If you don't want to be spoiled for Alice Mare, I'd recommend playing it first or watching a walkthrough or something. Otherwise, here we go!
The Strawhats knew something was wrong the second they awoke.
They sat up in bed, brows furrowed in confusion, and got their feet on the floor. When they spotted each other, they became defensive before deciding no one planned to attack. In a silent agreement, everyone went outside.
The men met with the women, and, for a moment, everyone just . . . stood there, nervous and confused.
Finally, Luffy broke the silence.
"So . . . what's going on?"
The others shook their heads.
"I feel like . . . I know you guys, don't I?" he continued, scratching his head. "I know my name's Luffy, and . . ." He frowned. "You guys are . . . Zoro . . . Nami, Sanji, Usopp, Chopper, Brook, Franky . . . and . . ." He hesitated. "Robin?"
They nodded.
"It seems that . . ." Robin said slowly, her arms crossed, "our heads have been . . . messed with, somehow. Physical trauma seems unlikely, but regardless . . . our memories are . . ."
"Messy," Usopp supplied. "I mean, I know my name, and I get the feeling we all know each other, but . . . I can't remember a whole lot about myself, or you guys."
Chopper shook where he stood, staring with wide, confused eyes. "I can't . . ." he whispered. "I can't remember if I have a name . . . or who you guys are." He looked up at Luffy, Sanji, and Nami. "I think . . . I've met you three, but . . . ?"
"Your name's Chopper, right?" Zoro said. "Dunno why you'd forget it."
Franky coughed. "Well, I do . . . sort of remember my name," he said. "Luffy, right? When you said 'Franky,' that rang a bell, but . . . I couldn't tell you where I grew up, or anything."
"I remember, but I can't recall much about how I left my home . . . or how I ended up here," Robin said.
"I remember my name, but . . . I can't remember how I got to be here," Nami said slowly.
Brook studied his hands. "I feel as though . . . there's some reason my body is like this," he said. "But for the life of me, I cannot recall . . ." He paused. "Or would that be 'death?'"
Luffy tilted his head. "Oh, you are a skeleton, huh! Must be a Devil Fruit power. I can't remember why, either."
"I do remember meeting you, Brook," Sanji said. "But . . . well, I can't remember a whole lot else. My name, sure . . ."
"I have a Fruit," Robin said suddenly. She displayed an arm and two more arms sprouted out of it. Chopper jumped back and hid behind Luffy, only to jump away from Luffy, while the others looked at the demonstration curiously.
"Yeah," Zoro said. "That . . . seems familiar."
Robin allowed her arms to vanish and looked at Chopper. "You have a Fruit, too, don't you? The Human-Human Fruit . . ."
"I do?" Chopper whispered.
"Well, sure, that's why you can talk even though you're a raccoon," Luffy said.
Chopper frowned. "Wait, I'm a reindeer."
"Really?"
"This is ridiculous," Zoro muttered. "Should we talk about this over some food?"
"Sounds good," Luffy agreed as his stomach rumbled. "Who's the cook here?"
Usopp looked to Sanji. "You? I think it's you . . . isn't it?"
"Am I?" Sanji said. "I guess I could be . . ."
"That sounds right," Nami said. "Yeah, you were at that restaurant, the Baratie . . ."
"Baratie?" Sanji murmured. He shook his head. "Let's find the kitchen."
"I guess we should start with talking about what we remember?" Luffy said, flopping over the table. The crew had gathered in the kitchen and Sanji was searching the cabinets for something edible, for no one remembered the combination to the fridge, or why it had to be locked.
"So I know I grew up on a mountain near some village," Luffy said when no one responded. "And I went to the village a lot, but I can't remember what I did there. I don't really remember much else, except that we're all pirates and I think I'm the captain."
"We're pirates?" Chopper squeaked in surprise. "Wait, what's a pirate?"
Luffy opened his mouth, and then hesitated. "Uh," he said. "Um . . . a pirate is . . . someone who sails under a skull and crossbones . . . and doesn't care about laws . . . and is free."
"Free?"
A hesitant nod.
"Hey, as long as we're talking about memories," Sanji said from the counter, "does anyone have any preference on what to eat? Only the options are pretty limited when no one knows the code to the damn fridge."
"I like meat, but I guess that's in the fridge," Luffy remarked.
"How about . . . rice?" Zoro said.
The others nodded, content to have that rather than struggle to remember what they most enjoyed eating.
"Rice it is," Sanji said. "And . . ." He stared into space. "Toppings . . . ?"
"Plain rice is fine," Nami said. For the life of her, she couldn't recall what her favorite meal was.
"If you say so," Sanji said with a shrug. "I'll add some soy sauce."
"I remember a little bit," Zoro said as Sanji got a pot of water on the stove and went to grab the rice sack. "My name . . . I lived at a dojo for some time, but . . ." He removed his swords from his haramaki and placed them on the table. "I couldn't tell you how I came by these things. I feel like I know how to use them . . ."
"I think you do," Usopp said, squinting at the swords as if they would provide answers. "You got that scar when you were . . . when you were . . . fighting someone."
He gestured to Zoro's chest and Zoro looked down in surprise. "When did this happen?"
Luffy stared at it. "I can't remember, either," he said. "I swear it must've happened after we met . . ."
He felt his own chest. "And I dunno how this happened," he murmured, studying the X-shaped scar.
"I remembered something," Robin said suddenly, putting a hand to her forehead. "After leaving my home, I . . . I moved around the seas for years, because . . ." She frowned. "I was being targeted by officials. I don't know why . . . and I remember eventually coming to this place, but . . . why . . . ?"
The others shrugged.
"You remembered something, though, that's progress," Franky said encouragingly. "As for me, well . . ." He shrugged. "I still don't know how I got here, or where I was before that."
Usopp swallowed nervously. "I can't remember where I lived before . . . this ship," he said. "I know my name, and . . . I know I'm a sharpshooter . . . I remember running away from things, but . . ."
He looked at the table.
"I don't know where I grew up, either," Nami said, hugging herself. "Or how I got to be here . . . and if we're all pirates, what's my role . . . ?"
"I still dunno who any of you are . . . or how I got here . . . or how I got my name," Chopper whispered. He seemed to become smaller where he sat. "It was very snowy where I used to live . . ."
"Don't stress yourself," Sanji said as he brought bowls to the table. "Breakfast's ready."
He was met with quiet thanks and everyone dug in, only to put their spoons down after the first bite.
"Something wrong?"
"This sucks," Luffy said bluntly. "I'll still eat it, but . . ."
Sanji's brow furrowed in confusion. "How can it be bad? I followed the directions to the letter . . ."
"Maybe you weren't the cook after all," Zoro said, only to shake his head. "No, you must've been, it feels like that's right . . ."
Sanji shrugged. "Who knows? I can't say I remember having cooked before now. My memories are pretty spotty, as well . . ."
"I'm not entirely sure how I ended up here," Brook said as he slowly ate his rice, "and I do feel like we've all met before . . . this afro upon my head, however, is something of a mystery. I must have very strong roots for it to stay after death, but . . . I wonder why I would not cut it off?"
"We probably shouldn't damage anything irreversible for now," Zoro said. "Not until . . . this mess is fixed. We might accidentally hurt something important . . ."
He unconsciously clenched his white-sheathed sword as he said this. Looking down and realizing what he'd done, he frowned and let go.
"Come to think of it . . . I dunno where this hat came from," Chopper said. He tugged off his hat and stared at it. "It looks special . . ."
Luffy pulled off his own hat and turned it over in his hands, tracing the fine stitching along the top and feeling the small bump in the red band where something had once lain.
"This looks like it's been through some things, huh?" he murmured. "How long have I had this . . . ?"
He dropped it back, letting it hang around his neck and lay on his back. "I guess I'll keep it with me . . ."
"Yeah," Chopper said, pulling his own hat back on.
The crew finished off their sad breakfast in silence save for the faint chewing. Once they were done, it was agreed they would look around the ship for clues as to how they might've lost their memories, and that no one was to try leaving the ship for the time being.
Nami and Usopp leaned against the railing of the stern, staring out to sea. No one had raised the anchor or dropped the sails—since no one could recall how to control a ship.
"I remembered some things," Nami said. "After talking with everyone back there . . ."
"You did?" Usopp exclaimed. "Well, that's good, what did you remember?"
"Not much about myself, but I remember a little bit about Luffy and Zoro," Nami said. "We were in a town, but . . . I don't know why I was there. I don't think it was my hometown. That's where we met . . . I think."
She cast her eyes down. "I remember meeting you, too. You were threatening us on top of a cliff with a slingshot . . . it must've been a long time ago, you were so skinny."
"I don't remember that," Usopp said sheepishly.
Nami clenched the railing. "I remember . . . meeting Sanji, but not much right after that . . . we met some girl, and then . . . everything right up until Robin showed up is a blank, and after that . . ." Her grip grew tighter. "I can't . . . I don't know . . ."
She gripped her upper left arm. "And where did this come from?"
"The tattoo . . . I don't know," Usopp said helplessly. "Everything's so blurry. You all seem familiar, but it's hard to . . ."
As he trailed off, footsteps made them turn around.
"Hey," Sanji said. "I finished the dishes. Mind if I join you?"
"Go right ahead," Usopp said, shrugging.
Sanji leaned against the railing next to Nami. "I still can't recall much," he admitted. "Do either of you . . . ?"
Nami told him what she had remembered and he frowned.
"Baratie," he repeated. "Sounds familiar, or maybe I'm imagining it . . . Usopp, do you . . . ?"
Usopp spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "I dunno. It sure sounds familiar, but everything's super fuzzy." His arms dropped to his sides. "I hate this."
"Don't we all." Sanji reached into his jacket and pulled out a cigarette pack, sticking one between his lips and finding the lighter. He lit the end and drew in a breath through it, blowing out smoke. Nami and Usopp watched him curiously.
Sanji gradually lifted a hand to his mouth and removed the cigarette, examining it. "That . . . was a habit," he said to himself. "I wonder why I . . . ?"
He put it back and drew in another breath. Nami watched the smoke curl and vanish into the air.
"That damn cat," he said under his breath as he flicked the cigarette into the sea.
At this, Usopp's and Nami's eyes widened.
"Cat?" Usopp whispered.
"Yeah, that cat," Sanji said. He glanced over. "What?"
"The purple cat," Nami murmured.
Sanji's brow furrowed. "Yeah, the purple . . . cat."
"The one with the stitched-up clothing?" Usopp said, hands clenched at his sides.
A nod. "How . . . ?"
"It couldn't be . . . could it?" Nami said, staring out to sea.
"This sucks."
Luffy, Zoro, and Brook sat against the railing of the bow together. Luffy sat with his legs stretched out, Zoro sat cross-legged with his hands behind his head, and Brook sat against the railing, legs drawn up to his ribcage.
"No kidding," Zoro muttered. He felt the scar on his left eye. "I wonder how this . . . ?"
"I know your names," Luffy said. "But . . . nothing else." He made a face.
"I must say the same, I'm afraid," Brook said. "But even the names are . . . well. They only ring a bell, if I'm honest . . ."
Luffy forced a grin. "At least you guys seem cool! Even if we don't get all our memories back, we can get to know each other again . . . and we . . ."
He trailed off, his smile fading when neither Brook nor Zoro responded.
"I feel like this scar . . . is important, somehow," Zoro muttered, tracing his chest again. "But I just can't remember . . ."
He glanced between Luffy and Brook. "I can't say I remember you two very much. Your names and faces seem familiar, but . . . there's nothing else."
"I seem to recall being adrift for quite a long time before we all met," Brook said distantly. "I wonder why?"
Zoro shut his eye. "Who knows?"
Luffy sagged against the railing. "This is so stupid," he said, staring into space. "I bet this is all the fault of that dumb cat!"
Zoro opened his eye and he and Brook looked up.
"Cat?" Brook said.
"Yeah, that stupid thing," Luffy said absently.
"This cat . . . didn't have ragged clothing, did it?" Zoro said.
"Huh?" Luffy sat up. "It did. How'd you know?"
"It was purple . . . and black," Brook added. "Isn't that right?"
Luffy nodded.
Zoro sat up straighter. "It can't be . . ."
"Still nothing more from any of us, huh?" Franky muttered. He, Robin, and Chopper had found the library, and he and Robin were searching the shelves for anything useful.
"I'm afraid not," Robin said, flipping through one particular volume. "I can just remember where I lived in my childhood, but things after that are . . . a little bit fuzzy. Just a little bit."
Franky grunted in response. "Chopper, right? How about you?"
Chopper shook his head. He'd been staring at the floor for quite some time.
Robin made a small noise as she turned the next page.
"You find something?" Franky said, glancing up.
Robin hesitated. "I don't know . . . but I feel like it's important. Apparently, there's a disease—or perhaps affliction would be a better name—called—"
"A disease," Chopper whispered.
Robin cut herself off and looked at him expressionlessly. "Pardon?"
Chopper hugged his legs. "I don't know," he whispered. "I don't . . . I don't know . . . I don't know how I got here . . . I don't know why no one's hurt me, or hates me . . . I don't know how I got my name, I still don't remember it myself, I don't know any of you, I don't know how I got this hat, I don't know, I don't know anything—"
He had been growing smaller with each passing second and now buried his face into his hooves, shaking with sobs. Robin and Franky glanced at each other uncertainly.
"I don't know why we'd hate you," Franky said at last. "You look pretty weird, sure, but so do a lot of us. I guess we all got immune to it at one point or another."
"But when?" Chopper said, looking up and sniffling. "When did we all meet?"
Robin and Franky shook their heads.
"This just . . . none of this feels right," Franky muttered, sitting down heavily. "I don't know what 'myself' feels like, but this sure ain't it. If only that damn cat hadn't shown up . . ."
Chopper and Robin looked to him.
"Cat?" Chopper whispered.
"Yeah," Franky said. "I saw it last—"
"The violet cat?" Robin said, frowning.
Franky blinked and glanced at her. "Yeah, it . . . it was purple. How'd you . . . ?"
"And it was wearing really old and cut-up clothes," Chopper said, hugging his legs.
Franky leaned forward where he sat. "Don't tell me . . . ?"
Usopp folded his arms. "I guess we should . . ."
". . . tell the others about this . . ." Luffy leaned against the railing.
". . . and get to the bottom of this mystery," Robin finished, tucking the book back onto the shelf.
