It's just a Scratch!

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"Give me another round…" grunted the man, slamming his glass down on the table.

"Seriously…? Are you trying to kill yourself?"

The man's bloodshot, black eyes stared at the blond. "If I could I would, Sanji…"

The blond man sighed, and picked up a bottle, handing it to the Green haired man.

"Seriously, Marimo… You gotta get out of your slump. We all had to move on… Nami, Usopp, and I. We all got lives now. Don't get stuck on it, we'll remain Nakama no matter what!"

The man grunted, and sleeked back his now unruly hair. "Try telling that to Robin or Chopper…"

Sanji winced. "Zoro…"

"SHUT UP SANJI!" cried Zoro. "I WATCHED LUFFY DIE, 17 YEARS TO THIS DAY! YOU THINK I'LL FOGET THAT?!"

He remembered that grin on Luffy's face, as his head slumped over, the spears piercing through both his lungs, killing him instantly.

Luffy had never been afraid of death.

Zoro had stood there, and picked up famous Straw Hat when it landed softly on the ground.

The last time they'd been here, Luffy was the one to pick it up again.

Sanji sighed. "Maybe you should go see Brook… He always makes me feel better when I'm drunk…"

"I ain't drunk…" muttered Zoro, as he stood up, picking up his three swords, and strapping them to his waist.

He picked up the straw hat which lay on the counter, and dropped it on his head.

His name was Roronoa Zoro, the Pirate Hunter… First Mate of the Pirate King, Monkey D. Luffy.

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He placed a finger on his lips, and adjusted the top hat, making his amber coloured eyes shine in the shadows.

Toma was scrunched up in a ball like position, cradling his head, his eyes wide, and bloodshot.

"What's wrong, Toma…?"

"Shut up…"

"Are you alright…?"

"Shut up… Shut up…"

"Say… Do you need a hug…?"

"SHUT UP!" cried Toma, as he sprang to his feet, staring at the man equal in size.

They looked exactly the same.

The bandages, the jacket, the hammer in the belt…

But not the eyes.

"Toma…" he chuckled. "You can never escape from me… I'm your special friend…"

The whole world went black.

Toma's eyes widened.

He saw the great yellow eyes, shining in the darkness, like malevolent lanterns, with the sharp, slit-like pupils. "You won't escape…"

He felt something lick his check.

"Because I…"

He appeared right in front of Toma, his tongue sticking out, their noses touching, veins visible in the bandages around his head.

"Am you!!"

Toma's eyes snapped open.

Groaning, he placed a hand on his temple, and sat up.

He was sitting on a bar stool, music blurting from behind him, merry laughter resounding around the tightly packed pub.

He saw the empty rum glass in front of him, and groaned.

"That's gonna be one hell of a hangover tomorrow…" he muttered.

"Oi. You okay, sir?"

Toma raised an eyebrow, and surveyed the red headed man behind the counter.

"Yeah, I'm fine ossan…"

He looked at the window, and saw his reflection.

"Just a nightmare…" he slid his hand into his pocket, and pulled out two pills, then shoved them into his mouth. "I'll have another round."

The man chuckled. "You sure you'll be okay, buddy? You looked pretty conked out for a minute there!"

Toma grinned. "I'm fine, seriously… So PLEASE, can I have some more rum?"

He grinned, and pulled out a bottle from under the counter, and began to pour its contents into the glass.

Toma instantly drained the glass, then placed the due sum on the table, before walking towards the exit, stumbling ever so slightly.

"You think you'll be okay?!" called the barman.

Toma waved casually, and pushed open the door, walking into the biting cold.

Frost penetrated the thin bandages, freezing Toma to the bone.

He began to shiver, and immediately zipped up his coat to over the mouth, so its collar was resting just under the eyes.

The moon was up high in the sky, and some light snow was falling from the sky.

Tsukiwan suffered from snow two months a year, December and January. During that time, tourist visits fell, and imported food rates grew. It was the one time in the year where the island slightly suffered.

He sneezed lightly, and pulled his cap down.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he began to walk down towards the harbour, where the Dawn Walker was stationed.

He saw light in the ships direction, and a little smoke ebbing out of the kitchen.

Gonzo was obviously putting his newly bought ingredients to good use.

He let out a content sigh.

"You."

Toma turned his gaze to the side.

Three marines stood there, two with rifles, aiming at his head. "You are a pirate."

"I guess so." Muttered Toma, as he flicked out his demi-mallet.

"I'm afraid you'll have to come with us, Kyoya-san…" whispered the marine, his cap covering his eyes.

Toma fully extended the mallet. "And if I don't?"

CLICK-CLICK!

Both men cocked their rifles.

"…We'll bring you with us in a body bag…"

A small smile appeared on Toma's lips. One of his eyes turned yellow, with a slit pupil. "Is that so…?"

"CRESCENT…"

Both men's gazes shifted to the rapidly approaching figure, who was crouched low, a silver dagger wrapped around her right hand.

"…SLICER!!"

Chris, gaining enough momentum, leapt up in the air, and held the dagger in front of her, cutting down the tips of the rifles.

Landing softly on the ground, she spun round, a sharp grin on her face. "Sorry boys! This bastard's my prey!"

"Nice to see you too…" muttered Toma, wryly, as he began to spin the mallet around, his eyes returning to normal.

The head marine scowled, and drew a pistol, then aimed it up in the air.

"We followed you here, Kyoya-san!" snapped the marine. "We were prepared for this! We saw what you did to the Ragnarok base!"

He fired the pistol up in the air.

From the cliffs above, metal cannons appeared, a marine behind each one, pointing down towards the duo.

"You can't win against us!" yelled the marine, now aiming at Toma.

"PUL…"

The marine looked to the side briefly, before a palm collided with the side of his face.

"…SE!!!!"

What seemed to be a blast of compressed gravity, shot at point blank range, shot through the marines head, causing his eyes to go blank.

He slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"What took you so long?" snapped Toma, at Leo, who was wiping the blood off his hand onto a handkerchief.

"I was sampling Gonzo's fish and carrot broth…" muttered Leo.

Toma rolled his eyes, then focused his concentration on the marines above. "So Gonzo's missing this one out, then?"

"Yup…" muttered Leo, stuffing his hands in his pockets, and surveying the marines with a bored expression.

"You pull em' down, I'll beat em' up, that work for you?" whispered Toma, suddenly holding the mallet in both hands.

"Works for me."

"OI! WHAT DO I DO, YA BASTARD?!" yelled Chris.

"You can poke em' to see if they're dead." Snapped Toma, as he crouched down. "Ready?"

Leo grinned, and held both arms in the air. "LEVEL…" he thrust his arms down. "…2!!!!!"

There was a loud rumble, and rocks began to fall from the cliff side.

Some shouts were heard, and suddenly various marines and their cannons were tumbling from the Cliffside.

"That's my cue!" muttered Toma, as he sped along the path, running towards the tumbling marines, and knocking them on the head when they landed.

Chris grunted, and stuffed the silver dagger into a stitch in her cap. "Show off's…"

It was over in one minute.

Every single marine, was now lying on the ground, knocked out.

The bandaged man chuckled. "That was easier than expected! We didn't even need Gonzo! He'll be upset now!"

Chris suddenly looked surprised. "You mean the man-eater…?!"

Toma burst out laughing. "You actually think GONZO, is a man eater?! No, he's our cook, and a bloody good one at that!"

Chris sighed. She'd be shouting at Dagger later for giving her false information.

"Shouldn't we check them?" asked Leo, looking at some groaning marines.

"Don't panic!" cried Toma, spreading his arms out wide. "There's nothing to be afraid of!"

CLANK!

The trio froze.

Slowly, Toma turned his head.

A marine had a cannon pointing at Toma, its fuse lit. "Check… Mate…"

He fainted.

BANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Leo dashed forwards, along with Chris…

The cannonball collided with Toma's back, ramming into his spine.

He was pushed forwards, but didn't slump to the ground.

It didn't even penetrate his back.

"Shit." He muttered.

Both his eyes flashed yellow, before he fell, a little blood trickling from his mouth.

His eyes saw Leo, running towards him, and crouching over him, shouting.

He saw Chris, horrified, tears beginning to appear in her eyes.

Looked like she'd never seen death before.

That brought a smile to his face.

He'd seen death before.

He was death itself.

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"It's amazing…"

"It is! Extraordinary! It's healed up already! Before our very eyes!"

Voices.

Unrecognisable.

One emerald eye opened.

He saw two blurry silhouettes, like his first sight in the Sanctuary.

His eyes came into focus.

Two old men, each identical, with glasses and moustaches, were hovering over him, like ghosts.

"Please tell me I'm not drunk…" groaned Toma. "If I am, Leo will pay for everything I smashed…"

"HEY!"

Tom sat up, and looked to his side.

The raven haired man was sitting there, glaring. "Don't insult me! Who do you think dragged you here?!"

A grin appeared on Toma's face.

He began to cough, violently. He doubled over, his eyes wide, some liquid pulsing up his throat. He spat out blood, into his bandaged palm.

In the little puddle of blood, was a white pill.

One of the men cocked his head. "What on earth is that?"

Toma cursed silently, and spotted his coat hanging beside the bed. He dipped his free hand into the pocket, and pulled out a small pill box, opening it to reveal a treasure trove of green pills.

He picked up three, and swallowed them instantly, retching slightly, from the pain in his upper back.

The pain began to die down.

"Three questions…" whispered Toma. "What the hell happened…? Where the hell am I…? And who in Kaazan's name are those to midget ossans?"

One of the men crossed his arms angrily. "We'll have you know that you were hit in the back by a lead cannonball!"

"Would've killed most people, so it would!"

"But you survived, so you did!"

"And your friend here brought you here, so he did!"

"And we looked after you, so we did!"

"And we're the fantastic Alchemy doctors of Fuchsia!" they yelled in unison.

"…" Toma stared, blankly. "So who are you?"

They fell on there faces.

A spotlight appeared in the middle of the room, and ne of the old men slid into its centre.

"We are twins, so we are."

"Who need each other, so we do!"

"And we strive, yes we do!"

"To find the answer to the universe, yes we do!" they both clapped their hands against each others. "We have been researching alchemy! The propertied of rearranging matter!"

"But it's not going so well, so its not…"

"We've had many fallbacks, so we have!"

"But…"

Happy tears appeared behind the large glasses. "WE ARE UNRIVALLED IN MEDICAL ALCHEMY, SO WE ARE NOT!"

He pulled down the bandages around Toma's chest, revealing a small circle, with a six sided star imprinted inside it.

"Your organs were damaged, so they were!" exclaimed one.

"But we repaired them, so we did!" cried another.

They both hugged each other happily. "WE ARE GENIUSES! SO WE ARE!!"

Toma sweat dropped, and pulled his bandages back down, then got out of bed, and slung on his coat.

Leo stared. "You can't leave now! You need to rest!"

He shrugged, and pushed open the door. "I heal fast."

In the small lobby, Gonzo sat, snoozing.

He jolted awake when Toma walked in.

"Oh! Your all healed captain?"

Toma grinned. "Of course! It was just a scratch!"

Leo skidded out of the room, and let out a heavy sigh. "Are you really sure you're alright Toma? Having a cannonball hit you in the back should at least take ages to heal!"

"Relax, relax!" said Toma, carelessly. "A little lead thingy ain't gonna kill me!" he then cocked his head. "By the way… Where'd Lil'Chris go?"

Leo shrugged. "She showed me this place, and then ran off. She seemed bothered about something…"

Gonzo nodded. "She ran past me as well, into the woods. I was trying to find you and tell you about dinner!"

Toma's eyes sparkled. "Food?!"

"HE'S ALREADY FORGOTTEN ABOUT CHRIS!" Leo mentally screamed.

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The red head lay on her flat rock, staring out to sea, a faraway look in her eyes.

Dagger and Grey stood a little behind her, not sure whether to leave, or speak.

The rest of the Fuchsia pirates all stood behind the duo, looking concerned.

Ever since the incident four years before, they'd all seen Chris in a new light. She wasn't some kid anymore. She was going to be a real pirate.

"It's weird, you know…?" whispered Chris suddenly, as she closed her eyes. "That man… Toma… When he fell… And saw my face…" she opened her eyes. "He smiled…"

Dagger cocked his head slightly.

"Are pirates villains?" muttered Chris. "That band of people Toma defeated… The marines called them 'Ragnarok'… Aren't they villains? So what does that make pirates?"

Grey smiled slightly. "Pirates are all different…" muttered Grey. "Some strong… Some weak… Some kind… Some not…"

Chris smiled. "I think both of the Pirate Kings were kind… They just wanted to sail the seas in freedom…" she grinned. "That's what I want to do!"

Grey nodded. "And we want to help you Captain!"

"Yeah, Chris-nee!" cried Dagger.

Chris smiled. "I'm sure you could…" she hopped off of the rock, and stood, facing her whole crew. "But… You guys aren't ready yet…"

Some of the boys began to whisper.

"And when you are ready… I'm sure you'll all surpass even me…" muttered Chris, as she walked past them.

She stood beside Grey, just for a second, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Good luck…" she muttered.

Tears welled up in Dagger's eyes. "What are you talking about, Chris-nee? Aren't we all going to sail to sea together? Wasn't that the plan?"

Chris chuckled, but continued to walk, not looking back.

Grey looked round. "Oi! Chrisanthia!"

She froze.

"Don't die." Muttered Grey.

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"Supplies?"

"Check." muttered Leo.

"Money?"

"Check."

"Cannons?"

"Check."

"Rum?"

"Rum? That wasn't on the list…"

"WHAT?! ARE YOU TELLING ME YOU FORGOT THE RUM?!" Toma slammed his boot into Leo's skull. "GO BACK AND GET MY FRIGGIN' BOOZE! HOW AM I GONNA SURVIVE WITHOUT IT?!"

Leo shoved the boot off his head, and met his own glare with Toma's. "DON'T SHOUT AT ME! BLAME YOURSELF FOR DRINKING YOUSELF SILLY! I ASKED YOU IF WE HAD EVERYTHING ON THE LIST!!! YOU SAID 'YES'!!!"

"FOSFOSFOSFOS!"

"YOU CAN SHUT UP TOO!!!!"

More shouts began to echo from the deck of the Dawn Walker.

CLANK!

The trio froze, as a large suitcase was dropped onto the deck.

Cat like eyes surveyed the three. "You weren't gonna leave without me, were you?"

Toma cocked his head. "Of course not! Who are you again?"

The girl grinned, and removed her cap, letting her hair flow behind her. He then dipped herself in a bow. "Chris Hopkins. Thief, actor, spy, and captain of the Fuchsia pirates… Ex-captain…" she grinned. "If you don't mind… I'd like to go to sea with you…"

Leo stopped punching Toma, and raised an eyebrow. "You want to come with US? What about your friends? Your family?"

Chris smiled. "All of them will understand…" a nostalgic look appeared in her eyes. "I want to see the world… This island is my home… But home isn't made for living in…" she looked up. "It's made for dreaming of…"

Gonzo laughed. "I like this kid!"

Toma knelt down, so his eyes were level with hers. "It's a rough world out there kid…"

He tightened her collar.

"Are you sure you're up for it?"

Chris grinned, and nodded.

"Then welcome aboard… Chris-chan…"

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Whoo!! I did it! I had HUGE writers block with this chapter, and managed to leap over it with improvisation! HOORAY FOR MAKING THINGS UP AS YA' GO ALONG!!

SNE wondered if this chapter was a little confusing, and reading over it, I agree, that it is VERY confusing… But then again, if you've managed to keep track up till now, it should make enough sense! Basically, a marine ship which docked found Toma and Co. planned to arrest him, yadda yadda, it should make sense from then on!

Next time will be the Clockwork arc! Prepare for some creepiness!!!