Well, I must say I was proud of my captain for not going too overboard on our trip to Water Seven. He probably wet himself numerous times, but at least he didn't end up creating a whole new religion... scratch that, it was already a religion. I think the trip was beneficial no the less, he probably needed time to talk with his own kind, spending most of his time in a bar, swapping stories with the locals. Of course, these weren't about dangerous seas, treasure or any other recreational information. It was all about you-know-who. It was either that or rolling around on the paved streets, kissing the ground.

Most of the crew were busy trying to calm him down before he began pissing people off. We had to keep the annoying side of him at bay for as long as it would take to repair the ship. Despite how much I do complain about the man, he does still manage to act like a pirate. He acts all fierce and cruel in public, hence his reputation. It's just after someone mentions the 'golden-topic' that his legs give out underneath him. I suppose it's good that he keeps his softer side hidden, the amount of people who could so easily manipulate him would be unimaginable.

I was put in charge of organising the expenses of the ship repairs. I was appointed after the Captain began using expressions such as a 'Luffy load of wood' and a 'Franky's worth,' which utterly confused the shipwrights. Instead, they turned to me for translations. I just assumed a 'Luffy load' meant a lot and a 'Franky's worth' was 44,000,000 Beli. So, I was unfortunately hired in place of the captain and became head of Barto-translation.

Because of this, my self proclaimed holiday was ruined. I spent the first few days organising expenses and the rest of the time watching over the ship. This basically meant I sat around the ship-building site while the rest of my crew drank in a nearby pub. I'm not too sure why I was ordered to sit around there. I suppose my captain thought there had to be someone watching what was going on, since the rest of the crew was out of commission.

I did make friends with some of the shipwrights. That made my days brighter. One of the main attractions, though, was that I was with the people in which The Captain had so desperately wanted to meet. Paulie had been to Enies Lobby with the Straw Hats. He had met the Monkey D Luffy. He introduced me to the rest of Galley-La, and Iceberg too- apparently of Franky's close friends. They're all so kind, genuine people and I really enjoyed my time among them. Iceberg even offered me the position as his secretary. I quickly refused, I don't think I'll ever be able to settle down and give up piracy. Life is just so much more exciting as a pirate.

I couldn't stop laughing to myself afterward. With the small bits and pieces of information they gave me about the Straw Hats, I could get my captain to grovel at my feet.

In fact, I did. I took the man on a tour of sorts. First, we went to see the place in which the Straw Hats had made residence while in Water Seven. He had gone through his normal routine of shivering and holding himself while crying tears of happiness with his mouth wide open and sparkles in his eyes. I showed him the places where the Thousand Sunny was made and where the Going Merry was docked. I took him underground, where Cyborg Franky had lived and the Town Hall where the Straw Hats had fought Cp9. The Captain intently listened while sniffling tears of happiness.

After I had finished the tour, I had him at my mercy. I asked him if he wanted to meet the Mayor and Galley-La shipwrights. He had silently nodded his head and whined slightly, like a begging dog. And so, I found the shipwrights near the shipyard, laughing and drinking after a hard days work. I introduced them to my captain and left him to pitifully cry and blubber over the men.

Wait... I do remember hearing him make some sort of a sea shanty or jig with the shipwrights- not quite a mantra, but close... what was it? Something like-

Not everyone can combat the dangerous seas,

At least not as well as the Strawhats!

You think you can combat those terrible storms?

You don't have Cat Burglar Nami!

You think you can satisfy a crew of hungry men?

You don't have Black Leg Sanji!

You think you can hit a target?

You're missing Sogeking!

You think have an adorable pet?

You don't have Cotton Candy Lover... Toni-Toni Chopper!

Not everyone can combat the dangerous seas,

At least not as well as the Strawhats!

You think you can build a legendary ship?

You don't have Cyborg Franky!

You think you can cut up a powerful enemy?

Where's Pirate Hunter... Roronoa Zoro?

You think you can find the true history?

You don't have the Devil Child... Nico Robin!

Not everyone can combat the dangerous seas,

At least not as well as the Strawhats!

And don't forget

The best of them all,

Pirate King, Luffy!

Ruler of all!

Wait... Ruler of all? I seriously don't think I can survive among these people for much longer...

After all of that, the last few days consisted of listening to my captain go on and on about how we were walking in the same place that they walked.

And now, after two weeks of havoc, I had finally come to the newly repaired and refurnished ship. We were going to set sail the next morning and I had settled down in my bed for a well-earned rest. But of course, my night didn't go as planned. I heard a crashing and rustling in the room a few doors down, and in a grumble, I went to go and complain. But, it just so happened that I ended up standing before the Captain's door.

I knocked, more concerned than angry now. It was a possibility that the trip to Water Seven had been too much for the poor guy. Pffftt... poor. Instead, I found him standing in the middle of a sea of straw hats. At that point, I was so sick of Bartolomeo and his fanboying, that I didn't think anything could surprise me. But this crossed the line.

He just stood there with an innocent grin on his smug face. My own face had probably gone red with anger by then. Large boxes sat around his feet among the hats, he was most certainly trying to get the straw-hat-filled boxes atop the cupboard before anyone saw.

Bartolomeo had then tentatively taken a straw hat from the floor and outstretched his arm to hand it to me. To restrain myself from punching the man hard in the face, I took the hat and just left.

Most pirate crews don't have a uniform. You should know this, the whole concept of 'freedom' and 'fun' that many of us pirates aim for would be ruined by the idea. Yet, somehow, Bartolomeo managed to enforce such a rule on his ship. Each and every one of us must wear a straw hat. All day. Everyday. I bet you can imagine my complete anguish over this new law. Whatever it takes, I will abolish this, otherwise the captain's going to get quite a few of us leaving his side.

Well... to be honest, this probably isn't the best chapter. I like the next one. The next ones good. Please review! I really want to improve my writing style as I'm not quite as used to verse-less writing, so any advice or comments would be fantastic!