"Get this damn arrow out of me!" Chas screamed in between her heavy breaths as she gripped her leg.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Chas-san!" Sanji said, trying to calm the girl. "Just hang in there a little longer."
At the moment Zoro, Sanji, and Chas were taking cover in a cave found in one of the ice cream hills as Atif and Luffy were returning to the Sunny to get Chopper.
Once they had taken refuge, it was soon discovered that Chas, and Zoro, had been hit with arrows. Zoro had easily pulled his out of his arm, but Chas wasn't so lucky. The arrow in Chas's thigh was stuck, and every time they tried pulling it out it tore more flesh than before. Thus, it was decided Atif and Luffy would go back to the ship and get Chopper, saying as they didn't want to risk dragging Chas with them. There was a possible chance they could get attacked again, and if that happened then Chas would need to fight, but at the moment she couldn't with the Kairoseki arrow in her.
Sanji patted Chas's forehead of the sweat dripping down and then looked back over his shoulder, out the entrance of the cave, looking for any sign of Atif and Luffy. "Damn it! Where the hell are they? They're taking way to long! We didn't stray that far from the Sunny!"
"Maybe they got lost," Chas suggested. She then chuckled. "Better than Mochi's idea of going alone."
"Shut up," Zoro snarled, walking back into the cave dusting off his shoulders of all the ice cream snow. "There's no sign of them yet, but the weather's getting worse. If it gets any worse, they probably won't come until morning."
"I told ya," Chas said, narrowing her eyes at both men, "it was a bad idea to send them out anyway! I could take care of myself!"
"Just shut up!" Zoro snapped. "Quit saying you don't need help when you actually do. That's only something a scrawny assed kid would say!"
"Then take yer own advice, Mochi!" Chas shouted at him, about to stand up but Sanji kept her sitting.
"Will you both just stop?!" Sanji shouted at both of them (even if he didn't want to shout at Chas). Sanji looked to Zoro. "There is a group of people out looking for us right now and Chas-san is injured. If we get attacked right now, we're going to have to take the initiative! Now's not the time for your petty arguments with her, Marimo!"
"You don't think I know that?!" Zoro shouted at Sanji. "I'm just telling her she needs to stop with her stupid façade and just say she needs help!"
"Of like you've ever done that!" Sanji countered. "When was the last time, in a fight, you got injured and actually admitted that you were so injured you couldn't take care of yourself, huh?!"
Chas sighed, ignoring everything the boys were shouting at each other. At some point she heard another voice begin to talk to her.
"I'm amazed at your luck, Chasaji…"
Chas looked around, but no one but she, Zoro, and Sanji were in the cave. This caused her to wonder who was talking to her.
"Don't worry. I'm all in your head." The voice chuckled. "I wouldn't want anyone else hearing me."
Chas lifted an eyebrow. Who are you? she asked through her mind.
"Who am I?" the voice questioned with a laugh. "Why, I'm the thing you've been carrying around for months now!" Chas's eyes widened. "Honestly, I should have said something after my first attempt at getting rid of you failed." The voice sighed. "I don't ever remember when someone escaped death so many times like you have."
Chas looked to her right arm, eyeing the armor that encased it. So yer the voice of the armor?
"That's right." Chas could hear the confident smile in the armor's voice. "You should be honored, not very many people have heard my voice. Then again, no one has escaped my curse so many times like you have."
Sorry to disappoint… Chas scoffed.
"Oh, I'm not disappointed." Chas lifted another eyebrow. "I would like to ask you a quick question: Why do you think you've been having dreams of your crew's death every night, hm?" Chas's eyebrows knitted together in irritation. "Do you think it's your fault because they're dead? Because you weren't the captain you were hoping for? Or is that you're not like Strawhat Luffy and-"
SHUT IT! Chas thought, closing her eyes tightly. Ya know nothin' about how I feel about that!
"Oh, but I do. I know exactly how you feel. I have been strapped to your scrawny arm for some time now thanks to this curse. I've learned a few things about you, some things you don't even realize yourself." The voice gave another chuckle. "And I'm quite intrigued."
Well, that's sadistic… Chas thought with a laugh. So, what? Yer not goin' to kill me?
"Yet." Chas opened her eyes again, looking towards the armor again. "But just know there's always a chance of me changing my mind. Then again, if you manage to figure out the journal and find the rest of me then I won't kill you as a reward."
Why the hell would I care about that?
"Aren't you afraid of death?"
Chas was silent for a moment.
"Every human, no matter how strong, is afraid of the things they can't control: Fate, time, death. You're no different, Captain of the Shotgun Pirate Chasaji. You're just putting up a front like everyone else."
Chas closed her eyes once again. And that's where you're wrong.
"Hm?"
It's true that most people fear death, or fate, or maybe even time…but I know a few people who don't care for any of them. Chas laughed. And truthfully, I've gotten to be the same way. Chas smiled. So if ya want to kill me, then do it.
The armor gave a moment of silence before speaking again. "Interesting…" After that, Chas didn't hear anything more from the armor.
"OW!" Chas screamed when she suddenly felt the arrow move in her leg. She looked up and saw Chopper in front of her, shocked, along with the others: Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Atif.
"You're awake!" Luffy cheered, grinning widely.
"I've been awake!" Chas shouted.
"No you haven't," Zoro said, crossing his arms. "You passed out minutes before they arrived."
Chas was confused. She could have sworn she was awake and watching Zoro and Sanji argue with each other. Was it all just in her head?
"Chas," Chopper said, hovering his hoof over the arrow, "I'm going to pull it out on the count of three, okay?"
Chas nodded. Chopper then counted down and when he reached 'three', he yanked the arrow out of her thigh, making her scream a few curses from the pain. But after a while, the pain subsided and Chas could only feel the blood slowly run down her leg and her eyes begin to shut on her.
"Chas?" Chopper questioned, but she was unresponsive. "Chas, are you all right?"
Chas's eyes shut and the voices from Chopper and the others began blurred and was just a bunch of ringing in her ears. Pretty soon, she saw absolutely nothing, having passed out from the loss of blood.
