And here we are with another chapter of this word vomit. I think I'm getting the hang of this writing thing again. (Laughs insanely) then again, I don't know. You tell me. Haha. Anyway. Here's another chapter of weirdness. This one has some swapping of POVs and also mentions of weed as well as continued strong language. So. . . Yeah if that's not your thing, then you've been warned.

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Chapter Three

The next morning found me on the lawn of the deck once more with my blanket. With a sense of da ja vu, I tracked the scent of coffee to the galley, where I, once again, paused at the door. Yesterday's brunch had happened to work out, but what did that say about today? Closing my eyes, I braced myself as I opened the door to the morning chaos. Starr was already raising hackles at the treatment Luffy received, but I tried to ignore it in favor of fixing a mug of coffee and making plans to slip back out the door to smoke immediately afterwards.

"Dot-chan! Where are you going? You need to eat breakfast."

Dammit, Sanji and your watchful eyes. . .

Pausing at the door, hot coffee in one hand, unlit cigarette already out in the other with fingers of the same hand on the door handle, I turned my head back to look at the previously rowdy bunch that had quieted at Sanji's question. Without a word, I popped my joe in my mouth as an answer and continued my way outside to sit on the top step of the galley's deck. With the breeze in my face, I preceded to enjoy my next thirty minutes of (mostly) peace and quiet.

Breakfast ended. Sanji was pissed but maintained his flirty manner even while scolding me about food being important and shouldn't be gone without while at sea. I was impressed how well he kept his composure. Even after his tyrant, he offered a couple more hand-rolled cigarettes as well as a plate full of eggs, bacon, grits, and toast. A typical, western style breakfast. My belly churned at the smell of eggs and bacon grease. With a set jaw, I shook my head and declined.

"No, thank you, Sanji. I appreciate the thought that you saved me something. Thank you, though." I inclined a slight bow of the head in gratitude. I didn't want to be rude after all.

'What's ruder than declinin' a sea chef's food?' Starr scoffed in the back of my head.

I felt the heat rise to my cheeks. She had a point... Starr hummed as I noted my mistake.

Sanji shifted his stance as he drew his own smoke out of his pocket and lit it with a long drag. His eyebrow was twitching as he exhaled. That's not good. With a smile full of gritted teeth, he pointed his cancer stick at me. "And could I ask why the lady refuses breakfast?"

I frowned at him. "I'm not hungry. And my stomach doesn't settle well with breakfast first thing after waking, anyway. Give it to the captain so it doesn't go to waste."

"The shitty captain had plenty. Everyone needs to be properly fed. No one goes away hungry at my table, especially not the ladies."

I felt Starr twitch violently at the reference to the captain. I paused, closing my eyes as I drew a puff off my own smoke while I tried to mentally maintain Starr's fury to within. I sure didn't need her coming out pissed off, if at all.

'Pussy.' Arianna laughed at the back of my subconscious as my face flushed at her jab. In anger, shame, or embarrassment; I'm not sure. Maybe a mixture. I breathed deep, hoping to maintain what passed as a steady composure. He was still standing there, waiting.

I gritted my teeth, fighting waring emotions as I finally replied. "Please. Sanji, just give the damn food to the captain, or even Usopp, since he seems to be the main target for the captain's food theft at the table. If I'm hungry at breakfast, I'll eat with everyone else. But, until then, let me enjoy my coffee and tea until lunch. Please."

Fuck, I was shaking. This felt like an arguement. Was this an arguement? I hate confrontation. I didn't want to fight with anyone. I might be bullheaded and stubborn as the next Taurus, but I didn't have the will to always back up my convictions like most did. I broke too easy, and I knew it.

Sanji huffed, smoke making him look like a raging bull. Gritting his teeth again, he smiled his fake, flirty smile, a hint of madness in his eyes. "Fine. For now. But you will eat lunch and dinner. No excuses, Dot-chan!"

He turned on one heel, shoved the plate at Usopp, and stormed into the galley with a trail of smoke following his wake.

That... went better then I thought it would...

"I'll say." Nami slapped a hand on my shoulder, resulting in me giving a yelp and jumping a mile in surprise. "I thought he was going to blow a gasket. I'm proud how well he maintained himself."

She smiled broadly with a snicker, looking towards the galley while I eased from under her hand. She turned back to me. "You want to guide me around the island? I got about half of it measured yesterday and I want to finish up today before we go in the morning."

I shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Maybe stop by my fishing hole and make sure all my lines are pulled up before we leave too. I didn't think about checking yesterday."

In the end, Robin and Chopper wanted to tag along. Robin probably wanted to examine the ruins again before we left. She went to the galley to ask for some lunch boxes while Nami went for some of her instruments she needed. Chopper and I waited below on the beach, him giving me a lift down, of course. We waited a bit, Robin and Nami finding us at the edge of the trees with me showing Chopper how I could grow a plant from seed to fruition in a matter of minutes. He was delighted and filled with wonder, if the stars in his eyes were anything to go by.

"That could prove to be a very useful devil fruit." Robin stood there, observing with a finger on her cheek. "Just imagine the spices and herbs for food and medical purposes that could be used within minutes instead of weeks or months of toiling to cultivate them. Just fascinating... Dot-san, can you create the desired plant seeds at will or do you need the seed first?"

I blinked at her question while Chopper pulled some of the fruits off the mulberry bush I'd helped sprout and mature, happily munching away at them.

That was a good question, honestly. I hadn't thought about that. Of course, just discovering this as a devil fruit that I had ended up with, now the possiblities could be almost endless with what I could do with it. I stared at my hands for a moment then closed them together, concentrating until I felt something... odd going on in between my hands. Opening them, we discovered that I'd produced a small handful of tiny seeds. I grinned widely.

"Hell yeah! Thank you, Robin. I would've never thought of that."

"What kind of seeds are those?" Chopper peered curiously into my hands at the tan, speckled seeds.

"Why, my favorite flower, the marijuana plant, my lovely doctor. I'm sure you'll find it's medical uses helpful for something. It can be used as a pain reliever or a relaxant when eaten, drank, or smoked. It can also help increase appetite and help with sleep. It depends on how you use it and which strand of the plant you're working with. If you want, for now we can save them to grow on board."

Chopper seemed excited for new herbs, and even pulled out an empty vial from his bag to put the seeds in. His ears twitched in interest as he peered at them for a moment before putting them away. Could it be that he didn't know what they were because he come from a winter island? Or maybe this world didn't have pot here... that didn't seem right... maybe it just went by a different name? I would find out later.

And so, our adventure across the island commenced. The group of us took off, Robin and Chopper splitting off at the site of the ruins, leaving Nami and I to continue our journey around the rest of the island. After all of the measurements were taken, which took until past lunchtime and into the evening, we double backed to the inlet I had used for a fishing spot so that I could check for any lines and pack them up. There was three left, two with catch attached, so we took them with us. Luffy and Zoro popped up about then, the captain, of course, excited for extra meat in his kitchen. Zoro, it turns out, had been napping until our dear captain dragged him along in search of anything more interesting then sitting on a beached ship. The ship is going back into the water tonight, right?

Of course, I asked this outloud, as Nami answered, "Nah. We'll push her back out in the morning with the high tide and prepare to sail. Where Sunny is right now is fine. We're hidden away pretty well, so we shouldn't be spotted. And we don't have to row out everytime we need something from the ship."

I nodded in acknowledgement as we continued on towards the beach. We passed by my poorly built hut and camp, which I double checked for anything I may have missed. Continuing on the path, we met back up with Robin and Chopper, who had been joined by Sanji during the day. Said cook promptly started fuming about us women carrying anything with two men around, taking Nami's pack holding her charting equipment and shouldering the strap. He, then, removed the fish from my hands and passed them off to Zoro, who loudly protested at the smoking blonde. I stepped on ahead of the squabbling duo, having no interest in their fight, even if the fish were mine... We made it back to the beach without further mishap, the captain immediately asking Sanji for food.

"Yeah, alright." Sanji blew smoke as he walked away towards the Sunny. "I'll have dinner ready soon enough, shitty captain."

Goddammit... I cursed to myself as I felt Arianna bristle at the cook's reference to the captain again. We had been doing well all day, not hearing or seeing the mistreatment that Luffy tended to receive from the more temper prone of the crew. Even Nami had been in a calm mood today. I pulled out a smoke and took three matches to light the damn thing. I seriously needed to ask Sanji, Franky, or even Usopp for some type of lighter fuel to fill my zippo with. I don't even know why the thing came with me, but if I can, I'm gonna make use out of it. Laying back in the sand while I smoked, I watched the fading daylight as the guys set up another bonfire further away.

Sanji cooked and served dinner outside with the whole crew. I was dragged back in between Zoro and Luffy again by the later of the two, and Zoro convinced me into drinking a mug of grog with my dinner. Now, personally, I didn't like to drink much. I had always been more of a pothead then an a drinker. I had two six packs that I left back home that was borderline two years old to attest to that fact. But, I wasn't alone here, I had to remind myself. It was okay to drink a little with friends. Drinking with company always made the alcohol better and more enjoyable.

One drink turned into two, which turned into another party of celebration for Jinbei's return and my joining the crew, with Brook playing music and everyone drinking. The grog changed over to a heavier alcohol. I was asked what I wanted, so I decided on an old favorite and asked for rum. The rum was especially good. But what did I expect, with Sanji picking out the food grade items for the crew? Starr seemed pleased with the rum as well. And the rum was also good for numbing emotions. The night passed quickly in a blur sometime after that. I don't even remember passing out.

Third Person POV

Zoro looked down at the passed out woman with her legs sprawled across his lap and sighed as he swigged off his drink. She was a lightweight, couldn't hold her liquor for shit, and passed out before anyone else did. Luffy lay just on the other side of him, in a simular manner but with her head using his stomach as a pillow. His captain had a small smile on his face as he smoothed her hair back from her flushed face, his other hand tucked behind his head.

Luffy had seemed to become quite fond of the woman they had found on this uninhabited island two days prior. His captain even made sure to put her at his side a lot in the last couple days, for what reason, the swordsman wasn't sure yet. Zoro was still trying to get a read on the woman, himself. Dot was quiet, mostly, unless she was thinking outloud, which it seemed like the brunette did a lot. And she tended to stay off to the side of the crew, hovering and watching everyone. She seemed to be guarded and full of conflicting emotions. One second, she would be fine. The next, in the middle of their normal chaos of everyday squabbles, her mood would turn angry or upset but seemed to be trying to keep it all back, if the strained expressions had been anything to go by and her eyes would turn from brown to hints of green in those moments. Zoro figured that she had a jaded past, like the rest of the crew.

"What's our next move now, captain? She says she can't fight, can't sail. And she seems lost in herself."

Luffy hummed, his smile changing to a frown as he looked to his swordsman then back to the burnette on his stomach. "We'll find a place for her. She needs us right now."

Zoro scoffed lightly, but had a smirk as he took another drink. "You're always finding the broken ones, captain."

"Shishishi, yeah. Zoro might be right about that. We've all been broken and put back together..." Luffy's eyes softened, a flash of grief almost going unseen. He caressed a thumb down her cheek. "There's something about her. . . She needs us, Zoro. I can't leave her behind, we won't leave her behind. If we can't get her back to her home, then we'll be her home."

The swordsman took this in with acceptance, a grin crossing his face. His captain surely had matured, and moments like these, where it was just the two of them when Luffy would confide in him, truly showed him the growth of his captain.

"Aye, captain. She's part of the crew, we won't leave her behind. Just know I'm going to be keeping an eye on her. Something seems off about her, like she's ready to snap at times."

Luffy grinned wide with a low laugh, "I wouldn't expect anything less from Zoro. Keep me informed of anything that catches your attention. Unless something comes up, we continue as normal. It'll work out. Don't worry."

Zoro was quiet a moment, sipping his drink while in thought before speaking up again. "And what about Usopp?"

"What about Usopp?"

The swordsman cut his eye to his captain then turned his gaze back to the moonlit sea. "He's not too happy about having Dot on the crew. I'm not sure if you've noticed or not."

"Ah. Yeah, I noticed. Not sure what the problem is. He'll have to learn to get along with her. I'll talk to him later." Luffy stated as he lay back fully on the sand and shifted to get more comfortable.

Zoro nodded his agreement, finishing off his drink and laying back fully on the sand as well, both arms tucked behind his head, as he listened to the rest of the crew party for Jinbei's return and Dot joining the crew. Brook played his music as the others danced and drank together, Robin off to the side with a lantern and a book. Yet she was watching the party with a smile, chin propped in her hand. Her eyes met Zoro's and her smile became wider, fonder. Zoro sent his own grin back to her before closing his eyes to doze off for a while. Dawn wasn't but a few hours away, after all.

Dot - First person POV

Upon awakening, I smelled food cooking. I was laying on something warm at my back and the same for my legs. I hadn't opened my eyes yet, but the sun seemed awfully bright. At least I didn't have a headache after all that drinking last night... Just some god awful thirst and a major craving for a smoke and coffee.

Shielding my face with the hand I'd rubbed my eyes with, I looked around. Almost everyone in the crew was asleep on the beach. Sanji was already working on breakfast at the re-stoked fire, his back turned to the crew. The warm somethings I was laying on turned out to be Zoro with my legs across his lap and Luffy being my pillow. My face suddenly felt hot from embarrassment. What the hell...? What happen last night? And how do I get out of this without waking these two up? Why the hell did they let me sleep on them? How the hell did that happen??

Carefully (what I hoped was carefully, at least), I lifted my legs and twisted myself around until I was fully seated on the sand between the two sleeping monsters. I assume I woke Zoro up, as he'd stopped snoring once I'd moved, but he didn't move nor open his eye, so I wasn't entirely sure. I'm pretty sure I woke him, that was a definate possiblity. I pulled my skewed glasses off my face to properly rub the sleep from my eyes then slipped them back on, placing my hands on my knees. Alright, now to get up...

Ah... needless to say, that didn't go over very well... after getting my legs under me and standing, my body didn't take the sudden change in altitude very well, having gotten used to laying down for who knows how long. My head spun from the blood rush, my legs shaking before giving out entirely, leaving me to catch myself with my hands. Elbow and shoulder hitting the sand, face planting Zoro in the side, shoving my glasses up my nose bridge, and arm and legs sprawling across Luffy.

We all gave shouts of surprise, each for our own reasons. If they weren't awake before, they damn sure were now. I don't think I hit any vital parts... They both groaned, with mutterings of "What the hell?" while I took a second to gather my bearings before scrambling to get off them both, giving apologies the whole way. I think I did more harm in my haste off them than the initial fall, to be honest. My whole face to my ears felt hot in my morbid shame while I sat between the captain and first mate with my head bowed in apology, eyes watering from the stinging my glasses left behind. Zoro grumbled in complaint at being woken, while Luffy merely laughed as he sat up, plopping his hat on his head. He stood and brushed himself off with his signature grin already on his face, ruffling my hair as he started to walk away.

"No worries. It's all good. Time for breakfast. Sanji! Food!" And off he bounded towards the cook.

I sighed heavily, one hand on my ankles while the other rubbed at my watery eyes. That figures. I hadn't noticed Zoro getting up until he was offering me a hand up, which I accepted.

"Like Luffy said. It's fine. Don't worry about it. You hungry? Or you gonna listen to Curly bitch all morning about improper diet after a night of drinking?"

Well... when he puts it that way... With a yawn, I followed the swordsman to the portable picnic table to join the others, who'd roused during my moment of shame. Sanji had already poured up some coffee during my approach and offered it to me, which I accepted with a happy sigh as I settled next to Robin, my face in the mug, coffee already halfway drained at the first swallow. Breakfast wasn't ready yet, and since we were outside, I lit up a smoke while I poured myself a second cup to enjoy at a more moderate pace.

Smoke finished, I sipped my hot coffee with a satisfied hum. I missed this while I was drinking last night...

" I'll keep that in mind next time we drink, Dot-chan. Now, breakfast?" Sanji interrupted what I thought was a mental musing with a plate laden with breakfast goodies.

A take around the table showed me that everyone else was eating. Nodding, I took a couple muffins to nibble on with my coffee. Need I say that I was trying to ignore the commotion at the other end of the table? I really didn't want my nerves frazzled this early... Starr didn't get that memo, apparently, however. It was going to be another mentally exhausting day, I suppose...