Alternate Marineford!

14

Rayleigh had seen the broadcast, witnessed the HQ exploding, Ace and Luffy being attacked, sure he knew they got hurt dangerously enough to die.. He saw the second in command, Sabo pick the bodies up and run away.

Rayleigh wouldn't believe that the kid who carried the will of Roger, his former captain and the captain's son had died. So, he did what he thought was best. He headed to the Isle of Women, where Kuma had pointed to him, after making the straw hat pirates make a safe escape.

But unluckily his boat crashed in the storms of the grandline , so he swam. But the thing which was unusual was that the currents helped him in swimming through the calm belt. And the sea kings didn't approach him.

Swimming was easier then usually, like if the sea wanted him to head towards the island of women. Something massive most have been happening if that's the case. What is he getting into?

He can theorize why the sea kings never did approach but how was he able to easily go through the calm belt? The currents? He got no answer regarding those.

When he reached the shore, dripping all wet, he saw one thing: A submarine, and the pirate group which were in Sabaody. The next he heard were giggles and laughter from the other side of the shore and what he saw widened his eyes. Straw hat Luffy and Fire Fist Ace. They were alive and being devil fruit users, playing in the sea water. Splashing water to each other and not for a moment were they exhausted.

They were playing. the wounds that meant to have lead to their deaths seemed to have disappeared, mostly at least.

Even if you had small hope they were alive he had expected them to be in bed or barely moving. And probably no where near the sea, and yet.. This is truly strange.

"HEY?! WHO ARE YOU?!" A pirate from the Heart Pirates successfully made him break his eyes from the playing teens to the pirates ahead of him.

"Ah, I know you people. We met at the Sabaody Archipelago." Rayleigh said as he approached the pirates.

"DARK KING RAYLEIGH?" A pirate yelled.

"Well, you see. I ran into a nasty storm out at sea. My boat sank, so I had to swim the rest of the way." Rayleigh said wringing his shirt. "My body doesn't move the way it used to, I really am getting old."

"A storm?! There are no storms in the calm belt! Which means, your boat sank outside the calm belt and you actually swam all this way?!" A pirate with a penguin hat said with astonishment.

The commotion brought out the brothers out of their playing in the waters and approached him. Ace grinned at him while Luffy showed his usual wide D grin. Sabo, the other brother, whom he had never seen, was standing with them, with a light grin.

"Now then." Rayleigh said with a smile to the boys. "You have quite a story to tell." At this the brothers just grinned and Sabo, which he assumes the brain of the three, started telling the story of how they escaped Marineford and met Trafalgar Law, who operated on the brothers. But but that reminded Rayeligh, shouldn't they be covered in bandages? The picture of their wounds were brutal, even if they were blurred. He saw Law from his corner of eyes, and could see him cursing.

"How did you both recovered so fast?" Rayleigh asked with his eyebrows raised. He looks curiously at the boys, making sure to listen

"It's was-" Luffy was interrupted by the blonde and the raven haired, Ace, scowled, showing it clearly that whatever the secret was they were not ready to say it yet.

"Lu, I think Hancock is bringing lots of meat!" Sabo interrupted Luffy, who bounced from the back of Ace and ran in the direction of food.

"Sorry for the inconvenience," The blonde brother said. "I'm Sabo, the other brother of these two idiots." He pointed to Ace and Luffy, who were devouring food at a supersonic rate. "My brothers and I have some fast healing bodies. Now, if you excuse me, I am a bit hungry."