Disclaimer: We do not own One Piece in any way.

Oregano's Journey Begins!

By: peanutbutterlung (Whale)

Early Morning on Plisboro Cove

"Hey Oregano, you up there or what? Little Tilitia is waiting down here for her piano lesson!" A hurried voice shouted from downstairs.

"Ayeee shoot! Yeah I'll be right down bro! Sorry little Tilitia I'm on my way!" Oregano shouted back as he was abruptly shaken out of the dream he was currently enjoying about a heroic dog clad in shining armor. Oregano rubbed his naturally dark circled eyes and proceeded to look over at his alarm that he was sure he had set the night before. It was then that he noticed that the cord had been unplugged and was currently hanging loosely from a fuzzy paw.

Shaking his head at this silly sight, Oregano proceeded to place his feet down onto the floor, stretched a bit, and then walked over to scoop up his snoozing pet Koala from off of his own little bed in the corner of the room. The koala's little nest was a messy assortment of eucalyptus leaves, cheap plastic sunglasses and posters of West Blue's famous pro boxer Bo Stockston. Oregano's room was neat and tidy but his fuzzy pal scattered his own belongings in his little corner without any mind. Once Oregano scooped up his little companion, he placed him securely on his shoulder and proceeded out the door in a hurry, he didn't want to keep little Tilitia waiting.

The koala's name was Polen, and upon being picked up, he began to show that he wasn't too fond of being rushed and jostled about in this manner. The marsupial let out an annoyed grunt or two in a groggy-like manner but soon fully drifted back asleep without too much effort. Oregano was by now too excited however to stop and baby the koala, so he simply pet Polen's fuzzy head in hopes of soothing him. Today was going to be an amazing day! Oregano could simply feel it in his bones.

As Oregano ran down the hall upstairs from his room towards the staircase, he couldn't help but momentarily look down at his sleeping pet on his shoulder with a proud grin, Polen was practically his best friend after all. They had been through everything together, always goofing around or just hanging out ever since he adopted him from a local exotic pet store in town four years ago.

"Our dreams of adventure are about to come true little guy! I can't believe this is the last piano lesson I have to teach! ... I have finally saved up enough beli over these past few years to buy my very own ship!" he whispered. Polen was out cold in dreamland however so these words were mainly just Oregano psyching himself up about the day he had dreamed about for so long.

All this psyching was leading to Oregano getting lost deep in thought about his wishes finally coming true. While in this daze like state however, he still continued to run towards the stairs - That final lesson wasn't going to teach itself you know?

This combination of running towards stairs and utter obliviousness suddenly combined into catastrophe and resulted in many consecutive crashes and helpless yelps from Oregano and Polen alike as they began to tumble wildly down the stairs.

"Oyeee!" Oregano squealed as he went airborne after a hard bounce after landing face-first on a step at the end of the staircase. This falling display he and Polen just experienced ended as dramatically as it started as they eventually rolled down in front of the door where his older brother and little Tilitia were both standing. Both had their hands pressed tight to their faces in complete embarrassment due to what they had just witnessed before them.

This unfortunate event was not yet over for poor Oregano however, as he quickly began to hear the sound of enraged growls coming from beside him. The noises were coming from Polen and the koala suddenly let out a thrashing on his master's face. He was tearing into Oregano much like a child would tear into their presents on Christmas morn. This attack was well deserved as far as Polen was concerned - For in his mind he was almost murdered in his sleep. Oregano couldn't help but shout out for mercy as his fuzzy companion let loose on him.

"Poleeeeeeeeen! I'm sorry! Aye stop it you biscuithead! I didn't mean to fall - I'm hurt too!" Oregano desperately shouted, still temporarily crippled from his terrible fall down the stairs.

Sprawled out pitifully on the ground, and still being attacked by a vicious koala, Oregano looked up towards little Tilitia and his brother hoping one of them would find it in their hearts to remove Polen from scratching his face and body up any more than he already had. Luckily his brother finally managed to pick the koala up off of him after what seemed like a year and a half for Oregano. Then with one fluid motion Polen was tossed into the adjacent kitchen.

"Eat up little guy, Dad made your favorite snack in there." The brother exclaimed as the Koala immediately forgot all about his recent near-death experience and darted to eat the meal that had been prepared for him.

Oregano looked up miserably to his brother with a bleeding, scared and bruised face. His short brown hair was a mess from just waking up, he was wearing a pajama shirt which read 'Cranberry Ranger' on the front accompanied by a superhero in a red spandex suit. He was sporting soft navy shorts that he had slept in and was still barefoot as well. He was a real mess, but this unfortunately wasn't much different from how he usually looked.

Still wadded up pitifully in the floor, Oregano finally made eye contact with his brother and raised a shaking hand towards him with the last bit of strength he could muster, desperately hoping for comfort from his elder sibling. Much to his dismay he instead received a sudden stomp to the chest from his brother who then shouted down at him.

"Get up and teach poor little Tilitia! The fact that she has been waiting down here so long for a lazy teacher like you is really just a shame!" The brother began to twist his foot into Oregano's chest as he continued. "Plus you go and pull that act with you falling down the stairs and everything as well! Are you trying to scar the poor child or what?!"

Oregano clumsily rose to his feet after hearing his brother's words, all the while masking his pain and holding back the blood he felt could pour out his nose at any moment. He then softly whispered. "Yes of course, right this way young lady." He then led the red-faced and embarrassed girl in pigtails to the music room for her lesson. His brother on the other hand shook his head as he walked into the kitchen to get some breakfast or coffee before heading to work.

"You can go ahead and start getting warmed up, I need to speak with my brother about something really quick. I'll be right back I promise!" Oregano explained to little Tilitia as he began wrapping his head with a conveniently placed roll of bandages he found on a nearby dresser.

Little Tilitia hesitantly nodded, she was a little relieved that she could finally be by herself for a moment after the drama she had just experienced firsthand. Oregano gave her a quick thumbs up sign as he walked away and into the kitchen where Polen was chewing loudly on the Eucalyptus leaf sushi that had been prepared for him.

Oregano smiled at Polen as he walked past him, seemingly forgetting that a few moments ago, that very same koala was trying to kill him. He then continued his walk towards the kitchen counter where his brother was now hunched over reading today's newspaper. Coffee was brewing behind him.

As Oregano strolled up to the counter he glanced over the paper a time or two in quick succession, and one article managed to catch his eye. The words 'Mysterious Candy Cloud' were in bold and this line grabbed at Oregano's desire for wonder and adventure and it grabbed hard! Before he could get hooked any further however, he was yelled at by his brother who finally noticed he was in the room with him. This yelling came so fast that his interest in the article left him in an instant.

"Why are you not teaching little Tilitia her lesson Oreg?" Oregano's brother questioned. The answer to his own question suddenly hit him though. "Oh oh, I remember now, you told me last week didn't you? This is your last lesson huh?"

Oregano grinned as he replied "You got it Dill! I was just wondering if we were still cool for today about all the plans we made on leaving and such." Oregano responded back to his brother.

Dill took a pause and then continued. "Yeah yeah, right I've got ya. I will get things set up at the force today so that they won't interfere with you as you make your exit."

Dill was trying his best to look cool as he spoke and furrowed his brow as he talked which accented the scar above his right eyebrow. He was a security guard on the island where he and Oregano lived. He was wearing his brown and blue uniform which was clean and ironed and that made him look extra sharp and professional. Unlike Oregano who's hair was straight and short, Dill had frizzy brown hair which stuck out from underneath the cap he was wearing that went along with his uniform. Both boys were average sized, however Dill was fit and muscular where as Oregano was simply a string bean of a young man.

After Dill had finished speaking about getting the plans all squared up, Oregano threw his hands up in the air in sheer joy. "Awesome thanks Dill! I would never be able to get away without you!"

Dill shook his head as he scoffed "Even though you are crazy, you are still my brother and I will always go out of my way for you… Now then, have you finished your goodbye letter to Mom and Dad yet?" Dill asked as he reached for a nearby cup of coffee and took a slow sip of air. The cup was empty but he played it off after realizing he hadn't poured anything into it yet. He had brought up a serious question and didn't want to laugh now of all times.

Oregano nodded back at his brother with a strong face and confident eyes. "That was the hardest thing for me to do, but yeah man it's done. I left it on the nightstand in my room."

Dill nodded as he responded sternly "Well then I'm off to the station. You go on and teach that last lesson of yours ok pal? Oh and be at the western shore and set sail between the hours of 7:00 and 8:00 pm."

Oregano nodded as he watched his brother head towards the door. Dill's steps began to slow as he neared the exit however and before long he suddenly stopped altogether. With his back towards his kid brother, and with tears streaming down his face he muttered quickly to avoid getting chocked up. "Promise me man… Promise me you will be careful out there." Even if his words were abrupt, Oregano could still hear the waves of emotion in his brother's words.

So Oregano's eyes too began to leak tears as he sobbed back a reply. "I promise... I will live the ultimate life of freedom out there!"

Dill smiled knowing that his brother would be fine, he nodded his head and proceeded to then leave through the door. As he walked away from the house thoughts were heavy on his mind, but he never once looked back. This was his way of showing both Oregano and himself that he had complete faith in his brother's decision, and this gesture gave Oregano a tremendous boost in confidence as he watched his brother walk down the pathway away from their house.

Oregano looked up to the clock in the kitchen and saw that it was currently 7:00 am, thus giving him plenty of time before he eventually planned on buying a ship and departing. He then suddenly noticed that little Tilitia had been practicing for quite a darn while now all by herself so he quickly rushed back into the music room and wiped his tears away with one fast swipe.

"Alright Tilitia let's get started shall we?" He said with a grin as he pulled some sheet music off a nearby shelf. "Let's start with this one. It's a favorite of mine called 'The Bees Love Me'." Little Tilitia nodded at his selection and began to play the melody. Whether it was right or wrong, the music sounded heavenly to Oregano who had such high spirits that nothing could possibly bring him down.

After about two hours or so of listening to little Tilitia play the piano the lesson was finally over. Little Tilitia hesitantly pulled out the beli her mother had given her to give to Oregano for the lesson. She looked up at him and smiled "Thank you for these past two years... for teaching me and you know? Stuff."

Oregano smiled back as he took the beli from little Tilitia. He then placed his hand on her shoulder as he proceeded to lead her to the front door. "You sure have come a long way little Tilitia! I know that you will continue to get better. Stay with it alright?!" Tilitia nodded as she left the house and walked the path from Oregano's house to the main road and eventually down into the main part of town.

Oregano then began to count the beli he had received "Let's see… alright it's all here! Ah and her Mom even gave me a little extra tip as well! What a sweet lady!" Oregano shouted as he went into the kitchen where Polen was now rummaging through the refrigerator looking for even more food.

"Hey buddy! Easy on the food! I still haven't eaten today, plus this is our last day here, we don't want to leave the family with an empty fridge you sucker." Oregano laughed as he eased passed the Koala and got some bread, a bowl of left over soup and some peppered cheese. This certainly wasn't a normal person's breakfast, but Oregano was far from normal.

"Ahh this will do just fine!" Oregano exclaimed as he then prepared his meal and ate. After he was done he looked at the clock and saw it was 10:00 am. "Alright this is great! Most all of the shops are open in town now. We can go get our starting supplies like food, extra clothes, medical supplies and all that jazz."

Oregano quickly motioned for Polen to come to him as he stood up from the table he was eating at. The Koala quickly scurried off into a backroom before coming back however because he couldn't be seen in public without looking all fresh in his favorite green, yellow and red striped baseball cap and a pair of his infamous black 'cool' shades.

He absolutely had to look cool before going into town. Oregano just laughed as Polen jumped and ran up his extended arm and propped himself snugly on his shoulder. Oregano then hurried up the stairs to his room and gathered up all his beli that he kept in a box under his bed. He folded the stack and put it in his pocket. As he left the room the letter that he left his parents caught his eye. His eyes began to water but he knew everything would be fine. He bolted back down the stairs and out the door. It was time to buy supplies for his grand voyage!

Meanwhile at the Security Station

Dill had by now reached the security station located downtown where he worked as a security officer for the past four years. As he entered the station and whipped around a few corners he finally reached the time clock and was about to check in, however right before he could punch his card he heard a soft whisper from behind him say. "I can't wait to see the fireworks that are going to be shot at the western shore tonight!" Then a second voice quickly added "I know! I here it is going to be the biggest fireworks show Plisboro Cove has ever had! I hope we can get off early tonight! This is sure to be a great showing for our town's Fifty year Anniversary!"

Dill's heart sank deep into his chest as the urge to vomit quickly flowed over him upon hearing this terrible news. Naturally this news would normally be great, but with what he and Oregano had planned, this was simply terribly unlucky timing at it's best. How could he have not remembered? 'Whew ok, ok, ok calm down Dill, calm down maybe the celebration is at a different time than when Oregano is setting sail' Dill hesitantly tried to reassure himself in his head.

He then turned around to his fellow officers and quickly spat out. "Say! What time is the event starting today you two?" His words came out fast and nervous, and the two officers gave him a sly look for not knowing when such a special event was being held. After a few more seconds of yanking Dill's chain through a series of facial expressions expressing their disbelief, they finally answered in unison. "7:00 pm."

Dill began to sweat profusely. "Oregano! I have to go warn him!" Dill quickly pivoted as he made a quick turn only to then find himself surprisingly face to face with the chief officer of the Plisboro Cove Security Station. He was a gristly looking man with oddly leathery skin. He was Head Chief Mutton and much like his name, he sported a pair of mutton-chop sideburns which framed his yellowish tinted face which wasn't the result from jaundice, he simply had a weird complexion.

"Now then, where do you think you are off to, officer Dill? You're just the man I was looking for. I need you to come file a stack of paperwork on my desk roughly a meter high, got it? You can't be running off now, it is very important that we get this paperwork filed before the celebration tonight."

Dill's soul itself began to cry as he hung his head and followed the chief into his back office. 'Oregano you're on your own. I know you won't do anything crazy... Right?' These words seemed ridiculous the more he thought about it, he was almost positive his brother would in fact do something crazy.

8 Hours Later on the Western Shore of Plisboro Cove

Oregano laughed happily as he looked at all the bags of supplies that he had gathered before him from shopping in town. He was now finally set for his journey. The bags were currently sitting on the ground in front of a ledge overlooking an inlet area on the western shore.

The boat shop was located just below this ledge on the side of a bay that made up part of the inlet below. As he looked down at the many docks where boats were currently docked and gently swaying he decided to soak things in and catch his breath before scaling the cliff before him. Sure there was an easier way to get down to the shop, but Oregano was being stubborn and decided he was already here so he would just suck it up and take the hard way.

Polen was already snoozing away like usual on Oregano's shoulder from the busy day of shopping that they had just experienced. Oregano softly pet the koala's fuzzy head to soothe the marsupial as he slept deeply. Just as Oregano was about to begin down the cliff-face, it wasn't long before he began to hear voices coming from behind him. "Hmm what's with all the voices?" Oregano questioned as he turned to see flocks of people heading his direction with tables, chairs, food and boxes galore.

"Dill what in the world are all these people doing here?" Oregano questioned out loud. He had no clue about the celebration that was about to occur tonight just like his brother. He regularly would have had an idea due to the many signs and conversations he walked past while purchasing goods in town earlier today, but he was so deep into thinking about his trip that he was completely oblivious to it all.

"Hmm well I better get out of their way." He whispered to himself as he saw more and more people heading his way. He had no idea how big the event was going to be or how long it would last, but he trusted that Dill had taken care of things, so he figured it might just be a quick fling and that the people that had shown up were going to be the only ones to do so. So with that he scooped up all of his bags and began to scale the rocky cliff as he headed towards the boat shop beneath him.

After much time and much greater effort, Oregano finally made it down the cliff. This was a big deal for he had almost fallen a good dozen times or so, but he managed to secure his footing fast enough every time before falling and he didn't even wake his feisty koala from his slumber or drop any bags. Not even one!

Now that he had finally reached the bottom, he plopped his bags onto the sandy walkway that led to the front door of the shop and decided to quickly approach it. He then excitedly knocked on the door until a latch was heard which was then followed by the door being swung open with great vengeance. In the doorway now stood a massively tall lady that Oregano guessed to be around 11 ft. tall. Talk about a tall glass of water huh? She was lanky and had a grey complexion with hair to match.

The woman's face was perturbed and let out a frustrated moan. "Here I was already closed and ready to leave early for the show tonight and then you just have to pop up! This better be good... What do you want?"

Oregano quickly laughed. "I'm sorry lady, I'll be fast I promise! I already have all my money ready and everything!" The lady let out a grunt as she walked out passed Oregano and motioned for him to follow her. "You better be fast kid." She said as she led the way around the shop to the boat docks. "What's a kid like you want a boat for anyways? Especially tonight of all nights, I mean buying one now means you won't … oh well I don't really care." She quietly muttered to herself realizing that trying to understand oddballs like this guy was often too much work.

Oregano all the while immediately began to scan the ships for the one he had had his eye on for the past couple months now. He didn't want to hold the lady up any more than he had to. She seemed a little on the ornery side.

"Ahhh there she is!" He pointed happily at a beautiful cherry wood finish ship at the end of one of the docks. The boat was a small sized caravel and at the front of it was a figurehead of a cherry tree branch stretching outward covered in cherries and blossoms alike. The boat lady smirked. "So you want the good old Cherry Maria huh?"

Oregano grinned at the name of the boat. He liked it a lot and responded "Heck yeah!" He reached in his pocket and pulled out his beli. "Here you are take my beli please!"

The boat lady looked down at Oregano and she took the beli form his hands and counted it. A sudden frown came to her face as she handed it back to him. "I'm afraid you don't have enough kid."

Oregano was hit with a wave of confusion. "Whaaaaat!? I know I had enough! I even had extra saved up. I have been planning to by that specific ship for months!" Oregano desperately recounted his beli to find that the boat lady was indeed correct about him being short. He must have lost some while shopping in town today.

"Save some more up and maybe you can come back some other time, besides we should both be heading to the celebra..." The boat lady was cut off as a sudden and unexpected boom was heard from atop the cliff overlooking her shop. A massive red flare was then seen heading directly towards the docks loaded with ships, it was spiraling rapidly down from the sky.

A loose firework had accidentally gone off and was now shooting out of control. "My precious ships they could all go up in flames if that touches down!" The boat lady shouted knowing this flare could very easily wipe out any or all of her collection of boats if one caught fire.

Oregano was already on the scene however and instantly reached down for his flintlock pistol that he had tucked in the front of his pants and took aim. He would have preferred his rifle but that was currently hiding and was mixed in with his supply bags. This was because a rifle was pretty hard for a guy to walk around with in his home village without being stopped or questioned or causing unnecessary panic. In downtown most people knew his face and he feared news would spread to his Mom and Dad and his escape would be in jeopardy.

As the flare continued to descend towards the docks "Don't worry." was Oregano's fast reply to quickly reassure the boat lady he had things under control. As he spoke he followed the flare with his pistol for a mere second and then fired. A direct hit was made causing the firework to extinguish immediately and fall to the rocky coast below.

Oregano smiled once he knew the crisis had been averted and was about to speak to the boat lady, when suddenly he was picked up and squeezed tight. "Yoouuuu saved my boats!" The lady yelled as she continued to hug Oregano.

While this was happening Oregano was not able to breathe but he managed to give the lady a thumbs up which finally led to her putting him back down. "Listen the boat is all yours! No charge at all young man! You may have just very well saved my entire business!"

Oregano jumped up into the air with joy upon hearing this. His confusion about how and why a firework randomly went off was wiped from his mind completely upon hearing this glorious news. This jump for joy however finally woke up his pet koala that had been sleeping through all of this commotion up until now. Polen then let out a yawn and hopped off Oregano's shoulder to explore the docks. Oregano was relieved he wasn't attacked, fortunately for him Polen immediately became interested in this new location once he saw where he was currently at and had to go check things out.

"Thank you so much boat lady!" Oregano exclaimed as he ran by her to get his bags off the shore. He grabbed them all and ran back down the dock to where the Cherry Maria was docked. She was waiting for him, his very own ship! This realization left him with a huge goofy grin that stayed glued to his face as he began to load up all of his supplies. "Come on Poleeeeeeeeen!" He then shouted once the supplies were all loaded up and accounted for. The koala's ears perked as he popped his fuzzy head up from a nearby ship that he had been investigating. He didn't really want to quit exploring, and normally wouldn't be so complaisant, but due to still being a little groggy from just waking up he decided to scurry towards his master's call.

"Well now I think we are all set!" Oregano hollered to the boat lady once Polen made it on-board. The boat lady who at this point was still in tears from witnessing her boats being saved before her eyes replied. "Yes she is all yours but are you really leaving right now?" The lady was wondering if he was really not going to wait to see the celebration tonight.

"Yes! My dream of adventure begins tonight!" Oregano responded. The old lady simply shook her head as she gave the boy and koala a wave. "Well then good luck Mr. Adventurer. Thanks again!"

Oregano waved back as he then pulled up the anchor and set off from the docks.

Once the ship was a good distance away he walked over to the large white sails flapping in the wind above him and shook his head. "No, no, no, these won't do." He muttered as he then proceeded to dig through his bags.

Meanwhile a shout finally called out from the cliff top "Hey we heard a gunshot! Is everything alright down there? Oh and sorry about the loose firework that went your way, luckily we saw it fade out and die huh?" They added not thinking the two were connected in any way.

The boat lady then shouted "Yes we are fine down here. I just made a quick sale to this kind young man and I am now on my way up to the celebration. I have wonderful news to tell of a heroic feat I just witnessed as well!" The celebration goers were relieved that everything was alright but felt the Security Force should still know about the possible gunshot. Much to their luck the officers soon began showing up to the event and were notified about the mysterious shooting before the boat lady could tell the real story. This news worried the Force so a few officers called in for some binoculars to be brought so they could search the bay for any trouble makers trying to interfere with the celebration.

Back on the boat as Oregano looked through the various bags he had brought with him to find what he needed, Polen decided to go explore the new ship some. The ship was fairly small sized and had an under-deck cabin with a small living area, a kitchen and sleeping quarters to boot. After Polen's survey of the ship was completed, he became content with the ship and all it had to offer. This would be his home now so it was important that it passed his test. Upon completion, Polen decided to make a nest out of some branches scattered loosely about on the top deck. These branches had fallen from trees that hung off the cliffs the boat had been docked under and proved to be incredibly comfy for Polen as it wasn't long until he took another nap. Oregano was watching Polen out of the corner of his eye as he continued to look through his bags."Lazy koala."

Meanwhile back on land Dill was running towards the celebration site as fast as he possibly could. He was late because of all the paperwork that got piled on him by the chief. "Crap! Oregano please don't tell me you are going to leave and set out in front of all these people! Ahh plus Mom and Dad will definitely be at the celebration tonight! Our plan is not going as planned bro!"

Oregano was now out a good distance from the docks and was now directly in front of the bay the celebration was being held at. Suddenly a few starting fireworks went off to start the celebration and this took Oregano's attention away from his bags momentarily.

"Ah wow so beautiful!" He whispered as he looked up into the sky towards the sparkling blooms or radiant color before him. Then looking back down at the cliff top he finally realized just how many people were present and he couldn't believe his eyes. "Dill you pigeon head! Could all of this be your doing? Did you… make me a going away celebration!?"

"Oregano shouted out with joy all the while trying to make sense of things. He began to tear up as he heard shouts coming from the cliff. "Gosh I have the best brother in the world! Telling me he was going to make the bay empty and then… wow pretty much getting everyone in Plisboro to see me off on my journey! I can't believe all these people support me. Mom, Dad could you be up there too?" He whispered.

Then wiping the tears from his eyes he looked back down at his bags and finally found what he had been looking for. His pirate flag! He had made it himself and it really wasn't anything flashy but it did the job. He attached it to a rope and began to raise it up the mast. It was a simple black flag with two smiling green skulls separated by his name written vertically between them.

As he raised the flag, it was about that time however that the Security Force got a hold of the binoculars they had requested and they immediately set their sights directly on Oregano. "PIRATE!" One officer immediately shouted as he zoomed in on the black flag! A terribly frantic uproar followed the shout as the people of Plisboro Cove all noticed the black flagged ship before them. The boat lady simply fell to her knees as she shook her head. "That boy… that boy is using my ship… that boy is a … pirate!" She muttered not knowing how to react especially after the heroic deed that he had done for her just minutes ago. She hadn't even had time to tell anyone about the story of her ships being saved.

"Find out who that pirate is!" One officer from the Security Force called out. The binocular holding officers focused in on the ship and began to sweat. Suddenly a shout came from behind the crowd "What's going on?!" It was Dill, and he pushed through the frantic citizens towards the edge of the cliff to see what he really hoped he wouldn't see.

But much to his dismay, there was Oregano in all his glory, in his brand new ship, with a pirate flag just a flapping in the wind in front of the entire town. "Dill that's your damn little brother down there!" One officer shouted to Dill after seeing he had appeared on the scene. Dill simply shook his head. 'You sure know how to leave an impact don't you, you little brat?' Dill thought to himself as he gritted his teeth. He then proceeded to pull his cap down tight in front of his eyes. 'What now!?'

"Oregano! What is my little angel doing down there?!" A shriek called out from a lady wearing a red dress with long brown hair and a yellow bandanna came running forward towards Dill.

"Sheesh that boy never learns does he?" Another voice followed with a laugh. The voice belonged to a grinning man with a beer belly and gray hair. These were Oregano and Dill's parents.

"Dill did you know about this!? You get my baby back right now! Right this minute you hear me mister?!" The mother shouted in an incredibly flustered manner.

"Now, now honey, maybe this is what the boy wants." The father chipped in.

"Noooo! Chives what kind of reasoning is that!? He is my poor little baby boy and I need to protect him from the harsh world out there! He needs his mommy!" The mother countered desperately trying to get her son back.

Oregano was currently waving as he rode the evening breeze further and further away from Plisboro cove. He had no idea about the spectacle that he was causing atop the cliff. He simply couldn't believe his adventure was finally happening and that he was getting this kind of a send-off party. Then hoping his parents were on the cliff as well as Dill Oregano shouted.

"I know I left you a letter at home but I feel a goodbye in person is much better! Mom, Dad, Dill! Thank you for everything! I will miss you all so much but don't worry! I am going to have the time of my life out at sea! I will be sure to make my mark! I'll be back in a couple years or so and I will have so many stories to tell you!"

Oregano's family began to all tear up at the words they heard as they all responded with the only phrase they could muster. "WE LOVE YOU OREGANO!"

Oregano smiled after hearing this and he began to well up with tears as well. His family supported his dream and that was all he needed to hear.

This heart-warming scene was suddenly interrupted however as the Security chief's voice cracked out over the scene at hand and what he said ruined the moment that all the townspeople were experiencing with Oregano and his family entirely.

"Ready the cannons men!" Were the words that boomed over the surrounding area. Mobile cannons had been rolled up from an armory that was built not too far from the hilltop everyone was currently located. The cliff provided an exceptional location for bombarding threats like invading pirate ships so an armory was built nearby to take advantage of this.

The statement regarding cannons echoed through the townspeople's hearts. They were witnessing a boy living out his dreams as well as his family's strong support. They were also relieved to see that it was Oregano and that he was in fact a kind-heated pirate and not one that was planning on attacking the village like they had previously feared.

Dill was shocked by his chief's order and began to run towards him. Halfway through his run however he managed to stop himself and look out at Oregano's ship. He focused on the sight before him, especially on that pirate flag that was flapping in the breeze. "I can't baby you anymore can I? You told me you would be strong and not to worry didn't you?" Dill whispered to himself. It was a moment of realization that led him to recognize his brother's growth as a man.

Dill then walked back to his Mother and Father only to see that his Dad had come to the same conclusion that he had, but he was currently having to hold Oregano's mother back with all his might. She was cursing up a storm and wanted to kill the chief with everything she had. Dill calmly told her to respect Oregano's decision but it fell on deaf ears. She wanted to save her baby too bad to hear any words that didn't involve attacking the chief in some manner.

Cannon fire immediately sounded from the top of the cliff as the chief then shouted "Pirate scum! You deserve what you get for having the nerve to ruin this celebration with your image! You don't get to disgrace us and get away with it!"

Six cannons were now flying towards Oregano. "Oh wow! I guess this wasn't a goodbye celebration for me after all!" Oregano laughed as he quickly ran to a bag he had set to his side. He reached inside and pulled out his rifle.

"Well time to show my family first hand that I can handle myself!" The six cannon balls were closing in and were beginning to fall from their peaks. "Let's see here…" Oregano muttered as Polen continued to sleep on his make-shift nest made of branches.

'Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!... Crack!' Each cannon ball exploded into pieces midair as a rifle bullet pierced right through the center of each one. The crowd watched in awe as Oregano was now too far out to be hit by any further attempts that could be made to hinder him. He had successfully escaped.

Oregano's Mom was bawling back at the cliff top but after seeing this display she was comforted just a little bit. Not like she would admit it though of course. Oregano's father however let out an enormous belly laugh in response to the scene "That's my son for ya!" he shouted.

Dill shook his head as he simply smiled. "Now where the hell did you learn how to shoot like that? I teach you the basics one day and you show me you can do something like this?" He let out a slight laugh and wrapped his arm around his Mother and Father.

The boat lady was still in shock at everything that had just occurred. "Well... at least he is a good pirate I suppose."

Even little Tilitia was there and let out a smile as she whispered to a group of friends she was with. "That's my goofball piano teacher I was always telling you about. I guess he is a pirate now."

Security Chief Mutton was flabbergasted at the display before him and threw his hat on the ground in disgust. He couldn't believe he let the pirate slip through his fingers and because of this began to stomp his hat on the ground in a fit of rage. Once he realized he was making a scene he quietly cursed and spat about under his breath and walked away. "Stupid pirate coming in and ruining our celebration! ... Ugh Oregano was it? I'll make sure the Marines here about you.."

Meanwhile back on the Cherry Maria

Oregano put his rifle down and smiled as Plisboro Cove began to disappear in the distance. "Hey Polen! How about we get all moved in now buddy!? We can rest after that alright?"

Oregano had to holler at the koala a couple times until Polen lazily managed to get up and carry some bags downstairs into the cabin. The two organized the supplies amongst the kitchen, living area and sleeping quarters until everything looked like it was in the proper spot. He and Polen then waddled sluggishly into the kitchen, they were pretty tired from the exciting day that just experienced and sat down on some stools.

"Who knows what tomorrow will have in store for us Polen? Our adventure has now officially started!" Oregano shouted still half way expecting to wake up now from this all being a dream. After pinching himself a half dozen times he came to the conclusion that this was in fact real life. After he began to bruise a bit from the pinches he laughed a bit then looked at the clock hanging in the kitchen and realized that they should probably be getting some rest now.

He opened the door to the sleeping quarters and the two hoped into their beds. "We will have an amazing day tomorrow Polen. I can feel it!" Oregano said as the two began to drift off to sleep to the rocking of the Cherry Maria on the waters of the West Blue.