Hi.
MASSIVE thanks to: N Harmonic, DrunkTitan, dwarfprince, ovan963, Faia Sakura, of Serendip, Narya Anima, kazers, Catflower Queen, iluvstorys, Jisca, Naron Daylane, Sea Rover Tactician, BeASlumberingDragon [8 reviews (holy shit)], Zelga Lim Li, Kokos, Yana5, Nala1220, Hahukum Konn, skywright, Fenrir's Phantom, bronze andromeda shun, xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx, angelrider13, Dr. Blueneck, Jade, bibliophile030, PsychoRien, Ms . McClue, Ecarlates, Rainbowpanther, dinnil, NotSoSlimSh4dy, Trich, LittleChomper, Divine-Faithborn, Chitzuki Kurenai, Rin-s666, That Random Guy, Chamsin, peppymint, lany-chan, and Guest (9/10/15)!
I can't even.
Well, I'm very very glad you all were okay (and seemed to like) the treatment I gave the opening arc. Because it's going to continue for the most part. My laziness persists. Also, if you feel like I'm skipping a bunch of really important scenes, I intend to address some of them later on. So don't fret. Also, Nami's development will become more clear as time goes on. I want y'all to know that there won't be any romance though. This fic is about family, adventure, humor, and angst.
Also, this is pretty funny/interesting to me, but Talon of soaring Eagle and LittleChomper both told me that Sampan apparently means boat in Malay. Unexpected and neat. (That detail is applicable to CH 8.)
Thanks go out to breather, my wonderful beta!
Chapter 10: I've Got a Feeling
Saying goodbye to Zeff and everyone else is emotionally draining. Sanji is leaving the closest thing he's had to a home, and sailing into the unknown future. It's frightening and exciting at the same time. Especially considering the company he's now keeping. Usopp is still squirrelly, but Sanji finds his flexibility to be impressive, even though he doesn't say it. Zoro and he don't get along, as he predicted, but that's alright, because Sanji has Nami in all her perfection. He gets to serve this lovely being every day, cook to his heart's content, and see the world. And in the night, when he's keeping watch in the crow's nest, Luffy climbs up and asks him about the All Blue. It's— more than Sanji ever expected to get out of life.
Bit by bit, Sanji comes to understand his eccentric captain more and more, and how special he really is. Usopp tells him the story of how Luffy saved his village and Kaya, who is the only thing Usopp speaks about with soft, genuine tones. Zoro's relationship with Luffy remains a mystery, but Sanji doesn't ask in the first place. Luffy and Zoro have a strange connection as captain and first mate that Sanji can't even begin to understand. He hears from Nami, in short sentences, about how the boy with the straw hat freed her from her childhood slavery. Nami's intense love for their captain isn't as inexplicable, because who else can say they've ever done the same— at a startlingly young age at that. Sanji will still persevere and shower her with affection, but he now understands how their captain is deserving of that attention. The chef hasn't been sailing under the teen captain for very long but he soon realizes that there is no chance at understanding him, not wholly. Every day there's a new facet, random phrase, or sudden burst of strong emotion. Sometimes all three, and those are the busiest days.
He thinks the most informative quirk is how Luffy runs his ship. When faced with a storm, instead of standing at the wheel and ordering his crew, Luffy hands the reins off to Nami. Luffy does the grunt work along with Sanji, Usopp, and the swordsman. When they're looking for places to fish, Luffy lets Usopp take the wheel, and even indulges the sniper in all of his self-boasting. Never has Sanji caught Luffy delivering an order, or exercising his captain status at all. He sleeps in the men's room, like the rest of them, pulls his weight as a crewmember— it really impresses Sanji. Because Luffy never has to order them, instead they follow his subtle desires, echoed in his posture and tone. Sanji knows this to be true, because two weeks after joining the crew, he finds himself reading these invisible signs when he's deciding what to cook.
All of these things explain why he isn't surprised how Luffy steers the ship.
"So, where would you like to go, Captain?" Nami asks one afternoon, spreading out the map. "There are a few different ways we can get to the Grand Line from here—"
"You pick!" Luffy crows
Nami sighs. "Won't you even look?"
"Mmmmm nope! I don't want to know." Luffy grins widely. "It'll be a mystery trip with lots of mystery islands. I can't wait. So plot away!"
Such a careless way of life . . . Sanji looks forward to every second with anticipation.
Luffy sits in the crow's nest, enjoying the clear view of the starlit sky. The sky in the Grand Line looks different to Luffy in a way he can't explain— the stars gleam brighter here. It's by the starlight that Luffy takes out Ace's Vivre card. He watches it pull across his hand relaxingly. It's whole, wonderfully whole. And things are all going surprisingly well. He has half his crew assembled— something he secretly worried about for some time.
Because Nami could have so easily ended up far away from him. She didn't though, and she sleeps meters away, under the same sky as him, in the same ship. He'd be completely delighted, were it not for the reason behind her presence. She came looking for him. He was actually her dream. And that's twelve kinds of wrong. She's supposed to want to chart out the entire world! Her ambition is supposed to be larger than any of them. But she still hasn't claimed that ambition as her own, instead saying she just wants to make him the Pirate King. And that isn't right. She's also really nice to him. He doesn't like it. Because she treats him so differently . . . like he's some kind of hero, and he isn't not really. He's super flawed, and not worth being anyone's dream. But he doesn't have the right words to express his feelings, so he leaves it alone, despite how it niggles at him during the late hours of the night.
The Vivre card changes directions ever so slightly.
Ace . . . Luffy hopes Ace's time is running smoother than Luffy's.
Ace has to time this perfectly. Because one wrong step and everything will be ruined. This means treating Teach like he isn't a fucking murderer, like he isn't Brutus. With a strength of will he hadn't known he possessed, Ace avoids killing Teach the first time he sees him, but that doesn't stop him from glowering and stewing in his own hatred until he feels nauseas. He doesn't do anything, despite his feelings. Only Marco and Oyaji seem to know the depth of Ace's loathing. Most people just figure that Ace dislikes the other pirate for no unusual reason other than a difference in personalities and beliefs. It's after three months since Ace has joined the crew that Marco invites him to a meeting with Whitebeard the two corner him. Forcing his body to relax, he reluctantly tells him that there's just something he doesn't like about the man, but he can't put it into words. They accept it. Intuition is vital to any pirate's survival, and as such, Marco and Whitebeard take his thoughts under consideration.
Ace often thinks about how to do it. Poisoning Teach wouldn't be impossible. A little cyanide into the disgusting pies Teach so enjoys would do the trick. Or even just cyanide in his water— but the poisoning of a crew member would cause panic among the men. There's a chance he would be found out— or worse, someone else would be wrongly accused.
So Ace forces himself to wait for the same moment. He bides his time, eating, and working alongside a fratriciding fucker. And when the moment comes, a knot that's been there for over ten years finally comes lose in his chest.
He's all but lived for this moment. He's played it out so many times, that he knew how to do it just right. He thought he'd gained control over himself. But when Ace watches Teach standing behind his reliable friend Thatch with a knife, he just snaps.
The next thing he knows, his fist is through Teach's stomach and Thatch is spluttering in surprise. Thatch stared at him with complete shock and betrayal and that hurts Ace so much. It isn't until Thatch hears the distinct clatter of a knife hitting the ground and sees Teach's dagger has slipped from his still half-gripped hand that he understands.
"Hey Thatch, Ace, what's going on yoi? We heard shout—" Marco's gaze lands on the bleeding, still corpse of Marshal Teach. "Ace, what did you do?"
"He didn't . . ." Thatch manages after a moment. He gathers himself before he began talking again.
"Teach was going to kill me?" The words are dazed and questioning.
"What?! Why would he—" Marco cuts himself off. Ace distantly sympathizes.
"For the devil fruit." Ace hisses. The utter loathing in Ace's expression is nearly palpable, and he sees a similar feeling on Marco's face. He can see the thoughts running in his head, knows them intimately from ruminating on them for years— How dare Teach. What monster would go so far as to kill one of his brother's for a devil fruit? Why? Why wasn't our family worth more to you?
"Let's talk to Oyaji," Marco says finally, stifling his anger and taking charge. Ace nods tightly. There's protocol to be followed. "I'll get Izou, he can watch over the body to make sure no one gets close while we sort this out. No doubt people will know what happens, but nothing should be said or done without Pops' agreement."
Thankfully, they're on the top deck and it's nighttime, so most of the crew members are sleeping. Izou, Marco, and Thatch are the commanders in charge for the evening. So Ace watches distantly as Marco quickly heads to the main deck to find his fellow commander who's engaged in a conversation with a crewmate. Izou makes eye contact over the crewmate's head and Marco jerks his head to the side. Izou excuses himself from the conversation and allows Marco to wordlessly guide him to the top of the deck.
"What is it, Marco?" Izou asks, as the first commander leads him to the top of the deck where Ace and Thatch wait. The latter has his head buried between his knees, still trembling.
Izou's face blanches. "Is that—" His eyes fly to Ace, noting the blood on his hands and pants.
"Teach tried to kill Thatch for a devil fruit," Marco explains flatly. "Ace intercepted the attempt."
A brief flash of fury glints in the cross dresser's eyes, but Izou recovers himself quickly, settling into a business-like countenance. "Going to report to Oyaji?"
"Yeah. We need someone to watch the body and keep the rest of the crew away."
"Very well." Izou stiffly dips his head.
"Thanks."
The three leave, going below deck. They walk up to the massive doors that lead to their father's room. Marco knocks and after a moment of waiting the trio is called in. Whitebeard sits on the edge of his bed, in his sleeping clothes. Despite the early hours, his eyes are alert, and Ace can see him taking stock of the three of them— Marco's tense posture, Ace's bloody hands, and Thatch's still trembling body.
"What happened?"
"I think Ace would be the best at explaining," Marco says, running a hand through his blond hair.
Whitebeard shifts his gaze to his second commander, noticing the unusually hard glint in his eye.
"Thatch had first watch shift," Ace begins, his voice uncharacteristically mechanic. "I saw Teach leave the bunk. I've never liked Teach, you know this."
"Indeed," Whitebeard acknowledges. Though his expression is smooth, there's a hint of concern in his eyes.
"After a few minutes I decided to follow him. Gut feeling."
Thatch lets out a slightly hysterical laugh. "Good gut feeling."
Whitebeard frowns.
"I walked in right as Teach was pulling back the dagger to stab Thatch." Ace's voice is laced with anger.
"We're pretty sure it was about the devil fruit. Teach has been pretty obsessed with it," Marco puts forth.
Whitebeard's face shadows, and his pupils become pinpricks as sheer fury began rolling off of the captain in waves. His Haki shoots up. Ace and Marco stand their ground, but the barrage of Haki coupled with his shaky adrenaline is enough to make Thatch fall down. Marco is immediately there to pull him up.
"Where is the traitor?!" Whitebeard demands.
"On the first deck. Izou's watching him," Marco says as he supports Thatch.
"Bring him to me. I will show that coward the consequences of betraying family," Whitebeard speaks darkly.
"Too late." Thatch slowly moves away from Marco, standing on his own.
"Ace's reaction was a fist to the gut." Marco's voice is blank. "He's already dead pops."
"I see . . ." His eyes dart to Ace and the blood covering his body.
Ace shows no remorse. "I'll accept any consequences for killing him." He continues after a long pause. "He should have been kept alive so he could pay for his sins by your hand."
"That may be," Whitebeard says. "But it is too late now. No, I won't punish you for your actions. For his crime against his brother, death is the only answer I accept."
The captain slowly rises to his feet.
"Gather all the members onto the deck. We have to make an announcement."
"Of course," Marco says, already heading out the door.
"Ace, escort Thatch to his cot," Whitebeard says.
"Aye."
Ace goes to Thatch and grabs the cook's forearm before leading him out. Thatch is still unsteady, and Ace understands, remembers the feeling, because they're family this isn't supposed to happen—
"I'm glad you had a gut feeling," Thatch says, voice thin.
"Me too." If he had failed, Ace thinks he would have destroyed himself. Because Thatch is precious to him, and Blackbeard has committed to many crimes to live.
"I think I'm good now," Thatch says as they reach his room. Ace nods, but doesn't move. Thatch's very aliveness soothes him more than he can say with words.
"Thank you, Ace," Thatch murmurs.
Ace doesn't say anything, he just clasps a hand on Thatch's shoulder and squeezes. Because he's succeeded, because Thatch is alive, because Blackbeard is dead, because Luffy's friends are safe, because Luffy is safe.
With a lighter soul, he goes to the restroom to wash the blood from his hands.
Luffy blinks while everyone stares at him with shock. He likely sent Wapool to the East Blue with his punch. He knows the guy won't be coming back . . . if he lived to begin with. Luffy doesn't want to kill people, but it happens on accident. Smacking Wapool into next week is sort of a purposeful accident. He admits to using a bit of armament Haki to get the right spin on Wapool's body, but he doesn't think that should earn him all the stares he's getting from his crew and Wapool's.
"Let's go. Nami needs a doctor," Luffy says, prompting his crew. Vivi actually squeaks when he levels her with his eyes which makes him pout. She shouldn't be scared of him! He jumps down from his place on the railing and promptly marches over and tickles the desert princess.
She nearly collapses she's laughing so hard, which makes Luffy smile.
"Leave Vivi-chan alone! We have to find a doctor!" Sanji shouts.
Vivi's looking irritated and grateful to him and Luffy nods. Mission accomplished. He rockets up to the top of the mast and starts lowering the sails. He has one nakama save, and another to pick up.
Their arrival on Drum Island is as unpleasant as he remembers, unfortunately. Everyone is distrusting and kind of mean. Luffy understands why, but Nami's sick.
Speaking of, he needs to take care of the tense situation before either side starts attacking. Kneeling on the wooden deck of the ship, Luffy uses he politest form of speech Makino ever taught him and he begs for the citizens to let them find Nami a doctor. His language creates a hush in the area, silencing the once electrified bay. It's Dalton who finally speaks up. He haltingly tells them that they have no doctors because of the awful tyrannical ruler, Wapool.
Luffy blinks, before saying, "You mean that guy I just beat up?"
There's a pause before sounds of shock fill the small bay.
"Beat up is kind of an understatement," Sanji murmurs from behind his cigarette.
"Are you serious?!" one man demands, stepping forward.
"Big guy with the jaw thingy? Yup. He's toast."
"I am Vivi Nefertiti, princess of Alabasta, and I witnessed it myself. He isn't lying," Vivi assures.
Exclamations of shock sound around them, before overwhelming joy takes its place. After that, they're welcomed like heroes. Some still doubt them, but most are willing to trust Vivi's word. It's a nice change from last time, as it means all of them are more than willing to help him get Nami to the summit— to a doctor.
Chopper stares at the two humans from behind the wall. The tall blond one is yelling at the younger dark-haired human. Chopper doesn't understand why he's so upset that the younger saved his life. Speaking of, the dark-haired human, who looks entirely unaffected, leans back and says something glib Chopper doesn't quite catch, earning him a smack over the head from the blond. The blond's actions do not make sense at all to Chopper. Maybe that's why he's watching them curiously. Because he is frightened and distrustful of them— they are humans after all— but the irrationality of the blond's words in the face of the younger's actions gives him pause. Anyone should be glad someone went so far to save their lives. It's the thought that counts, Doctor Hililuk taught him that after he returned from his harrowing trek through the frosty wilderness. It's the love that matters, even if the effort inevitably kills them—
That isn't even the case here. The effort is what saved the blond. The red-haired woman who's suffering from desert fever is just as lucky. It's remarkable to Chopper that anyone, human of otherwise, could climb up a ninety degree angle slope with no gloves in the thick Drum blizzards carrying two people. He managed it though, and further still, he had enough energy to bow his nearly frozen head and beg Chopper and Doctor Kureha to please save his friends.
Even Doctorine was silent for a moment as she processed everything the young boy had done. She then gave a laugh and ordered Chopper to get three beds prepped for their guests.
It's only been two days, but the men are already on their feet, both arguing and shrugging respectively.
Eventually the blond gets fed up with the other teen's responses. He throws his hands up air before pulling out a cigarette and heading out of the room. Chopper immediately scrambles back from his place by entrance way and takes shelter in the shadow of a suit of armor. The blond doesn't even notice him. He's too busy muttering under his breath about 'shitty rubber captains.' Once his words and steps fade away Chopper lets out an exhale of relief. That was close.
"Hi!"
Chopper lets out a cry of surprise and falls backwards on his behind. Flipping himself around quickly, he spies the dark-haired human looking at him with a wide smile. Chopper has never been snuck up on. His hearing is so strong— it just doesn't happen! Perhaps he was too distracted, or his hearing is going, or— it doesn't matter, the human has found him. Chopper quickly stands. In a flash, he moves to the other side of the armor and looks at the human speculatively, preparing to make a break for it if he has to. His actions only incite a chuckle.
"You're really funny!"
Funny. Funny looking. He knows. And he refuses to let it faze him; he's been called worse. Chopper chooses to remain silent. He doesn't want anything to do with this human. Although he hasn't freaked out, asking what Chopper is, he will eventually when he understands— if he understands. Chopper doesn't intend to grant him that opportunity.
"You should join my crew!"
That makes his suspicion drop in favor of surprise and confusion.
"Your pirate crew?"
"Uh-huh! I'm the captain. You should come and be my nakama!"
Oh . . . that isn't a word Chopper hears very often, to be sure. He only knows the meaning from Hililuk's stories. Even then, the concept is hard for him to grasp. As a doctor and a scientist, he wants to know but— he's never wanted or needed them before. He's not going to start now because of some silly, illogical human.
"No." Chopper's response is flat.
"Please?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Why do you want me to join?!" Chopper asks back. It's supposed to be the doctor's answer, but the teen doesn't seem to take it that way. His face is scrunched up tight, like he's struggling with his words.
"You're Chopper—"
And he doesn't remember when the boy heard his name.
"And you're a doctor—"
He must really be desperate to leave this island if he's asking Chopper, a stranger, and an anomaly to be his doctor. Chopper respects himself too much to allow someone to look at him like a resource. He opens his mouth to tell him off, but his next comment steals the air from his throat.
"And you're a monster. Monsters are the best."
That— it's—
It shouldn't hurt. It isn't new, no, it's all too familiar. So why is water building in his eyes? Why is it that hearing this boy say it with a smile hurts so much? He doesn't know. He doesn't know. But he's in pain, so he runs. Chopper turns and dashes up the stairs, away from the human and his cruel words.
He wants to run to Doctorine, but he knows better. She rarely takes his crying, especially if it's for something that she's soothed and lectured him about so many times— humans are cruel. They don't know any better. They live in ignorance and cause pain to everything around them. It's not him, it's them—It's hard to keep all of that in mind with tears soaking the fur beneath his eyes. He runs and runs until he reaches the top of the castle and goes straight to the edge. He looks out at the snow gently falling now over his island, looks at the area far below them with all the humans in it. There's a reason he lives here, away from them.
"Why'd you run away?"
Again?! He snaps around to the teen who has miraculously followed his path through the winding stairways of the castle to the roof.
"Go away!"
"Not until you become my nakama!"
"You can't—" Chopper struggles because how can he explain to a human what their natural cruelty is?
"Is it because I called you a monster?" the teen asks.
". . . It didn't help," Chopper says flatly.
"Nami keeps telling me it isn't a compliment. Ahh, but she doesn't really get it." The human scratches his head.
"A- a compliment?!" The teen cannot be serious.
"It isn't her fault. Only monsters understand how good it is to be a monster."
Chopper's hackles rise. How dare the human speak for him. "That's not true. That's not true at all. It hurts. You're too strong and you frighten people just from existing! It isn't good!" He's gasping by the end of it. He didn't mean to say nearly that much, but the ignorance in the teen before him, maybe well-intended as it is, still hurts. No human's ever dared to assume what it's like to be him.
"No, you're wrong."
"What?!"
"It's that's all true, then you're not being a monster the right way." He pauses in deep thought.
Chopper is nearly at a loss of words. "What do you—"
The human snaps his fingers suddenly in realization. "That's what a lonely monster does!"
"A lonely monster?" Chopper's brow furrows.
"A lonely monster frightens people and fears their own strength." The teen nods. "A monster with nakama doesn't do that."
"What does he do?" It's both recalcitrant and curious.
"A monster with nakama uses their awesome strength to protect their friends, and isn't so scared of it."
"They still frighten people," Chopper argues.
"Yeah, but a monster with nakama goes back to their ship and finds their crewmates and drinks hot cocoa or booze with them and waits with them while the pain goes away. Then, when the monster feels better, they're ready to laugh with them about it and make it all good again. They know it's stupid. And a monster with nakama will be defended by his nakama when people who don't understand how good it is to be a monster call them that." The teen smiles as he speaks, but Chopper does not reciprocate.
"You don't understand. You can't say these things! You aren't a monster like me!"
"Ohhh." The teen makes a sound of understanding. "I never explained to you, did I?"
"Explain what?" Chopper mutters unhappily.
"I'm a monster too."
"You are not."
"I am." He pulls at his cheek, stretching the material of his body beyond the limits of any of the anatomy Chopper knows. And for a moment, he's stunned, for a moment he feels a spark of kinship. But it vanishes, because it's not the same.
"It's strange, but it's not monstrous. Lots of people are made of different materials because of the Yomi no Mi. That doesn't make them a monster."
"I'm stronger than you are," the teen says off-hand. "I could level this entire plateau."
"Liar."
"It's true."
"Prove it," Chopper challenges.
"I don't think the doctor lady would like that very much." He pauses for a moment. "How about an arm wrestle?"
Chopper narrows his eyes. "I won't hold back."
"Okay. I'll be careful though."
Chopper bristles. With a thought, he changes forms, growing larger and larger until he towers over the teen, arms growing more muscular, and his face and expression harder and stoic. He stares down at the human daringly. He's waiting for a reaction, maybe a hint of fear, or a bewildered look, because this is what really gets people. He's met a couple humans who think his smaller form is cute and charming. When he transforms though, they scream, they react, and they realize he isn't anywhere near normal. The teen before him, however, barely bats an eyelash. His reaction is to smile. Anyone should tense, or start, or something! It's natural! But he's looking at Chopper as though he expected it, as though it's a normal occurrence, something he witnesses with great regularity. Perhaps Chopper missed some head damage in his initial survey of the teen. It seems very, very likely.
"You ready?" The dark-haired human sticks out his hand with a challenge in his expression.
Chopper hardens his resolve, and engulfs the smaller hand in his. He was serious about not holding back. If the teen is brain-damaged, that is concerning, but since he's rubber, it's not like he'll get hurt from their arm wrestle.
The teen's smile grows eager. "Count of three. One, two, three!"
Chopper presses against the arm, intent on ending this as quickly as possible— but the teen's hand doesn't budge an inch, it doesn't move a millimeter. Chopper is understandably startled by this, but not as much as he is by the complete lack of strain on the human's face. His arm is flexed, but not trembling under the pounds of pressure Chopper is pushing on him. He lets Chopper struggle for a moment, before slowly and meaningfully moving their hands to his left. Chopper strains and pushes against the movement, but can't stop him, can't halt their progress in the slightest. When they reach a ninety degree angle, Chopper admits defeat and relinquishes his grip.
"Is that a part of your Devil Fruit?" he asks, out of breath from the surprise more than anything else.
"Nope. I've always been like this. I was born with it, I think. I've always had the strength of a monster."
And Chopper can imagine how hard that might be growing up around other kids. He wonders if the human was rejected like he was—
"I could snap my nakama's arms with a high five." The human's expression is serious. "But I don't think about stuff like that. Because Zoro's swords move so fast I could lose a limb and Sanji could kick me into the water and I'd drown." He talks about his death and injury so calmly. "A lot of us are monsters for sure. But we're together. And we trust each other. So we use our strength to help one another and save everyone. That's what monsters with nakama do."
That scenario, that world, is too wonderful for Chopper to imagine with any real consideration. Because the teen still doesn't understand what separates them. He may have proven they're similar, but there's a key difference.
"That doesn't count. You can hide that. I can never hide who I am!" What he is.
"Mmmm, that's true. Which is why it's so much better to be with people who don't want you to hide," the teen answers.
"You shouldn't speak for your crew," Chopper says eventually.
"They'll be surprised. A couple will ask if you're a monster, ask what you are. You'll explain. They'll ask a few more questions, and then we'll have a party because we found another nakama. And it'll be okay. Once they know who you are, see that you're a monster too, they'll nod and pour you some beer. Then Nami and Zoro will have a drinking game. Vivi will watch and smile, Usopp— he's my sharpshooter, tells amazing stories about is conquests on the sea. I'm sure he'll tell some."
"And me?" the physician asks distantly.
"You'll get held by Vivi, and Nami will ask you really nicely about your life and the doctor lady and how you learned to be so good at medical stuff. Usopp will tell you stories. Zoro will probably sleep after he drinks a lot. He'll keep waking up though to argue with Sanji, and Vivi will have to break it up. Later in the night, Nami will talk to you when she's pretty tipsy, give you some advice. Then she'll compliment you and thank you a few times more. And you'll wave it off and say that complimenting you won't make you happy. And I'll just be there and it'll be great."
The way he talks about it is so specific, as though it's already a reality to him. Chopper wants to check him for head damage, for evidence of hallucinogens, anything to explain away the meaningful things he's said so Chopper won't have to think about them, but he can't justify it. The teen's gaze is clear and engaged. His muscle control is unaffected, and he can walk straight (if his mad chase through the castle is a sign of anything). It would make so much sense to explain the picture he's painting as a figment of his damaged brain, something not realistic or even possible. But the way he talks about it makes it seem as real as the teen in front of him and Chopper— Chopper is out of arguments. His mind is racing with hope and angst and fear and confusion. He feels like he might explode. Because the human before him has explained and seemingly solved the complicated relationships and burdens in his life with such simple terms he can't grasp their entire meaning. He— he needs to think. He meets the teen's eyes, silently asking for alone time.
His request is either denied or unnoticed, because the human sits on the snowy roof and lays himself down. He doesn't look inclined to move. Chopper could be the one to go, but this is his special thinking spot. Maybe it's stubborn of him, but he refuses to leave so the human can stay. So he stubbornly sits down in the snow and looks out into the gray world.
The teenager is really simple-minded, but what he says makes some sense. If he was the kind of monster that had fellow monsters for friends, he wouldn't fear his power. The dark-haired human has already relaxed Chopper because he doesn't think he could kill him on accident, and it would be hard even if he tried. And so, the teen has no reason to fear him. If his crew is as strong as he is, they won't be afraid either. And then Chopper won't have to be afraid for them. The captain might be exaggerating their strength, but even just having the teen as a companion would be . . . wonderful. Besides, from what he's seen of the human, Chopper feels like a monster crew would be the only ones who could match his frantic pace.
So— so maybe Chopper does want to come along. Maybe he wants to be a monster with nakama. That still doesn't explain why the captain wants him specifically.
It seems too random and too wonderful to happen on its own. This teen can't be as good as he seems. It just isn't natural. So he questions and challenges the good thing that's come into his life.
"You want me because I'm a doctor," he accuses.
"Yes." The teen nods and Chopper thinks his fragile faith in the world has broken.
The captain isn't done speaking though. "'You're a doctor, and it's part of who you are. It's an awesome part, but not the neatest. The whole you, everything is the neatest part. You're funny, and a monster, and I can already picture you in my crew! I want you because I'm going to be pirate king and you'll be my doctor like how Nami is my navigator and Sanji is my chef. It isn't just because you're a doctor, but you are a doctor. It's you. I won't split that. You're a doctor. You're Chopper. It's all you, isn't it? I want you 'cause you're a doctor. I need you because you're Chopper."
Chopper's eyes are blown wide open with shock and disbelief.
"So will you become my doctor? Become my nakama?"
And now Chopper sees that there is no real division between the two.
"I— yes."
His words earn him the brightest, fondest smile he's ever seen.
"Great! Let's go tell the others! I can't wait for you to meet Usopp! You're going to get along so well!" He takes Chopper by the hoof and starts walking to the door on the roof.
The reindeer is so stunned that he doesn't resist the pulling. The teen drags him to Nami's temporary room, chattering the whole time about things Chopper can scarcely comprehend. Inside, they find the navigator, the other blond man, and Doctorine. Chopper suddenly doesn't know what to do. How can he possibly explain this to Doctorine?
The teen doesn't sense his anxiety. Instead, he pushes Chopper towards his friends.
"Sanji, Nami. This is Chopper. He's our newest nakama!"
Nami blinks and smiles.
Sanji's eyes are wide and almost disturbed. "What are you?"
Chopper can't help the defensiveness in his tone. "I ate the Hito Hito no Mi." It seems the doctor will be able to test the veracity of the captain's words sooner rather than later.
"He can grow super big and stuff." The dark-haired teen throws his arms out. "I bet we could have awesome spars, all of us."
After exhaling a cloud of smoke, the blond shakes his head. "Only the strangest for you, huh?" The words are unkind, but all Chopper senses in his tone is warmth. He turns and addresses Chopper now.
"I'm Sanji, the chef on the ship. Do you have any allergies?" he asks seriously.
"No," the doctor says after a moment, startled by the suddenness of the question and his apparent acceptance.
"Alright then. I'll figure out your preferences a little later. You and I are going to spend a lot of time together, I expect."
"Why?" Chopper asks, confused.
"I'm going to trust you to tell me if anyone's deficient in vitamins or whatever else so I can fix their diet. Even if that means putting them on an all veggie plan!" He eyes his captain almost threateningly as he says it.
"You wouldn't!" The dark-haired human gasps.
"Health matters," the blond quips, impassive.
Chopper blinks as a thought strikes him.
"I— I just realized that I don't know your name," he utters dumbly.
Nami slaps a hand over her forehead and Sanji gives a gusty sigh.
"How did you recruit someone without telling them your name?" Nami wonders exasperatedly. "I know it's you we're talking about, but still, this is ridiculous, Captain."
"His persuasive powers are too dangerous. We shouldn't let him talk to other people. They'll get dragged into his madness too." Sanji actually looks concerned.
The dark-haired human —his captain— lets out a loud laugh.
"I'm Luffy! Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm going to be King of the Pirates!"
"Luffy?" Chopper says tentatively, trying it out. And maybe it's just the soft acceptance of all of the individuals in the room, but the name sounds right, like it's something he's been meaning to say his entire life.
So he says it again.
"Luffy."
And Luffy smiles.
The next day, Chopper leaves the island. He says goodbye to a silent Doctorine, who avoids sentimentality like Y. pestis. It hurts, but he understands. Getting over her displeasure will take a while though, to be sure. Once they get off the plateau, Luffy leads their little party to a pirate ship with a sheep on the stern. He formally introduces Chopper to the Going Merry. Once on-board, he meets the rest of the crew. They stare and ask what he is, just like he expected. He answers tersely and unsurely. Surprisingly, Nami expands on his brief explanation, drawing the events of his strange circumstances into a story about a person. She must have spoken to Doctorine. The way Nami talks about him makes Chopper want to meet this individual himself . . . He feels startlingly taken care of.
Their intense interest in him fades as Luffy announces a party and— and everything happens just like Luffy said it would. Chopper wonders if he's prophetic, because Vivi holds him, calling him cute, and telling him how grateful she is that he's come along to help her do something that none of them have explained yet. Nami smiles kindly at him, and questions him gently. Usopp tells stories, and they are magnificent. If Chopper had known he was joining a crew with such an esteemed war veteran on board, he would have agreed faster! After a long, drawn out drinking contest, Zoro collapses against one of the barrels of booze, sleeping deeply and soundly in the chaos of the party. Miraculously, he seems to realize when Sanji is being especially over dramatic, and groggily rises to fight him for a few minutes until Vivi separates them. Nami gives Chopper very tipsy advice on pick-pocketing before complimenting him and thanking him, much to his chagrin, because these bastards should know that compliments won't make him happy~. And Luffy is there, all over the place at once.
Chopper believes him now. He believes everything he said. And Chopper wants to be a monster with nakama.
As he accepts those words in his heart, fireworks fill the air. He whips around to face Drum Island and finds sakura trees have bloomed over the plateaus. Tears fill his eyes, for both Doctorine and Hililuk, and for himself. He found a miracle for sure; he found a home.
Luffy takes his hoof and smiles at him like he somehow knows what Choppers thinking.
In case he doesn't, Chopper gives him the widest smile he can manage.
He's found another monster. And suddenly, actually being a monster isn't so terrible after all.
(He's never been glad before, that he ate the Hito Hito no Mi.)
Luffy sits on the grassy area beneath Nami's mikan trees. If he asks, she'll give him one, but he likes looking at them and smelling them more than eating them. Because Nami doesn't understand she isn't supposed to share her precious fruits with him. He hopes she'll catch on one day. Until then, he'll wait.
That's what he's doing now. They're sailing to Alabasta, where Vivi's country anxiously anticipates her return, and Chopper's first adventure lies. His littlest nakama, Luffy remembers, won't open up to them fully until after he faces death standing beside them.
Drum Island was just the start. Despite the fact the place is covered by snow – which is awesome to play in – Luffy kind of hates that place. Because Nami got sick there, again.
Luffy frowns as he thinks of how weak Nami looked again. He wishes there was something he could have done to prevent her from getting sick, but illness is something he's never been able to fight away from people. If only he could punch sickness . . .
He frowns even more when he thinks about Sanji's anger. The chef is still angry at Luffy, even two weeks later. It wasn't Luffy's fault! When they were ascending the mountain, Luffy just couldn't let Sanji climb at all. He made his chef cling to his waist as he pulled all three of them up the rocky edge. Yes, it was painful and he almost lost a couple fingers to frostbite, but that's exactly why he couldn't let Sanji go through with it.
"A chef's hands are his life," he'd quoted back at his chef, who'd bristled before mutinously glaring at him. He went along with it (though he tersely cursed him every couple of meters), and everything worked out just fine. Sanji will no doubt wordlessly forgive him sooner or later. He remembers from the past that the chef made amends by cooking a special dessert for him, giving it to him only after the ladies and everyone else went to sleep. Those were the only moments he had Sanji to himself.
This time is a little different. He and his chef talk more often. These moments also happen in the night, where Luffy can corner the chef in the crow's nest and ask about all the different kinds of fish in the All Blue. Luffy regrets not asking his nakama about their dreams more in his first lifetime. These days it's something he relishes, because they glow when they talk about it, and he wonders if anyone has ever truly listened to them before. And if they have, how they could miss the shimmering glitter of dream in their eyes? Obviously he can't talk to Nami about it yet, but he's hoping that any day now she'll find a better dream than him. He encourages her to make maps of all the islands they visit, but she doesn't take much initiative. He reminds himself to stay optimistic, but it's hard when she's so nice to him. Luffy's still weirded out by it.
To be fair though, everyone's a little different so far. Zoro is a bit more serious than he remembers, especially when it comes to battles. Luffy wonders if maybe it has to do with the effortless way Luffy's been finishing off his opponents. Perhaps he should try to ease up, but his enemies make it so hard by sucking so much (why can't they be in the New World already?). Usopp hasn't changed much. His stories, if anything, are more awesome and dramatic than before, with at least twice the explosions! Luffy gets teased by Nami about being gullible, but he doesn't care. True or not, Usopp's stories are amazing! The only weird thing is that when he occasionally wakes up in the morning, sweating from dreams he can never remember in the sunlight, sometimes Usopp will be there, dozing on a chair by his cot. Luffy wonders if this Usopp suffers from insomnia.
The desert princess stares at him more often this time around. He wonders why. He knows that initially he scared her (again, not his fault) because they met right after Luffy and his crew took down a good four dozen Baroque agents. After surveying the total destruction, her friend with the cool hair came clean to them. And now Vivi's here! Maybe he's confused her somehow. Nami says he does that to people pretty often without trying. Chopper is more reserved at this point in their adventure, standing behind corners at times when Zoro and Sanji start fighting or when Nami lectures all of them about being irresponsible. Luffy supposes it's to do with the fact that he didn't have that opportunity to beat up Wapool himself and bond with his nakama over shared wounds, but Usopp and Luffy are slowly pulling the reindeer out to play with them. Luffy knows after Alabasta things will be different. Because as of now, Chopper doesn't know what nakama means. Luffy looks forward to showing his friend.
Luffy's stomach growls and he sighs.
So he manipulated Sanji a little— that's no reason to cut down the meat service on the ship. Luffy pouts as he thinks of it. Sanji will come around eventually, but Luffy just wishes it would happen faster.
The lack of meat hasn't dampened his mood though, because he's one nakama closer to completing his crew. All of them have slid into place, just like before.
In Alabasta he'll find Robin. He can't wait!
Miss All-Sunday leans against the wooden rail of the boat. She's waiting for its occupants to come back. Crocodile informed her that the princess has been travelling with pirates. Robin harbors no ill-will towards Alabasta, so she figures she can lend them a hand and help them get to the Rain Base. It will make things considerably more interesting as well. Robin enjoys interesting.
She hears them before she sees them because they're so loud. Their arguing and laughter could be heard from a mile away. She sees a blond man, a green haired swordsman, a reindeer, the princess, an orange haired woman and a dark haired teen in a straw hat approaching the ship, teasing one another.
For the sake of drama, Robin waits for a perfect opening in their conversation and smoothly puts in,
"Then I suppose this eternal log pose would not interest you at all."
Everyone whips around, startled, except for the dark haired teen who slowly turns and shows his face to her.
"Robin!" he crows excitably. He stretches his arm to the banister and pulls himself up to the dark haired woman. Robin's mind freezes, because she knows these features, the exact same scar from at least five years ago—
"Luffy-kun?!" she utters in surprise.
"No, no it's just Luffy!" he says, repeating the same words from years before and, by extension, effectively confirming her exclamation.
"Luffy, how do you know Miss All-Sunday?!" Vivi questions, and Robin sees the rest of his crew tense at the revelation of her current identity.
"This is Robin!" he announces, gesturing to the dark haired woman. "Robin, this is my crew, Zoro, Chopper, Nami, Usopp and Sanji! You probably know Vivi, huh?" He punctuates the statement with a laugh.
"Get away from our captain!" the orange haired woman —Nami— demands. "Luffy, come down here!"
"Huh? Why? Robin's not gonna hurt us," Luffy says easily. He dismisses all of their concern and instead turns to her. "So you're going by Every-Friday?" he asks.
"All-Sunday," Vivi corrects him, irritably.
"Why?" Luffy questions before he smacks his fist into his open hand. "Are you in Broken Works?"
All of them are silent for a moment as they tried to interpret what Luffy was trying to say.
"I am a part of Baroque Works," Robin informs him, on her guard. She briefly runs through her escape options, but Luffy's unassuming expression keeps her planted.
"Oh. Is that nice?" he asks. "Do you like it?"
Usopp, Nami, Chopper, and Vivi all facepalm from the question.
"Don't ask our enemies how they are!" Usopp shouts.
"But she isn't out enemy." Luffy pouts as he turns to look back at his crew.
"She just said she was working for Baroque Works, you know, the people who are trying to destroy Vivi's country!" Nami snaps.
"Yeaaah, but I bet she doesn't want to." Luffy smiles at Robin. "Ne, Robin, my offer still stands."
She blinks as she recalls what exactly his offer was. Robin barely resists a choked laugh as she realizes that he has kept his word and found her again. However, she knows she can't accept.
"I'm afraid I have to decline," Robin says politely. "I don't think our goals align."
"They do so!" Luffy calls back. Then, with a glint in his eye that's too . . . knowing for the generally spacy teenager, he says, "We're gonna be the winners, Robin. There's no chance we won't."
Robin glances between the confident expression on Luffy's face and then discreetly at the princess. Luffy was incredibly strong as a twelve year old, who knows how much he's grown since then. If he's honed his Haki, Luffy stands an excellent chance of beating Crocodile. The more she thinks about it, the likelier it seems that Luffy would emerge victorious from that particular scrap. In addition, not only does he have a crew who all seem relatively strong (if the battle stances the blonde and green haired men have slipped into mean anything), but he's aligned himself with the princess. Robin's not surprised. It seems . . . natural for Luffy to be fighting on the side of good. Unfortunately, Robin can't afford to have such altruistic motives when it comes to her actions. Since she was eight, she's always had to consider what's best for her, regardless of 'good' or 'bad'. It's necessary for her very survival.
So she considers the situation. Luffy is undoubtedly going to engage Crocodile in a battle, a battle the former will likely win. With Crocodile down, there's nothing keeping Baroque works together and they'll fall apart. Luffy succeeds in dismantling their entire network with one fight. That still doesn't solve the issue of the impending civil war that's brewing, but perhaps that's where Robin could gain some impetus. If she hands over Mr. 2 to the rebels and forces him to show his talent, she could likely save the country a lot of strife . . . and if she gains leverage on the princess by helping out, she can possibly get to the Poneglyphs without Crocodile.
Is she willing to take that risk though? It's a dangerous conception. All of it hinges on whether Luffy will be able to beat Crocodile. As for that . . . Robin finds she has faith in the boy who selflessly fought off thugs for her all those years ago. She doubts he has much ulterior motive for asking her to join his crew other than a desire to keep a promise made years ago. So Robin thinks she'll take a leap.
Throughout her inner debate, her expression hardly changes temperament. While she thinks, Luffy is berated by just about everyone on his crew for fraternizing with the enemy.
Having reached a conclusion Robin clears her throat, cutting off an insult from Vivi.
"Luffy-kun."
Everyone stops and stares at her.
"If your offer still remains, then I would like to accept."
Luffy's smile grows massive and he jumps into the air with a little cheer.
"What offer?" Nami asks with a sinking look on her face.
"Oh, a long, long time ago I promised Robin that I'd save her a spot on my crew. I did, and she just agreed, so now we have a new nakama!" he crows.
After a few moments of shock there's a chorus of outrage.
"You're kidding!" Nami shouts with shark teeth. "Just like that?!"
"You know that she's probably just acting as a mole for Baroque Works!" Usopp claims.
"We can't trust her Luffy!" Vivi presses.
"Maa, maa, it'll be fine. I know Robin." Luffy grins. "She won't hurt us."
Robin wonders where that extreme confidence comes from, and why he bothers trusting her so much. Five years ago she fed him and walked with him a little, but there's no reason for him to go so far for her.
"Besides," Luffy continues. "Robin has a dream too! She belongs here." Robin's eyes widen as she realizes that he still remembers what he told her all those years ago . . . and seems to take it seriously. His pure and innocent belief in people has survived his transition into adulthood. She's never met anyone quite like him.
"Welcome to the crew Robin!" With that final declaration Luffy picks up the eternal pose and smashes it.
She pauses as she tries to reconcile the strange series of events that have just occurred. This wasn't what she was expecting to happen when she went to scope out the enemy.
"Well, at least Luffy's taking some precaution by breaking the pose. It was from the enemy," Usopp not-so-quietly whispers. Robin hears, and also wonders about that. Right after saying he trusted her, Luffy destroyed the log pose.
Luffy overhears the question though.
"Hmm? I destroyed the log pose because it wouldn't be any fun just to head straight there!" he exclaims.
Usopp and Nami facepalm.
"Never mind," Usopp murmurs. "I give up."
Nami nods along miserably and Robin fails to stifle the small smile that rises to her face.
She has a feeling that her life is about to get a lot more interesting.
It's mid-morning when Whitebeard hears a knock on his door. He raises his eyes from the paperwork and calls whoever they are in. Ace enters with an unusually tentative look on his face.
"Oyaji," Ace begins, giving his father a rather hesitant glance. "I need to take a few weeks off for personal reasons."
Whitebeard raises a brow. "Personal reasons?"
"Yeah."
Whitebeard laughs. "Pirates don't take time off, that isn't the way this works, as I'm sure you know."
"It's my brother, Pops," Ace says earnestly. "I need to regroup with him and his crew."
Whitebeard files that information away. His surrogate son not only has a relative, but one who's a pirate as well— a captain from the sound of it.
"I was unaware you had a blood brother." It seems unlikely with what he knows about Roger.
"Not brothers by parentage, but some things run thicker than blood," Ace says a little distantly. "But you know that."
"Indeed," Whitebeard agrees. "And this brother of yours, he means a great deal to you?"
"Our bond is my most precious treasure." Ace says the words with a strangely soft smile.
Whitebeard finds himself glancing at his son in mild surprise. Ace never speaks flippantly. Whoever this boy is, he holds a lot of weight in his surrogate son's world.
Whitebeard considers his son's request. To say it's unusual for Ace to ask for something is a massive understatement. Ace is a prime example of being self-sufficient. It's part of why Whitebeard made him a commander so soon after the younger man joined his crew. Ace has experience beyond his years for sailing as well as managing a crew. His physical strength is nothing to dismiss either. Now knowing the control his son has over Armament and Observation Haki, it isn't so surprising that Ace thought he could pose a threat to Whitebeard, one of the four Yonko. Something in his gut tells him that he hasn't seen his son go all out yet, and he will relish that battle when the time comes.
For now, he reexamines Ace. All of the crew has had difficulty reconciling what happened with Teach and Thatch. None more that Ace, who had done the deed himself. Whitebeard occasionally catches his son with a distant, far off look in his eyes. It's only increased in the past weeks. Now Whitebeard figures he knows what that was about; a search for familiarity in a world suddenly spun askew. Seeing the state the entire crew is in, some shore leave may well be in order.
"Very well," Whitebeard says after a pause.
"Thank you." Ace inclines his head slightly.
"Take Marco with you." Whitebeard adds before Ace can leave.
His son hesitates. "Can you really spare another commander?"
"We won't be making any big moves until the unsettlement in the crew has calmed. I can spare a couple commanders for a few weeks. Check in with a Den Den though."
Ace smiles wryly. "Alright. I'll tell him."
"Good." Whitebeard pauses and Ace waits, sensing he had more to say.
"What is the name of your brother?"
The smile that spreads over his son's face seems habitual, a natural reaction to thinking of his brother.
"Monkey D. Luffy."
"Shanks' upstart?"
Ace chuckles a little. "One and the same."
"Monkey D. eh?"
Ace's face turns unexpectedly stoic confirming Whitebeard's suspicions. This Luffy is undeniably related to Monkey D. Dragon.
"The 'Will of D.' lives on," Whitebeard says.
Ace relaxes and smiles. "I'll see you later, Pops,"
"Safe travels, son," Whitebeard bades.
"So who's this brother of yours, yoi?" Marco asks a few minutes out into the ocean. He's almost a little startled that he's completely forgotten to ask. "He's a pirate, right?"
"Yeah, he's captain of the Straw Hat crew," Ace replies, squinting as he glances at the bright horizon. "Monkey D. Luffy."
Marco blinks. "That rookie from East Blue? Really?"
"Yep!" Ace's smile is bright. Marco inwardly rolls his eyes. He has a feeling that Ace will be doting extra attention to his little brother in the time they spend together. For some reason, he never really took Ace as someone who has such strong bonds to the past. He's always looking forward to the future in a way so unerring that it's almost unsettling. But then again, there is a lot Marco doesn't know about his fellow commander.
"And where are we meeting him?"
"Alabasta."
"That's pretty far down the Grand Line, yoi," Marco comments.
"It shouldn't take us more than three or four days," Ace says idly as he double checks a Vivre card. Marco idly realizes that the card the second commander stares at with such regularity is Ace's brother's card. Then Ace's sentence fully hits Marco.
"Are you kidding? It should take us a week and a half at least!"
"Not if we're riding the fast way."
"You don't mean—"
"Hold onto something Marco." Ace grins wickedly as his lower half dissolves into flames. The next thing Marco knows, they're skidding over the waves, headed on a fast track to Alabasta.
.
.
.
You all can guess what's coming next. :D
My favorite part of this chapter was definitely the bit with Chopper. I wrote it much later than the rest of the chapter, but it's the shining piece and one of my favorite moments in this fic so far.
In regards to Ace with Teach, I thought about it, and though killing Teach earlier would have been the most logical choice, Ace didn't want to risk upsetting the balance of his family for the reasons I list above at the time. As for his simple death, I think that there is no way in hell that Teach would survive an encounter with Ace. Ace has had a lot of time to think about it and just wouldn't mess up. So Teach is dead in this fic. End of convo.
Robin joins early. I think it's logical enough. Let me know if you all agree.
Okay, I have a question for all of you:
What is your favorite and least favorite arc?
I ask because breather and I were discussing it. Breather said they dislike Romance Dawns and the Alabasta arc because they're impatient for the Straw Hats to get to the Grand Line. (I also think that those of us who have read time travel stories before get a bit sick of reading the same opening sections word-for-word over and over again. A lot of authors never even get to Water 7, which is sad.)
I personally cannot stand the Skypiea arc. I hate it more than any other arc, including fillers. I just find it really boring is all. And tedious. And terrible. Anyways, I really like the Alabasta arc, the Impel Down arc, and Thriller Bark. ((I used to hate Thriller Bark, but then I did a one-shot for angelrider13's pure and tainted verse (which is wonderful, by the way) and now I love it!))
Anyways, I'm really just curious. This isn't going to be a regular thing, I promise, but I've always wanted to know. There are so many arcs to choose from!
Thanks for reading!