Chapter Text
Getting to Dawn Island from the island in the Calm Belt Raizou had stopped at was pretty much just a straight shot north. With the Flash, an electrically powered version of the Striker – sue him, it was a good idea and useful as fuck – that had taken him no time at all, compared to normal sailing speeds.
In the comparatively gentle waters of the East Blue, the journey had taken just over a week, with no storm too big to dodge slowing him down. Now, especially after the stressful few months he’d had since he’d set sail, he was looking forward to the meeting that was about to take place.
He was about to see his big brother again, not to forget that he was about to meet Monkey D. Luffy. He’d been waiting years for this day, and now that it had come, he couldn’t find it in himself to be nervous. The novelty of being in another world had never really existed for him, not after he’d already lived years before remembering his last life. All these people were just that, people. Still, meeting the successor of the Pirate King would be an experience, he was sure.
Soon, Foosha Village and Shanks’s ship at its docks came into view. Time to get to port and make an entrance.
Docking and checking all his knots took him little time, and just to be a dramatic bitch about it, Raizou took out his cloak and put his hood on. He wasn’t about to half-assedly surprise Shanks after it had been years since last seeing him.
Keeping his Haki signature tampered down enough that Shanks’s Haki wouldn’t immediately pin him as a strong presence, Raizou made his way into the village. It was all very simple, but he saw a comfort in it. True to his suspicion, he could hear familiar laughter spilling out of the only bar in town.
All in on the dramatics, Raizou swung the door open with a little more force than necessary and let go of his tight hold on his presence. He was lucky that his face was shadowed enough to hide the grin he couldn’t stop from spreading.
All the pirates in the bar stilled. Shanks looked up from his cards, intrigued.
Raizou forced his voice into an authoritative drawl. “Akagami.”
Shanks straightened. “That would be me. What is your business here?”
“A visit, nothing more.” The atmosphere in the bar got tense.
“Who do I have the pleasure of meeting, then?”
Raizou couldn’t hold it anymore. He started snickering, soon transitioning into a full-blown laugh. With his head already thrown back, he tore his hood off.
“Miss me? Seas, you guys should have seen your faces, holy shit that was a sight.”
“Raizou?” Shanks grinned, and the tension diffused in an instant.
“In the flesh.”
“Come here, you son of a bitch.”
Raizou stepped over and pulled Shanks out of his seat. The hug was glorious. After four years, finally. Raizou also noticed something he would be holding over his brother’s head for quite a while.
“I’m taller than you.”
“No you’re not.”
“Yeah I am. By a whole inch or so.”
They let go of the hug to look each other in the face.
“Shut it, kiddo. You’ve got boots on. What the hell are those spikes, by the way?”
“Sorry, two inches minus one for shoe difference. Already calculated in. Also these spikes are cool, and you know it, not to mention they’ve got a purpose.”
“That purpose being?”
“I like to fight with kicks, dumbass. They’re sharpened on the underside, that way it’s like I have claws on my feet.”
“Congrats, you’re even more terrifying than I thought you’d turn out at this age.”
Raizou grinned. “You don’t even know the half of it.”
Shanks looked curious. “Really? After three years to get your Haki under control I’d sure hope so.”
“Oh, I was done enough with my Haki to get back to Sabaody in two weeks actually. This is what made it take so long.” At that, Raizou let lightning spark over his hand.
Shanks’s eyes sparkled at the new mystery. “Green lightning? The fuck is that colour? Also, what type is it?”
“It’s a Logia. Lightning through clouds is that colour, so it’s probably normal.”
“And how’d you know what colour lightning gets inside the clouds?”
Raizou’s grin grew a little bit wider. “Got a reckless bird Zoan to confirm it for me.”
Shanks shrugged. “Alright, weirdly coloured lightning Logia it is. Why the three years?”
“Control. You have no idea how many times I accidentally gave the old man a literal shock.”
“Raizou, the child prodigy, who used Haki at the age of three, had to take three years to get control of a Logia fruit of all things?” Oh for fuck’s sake, why was he getting that shit-eating grin now of all times?
“Don’t think I won’t zap you.”, Raizou deadpanned.
“Oh, little baby brother, of all- OW! Fuck that actually hurts, what the hell?”
“I did warn you.” Now it was his turn to grin.
“Fair enough. Why are you here?”
“Just paying a visit. You know me, just moving about on a whim.”
“Yeah right. Any other bullshit you want to dish me up? Go for a swim recently?”
“There might be another reason. One of my feelings, maybe. Not quite sure about it yet.”
“So? Go on, tell me about it!”
“Let’s sit, this is a conversation for a meal.”
After sitting down and ordering a drink and a meal from Makino, Raizou readied himself. This wasn’t going to be an easy conversation. It wasn’t an easy topic, and it still stung nine years after the fact. For the both of them.
“I think I know where Garp is hiding Ace. I’m looking for him.”
“Here? On Dawn, his home? Really?”
“It’s one of the few places nobody would think to check, and I’ve got a feeling. You know, like I did when I was five, or seven? Those feelings, which turned out correct?”
Shanks took a moment to close his eyes and lean back. Raizou could feel how much this was affecting him, even though he hid it well.
“How sure are you?”
“Dead certain. I’ll find him. I might not be able to bring him home, but I’ll find him.”
“You know that he has to stay hidden.”
“That’s why I’m not flying a jolly roger. I’ll find him, get to know him, and stay long enough that he knows I’ll come back to visit.”
“You sure he’ll have that brand of issues? Garp can’t possibly be that bad at raising kids.”
“He raised Dragon.”
“Point.”
“So, you wanna come visit too once I’ve found him?”
Before Shanks could answer, a storm tore through the bar. A storm in the form of a small, grinning child. “SHANKS! You won’t believe what-“ Luffy paused and looked at Shanks, sitting opposite to Raizou.
“Who is that?”
Raizou waited for a moment and sent a look at Shanks.
“Ah, this right here is my little brother, Raizou!”
“He’s as big as you, though.”
“Yeah, that’s because I’m younger than him, and I used to be smaller. What’s your name, kiddo?”
“I’m Monkey D. Luffy, and I’m gonna be a pirate!”
And Raizou felt it. Just barely there, but noticeable if you knew what to look for. In the stream of sensations coming in through his Haki, he could hear a faint sound of drums. Could feel a faint warmth and light, like a sun not yet ready to rise. Echoes of what Luffy had the potential to become.
Raizou grinned. “Well, nice to meet you then, future pirate.”
The smile that he got back was blinding. “See, Shanks, your brother thinks I can do it!”
Shanks got this look that he’d get back when they were kids, the one that told you he was just arguing with you to not tell you the real reason why he was against something. “Just wait until he finds out you can’t swim, little Anchor!”
Luffy looked devastated for a moment, until Raizou started cackling.
Through the laughter, he turned to his brother. “Shanks, at least the kid can still learn. You might want to think about the fact that I’m a hammer now, yeah? I’m still sailing around.”
“Oh yeah, where’s your crew, by the way?”
“Nah, I’m here on my own.”
“Catch a ride then? Doesn’t sound like you.”
“Because I didn’t. I’ve got a beauty tied at the docks, and she got me here all on my own.”
“And to where in the East Blue did ya catch a ride then?”
“Shanks. I’m telling you I didn’t catch a ride. I got here from Sabaody. Through the Calm Belt. With my absolute beauty of a ship that only I can properly use. Electricity works wonders, you know?”
“Huh?”
“I made a stop at Water Seven, and I got myself a custom-built ship that works with me powering her up. Named her the Flash. Converts my lightning into power and goes at insane speeds, if I dare say so myself.”
“Now I’m curious, define insane speeds.”
“From Sabaody to here in like, what, ten days-ish? I think it was ten days, yeah.”
Shanks, joined by quite a few of his crew members, made a noise of surprise. “Damn.”
Raizou grinned. “Keep in mind that I did sleep during the nights.”
Building Snake whistled. “Damn that’s fast.”
“Yeah, she is. Anyway, enough about me and my lady, what did you want to tell Shanks here, kiddo?”
With that, Luffy started rambling about all the cool bugs he’d seen today, and all the adventures he’d had in the last few days. He was such a happy kid, and Raizou could feel his heart warm at the sight. Seemed like the charisma of the future had been there all along.
Before he knew it, Raizou had been pulled into the conversation again, with a hyperactive ball of energy asking for his own stories. Most of what he’d done in the last few months, probably years actually, were better kept secret, so he resorted to a tale from before all that. Highly censored of course.
After he’d finished telling the story of how he and his two sworn brothers, Shanks and Buggy, had decided to exchange sake cups and swear their brotherhood before the sea, Luffy was basically vibrating out of his seat with excitement.
After some rambling on how awesome such a promise was, the kid finally asked a question. “But why do both? The cups and the promise to the sea?”
“The sake for ourselves, to remember that we’re brothers no matter our blood.” Shanks began.
“The oath for the world, to declare ourselves before the vastness of the sea.” Raizou continued.
“Brothers in spirit, recognised by the world and ourselves.”, they both substituted for Buggy.
You could literally see the sparkles in Luffy’s eyes at that point.
“I’ll find myself brothers just like that, just you wait! And we’ll be even stronger than you are!”
Shanks shook his head, but Raizou just couldn’t help but smile. “I’m sure you will, kid. Just make sure you wait until the world is ready for you to take it by storm, yeah?”
The afternoon continued just like that, with Luffy pestering both Shanks and Raizou for stories, interrupted periodically by the two actually catching up. In the evening, Raizou agreed to spend the night on Shanks’s ship before continuing his search the next day. He was definitely looking forward to sleeping in an actual hammock or bed again instead of the mat he used on the Flash. Fast and practical as she may be, comfortable for long trips, she was not.
Throughout the night, Raizou found it difficult to rest. Tomorrow would be the day he’d waited nine years for. He wasn’t sure if he was ready, but neither would Ace be, so that was alright. He just hoped he wouldn’t mess things up in the first few minutes.