Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.

Zoro gaped at the man in front of him. Why the hell was Koshiro there? He knew that visitors were constantly being allowed into the facility to spend time with the patients for a few hours, but Kuina and Koshiro had promised not to come, per his request. He wanted to get through this on his own; as much as he loved them, he didn't want for them to try and comfort him.

"Hello, Zoro." Koshiro walked up to him, wearing his usual calm, gentle smile.

"Sensei," the swordsman greeted shortly. "What are you doing here?"

Koshiro smile faltered, but he quickly gathered himself. "You mean you don't know? They didn't tell you?"

Zoro looked suspicious. "Tell me what?"

His master laughed lightly. "It's visitor's day!"

Zoro blinked. "Visitor's day? I thought you could visit whenever you wanted?" The institution was very welcoming toward the friends and family of the patients. They were permitted to visit at whatever time they wished, as long as they called in beforehand and it was at a reasonable time. Zoro had never heard of there being a specific day when people were allowed to come.

Before Koshiro could respond, Zoro was almost toppled over by a body crashing into him from behind. The figure scrambled to place himself in front of the man, using him as a shield. It was Luffy.

Luffy looked completely terrified; he was shaking like a leaf, nervous sweat dripping from his forehead. He was looking behind Zoro, eyes darting back and forth as if searching. Zoro looked down at him, puzzled. Luffy never acted this way. "Oi. What's wrong?" He asked, concerned.

They boy didn't even look at him, only giving him a quick shush.

"LUFFY! YOU RUDE LITTLE BRAT, COME GIVE YOUR GRANPDA A HUG!"

Luffy gave a jump and yelped before running off in the opposite direction the voice came from. Koshiro and Zoro saw a large old man give chase after Luffy, looking extremely pissed off.

His master sweat dropped and suggested, "Why don't we go somewhere quieter?"

Zoro and Koshiro made their way to a less populated area in the corner of the lounge. The green-haired male caught sight of Nami as they passed by. Her face was blank, but her arms were wrapped around herself in a defensive position. Zoro raised his eyebrow at her when she looked at him, but she merely shook her head. It's nothing she seemed to say.

Once they were finally in a more private space, Koshiro explained 'visitor's day' to him. Apparently, the institution decided to have a day that the patients could spend solely with any visitors they would receive. On regular days, guests were only allowed a few hours with their loved one; on visitor's day, they were allowed the entire…well, day. The only restriction was that they were required to stay within the lounge so an employee could keep an eye on them at all times, put into place so that the more unstable patients could be kept under a close watch.

"Why didn't Kuina come, then?" Zoro inquired. Kuina would love the chance to pester him about his health and to tease him about his newly found restriction on his swordsmanship. At this rate, he'd never catch up to her if he couldn't practice.

At this, Koshiro seemed to deflate. He slouched in his chair—Koshiro never slouched—and let out a heavy breath. He suddenly seemed so much older.

"That's actually why I came, Zoro," he confessed. "Kuina…" Koshiro faltered. He took a deep breath and continued. "Kuina fell down the stairs. She…she died, Zoro. The fall broke her neck. The doctors tried all they could, but…she didn't make it." His master's voice broke at the end, and there was silence around them, the voices of the other patients dulled by the impact of the news.

Kuina, dead? No, it was impossible! She was always stronger than him, always more skilled and capable; how could she die? So simply, no less?

Zoro fell heavily back into his chair and hung his head. It couldn't be…but it was. Koshiro would never joke about this. Kuina was dead. He peeked at his foster father and saw something he'd rather not have.

Koshiro had always had squinty eyes. They looked almost closed. However, Zoro and Kuina had always been able to see through the small slit and catch a glimpse at the dark grey eyes underneath. Usually, those eyes were joyful, content. Now, though…now they looked just a bit broken. They looked as if, somehow, someone had gone and plucked the light straight out from his eye.

To him, Koshiro had always been invincible—the one he could never beat, who even Kuina could never beat, the one who knew everything, who could do anything. So why did he look so vulnerable now?

They sat there quietly, ignoring the cheerful noises around them, thinking of dear Kuina. After a few moments, Koshiro stood, surprising his pupil. He looked at Zoro and announced, "I should go now. That is all I wanted to tell you, and by doing so, I already broke my promise that I wouldn't come visit you." The man smiled, and while it wasn't as joyful as was normal, there was a touch of fondness in that smile. A fondness, Zoro realized, that was directed towards him.

Zoro nodded, walking with Koshiro to the exit. He was tempted to insist that his master stay. They both needed the comforting presence they could each provide each other with, but it seemed that Koshiro wanted to deal with the tragedy on his own and felt that Zoro could do the same. If he was honest with himself, Zoro would prefer to be alone as well.

As he watched his foster father's retreating figure, Zoro turned and walked back to the institution's lounge. He should make sure that Luffy wasn't killed by that crazy old man.

Nami watched as Zoro walked by with an older man—probably his father. She shook her head when he glanced at her, knowing he was probably concerned by her protective posture. She wouldn't tell them. She couldn't.

The orange-haired girl was waiting for her uncle and sister. Visitor's day had been announced this morning during breakfast—while Zoro, being the lazy moron he was, was sleeping and while Luffy wasn't paying attention, instead choosing to doodle on his snoring friend's face with a marker that Usopp handed to him—and she knew that Arlong wouldn't miss this chance to go see her. He had already stopped by once or twice to check on her progress, and it was about time that he come again.

Nami dreaded his arrival, but she couldn't deny that she was ecstatic at the prospect of seeing her sister again. She missed Nojiko dearly.

"Nami!"

The girl looked up to see her sister waving happily at her, walking steadily toward Nami with their uncle by her side. Arlong was as intimidating as ever, an ever-present shark-like grin on his face. Nami uncrossed her arms from their defensive position and grinned confidently at the pair.

"Nojiko! Uncle Arlong! I'm so glad to see you!" It pained her to act excited at the sight of her uncle, but she needed to keep up appearances. It wouldn't do for someone to get suspicious; Arlong would not be pleased.

Arlong smirked down at her. "How are you doing, Nami?" It seemed an innocent enough question, but Nami could catch the hidden meaning.

How much have you gathered?

"I'm doing well. You?"

I've gotten plenty. You should be content with it.

Her uncle grinned wider and responded, "Excellent."

They carried on their conversation, looking every bit the happy family. No one would look twice. Everyone was fooled by their act. Nami knew it was true, had known it since she was a young child, but she was nonetheless devastated by it.

Their little play was shattered by one Monkey D. Luffy.

He came running at them, red in the face, eyes darting around nervously. When he reached them, he gulped in large breaths of air. Once he was back in normal condition, he smiled nervously at them. "Shh. Act normal," he pleaded. Luffy positioned himself behind Arlong in such a way that if anyone walked by, they would only see her abnormally large uncle.

Arlong's eye twitched in irritation, but he did nothing. At Nami's insistence, they continued chatting, albeit more awkwardly than before, until Luffy came out from behind Nami's uncle and sighed in relief.

"Thanks!" He said enthusiastically.

Nami sighed and rubbed her temples. She really didn't need to deal with Luffy along with her uncle. "Luffy," she growled. "What are you doing?"

He looked at her with owlish eyes and smiled sheepishly. "Well, you see, if my grandpa finds me, I'm dead."

The girl rolled her eyes. "What's the worse he could do to you?"

He stared at her blankly. "I told you, if he finds me, I'm dead."

Honestly, Luffy could be so overdramatic. "And why would he want to kill you?"

"I didn't respond to his letters," he confessed.

"And he's mad because of it?" Nojiko interjected.

Luffy laughed. "Of course! Grandpa's scary!" He shivered. "Anyway," Luffy looked at Nojiko and Arlong, his gaze staying longer on her uncle. "Who are you?"

Arlong scowled at the boy's rudeness but responded. "I'm Nami's uncle, Arlong. May I ask who you are?"

To Nami's surprise, Luffy's voice was oddly cold when he introduced himself. Normally, Luffy was childishly enthusiastic when meeting new people. He was more cheerful when Nojiko introduced herself, but he kept casting quick glances toward Arlong.

Nami was talking with Nojiko—Luffy still hadn't left—when Arlong announced that he was going to find the restroom. As soon as he was gone, Luffy said, "I don't like him."

Nojiko and Nami was surprised and the elder sister asked, "Why not?" They were honestly curious about what his response would be. They thought that Arlong did a pretty damn good job at acting as a caring uncle in public.

Luffy only shrugged and answered, "Instinct."

And that was all they really needed to know.

Arlong returned, and Luffy bid his goodbye to find another hiding spot as an intimidating old man walked by shouting Luffy's name. They all eased back into the familiar pattern of fake laughs and empty smiles.

Despite what her head was telling her, Nami hoped beyond compare that Luffy would figure it out. He was an idiot, no doubt about it, but she had discovered long ago that his instincts were nothing to scoff at. Maybe, just maybe, he would find out about their situation. Maybe Nami and Nojiko would be taken away from Arlong.

It was a hopeless thought, she knew, but it wouldn't leave her mind.

"I told you your smoking would come back to bite you in the ass."

Sanji gave an internal sigh as his father—quite predictably—nagged at him about his condition. The man was old, and a strange braided mustache sat on his upper lip, defying gravity and sticking straight out to the sides of his face. Sanji glanced at Zeff's most notable feature—the prosthetic leg that replaced his right foot.

-.-.-.-

"Sanji? You alive?"

Sanji peeled his face from the back of the seat, groaning as he shifted. He could feel a warm, sticky substance running down the side of his face—blood. His ribs hurt like hell, his arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, and his head was pounding. He wasn't dead, at least. He looked up and saw his father, Zeff, hovering over him. The man was looking at him, concerned, and smiled painfully when he saw the boy stare back at him. There was sadness in those eyes, and a haunted glint that the younger didn't understand. Sanji decided that he hated the look; this wasn't his father.

"Good. I'd hate to have to drag your dead body out of here."

That was more like it.

Zeff straightened up and helped Sanji to his feet. They stood in the plane aisle and Sanji suddenly understood why his father looked so upset. In the plane seats, the passengers were unmoving; some still had their eyes open, making the boy shiver at the blank stares.

"Come on," Zeff urged gently. He pushed Sanji toward the back exit, following close behind.

They had been on a plane trip to Japan, hoping to catch a break from the demanding work back home. The two worked at a famous French restaurant, and they hardly ever had time to just breathe and relax. They'd only wanted to get away for a while, and everything started fine. Sanji was arguing with Zeff about what foreign dish they should try first, while the plane flew steadily toward their destination. The very next moment, the plane had crashed. Sanji didn't understand it.

The bright glare from the sun blinded them as they exited the machine, and they waited for their eyes to adjust. They were in a field, and there was no civilization to be seen in any direction. Zeff jumped down to the ground, stumbling and falling. Sanji cried out and hopped off to go to his father. He kneeled down next to the man.

Zeff brushed him off with a gruff "I'm fine" and stood. They walked a few steps, Zeff's limp being painfully clear to his son, and looked back. The plane was a smoldering mess. The front was crushed into the ground and one wing was completely torn off. A tendril of smoke rose steadily into the air, like from a candle that had just been recently put out.

The blond looked up at his father, not sure what they would do then. There were no signs of any towns or roadways, not even of one of those stray, lonely-looking houses you'd see while riding along the highway. To Sanji's surprise, Zeff began walking rather determinedly in a random direction.

Sanji scrambled to catch up to him. "What the hell are you doing? Where are we going?"

His only response was a shrug.

Sanji gaped at him. "You don't know?"

Zeff grunted. "How would I know where I'm going? My phone is destroyed—not that it'd get any service anyways—and I have no idea where the hell we are."

No words were said after that. Sanji knew that it was impossible for them to have any solid plan of action. They couldn't just wait around for help—who knew how long that would take, or if any would come at all.

They walked for weeks, or at least what felt like weeks. Zeff had salvaged some water bottles from the crashed plane before they left so they were at least hydrated, but the door to the kitchen area was blocked by crushed metal. The two were starving. The pain in Sanji's arm and ribs increased with each step, and after a few days, Zeff could hardly stand on his own. It turned out whatever had happened to his right leg rendered it useless. Zeff couldn't move it at all.

They eventually reached a road, and an old, beaten truck pulled over as they waited by the shoulder of the street. A kindly woman stepped out and gasped at their condition. She ushered them inside without question and drove them to the nearest city. They were admitted into the local hospital and spent weeks there.

Zeff's leg was replaced by a prosthetic one, and they stayed for his surgery and rehabilitation. Sanji was badly injured as well. His ribs were badly bruised, and hadn't healed very well over the time they were walking due to Sanji's constant movement. His arm was broken, but easily treated with a cast.

The father and son were both given nutrient supplements and fed special diets so they could regain their weight. They were both starving and malnourished from the time they spent lost.

Sanji constantly received nightmares of the unfortunate passengers. Their unblinking eyes haunted his sleep. Zeff comforted him in silence whenever his son had those dreams, sitting loyally by his bed. No words were exchanged, but it steadied Sanji nonetheless.

-.-.-.-

Sanji smiled at the memory and laughed as Zeff complained to him about the workers back at the Baratie. Lazy bastards, he called them. Useless brats, all of 'em.

Usopp grinned and launched himself into his dad's arms. Yasopp laughed at his son's enthusiasm and his friend stood chuckling behind him.

"Dad! You came!"

Yasopp smacked his boy lightly on the head. "Of course I came. Don't doubt your old man."

Usopp laughed. His father was the only one he never got nervous around, under any circumstances. The man's personality was much too inviting for that—although Luffy was coming pretty damn close at getting him to be entirely comfortable around him, too.

"Oi, don't I get a hug?"

Usopp looked behind his dad to see a red-headed man smirking at them.

Shanks.

The man was an old family friend. He and Usopp's dad were almost like brothers. Usopp walked over and gave him a hug as well, although much quicker and much more awkward. He liked Shanks, he really did, but it wasn't his fault he felt so anxious around others.

Yasopp interrupted. "So, how's life been in an insane asylum?"

His son grinned at him and slapped his arm playfully. "Dad, we're not insane," he complained. His dad laughed and threw an arm around his shoulders. "I know, just teasing."

Usopp led them to a couch, and they sat down to talk. Shanks left sometime during the discussion, although they hardly even acknowledged him when he told them he was going to walk aroundj. They were too engrossed in their conversation. Usopp had really missed his dad.

They talked for hours, visitors coming and going around them. At one point, Usopp saw Luffy running from an angry-looking old man, but he didn't see any of the others. Kaya sat with them for a while, laughing at Yasopp's baby stories about Usopp. The boy blushed as his father cooed over him, but was secretly pleased. Kaya eventually left to help Law make more of a medicine he had run out of.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence and Usopp gathered up the courage to ask his dad an uncomfortable question.

"Dad…what do you think Mom would say if she were here now?"

Not exactly what he wanted to ask, but okay. Yasopp seemed to understand him anyways. "Banchina would be proud of you, Usopp. Don't you think for one second that she'd be ashamed of you because of your disorder. She loved you."

It wasn't a long, complicated speech about how wonderful Usopp was, or how he'd done so many things to be proud of, but that was okay. The conviction with which Yasopp spoke was enough for Usopp. Honestly, he'd be embarrassed if his father had gone with the other option. Sometimes Yasopp was just a bit too smothering.

Eventually, Shanks walked back, talking joyfully to a black-haired boy who was almost bouncing as he stepped.

Luffy.

Usopp was surprised. The two of them were chatting loudly, looking utterly content with each other. When had they met? How had they become friends so fast? They had only been here for a couple of hours.

Luffy waved as he approached, smiling widely. His hat bounced against his back. "Hey, Usopp!"

Shanks looked back and forth between them. "You know each other?"

Usopp glanced at him. "Yeah," he confirmed. "The question is, how fdo you two know each other?"

The red-haired man smiled fondly. "Anchor here," he ruffled Luffy's hair, "and I go way back. I met him when he was just seven."

Yasopp's eyes widened. "This is the anchor you were always telling us about?" Usopp recognized the nickname. When he was seven, Shanks had gone on a trip to an obscure island near South America and come back telling them countless stories of a stupidly brave little boy that he called Anchor. He never told them his actual name, but they had never asked. Now that Usopp thought, the actions of the little boy in Shanks' stories fit perfectly with Luffy's character. Luffy was a moron, but also incredibly fearless at times. Stabbing himself in the cheek to gain respect seemed exactly like something his black-haired friend would do.

They talked for another hour or so, and Usopp was surprised at how happy Luffy seemed. Luffy only ever smiled this much when talking to Ace and Sabo, and sometimes when talking to Usopp and the others. Shanks must've made a hugely positive impact on Luffy while he knew him. Shanks had told Usopp and his father how he had wanted to adopt him, but was stopped by Luffy's grandfather's adamant refusal.

Imagine that; Luffy as Shanks' son. Usopp shivered. That duo would be terrifying.

Eventually, it was announced that only an hour was left for visiting time, so Yasopp and Shanks decided to take their leave. Usopp and Luffy waved them off, both grinning madly.

They went back to lounge and were joined by Nami, Zoro, and Sanji. They conversed comfortably for a few minutes before they were interrupted by the old man that had been chasing after Luffy earlier. The man stomped up to them, eyes focused on Luffy. The boy was oblivious, happily bugging Sanji to make them a dessert.

Luffy was picked up by the collar of his shirt and he yelped. They all protested, and Zoro glared at the man threateningly. Luffy averted his eyes nervously before speaking. "H-hi, Grandpa." The group nearly fell from shock. Grandpa?

"Luffy," the man said, falsely sweet. "Why were you running from me all day?"

Luffy mumbled something unintelligible.

The man let his grandson down, and punched him roughly on the head. Luffy's hands flew up to cover his abused skull and he glared. "Dammit, Grandpa. This is why I ran away!"

"Don't run from your grandfather, brat." He responded.

"But you're scary."

'Don't call me scary! Respect you elders!"

"Meanie."

They continued on in this tennis-match-like way, until they were interrupted by a cough from Nami. By this time, they were nose to nose. They turned their glares onto the orange-haired girl, and Usopp cowered.

"What?" They asked in unison.

Nami walked over to Luffy's grandpa and stuck out her hand. "I'm Nami. It's nice to meet you, errr…Mr. Monkey."

He stared at her for a few moments then shook her hand. "Call me Garp."

They all introduced themselves while Luffy rubbed his head resentfully behind them. Apparently, Luffy's grandfather had a hard punch. When it was time for the visitors to leave, Garp waved to Luffy's friends and turned to punch his grandson.

"That's for not giving me a hug."

He left.

They were all left standing, dumbfounded, at the straightforward—borderline rude—nature of Garp. The abrupt departure was startling, although not as much as it should have been. It was Luffy's grandfather, after all. They shouldn't expect anything else.

"Well…" Usopp said after the awkwardness of the moment became too much for him. "Who's up for some cards?"

Luffy laid down on his bed, arms behind his head, blinking up at his ceiling.

"Ace? Sabo?" He asked. "Grandpa came today. I know you guys stayed in here all day 'cause you didn't want to run into him. Lucky bastards, Marco wouldn't let me stay with you guys."

Silence.

"He's as violent as ever." Luffy turned over onto his side. "He asked me about you two. I told him you were fine, and he looked kinda sad when I said so. Why do you think he was sad? I know he hits us all the time, but he cares about us. Why was he sad when I told him you guys are okay? He looked kinda…disappointed. Weird, right? He asks about you every time he visits, but always looks sad when I tell him you're both fine."

Luffy's mind changed course and he brightened. "I saw Shanks today, too! He and Makino finally got married! I told you guys; I knew it! When she left with him, I knew they'd get married and live happily ever after. You owe me five bucks, Ace. I met Nami's uncle, too. I didn't like him. He seems like an asshole. Can I kick his ass?"

He blinked questioningly at Ace and Sabo. No response. "Aww," Luffy whined. "Why not? I can send him flying, easy!"

"Fine, fine," he muttered. He pulled his blankets over himself and smiled. "Goodnight, Sabo! Goodnight, Ace!" Luffy turned off his lamps and sighed contentedly. Today had been fun, even if Gramps was chasing him around for most of it. He only wished Ace and Sabo had left the room and gone with him.

If only.

This is twice as long as normal. Hooray for accomplishment! :D I wanted to give you all an extra-long chapter because I probably won't be able to update next weekend. I'm performing a violin duet early Saturday morning, then I'm attending a wedding that afternoon. On Sunday, I'm heading up north for a state competition and won't be back until Monday afternoon. I'll try to find time to write something up, but I make no promises and I apologize in advance. Sorry, guys.

Also, you got more background this chapter! …sorta. For Sanji and Usopp, at least. And Luffy too, a little bit. The last little scene with Ace and Sabo was my favorite to write, and I'm not quite sure why. :P

So, no characters introduced this chapter. At least, not any major ones. No new Straw Hats. The next Straw Hat won't come into play until after next chapter at the earliest. Some stuff needs to happen first.

Thank you all for being such amazingly supportive readers!

-Spoons