I'M SO SORRY! I haven't updated in so long... AND RIGHT WHEN I HAD MADE UP MY MIND TO UPDATE, BOTH OF MY COMPUTERS DIED! So again, I'M SO SORRY!

Disclaimer: Do I even have to say it? I'm not Oda...

Chapter 11

There was blood. Everywhere the eye could see, there was blood. Many were dead, many were injured, but still they kept fighting. White and blue was everywhere, attacking mercilessly. It was a war zone, the air perfumed with the foreboding smell of death.

"Don't worry. I'll keep you guys safe."

An explosion sounded off to the left, screams of pain from both sides mixed in. A fire has started, burning down the mast and the proud black flag that hung at the top. The rudder was next, destroyed by a cannon ball.

"I promise I won't let them hurt you. Not today."

If one were to look to the horizon, they would spot a small rowboat shaded red from the setting sun. Inside the boat were four little girls, all of which were crying. All except for one, who merely gazed mournfully at the burning ship.

"I promise."

xXxXxXx

Ruby awoke with a start, head-butting the person that loomed over her as she sat up suddenly. Taking in her surroundings, she was relieved to see that she was on the Going Merry with Luffy to her left, clutching his chin in pain. Thinking back to her dream, Ruby frowned slightly.

"It's been awhile since I've dreamt about that day..."

"That hurt!" he exclaimed, aiming a glare at Ruby as she sat up. The Huntress merely smiled as she turned to the straw hat wearing boy, all thoughts about her dream vanishing in an instant.

"Aren't you rubber? Surely my head isn't that hard," she said teasingly, poking the older boy in the forehead, "Or is it that you're getting soft?"

"What did you say?!"

Ruby started to laugh as Luffy began to chase her around the deck, much to the amusement of everyone else on board. Ducking to the left, she climbed up the mast and peered down at Luffy with a smug grin. Before he could propel himself after the girl, Nami stopped him with a punch to the head. Ruby smiled as Nami began to lecture Luffy. It reminded her of her own crew. Speaking of which...

"Where are we?" she said as she finally looked around. They were currently exiting the whale through some type of water tunnel and heading towards a large door. Ruby couldn't even begin to figure out how Crocus managed to install something like this inside of Laboon.

"This water pipe is incredible," she heard Zoro say, "It's surprising he's still alive with such a big tunnel in him."

Peering down over the edge of the birds nest, she noticed Crocus's little island/boat was following them at the side, with said man lounging on his lawn chair reading the paper.

"Is this more of your 'having fun'?" Sanji asked the man.

"This is my 'doctor' fun," Crocus said without looking up from his paper, "I'm his doctor after all. A long time ago, I ran a clinic here on this cape. I was even a ship's doctor, years ago."

"Really?" Luffy asked from his spot perched on the broken figure head. "Well then, be my ship's doctor!"

"Don't be stupid," Crocus said as his island arrived at a ladder and began climbing up it. "Unlike you young'ins, I don't have the energy to go around doing foolhardy things anymore."

Ruby snorted at the man's statement. She could list a handful of old men that are still traveling the seas and raising hell.

"So that's why you're living inside the whale," Sanji said. "And this is all the result of your medical treatment."

"That's right," Crocus said as he reached the top of the ladder and stood up to face the pirates. "When they get this big, there's no way to treat 'em from the outside."

Walking over to the hatch, Crocus began to spin it, causing the door to start opening.

"Here we go!" he said as sunlight began to pour into the dimly lit tunnel. The sky became visible as they exited the whale through the door. Luffy began to laugh as they completely exited Laboon.

"WE'RE OUT!" he yelled, standing atop the broken figure head. "IT'S THE REAL SKY!"

Ruby also stood up and began to search for her ship, which she spotted almost immediately due to the fact that her crew was yelling at the top of their lungs in an attempt to catch the Straw Hat's attention.

"RUBY!" Arai yelled after finally getting out the megaphone. "ARE YOU GUYS ALRIGHT?! WE WERE SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU! TARRA EVEN BEGAN TO FREAK OUT, SAYING HOW YOU HAD DIED A PATHETIC DEATH BY THE HANDS OF A WHALE."

"What!?"

Ruby laughed as Tarra began to chase Arai around the ship, while Lyenne picked up the megaphone.

"IT'S GOOD TO KNOW YOU GUYS ARE OKAY!"

xXxXxXx

After the Going Merry had been docked next to the Snake Goddess, Arai, Lyenne, and Tarra tackled Ruby to the ground and searched her body for injuries, leaving the others to talk on the Merry.

"Guys, I'm fine," Ruby said as she was finally able to calm her crew down. "The only injured one here is Laboon."

"Laboon?"

"The whale," Ruby said, gesturing towards Laboon. She frowned sadly when she noticed the deep scars on his head, along with some new wounds. Her three crewmates noticed this and also frowned.

"Ruby... what happened to this whale?" Arai asked as she glanced over at Laboon. "He's been crying ever since he came back up..."

Ruby explained Laboon's past and everything Crocus told her when they were inside the whale. Tarra scowled when Ruby told them Laboon had been crashing himself into the Red Line, her instincts as a doctor kicking in when she finally noticed the fresh wounds that were beginning to bleed. But before she could do anything, a cry come from the Merry as Luffy began to run towards Laboon with the ship's mast in his hand.

"..."

The Huntress Pirates were speechless as they watched Luffy climb up the whale... and shove the mast into a bleeding wound.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, YOU DUMBASS!" Tarra yelled, "DON'T OPEN THE WOUND UP EVEN MORE! AND WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO AN INJURED ANIMAL!"

Lyenne tried to hold Tarra back from maiming the boy as Laboon began to thrash around, crying out in pain from the foreign object embedded his back.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR!" everyone yelled as the ships got splashed by water. Ruby sighed as Luffy began yelling at the whale, but soon it turned into a smile as he painted a crude version on the Laboon's head.

"For always acting like a child, he has his moments of intelligence," Ruby thought as she watched Laboon cry tears of joy.

"Oi, Luffy," she said as she sprouted wings and began flying towards the straw hat captain, "Hand me that brush."