Hey everyone,
Quick heads-up. I'm making some changes to how chapter access works across Patreon tiers.
Previously, all my drafts—usually around 100 chapters ahead—were locked under the Author Only tier. I decided to scale that back a bit and open things up more. Here's the updated access:
Seafarer Saga Tier – $35 → Full access to all drafts (usually ~100 chapters ahead)
Mythical Mapmaker Tier – $22.5 → 50 chapters ahead
Epic Explorer Tier – $14 → 35 chapters ahead
Supernova Tier – $11.50 → 20 chapters ahead
Captain's Bounty Tier – $8.50 → 15 chapters ahead
Rookie Pirate Tier – $5 → 10 chapters ahead
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The crew chatted for a while, then talked about Duval's new crew. It seemed, for some reason, the Impel Down convicts had escaped and believed Duval to be their savior, pledging their loyalty to him. All of a sudden, Duval had turned into a big shot with considerable control over Sabaody. He'd even been offered a Shichibukai position and had reluctantly accepted.
Coby nodded as Usopp mentioned it, not surprised. "Yeah, I told him to take the offer. He's got enough idiots following him now that it makes sense."
Sanji's eyebrow shot up. "You told him to accept it? What the hell are you thinking, Coby?"
Coby shrugged. "It was me who wore his old face back at Impel Down to screw with you and free all those pirates. Didn't think it would blow up like this, but it's turned out more interesting than I expected."
Nami crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Duval? A Warlord of the Sea? That's insane."
Franky burst out laughing, smacking his metal hand against his thigh. "He went from hiding his face to running a damn empire! That guy's got some luck."
"Not just luck," Coby added. "The Impel Down guys are legit dangerous. With Duval in charge, they respect him."
Zoro, leaning against the ship's railing, let out a low grunt. "It's one thing to lead a bunch of criminals. It's another to be a Shichibukai."
"Duval's handling it fine," Coby replied. "He's got control of Sabaody, and nobody's bothering him."
At the time, Coby sent an empty Marine ship to Impel Down's gates, gambling on fate would make Buggy a big shot again. But fate took a different turn. Buggy escaped, sure, but instead of gathering worshippers, the pirates pledged loyalty to their real savior—Duval.
Over the two years, Coby used Duval's face a few times to hunt down pirates with bounties over 100 million. After that, no one dared to cause trouble for Duval. Sabaody was peaceful—at least for now.
The crew was getting restless. Luffy hadn't shown up yet.
"I'll go look for him," Sanji said, about to leap into the air using Sky Walk.
But Coby stopped him, raising a hand. "I'll find him." And with that, Coby vanished, using Shadow Step to disappear from sight.
He reappeared near the Grove where Luffy had first arrived in the original timeline. It didn't take long for him to spot his captain, casually walking down the street in his usual carefree way, completely ignoring the chaos around him. Pirates and bounty hunters scrambled, either running in fear or trying to get a glimpse of him.
Coby grinned, appearing right next to Luffy in a blink. "You're late," he said, smirking.
Luffy turned, grinning wide. "Coby! I didn't get lost this time!" He threw an arm around Coby's shoulders, laughing like they hadn't been apart for two years.
"Come on, the others are waiting." Coby said, chuckling.
Together, they headed back toward the ship, moving through the chaotic streets of Sabaody with ease. As they walked, a few brave idiots tried to step up, probably thinking they could take out the famous Straw Hats before the reunion.
One guy lunged forward, a giant axe raised high. Coby didn't even break stride. In one swift motion, he grabbed the man by the wrist, twisted, and slammed him into the ground. The crowd scattered, realizing who they were dealing with.
"Still attracting attention, I see," Coby muttered, shaking his head.
Luffy just laughed. "I guess they don't know who they're messing with."
When they arrived, Rayleigh and Shakky were already waiting at the shore. Rayleigh stood casually near the ship, arms crossed, while Shakky stood beside him. Duval, now a Warlord of the Sea, showed up on his bike, flanked by his loyal gang. His new status didn't seem to change him much; he still had that overly enthusiastic grin.
The crew quickly gathered, exchanging nods with the people who had trained them over the past two years. Everyone seemed ready to send the Straw Hats off in style.
Luffy's grin spread wide as he approached Rayleigh. "Old man, it's good to see you."
Rayleigh gave a small nod, smiling. "I'm glad you all made it back. You're ready for the New World, aren't you?"
Luffy didn't hesitate. "Yeah. We're gonna take it head-on."
Rayleigh's eyes moved over to Coby, a knowing look passing between them. "I'm sure you'll handle it just fine. Especially with this crew."
Rayleigh waved his hand, smiling. "Go on then. Straight to the top."
Luffy grinned and raised his arms high. "I'm gonna do it! I'll be the Pirate King!"
The crew stood behind him, excitement and confidence radiating from their expressions. As Luffy's declaration echoed, the Sunny prepared for the dive. The special coating surrounding the ship began to bubble as they readied for their journey to the depths of the ocean.
Rayleigh's eyes moistened as he watched the young captain. He had trained him for this moment, and now the future lay ahead, full of unknowns and challenges. But if anyone could handle it, it was this crew.
The rest of the crew moved to their positions. Franky handled the helm, giving the systems one last check. "Everything's good! We're ready to submerge!"
"Great work, Franky!" Luffy shouted, bouncing over to the main deck. "Let's go!"
Brook, strumming his guitar casually, let out a chuckle. "Yohoho! Perhaps we'll meet mermaids! I would love to see their reaction to a talking skeleton, though I have no eyes! Yohohoho!"
Usopp, standing next to Chopper, muttered nervously. "G-giant sea monsters... right. Just what I was hoping for."
Chopper standing on Usopp's shoulders, patted Usopp on the head. "Don't worry, Usopp! We've all gotten stronger. We'll handle anything that comes our way."
Sanji was already smoking near the kitchen door, peeking over at Nami and Robin with hearts in his eyes. "Nami-swaaan, Robin-chwaaan, leave all the fighting to me! I'll protect you!"
Zoro, sitting cross-legged near the mast, barely opened one eye. "Shut it, curly-brow. Nobody needs your protection. They have Coby that can take ten of you."
Sanji spun around, fire in his eyes. "What was that, moss-head? You wanna fight?"
"Bring it, dart-brow," Zoro grumbled, standing up and reaching for his swords.
"Enough, you idiots," Nami snapped, glaring at them. "We don't need you two wrecking the ship before we even dive!"
Both of them backed off, grumbling under their breath but staying in place. The Sunny was now fully submerged, the world around them turning into the deep blues and greens of the ocean. Fish of all sizes swam by, some pausing to look curiously at the strange ship coated in its protective bubble.
Chopper pressed his face against the railing, marveling at the sight. "It's so beautiful down here!"
Luffy, of course, was already leaning over the edge, practically vibrating with excitement. "Look at all the fish! Hey, think we can eat some of these?"
And with that, the Sunny sailed under the ocean, its bubble-coated hull cutting through the depths with ease. Schools of fish darted around them as the ship descended, the crew adjusting to the eerie quiet of the deep sea.
Coby glanced at Sanji, smirking. "Seems like two years made you forget your place, huh?"
Sanji's eyebrow twitched as he exhaled smoke from his cigarette. But didn't dare to answer. He escaped his gaze, and walked away.
Luffy leaned over the railing, wide-eyed as he stared at the passing fish. "Oi, Sanji! You think we can catch one of these big guys for dinner?"
Sanji didn't bother looking up. "I would rather cook a sea king. But that fish can turned into a delicious food."
"I don't know, that one looks pretty tasty," Luffy said, pointing at a large fish with shimmering scales.
Franky grinned from the ship's control station. "Hold on, I'll get us closer!" He pulled a lever, making the Sunny swerve toward the fish. The ship glided smoothly through the water, the coating around it keeping everything airtight.
"Don't mess up the bubble!" Nami snapped, her eyes narrowing at Franky. "We don't need the pressure crushing us because you're showing off!"
"Relax, Nami! The Sunny's stronger than ever. She can handle anything," Franky said, his grin widening.
Robin stood near the edge of the deck, her eyes scanning the ocean calmly. She glanced at Coby, smiling slightly as she moved closer. "It's peaceful down here, isn't it?"
Coby nodded. "Yeah, for now."
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