"Wake up, morons!" Niko's voice woke the other two up from their rest. They leaned up in the ships and looked around into the wide open ocean.

"What?" Luffy yawned. He stretched his limbs and now he was fully wide awake. "Island! There's the island!"

"We're heading to Syrup Village on Gecko Islands. It's a small inhabited island south of Shells Town."

Zora, now paying attention, sat up and the blankets fell from her lap. She placed her hand above her eyebrows and looked forward. All she could see was a lousy island with high cliffs on its borders. There wasn't much to be seen on that island; it was only a small village and not even a marine base. "What's there?"

"I thought it would be best if we found a ship here," Niko remarked with a prideful tone.

"Ah, finally some meat!" Luffy moaned as his stomach growled. Ever since he came back to this time, he hasn't eaten his normal share of food.

"And some sake!" Zora added as she raised her hand like a pose. She had an eager smile on her dark skinned face; it was about time she could fulfill her thirst.

"...you guys..." Niko grumbled. They were too simple minded when they had other things to find. "We still need a chef, docto-"

"Musician!" Luffy cheered with both of his arms in the air. Niko sighed, maybe getting through with them was harder than he first thought. These people call themselves a pirate crew, but they had nothing in their disposable other than fighting skills. Even he knew of the great dangers that lasted on the sea.

Gecko Island.

Their two boats docked along the shore. Zora, being ordered by Niko, jumped down onto the sandy beach with a stake in her hand. She stretched and yawned once more, "Been awhile since I was on firm ground!"

"Because you've been sleeping all the time!" Luffy chuckled.

The leaves on top of the cliff started to ruffle, and she paused. The stake dropped to the ground, and she held her hand on one of her swords' hilt. Luffy, being caught in the moment, searched the tree line and repeated "Where?" over and over again. His head, much like an owl, turned fully around in search of the unseen predator.

Projectiles were shot.

Zora quickly spotted the attacker. She unsheathed her swords and stood her ground. The attacker had a slingshot, and shot rocks instead of ammo.

"We found out!"

"Run!"

Three of the unseen enemies ran away, leaving only their leader standing behind a fallen log. She sweated in fright as the three of them turned and stared at her; expecting something to happen. She lifted one of her arms and declared, "I AM CAPTAIN URIKA! CAPTAIN OF THE URIKA PIRATES! I HAVE A GREAT PIRATE FLEET THAT GUARDS THIS ISLAND! STEPPING FOOT ON THIS ISLAND IS A CRIME!" She pulled a string and the bushes at the bottom of the slope. Cardboard cutouts popped behind the bushes with their weapons painted on to look as if they were readied to attack.

Luffy buckled back in laughter. Tears started to form in the slits of his eyes. He never thought he would see this display again.

Urika, hurt, stepped back and her jaw dropped. "Why are you laughing at the Great Urika?!"

"You're lying," Niko blurted as deadpan as ever. He rubbed his forehead with the index finger, and then crossed his arms. He could have made up a better lie than that.

"Ah! I've been caught!"

"See, you just admitted it!"

"Shots! I did! Bad planning, bad planning indeed!" Urika leaned over her knees and started to sweat more than ever. She gulped as she was the only one left in front of three real pirates.

"She has a bigger ego than Zoro," Niko teased.

"At least she made bigger lies than you," Zora mused.

Luffy's stomach growled, and all of them looked at Urika.

...

Meshi.

Urika pulled up a chair to the booth table and looked at the three hungry pirates. Her long dark nose shifted from one direction to the other as she listened to the newcomers. "So you're looking for companions?"

"Know any musicians?" Zora questioned; mostly for the benefit of her captain. Urika shook her head at the random question. From the looks of it, they needed much more than musicians.

"Do you know anywhere to get a large ship then?" The orange haired male asked as he leaned over the wooden table.

This is where Urika's knowledge came into play. She snickered and pointed at the so-called captain of these pirates. "There's only one place where you can find the stuff you want in this village, although it's not a very big ship, but not that small eit-"

Luffy interrupted her, "It's that mansion, right?" He pointed out the window to a large white mansion on top of a hill.

Urika fell out of her chair and smacked against the ground, "I was getting there. The ship belongs to the mansion's own-"

"That sick girl..." Luffy tried to pull her name out of memory, "Kayla?"

The Longnose's eyebrows came together as she stared at the captain, "I was getting to that! And it's Kaya!" She paused and tried to calm down as Luffy ordered another plate of meat, but it only hit her nerves once again, "ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!"

Niko, paying attention at the chance of treasures, perked up, "If she's sick, then how come she's the owner of the mansion?"

"Inheritance. The girl's parents died about a year ago of a sickness. She was the only child, leaving her with a large inheritance, mansion, and all of the servants." Urika leaned back in her seat and folded her arms behind her head, "She's been grieving ever since. Even if you are really rich, no one is exempted from sorrow."

Niko sighed in defeat. To ask a poor girl like that would only be a move a scumbag would make. "Let's forget about searching for a ship on this island, we'll go somewhere else."

"We still have time!" Luffy grinned. Merry's on this island, as was his sharpshooter, Usopp.

"You said you were looking for companions?" Urika questioned; Zora and Luffy nodded. She gave a thumbs up with her blue and white armband, brushed the tabletop, and gave a cocky smile, "Let me be captain, and I'll join you!"

"Nevermind," Zora and Niko denied in chorus. Luffy chuckled with his head hitting the booth cushion.

"WHAT KIND OF ATTITUDE IS THAT?!" She sighed in defeat and rested her face on the table. The clock ticked and chimed as it hit a new hour. It was exactly time for her to leave, "It's that time again." She stood up, pushing her chair in, and left the restaurant.

"That gal was in a hurry..." Niko muttered.

"Guess she finally figured out we have a captain," Zora added.

Niko narrowed his eyes at the doofball in front of him. After interrupting Urika twice, the captain stayed silent; but he could tell the rubber boy was moments away from causing a fuss if he didn't have his mouth full of food. "Do we even have a captain...?"

"Like him or not, he still has the title," Zora bellowed. He may not be her first choice, but they still joined his crew.

"Which is why I worry..."

The door slammed open, and three kids burst inside. "Urika Pirate Group is here!" They all bellowed in a chorus. In their hands were wooden swords; they were a gap away from the strength of Zora's weakest sword.

"Isn't that the three from the slope?" The orange haired wondered out loud.

"Onion heads," Luffy uttered.

"Captain! She isn't here..." the one in the orange hat uttered in a quiet voice.

"It can't be! They are...she's been eaten up!" The blonde stuttered.

"Pirates!" One of the onion heads shouted. "What did you do to Captain Urika! Give Captain back to us!"

Luffy, finished with his cup of juice, took a large bite of his meat. "Yum! What delicious meat!"

"Meat?!"

"H-He ate Captain...?!"

Niko raised his hand and covered his mouth. He couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear from these gullible boys. The blonde one stuttered again, "Wh-What?! What did you d- to the captain?!"

Zora leaned her elbow on the table and faced them. She gave them the look that others came to know her as: a demon. "We just...ate her."

It didn't help with Luffy belching right afterwards; the boys passed out. All of them couldn't hold it any longer, and they all three sat back and filled the building with laughter. Once they were calmed down, Niko looked at Luffy, "What now?"

"Make a visit to the mansion."

"Bu-"

...

They arrived at the mansion, and used a back entrance to get away from the bodyguards. There she was, Urika sitting there on the tree branch. Her brown overalls covered her plain white shirt; which caused her to stick out from the tree, and her white slash around her waist didn't help much either. Urika's outfit consists of brown, white, and some blue in her armbands. She was a total contrast from Kaya. A pale white beauty that rested near the window. A cushion was placed below the window for her to sit and meet with the lower class liar.

She held onto a white feathered pillow as Urika told her her tale of great conflict and victory. The pale girl gripped the pillow tightly on her chest and imagined it all playing out in her mind. Urika's tone brought the words to life as the characters danced around and parried with each other.

"Yo! Usopp!" Luffy called.

"Her name is Urika," Niko grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah, Nami," Luffy didn't even bother. Niko stood up on his toes and smacked Luffy across the head. "Alright! Urika!"

The dark toned girl was already paying attention to the fellow pirates, there was no need for them calling her out once more. "Yeah?"

"You're...uh...Kayla!"

"It's Kaya!" Niko and Urika corrected.

"Yeah, Kaya, whatever. We need a big ship!" He stretched out his arms to the size of the old Merry. Niko was, once again, ready to smack the boy on the back of his head; but no matter how many times he published the boy's blunt personality, it was not helping it. Wasn't Luffy thinking at all about the girl's feelings and weakened state? Yet still bold enough to ask for a favor?

Kaya looked shaken, "Was that...a devil fruit...?" Much like the other two pirates, they never seen a devil fruit user before. They heard old wife tales about them, but this was the first time witnessing it.

"Y-You stretched!" Urika gulped. She was so frightened that she leaned too much on the branch and fell down, hitting her head first on the impact. She rubbed her achy head and slowly lifted her body up to look at the pirates. These pirates were getting scarier every moment.

"Yeah. I ate the Gum Gum no Mi, so I'm a rubberboy. You have a ship, right?"

"Rubberboy? No wonder you could eat so much!" Urika stumbled. It was inhuman to eat that amount of food in the same setting, and it was bad enough left on her tab. 'How much did he eat?! How will I ever repay that?!' she thought. At the time, she didn't say anything because the news of them being pirates made her a bit frightened, and she was more focused on other things.

"What are you doing here!" A butler, in a black uniform, came out and pointed at the lowlifes. Much like Kaya, he was pale as the moon from the ending leaving the mansion. His glasses fitted his nose awkwardly, which was more present when he lifted them up with his palm, and they end up sliding down anyways.

Kaya gave a small gasp and looked at her butler, "Kalahadore..."

"Oh, the butler," Urika's nose rose.

"Kalahadore...these people ar-"

The butler stepped up and looked at the low classes. "Whatever you have to said, can be stated later. Please leave."

"I want Merry."

"No way," he said, as emotionless as ever. Luffy sighed in defeat, then he remembered this guy was the bad guy. He didn't have to listen to him, he just needed Kaya to give Merry to them and Usopp can join. Yeah, that's how it went. The butler turned and glanced at the lair, "Urika-chan. You are her, correct? I've heard quite some rumors about you...the villagers have a way of words when it comes about you."

"Oh thank you!" Urika's ego was as large as ever. Luffy could see this going downhill fast, but he stayed in the same spot as Zora tried to comfort him; thinking he was sighing in defeat from Kalahadore rejecting his favor. "You may call me, Captain Urika!"

"The guards said you have been lurking inside of these gates, bothering Ms. Kaya while she's resting."

"I-I was catching a mole for her! It was loose in the backyard an-"

He gave a small chuckle, "You can certainly lie well. I have also heard about your father, Yasopp, I believe. You're just a filthy daughter of a pirate who came to munch off of Kaya's kind spirit." He lifted his glasses once again, "I'm not surprised you turned out a liar from your birthrights."

"Filthy daughter...?" Urika repeated. The words burned inside of her.

"You and Ms. Kaya belong to different worlds. If you are looking for money, name your price, and we can settle this now."

"Kalahadore!" Kaya's voice screeched, "Apologize to Urika-san at once!"

"There is no reason for me to apologize to this scum. I have only been stating the truth."

"Urika may be a liar, but you are the worst one!" Luffy's temper finally reached rock bottom. He pointed at Kuro and glared at him. Filthy daughter. Scum. Liar. He still didn't know what happened between these two, but Urika shouldn't be treated like this.

Kalahadore turned around and looked at the rookie pirates. His glasses glinted in the sunlight, but his gray eyes showed no emotions. "I do believe this is none of your business, pirate. But I will apologize to Urika-chan, for having a pirate for a father, who deserted his family and village. You too probably resent him, don't you? Because he is a idiotic treasure hunter who left his family behind in exchange of chasing his dreams."

"KALAHADORE!" Kaya screamed.

"I'm the only one who can say bad things about my father! You have no right too!"

"Why are you so angry? You should have kept to your usual lies and tell everyone your real father is a traveling merchant, or you and him aren't blood related."

That was the last straw.

Urika thrusted forward and slammed her fist into Kuro's jaw. "SHUT UP!"

Now Luffy knew why he was waiting. He was waiting for Urika to fight for her beliefs.

"So violent! Bad blood runs through you!"

"SHUT UP! MY DAD WAS A PIRATE AND FOLLOWED HIS DREAMS! I MAY HAD A GRUDGE AGAINST HIM, BUT HE'S MY DAD AND I'M PROUD OF HIM! HIS PIRATE BLOOD RUNS THROUGH ME, AND I'M PROUD OF THAT! I'M A DAUGHTER OF A PIRATE!" She took a breath, "He's a brave warrior of the sea, and that is something I'm proud of!"

"Pirates as brave warriors of the sea? That is twisting the truth, little girl. It's because of your bloodline that you enjoy lying and using violence to settle everything. You only got close to Kaya-san for her riches."

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"No one knows your motive, but being the heir of a pirate is enough reason for me to kick you out!"

"Don't you dare say that!" Urika took a hold of his shoulder and raised her fist.

"Urika-san! Stop! Please! Don't use violence!" Kaya cried from the window. "He's only...protecting me, that's why he's a little extreme."

'Kuro wasn't fighting back...' Luffy thought. He made Urika look like the bag guy here. No wonder everyone else didn't believe Usopp back then. That fact alone made Luffy want to punch the fuck out of the pirate, but Zora held him back.

Kalahadore slapped Urika's hand away, and coldly stated, "Get the hell out of here. Savages like you are not welcomed! I will let you off this time, but next time you will not be so lucky!"

Urika turned her back and began walking away. "Fine, I understand. I will never come back here again!"

The three children of Urika's Pirates stood by the fence and called out to her. She didn't even glance their way.

Before Luffy left, he spitted in Kuro's direction. He knew of the guy's plans, but Urika needed to hear it first. "Filthy pirates," he repeated under his breath as he cleaned his glasses.

...

The sun was already starting to set, but he made it there. On top of the cliff that overlooked the ocean and slope down below. It took him a while to find the exact spot; how he found it the first time was still unknown. Urika laid under the tree and picked petals off of a flower. The yellow flower came from a flower patch on the other side of the tree. "I am brave... I am not... I am brave...I am not." She kept going until there were only two petals left. She narrowed her eyes and threw the flower off the cliff.

"Yo!" Luffy hopped down from the tree.

"AH!" Urika screeched and smacked her head against the bark. "Why would you do that! Ouch! That hurts!" She moaned as she rubbed her head that was covered with her curly black hair. Even if it was in a pony tie, it was still unruly. "How did you get here?"

"I followed you."

"Have you been watching me?" Her cheeks blushed in embarrassment. She would never do something like that in the presence of a stranger.

"Actually, I got lost and found you again."

She raised one of her eyebrows and sighed in defeat, but she was still blushing. "Did...you hear any of what happened?"

"You kept saying I am, I am not, over and over again. I thought you were stuck in a loop or something." He was blunt honest, but also dumb if he never heard of this.

"You don't know about this? Well, you get a flower and pick the petals, each one you say, 'I do this' and 'I do this not.'" She picked up another flower to show him. It was lighter than the first one. She carefully chose her starting point, "I am Urika. I am not. I am. I'm not. I am Urika. I am not." She looked down and realized that was her last petal. "Uh...I am Urika!" She added quickly and hid the flower from his sight. "You try."

Luffy yanked on a single pastel blue flower. "Uso- Urika will join my cre-"

"NOT ABOUT ME!" Urika shouted. "And I'm only joining if I get to be Captain!"

He picked another petal, "Urika will be captain. Urika will not. Urika's captain. She's not. She is. She's not. She is. Sh-"

"You cheated, didn't you! You counted the petals!"

"Counted?" Luffy tilted his head. He already picked the last petal off. "Hey! You're joining now!"

"I told you, don't do them about me! You pick them for love, uh...and other stuff relating to you. Not other people." She crossed her arms and sneered at him.

"Eh, I already decided ya was going to join."

"That's too bad! I'm gonna be captain of my own crew if I have to!"

Luffy completely ignored her and changed the subject, "You're Yasopp's son, right?"

"I'm a girl..." she groaned. "And yeah, he's my dad."

/ / / /

"Mom! Dad sent us a letter!" Urika climbed from the chair and hopped to the ground. She made her way out of the maze into his mother's room. The pale woman was lying down with a wet towel on her forehead.

"Is that right, honey?" Her weak voice carried throughout the room. The small child nodded excitedly and jumped up on the wooden chair that was placed next to her bed. Banchina was handed the envelope and she broke the end of it, sliding a parchment out.

Urika swooshed closer to her mother and glanced at the letters on the parchment. The letters made out words, but she could only read the simple letters. She waited patiently for her mother to read it out loud, but first she read it to herself. The longnose mother carefully scanned the page for any terrorizing details before reading it loud to their daughter.

'Dear Banachan and Urikchan,

My travels on the Grand Sea have been great. I can't wait to tell you all that I have seen and done. When I started noting them down, I kept running out of pages, and my drunk captain isn't the best to keep around with an opened ink bottle. And just this last month, I got my first wanted poster; I couldn't be any more prouder.

Thank you for talking me into this, my dear. I can never stop smiling when I'm on the High Tides; but I've never stopped thinking about you two angels. How are you and Urika doing? And the village? Has she made any new friends? Once I get back, the first thing I'm going to do is take her out on a range...as long as it's fine with you, honey.

Love, Yasopp.'

Banachina started to tear up at his honest words. "Your father is the bravest man on this whole island, you hear!" She wiped a tear that escaped from her eyelids.

"I can't wait until he comes back! I want to hear all about his travels!" Urika grinned as she hugged the torn envelope. Another paper dropped from it. The little girl took it and opened it up. It was her father smiling with his pistol aiming at the camera. "Look! It's dad!" she grinned ear to ear.

"Of course it is," she smiled as she gazed at her husband's face, "Here, pull out the box for me, dear."

Once again, Urika hopped back down to the ground and lowered herself to the floor. Her arm reached under the bed and she pulled out a small cardboard box that was missing it's top. The box was heavy for her tiny arms, but luckily, her mother gently placed the letter on top. "Another one for the collection."

The black haired girl smiled and raced out the house; running past the wooden cabinet that held an oak crossbow.

That was the last they heard from him.

Even after Banachina died, there was no word from him.

/ / / /

"Yeah, he's my dad." She leaned against the tree and looked at the ground. She held bad feelings for Yasopp, even though he was her father; and she didn't want anyone to disgrace them. Not even that butler. "How did you know?"

"I met him when I was younger."

"You met him?!" Inside, her thoughts were screaming 'If he was so close, then why didn't he visit me?'

"Yeah. He looks a lot like you."

"W-Where is he now..?" She didn't even know if she wanted to know the answer, but something caused her to ask.

"I dunno! But he's a part of Shanks' crew! He's my favorite out of all of Shanks' crew!"

"H...how long did he stay there?"

"Eh...I don't know. Felt like a month."

She frowned and picked up another flower. 'He loves me...he loves me not...he loves me...' she thought as she picked out each petal. In the end, she got 'He loves me' and once again, she threw the flower stem over the cliff.

"Oh! there's the butler!" Luffy pointed down the cliff to the shoreline.

Kalahadore was standing there on the sandy shoreline talking to a stranger. Urika's ears pecked up and she moved closer to the edge. Even from a distance, their conversation could be heard from there.

The strange blonde nodded, "Sure, I can begin anytime. The Plan is to murder that mansion's owner."

'Mansion's owner?' Urika shuttered.

"Accident," Kalahadore corrected with air quotes.

"Alright, Captain Kuro!" the blonde pulled down his hat.

"Stop calling me Captain Kuro. I got rid of that name three years ago. Besides, you are the captain now."

The moon rose over them and Luffy tried keeping his eyes open, but the moonlight made him yawn. It was moments away from midnight, and a new day shall begin.

"...C-Captain K-K-Kuro?!" she gulped. "He's a...famous captain who invaded numerous towns...but he was executed three years ago!"

"Looks like he's alive," Luffy pointed out.

"Don't worry, leave the accident to me," Jango smirked to his old captain.

"We have to make it look like she died of illness. I don't think you understand the plan clearly."

"I understand it completely!" Jango urged.

"L-Luffy, we have to get out of here and warn the others! T-They are planning on killing' Kaya!" Urika uttered under her breath. She glanced over and Luffy was absorbed into watching the moon. "What's wrong with you!"


~May 16~

~The piece of paper disappeared in thin air~

~It was only one of numerous others that covered the ground in a white sheet~


His eyes shut completely and he fell down the cliff. His head went through the rock, and only his legs remained above the surface. She jumped up and looked down at her fallen friend. "HEY! ARE YOU OKAY?!"

"Oh, it's only Urika." Kuro looked at the source of the noise.

"You want me to get rid of her?" Jango pointed at the unarmed girl.

He ignored the pirate and looked at the dark skinned. "Did you hear everything?"

"No! What did you say? I don't understand! I can't hear anything! I only got here!"

Kuro lifted his glasses and looked at the ground. "We've been heard."

"One of them has already been taken care of," the blonde pointed to Luffy's body. "I think he's dead for sure."

"Luf-! He's dead!" Urika became a nervous wreck in moments. She ran around in a circle and pulled on her unruly hair. "What am I supposed to do?!"

"Urika won't be necessary. Even if she tells us of our plan, no one in the village will listen." He looked up in the sky, "I will see you a day from now. You and your crew should invade early in the morning, until then, keep your ship hidden. Don't be too hard on the villagers, and make Kaya's death look like an accident." He smirked and looked at the nervous girl, "Even if you did hear, it will not affect my plan."

Urika glanced back down at the ground, but there was no way Luffy could still be alive. "DAMMIT!" she screamed and raced away from the cliff. "This is terrible! Villagers will be killed. Kaya will be killed. I love them all. I love this village!"

The three little boys jumped into the path and waved at the incoming Urika. "Captain!" They all cheered with enormous smiles. "You're back!"

"Wasn't she with Luffy?" Zora questioned with narrowed eyes.

Niko stated, "She's in a hurry, which means something must have happened at the coast."

If Luffy wasn't with Urika, then something bad must have happened. Zora's instinct kicked in, "Where's the coast?" Before she could get the answer, Urika shouted and it echoed throughout the village.

"EVERYONE! DANGER! PIRATES ARE COMING! TOMORROW MORNING, PIRATES WILL INVADE THIS VILLAGE! EVERYONE MUST ESCAPE NOW!"

Villagers started coming out of their house and glared at the girl. "This is the last time, Urika. How are we supposed to rest with you always shouting?!"

"It has been years with the same lie."

"GET LOST!"

"Couldn't even wait until daybreak," one of them moaned. It was only several hours past midnight.

"Why can't you be trustworthy like Karahadol?"

"Stop lying all the time!"

"But it's the truth! Even though I like to lie! Believe me! Let's escape now, or you will all be killed!"

Niko watched the display from their spot on top of the hill. "Looks like we should help her...I don't like the sounds of this..." Niko mumbled under his breath. He watched as Zora picked up her weapons and took off into the village. ""Don't leave me behind!" she called out to the swordsman.

"No one said you had to follow," Zora simply stated.

By the time they reached the first house, Urika was being chased away by the villagers. "She's getting chased out of her own village?!" Niko dejectedly remarked.

"Looks like she's heading to the mansion."

"That butler will kick her out again."

Zora jumped in front of the roaring crowd, and with one glare, they were frozen. Niko watched as the villagers backtracked. "Nice special attack there," the orange haired taunted. The green haired shifted her glare onto Niko, but the orange haired had no reactions. She muttered under her breath and sheathed her swords. The two of them followed the dirt path in which Urika followed moments ago.

They two walked along the path and eventually stood in front of the large metal gate. They peeked through the bars and it was chaos. Urika managed to get inside of the yard and raced to Kaya's window; the pale girl currently had tears falling from her eyes. She threw a feather pillow at the dark skinned girl and she fell back onto the hard ground. "Why won't anyone believe me?!" Urika called out.

Before the girl had time to get up, bodyguards came racing from the front of the house. They surrounded the girl and pulled her to her feet; but she was struggling against them. Zora, tired of this display, threw a rock at one of them and he let his grip out of Urika. The girl used this and backed away from them; picking up the same rock and flung her slingshot out. She loaded the aged rock in and pulled back on the string. It launched and smacked another one right in the face.

"Stop this!" Kaya shouted. Her eyes were watery as she could do nothing. She felt betrayed by her only friend, but she never wanted the girl to experience this of all things. Urika was already thrown out once before, and that was only hours ago.

"Kaya! Please listen to me! Leave this village before that butler gets back!" She launched another projectile at the last bodyguard.

"What happened? You're not the person I once knew."

The sharpshooter jumped up to the window and started trying to pull the sickly girl out. "You'll know the truth tomorrow! Let's get out of here together! Please listen to me, Kaya!"

That was it.

Kaya looked at the ground with watery eyes and slapped her ex-friend. "The only wrong person here is you!"

A lamb human appeared, one of Kaya's servants, and held a gun out, aiming for Urika. "Take your hands off Kaya-san!"

"Don't shoot!" Kaya cried. The gun was already fired.

She ran.

Her arm bled and she held onto it as she raced to the fence. "Urika!" Niko called out as he grabbed onto the girl. "Are you okay?!"

"I-I-It's only a graze," she stated. The girl held her head down low as the blood started to darken. She couldn't even protect her best friend. No one believes her; not even Kaya. All of their lives are on the line, yet she can't get them to leave.

Zora leaned on the gate and glanced their way. She sighed and took out a roll of bandages. When she handed them to the bleeding girl, she looked at her with wide grateful eyes. "Why-Thanks..."

"Now tell us what happened," Zora firmly stated. She wasn't used to getting thank-you's from others.

"Karahodore! H-He's gonna attack the village with this group of pirates! They are going to kill Kaya and take her money tomorrow morning'. No one will believe me b-because I'm a liar. A-A-And that boy! He got us found out a-and he fell down the cliff! H-He died!" By now, tears were flowing down her face. Her body shuddered as Niko laid a hand on her.

"Luffy's dead?" Niko uttered in shock. "B-But he's rubber!"

"This all happened at the coast?"

"Y-Yeah! I ran away before I was caught, but he fell down the cliff!"

...

"He's alive," Niko claimed. He was bent low to the ground as his hand felt Luffy's heartbeat. "Idiot's just sleeping." He sighed at his captain's stupidity.

"B-But he just fell down! How could he be sleeping?!" Urika pointed to the tree they were sitting by.

Both of the pirates looked at each other and said in a chorus, "It's Luffy." Luffy's body laid down on the ground from Niko and Zora pulling him out. He was breathing calmly, and everywhere else looked good even after falling from such a height. If it was someone else, they would surely die or get brutally injured in the progress; but Luffy wasn't normal.

Niko looked up at the sky and calculated the time. It was only five hours past midnight; and they still had 24 hours to prepare for the pirate attack. "We should think of a plan."

"Warning the villagers isn't an opinion," the swordswoman stated.

"But the truth is still the truth, those pirates are going to come and invade the village."

"Yeah...but everyone thinks it's a lie. Tomorrow is going to be a peaceful day like any other." Urika gained her courage and shot up from the rock. She stood proudly, "So I will wait for them! I will make this become a lie. Tomorrow will be a peaceful day for them!" The other two looked at this liar, but knew she wasn't lying for once. She grabbed her arm and sat back down. She was languid and pained as she sat there covered in shadows. "I got shot in the arm, chased by villagers, but it is the village I have been trying to protect. I love this village, and I want to protect everyone. I can't stand it. All of them will be killed without knowing anything."

Niko glanced at Zora and they shared the same thought. This was why Luffy was following her around. "You are a good person after all, and it would be a shame if you end up dead."

"Guess we're gonna have to help," Niko finished; but he then ruined the moment once he added, "Of course, it will come with a price!"

She looked at these two; two people who had nothing to do with her problems. "Eh? Will you help me? Why?"

"That's what that idiot's been trying to do," he pointed over at his so-called sleeping captain.

"Plus, you're scared because there are many enemies, right? It's only fair if we even the field." Zora only gave a shrug. She may have only joined Luffy a few weeks ago, he was pretty predictable when it came to this stuff; but she couldn't say that about his other odd behaviors.

"Don't be stupid! I'll never be afraid of them! I am Captain Urika! The Greatest fighter of the sea!" As soon as she shut her mouth, her legs began to shake in fright. The other two didn't even move a muscle. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT! They're Kuro Pirates! Anyone would be scared!"

"We did not laugh at you," Zora remarked.

That's when she finally saw their faces. They were determined to help her. They didn't know her, yet they risked their lives. They weren't even involved with this problem, they could have already left and ventured elsewhere...but they didn't. "I guess there's no choice."

"Plus, if Kaya-san gets killed, there's no way we could get a ship," Niko added.

Wide eyed, Urika quizzical, "W-Was that the only reason you're helping me...?"

He chuckled, "Yea-nah."

She raised one of her eyebrows and shook her head. She was getting help; that was a good thing. "Okay...they will come to this coast. The path leads to the village, and the rest of the island is surrounded by high cliffs. What are your guys' skills?"

"Slicing," Zora claimed.

"Stealing," Niko beamed.

"His?"

"Stretching."

Urika turned around, "My skill is hiding."

"You've to fight too!" Niko and Zora groaned.

"W-We will get to that later. Right now, we have to trap this slope. If we made some trip-wires, they would get stuck...but I can't get anything from the village."

"And they won't sell to us...now," Niko claimed. Not that they interrupted the villager's riot earlier.

"I thought your skill was stealing."

"I steal only from pirates."

"What a skill."

"Is hiding any better?"

"Point taken." Urika gazed around the slope for another plan. "We could borrow some barrels of oil, though."

"Oil the slope? What if one of us gets stuck?"

"Our main objective is to protect this slope. We don't have to fight close combat if we trap them at the bottom. With this, we can stay hidden on the cliffs and attack from above."

Niko repeated his question, "What if one of us gets stuck in the oil?" Urika didn't give an answer.

After borrowing some supplies from the villagers, and avoiding them, the three returned to the slope. Urika and Niko lined the wires across the slope as Zora kept lookout. It wasn't long until the swordswoman was joining her captain in a nap. Their bodies lined up where the shore ended and the face of the cliff began. Even though this, Luffy's body did not move.

"Aim it higher," Urika remarked as Niko was about to pin the stake in the cliff's rock face.

"Like this?" He shifted it higher.

"Yeah." The stake was slammed in, and Urika held her end, "Here, do this one."

"Can't you do it yourself?"

Embarrassed, she looked at the cliff; away from Niko's gaze. "You're the only one with a hammer." And the sharpshooter wasn't the greatest when it came to strength. Her plan failed as Niko swiftly threw the hammer inches away from her head. "YOU ALMOST HIT ME!"

"Well, it didn't."

The longnose muttered under her breath and took hold of the large hammer. She aimed for the stake and as soon as she was about to pound i-

"ZORO!" Niko shouted.

Urika dropped the hammer onto her toes. "OUCH!" she cried out in pain. Even though she got shot that same day, this was as painful.

"You are supposed to watch! Wake up, lazy bum!" Niko pulled Zora's arms.

Now awake, Zora's voice imitated them, "What the hell do you want?"

"We have been working while you're over here sleeping! You were supposed to be looking out!"

She opened half of her eyelids, "There's nothing."

"We know that!" He kicked her in the ribs, "You're supposed to warn us! Pirates could come! That crazy butler could have already seen us!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever." She stood up and stretched her limbs.

"Well, come on, the sun's about to set." He pointed up to the entrance of the slope.

"It's already been that long?" the dark skinned sighed as she looked at the sun. It took them longer than they thought it would be to get those supplies from the village; and it was already bad enough it was an hour walk between the two places.

"We still have to oil the path," Niko remarked. They heaved two barrels of oil over here from the village, while Urika grabbed the stakes, tats, and wires. The tats were already placed between the oils and the entrance of the path. If the wires didn't stop them, then they would have a harsh time getting to the entrance. Observing the path, Niko added, "Two barrels should be enough."

Zora climbed to the top and heaved the barrel over. Urika and Niko did the same with the other one. She sliced the lid off it, and oil began drooling out from the hole. It poured on the dirt and slowly flowed down the path. The other two were still having a problem with the lid, in which Zora helped by slicing that off as well. The blade was inches away from Urika's fingers. "You manic! My fingers were right there!"

"Can't you be more careful!"

"I was only helping," Zora snorted at them.

The black liquid reached down to the ground, and the two barrels were quickly becoming empty. The slime finally reached the tats, and they moved the barrels to the side so that it covered all of the path. And soon all of the oil spilled out.

Forty minutes after they tossed the barrels to the side, the oil began evening out. Urika helped the process by shifting the oil with a branch she picked up; as did Zora. All of this brought a huge smile to Urika's face. "This is perfect! They can't climb up this slope now because of the oil!"

"On the other hand, there's a chance we can still slip on this," Niko added.

"There's no way this can't work!"

Something wasn't right, Zora knew quickly. She looked around and it wasn't here. "Isn't Luffy still down there?"

"Wh-?!" The navigator fell to the ground.

"How are we supposed to get him?!"

"You were supposed to watch him!" Niko blamed the green haired.

"I was supposed to watch for dangers, not him," she corrected.

"He's asleep! There's no way he can protect himself! A-And he'll be stuck down there with the pirates!"

"Looks like I've to do everything myself," Niko muttered, "I will be right back with some ropes. Keep an eye out for any dangers...and don't slip on the oil."

As soon as he was gone, Urika did exactly that. She backed up to beam at their awesome teamwork; right into the oil. She reached out, trying to grab onto something to halt her fall, but it hit the edge of Zora's shirt; which quickly slipped from her fingers. "AHH!" she yelped. Her legs skidded in the oil, and she tripped over.

"Here," Zora took her sword's case and stretched her arm out. "Grab on!" she ordered. Urika pushed her knee forward to reach the sword case, but she only caused herself to slide farther back down the slope. And she went.

"It's been a nice time knowing you," she grinned at the swordswoman. "REMEMBER THE GREAT CAPTAIN URIKA!"

Her bottom skidded down.

It zapped across the sandy shore and away from the docked fishing boats.

And she even reached the ocean.

Her clothes were drenched with sea water. It soaked through her overalls, shirt, and she chilled from the coldness on her skin. "So this is how I'll die," she floated in the ocean water. Her thoughts drifted from one thing to the other.

"Filthy blood...your bloodline that you enjoy lying and using violence to settle everything. Scum."

"A girl for a pirate? I would think you could make better lies. HAHAHA!"

"Why can't you be trustworthy like Karahadol?"

She grunted and slapped the water surface. And it ruined her balance, and she fell to the bottom of the shore. The water drenched her curly locks and her brown cap floated away. She grabbed onto it and placed it back on her soaked head. Sand and oils started coming off her body and mingled with the water. She stayed until her skin shriveled up, but she was now clean of the filth.

Something like this wasn't going to stop her. She was going to save this village no matter what. She may be weak, a liar, but she was a pirate's daughter even if her father wasn't around. She was going to show them.

"Is something wrong with her...?" Zora uttered from the entrance. Her shirt was slipping and the bandages were showing.

Urika trotted back to the beach and called out "CAPTAIN URIKA!"

"Definitely," Zora answered her own question.

The sharpshooter glanced back to the swordswoman. "Eh? Zoro...uh...your shirt..."

She looked down, and indeed the bandages were showing. She pulled her shirt back up and glared at the girl, "Don't say anything about it."

"B- What happened?" she asked curiously. Then she remembered earlier when this swordsman handed her bandages for her graze. 'Is that why he had bandages?'

"Nothing," she plainly answered.

"You're hidi-"

"URIKA! YOU IDIOT!" Niko shouted as he raced into the clearing. "I told you not to slip down! Idiot! Now two of you are stuck down there! You are so lucky I found this in the woods! It would have been two hours until either one of you got any help! And you! You should have prevented this!"

"Dumbass," Zora cursed back, "I'm not responsible for what these two do."

Niko glared at the green haired and trotted down the cliff. "Guess I have to do everything," he mumbled under his breath. He unrolled the rope down and Urika tried picking up Luffy. After the second try, the two of them grabbed onto the rope. Zora pulled on the end, and the two slowly came up the cliff. Urika grabbed onto the edge and Niko pulled Luffy from her hands. "Okay. No more going down that hill, okay?"

They all agreed.

...

May 17

Luffy opened his eyes and he yawned. In return, he got smacked by the navigator. "What was that for?" he groaned as he rubbed his head. That was the worst way to wake up.

"For sleeping all day! We had to do all of the work!" Niko was pissed. He thought Zora was a lazy slacker, but his captain took the whole day off when danger was afoot.

"All day? It felt like an hour," he snickered. "Oh yeah, this again..." He looked down the slope and smiled. "Is this the right one?"

"What do you mean right?"

"I thought there were two slopes?"

Niko turned and gazed at the sharpshooter, "Is this the right one?" he repeated the question.

"Uh..." Urika itched her head, "W-Well, it's the one...they were talking at a-and I th-thought they would come here."

"IF THEY DON'T I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

She gulped.

Luffy chuckled.

...

It was the right one and Niko was heartbroken. Their boats were also docked down there with all of his treasures. Not only did they forget Luffy down there, but they also forgot their ships.

It was bad enough when Urika offered his treasures. "If you don't attack this village, you can have all of those treasures!"

"Why not both?" one of the pirates smirked. Urika gulped and Niko was pissed.

"If you even dare to think of touching that, I will kill you!"

"All of us?" another one questioned.

Luffy, irritated by now, jumped past the oil spill and started swinging. "If I don't, he will," Niko smirked back. The two pirates who were smirking before, were now cursing as Luffy's fists punched pass. Zora followed her pirate's lead and jumped down past the tats.

"Is he really that strong...?" Urika glazed from the cliff's height.

"Yeah!" Luffy answered plainly.

"There was a plan though..."

"It's them. They do whatever they want," Niko groaned with the weak girl.

Quickly the pirates were taken care of, and only their captain stood. He smirked as he pulled out his rings. "Look at this ring! When I say One Two Jango, you will become stronger."

Luffy watched as the ring swung from one side to the other.

"All of your wounds will be cured, and you will get stronger and stronger."

"Being hypnotized to get stronger, this is crazy!" Niko claimed.

"One! Tw-!"

Zora's sword raced through the air and the ring broke.

"O JAN-" Jango's ring dropped to the ground. "What! It's broken! Captain Kuro's will kill us."

"Eh? What happened?" Luffy shook his head. He, like the others of Kuro's crew, were in a trance. Urika used this chance and targeted the pirates and launched attacks.

"You were about to get hypnotized," Zora calmly stated, "So I stopped it." She tied her bandanna around her forehead and smirked.

"Oh! Thanks," he snickered and punched Jango onto the ground.

"Heh! Don't worry! I always carry a backup!" He pulled out another ring from his jacket. "One! Two! Jango!" The ring dropped to the ground, "NOT AGAIN!"

Zora slashed this ring as well, but she was a moment too late. The crew, as well as Luffy, was hypnotized. Jango snickered, "ATTACK!"

Archers aimed for the cliff and launched their arrows at the two. Urika dodged, but one was able to slash her cheek. She was hit, and fell down the cliff, to the bottom of the slope. They started to turn and face her with their weapons in hand. She gulped and her slingshot shook. She swooped low to the ground and grabbed a handful of rocks to fill the pocket, but she ended up dropping them all but small pedals.

"GUM GUM GATLING GUN!"

Luffy's arms swung and knocked the pirates back down to their asses. None of them tried getting back up, not when they were injured once more. Their wounds became uncured, and they felt double the pain. Luffy's hypnotized state also vanished. There was no more ring controlling them, so the power lasted only a few seconds.

"Wait...did he just get hypnotized as well?" Niko questioned.

Urika sighed, she was saved by Luffy's unnatural power. She looked up the slope, and there was no way for her to climb it at this point. The tats and wires were broken from the pirates trying to get up it, but the oil stayed and it spread farther down.

"He finished them all off," Zora stated.

"You brats! You ruined our plan! Now if Captain Kuro heard about this, he will have all of our heads." Jango clicked his chin. Even though this was his last resort, it was a must. "Nyaban Brothers! GET DOWN HERE!"

"There's others on the ship?" she questioned with a blood thirst.

"Our last resort," Jango tilted his hat, 'Other than Captain Kuro, himself.'

"Hey! Everyone's been beaten up." A voice called from the top of the ship.

"We don't have to hide anymore. Shall we go?"

"LET'S GO!"

They jumped down from the ship and landed on the shore. "Did you call us, Captain?" one of them asked.

"Did you see them jump?" Urika gasped.

Jango pointed at the swordswoman, captain, and those two on the cliffs. "Can you take care of them?"

The two began to bicker between themselves, which left Urika and Niko un-pleased. "Weren't they the secret weapons?"

"We are only the ship protectors," the skinny one shrugged. After Jango gave the order again, the two finally agreed and looked at their enemies; and the skinny one aimed for Zora.

"They sent that weakling to defeat me?!" she grumbled. "If you come any closer, I will cut you to pieces!"

"Do it." The man in the cat suit disappeared and vanished before Zora. His cat claws clashed with Zora's swords. Their blades met until the cat man jumped away with two of Zora's swords. "You were underestimating a member of the Kuro's Pirates. Is something wrong? Missing?"

'He took my swords?!' Zora's eyes widened. Luffy watched, did something like this really happen before?

Before he knew it, the only cat member trotted over to him. The two had a small fight with Luffy towering over him. "He is weak," Luffy mumbled with distaste. He was frowning until something smacked him from behind. Zora's two swords.

"Shall begin?" the cat man taunted.

"You should take care of other people's swords!" Zora thrust her last sword at the cat man. She raced past him to get to her other swords, but the man wasn't done yet; he jumped up into the air and pounced on her shoulders. She fell down to the ground with him weighing on top.

"Yo! Zoro! Here," Luffy threw back her swords.

"Thanks!" She grabbed them and once again slashed at the man on top of her. He dodged it by jumping up, and she quickly stood up.

"Cat Claw's Technique!" He raced forward and his claws scattered across Zora's body.

"Maybe if I aimed," Urika loaded her slingshot and aimed for the cat man. The rock launched, but inside of hitting the pirate, it was cut in half by Zora's sword.

"Wha?!" she gasped.

"You were about to hit him," Niko claimed. The two of them were above, shooting at the pirates who tried getting up once again.

"Idiot! You want to die?" Zora questioned the sharpshooter. Even with the sword in her mouth, her words echoed through the slope.

"Maybe...he's protecting us?" the navigator reasoned. "Maybe if you attacked, they would aim for you instead?"

Kuro stepped from the entrance of the slope. "It has passed dawn, but my plan isn't in process! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

"Finally! I have been waiting for you!" Luffy grinned. His fist grew into massive sizes.

"He can do that?!"

Kuro completely ignored the Strawhat captain. "Don't tell me these brats have stopped you! Are the Kuro Pirates a bunch of weaklings like this? Say something, Jango!"

"You said that kid wouldn't affect our plans, didn't you?"

"Yes, I told you that. So what? Is it that you are weaker than I thought? I don't want to hear any more excuses."

Buji clutched his claws and glared at his former captain. "Did you just call us weak?"

"Buji! Stop!" Jango ordered, but his voice wasn't heard by the cat.

"You shouldn't turn away from an opponent," Zora halted his path.

Kuro smirked and in moments, Buji's clothes were in pieces. "Did you just question me?" Long black claws reached under Buji's chin.

"Black Cat's Claws!" one of Kuro's pirates called out. The former captain was able to speed past the oil spill and appear behind one of the cat brothers.

"Captain Kuro, the plans can't go through," Jango called out.

"What do you mean?" Kuro glanced back. "This plan has been set for three years!"

Jango held up his broken rings.

"It looks like you have no use to me anymore," Kuro shook his head, "You all are weaker."

"GUM GUM NO PISTOL!"

Kuro's glasses fell off onto the ground. His jaw was punched and only left a scratch. "Weren't you dead, pirate?"

"I'm tired of listening to you," Luffy booed.

"Go Luffy!" Niko cheered.

"You should have just stayed dead!" Kuro used his special technique and vanished. He appeared several more times and attacked at random. He was directionless for his heightened speed.

Luffy, knowing well of this attack, stayed still until he came close. "GUM GUM NO RIFLE!" The attack was short distance, and aimed right. Kuro backed away as blood started running down from a scratch on his cheek. "GUM GUM NO GATLING!"

"Kalahadore!" Kaya yelled from the entrance. Tears ran down her face as she watched. "STOP EVERYTHING!"

Luffy finished his attack, and Kuro stood.

"Kaya! What are you doing here?!" Urika yelped.

"Isn't that the girl from the mansion? The goal of this plan?" Jango questioned. He snickered, maybe without his rings, he can still kill this girl. Maybe this plan wasn't ruined totally.

"What a surprise, Ms. Kaya, how can you come here?"

"Meri, he told me everything!"

"So, he's still alive. I thought I already finished him off."

Her pupils widened as she looked at her butler. This man that she knew for three years..no, this wasn't the man she knew. "I'm sorry, Urikachan. Anyway, you won't forgive me. I did not believe you when you said Kalahadore was a pirate..."

"Don't worry about that! Why did you come? I told you to get away! Don't you realize their goal is to kill you?!"

"But you are fighting! We treated you badly, and you are still fighting for us."

"I told you that I'm the bravest warrior of the sea!"

"Kalahadore! If you want my treasures, you can have it if you leave this village!"

Kuro shook his head, "You misunderstood. I want your money, but I also want a peaceful life." He thought of them and grinned, "The villagers trusted me for three years, and it became a part of my peaceful life. My plan will succeed when I acquire both peace and your treasure!"

Kaya gasped.

"So the accident about pirates, and your will are the most important things in my plan."

"You can't change his mind! Run! He isn't the caretaker you knew!" Urika yelled out.

Kaya pulled out a gun. The same one that shoots Meri and Urika. Even though she believed words were stronger than violence, Kuro wasn't one to listen; so she had to resort to violence. "Leave this village!"

"I have spent these last three years doing stupid things to care for a sick child of landowners. And I have been very patient. Everything I've done is for you, today. The day that I'll kill you."

Urika jumped out and smacked her fist against Kuro's face. He barely winced. "Urika, I still have business to do with you. You did hit me twice."

Luffy's arm stretched and smacked Kuro's other cheek. His arm retracted, "If you don't like to be hit, then I'll hit you another 100 times."

Kuro slowly got up and walked to Urika's body. His eyes narrowed as a projectile got caught between his claws.

With a swift kick, Urika was hurled into the slope and the oil.

Luffy quickly attacked. His arm strengthened and pounced on Kuro's stomach. "You shouldn't turn your back!"

"A devil fruit, I believe?"

"I'm a rubberman!"

Urika gripped the cliff's rocky side and pulled herself up. "Kaya! Run!" Kaya only shook in place. The gun was dropped to the ground.

Niko grabbed Kaya from behind, "We have to go!"

"Jango! Kill her!" Kuro ordered.

"Now!" Niko and Kaya started running.

Zora stood in Jango's path. "Not until you get past me."

Jango reached into his jacket for his rings, but found none. That cursed swordswoman slashed all of his. He grunted and had to use his backup disks. They were cold hard metal without any holes. It was only for throwing.

Within moments, the two gangs fought, and the Strawhats won. Urika started to tear up, "Y-You guys..." she wiped away a tear. Luffy picked both of them up and threw them across the island.

Zora laid down, in the oil, and napped. While Luffy stretched to the top, and helped them both out. "I-I can't thank you enough! You saved my village! Yet...I don't have anything to offer you..."

"Join our crew!"

She couldn't help it. Tears were flowing out of her eyes as she grabbed onto him. "Yes!"

...

"Merry!" Luffy raced up to the huge ship. "I missed you!"

"Missed?" the others questioned.

Meri, the other servant, only grinned, "It was a fast fix up, but it looks like you are fond of this ship. I call this the Going Merry! Well, I think you already knew."

Zora narrowed her eyes. 'What about your ship?' 'Usopp has it.' Was this Urika supposed to be Usopp? And how did he know the ship's name?

The three boys watched from afar. 'I'm becoming a pirate! This is the end of the Urika's Pirates!' Her voice clouded their thoughts. Kaya already told them the truth. While they were searching for their captain, she was saving the village. 'Keep this a secret! Will you promise me that?'

And that's when Urika came. She was racing down the slope with a full bag. She had so many items stored in that old house; all that she wanted to take with her. And a very special thing hung onto her backpack; a very special oak.

Her foot tripped, and she rolled.

"SOMEBODY! STOP ME!"

Zora and Luffy raised their legs as soon as Urika's face came into contact with their shoes. "You're welcome," they both stated.

"Urikachan? You are also leaving?" Kaya questioned.

"She's my crew member!" Luffy chuckled.

"I'm going to be Captain!" Urika claimed.

"Captain of what?!"

"I won't stop you, Urika-chan, but everyone will miss you, including me. I know, but they don't know of the great deeds you have done."

"They will soon! I'll come back and tell you and everyone of my real greatest adventures!"

"I'll wait for you," she grinned.

Zora and the others climbed on the ship as Urika said her goodbyes. "Shut up and get on this ship already," Zora stated.

Urika grinned. This was her first step as a pirate. "EVERYONE WILL HEAR CAPTAIN URIKA!"

"Don't be stupid! I'm the captain!" Luffy uttered.

Her bag was thrown on the ship and she climbed up. Zora raised the anchor, and the ship started to drift. She waved to her best friend until they couldn't see each other anymore.

"Here's the sake!" the green haired called out. She carried it onto the deck and all of them surrounded it. Niko poured the sake into cups and they all grabbed one. They lifted their cups to their lips and cheered.

"To a new ship and a new member! HOORAY!"

Origin of Usopp: Well, Usopp has two parts. The "Uso" is japanese for lie, while "Sopp" is from Aesopp (ancient Greek author of the fables). Usopp's long nose could possibly come from Pinocchio or species called tengu (had long noses and tricked people). And personality from The Adventures of Baron of Münchausen.

BrainDeadMaggot: I wasn't thinking along those lines at first, but as I was numbering them off into the rooms, Sanji just ended up there out of luck (thanks to Chopper ad Usopp). Lucky him.

Guest: Figured if I wanted to do something new, there was gonna have to be a major difference (ORIGINAL GENDER LUFFY); which is something I really don't do (since I mainly drabble in Fem!Luffy stories). Thanks for the review once again!

EpicAsianOrangeTiger26: I tried changing some of this, but didn't end up as well. And Kuro...I will never write about him again (luckily there's Jango or else the bad guys of this arc sucked). You know Buggy, he will find a time to run his mouth off; like a certain island before the Grand Line.

fairystail: I got a small idea of what I'm going to do, but we will just have to wait until Whiskey Peak. Heck, I was about to make her/him Cobra's secretary/servant. But ya know, Robin's a demon child and all. Thanks for the review!