Howdy Bros.

Gwenyth blinked from an unfulfilling sleep and looked up at the redhead shaking her shoulders. Her eyelids were heavy and a dizzy feeling made it hard to keep herself steady. Once she was sure she was awake, Nami told her they were going to go eat. Gwenyth managed to lift herself up and make her way up the slope. The pirates walked back to the restaurant at a sluggish pace. She could hear Zoro and Nami's voices going back and forth, but was too tired to actually listen to the words.

It had been a good long while since Gwen had pulled an all-nighter and she was reminded of how much she despised them. She could remember a sleepover she'd had a few months before she ended up in this world. Her friends had been making fun of her the next morning for having fallen asleep before eleven O'clock. Gwenyth couldn't help it though. She had never seen the appeal of staying up late, staying tired, when you could be sleeping. Not as a kid, and not as a teenager. Or young woman. Whatever you wanted to consider her as.

Gwenyth sat down next to Nami once she had slid into the booth. The conversation between the navigator and the swordsman had apparently died down, but Luffy, the hungry child that he was, began shouting for food.

After she had finished eating, she put her head down on the table to rest some more. Her head was very heavy and she couldn't believe how groggy she felt. From a painfully light slumber, Gwenyth was still able to hear the greater majority of what was happening around her. A louder sound of choking brought her back into the land of the living. She slowly raised her head to find Luffy pulling a fishbone out of his throat. For a moment, she wondered if she was dreaming, but then quickly realized she wasn't.

"I've got news for you two: normal people don't eat this part." Nami said raising the left over fishbones from her own plate.

Gwenyth stretched before rubbing her forehead. "Since when were these two considered 'normal'?"

"Look whose talking. At least I'm not from another world." Zoro muttered before downing the last of his drink.

"I'll have you know, I am very normal where I come from, thank you very much!"

"Psh. Normal for a world of oddballs, maybe."

"Hey!"

"Anyway," he pointedly ignored her pouting, "the foods gone. Should we go?" A round of agreements went around the table, but before anyone could get up another voice caught the group's attention.

"I found you!" Gwenyth turned her head and found the young heiress walking up to their table.

"Hi, Miss Kaya!" Luffy greeted.

"Kaya, you're okay!"

The pale blonde nodded.

"Shouldn't you be recuperating?" Nami asked, being the most responsible of the group.

"I'll be fine. My illness was caused by the shock and sadness of losing both my parents," she explained. "Usopp brought my spirits up, but I can't depend on others forever. Anyway," Kaya beamed, "You guys need a ship, isn't that right?"

"ARE YOU GONNA GIVE US A SHIP?!" Luffy shouted with a big grin on his face.

"Yes."

"SERIOUSLY?!" Gwenyth's eyes were threatening to pop out of her skull, all sleeplessness forgotten.

"It's the least I can do after all you've done for me, and the village." She smiled, whispering the last bit.

"Does it have beds?" The seamstress asked with all seriousness before Nami bonked her head.

"Don't be rude! We'll take it, regardless of beds. Thank you, Miss Kaya."

Kaya merely laughed. "Of course. And there should be two beds in the woman's quarters, Miss Gwen."

Gwenyth, ignoring the bump on her noggin, squealed in triumphant joy before jumping up to hug the heiress. Kaya stumbled back, but Gwen kept her leveled while spilling out words of gratitude. Telling the horrors of sleeping on a wooden deck while her crewmates either laughed or rolled their eyes.

They made their way out of town quickly, all eager to see their new ship. Luffy wanted to run ahead of everyone, but Gwen kept a a stern handle on the back of his shirt. She reminded him that he didn't know where he was going. He simply lied and said he did. Gwenyth called him a bad liar with an awful sense of direction. This went back and forth while their crewmates assured Kaya that the bickering was neither new nor serious and that they should just keep walking. Luffy and Gwenyth kindly reminded everyone that they weren't bickering, and stopped their squabbling for the time being.

When they reached the steep hillside, the four pirates rushed down towards the shore. A man stood there waiting for them, who kind of looked goat-ish if that was at all possible. Behind him, was a beautiful, somewhat colorful ship with a goat head in front. It was a small and cute vessel, that wouldn't be striking fear into the hearts of men any time soon. (Unless said men were afraid of goats. If that were the case, their new ship could be considered very terrifying.).

"Behold!" Goat Man lightly gesturing to the ship behind him, "She's not the newest model, but I designed her myself. She's a caravel, with a jib and a central stern rudder. I present to you... the Going Merry!"

"You're really going to give us this ship?!" Luffy shouted.

"Yes," the heiress insisted with her soft smile. "Please take it."

"Oh my god, it's perfect! You're amazing!" The seamstress squealed pulling Kaya in for another hug. Though, she had only understood about 35% of what Goat Man had said.

"I'm glad you like it, Miss Gwen. I've stocked the ship with everything you might need at sea and took the liberty of having all the belongings from your previous ships taken aboard. I hope you don't mind."

"Never apologize for making a person's life easier, Kaya." She gave her another quick squeeze, "You are way too freaking awesome, dude!"

Gwenyth glanced between the boys, Kaya, and Nami, whom was being informed of the ship's workings by Goat Man, before heading for the ship. She felt the urge to explore her new home from top to bottom. Not a single room, cupboard, or crack in the wall would be safe from her curiosity. She began to climb aboard when a scream erupted from atop the hill. The blonde pirate turned to the sound and watched with wide-eyed wonder as a large ball came flying towards the them at an alarming speed.

"STOP MEEEE!" A familiar voice wailed from the rolling object.

"It's Usopp!" Kaya realized with mild confusion.

"What's he up to now?" Luffy asked no one in particular.

"Is it some sort of game?" Gwenyth wondered aloud, not letting go of the rope ladder.

Zoro moved forward. "Whatever it is, we should stop him. He might damage our ship." He and Luffy each raised a foot and brought the ball- which Gwenyth could now see was a very large and over stuffed rucksack- to a halt. Their feet had, of course, landed directly upon Usopp's teary-eyed face. He managed a weak 'thank you' as Gwenyth looped one arm through the rope ladder and gave the boys a slow clap for their accuracy.

She continued upward then, and clambered onto the deck. It was much more spacious than the itty-bitty boat she and Nami had shared before. Gwenyth vaguely remembered that pirate ships in movies were usually bigger than this one. That didn't matter to her though. She could not have cared less about it's size or appearance. The ship had beds and a bathroom, so, in her eyes, it was nothing short of perfection. Besides, she figured the ship's relative smallness meant it had less weight and was therefore faster than most of the bigger ones. Speed has to count for something, right?

"Hey, are you going to stand there all day, or what?"

Gwenyth jumped before spinning around and finding Zoro waiting, a little less than patiently, to move passed her. She stepped aside with a sheepish grin and promptly plopped herself onto the ship's wooden railing. The green haired swordsman took a step forward then, only to be knocked aside by an excited Luffy. When either of them had climbed aboard, the seamstress couldn't say, but she laughed none the less.

As Zoro grumbled curses under his breath, Gwenyth turned her attention back down to the people on the shoreline below them. When her eyes landed upon the heiress and the long-nosed liar, they grew wide. Realization flashed inside her like a giant light bulb.

"I ship them," Gwen announced with an air of decision.

"You what?" Zoro asked with an odd look on his face.

"Ship them. I mean, look at that," she openly gestured Usopp and Kaya," don't you?"

"What the heck does that even mean?"

Gwenyth didn't answer. Instead, she made herself more comfortable on the railing before singing Kiss the Girl from The Little Mermaid. In Usopp's dirrection. With much more volume than necessary. She couldn't hear their conversation, but she could see them both turn lovely shades of pink. His being a darker shade than hers.

"Sha, la, la, la, la, la, looks like the boy's too shy. He ain't gonna even try. Sha, la, la, la, la, la, ain't that sad? Ain't it a shame? Too bad! He's gonna miss the girl!" She sang even louder than before, practically shouting at this point. "Ow!" She cried suddenly, falling off the railing and onto the deck. "Nami, what was that for?"

"Don't be rude! He's clearly not comfortable enough to do something like that with Miss Kaya."

"Yeah, but didn't you see the way he was looking at her?" She stood. "They might not ever see each other again, so why not at least kiss her goodbye? It'd be romantic, or something."

Nami sighed. "It doesn't work like that, Gwen."

"It does in the movies," Gwenyth paused and started to lean over the railing. "Usopp, what are you doing?"

The teen in question looked up from beside one of the group's old, smaller boats. "What? It's not like you guys are gonna take it with you."

"Right. We're not. So, what are you doing?"

"Well, I'm gonna use it to go out to sea, of course!" Usopp answered, now equally confused. "Who knows, maybe taking this ship will ensure our crossing paths again someday."

"What do you mean?" Luffy then asked.

"What do you mean 'what do I mean'?" Usopp repeated, sounding a little irked. "I'm just being friendly. We're all pirates, after all. It is possible we'll meet again!"

"Quit your babbling," Zoro ordered from beside Gwenyth, "and get on the ship." He pointed to the deck with an annoyed face.

When Usopp made no indication of moving, Gwen whispered, "You don't think my singing upset him that much, do you? I was only goofing around..."

Nami rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I think he's just being dense."

"YEAH! CAN I BE THE CAPTAIN?!" Usopp suddenly shouted, causing the girls- mostly Gwenyth- to jump.

"NO WAY! I'M THE CAPTAIN!"

"Didn't they already have this conversation?" Nami sighed. "I want to go find the woman's quarters and make sure all our stuff's there."

"Do you want me to go double-check the boats?" The seamstress offered, eyeing Usopp's attempts to climb on board with his oversized backpack. "If nobody helps him, we might be here for a while anyway."

"No, I already did," they watched as Usopp fell back again. "I just want to know where Miss Kaya put my treasure. That's all."

"Oh, yeah." Luffy and Zoro began to hoist Usopp onboard by his arms. The girls ignored his screams of protest. "Do you think I could get my picture back when you do?"

"Sure thing. It is yours after all." They shared a smile before Nami promptly walked over to the boys. Seeing as their was no more heavy lifting. "If you three are done fooling around, now is the perfect time to head out."

Gwenyth watched the boys light up with excitement before turning back to the shore. Kaya and Goat Man were still standing there, waiting to see them off. The seamstress waved enthusiastically and Kaya smiled a little brighter before returning the gesture; albeit much more dignified.

"Gwenyth," Nami regained her attention, "How's your arm doing?"

"Still good," she smiled before putting her hands together. "Can I please help sail this time? Pretty please? I promise to be very careful!"

The navigator hummed as she looked the begging girl over. "I would say yes... but the boys already have it covered." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder, and Gwenyth could see Usopp and Zoro readying the sail.

"Oh," she looked down to her feet, feeling useless once again.

"Tell you what," Gwenyth glanced up, "Why don't you go work the steering? Just tilt it to the right when I tell you to, alright?"

"YEAH! Where at?"

Nami pointed to the door above the double staircases. "Based on what that guy told me, my guess is in there. It's a pole though, not a wheel."

"I don't care if it's a triangular cactus, as long as I get to help!" Gwenyth shouted, taking the stairs two at a time. She skipped into the room with glee. Her eyes immediately took note of the goat-headed pole sticking out of the floor. She thought it was a little bit strange, but she wouldn't complain. Though she had to wonder, was this how all ships in this world were steered? She'd never seen a turning device like this in the movies back home. Movies were, naturally, her go-to reference for everything concerning pirates, seafaring, and... well... pretty much everything she was unfamiliar with. Oh, and songs. She was clearly a sucker for a good musical number.

Shrugging off her thoughts, Gwenyth was preparing to turn the ship when something caught her eye. She paused and turned towards the object, not entirely believing it. The girl blinked, and when it didn't disappear she started to yell, "Oh my GOD!WE HAVE A REFRIGERATOR! THAT MEANS WE CAN STORE MEAT AND STUFF!"

A loud thud echoed from somewhere on deck, followed her captain shouting, "MEAT?!"

"LUFFY GET BACK HERE! GWENYTH!" She heard Nami scream.

"SORRY! I got excited!"

"Whatever, just turn us right!"

"Kay!" Gwenyth shouted back, pushing the steering device to the side. It took far more force than she had expected, but she wouldn't classify it as too difficult. She held it there, sticking out her tongue with concentration, until Nami gave her the all clear.

Gwenyth straightened the rod before letting out a great, big yawn. Her arms stretched up towards the ceiling, trying to fight the urge to lie down and take a nap. She took a seat at the table in the center of the room, only just realizing it was there. Again, she thought of resting her head and closing her eyes for just a minute.

"MEAT!"

"HOLY CHRIST ON A CHEESECAKE!" Gwenyth screamed, falling off the chair. The back of her head collided with the floor and she gave yet another curse.

"Hey, Gwen! Boy, you sure do like being on the floor, huh?"

The girl rose, murder etched into her face. "You're the reason I always end up on the floor, Luffy." She stood to glare at her dumb-ass of a captain, but found herself gapping at him instead. Is cheeks were bulging- swelling? stretching? she couldn't tell- with food. Mostly meat. Raw meat. "OHMYGOD, LUFFY! DON'T EAT ALL THAT MEAT RAW! YOU'LL DIE!"

"HE'S DOING WHAT!?" Their navigator suddenly stormed into the room and hit Luffy in the back of the head. Thus causing him to swallow everything in his cheeks. Naturally, he started choking and the girls could visibly see everything stuck in his throat. They screamed; the blonde in shock, the redhead in disgust. Nami began to shout at him for trying to eat all their food while Gwenyth repeatedly slammed the her palm onto his lower back. Silently praying that she wasn't speeding up the 'death-by-choking' process by accident. With one last especially hard thwack to his back, he literally spit out all of the food. Most of it wasn't even chewed.

"Oh my god. You're like a fucking chipmunk, dude."

"Ew, Luffy! That's disgusting!"

"My back hurts," the boy grumbled, picking up a piece upchucked meat. Perfectly ready to re-consum it. Both girls screamed once again and Nami hit the top of hit head fiercely.

"Weren't you listening?! If you eat meat raw like that, you could get sick and die! Now pick it up and wash it all off!"

Gwenyth was too busy doing a fidgety "Ew, ew, ewwww!" dance to make comment.

Oh. My. Fiddlesticks. This chapter felt like it was waaay longer than it actually turned out to be. It certainly took a long time...

Anyway, can somebody PLEASE take the internet away from me while I'm writing? I swear, I'm always, like:

'Oh, hey, I'd like to listen to some music from the interwebs while I write. While I'm here, I might as well check out Deviant Art... Can't forget about Facebook... Man, fuck facebook. I'm going on tumblr... Wait... Wasn't I doing something?' But by that time, I'm neck deep in fandom posts, exploding with feels, and can't stop looking at kittens.

Anyway, just in case you were wondering why so little, takes me so long. Yeah. Well, that and video games consume my soul... so...