleigh replied cheerfully, pointing behind Luffy. "Because that angry elephant-sized boar charging at us looks hungry."
Luffy spun around to see a massive creature with tusks like ship masts bearing down on them. Its hide was covered in what looked like natural armor plating, and its eyes glowed with predatory intelligence. This wasn't just some oversized pig, this was an apex predator that had survived on an island full of apex predators.
"Gomu Gomu no..." he began, then paused. Maybe it was time to try something different. "Actually, Rayleigh, what would you do?"
"Duck," the Dark King replied simply.
Both of them dropped to the sand just as the massive boar sailed over their heads, its momentum carrying it straight into the ocean with a splash that sent waves cascading back onto the beach. It surfaced moments later, snorting angrily and swimming back toward shore with surprising grace.
"Right," Luffy said, grinning despite himself. "This is going to be interesting."
"Oh, that's just the welcoming committee," Rayleigh said casually, standing up and dusting sand from his clothes. "Wait until you meet the things that actually live in the jungle interior. There's a reason Roger and I only spent a week here during our training."
"A week?" Luffy's eyes widened. "But you said two years!"
"Different kind of training," Rayleigh explained. "Roger was already strong when we came here. You..." He looked Luffy up and down appraisingly. "You have potential, but potential doesn't win fights. We're going to build you from the ground up, not just your Haki, but your entire approach to combat. Your observation, your strategy, your understanding of when to fight and when to retreat."
"Sometimes," Rayleigh continued more gently, "the bravest thing you can do is live to fight another day. Roger understood that. He ran from fights he couldn't win, regrouped, got stronger, and came back when the odds were better. It's not cowardice, it's intelligence."
As they headed into the jungle, Rayleigh couldn't help but smile. The boy had lost much, suffered terribly, but the core of what made him special remained intact. Two years would be enough, barely, but enough.
After all, miracles ran in the family.
Behind them, the ocean stretched endlessly toward a world where Marines celebrated victory and pirates hid in shadows. But on this wild island, removed from politics and power games, a young man would forge himself into something unprecedented.
As they disappeared into the jungle depths, the massive boar finally hauled itself back onto the beach, shaking water from its armored hide and glaring balefully at the spot where the two humans had vanished.
It would have to wait for its revenge. But on Rusukaina, patience was just another survival skill.