"Bait?"
Sanji's visible eye twitched violently. The cook took a long, slow drag of his cigarette, exhaling a thick plume of smoke as his leg instinctively ignited with a faint, burning heat. "You arrogant bastard. You think you can just waltz in here, call our captain bait, and expect us to go along with it?"
Zoro didn't even bother talking. The swordsman simply drew a third of Wado Ichimonji from its scabbard. The sharp, metallic shwing echoed loudly in the quiet tavern. His newly awakened Observation Haki flared, bracing for a clash that he knew would likely kill him.
"I'm going to carve that smile right off your face," Zoro promised, his voice a low, vibrating growl.
Light Yagami didn't reach for his black saber. He didn't even shift his posture. He simply sat on the barstool, entirely relaxed, his dark eyes radiating an oppressive, suffocating confidence. He was fully prepared to casually deflect whatever the two vanguards threw at him.
"Hold on!"
Luffy suddenly stepped between them, throwing his arms out wide to block Zoro and Sanji.
"Luffy!" Sanji barked. "Get out of the way! He just told us to our faces that he's going to use you to take the heat while he does whatever the hell he wants!"
"I know!" Luffy shouted back, his expression fiercely determined. He lowered his arms and looked directly into Light's dark, calculating eyes. "But I don't care!"
The tavern went dead silent again.
Luffy adjusted his straw hat, pulling the brim down slightly. "If being bait means I get to punch my way down to Ace, then I'll be the best bait in the world. I don't care what you do to the bad guys down there. Just get me to the prison."
Light stared at the rubber boy for a long moment. The sheer, unadulterated simplicity of Monkey D. Luffy was a fascinating variable. There was no grand geopolitical scheme in the boy's head. There was no underlying motive. He was a pure, blunt instrument of willpower.
Perfect, Light thought, a genuine smirk of approval crossing his face.
"You have a deal, Monkey D. Luffy," Light said, standing up from the barstool. "But let me make one thing absolutely clear."
Light's gaze shifted from Luffy to the rest of the crew clustered near the booths. He looked at Nami's trembling hands, Usopp's knocking knees, and Chopper's terrified, teary eyes.
"I am not running a daycare," Light stated, his voice completely devoid of empathy. "Impel Down is not a Marine base. The upper levels are filled with bladed beasts and boiling blood. The lower levels possess ambient temperatures that will instantly incinerate human flesh, and freezing hells that will snap your bones like twigs. If you do not possess Haki, you will die before we reach Level 5."
Light pointed a finger at Zoro and Sanji.
"The swordsman and the cook learned the basics from my manual. They possess enough foundation to not be a burden. They can come." Light's finger swept across the rest of the crew. "The rest of you don't."
"What?!" Usopp gasped, clutching his chest in a mixture of profound offense and overwhelming, tear-inducing relief. "You can't just dictate who goes on our captain's adventure!"
"Usopp, he's right." Zoro interrupted, his voice heavy but resolute. He sheathed Wado Ichimonji and looked at the sniper. "Usopp, Nami... you guys saw those Pacifistas. At the prison, it will be even more dangerous. We... are not strong enough yet. If you come, me and Curly Brows will have to spend all our energy protecting you instead of helping Luffy reach Ace."
Sanji nodded slowly, taking another drag of his cigarette. "It hurts to leave you behind, Nami-swan, Robin-chan... but the moss-head is right. This is a vanguard mission. We go in fast, hit them hard, save Ace, and get out."
Nami bit her lip hard enough to draw a drop of blood. She hated feeling helpless, but she was a navigator, not a brawler. She looked at Luffy, her eyes glistening.
"You better bring him back, Luffy," Nami said, her voice shaking but fiercely supportive. "You hear me?!"
"Yeah!" Chopper cried, wiping his nose. "We'll be waiting right here!"
Luffy gave them a wide, reassuring grin, though the shadow of anxiety for his brother still lingered in his eyes. "Shishishi! Don't worry! I'll be back with Ace before you know it!"
Silvers Rayleigh stepped forward, resting a hand on Luffy's shoulder. The Dark King looked at the young captain, then shot a sharp, warning glance at the False Deity standing near the bar.
"I will watch over your crew, Luffy," Rayleigh promised, his voice carrying the immense weight of the old era. "And I will coat the Thousand Sunny for your eventual journey to Fish-Man Island. Focus on your brother. Leave the rest to me."
"Thanks, old man!" Luffy beamed.
"Hold on a minute, Yagami," Shakky chimed in, leaning over the mahogany counter. She tapped the Tarai Current charts Light had purchased. "You have the map to navigate the whirlpools. But the Tarai Current is completely enclosed by the Gates of Justice. Massive, impenetrable steel doors that only open from the inside of Marine Headquarters or Impel Down. How exactly do you plan on getting past those?"
Light picked up the charts, rolling them neatly into a cylinder.
"We are not going to open them," Light answered simply. "We are going to jump over them."
Shakky paused, the cigarette hanging loosely from her lips. She blinked. "Jump... over the Gates of Justice? They are hundreds of feet tall. What exactly is your Devil Fruit, Yagami?"
Light looked at the information broker. A cold, arrogant smile touched his lips.
"Nothing you need to worry about, Shakuyaku."
Light turned toward the door. "Let's go, Straw Hats. The board is moving, and we are losing time."
Bonney hopped off her stool, her pink pigtails bouncing as she marched toward the door. She stopped right in front of Sanji, looking up at him with her large, innocent toddler eyes.
"Listen up, Curly-brows!" Bonney squeaked, pointing a tiny finger at his knees. "If you try to peek down my shirt while we're fighting, I'll tell big brother to cut your legs off! You look like a total pervert!"
Sanji's jaw hit the floor. "WHAT?! I WOULD NEVER—YOU'RE LIKE FIVE YEARS OLD!"
"Sure, sure," Bonney rolled her eyes, pushing past him. "Keep your distance, creep."
Zoro let out a low, mocking chuckle. Sanji instantly whirled around, his teeth bared like a rabid dog.
"What are you laughing at, moss-head?!"
"Just admiring your reputation with women, curly," Zoro smirked, heading for the door.
"I'll kick your head off before we even reach the prison!"
Luffy laughed, the familiar banter briefly breaking the heavy tension of the impending war. He adjusted his straw hat one last time, looking back at his crew. He didn't need to say goodbye. They understood.
The trio of pirates followed the False Deity and the little girl out of the dim tavern and into the blinding afternoon sun of the Sabaody Archipelago.
The walk to the docks was tense. The island was crawling with Marine patrols, but Light's Observation Haki guided them through the lawless zones with terrifying precision. He didn't just avoid patrols; he walked through blind spots that shouldn't mathematically exist, slipping past hundreds of heavily armed guards without a single alarm being raised.
They reached the edge of Grove 45, a military staging port. Docked at the end of the stone pier was a standard Marine patrol cruiser.
"We are stealing that," Light ordered, stepping out from the shadows of the mangrove roots.
Before Zoro or Sanji could even draw their weapons, Light raised his left hand.
A pulse of invisible, pressure descended on the boat and the sailors fainted. Then, a sudden supernatural spatial kinetic energy erupted across the pier. The dozen Marine guards stationed around the vessel were violently lifted off their feet and slammed face-first into the cobblestone by a localized, crushing gravity well. They were unconscious before they even realized they were under attack.
Zoro's lone eye widened slightly. He didn't even touch them... it's like the air itself just crushed them.
They boarded the cruiser. Light immediately took the helm, his mind rapidly processing the navigational data from the Tarai Current charts.
"Raise the sails," Light commanded, his hands moving across the ship's wheel with practiced, mechanical efficiency.
Sanji and Zoro didn't argue. They jumped into the rigging, dropping the heavy canvas sails. The wind caught, and the Marine cruiser pulled away from the archipelago, leaving the burning, terrified island behind.
Luffy stood at the prow of the ship, his hands gripping the wooden railing as he stared out at the open ocean. The goofy smile was entirely gone.
"Hang on, Ace," Luffy whispered to the wind. "I'm coming."
At the helm, Light Yagami looked out at the churning waters of the Grand Line. He could feel the millions of Karma Points waiting for him in the dark depths of the world's greatest hell.
The vanguard was set. The alliance was forged.
Impel Down.
They were coming.
.
.
.
A/N: Ahhhh I was gonna hold this chapter but couldn't resist dropping it. What do you think of our team? LIGHT! LUFFY! ZORO! SANJI! and ... *drum roll * ... BONNEY!! YAHOOOOO!!