A/N: We're back~

Chapter 28: Insanity

Log 4: The years passed like water flowed, and soon, both boys found themselves older, with Bullet at nine years of age, and Brutus at 13. Douglas Grey, now the general of their army, gave them a mission they saw as any other. What Grey did not mention was the odds of survival were non-existent. This fortification had already killed 120 of his men, far older and more capable than these two children.

Grey had made a tactical choice; blow the whole place up with explosives, damn the location's advantages! However, he had to send out someone important enough that they suspected nothing, but low enough that the army could make do without them. He had chosen the two most divisive soldiers in his battalion. He had sent them to die.

Imagine his, and everyone else's, surprise when Bullet and Brutus took down the place faster than the bombs could have been set up and triggered. Grey watched them as they trudged back to base, covered in blood, only some of it theirs, grinning like madmen. It was the first time Grey saw what everyone else saw when looking at them: demons.

All across the world, the face that shook East Blue appeared. In every paper, the three wanted posters were folded in between the pages, but not many paid it any mind. Of the four Blues, the East was considered the least consequential, as not a single big-name pirate had sailed from its waters… save for one. However, while the world at large wrote off these three newly minted pirates, those who they interacted with over the past month were more invested in learning of their rising status.

Orange Town

Boodle smiled as he showed Chouchou the W.E. Times. "Well, looks like they're doing okay?" Chouchou responded with a hearty bark, as he pawed Hook's picture.

Island of Strange Animals

Pig-lion brought a rolled-up paper to Gaimon as he washed his feet. "Oh, thank you! I needed that!" He took the paper from the hybrid and began drying his feet off. "I love living here and all, but I wish I had towels again. Or toilet paper." The bushman was brought out of his musings when his four-legged friend bit onto the paper ripped it from his hands and slapped him in the face with the soggy mess.

"Yuck! Hey, why...oh! Hook and Silk! Their first bounties!" The old pirate cheered to the sky, doing a little dance with the pig-lion. "That's amazing! They're on their first steps to being some real pirates! Good luck out there, you two!"

Syrup Village

"Ms. Kaya! I have the Times!" Merry came into Kaya's study, finding her reading a book about poisons and antidotes. Now that his poisoning had run out of her system, Kaya looked much healthy, even tanning a little in the sun. After Ussop's departure, she vowed to become practiced in medicine enough that when he came back to tell of his adventures, she'd be able to patch him up. "There are some new bounties! One or two you might even recognize."

Kaya put down the book and looked at the offered posters. Her eyes settled on Silk's, and her face lit up! "Oh my! It's Ussop!"

Merry blinked. "Meh? Ussop?" Merry looked at the picture and back to his ward. "Ms. Kaya, should we see about getting you some glasses already?"

Kaya just laughed lightly. "Oh, I don't need glasses, Merry! Ussop's in the photo right… there!" She pointed to the bottom left corner, and sure enough, there was Ussop… way in the back, standing on the Baratie's deck. "It's so nice to see he's doing alright!"

Merry squinted at the speck of detail, before shaking his head in amazement. "Oh, to be young again and in love…"

"Hm? Did you say something, Merry?"

"Nothing, Miss. Nothing at all. Tea?"

Baratie

The entire restaurant seemed to be on pins and needles. Every chef was on their best behavior, the new busboys and waiters were cordial and brief, and even Patty and Carne didn't snipe at each other like usual. One would at first think it has something to do with the recent loss of their sous chef, but rather is was their most recent guest… and sudden worry that many of their warrants might still be active!

The only person who wasn't acting as if he sat on a tack was Zeff, who was stirring a bouillabaisse while lost in thought.

Zeff tossed Pearl in front of the broad-shouldered man. While Hook's posse had been guarding him, one look at the Vice Admiral and their bravado bled out like a bad shaving cut. "Here's the pirate, hand over the bounty, and take his worthless carcass out of my restaurant! He's stinking up the place!

"Bwahahaha!" The bearded man laughed. "I understand! A place filled with ex-convicts probably spits in the Navy's food eh?" While the staff, who were most certainly not watching from the windows, immediately began to quiver, Zeff gave their guest a prideful glare. "Ah, sorry! Just a joke! I'm sure the food here's amazing since Red Leg himself is making it!"

The quivering increased twofold as Zeff looked up at the man nonplussed. "Something you wish to say, sir?"

The Marine's face was unreadable, probably because of the dog-shaped cowl he was wearing, as he matched the old cook's gaze. Finally, he tapped the small man's shoulder next to him. "Chore Boy. His bounty."

"Eh?" the pinkett started before snapping to attention. "Sir, yes sir!" He handed over the satchel to Zeff, shaking a little due to the tension, and fell back in to just behind the large Marine.

Zeff reguarded the man coolly, before picking up the bag. "Thank you for your patronage. Want to come in to eat?"

'Say no!' the entire waitstaff thought loudly, while the Vice Admiral laughed his dog head off.

"I probably shouldn't. I'm in trouble with HQ as is, and if they learn I ate at a place with known pirates as the staff, they'd chew my ass and spit it out! Bwahahahaha!"

"Sounds like it's pretty tough to be a Hero," Zeff muttered.


The pink-haired chore boy looked at the picture of the man he owed his life to. "Hook… To think, I wouldn't have had the chance to become a Marine without your help…" He thought back to seeing his first fight; the only way he could describe it was like a club-swinging demon. The flames surrounding the pirate camp in his memory did little to dissuade him from that conclusion.

"While I am thankful for your help, you are a criminal now." Despite his shaky grip, he was able to ball up the poster. He looked toward the horizon with newfound determination. "To thank you for showing me how tough my conviction must be, I will bring you in! For the safety of others, I promise I will find a way to capture you!"


The repaired ship glided through the water as its crew of three people sailed onward. The one-eyed tallest of the three stationed himself at the helm, keeping his gaze steady on the horizon. So much had happened in so short a time, and he still wasn't sure he had processed everything. He'd lost a crew, a captain, and a brother in, what, ten days? How does that happen? Also, the bitch that got them in this predicament was the only one of them that could navigate, because his former second captain was useless right now, so he was stuck with keeping her alive. Did he even want revenge by this point? As his newest battle scar burned for a second, he found his answer was unclear.

Tired of hearing his thoughts echo back and forth, the somber pirate looked over to the violette, reading a newspaper and bounty posters. "So, uh, what are you reading?"

The woman stayed silent, her pets glancing at her in worry. Finally, she just said, "Irony," before throwing down the pages and stomping to the front of the ship. As she reached the bow, she laughed through bitter tears. "He won… they lived, and she was right." Gently nuzzling her monkey with a finger, she looked out over the sea. "What is this? Why does it feel like I'm being punished for doing one good thing in my life? I save her from him, end up replacing her in his torture. He makes me want to die over… and over again." She idly scratched at her neck, still able to feel the chains tightening as he laughed and laughed

She thought back to her actions, her words… her lips over hers… she touched her own mouth self-consciously, before shaking her head. "No… it's not possible now. I've… hurt her too much to go and apologize again. What kind of idiot makes the same mistake twice and expects others to trust her?" Steeling her resolve, she reapplied her mask. She was confident, clever, and gorgeous. She was going to be richer beyond her wildest dreams. After that, she could have whoever heart she wanted. Carina smiled, blatantly ignoring the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Watch out, Grand Line. The East's most amazing thief is coming to rob you blind."


Kisame sat in the darkness, his wounds still very much open, leaving a mess on the chair and floor around him. His face was fixed into a permanent scowl. "You said… this was a test. That I would have the chance to… to create an army capable of reaching my goals. That I'd face a being you had also Gifted. You never… mentioned his powers… or his crew."

The shadowed figure leaned back in his chair, gently scratching behind the ears of the dogcan. He regarded his guest with apathy. "And why would any of that matter?"

"BECAUSE HE CHEATED!" Kisame stood up, ignoring his pain, and slammed his good arm down onto the desk. It did not give, and nothing on it was even shifted. The dogcan growled slightly, but Shay D. calmed it with more ear scratches. "This was supposed to be a fight between us Chosen – your Chosen! - to see whose Dreams were worth more! I have spent every fuckin' day in the Grand Line – honing my abilities, perfecting my techniques – I worked for my success! Then, some newbie to this game you've started just – just stumbles in, takes away all my hard work! How can you sit there, and not give a damn!?"

Shay D. seemed to consider Kisame for a minute, before chuckling under his breath. "For someone who views themselves as the rightful heir to Tiger's will, you are truly acting in a manner unfitting his legacy-"

"How dare you-!"

I was not done TALKING. The words went unspoken, as Kisame felt the sheer presence of Shay D. all around, dropping him to his knees. As the Fishman regathered his wits, Shay continued. "Each Player in this Game of ours has a different strength. You used yours to your fullest ability, and he used his. You did your best, and it wasn't good enough. You lied, manipulated, and forced your way into exactly the position you wanted. For a minute, you proved you were superior… until you got greedy, trying to have everything at once. Your failures are just that – yours. Therefore, we are done here."

Kisame looked up with his only eye and snarled. "I-"

"Your part in this is over. There is no more entertainment you could provide. Goodbye." With that, Kisame faded from the room, his rebuttal still on his lips as he awoke to the world. He found himself surrounded on all sides by water, as he floated in the open ocean.

'This… is it?' the Tiger Shark Fishman thought. 'This… is the limit… of my goals? I can't… accept this. My Dream…' He reached up toward the sun, reaching its warm could warm his chilled, crumbling resolve. 'My… united… world…' Kisame coughed as his wounds caught up with him. His hand dropped as he faded from the waking world, thoroughly bruised and beaten. He was so out of it, he didn't even notice when his body was pulled from the drink by a passing ship.


Ryuji relaxed in the hammock as the waves gently rocked him. He was always the type of guy to wake up slowly, enjoying the gentle sway of the vessel, and the freedom to be just a little lazy.

"Hey~ Ryuuuuuji~ Wake up~" Ryuji frowned in his half-asleep state at the interruption. It sounded like Hook, but maybe it was just his foggy perception. It might go away if he pretended to still be asleep. "Hey, Ryuji! I saw your nose twitch! Wake up!"

"Urgh, fine…" Ryuji's words cut off into a scream as he woke up. Yes, it was Hook… who was three inches from his face. He reacted like any sane man would and leaned back for personal space… only to find thin air behind him as he toppled out of the hammock and onto the floor. "Ooooow."

"Whoops, sorry," Hook apologized as he helped Ryuji up. While the grumbling blonde was still dressed in the same clothes from a week ago (washing them a few days ago after Nami's carefully worded demand), Hook had changed his attire, in a sense. Wearing the same purple shirt and gloves from Orange Town, he switched to a green vest that he'd found in Cocoyashi, and black corduroy trousers. "Sanji told me to get everyone up for breakfast, but you're a really heavy sleeper!"

"Yeah. Thanks, Captain," Ryuji said as he stretched the kinks from his back, leaving him unprepared for the chop Hook delivered.

"Stop calling me that! It's Hook!" Ryuji rubbed his head as Hook deadpanned at him. If there was one thing Ryuji had been unprepared for, it was how causal everyone on the crew was. Krieg's ship had been run like a machine, everyone knew who was in charge and nobody questioned that. Here though, Ryuji couldn't figure out if Hook even knew what a chain of command even was! The Going Merry was always buzzing with activity. Case in point, Hook said, "Anyway, if you need to use the bathroom, better do it now. Nami was heading that way, and-"

"Nami! Shit, you shoulda told me earlier!" Ryuji grabbed his essentials for the morning and raced out. "See at breakfast, Captain!"

"It's still Hook!" Hook called out after him.

Alas, Ryuji was too late; Nami had the washroom, so he had to wait. Problem is, Nami took longer to use the bathroom than anyone else on the ship. Ryuji was impatient by nature, but first thing waking up, his body usually demanded a… release of water, if you will. He could only hold it for so long though, and Nami was rounding up to the 20-minute mark. Starting to do a little dance as he struggled to hold it, Ryuji knocked frantically. "Nami~ I gotta piss! Open the effin' door already!"

"Don't rush me! I'm almost done!" Nami called back. "I don't rush you when you're using the bathroom!"

"That's 'cause I don't take half an hour," Ryuji muttered. "Seriously, who designed this boat with only one bathroom!?" In any case, Nami wrapped up her business five minutes later.

She came out wearing a dark teal top, a black skirt, and her sandals. Her new tattoo peaked out from under the shirt sleeve, and she looked amazing. Though, Ryuji considered, with the amount of time she used in the bathroom every morning, if she came out looking awful, it'd be even more unbearable. "Sorry about that! All yours, Ryuji!" With a jaunty wave, she made a beeline for the kitchen.

Unfortunately, Ryuji had been so busy admiring Nami's… departure (because damn! What luck to be on a boat with two smoke shows?), he failed to notice Silk slip in the bath until the last minute. "Sorry, be out in a second!"

Ryuji barely got out a 'but' before the door closed in his face. "But… I gotta pee~" Starting to get desperate, he looked around for some way to handle his situation… and noticed he was very close to the railing…

After handling his business, and trying not to think about how embarrassing it was, he cleaned up and headed to the kitchen. Of course, the minute he walked in, a paint bomb blew up in his face! "Gah! My mouth was open! What the heck!"

"Ah, crap! Sorry, Ryuji!" Ussop came over and helped Ryuji clean the paint from his face. "That was supposed to be for Silk."

"You were going to use that on Silk!?" Sanji barked from the stove where he was finishing breakfast. "How dare you do that to such an amazing creature!?"

"Well, it didn't work, so quit getting bent outta shape over it!" Ussop griped as Ryuji, now ink-free, sat down at the first seat available. As the sniper and chef continued their 'discussion,' Ryuji looked down at his food and marveled at the attention to it.

The pancakes looked nice and fluffy, the bacon was not too crispy, and the eggs looked amazing! Even the fruit on top of the stack was decorated as a heart! "Damn, Sanji! This looks amazing! Well, Thanks for the meal!" He picked up his fork and knife, and prepared to cut into-

"Oi! Don't touch that!" Sanji appeared next to Ryuji, with a kick that sent him into the seat next to him. "That plate's Silk, ya blond baboon!"

"Crap…" Ryuji groaned, his world spinning. "Ya think I woulda seen that coming. Dude, ain't the food exactly the same? Why do the guys have to eat last every day? Can't it be first come, first serve?"

"Tch! You guys will eat anyways, so you can wait," Sanji said before spinning around the table to deliver a similar plate to Nami, but with tangerines on top of the pancakes. "Nami and Silk are the two stars that guide my heart~ As such, they will always eat first~"

"Geez, careful all your drooling doesn't get in my food, crap cook," Zoro casually greeted (in his way) as he entered the room.

"What!?" Sanji raced over so he was already in Zoro's face though he was barely through the door. "I don't tell you how to wave that butterknife around, so leave my cooking skills out of this, damn marimo!"

Zoro sneered right back. "Just preparing you for failure, Dartboard Brow! You spending way too much energy with all this wooing, and it's a terrible way to wake up. One day I might be in earshot of it, and that'd be an awful way to wake up, you know."

"Why, you-!"

Before the fight could escalate, the door flew open, smacking Zoro into Sanji. Silk leaned in with a frown. "Huh? Is the door jammed? There's some blockage here…" Silk's words trailed off as she and everyone in the room bore witness to her trademark clumsiness. Her bop to Zoro's head had sent his face into Sanji's… in a most compromising position.

The pair's scream of disgust and shock could be heard by nautical miles, before Sanji dove for the sink and drank the scalding hot water, and Zoro fell to his knees, retching. Laughter filled the room at the pair's reactions. "Well… I always – ha ha! - I knew you two would hit it off well! Ha ha ha!" Ussop laughed as he slapped his knee. "Boy, I wish I had a camera! That would be blackmail for the ages -hey!" Ussop squawked as Zoro robbed him of his drink, downing and gargling it as he walked to his seat.

As the laughter died down, Silk sat at her plate and frowned. Sanji was swiftly by her side with a, "Is something wrong, my lovely Silk? I made this meal special for you~"

"Well," Silk scratched her cheek. "It's just I don't like strawberries. I prefer pears."

"Hu-wah!?" Sanji blinked in confusion. "Are you sure? Just last night, I heard you say you were hoping for strawberries at breakfast…"

Hook, finally entered, leaping into his seat so he was crouched in his chair rather than sitting. "Morning, everyone! Sanji, food! Hey, are those strawberries!? I love those!"

'He's like a living ball of energy,' was the general thought among the group.

Silk responded to his enthusiasm with a brilliant smile of her own. "Yeah, I can't eat this! Want it?" The words were barely out of her mouth before Hook had swiped the plate and dug in.

Sanji seemingly froze on the spot, clearly conflicted; on the one hand, Hook was enjoying his meal. On the other, that had been explicitly made with Silk in mind. "But… I… that…"

Zoro, having finished his quick cleaning, laughed at Sanji's expression. "Told ya so, Dartboard!"

As Sanji all but snarled at Zoro, Ussop waved his finger in dismay at the duo. "Now now, children. Play nice, or we'll make you kiss and make up again-!" Ussop's joke died a painful death as both parties turned their glares onto him.

As everything finally began to settle down, and Ryuji finally got his plate, Hook caught his attention. Somehow, he'd weaseled seconds out of Sanji, and was offering some of his bacon. Ryuji nodded eagerly at the unspoken trade and returned the offer with one of his flapjacks. That was also something he noticed about his new crew: whenever Hook had done something to inevitably annoy his crew, he'd trade them parts of his meal. That was probably why Ryuji was finding this new circumstance more and more agreeable. Whenever something quirky happened, it was bound to be covered up by the next bit of insanity.


A/N: Ah, the old stomping ground! Nothing like a fan favorite to get the juices flowing! Hope it was worth the wait!