One Piece (Love Story) [Part One]

Chapter Eighty Nine [Rewritten]

-Chapter Eighty-Nine-

"You didn't steal it, did you?" the Marine asked.

"N-no, of course not!" the redhead sputtered, frantically shaking his head. "This was a treasure that was resting inside Ape's Concert!" he defended.

"Yes, yes—he's right! We just pulled it out of a shipwreck, that's all" Lake nodded, quick to come to the older man's defense.

"I see, so what you're saying then is that the ring here doesn't belong to anyone" the Marine said.

"Major, we've discovered a large pile of treasure that we believe was carried out of there" a female Marine reported.

"Right, well then, the Marines will be confiscating all of it" the Major decided.

"I won't let you! You better not so much as lay a finger on my treasure—it's mine! All of it's mine!" an even older-looking redhead snapped as he threateningly held up an axe.

"Any treasure that is found without an official owner is the property of the World Government, and if it's obtained illegally, that would be considered an act of piracy" the Major retorted.

"Ah, the dreaded laws of the government when it comes to unclaimed treasure, every greedy person's worst nightmare" I sighed, causing Zoro to snort.

"Fine with me, I'm really a pirate anyway" the old man grinned. "Anything I want, I just take by force!" he sneered, swinging that axe of his at the Marine Major.

"Look out!" Luffy and Usopp shouted before staring in awe as they watched how the Marine Major simply stopped the axe with just his finger.

"Let's consider that your confession, shall we?" he grinned. "Is that okay with you, pirate Captain Wetton?"

"Wait, what?" Wetton owlishly blinked as he was suddenly thrown back with just the flick of the Major's fingers.

"No, no, it can't be..." Henzo breathlessly breathed in shock as he looked closely at the Marine. "Rapanui?" he questioned.

"No way!" Luffy and Usopp gaped.

"B-but weren't they left back in the mist?" I asked in disbelief.

"I promised we'd come back to Ruluka, didn't I?" the female Marine softly smiled.

"Isoka?" Henzo asked, watching as the woman nodded in confirmation.

"Okay, take Wetton's gang into custody!" Rapanui ordered.

"Right!" Isoka and the other two Marines nodded.

"You're alive and you're a lot older—how did that happen?" Usopp asked.

"When the explosion happened, we were thrown into the outside world just like all of you were, except there was a slight difference" Rapanui explained. "We ended up in the world of fifty years ago" he revealed.

"I see, the Rainbow Mist must have warped the access of time as well as space" Robin concluded.

"Then why didn't you come here sooner?" Henzo questioned.

"We knew that we needed to figure out a way to defeat and punish Wetton" Rapanui answered. "I thought we needed help though, so we all decided to list with the Marines to use their power. But earning a high enough rank to have the authority to come here at will took more time than I expected" he explained.

"It makes sense now..." Henzo muttered to himself.

"I may be wearing the uniform of a Marine, but in my heart, I'm still a Pumpkin Pirate to the death" Rapanui assured us. "Henzo, I'm still your friend too, forever under the same flag" he smiled.