The Tragedy of the Golden Wolf
Author Notes: This is a much longer chapter than I originally planned. So… clear some time for this one!
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters except for Banheart, and none of the settings are mine either. The story material itself I can claim.
14: The Wolfe and the Straw Hats
Suggested Track: "People Are Strange," Echo and the Bunnymen
The Biblicard sat in her palm, pointing her straight forward, and she followed its directions steadfastly. Her steps were sure, and she had never desired her destination more. She finally saw the ship and its sunny figurehead, and broke into an uncharacteristically undignified run. She stood on the ground below it, gazing up, and smiled. Stray hands sprouted from the ground and grasped one another to form a set of stairs, and she climbed aboard the Thousand Sunny for the first time in more than two weeks. Rayleigh was laying in a lawn chair, fast asleep with a bottle of gin in the crook of his arm. She gently laid a hand on his shoulder, and he snapped awake and looked up at her with a grin.
"What a lovely dream. I can almost swear I see the glorious visage of Nico Robin."
"It's nice to see you too, Mr. Ray." Robin leaned over him with a kind smile, looking down into his face. "Am I the first one back?"
"That you are, yes."
"Perhaps that's a good thing. I'll go about and clean things up, do a bit of shopping, and get some staple foods back in the pantry. No doubt everything we had is spoiled."
"Oh, no need!" Rayleigh took a swig of gin from the bottle. "You have a guest who has already taken the liberty of clearing out your spoiled goods, straightening up and doing the grocery shopping out of her own pocket."
"Oh? A guest?" Robin straightened up, frowning and rubbing her chin in thought. "Is it someone we know?"
"I doubt it, but she has good reason to be here." Rayleigh stretched his legs out and folded his arms behind his head. "She should be in your aquarium lounge. And I apologize if you're short on alcohol, but I've been a bit thirsty and she's too ashamed to shop for it herself."
"Hm." Robin nodded. "I suppose I'll go introduce myself." Rayleigh shrugged, and shen meandered up the stairs into the bar. As she reached the door, she heard a vaguely familiar but dizzying tune spinning off the piano's keys. She smiled, and spoke as she opened the door. "Oh, Brook, Rayleigh said I was the first back-" She stopped when she realized it was not Brook at the piano, but instead, an unfamiliar girl with wild, straw-colored hair that hung around her ears. The music abruptly stopped. A wide-brimmed hat sat turned upside down on top of the piano. Banheart's heart jumped when Robin entered, but Robin simply continued to smile casually. "I'm sorry. My name is Nico Robin, I'm the ship's archaeologist."
"I s-see." Banheart's eyes quickly flew to the wall of posters. She quickly found the matching face and name, and looked back down to the keys.
Robin closed the door behind her and took a seat on one of the couches near the piano. She noticed the shape of Banheart's belly and the Whitebeard tattoo on her back, but said nothing. "So, what's your name, and what brings you to our ship?" Banheart tried to respond, but she couldn't make her words make sense.
"Ah- you see- it's my brother-in-law. My brother-in-law travels on your ship. So, I think I might be able to stay with you for a while. He's not even my brother-in-law, because we weren't really married, but I'm here. For now. I hope."
"Oh." Robin frowned. "Your name?"
"I'm sorry," Banheart whispered, but she couldn't find the right words. Rayleigh strolled in and took a fresh bottle of sake from the cooler.
"Her name is Wolfe Banheart," he murmured to Robin from behind her. "She's a civilian, and her outlaw boyfriend recently died. She's got nowhere else to go." Robin covered her mouth, but nodded, understanding.
"Why don't you pick up playing? You're quite good." Banheart turned, eyes wide as Robin smiled kindly at her. She nodded, and continued to play her strange baroque. Robin took out a book from within her jacket and began to read.
Banheart had met her first Straw Hat. Despite the price on her head, her casual cool almost reminded of her brothers and sisters back on the Moby Dick, when she'd called that ship home.
"WOBIN!" Franky stood at the bottom of the ramp that Robin had lowered, his arms open. "WOOOOBIIIIIIIN!" He dashed up the ramp towards her, crying uncontrollably. "I bissed you zo buch!"
"I missed you too, Franky." Robin smiled and patted his arm, and he bounced on his feet, still wailing. Rayleigh, laughing, approached and let Franky hug him.
"Dank you!"
"Ha ha, don't you worry now! I'm certain this ship has missed you very much!"
"Is anybody else back?" Franky asked, drying his eyes.
"Just me," Robin replied, as Rayleigh went back to his deck chair and a bottle of sake. "Franky, do you have a brother?"
Franky shrugged. "Franky House brothers… but no biological brothers that I know of. Why?"
"We've got a guest- a young widow who says her brother-in-law travels on this boat. She was unable to tell me who is was, and asking seemed to wound her. I don't suppose you know if any of your brothers died recently."
"No!" Franky's eyes welled up again. "None of my brothers are dead! No way it's me she's talking about!"
"No, it's not you," Rayleigh chuckled as he confirmed Franky's declaration. "Her lover was recently executed. It's pretty big news, actually."
"I did hear about that big mess at Marineford!" Franky exclaimed. "Yonkou Whitebeard, some Ace kid, and then a whole pile of dead pirates and Marines…"
"Hm…" Robin folded her arms in thought. "I'll introduce you." Robin went to ascend the stairs, and Franky followed. "She's been in the lounge since I boarded. She tried to cook dinner for us, but it didn't work out at all and Mr. Ray had to bring in takeout. I suggested that she borrow Nami's bed until she returns, but she declined and insisted she would be fine on the sofa. Poor kid seems mildly traumatized. You see…" Robin opened the door to the lounge, and Franky looked and saw Banheart standing by the wall of posters, studying them silently. Her suitcase was sitting next to the piano, and Ace's hat sat atop it.
"Hey girlie!" Franky called with a cheerful wave. Banheart startled and whirled around, and both stared at the other in apparent astonishment. "B-baby…"
"P-pervert…"
"Banheart, this is our shipwright, Franky. He's not nearly as bad as he looks," Robin explained with a small smile. Banheart shook off her shock and timidly approached, and bowed her head.
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Shipwright. Your ship is beautiful." Franky picked his jaw off the floor.
"Just Franky. You can call me Franky." He grinned. "So, checking out the pictures? Got any favorites?" Banheart turned back to the wall of posters, and finally pointed at one. Franky and Robin looked.
"Chopper?" Robin mused.
"He's… cute," Banheart affirmed softly.
"Find any of the real men cute?" Franky teased. Banheart shuddered and hid a glare. Robin nudged his leg with her foot, and he jolted. "Uh… what I mean to say is, do any of them look like your boyfriend? Your brother-in-law?"
"They weren't related by blood." Banheart turned away. "But… that guy…" She pointed at Luffy's photo, reading the name over and over in her mind. "God, it's scary…"
"You think Luffy is scary?" Franky began to laugh. "Absolutely no way!" Banheart turned back around to look at him, as Robin hid a giggle as well. "Hey, digging the ink, girlie!"
"Oh… thank you." Banheart smiled a little, before turning back around and shying away from Franky.
"Man, Sanji's going to love having another girl on the crew," he chuckled, seeming not to notice her shyness. "I bet he'll absolutely adore you!"
"Precious Robin! It feels like it's been a thousand years in the deepest, darkest, coldest or hottest parts of hell!" Sanji pranced up the ramp with his arms outstretched, ready to embrace Robin, but Franky caught him and embraced him instead.
"Cook-bro! I missed you!" Franky wailed. Robin and Rayleigh both chortled as Sanji struggled from his grip.
"Hey- don't even touch me," Sanji said quickly, pulling himself from Franky's grasp, eyes wide. "You have NO idea of the trouble I've seen."
"Where did you go, Sanji?" Robin asked, amused.
"Hell," he muttered, his expression flipping completely. "True hell."
"A land of no women?" Franky asked, scratching his head.
"… let's go with that, yeah." Sanji made a face similar to that of one who had encountered the legendary sword Excalibur and discovered the terror thereof.
"Sanji, why don't you go to the kitchen?" Rayleigh suggested slyly from his chair. "There's a young lady in your place trying to make breakfast, but she's not a very good cook."
"A young lady!" Sanji jumped with excitement. "Nami-swan?"
"I'm afraid not, it's a guest," Robin corrected, frowning slightly. "But- Sanji-"
"Mellorine! Mellorine! Mellorine!" Sanji was off in his own little world as he danced towards the kitchen. Robin looked back at Rayleigh.
"That's a cruel joke to play."
"He'll appreciate it eventually," Rayleigh chuckled.
"Beautiful maiden! Fret not! I shall be the chef aboard this voyage of lo-…" Sanji had burst into the kitchen with his arms outspread and an amorous look in his eyes, but upon laying eyes on Banheart, had stopped. She was trying to flip a pancake, and she was not succeeding. There were already three stuck to the ceiling, and one on the floor with plaster on the uncooked side. She looked between her pan and the man in the doorway in her shock. He gawked at her middle, and she quickly shoved her failing pancake off the heat.
"I'm sorry, Mister Cook- I wanted to help the others, seeing as how kind they are to host me-"
"Are you a real woman?" Sanji demanded, cutting her off. His visible eye had narrowed in his suspicion. Her jaw fell.
"Excuse me?"
"Are you really a woman or just a fat tranny?" Sanji didn't wait for an answer, but approached her and began to pat her down from her shoulders down her arms. She froze, somewhere between too confused and too upset to move. "These feel pretty feminine, fairly thin, slender." He got down on his knees and sharply poked her stomach. "Doesn't feel like a beer belly." He lifted her skirt, and she screamed and pushed him away, but he continued his analysis. "Legs are smooth and slender." He stood to meet her eyes. "Feminine face, but a rather low voice. Boy's haircut. And your tattoos are manly." He then looked down at her chest and studied her breasts. "Those… look real enough. Not stuffed at all." He looked back at her face. "Feminine tears, too."
She chewed her lower lip, her face trapped between rage and distress. She finally found action enough to slap him in the face. "I am a girl, you stupid son of a bitch!" She yelped. "Don't you ever touch me!" She rushed away, rubbing her tears off, half-crashing into Robin on her way out.
Sanji gaped in shock, and turned around to see Robin standing at the door with a dark look in her eyes. "R-Robin! I didn't mean to upset her- I've spent the last ten days with terrible, horrible trannies…"
"You do not realize that our guest has not yet had enough confidence to introduce herself," Robin stated evenly. "You insulted her as a woman. Sanji, do you have any brothers?"
"N-no, ma'am," he mumbled, sulking. "Why?"
"Because she recently lost her lover, and she's on this ship because her brother-in-law is on the crew."
"A widow," Sanji mumbled. "And she's got a baby on the way? Damn. Wait." His head shot up. "Lu… Luffy has a brother!"
"He does?" Robin rose her eyebrow.
"Yeah! His name was Ace- Firefist Ace- we met him in Alabasta!"
"Firefist Ace?" Robin's eyes widened.
"Now that I think about it, she had the same tattoo as he did on her arm!" Sanji shook his head in disbelief.
"He was just executed," Robin said shortly. "Ace and Luffy were brothers?"
"Yeah… god." Sanji rubbed his head, trying to process what he was hearing. "I feel like such a shitty jerk! What the hell is wrong with me? I was raised to treat women with respect… Shit. He's dead? He was a great guy! And that's his…"
"OI," Franky snarled as he pushed past Robin. "You." He pointed at Sanji. "She locked herself in the bathroom. She won't come out. We're going to have a goddamn situation here!"
"There are only two ways this is going to end," Robin sighed wearily.
"Either you get her out of the bathroom or your sock drawer becomes the bathroom!" Franky snapped.
Three hours later, Sanji was still sitting outside of the bathroom door. None of his efforts had come to fruition, she hadn't responded once. He could hear the shower running inside, as it had been for the past three hours. He was nervously puffing a cigarette, and finally took a deep breath to steel his nerves and try again. "Uh, Miss? I'm sorry I insulted you. Please, come out. I'm really sorry. I won't do it ever again. I've learned my lesson." He groaned. "Please. If you don't come out, Franky's going to beat the shit out of me. Look, I'll do anything to make it up to you. Anything! I'll cook your favorite food. Anything you like. What's your favorite food?"
There was silence, but for running water, on the other side of the door. Then, finally, "Rolled sushi. Grilled eel."
Sanji chuckled to himself. "Okay. Why roll instead of nigiri?"
"So I can eat without letting up a fermata while I'm playing."
"Playing?"
"Piano." The water switched off.
"Cool." Sanji puffed a few smoke rings. "I'll, uh, have to run to a store to get the eel, but if you'd like, I could hold you over with some udon. Or soba. Or ramen. Or somen. Anything."
"It's okay. I'll come out. I shouldn't be so much of a bother." There was a rustling of clothes, and the door cracked open. He got to his feet and bowed at the waist as she exited. Cold seemed to emanate from her still-dripping skin and hair, her fingertips were pruned. She seemed taken aback at his display.
"I apologize again. You truly are a beautiful maiden." He stubbed out his cigarette, and smiled up at her. She frowned as she studied his face. Somehow, it looked familiar. "May I please have the pleasure of knowing your name?"
"Wolfe Banheart," she murmured, drawing back from him.
"A lovely name it is. My sympathies for your loss." He straightened up.
"Thank you."
"Can you forgive me?"
"I don't know."
"Okay. Are you hungry at all? I mean, if you've got cravings or anything like that, I completely understand. Perhaps you would like a foot rub?" He beamed warmly, and she stepped back and away from him.
"Please don't touch me." She quickly walked around and away from him, her face bright red with embarrassment.
"Chopper, you need to be on your best behavior." When Chopper had gotten back to the ship, he was greeted with joy and affection from Franky, and it was now his turn to meet their guest. "Our guest is really timid. Now, I know you're a really nice kid, but she doesn't. Sanji touched her and she had a total meltdown." Chopper nodded to show he understood as he trotted alongside Franky, but his ears twitched when he heard something.
"Hey, is Brook back?" Chopper beamed.
"No, why?" Franky looked down at him.
"The music! The beautiful music!" Franky paused, and listened for a moment. He could faintly hear the piano being played, and smirked.
"She told Sanji she plays piano. She must have gotten up the nerve to try ours again."
"I'm going to go listen!" Chopper chirped, and he bounded up the stairs to the lounge. Franky followed, and Chopper paused at the door to look at the woman on the piano. "Hey, is she having a baby?"
"Yeah…"
"Whoa! Whose is it?" Chopper looked up at Franky, who gave him a stern look.
"Luffy's older brother, the one who was just executed."
"Oh no…" Chopper gasped. "Mr. Ace… I feel so bad for Luffy! Do you think it's okay if I go say hello?"
"Nawh, go 'head, little guy," Franky encouraged him, waving him forward. Chopper nodded, and trotted over to the piano bench. She continued to play, briefly noticing him out of the corner of her eye. She finished the song and turned to him.
"What a cute pet," she said, smiling softly. "Paw?" She offered him her hand, and he shook it. "How sweet. I like your hat, little guy." She looked up to Franky. "Does he mind wearing clothes? What's his name?"
"I like my clothes," Chopper replied, obviously a little irked. "And my name's Tony Tony Chopper!"
"Oh! You can talk!" He gasped as she realized this and focused on him.
"I'm not a monster! Really!"
"Zoan-type fruit- Reindeer?" She smiled eagerly. He gawked, but shook his head.
"No, I am a reindeer! Zoan-type fruit- Human," he corrected, while doing a happy dance in his joy that she was not terrified. She giggled.
"Just like Marco the Phoenix. How nice! Your part-animal, part-human form is so cute. So, I have met the shipwright, the cook, and the historian. What is your job? Morale officer?"
"No! I'm the doctor!" He beamed with pride, and her eyes lit up.
"That's amazing! I've never heard of a reindeer doctor!" She leaned over a little, hands on her knees. "Wow, for them to even let a reindeer be a doctor, you must be tremendously talented!"
"Don't say that, you meanie! That just insults me!" Chopper squealed happily, and Banheart smiled.
"I don't mean to be a bother, but… well, do you think you could check on the baby sometime? I didn't have a chance to talk to the doctor of the last ship I was on before I left. I just want to be sure the baby's still healthy."
"I'd be delighted!" Chopper's eyes sparkled with joy. "When are you due?"
"Less than two months left now. I haven't had much of an appetite recently, so I've been worried that I'm hurting the baby." Banheart interlaced her fingers anxiously. "Do you think you can help me?"
"Of course! I'd be overjoyed! This'll be so much fun!" Chopper clapped his hooves and danced a little. Banheart giggled.
"Would you like to sit by me, Mr. Doctor?" She patted the bench next to her. "Here!"
"I'd love to!" He jumped onto the bench, and she began to play again. He watched her fingers dance on the keys with a look of wonderment, while Sanji, Franky, and Robin watched from the door.
"Our guest is fascinating," Robin remarked thoughtfully.
"How did I get out-charmed by a reindeer?" Sanji whined.
"You called her a man, idiot," Franky muttered to him.
"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" He snapped back, fire in his eyes.
"It's more than that. Did you notice how she spoke of Luffy when she saw his bounty poster, Franky? 'Scary.'" Robin nodded towards the poster wall. "Luffy is terrifying to her, and yet his poster is the exact opposite of frightening. She is timid around us, and yet Chopper, our pet, is 'cute' without question. He's got a bounty like the price on a gumball, and we're rather high-priced." Robin smiled, and concluded, "She thinks like a Marine. It seems that the higher the price on our heads, the scarier we are."
Sanji and Franky pondered this quietly for a moment, before Sanji said, "She doesn't know anything about us."
"More than likely not, but something seems off. Did either of you look at her back?" She nodded towards Banheart.
Sanji frowned as he noticed her markings. "A Whitebeard pirate."
"So it would seem," Robin confirmed. "But Rayleigh said she was a civilian."
"She's not at all the pirate type, man," Franky murmured. "I know we shouldn't, but I gotta wonder about this kid."
"I'm just worried about what'll happen when she meets Zoro," Robin added. Chopper glanced back at them, and they quickly dispersed so that Banheart wouldn't see them talking. The music still struck the air, as she enjoyed her furry new friend.
"We have a stowaway?" Zoro grumbled, one hand moving to his swords. "I just get here, and there's already trouble?" Sanji swatted his wrist when he saw where it had traveled.
"She's not a stowaway, moss-head. You remember Luffy's brother?"
"Uh, yeah, I think. Ace, right?" Zoro thought for a moment, as Sanji sucked the filter of his cigarette. "Yeah, I remember. Nice guy, but nothing like Luffy. What's he have to do with this?"
"He's been executed," Sanji replied through a cloud of smoke.
"Damn. Well, what does that have to do with the goddamn stowaway?"
"She was his girlfriend, and she's got no family to go back to." Sanji thumbed into the infirmary, and Zoro peeked into the window, where Chopper was chatting with Banheart.
"Crap, and she ate all the food?"
"Nope," Sanji grunted, before taking another drag. "Idiot."
Zoro thought for a moment, finally looking away. "Oh…" He huffed under his breath and glared at the wall. "Well, shit. Can't be a good situation."
"Nah, she's not a happy camper. I'm not allowed to touch her, and she only gives her name under duress."
"What did you do, Dartboard-Eyebrow?" Zoro glared at Sanji, who gritted his teeth.
"I had to be sure she was a woman! You have no idea of the hell I've been through!"
"You jerk!"
Chopper and Banheart looked up when they heard the commotion, and saw Sanji and Zoro battling through the window, sword to shoe. "Oh, darn! They do this so much!" Chopper folded his arms. "Sorry about them. They fight like brothers. Zoro's really nice though, I promise you! No matter what he looks like out there. He's kind of like a big brother to me." Chopper backed up from his table and shifted to heavy point. "Just be polite and don't bug him too much, and you'll be fine. One second." Chopper threw the door open, entered the hallway, and jumped Sanji and Zoro. "KNOCK IT OFF!"
Once Zoro and Sanji had recovered from their blows to the head, they muttered quiet apologies to their doctor.
"Sorry, didn't mean to cause trouble…" Sanji mumbled.
"I didn't mean to interrupt. Love-cook, go make yourself useful somewhere else." Zoro gave Sanji a glare, but as Banheart peeked out of the infirmary, Sanji resisted the urge to snap back and left. Zoro turned back to Banheart, and offered a hand. She was taken aback, but nervously shook it. "Roronoa Zoro."
"Wolfe Banheart, sir." He nodded, and smirked slightly.
"Right. You need anything, you let me know. I'll take care of Perv-cook if he gives you any trouble." He thumbed over his shoulder by way of explanation.
"Thank you, sir, I'll keep that in mind," Banheart chuckled, grinning and folding her hands near her waistline.
"Don't call me sir." Zoro frowned, and she shrunk back nervously. He immediately panicked. "Wait! No! Don't make that face! You can call me anything you want!" She seemed surprised at his sudden outburst, and managed a small smile that a man who had appeared so stoic had reacted that way. He quickly calmed down and cleared his throat. "Uh, so, yeah. You can call me whatever you want, but please don't pout. It makes me feel like a jerk."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Zoro." She bowed her head to hide a smile.
"By the way, congrats on the baby. I'm sure Luffy's going to be really happy to meet you." Zoro smirked. "I take pride in defending this ship and crew, so you don't have to worry about a thing, alright?"
"I suppose, with someone like you saying so, I won't be afraid," she replied, glancing back up at him. "Thank you. I was worried that you'd be much more frightening than this."
"Me? Frightening? Well, I could be frightening if you'd like, but I doubt you would." He chuckled darkly, and she couldn't help but giggle at his put-on wicked look. "I'm going to go check on Franky, he's finishing repairs. Find me if you need anything." He bowed his head politely, and left her with Chopper. She turned back to Chopper with excitement clear on her face.
"He's nothing like the wicked Pirate Hunter Zoro I've heard about!"
"Of course not!" Chopper laughed. "He's only like that when he has to be. I hope this means your head is clearing. We try to like everybody. Even Robin and Franky used to be our enemies, but now they're both valued members of our crew! And you haven't given us any reason to dislike you!" He paused and thought. "Boy, though. I hope Nami doesn't find a reason. She's usually kind of a skeptic…" Banheart frowned.
"I hope she doesn't find anything wrong with me…"
"I imagine it's going to be a bit of an eggshell-walk with the captain after what's happened, huh?" Nami sighed to herself as she put her newspaper into a trashcan. It was late in the evening when she arrived back, but Robin had been awake. "At least we know what he's been up to, but the poor guy's lost his brother! He loved his brother."
"Eggshell-walking is a good way to describe it." Robin folded her hands behind her back. "But I suppose now's a good time to mention it- it's not just the captain. Ace's girlfriend is here."
"What? Why?"
"She has nowhere else to go. Besides, just imagine what they would do to her if they found her." Robin moved across the deck to the lounge door and opened it. "It's unpleasant to think of what would happen if they knew what that man left behind…" Nami peered in at Banheart, who was fast asleep sprawled on the sofa, and did a double-take. She then looked back to Robin.
"So, we're keeping her?"
"Rayleigh brought her aboard, so she'll stay at least until Luffy's back. I can only imagine Luffy will let her stay," Robin said quietly. Banheart moaned softly into her pillow, as Nami folded her arms.
"Yeah, of course, but what exactly is she going to contribute to the crew?" Nami frowned slightly. "We're pirates, after all, not a hostel."
"She did buy all of the food supplies on the ship at present, and she seems to have a considerable amount of money."
"Guess she can't be all bad." Nami grinned. "Still, I do feel kind of bad for her. She's not much older than I am." Her lips twitched, and her smile faded. "I mean, I met Ace only once, but he was a sweet guy. She must miss him."
"She doesn't talk about it, or him. Let her come out of her shell at her own pace." Banheart moaned again, and Robin strode across the room and sat beside her. "Ban, wake up," she said softly to her. Banheart's eyes opened, and she gasped to catch her breath like she'd been running for miles. "You were having a nightmare."
"I… suppose I was," Banheart panted, wiping her brow. "I'm used to them, though." She sighed heavily and got to her feet, staggering to the cooler where she'd stashed a pitcher of water. "I think I just got a little warm." She poured herself a glass and dumped it over her head. Robin giggled softly.
"That won't help, you know. Perhaps a bit of tea would calm you down. Nami, why don't you go get our canister of chamomile?"
"Thank you, but I don't like…" Banheart paused, and noticed that Robin was looking at Nami. "Tea. Are you Burglar Cat Nami?" Nami chuckled and came into the room, closing the door behind her.
"That's me. Robin told me you were Banheart."
"Yes, miss. I'm sorry, I hadn't realized you were back. I'm visiting for a little bit; I hope it's not too much trouble." Banheart bowed her head nervously, but Nami flapped a hand and shook her head.
"Please, it's not trouble at all! As long as you've got something to do." She seated herself on the sofa near Robin. "What can you do?"
"Well," Banheart mumbled, thinking as she sat down again on the other side of Robin. "I… can load and fire a cannon. I bet I could even learn to do the fuse."
"Where did you learn to fire a cannon?" Robin asked.
"I took shelter with Whitebeard's crew for a few months," she mumbled. "They asked me to help." She smiled, a little proud of this fact. "He… really admired his Pops. I can understand why."
"I suppose that explains the tattoo," Robin remarked to herself. Banheart froze at this, reaching over her shoulder.
"Y-yes. I wanted it for…"
"I think that's pretty cool," Nami remarked with a grin. "Can you do anything else?"
"Not much," Banheart admitted. "I can play piano, but I guess that doesn't help on a pirate ship…"
"Are you kidding?" Nami laughed aloud. "Our captain wanted a musician even before he thought about getting a doctor! He was always saying, 'Pirates love to sing!' We do have a crew musician now, but it'll be cool if you could work with him. I can't think of anything Luffy would like more than another musician. And you could definitely work with Usopp on the cannon!"
"Ah, yes, Brook and Usopp," Robin mused. "They will have accompaniments now."
"You seem cool enough anyway. By the by, you bought our supplies?" Nami folded her hands thoughtfully.
"Oh, yeah. I thought I'd help out," she replied carelessly. Nami grinned and patted her shoulder.
"What a kind donation, thank you so much!" Robin held back a small sigh as Nami praised her for her generosity. "Wait- do you charge interest?"
"Interest? What do you mean? What would I charge interest on?" Banheart looked confused, and Nami grinned.
"Never mind, never mind!" Nami put her arm around her. "I think we're going to be good friends!" Robin chuckled to herself as Banheart stared blankly in confusion and tiredness.
The first event of the next morning was the sound of music, and it was not piano or even violin. It was a recording on a Tone Dial blaring the Sogeking theme song, and it ran all of thirty seconds before Nami rushed out of the women's cabin, bashed Usopp on the head, and silenced the Tone Dial.
"Nice to have you back, now will you be quiet? It's goddamn early!"
"Sorry, Nami. It's good to see you." He grinned as he rubbed the welt forming on his skull. "Is everyone else here? I've got a ton of stories to tell, and I'm starving!"
"As far as I know, all the guys are still asleep. Brook's not back, and nor is Luffy." Nami was quiet. "You woke all the girls up, though."
"Miss Nami, who is this?" Banheart asked from the door of the lounge. Usopp whirled around to see her, before grinning and waving.
"I'm Usopp!"
"He's not on your crew poster list," she pointed out warily. "Does he not have a bounty?" Nami and Usopp both seemed to freeze at this, glancing at one another. Banheart carefully descended the stairs, her nightgown swishing in the morning breeze, and she offered a hand to Usopp. "It's nice to meet someone who's not terrifying," she said very quietly.
"Hey, wait, he's got a bounty poster!" Nami protested, but Usopp shot a sly glance back at Nami, held up one finger signaling her to wait, and shook Banheart's hand.
"Yeah, I don't have a bounty. Who are you?"
"I'm Banheart, it's really nice to meet you."
"Usopp, you do so have a bounty!" Nami snapped.
"No I don't! Sogeking has a bounty!" Usopp corrected to her with a grin. Nami's jaw fell. "Yeah, some people think he and I look a lot a like, but it's not so!"
"Is that so? I've never met Sogeking, and the picture only shows the mask."
"Banheart- hang on-" Nami tried to interrupt, but Usopp kept talking.
"You look like you could use some more sleep. I'm sorry for waking you." He patted her hand in his. "We can get to know each other when it's light out, okay?"
"Okay. Thank you, Mr. Usopp." She turned and walked back into the lounge. When the door shut, Usopp turned around to Nami.
"Who was that?" He folded his arms, and Nami groaned.
"Come on, I'll explain everything." She opened the door to the girls' cabin to invite him in.
Usopp listened to Nami and Robin explain what had happened at Marineford, and he was horrified when he heard about Ace. "That's just plain terrible. Just awful! I mean, with your brother dying in your arms…"
"Terribly romantic, in a way," Robin remarked.
"Oh, there's nothing romantic about it, it's just terrible!" Nami snapped. "Luffy's brother is dead!"
"Man, and that was his girlfriend… I've got an idea. I'll try to cheer her up." Usopp grinned. "After all, she seems to be scared of you guys!"
"I can't believe she doesn't see it!" Nami moaned, but Robin simply chuckled and patted her back.
"She barely knows him. If she does meet Sogeking, surely, she'll realize it." Robin tried to cheer up Nami, and Usopp left to get to work.
He made his approach a little later in the morning, just before breakfast time. She was staring at the composition book she'd dug out of her suitcase, at the strange tune she'd half-composed before Ace's death. She couldn't bring herself to keep writing it, and was almost tempted to shred it herself. Usopp slid his head around the door.
"Knock knock!" He chirped, and entered before she could invite him in. "Good morning, Miss Banheart! Can I call you Banny?"
"Banny?" She turned around.
"Yeah, it sounds kind of like 'bunny,' and you remind me a lot of a bunny rabbit!" Usopp seemed pleased with himself. Banheart shook her head in disbelief for a moment, and finally smiled.
"Sure, if that's what makes you comfortable. Can I help you?"
"Actually, I was just coming to see if I can help you!" He beamed. "You know, I know a little about music myself."
"Do you? Miss Robin mentioned that the crew musician was named, uh… Brook… and Miss Nami mentioned something about you using the cannon."
"Well, I might officially be the crew's marksman, but I have a wide variety of other talents! I drew the crew's flag, you know. I just restrict myself to sharpshooting so the others don't feel like I outshine them." He grinned. "Honest truth!"
"I suppose you'd like to play something?" She rose from the bench and gestured to it. "Please, don't let me be in your way."
"Oh, I wouldn't want to make you feel bad by showing you the extent of my talents," Usopp demured slyly, "But if you'd like, I'll happily play a little something I whipped up recently! Would you like to hear it?"
"Of course, please," she agreed. Usopp sat at the bench and wiggled his fingers. He tested a few keys with his fingers to find the right note. Very carefully, he pecked out a simple tune note by note.
"Oh, whistle while you work,
Sengoku is a jerk!
Marines, they sure are mean,
But ol' Blackbeard is much worse!"
Banheart clapped and laughed. "That's a nice one, Mr. Usopp!"
"I thought you might appreciate that!" He seemed immensely proud of himself. Sanji popped his head in.
"Usopp, what the hell are you doing?"
"He was just showing me his talents at music," she explained, and Sanji scowled.
"Usopp, you couldn't carry a tune in a bucket if there was Superglue on the handles. Quit lyin' to her." He vanished, and Usopp laughed nervously.
"You don't know music?" She looked back at him, and he laughed nervously and shook his head.
"I know a little, but not nearly as much as you."
"Good." She smiled. "The way your hands were positioned made me worried."
"I just wanted to cheer you up, after everything that happened to you. I mean, with the Whitebeard pirates, and your friend."
"You mean him." Banheart folded her arms. "I wish people didn't feel like they had to be so careful around me. I'm not that delicate."
"But- you just lost the one you love."
"I lost two people I loved, Mr. Usopp," she hissed sharply. "That doesn't mean I'm broken."
"Two?"
"Lord Whitebeard. He… he was better than a father to me. He did more for me as a father in just four months than my own father did for me throughout my whole life." She hefted herself onto the bench, folding her hands on her middle and staring at them. "It's hard to say which one I loved- or miss- more."
"I heard Whitebeard was really terrifying… What sort of things did Whitebeard do?" Usopp asked with a curious frown. Banheart couldn't meet his eyes anymore as she spoke.
"He comforted me when I was alone and wounded, and made me feel like a human after I'd been reduced to trash," she murmured. "He comforted me when I had night terrors. He accepted me as I was; he even stood up for me when his allies didn't trust me. He made me feel brave enough to speak my mind in front of the most fearsome people on the ocean. He made me smile. All everyone knows is the strongest man in the world! They didn't see the biggest heart in the world!" She clenched her fists. Usopp looked sympathetic.
"Must be hard, seeing him killed like that…"
"He wasn't killed, no, he wasn't." She bit her lip, feeling a surge of righteousness to defend her father's honor. "I know he's dead… but he didn't die because he was killed. It would have taken more than their army of goddamn monsters, more than the damned Admirals, more than anything they could have thrown at him! He died because he'd failed his sons in this world and was going to help them in the next! He welcomed death, don't you see? He chose to die!" Banheart's eyes were full of fury. "He knew… he knew he was going to die!"
"Wow," Usopp murmured, clearly impressed. "I knew Whitebeard was strong, but not that strong!"
"Of course he was that strong! He was even stronger than anyone imagined! Mr. Usopp, Pops was an amazing man. I just wish he could come back."
"I know. It is hard when you lose someone you love. I still think about my mother sometimes."
"I don't even remember my mother. She was out of my life before I turned three. The only thing I remember is sitting on the bench beside her once while she played piano." Banheart spread her fingers across the keys.
"My mother was very ill," Usopp said quietly, almost defensively.
"My mother was simply gone. She left my father." As she kept thinking, she began to play a slow round.
"My father left us to be a pirate."
"Mine was always gone. He's a Marine."
"Heh, that's kind of funny, really. We're kind of opposites." Usopp smiled. "Hey, maybe you and me could be good friends!"
"You… want to be my friend?" Banheart gave him a sideways glance as she continued to play.
"Sure I do! You seem like a normal person, and it'll be nice not to be the only one around here." Usopp grinned, and she broke into a smile again.
"Okay. I'd like that."
"Hey, Banheart. Just between friends." Usopp kept watching her play, curious as to how such simple movements could be so graceful and create something so complex. "Do you think Whitebeard would have let me join his crew?"
"What do you mean, Mr. Usopp?"
"Well, a normal guy like me, who can't do that much… would he have let me join?"
"Probably, if you wanted it bad enough." Banheart smiled wistfully. "He even let someone as weak as me help." Her fingers trembled on the keys. "Usopp, thank you."
"Huh? Why? What did I do?"
"I… I haven't been able to talk about it." She smiled, and her eyes welled up again.
"Hey, I didn't mean to make you cry!" Usopp began to dig in his pockets, but she pulled a tissue from the box on top of the piano.
"I'm okay… really!" She dabbed at her eyes. "I… I'm just so glad I can still talk about him!" As Usopp comforted her, neither of them realized that they were being watched outside.
"I don't even believe it," Zoro muttered from the door. "Usopp's out-charmed Sanji without even trying."
"It's not my fault!" Sanji hissed. "I made a dumb mistake!"
"Either way, I think the real test will be if he can get her to talk about her lover," Zoro continued, as though Sanji hadn't spoken. Chopper hugged onto Sanji's leg to keep him under control. Robin shook her head at Zoro's suggestion.
"I think it would take either an idiot or someone completely lacking in tact to even consider bringing him up in front of her." She pursed her lips in thought. "Perhaps… we will need to be prepared."
The evening was late and the night air filled with wind as Banheart played a series of operatic movements for a small audience of whoever was in earshot. Robin had settled herself on one of the sofas with a book and a pot of hot tea. Sanji had joined her briefly to drink some, leaving his own dirty cup and Robin's cup, but one cup remained on the tray, upturned but unfilled. Robin seemed to be silently enjoying the music, but she seemed to be listening for something else. She heard it soon enough: footsteps outside. Banheart didn't notice, too enveloped in the music, and didn't even notice when the lounge door creaked open. Robin looked up and smiled at the gaunt face at the door, and pressed a finger to her lips as she nodded towards the pianist. Banheart heard the footsteps now, and tensed slightly. Robin seemed to remain nonchalant as the door shut again, though it was a thin veneer over a fear for her unfortunate guest's sanity. Footsteps retreated, heading for the men's cabin down the stairs, and Banheart could relax again.
From outside, however, another voice joined that of the piano when the hum of a violin echoed in the night air. Banheart smiled on the inside- the crew's musician? She kept playing, matching his harmony with the well-known melody, not even faltering in her excitement. Footsteps echoed closer and closer, the door opened, the violin's song was soon right behind her like a ghost coming in the window. "I'll stop at the next coda and introduce myself," she said aloud, and she heard him murmur in assent. They drew to a close simultaneously, the sounds stark and distinct in the cool night.
"My, your playing is excellent for a student your age," a cool, low voice remarked. "Your beauty does not belie your talents, as clearly the beauty of both is near equivalent."
"Thank you, Mister-" She turned on the bench, and froze. Robin closed her book, ready to jump in, but Brook remained completely calm as Banheart looked into the face of death. "… A dream?" She whimpered.
"Revive-Revive fruit," he explained simply, and sat on the bench beside her. "Fear not, I'm no ghost, nor dream, nor even a nightmare!" She shivered and tried to back away from him, but he kept speaking. "I died fifty years ago, but my spirit was bound to return due to the powers of the fruit I had eaten. Of course, it wandered too long around the world, and when it did find my body again, my flesh had long since rotted away. I still returned to it, and thus do I live." She couldn't tell if he was smiling or frowning, even as he turned his empty eye sockets to his long, thin finger bones. "It really is not nearly as inconvenient as you might think it would be. My appearance is surprising, and I still feel human enough! I can imagine though, how seeing someone like me might get under your skin- I still remember when I had skin! Yohohoho!"
"I… ah…" Banheart was still pale. "I'm sorry… you've really surprised me…"
"I see." Brook nodded, considering her again. "May I borrow some money?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm trying to save money right now, sir."
"I see. Would you like to borrow some money?" Robin giggled when Brook said this, and Banheart smiled a little as well- he really seemed more like someone's goofball uncle than a terrifying ghoul.
"I'm alright for now, thank you. I didn't catch your name."
"You may call me Brook," he intoned politely, then eagerly added, "The Pure-Bone Gentleman!"
"A pleasure, Mr. Brook." She offered her hand, and he shook it very gently. "Your violin work was truly lovely. Do you play any other instruments?"
"Yes, my specialty is piano." He gestured to the keyboard with a wave of his hand. "It seems the same can be said for you. Would you like to play a duet?"
"That would be magnificent, I haven't played a duet since I was in school," she smiled brightly. "Shall we play a piece from Carmen?"
"Ah, a classic! Yohoho! Let us play a variation on Habanera, it's a real classic. You take the melody and I shall play on the bass." Brook cracked his knuckles. "At your leave, miss."
Banheart reclaimed her spot beside him, and began to tap time on the bench with her index finger. Brook nodded, getting the beat in his mind, and then began the slow, up-and-down bass. She joined in with the aria, her eyes closed and her shoulders swaying as she listened. The bliss of harmony was like a panacea to her weary mind. Other Straw Hat crew members seemed to hear the music and were drawn in like it was a siren song, and soon, Sanji and Zoro meandered in, closely followed by Usopp and Chopper.
"Drinking songs, do you know any?" She asked quietly as they neared the end of the song.
"Only a thousand! Shall we strike up a few?"
"I think it would suit this audience, would you mind?"
"Oh, I'd love to!"
"Wonderful! I miss a good drinking song. Miss a good drink, at that," she chuckled. The two struck the final notes, and shook hands again as the echoes traveled further and faded. "Mister Brook, may I ask you something?"
"Of course. Yes, I do."
"Pardon?" She frowned.
"You don't need to ask. I do poop." Brook beamed, and Banheart turned pink from forehead to chin.
"N-not at all what I'm asking. I wanted to know, since you're dead and you might know- do all spirits wander the world after they pass on?" She looked down from his eyes a little. "I lost two very dear friends recently, one who called me daughter, one who said he loved me, both of whom I loved… I wanted to know if, maybe, they're watching me." The gathered eavesdropped silently on their conversation, and Robin watched Brook out of the corner of her eye as he seemed to consider her query.
"I…" He started, clearing his throat with a soft hiss. "I wandered the world because I left unfinished business. Many days did I spend dwelling on the friend I left behind in the land of the living. I wonder how long I walked beside him, unseen, unable to reach out to him, before I returned to my body?" He pondered distantly for a moment. "The difference is, however, is that the ones you loved cannot return. The man who loved you did, however, leave you with unfinished business, did he not?" Brook's lithe fingers walked up the swell of Banheart's belly, the thin fingertips leaving little dents where they pressed before the flesh sprung back. "What sort of person can abandon something such as this? If you ask me, I'd say I was certain that his spirit wanders around you, perhaps consciously, perhaps not. Until he has settled himself in knowing that you and your child will be alright without him, he will be the light over your shoulder, the shadow at your heels. Do not take me to mean, however, that he feels no peace." Brook folded his hands on his knee, meeting Banheart's intent gaze evenly. "I only say that he will see you through. That is, at least, my own experience." Banheart nodded to herself, and lifted her gaze to the ceiling.
"Th-thank you. That… just hearing that makes me really very happy!" She threw her arms around him, her cheek against his hollow ribcage, and he lightly patted her shoulder.
"It is a gentleman's duty. Shall we begin?" Brook rose from the bench and picked his violin up again. "Yohoho! A song for beer!"
"Beer!" Banheart cheered, her tears receding to where they'd come from, and she struck up the tune. He joined in. "One more thing; may I call you Maestro?"
"Why, nothing would please me more!" Brook beamed pleasantly down at her, and they played on into the night.
Banheart awoke to someone shaking her shoulder, and looked up to see Rayleigh Silvers standing over her. "Captain's coming, young lady. Get yourself dressed and head outside." Ray smiled coolly and left her with her suitcase and thoughts. She wasn't sure why he sounded so intent, what his mischievous smirk hid, but she was wary now.
Dressed and clean, wearing her standard billowing skirt and camisole, she emerged onto the deck, and saw the others lining up shoulder to shoulder. She slipped down the stairs and stood beside Brook. Robin stood on her other side, and Usopp took a spot beside Brook. She lowered her eyes. Silvers Rayleigh waited by the ramp, as a familiar pair of sandals plodded up. Monkey D. Luffy walked onto the Thousand Sunny for the first time in three weeks, and approached the center of the lineup. He steadied himself, looking at each of them one by one. "Captain on the deck," Rayleigh chuckled softly, folding his arms and smirking as all of the Straw Hats thought about what to say, what to do. Silence, then…
"Luffy!" Usopp launched himself forward and hugged onto Luffy. Luffy grinned and embraced him back, his face immediately flooded with tears of joy.
"Usopp! Everybody!" Luffy howled, and rubber arms flew out to grab the entire crew into the biggest group hug one could imagine. Robin laughed as she embraced him, Franky was bawling, Sanji seemed to be trying to hug Nami, Zoro was caught between happiness and disgust, and even their chaos was exuberant.
"Scary indeed," Rayleigh taunted Banheart from behind her, as she stood where she had, watching Luffy's display. "I'll just wait." Rayleigh backed away, looking over the side of the ship as though expecting someone else. Banheart couldn't hide a small giggle as Luffy greeted each and every crew member with happy yells, hugs, and noogies.
"I missed you! I missed you too! And I missed you! And you! Missed you too! Oh, and I missed you just as much!" Suddenly, Luffy's head and stretched neck popped in front of her. "I did not miss you, since I do not know you." The rest of Luffy's body snapped back in front of her, as he looked her up and down. "Who are you? Why are you on my ship?"
"Um…" His eyes bored into hers, and she sized him up. He was only an inch taller than her, and he looked much less mature. Something about his eyes, though, put a chill into her. "Wolfe Banheart, Captain Luffy. Lord Rayleigh brought me aboard."
"Oh. Okay." Despite his understanding, he frowned. "Are you… making fun of me?"
"Huh?" Her eyes widened. "Wh-why, I would never-"
"Did you come here looking for trouble? Mr. Ray, what's with this chick?" Luffy's anger seemed to be rising like mercury in a thermometer. Rayleigh folded his arms.
"Watch your temper, Luffy, I see no reason for you to be angry."
"Fine, then, if you don't know-" Luffy looked back at her. "Why do you have that tattoo?" He jabbed at the ASCE tattoo on her upper arm, and she flinched. "Do you know where it came from?"
"A friend," she murmured, unsure of how else to explain when he was already so angry. "I got it in his honor shortly before he-"
"Died," Luffy growled, his scowl deepening. "You're… making fun of my brother!"
"No, why would I do that?" Banheart felt a frown crease her forehead. "How can you think I would ever-"
"Do you even know what that means? Why would you come around here? Do you even know what happened to him?" Luffy stomped his foot. "Are you going to pretend to care?"
Banheart punched him in the face.
The collective looks of shock on the face of the entire crew, save for Rayleigh, would have easily sold for more than the price of their collective bounties. Luffy stumbled back, taken aback more in shock than pain, before wrathfully winding back to take a swing at her. He was surprised when a hand grabbed his, and saw a familiar fleur hanging off his shoulder, holding his wrist tight.
"Don't hit her," Robin said aloud. "She's not a fighter."
"Miss Robin…" Banheart started, realizing what she'd done, but then seeing what was different. Robin, Chopper, Usopp, and Zoro had all moved forward when Luffy had started to attack her. She had a side. She wasn't going to be ganged up on. It was a fair fight.
"She's making fun of me!" Luffy roared. "She's making fun of my brother!"
"If you'll listen for ten seconds, you'll see just how wrong you are!" Zoro barked, as Robin seized Luffy's ankles and joints to keep him from charging Banheart where she stood.
"Banny, go inside until we can cool him off!" Chopper squeaked.
"No," she said, as something clicked. "He… he insulted my honor, and I've already landed the first blow!"
Collective shock. This time, even Rayleigh looked bemused. Luffy was still panting in anger, his cheeks red, pupils shrunk.
"Let go of him. He's your captain, isn't he? If he needs me to prove myself- to prove my loyalty to the man I love!- I'll give him all the proof he needs! Even if he is terrifying… even if I know I'm going to lose…" She cracked her knuckles against her palm. "I've taken beatings before and for worse reasons! I'll do it again!"
"Don't be stupid!" Zoro roared, but it was too late. Robin, as though she'd lost all of her senses, let go of Luffy.
"If that's what you want," she murmured, turning away and folding her arms.
Luffy tore away and threw himself at her. Banheart had sense enough to dodge to the side when he swung, and punched at the back of his head. He went down, tumbling, but grabbed her foot to take her down with him. Still above him, though she stumbled, she leaned forward around her stiff middle and tried to pinch the nerve on the back of his neck, and pushed him down onto his front. He snarled and pushed himself up, despite her weight, and threw her back. She caught herself on her arm, flinching as the wood scraped her forearm, and struggled to get back on her feet. Luffy jumped to a stand and let out an animal-like roar as he charged at her headfirst, and she had just enough time to lift one leg and kick him in the gut. She could feel the baby thrashing as both she and Luffy recovered, as though in resistance to its mother's actions, but she couldn't do anything about it. She turned around, fists clenched as she took position and tried to breathe.
"You… you were the Straw Hat kid in Alabasta!" She accused sharply. "I saw you!"
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" He snarled, and launched a Gatling-Gun round of punches at her. She couldn't dodge them all, she knew, but she whirled around to take a flurry of hard hits to her back. She heard him approach, and whirled around, pitched a false swipe, and used her recovery to kick him in the back as he passed her.
"Quit fighting dirty, damn it!" Zoro snapped from the side, and both of them were distracted. The Straw Hats had formed a circle around the two fighters. Franky and Robin were resisting jumping into the fray, Sanji was only restrained by two fleur gripping his ankles, Nami was clinging to Usopp and covering her eyes, Usopp was forcing himself to watch, Chopper was crying, latched to Zoro's leg, and Brook gripped his cane like it was bracing him in an earthquake. Zoro, however, wouldn't let his principles go by the wayside even in this most unprincipled situation. "Quit going for the back!"
"I'm not going to take a hit to the front, damn it!" She panted.
"Luffy, this isn't a fair fight!" Nami cried.
"I'll kick her ass anyway!" Luffy ran for her again, a charging bull with his fist wound, she pulled her arm back and both clocked the other in the chest when they collided. He stayed upright, but his punch was harder and she choked on the breath in her throat. He recovered and wound back, aiming for her gut, but Robin halted him with thirty fleur latched all over his entire body to tie him to the floor.
"It's not fair…" Robin whispered, then screamed, "It's not fair! I'm not going to stand by and let you kill a child! You're not a monster, Luffy!" Banheart dropped to her knees, then to her back, wheezing. Air wasn't coming, her lungs felt flat.
"It's not a fair fight on your side, Luffy, she had the advantage!" Usopp added. "It's not fair at all!"
"Why the hell not? She asked for it!" Luffy cried, still catching his breath as well.
"It's two-on-one!" Franky shouted. Luffy lost all of his anger into confusion.
"Wh-what? I don't see two." Luffy cocked his head. Chopper finally rushed forward to Banheart, closely followed by Brook and Rayleigh.
"Banny! Banny! Breathe!" Chopper wailed, and Rayleigh breathed into her mouth to help her fill her lungs again. Chopper started trying to resuscitate her even as her vision still spun in consciousness.
"Look at her, idiot." Zoro pointed at her prone body as Chopper tried to administer care. Luffy did.
"So what? That's a fat girl, not two people, and it doesn't change the facts-"
"Have you ever heard of the birds and the bees?" Brook asked. Luffy grunted.
"Birds are delicious and bees make honey. That's all there is to it! Why does any of this have anything to do with why I shouldn't finish her off?"
"Luffy, do you know where babies come from?" Sanji growled. "I swear to God, Robin, you better hold me back tighter if he doesn't shape up damn quick…"
"Grandpa told me where babies come from. That's when two people do the birds and the bees thing, and then the baby comes out of the woman's tummy."
"She did the birds and bees thing with your brother!" Nami and Usopp both shouted. It took Luffy ten seconds to do the math.
"GAH! You did the birds and the bees thing?" Luffy began to tremble.
"She's not going to be talking for a few more minutes," Chopper murmured, even as Banheart managed to take a full breath on her own. She lifted her hand, trying to move, but Zoro stepped forward and lightly swatted her back down.
"Stay down, you've already lost, and I don't think anybody here wants to be responsible for you or the baby getting hurt!"
"B-baby?" Luffy's eyes widened in realization. Chopper pressed his ear to Banheart's middle.
"I can still hear a regular heartbeat. Whew! She and the baby are going to be fine…" He sighed in relief, as Luffy began to panic.
"She's got a baby in her tummy? WAH!"
"Yes!" Sanji snarled. "She is having your brother's baby, and pretty damn soon! I'll kill him, damn it!"
"Sanji, she accepted his challenge. People have to make their own stupid decisions sometimes. I think we all should know that by now." Robin approached Luffy, who was sniffling as his eyes and nose ran. "If I let you go, are you going to hit her again?"
"No! Never!" Luffy began to wail. "I was wrong! I don't want to hurt my baby brother!" Robin released him, and he dropped to his knees at her side. "Banny? They called you Banny, right? I'm really, really sorry! I don't hate you!" He grabbed her hands, but she twitched from his grasp. "Are you okay? Please say you're okay! Did I hurt you that bad?" He then pressed his ear to her belly, much like Chopper had. "Baby brother, are you okay in there?"
"Shh…" Banheart hissed weakly, forcing herself to focus on him. "I'm okay… he or she is okay… I asked for it, didn't I…?"
"You're as headstrong as he is, Banheart," a familiar voice grumbled. Rayleigh chuckled and shook Jinbei's hand as he came aboard. "So, you've met your brother's widow."
"You knew?" Luffy wailed. "I wish I'd known!"
"There's something of Ace left, see?" Jinbei smirked a little, before kneeling down by her. "Banheart, do you need some help?"
"N-no…" she murmured. "L-Luffy… do you believe me now…? I… loved… your brother. I… love… Ace." She held her hand up, and Luffy helped her pull up to a slumped sit. "I… saw you… you held him when he was dying… I could only watch…" She swallowed hard. "There was nothing I could do… Pops… Whitebeard would have wanted me miles away, but instead, I watched both of them die, completely helpless… I wish I could have said goodbye! I loved him, damn it!"
"I loved him too!" Luffy cried, hugging onto her. "I love my baby brother too! Please don't be mad at me anymore! You can stay on forever! I'll like you now, as much as I can! Just be okay!" Banheart froze for a moment, finally deciding that it was okay, captains gave good hugs, and hugging him back. "I… I'll protect you… because Ace can't do it anymore, I will!"
"Thank you, Luffy," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes on his sleeve.
"Just don't cry. Smiling feels better. Besides, you shouldn't be so sad when you've got great comrades by your side."
"I'm going to take her to the infirmary to be sure she's okay," Chopper mumbled.
"I'll help." Luffy got to his feet, and he, Chopper, and Jinbei helped her up and towards the cabin house. Luffy possessively rubbed Banheart's belly, smiling eagerly. Rayleigh chuckled and went back to his lawn chair, and Zoro groaned and rubbed his temples as the remainder of the crew relaxed.
"He is so… goddamn… simple."
"Water under the bridge now," Sanji added, stretching his legs. "The most important thing is that we're back together as a crew, though."
"I missed him," Nami added with a smile.
"We'll have to start figuring out where to go from here… especially with our special new comrade aboard," Robin concluded. "Let's get back to our tearful reunion, shall we?"
The nine Straw Hats were happily reunited, and they knew that life would go on in a different way. This did not mean, however, that all was well, nor that it even could be.
End Notes: A few quick notes!
Usopp's "Whistle While You Work" song is a parody off of an old WWII song that insulted America's enemies. I was writing this while learning about it in class, and it kind of stuck.
I also have to apologize if this chapter was repetitive, since I didn't want to cop out with "Everyone meets everyone." I instead tried to reveal more of her inner thoughts with each scene. I hope this wasn't too much!
I'm not sure what else to say for this chapter. Next chapter will be the second version of events starting from the end of chapter 12 and going through a "B" path. Again, both paths will lead to the same chapter 15. Please don't forget to review, because reviews are awesome! Any questions, concerns, or ideas can be left there! Review review review!