Dear Mom,

Hey, how are ya? I hope this letter finds you well. If it ever finds you. You'll have to excuse my handwriting as I… um… Let's get back to that. Listen, if it is remotely possible, send Spot's dog bed. No questions, just do it. Somehow, someway. Anyway, the reason I am writing to you is to tell you that I am alive. Not well per say… but alive. After the accident I kinda landed in, get this, the One Piece world. I know what you're thinking. 'What is a one piece?' Well, it's that Anime (...Cartoon thing...) I would stay up all hours of the night watching. It sounds crazy, believe me I know. But it's true.

I guess you want more of an explanation. A long list of facts and proof that I am actually here… well… I can't give it to you. The only thing I can tell you to do is look up 'Bandit' on the One piece Wiki. (Get Bailey to help you understand what that means, mom. Do not attempt on your own… It's not in the dictionary.)

I am Bandit. Yeah… the dog. Actually, I don't even know for sure I'll come up on there. But I think I might, because I am here. In the grand line with this group of- actually, let's come back to that too.

Alright. Facts and proof. You're a scientist. If there's one thing I've come to understand, it's that what you choose to be defines who you are. You chose to be a scientist, which is cool, so you're going to want a detailed account of my experience. Alright. Mom just promise me you'll keep reading. I don't mean obsess over it, I would never want that. Just don't throw it away… this is the only chance I have to explain.

But, we'll get to that as well.

Ok, the beginning. Where it all started. Funny enough, it started with the old truck.

We were getting ready to go, grabbing our bags, finding my truck keys, and heading out the door. It feels like a lifetime since this happened, but I remember it clearly.

Bailey went out the door first, her red hair pulled into a neat bun, fashionable jacket zipped up to her neck, and pink back pack slung over her shoulder as she balanced walking and texting. I was surprised she didn't trip over the front steps with her inattention. I quickly followed. We were running late (Like always) and I wanted to talk with the Algebra teacher about page 645, 27-40.

My jacket got snagged on the door that morning. My good leather one. (Mom, every 16 year old guy had a leather jacket in the high school. I wasn't that weird.)

Anyway, we made our way to the old red truck. It had trouble starting again, but after a few minutes of yelling, I got it working. See? I can be persuasive.

We pulled out, turned the radio up, and headed to school.

Well we never got there… But we were going to be on time. Just saying.

I took the main road. I know, it was a stupid idea, but like I said, we were running late. We got to the intersection by Mcdonald's and the light stopped us. "Great!" I yelled, and hit the steering wheel. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a semi truck turn out of a gas station. It pulled up next to us and I couldn't help but shudder. You know how driving by them made me nervous…

The light turned green and I wasted no time in resuming my fifty nine in the fifty five.

The semi truck didn't waste time either. We were neck and neck, both accelerating at the same rate, which was unusual, but I figured I would go faster in the end. I always did.

But, of course, that didn't happen.

Bailey looked up from her phone, warily giving the semi a glance.

"Cody…" She mumbled.

"Yeah.. don't make eye contact." I said, giving her a reassuring smile. She noticed the semi truck driver giving us a crazy eyed look too. It was really really weird, his eyes were open as wide as they could go, lips upturned in a ghostly smirk and a long food stained beard oily and unkempt stuck up in all directions.

Creepy. I wondered what his problem was.

That only made me want to go faster and get away from the guy, so I went from fifty nine to sixty five. The truck kept up with us. I was starting to panic. Maybe it was a moment of crazy imagination or foreshadowing, but I felt like we were going to crash.

It didn't last long. As we approached the bridge, I slowed down. Knowing the turn was up ahead. The Semi didn't. He continued to accelerate and I let out a sigh of relief. It was short lived.

I leaned back, relaxing, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw his silver truck bed on a crash course with us. I barely had time to say "What the-!" Before we were violently pushed through the guardrail and over the bridge side, on a fast track to the water.

My mind wasn't fast enough to fully comprehend what had just happened. Only after a lot of thought do I remember. Bailey knew. She screamed and braced herself against the window and console, preparing for what she knew was bound to happen, her phone floating in free fall. I blinked and caught up with reality.

Splash down.

The truck took most of the impact, saving just enough to give me a sucker punch all over my body. My head hit the air bags and recoiled back to the head rest. I was successfully dazed.

I sat like that for what felt like hours that were only seconds. My mind still trying to catch up with everything.

I always denied any and all suggestions that Bailey could be smarter than me. You know that. But in that moment, I knew she was. While I was blinking like an idiot, she was rolling down her window and yelling at me.

"Cody! Cody! Come on! Help me!" She screamed, tearing at her seat belt. It was stuck.

Great.

That got me moving.

I unbuckled myself and just then I noticed the water coming in at an alarming rate. The floor was already covered, and rising to my knees. I reached over to her own belt and pushed the button.

My heart skipped a beat. It. Was. JAMMED.

"It's stuck!" She yelled, tears running down her face. She squirmed around in her chair, but the strap was constricting her.

I shook the buckle, faintly thinking it might free itself.

"Something sharp!" I said, surprising myself. When had I thought of that?

The water was at our waists now.

Something! There had to be something… There!

I grabbed my pocket knife from the sunglasses compartment.

My neck was submerged. Bailey's terror filled blue eyes were the only thing above the murky water.

You know mom, the thought of abandoning her never ever crossed my mind. Saving myself at her expense… sickens me. I am proud of that, and I hope you are too.

I used my hands as a guide to the seat belt. Feeling for the sharp edge of the knife, I began to saw away at the strap, being careful not to hurt Bailey.

We were completely submerged.

My lungs began to burn. They needed air, but Bailey needed me more.

With a satisfying recoil, the strap was severed.

I let go of the knife and was relieved when Bailey began to swim out the window. I went to follow her… but realized too late my foot was caught. In what, I still don't know.

So, like in the movies, I watched my sister swim to the surface and I sank deeper and deeper into the river.

I don't think I was in pain, if you're worried. Actually, I don't even think I died. I kinda just went to sleep.

You'll have to forgive me because I don't know what or how this next part happened. If I could, I would give you a real explanation with big words and fancy pie graphs, but this is the best I've got.

I went to sleep underwater and as Cody Baker. I woke up... as a dog. Canine. A Flea bitten people pleaser with a fondness for peanut butter and men's shoes.

I remember waking up and feeling like something was… wrong. I was weightless, everything was black, and I felt like my arms and legs were being pulled the wrong way.

Thoughts like 'AM I DEAD?!' and 'WHAT THE FUCK!' Did cross my mind.

I was aware of sound next. People, boys to be exact, talking and walking in a… forest? Bugs chirped and birds sang loudly, very very loudly.

I opened my eyes, and a fire greeted me with blindness and searing pain in my back side.

"Rarrrrrrr!" I said, and struggled only to find my arms and legs bound.

A boy's voice said something in a language I didn't understand and moved closer to me.

Upon closer inspection, I saw that I was being cooked over a fire. LIKE A FREAKING ANIMAL.

I think I attempted to say some choice words and growled a lot, continuing to do so when I was hastily removed from the scorching flame.

It smelled horribly of burning hair.

Two boys put me on my side and stared at me like I was crazy. I lifted my head up to get in their face… When I noticed my nose.

I must have looked funny, staring cross eyed at my face, because the boys burst into laughter.

I figured that maybe something was on it because it did feel a little heavier than normal, but when I looked at my bound hands… I saw that they weren't hands at all.

They were paws. Brown furry paws on brown furry legs that led up to a most likely brown furry body.

I then slowly looked at my rear end… and to my horror… a brown furry tail.

I was a brown furry freaking dog.

A DOG.

AND THEY TRIED TO COOK ME!

My shock must have been interpreted by the boys as a plea to be released, because they freed me.

Standing as a dog, if you must know, is like crawling. I can feel my height and straight back like before, but on four legs instead of two. It's kinda hard to explain a tail… just think of waving your arm around constantly. Above your butt.

They said more, for the life of me I couldn't understand them. I recognized the language though.

Japanese.

Couldn't speak a word of it, so I probably acted like a real dog might. I stared wide eyed at the now three boys.

The smallest was cheeky with black hair and a straw hat. He had a scar under his right eye, and a grin plastered to his face.

The next was freckle faced, older than the first, and angry looking, saying something to the younger that looked like a lecture.

The third was blonde with a bandage on his cheek, a tophat, and goggles. He was giving me a calculating look.

Their identities didn't click right away because they weren't cartoonized. They were real.

Maybe it was because I just had one of the biggest mind fucks ever dished out by fate, or the brush with death that I wasn't completely going insane. Instead, I decided to act my part.

I sat up and tried to mimic what a dog might do, sitting on their rump and balancing themselves on their front two paws. I moved my head around, adjusting to the new shape and odd way my ears flopped around on top of my head.

It was so strange, I forgot to be freaked out.

Finally, the other two decided to acknowledge me.

Freckles said something at me, which was something along the lines of "Go away!" I think, because he accompanied it with pointing and gesturing for me to do just that.

After what just happened, I really wanted to. Eating me? No thanks!

But, I didn't. Couldn't more like. I didn't know how to walk, or what to do once I did walk away.

Besides, what the small one said next made me want to stick around awhile.

"Ace!-" He whined.

Wait a second… Ace!

As in Gold D Roger's son? White beards commander?

I think my ears perked or something like that because my body responded to my curiousity by sitting taller and moving my head to look at them better.

I had the sudden urge to ask.

'Ace? Your name is Ace?' I said, but it probably came out as a bark.

Luffy, as I now recognize him, beamed at me then walked closer, tapping his knees like you do to summon a dog.

I just stared at him dumbfounded. It was Luffy. Monkey D Luffy. From One Piece. Mom, have Bailey help you look these people up. I repeat, have Bailey help. Again, these people aren't in a science journal or book.

Sado placed a hand on Luffy's shoulder and moved in front of him to look me in the eye.

He frowned, then took a step closer.

I suddenly understood what just happened.

You see mom, these boys live in a wild jungle with lots of creatures. The only thing they could do for food was hunt, so they probably found me, built a fire, and started to cook me before realizing I wasn't quite dead yet.

Because I usually laughed at their antics like this when I watched them on the computer, I decided in that moment to forgive them.

I thought about it, and I wanted to be on friendly terms with these guys. Not only would I find out where I am in the story line, but I could hang out with the actual ASL.

That's what I figured anyway. I would freak out later. I still wasn't quite sure this was real life, so I rolled with it.

So I did what a friendly dog would do. I wagged my tail and quirked my head to the side, saying 'What's up?'

Sado relaxed and reached a hand out to pet my head. Which I let him do, because I was a dog and that's what people do to dogs. I will draw the line at belly scratching. Never gonna happen.

Luffy made an excited noise and rushed over to pet my head as well.

Ace wouldn't, however, and I understood. He was the untrusting one. That was cool, I can't say one way or the other if I like my head being patted. It's kinda like when a barber would cut my hair or shampooing it I guess… Depends on the person.

Sado tried to tell me something. For the life of me I had no idea what he was trying to say. He felt my neck, probably looking for a collar, and I let him. Sado was a good guy.

He reported to the other two, and Ace sighed while Luffy became more excited. He clapped his hands and wrapped his rubber arms around me, making me stumble from his sudden weight.

Next thing I knew, he had scooped me up and we took off through the jungle at warp speed, probably giving me worse whiplash than the car accident.

The older brothers took off after Luffy, one laughing and the other yelling. I laughed myself, Mom it was like meeting celebrities. I was able to get over the shock of becoming a dog thanks to these guys.

They took me to their tree house, fed me, gave me a soft place to sleep, and talked at me constantly. I say talked at me because I really didn't know what they were saying and I don't think they expected me to respond.

When they finally fell asleep in my bed, (our bed I guess) I had time to think. While I thought it was really cool to see the ASL brothers...

I thought about you and Bailey and Dad. What would happen from here? Would I spend the rest of my dog life in One Piece? Would I never see you guys again?

I'm not ashamed to admit I cried that night. I cried because I was in a truck accident, because I wasn't home, because I was almost cooked alive, and because I had no idea what to do.

After awhile, I decided I needed to pull myself together.

Crying would get me nowhere. You taught me that.

So, I went over the facts.

I am a Dog.

It's true, I checked

I was in the One Piece story

I was with Luffy when he still had his brothers

I thought back to the episodes when they showed the flashback. Garp dropped off Luffy to live with some bandits, he found Sado and Ace's treasure, they became brothers, built a treehouse, fought monsters, and… something about rich people…

That's about all I remembered. I just knew that it ended with Sado's raft being blown up…

Then it hit me.

Sado was going to die.

I knew about it.

I could save him.

But should I? Should I mess with the flow of things?

Why not? It's not like I would stop the original crew from joining… but maybe I could help the pointless deaths. Like Sado. There was no reason I could think of that he had to die.

Yeah, I would save Sado.

I looked at the sleeping blonde. He had no idea what I decided, nor would he. How could I tell him? No, I would just do it. Somehow, someway.