The brass handle of the front door slowly turned.
The heavy wooden hinges groaned, letting in a sudden shaft of blinding afternoon sunlight that cut through the dim, smoke-filled air of the tavern.
Standing in the doorway was a young man with dark, calculating eyes. He was dressed simply in an unbuttoned black shirt and dark trousers. A pitch-black saber rested at his hip, radiating a faint, terrifying hum that made the very air in the room vibrate.
But what completely shattered the overwhelming, apocalyptic dread of his entrance was the passenger on his back.
Clinging to his neck, her tiny arms wrapped tightly around him, was a five-year-old girl with bright pink hair.
"You're too slow!" the toddler whined loudly, aggressively kicking her small boots into the man's ribs. "Put me down! My stomach is touching my backbone! If I starve, it's your fault!"
Light Yagami didn't flinch. He didn't reprimand her. He simply stepped fully into the bar, the door clicking shut behind him.
He leaned forward slightly, allowing the toddler to slide off his back and hit the wooden floorboards.
Bonney immediately dusted off her oversized clothes and put her hands on her hips. She glared at the room full of hardened, terrified pirates with the absolute confidence of someone who had the most dangerous man in the world acting as her personal chauffeur.
She pointed a tiny, accusing finger directly at Zoro.
"What's with the green hair?!" Bonney shrieked, her face scrunching up in profound disgust. "You look like a moss-covered rock! Don't look at me like that, Moss-head, or I'll have him chop you into a salad!"
Zoro's lone eye twitched violently. The veins on his forehead bulged. He desperately wanted to yell at the brat, but his newly awakened Observation Haki was screaming at him not to move a single muscle.
Standing next to the toddler was the monster from the G-8 Base. The man who had chased them out of Alabasta.
"Hey!" Luffy suddenly blurted out, swallowing the massive chunk of meat in his mouth. He pointed a greasy finger at Light. "It's the Navy guy!"
"The book guy!" Chopper gasped, peeking out from behind Zoro's leg.
Sanji didn't relax. In fact, his dread only amplified. "You... you're the one in the papers," the cook muttered, his eyes locked on Light. "The False Deity."
Light's dark eyes swept over the Straw Hats. He lingered on Zoro and Sanji, noting the subtle tension in their muscles, the slight, refined shift in their auras.
They learned the basics, Light calculated inwardly, a faint shadow of a smile touching his lips. Hmm, not bad.
"I am no longer with the Navy, Monkey D. Luffy," Light said, his voice a smooth, resonant baritone that sent a chill down Nami's spine. "The marines are flawed."
Luffy tilted his head, completely oblivious to the sheer danger radiating from the man. He walked right up to Light, ignoring the frantic, terrified hissing from Usopp.
"Hey, tell me!" Luffy said, crossing his arms. "You're a strong marine! In Alabasta, why did you help us?"
"Haha
"KYAAAA! LUFFY! I SAID THAT AGES AGO! STOPP I DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANYMOREE UH-HAAA~"
Needless to say, Usopp hid behind Zoro, already terrified and shaking.
The tavern fell completely silent. Rayleigh watched the exchange carefully, his hand still resting casually near the hilt of his sword.
Light looked down at the rubber boy.
"Hmm... I suppose I could tell you that. The World Government is... flawed." Light explained, his voice echoing with absolute, terrifying clarity. "They label anyone who flies a black flag a criminal, complete bullshit. But my eyes are different. I see the truth."
Light took a step and brought his hand against Luffy's unguarded expression. Zoro's hand vibrated over Wado Ichimonji, his expression tense.
Light tapped a finger against Luffy's forehead.
"Straw Hat, my... Observation Haki can read a person's karma." Light continued. "I see the filth they carry. I can see who has poisoned this world, and who has not. Do you understand now?
You are pirates, Straw Hat. Reckless, maybe. But... you are not criminals."
"And that's what I care about."
Light's gaze drifted past Luffy, locking onto the silver-haired old man standing defensively near the booths.
The air in the room instantly grew incredibly heavy.
"You, however, Dark King," Light said, his tone dropping into a cold, uncompromising register. "You have a sizable amount of bad karma attached to your soul."
"Ideally, I would execute you where you stand." Light smirked.
Zoro and Sanji instantly stepped forward, ready to draw their weapons.
Light didn't even flinch. He simply smiled. A dark, entirely honest smile.
"But you are lucky," Light finished casually. "I have other plans for the moment."
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow. A small, genuine smirk tugged at the corner of the old pirate's mouth. "Is that so? I suppose I should count my blessings, then."
Light ignored the rest of the crew, turning his back on them. He walked over to the mahogany bar.
Bonney immediately trotted after him, scrambling up onto the tall wooden stool beside him. She slammed her tiny hands on the counter.
"Hey, lady!" Bonney yelled at Shakky. "Bring me everything you have! Meat, pizza, cake! If you don't feed me right now, I'm gonna make this guy destroy your bar! Right, big brother?!"
Bonney aggressively kicked Light's shin to emphasize her point.
'Now I'm big brother again. Tch.'
Light didn't react to the kick. He merely looked at Shakky. "Bring her some food."
Shakuyaku leaned across the mahogany counter, resting her chin on her hand. Her lips curled into a slow, appreciative smile as she looked the 1.5 Billion Beli man up and down, completely unfazed by the toddler's threats.
"My, my," Shakky purred, taking a slow drag of her cigarette. "I have to admit, a man who knows how to make a mess of the World Government and look good doing it is exactly my type. What can I get for the most wanted man in the world? A drink? A place to hide?"
Light remained entirely unaffected by the flirting. His eyes were cold, sweeping over her with clinical precision.
"I am not here to hide, Shakuyaku," Light stated.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a heavy, solid gold ingot—a souvenir Captain Haas had liberated from the Human Auction House vault. He placed it onto the bar with a heavy clink.
"I am here for your expertise," Light commanded. "I need the classified Marine fleet allocation schedules. And I need the exact naval charts for the Tarai Current."
Rayleigh, who had walked back over to the bar, frowned deeply.
"The Tarai Current?" The Dark King paused, his eyes narrowing. "That current only connects Enies Lobby, Marineford, and Impel Down. You... what do you want to do?"
"Impel Down. I plan to empty it." Light smiled.
'Empty it?' The Straw Hats couldn't understand it.
"You want to kill the prisoners." Shakki spoke.
"Yeah. That something to you?"
Shakky looked at the gold bar, then back at Light. "... Nope, up to you. Anyway, this is highly classified intelligence, Light-san. The Navy guards those current schedules with their lives. And even if you get there, why storm the prison now- wait, don't tell me??"
Shakky looked at Light.
"Because of 'that' right? I understand."
"Indeed."
"I don't mind satisfying your curiosity. It is indeed the most ideal time." Light replied calmly. He didn't mind building a talking relationship with the information broker.
He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a crumpled, sea-stained newspaper. He smoothed it out with his hand and slapped it face-up onto the mahogany counter.
"Marine Headquarters has summoned the Admirals, the Vice Admirals, and the Warlords of the Sea," Light said, pointing to the bold headline. "They are emptying their garrisons to prepare for a war. Impel Down is currently isolated. It is the perfect window."
"WAR?? HAAAA?? There's a war happenning??! Where??? " The Straw Hats were undoubtedly late on news again. Light ignored them.
Luffy, who had wandered over to the bar to see what Bonney was yelling about, stopped dead in his tracks.
The Straw Hat captain looked down at the newspaper Light had just placed on the counter.
His eyes locked onto the black-and-white photograph printed beneath the bold headlines. It was a picture of a battered, chained man kneeling on an execution scaffold, his head bowed.
PORTGAS D. ACE TO BE EXECUTED AT MARINEFORD IN 6 DAYS.
The ambient noise in the tavern seemed to vanish entirely.
Luffy stared at the face of his older brother. The goofy, carefree light in his eyes instantly shattered.
"Ace...?" Luffy whispered.
His voice cracked. It was completely devoid of its usual boundless energy, replaced by a hollow, terrifying disbelief.
The calm in the tavern, shattered into pieces.
.
.
.
A/N: Guys I've come to my village for a couple of days, hadn't met my family for half a year. It is difficult uploading chapters here. So I'll dump the chapters ahead of schedule. Enjoy!