A/N: Heyo everyone! ZareEraz here with a new chapter! Whoohoo! I had a lot of fun working on this chapter because the Post Enies Lobby arc is a well-needed breath of fresh air after the drama of Water 7 and Enies Lobby. I'm glad that the crew had some fun in this chapter and I hope you all enjoy it! Let me know what you think in the review section and I'll see you all next time! :3 P.S. I will hopefully have a mature story for Luffy and Zoro up soon that relates to this chapter. Keep a weather eye out! Edit: I have a mature story for Luffy and Zoro for you, just like I promised! It's called "A Little Love Nest" and this story can be read as a stand-alone story, but it corresponds with the end of this chapter. Go check it out if you want :3

Chapter 23: A Sunny New Start

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree

Zoro and Luffy had taken up their usual seats, with Zoro sitting against the wall cross-legged and Luffy sitting in his lap while discretely holding hands in the hole of Luffy's lap. The two of them (and the rest of the Straw Hats for that matter with assorted friends) were watching the Navy men fix a huge hole in the wall that had been inflicted upon their temporary housing by one Vice Admiral Garp. Garp had punched through the wall in dramatic fashion and had gotten past the crew to punch a sleep-eating Luffy on the head and woke him up wailing. He'd even managed to break the table and the chair the teen had been sitting in, also creating several craters in the floor. The whole crew had been surprised that a punch could hurt a rubber man, but Monkey D. Garp had chalked it up to a "Fist of Love." Then the crew had been surprised again when Luffy had called the old man his grandpa. They couldn't believe that Luffy's grandpa was a high-ranking Navy man! It was ludicrous! And then they'd been even more shocked when Luffy told them not to try to fight him – Luffy of all people! The man who punched first and asked questions later!

"Now, now," the marine had said. "You're going to give them the wrong idea. Although, I admit I threw you into a ravine that one time. And I left you in the jungle a few times too. And sure, there were those times when I sent you sailing on those balloons." The Straw Hats and friends just stared as the old man spoke, thinking about the horrible grandparenting that Luffy had gone through. "But I didn't do it to kill you! I did it to make you a man!" It was seriously nuts! But at least they now knew where all of Luffy's endurance came from and why everything rolls off of him.

"When I left you and Ace with my friend for training I thought everything would turn out fine," Garp continued with a sigh. "But I turn my back and you end up like this." He stomped his foot on the ground, shaking the building. "I wanted to make you into a Navy man, you stinking ingrate! How the heck did you become a criminal?!"

Luffy leaped to his feet, angrily glaring at his grandfather. "I told you a million times that I wanted to be a pirate! It's not my fault that you wouldn't listen!"

"This is all that damn Red Hair's fault! The fool!"

"I wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for Shanks! Shut up!"

"'Shut up?!' Is that any way to speak to your grandpa?!" Garp the Hero reached out and grabbed Straw Hat Luffy's tank top, hauling the brat into the air, his other hand readying to punch the living daylights out of his unruly grandson. Luffy yelled out an apology and his crew panicked, thinking that it was all over for all of them. If they moved to help Luffy all the Marines outside would rush in and attack them. However, the confrontation between eccentric grandfather and eccentric grandson had played out in a fashion the Straw Hats were quite used to - crazy and ridiculous. The pair fell asleep on each other. No one had any idea what to do; they had never been in this kind of situation before. Unfortunately, Garp woke up first and clobbered Luffy for falling asleep while he was yelling at him, despite the fact that the Marine had also fallen asleep. Like grandpa, like grandson.

Not only did Luffy have a famous grandfather, but it was revealed that he was also friends with one of the most famous pirates on the seas: Red Hair Shanks, of the Four Emperors of the Sea. Shanks ruled over the second half of the Grand Line along with the famous Whitebeard and others, but Luffy didn't really care about that. He was just glad that Shanks was okay. Robin inched over to Nami and asked if Luffy really did have connections to Red Hair Shanks, and the navigator explained that Luffy had gotten his straw hat from the Emperor, even if she hadn't known that he was such an important guy at the time. Robin looked at her captain with new eyes, as they all were. They'd never expected their idiot rubber boy to be at the center of some pretty amazing and scary things.

It was at that time that Zoro had managed to get back to the Straw Hats' housing with Galley-La (since he'd been lost in the city and all) and created a ruckus by fighting the crowds of Marines outside. Leaping up to tell Zoro that they didn't need to fight, Luffy ran outside only to be kicked by Coby which resulted in a scuffle. Zoro also scuffled with Helmeppo for a moment before both navy men were taken down by the pirates. They had a little reunion, reminiscing about when Luffy and Coby had met during the Alivda incident and how dumb Helmeppo still was (much to the Marine's chagrin). After that, Garp had ordered his men to fix the wall he'd punched through but they, knowing their commanding officer well, told him since he was the one who wanted a dramatic entrance, he'd have to help them fix it. So now, the Marine Vice Admiral was hammering nails in the wall with the rest of his men, picking his nose all the while.

"Luffy," Zoro started, still watching the Marines warily. "Your grandpa is bat-shit crazy."

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know!" Luffy shot back. "I dare you to say that to his face. He'd probably kill you if you tried like he did with me."

"I heard that Luffy," came the booming reply. Luffy physically flinched a little as his grandfather turned to look at him. "I said I didn't try to kill you! I tried to make you a man!"

The rubber man straightened up, finding his backbone again. "Yeah, but it still sucked! I almost died all the time! Some grandpa you are!" In response, Garp chucked a hammer in Luffy's direction, konking him on the head only to have it thrown back at him (which he caught easily). The old man went back to hammering, picking his nose with his other hand.

"So, this grandpa of yours is really famous?" Sanji asked, directing his question at Luffy.

"Beats me," the teen shrugged. "I never really asked him about his job."

"By the way Luffy," Garp interrupted, turning to look at his grandson again. "I heard you met your old man a while back."

"Huh? My dad? I don't think so. I didn't think that I had a dad."

"That's a shame," Garp continued picking his nose, the spitting image of Luffy (or was it the other way around?). "I'd thought he'd introduce himself to you. From what I hear, he saw you off back at Lougetown." The East Blue Straw Hats took a moment to think back on their adventure in Lougetown but were coming up short as to when they'd ever met Luffy's dad. "But honestly I'm not surprised; Dragon's always been secretive and a little dramatic." All in attendance rolled their eyes; this coming from the man who punched a massive hole in the wall to make an entrance.

"Dragon, huh?" That was the first time that Luffy had ever heard his dad's name but apparently, everyone else had heard it because the Marines outside gasped and gaped in shock and the ones working on the wall with Garp dropped their tools and fell on their asses. Everyone inside had faces of varying degrees of shock as well, except for Luffy who had no idea what the hell was going on.

"THAT DRAGON?! THE REVOLUTIONARY HAS A SON?!" a Marine shouted.

"Even though he's famous, Luffy didn't know!" Coby wheezed.

"Wait, Dragon is Vice Admiral Garp's SON?!" Helmeppo exclaimed. "What kind of crazy messed-up family do they have?!"

"Come to think of it, I've never heard Dragon's full name before!" another Marine added.

"What's the deal, you guys?" Luffy asked after observing the horror and shock around him. Even his own crew was gaping. "Why is everyone freaking out so much?"

"ARE YOU KIDDING!?" Sanji shouted, almost losing his cigarette. "Are you telling me that you've never heard about Dragon before?!"

"He's a dangerous man! Like, really dangerous!" Nami added. That didn't really help Luffy all that much so he turned to Robin, the brains of the operation. She explained as best she could that while pirates are the enemies of the Navy, they rarely attack them on their own. However, one organization was directly opposing the authority of the World Government: The Revolutionary Army. And at the head was Dragon. His actions and ideologies had already lost the World Government control in a number of regions due to countries rebelling with the help of the Revolutionary Army.

"Naturally, the government is furious. They've labeled Dragon as the "World's Worst Criminal" and will stop at absolutely nothing to hunt him down," she continued. "The problem is that no one knows anything about him. He's very mysterious. And yet…" The archeologist stared long and hard at the old man in front of them all, casually nailing up a wall and picking his nose.

"And yet, what?" Luffy asked, following her gaze back to his grandfather.

"Uh…" Garp started, taking his finger out of his nose. Once clean, he used that hand to scratch his gray head and turned to look back at the group. "That was a mistake, huh? I probably shouldn't have said all that stuff." His casual attitude about everything had his men gasping in shock again. He let out a boisterous laugh and told everyone to forget it, which they obviously couldn't. But, since Garp had clammed up about the subject, everyone was forced to move on. A while later the wall had almost been repaired to livable status (minus a much-needed paint job), and while his men were putting in a new window, Garp decided to make a nuisance of himself while Zoro and Luffy were talking together.

"I see that you and Roronoa are close," Garp half-teased and half-threatened as he interrupted the pair, somehow appearing right beside them. He was squatting in the way that the crew had come to dub "the Luffy thing" where his butt was as far down towards the ground as possible, sitting like some sort of primate and had his arms crossed. Apparently, Luffy had picked it up from Garp at some point.

"Gross, Grandpa! Get away from me!" Luffy scrambled out of Zoro's lap in an effort to get away from the old man and Zoro followed suit, putting at least five feet between him and the Vice Admiral.

"That's no way to speak to your grandfather!" Garp bellowed. And then he somehow got right back next to the swordsman, leaning in inquisitively. Everyone in the room was watching in silence, even Garp's men, waiting to see what was going to happen. "Roronoa…" he started. Everyone leaned in to listen except for Luffy and Zoro who were leaning away. "Are you dating my grandson?" Everyone's expression morphed into shock and the Straw Hat crew collectively thought, HE'S GOOD!

And when all Zoro could do was blush and sputter in the face of such an odd situation, the rest of the Straw Hats and friends chorused a "Yes, sir!" after which, the swordsman gave them all death glares.

"You traitors!"

"Now, Luffy," Garp started, "Wouldn't you rather have someone like that cute, redheaded girl over there?" He pointed at Nami and continued on, "Instead of this grumpy, moss-headed man?"

At the insult, Sanji burst into laughter after which he got clocked in the face with some rubble thrown by a certain grumpy moss-headed man.

"No! I like Zoro!" Luffy was instantly defending his boyfriend and yanked the man into his chest, half embracing him and half using him as a shield. "What's it matter to you anyway?! You've been gone for most of my life, so why are you getting nosey now?!"

"Hey! That's no way to speak to your grandfather!" Garp boomed, his voice filling the room. "I may not like that you're a pirate but even if you're a little shit, you're still my little shit and I can be concerned about you! Got it?!"

"Shut up, old man!"

"Watch it, you little brat!"

It was at that point that both grandfather and grandson fell asleep again and everyone in attendance shook their heads, even the Navy men.

"Wow, that surprised me!"Coby said, peeking in through the partially repaired hole. "But not as much as the Dragon thing. But it makes sense."

"What makes sense? The Dragon thing or them dating, because none of it makes sense to me," Helmeppo replied.

"Well, they weren't being exactly subtle about it," Sanji added, blowing out a cloud of smoke.

"You're telling me. They were holding hands the whole time!" Nami finished.

And it was at that moment that Garp woke up before Luffy and punched him again, much to Zoro's chagrin because the rubber man still had him in his grip. They both crashed into the floor on top of bonking heads.

"Anyway Luffy, since you're my grandson, I won't capture you and turn you over to the government," Garp told the young man, all of them standing outside now that the wall had been fixed and the window replaced. "It's fine. If I tell them that, I'm sure everyone will understand. You can't put work before family, right?"

Garp's right-hand man, Bogard, popped up behind the Vice Admiral and sighed. "That's not an excuse, sir. Let's just say they got away." Garp ignored him and continued on.

"I mostly just came here as a favor to Coby and Helmeppo. You boys take your time and chat it up all you like. I'm heading back to my ship for now." Apparently, the subject of Luffy and Zoro dating at been dropped, but the green-haired man was happy to see the conspiratorial wink the vice admiral gave him as he started to walk away.

"Alright! So long!~" Luffy held up a hand in farewell. However, this goodbye did not sit well with Garp and he turned around to slug the youngster in the face again.

"IS THAT ALL YOU'RE GONNA SAY?!" The teen went somersaulting across the grass before crashing into a heap on the ground. "At least pretend like you care! I'm your grandpa and you haven't seen me in ages!" Luffy flipped himself upright and sat on the grass holding his aching face.

"But I'm HAPPY you're leaving!" He howled. "All you've done is yell and hit me!"

"I still want my grandson to love me, you idiot! I'm not as heartless as you!"

"I see stubbornness runs in the family. Immaturity too," Nami remarked as she watched the argument from the window with Chopper and Sanji. Zoro was just glad that he was being left out of this fight; his head still hurt from the last punch that Luffy's grandpa had given him.

It was true what they say: The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Big Happy Family

How Zoro had ever gotten into this mess he would never understand. All he had been trying to do was go out and find someone to fix Yubashiri or find a sword of equal caliber to replace it since the crew was still recuperating from their ordeals on Enies Lobby and the ship that Franky had promised to build for them wasn't done yet. He'd been wandering around the Backstreets looking for sword shops or smiths when he'd run into Michael and Hoichael, two kids who'd tried to mug him when Luffy's grandpa had been in town. They'd led him back to the Galley-La housing being lent to the Strawhats, and had found him again, and now they weren't leaving him alone! The boys had started calling him "Big Bro" and wouldn't stop no matter how many times the swordsman told them that he was not their brother. Eventually, he had to bonk the boys' heads together, which summoned the boss in the form of Auntie and her carpet beaters. Michael and Hoichael had to talk their mother down from tornado-ing Zoro and told her that the pirate was their new big brother (despite his protests), which almost immediately prompted Auntie to drag the swordsman to their home with five more kids yanking on his hands and clothing and with three babies in tow.

Things did not improve from there. Zoro got roped into saving one of the infants who had fallen off of the scrap heap (which Auntie sorted through and sold to Galley-La). He'd carefully gotten up, holding the baby close to his chest and it was funny to see the muscle-man gingerly holding a child, but it was also kinda cute. But then the kid decided to pee all over this shirt, it was decidedly not cute. This accident led to Auntie forcibly stripping him of his dirty shirt and the man was forced into a tight-fitting "Mama" shirt with Auntie's face on it. Seriously, Zoro's pecs were so massive that the shirt got turned into a crop top, and not a sexy one. After that, he'd then gotten roped into babysitting the infants, one of which seemed hell-bent on getting itself killed, (seriously, how did the kid get into a top cupboard?!) while the rest of the kids did household chores. Auntie also wouldn't stop calling him "son." This was the most bizarre thing Zoro had ever been a part of and that was saying something because Luffy was his captain! When he'd finally had enough, Zoro went to ask Auntie for his shirt but got the following conversation instead:

"What are you talking about? You saying you've got somewhere you'd rather be than right here?"

The swordsman crossed his arms, his mean-looking resting face undermined by the "Mama" shirt. "Yeah, I need to rejoin my friends."

"Come on!" Auntie shook her head with a smile. "Who's more important: your family or your friends?"

"We're not family," Zoro stated with all seriousness. He couldn't believe this woman. "You didn't give birth to me and we're not related by blood, so cut the crap and give me back my shirt."

"Shut your mouth!" Apparently, that was not the button to press with Auntie because the woman got extremely mad really fast. "Who cares if we're not blood-related!? What's so important about a stupid blood bond anyway?!" Zoro gaped at her, not expecting that reaction, but before he could reply the door opened.

Three snappy but sleazy-looking loan sharks had come to harass Auntie for money, despite her having already paid back the money they'd lent her (without interest, but who cared about a little detail like that?). When the loan shark mentioned selling off one of the kids to pay for the interest because they weren't really family, Auntie got pissed. It was at this point that Zoro realized that none of the children in Auntie's home looked like each other; they were all probably orphans who'd been taken in by her. Now he understood her outburst.

Auntie kicked the loan sharks out of her house, but when they retaliated by drawing their guns, Zoro's body moved on its own. His hand went to the Kitetsu, drawing the sword seamlessly and cutting the pistols into bits flawlessly. He ended the attack in a lunge and glared up at the men, his eyes daring them to try that again. It had been a pretty amazing move, only undermined by the fact that the monstrous man was wearing a ridiculous shirt. The loan sharks scattered and Auntie and all the children cheered. After a "Good boy! You made your Mama happy," Zoro was roped into shopping, carrying all the bags and toting around the three babies strapped to his chest. Oh well, at least they kind of covered up the shirt.

"No matter how I look at it, this is just so wrong!" the swordsman grumbled to himself while Michael and Hoichael caused trouble at a fish stall. "What am I doing here? I have to get back to Luffy and the others! I'll sneak away the first chance I get!" As he looked around for an escape route, a whole new set of problems arose. Out of sheer embarrassment, Zoro found himself having to hide from his own crew! The first offender was when Sanji strolled down the street with a huge cart while doing his own shopping. The swordsman panicked and dashed into an alleyway, praying that the pervert cook hadn't seen him.

"Why did you have to show up, dumbass cook!?" When Sanji asked a bystander for a shortcut to another market that used Zoro's alley, the swordsman had to book it up some stairs at the end. When he reached the end, he frantically looked for someplace to hide but saw Granny Kokoro walking out of a liquor store. He nearly shouted but bit his tongue and ran down the street and across a bridge, still carrying the groceries and three babies! "There! I think I lost them!" But he was dismayed when Zambai and some members of the Franky Family popped up across the canal from him, so he dashed off again with a yelp. Into another alley he went jumping over crates and scrap while the infants against his chest gurgled happily, enjoying their adventure. But then the man had to skid to a stop and stifle a shout when he spotted Luffy at a seller's boat buying several bagfuls of meat. He nearly screamed out of frustration and embarrassment at seeing his boyfriend but his panic forced him to run away again. Dammit! Why did I have to find Luffy?! He's the last person besides the cook that I'd want to see me like this!

Down another street and across a bridge, Zoro ran into Chopper perusing through a bookstore.

"Dammit!"

Through two alleys and around the corner, Zoro spotted Usopp buying hygiene products at a stall.

"Shit!"

Two bridges and three blocks later, he found Chimney and Gonbe at a candy shop.

"Oh my god, why?!"

Two blocks, three corners, and one bridge later, he saw Paulie getting supplies at a hardware store.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Damn! I can't run anymore!" the swordsman panted, stumbling along. By this point, Zoro was sweating profusely, his arms were tired from carrying groceries, and his legs were tired from running. He'd probably run around the whole island at this point! But the babies were still happy, making cute baby noises as their trusty steed gallivanted through the Backstreets.

"Having a rough time?" a smooth voice asked.

Zoro answered without even thinking about it. "Huh," he scoffed. "You could say that! I don't' even know how I let myself get into this mess!" He froze, realizing that he recognized the voice. He lost his crap when he whirled around to find Robin standing out on the street, smiling at him. His jaw hit the floor at the sight of the archeologist. "Crap in a bucket! You've got to be kidding me!"

The dark-haired woman chucked at his obvious embarrassment and allowed herself to be shoved into an alleyway. It was cute to see him so flustered. His blush was adorable and she had to keep her eyes on his face or she'd chuckle at the three infants strapped to his chest and that horrible shirt. It would be glorious to hold this over his head forever.

"Now listen…" he started, blushing profusely.

"Robin!" Zoro stiffened at Nami's call, his eyes getting distressingly wide in panic. Robin had to stifle another giggle behind her smile. "I wonder where she went?" the navigator wandered off, looking for Robin and Zoro peeked out of the alley to watch her go, praying she wouldn't turn around.

"You don't have to worry anything," Robin said calmly, trying to give the poor man some peace. He looked so frazzled already! "You're secret is safe with me." She then smiled deviously. "And to be honest it suits you," she teased as she walked away. "If you and Luffy ever get some kids, you'll be a great mother!" And with that, Zoro's whole face went beet red and he knew that he would never live this down.

He wanted out of all of it, now! But even when he finally managed to lose his way back to Auntie, hand her both the groceries and the babies, and told her that he was outta there, she told him it was fine to go home and to clean the toilet while he was at it. He firmly told her that he wasn't going back to her house, but was going back to his friends. She told him to stop talking about that crazy nonsense, and he told her that she was the crazy one, which prompted her to get mad at him for speaking to his mother that way!

"You're not my mom!"

"Shut up you weird little broccoli head!"

"It's not broccoli! Its moss!" He blushed, and mentally kicked himself for letting his friends (Sanji) condition him into thinking that his head was moss. Auntie's hoard of kids started calling him moss-head and he yelled that he wasn't a moss-head before walking off. It wouldn't be until later that he found out that the loan sharks had taken Auntie and the kids, but until then, the swordsman climbed up onto a roof to brood.

Even if his day had been ridiculous and embarrassing it had still been interesting to experience. He'd never seen so many people who weren't related working together as a family. The older boys had helped sort scrap and cleaned dishes, the younger kids had helped with laundry and folded clean clothes, and Auntie had been helping all of the kids with their chores. She'd taken in these kids, loved them, fed them, clothed them, and sheltered them, all without being related to them. It was kinda amazing. It also reminded Zoro of his own bond with his crew. They were all screwy in their own ways, bound together by one idiot captain, but they'd all come to trust each other even to the point of giving up their lives for the others. This had been especially true for Robin, as the crew had gone to her rescue with little care for themselves. Hell, Luffy had almost died to make sure that the strongest member of CP9 couldn't come after them and Zoro knew that he'd do practically anything to help his captain and crewmates. That kind of bond transcended blood – maybe Auntie had a point. And this revelation was probably the main reason he followed Hoichael when the young boy scurried across roofs to get to him, shouting about trouble. The swordsman told him that Auntie could handle herself but when the young boy cried that all the kids had been taken by a lot of guys as well, he got surprisingly angry at this. Hoisting Hoichael on his back, Zoro dashed across the rooftops toward the fight he knew was coming.

They made it just in time. Auntie had been smacked around by a tough but stupid-looking swordsman, and the kiddos were in front of her, trying to protect her as the loan sharks advanced on them. Auntie shoved the kids behind her as they got close, gritting her teeth and preparing for the worst. But her fears were crushed as Zoro leaped down from a rooftop, accompanied by shouts of "Mom!" from Hoichael. The green-haired man drew both of his swords and blew the men back with one strike. If looks could kill, Zoro's glare would've had them dead several times over. He glared at the helmeted swordsman who appeared to be a hired hand and got into stance as his opponent raised his blade. Zoro swung his swords up and behind his back, preparing his 72 Caliber Phoenix. The dumbass didn't even stand a chance and was sent flying into the air. Zoro glared at the last remaining loan shark and the bastard panicked, sliding off the rounded roof before he could finish the measly threat he'd started. His splash into the canals of Water 7 was very satisfying.

The kids were clapping and cheering about the big rescue and Auntie said that she'd expect nothing less of her son, but despite his help, Zoro still needed to make one thing clear:

"Now listen, Auntie! Let's get things straight: I have friends waiting for me that-"

"That are just like family to you? Kinda like how everyone at my house is for me?" she interrupted. Seriously! He couldn't get a word in with this lady!

"Yeah, that's right. It's a lot like that." Zoro smiled for the first time that day, happy that she understood. His friends were his family now, and despite their shortcomings and quirks, he wouldn't give them up for anything.

"Then why didn't you just say so in the first place!" And with that, the good mood was gone. Zoro threw his hands up into the air and brought them down angrily.

"I did, like, a MILLION times!" Even though he was a badass pirate and swordsman, he kinda sounded like a whiny child when he yelled back at her. Auntie's kids all laughed at their big brother and Zoro couldn't help but blush. Once everyone was home safe and sound, Auntie decided that it was probably time to let her little chick "leave the nest for a time" and the swordsman just sweatdropped in response. She's really crazy, he thought. But her heart's in the right place.

"I'm leaving for good," he replied, with three baby faces staring back at him. The little stinker who'd fallen out of the cupboard was even waving at him.

"Take care of yourself, okay?" Auntie said with a smile.

Michael piped up next. "Hey bro! Congrats! You're a man now!"

"You'd better leave before Mom changes her mind about letting you go!" Hoichael added. Zoro just rolled his eyes.

"Take care, Big Brother!" the rest of the kids called.

"You too," the swordsman replied with a smile. They were good kids and deserved at least that much. As they shouted their goodbyes, Zoro waved without turning around, completely forgetting that he was still wearing that ridiculous shirt. But Auntie remembered.

"Hey! Wait a minute! Come back!" she shouted. Zoro stiffened in panic, thinking that she was going to drag him back, and took off running. Two alleys, three bridges, five blocks, and around a corner away, he was sure that he'd gotten away. However, he wasn't that lucky.

"WAIT!" Auntie and the kids were right behind him, charging ahead at full speed. He yelped in surprise and started sprinting, but Michael and Hoichael knew that he would never learn: they knew every nook and cranny of the Back Streets.

"Leave me alone! Go away!" the green-haired man wailed, running like the Devil was nipping at his heels.

Eventually, he got caught and got his shirt back with a bit more fuss, but then he got lost again, so Michael and Hoichael had to take him back to Galley-La. Again. Zoro had never felt so relieved to see his crew and immediately glommed onto Luffy, hugging the crap out of his boyfriend.

"Zoro? Are you okay?" the rubber man asked as he was picked up and carried over to a wall where the swordsman proceeded to sit down with him on his lap. Luffy had been in the middle of dinner and Chopper changing his bandages, so he'd dragged both his plate and his doctor with him.

"I'm fine," Zoro huffed, getting a recharge of Luffy by snuggling after his horrible day.

"Did something happen?" Luffy asked, still stuffing his face. His arm stretched out and grabbed another plate out of Sanji's hands and tossed the empty one towards the cook.

"I don't want to talk about it," Zoro replied moodily. The teen turned to give his lover a look but dropped the subject when Chopper told him to hold still so that he could finish with the bandages.

"Moss-Head's acting weird," Sanji commented, but instead of rising to the insult, Zoro just ignored him, which was even more out of character. Nami shrugged, just as confused as he was. Zoro pointedly pretended to ignore Robin's knowing smile and suggestive eyes, but he could tell that the woman was thinking of something embarrassing. He snuggled into Luffy a little more and kissed his hair, more to comfort himself than anything else. He was relieved to be back where he belonged. And while Zoro would always respect Auntie and her care for her children, he was just happy to get back to his own crazy, dysfunctional family.

The Hard Truth

Sanji had just come back to the Straw Hat's temporary lair at Galley-La with the best news: Usopp was going to come back!

Luffy's eyes widened at the information. "So Usopp's really going to come back?!" he asked.

Sanji had sat down in a chair by Robin and was puffing his cigarette, the setting sun bathing the room in golden light. "Uh-huh, I saw him on the coast, practicing his big return speech." The cook had been shopping earlier that day and on his way back saw Usopp going through multiple scenarios of how the crew would take him back. It all sounded ridiculous but at least he wanted to come back.

"That's great news!" A huge smile split Luffy's face and pretty much everyone else was smiling too, except for one grumpy swordsman. "Man, I was worried!" Luffy's happy smile turned relieved as the issue of Usopp had been lifted off of his shoulders. It had been on his mind since they'd had their duel. But now that was all fixed! "Okay! Let's go get him right now!" the rubber man ordered, throwing his arms in the air happily.

Chopper and Nami instantly agreed, with the former jumping up and down excitedly and the latter saying that that was just like Usopp. The doctor and the navigator followed Luffy as he laughed and sang "We're going to get our crew back!" several times as he made his way to the door. However, just as his fingers landed on the handle, a strong voice called out to them.

"All of you hold on a second!" Zoro's seriousness stopped them dead in their tracks. Luffy's hand stopped pushing on the door handle and he looked back at his boyfriend.

"Hm?" the cheerful trio made a questioning noise as the swordsman stood up from where he'd been sitting. Zoro was not happy and it was written all over his face.

"I understand that you want to see him again," he started, his voice like steel," But I won't allow you to bring him back here." He was commanding, sounding much more like a captain than Luffy did. This kinda rubbed the rubber man the wrong way but mostly because he was telling them that Usopp couldn't come back.

"Huh? Why not!?" Luffy asked, so confused at the man's behavior. Zoro crossed his arms, giving his boyfriend a hard but understanding glare.

"You can't kiss his ass and tell him you're happy to see him again, you know that." The rubber man was taken aback; it almost sounded like Zoro didn't want Usopp to come back! What the hell was that about?!

"Zoro…"

The swordsman's voice became even sharper as he continued, "Until he bows his head and apologizes for what he did, he can't come back!"

"Zoro! You big jerk! Why-" Chopper managed to whine and angry yell at the same time, jumping around with irritation. He was cut off by Nami, who wasn't smiling now either, glaring at the offender.

She stomped towards the man, her fists of fury ready to pound him. "Hey! I don't know what your problem is-" but then she was cut off as well.

"Shut up!" The anger and forcefulness of his shout stopped the woman in her tracks, her face falling again. Zoro…he never acted like this much of an ass. Something was very wrong. The green-haired man focused his razor gaze on Luffy, walking towards him, almost cat-like, ready to strike. He grabbed the Wado Ichimonji by its sheath and pulled the whole thing out of its loop on his haramaki. "It doesn't matter what you two were thinking when you started arguing! It doesn't matter who was wrong or who was right either!" He came within two feet of Luffy, looking down at his captain from the few inches he had on the smaller man. "When two men have a duel with each other, no matter what the outcome is, they have to accept it!"

Luffy was sweating a little, the stress of the situation shutting him up for once. His eyes were hard now too, but his hands were trembling a little, remembering the rage and the hurt as Usopp left. He had been so angry at the dumbass! He'd been so sad that he couldn't see that they were all hurting, that he'd had to make the decision to leave Merry at Water 7, even if it hurt them all! Usopp had walked out on them. Even if he'd had some good arguments, Luffy had had some too. But then the night came, and the rubber man could hardly stand to fight his former friend. He'd taken a beating but in the end, he'd mercilessly knocked Usopp to the ground. He'd walked away at that time with his confidence shattered, his heart breaking, and tears running down his cheeks. All the blood, sweat, and tears that they'd put into their adventure had meant nothing in that moment of darkness. It had all fallen apart so easily. How could they ever come back from that? But didn't they want Usopp back?! Why did this have to be so hard!?

"After he lost that duel, he left by his own accord," Zoro stated, and the whole crew couldn't argue against him. The swordsman looked back at his shipmates, his gaze still sharp. He tapped Luffy's head with the hilt of his sword a few times as he pressed on. "You understand, don't you? He may be an idiot but this guy is still our captain." And then he turned and grabbed Luffy's cheek, stretching it fairly harshly and even getting some of his chin in the process. The rubber man's hat slipped off his head with the movement and he made a noise of discomfort at having his face grabbed so suddenly, and not in the loving way Zoro usually did it. Zoro's voice became even deadlier, as smooth as a sharp knife. "We don't need a crew member who doesn't respect their leader when things get rough. A crew with no respect and a captain who doesn't demand it are destined to fall apart quickly." Four solemn faces looked back at him and those who hadn't been on Zoro's page were starting to understand why this was so serious.

The swordsman then stuck his face right into Luffy's, yanking on the skin in his hand, forcing the rubber man to look him straight in the eye. Luffy glared right back. It was as if a ferocious tiger and a savage gorilla were about to tear each other to pieces, both of them baring their fangs as their spirits clashed. "Listen! I don't mind if you're easygoing most of the time but right now you've got to man up! You can't let people walk all over you!"

The two prideful men glared at each other for a moment more before the tension exploded.

"Because if you do that, it's going to be me who leaves this crew!" Luffy's heart literally twisted in his chest, not wanting to think about even one day without Zoro by his side. Zoro who'd been with him since the beginning. Zoro who'd pledged his sword to make him King of the Pirates. Zoro who protected them all with his everything. Zoro who liked to take naps with him. Zoro who touched him sweetly, who kissed him affectionately, and who loved him. If he could barely handle the loss of Usopp, how could he ever go on or be the same person without his beloved?

The rest of the crew was also quickly figuring out just how serious the swordsman was. Chopper and Nami gasped in shock, knowing how much Zoro loved Luffy and how much he treasured his crewmates; that Zoro was threatening to leave them!

"You're making this more complicated than it needs to be!" Nami argued, trying to backpedal. Zoro let go of Luffy's face and it snapped back into place harshly, the force throwing the man off balance as he stumbled a couple of steps towards the rest of the crew.

"Don't get me wrong, it's fine if he joins the crew again and it's fine if you want him back." His tone had mellowed somewhat but he was still deadly serious, anyone could tell that. "But…if he doesn't apologize for what he did and pretends like nothing ever happened between the two of you, then I won't forgive him and I won't stand for it!" His eyes had gone beyond hard now, holding the glare that Zoro only reserved for their enemies. "In other words, we'll leave the island without him."

Nami and Chopper gasped again and the navigator tried to backpedal a second time, "Wait Zoro, I agree that Usopp is the one at fault, not Luffy, but we can settle that up once he joins up with us again." In response to this, Zoro flicked the guard of the Wado Ichimonji, sliding the sword from its sheath and thrusting it into the floor on his left side. His was his declaration; this was his line in the sand. He would move no further and he would not retreat.

"So the fact that he left our crew means nothing?! He can come and go as he pleases?!" he shouted, jarring the whole crew.

"No…but I…" she stumbled over her words, knowing that he was right, but not wanting to accept it.

"Nami," Sanji's smooth voice drew her attention and she looked at the cook. "I hate to admit it, but just this once at least, I have to agree with what he's saying." Apparently, miracles did happen, and the blond's support of Moss Head swayed the argument.

"If he pulls a pointless stunt like this on a whim," Zoro continued, his voice losing the steel edge, "Then how are we supposed to trust him going forward?" He pulled the Wado Ichimonji out of the floor and sheathed it once again. "It's simple: if the first thing out of Usopp's mouth is an apology then we're good. But if he tries to make some excuse then he's no longer welcome. We're not just pretending to be pirates. This isn't a game." Though his voice was now soft, it still held all the seriousness that his shouting had contained. Zoro could see the understanding in Luffy's eyes as they gazed at each other, no matter how hard this was. With his point finally made, the swordsman could back down.

"You're right," Luffy closed his eyes, breathing deeply. "We already went our separate ways before. There are still a few days until they finish with the ship; we can wait that long." The rubber man crossed his legs as he sat down on the floor, having come to his decision. "It's all up to him."

Now that their captain had made a decision, the crew had to stand by him, or fall away. Thankfully, everyone understood the situation now and they followed Luffy's lead. The room was still filled with tension as the argument came to an end, so Nami and Chopper decided to go walk around for a little bit while the sun was still setting. Robin also took her leave and she grabbed one of her many books and went outside to find a nice spot to read, also taking a lantern with her for when she inevitably stayed out late. Sanji went to go check on their food stock, making his fourteenth shopping list for the last few things they were going to need in the process before he left to keep Robin company.

Now it was just Luffy and Zoro, both men silent as the minutes ticked away. As he gazed down at his partner, Zoro knew he had been harsh but this was the way it had to be. Usopp had disrespected them, most especially Luffy, and he shouldn't be able just to waltz right back into their lives without atoning for his wrongs. They deserved better than that and Luffy definitely deserved better than that. Even if this was a matter of pride and principle, Zoro knew that Luffy deserved the respect he was owed by being their leader and by protecting their lives each and every time trouble arose. Hell, Luffy had nearly died this time, being injured more severely than any other time he'd gotten from a fight (and that included being completely impaled on Crocodile's hook). At this point, he was entitled to the respect of his own crew, all of its members, and that included Usopp if he rejoined them. To not demand that much from his crew and to not receive that much from his crew was unacceptable and grounds for Zoro leaving, even if he didn't want to. He loved Luffy and he wanted all of them to be together for more adventures, but only if Luffy was given the respect that he should expect from his crew. So the swordsman had drawn a line and hoped for the best possible outcome. If Usopp was smart, he'd come back and apologize, and everything would continue on like normal. Right now, Zoro wanted to do nothing else but hold Luffy in his arms after that rough discussion. However, when he put his hand on the man's shoulder, Luffy stiffened and stood up, brushing his hand away. His heart pricked and he was about to be hurt about the rejection, but his love spoke up before that could happen.

"Sorry, Zoro…" his voice was very quiet and to anyone else, it would've sounded fairly normal. But Zoro could tell that Luffy was very vulnerable right now, just like after he'd dueled Usopp. Unfortunately, this time the younger man wasn't running into his arms for comfort, which sucked. "I…I want to be alone for a bit."

Understanding, but still worried, the swordsman nodded. "I'll be here, waiting." The rubber man nodded back and made his way to the door.

He stopped out in the hallway after closing the door behind him and pressed the brim of his hat down, hiding his face as he had after his duel with Usopp. He took a steadying breath and strode to the outside door before stretching his arm up to the edge of the roof and grabbing on. He flung himself onto the roof, his landing echoing in the room below. Zoro looked up at the ceiling, listening to Luffy's footsteps as he found a good spot to lie down on. The swordsman also took a seat against the wall, as usual, satisfied that he at least knew where Luffy was.

When Luffy had settled down, putting his hands behind his head and looking up at the stars winking into existence, he remembered. Since Luffy was not a creature of deep thought, he simply remembered and relived experiences as he worked through his feelings. He remembered all the times he'd fallen asleep fishing with Usopp and Chopper, all of them sitting on the Merry's railing snoring and blowing snot bubbles out of their noses. He remembered all the times when Usopp told one of his many tall tales and got laughs out of the crew when both he and Chopper fell for the lies hook, line, and sinker. He remembered all the lively dinners they had on the Merry, with the whole crew teasing him and Zoro, and it had been especially cute when Zoro would start blushing and stuttering in embarrassment, causing even more teasing. He remembered all the times when they'd get caught in storms and had to fight tooth and nail in order to survive under Nami's confident guidance, and how they'd all slump to the floor, soaked and tired, but happy once they were back on calm seas. He remembered all the times when they'd dragged their broken and aching bodies back to the ship after their adventures, ready to rest up and then head out on the next adventure, smiles on their faces. He remembered all of their petty squabbles and how they'd make up mere minutes later because Usopp had spotted something cool in the sea or Sanji would bring out snacks to make everyone feel better. He remembered all the time they'd looked at the stars together or marveled at the surprises the endless sea held. He remembered all the times they'd fought together, cried together, and laughed together, as one crew. All of these memories were precious to him and should be respected, but if these particular memories were his last with Usopp, then he had to be okay with letting future memories go. It hurt, especially when Zoro had threatened to leave the crew, but he'd had helped Luffy realize that while people's choices should be respected, the consequences of these choices also needed to be respected. He could want Usopp to come back but Usopp had to decide for himself to come back and own up to what he'd done. Zoro had helped him see that. It was the way things had to be.

Eventually, Luffy dozed off on the roof, having made peace with his feelings. The evening had quickly turned into night and the crew had wandered back inside as the night progressed. Nami and Chopper were surprised to see that Zoro was still by himself when they returned and asked where Luffy was. Zoro had pointed to the ceiling in response and told them he was waiting. Sanji and Robin had returned next, nodding to the swordsman in understanding. They all got ready for bed when sleepiness tugged at their eyes and the lights were turned out shortly thereafter. Some of the crew were worried about Luffy, staying awake as long as possible in case he came inside but they quietly fell asleep once they were tired enough. Even Zoro had climbed into his lower bunk, kicking his boots off at the foot of the bed and settling in for the night. Luffy still hadn't come inside, which was troubling – meaning that he was mad or that he'd done something stupid like falling asleep on the roof or had wandered off without Zoro noticing. He could go check but Luffy had wanted to be alone and the swordsman respected that. If he was in the same situation he'd want his boyfriend to respect him enough to give him that space. So, Zoro closed his eyes and slipped in and out of sleep for a while, waiting for Luffy to come back.

He honestly didn't have to wait too long after getting into bed. The quiet creak of the door and the soft footsteps gave the other man away. Luffy had woken up with the sky pitch black above him, dotted with bright stars, signaling that it had been night for quite some time. He'd panicked a little, realizing that his whole crew was probably back and he'd been up on the roof for hours. Zoro was probably pissed that he'd been gone for so long! He'd jumped down off the roof, went inside, and had softly opened the door, not wanting to wake everyone up. It was quiet inside and he could hear Sanji and Chopper snoring a little. When his eyes adjusted, he could see that Zoro was in bed too and quietly shut the door behind him before padding over to the swordsman. Luffy looked at the man's solid back and wondered if it would be okay to climb in with him or if he should just get into the top bunk. They hadn't really resolved their feelings and Zoro might not appreciate him crawling into his sheets. But Luffy being Luffy, decided that he didn't care too much and would rather spend the night with his lover and get cranked at in the morning if that's what it took. He shook his sandals off onto the floor and carefully climbed into the bed, spooning himself up against the swordsman's back, nuzzling his cheek into solid muscle. He gently placed his top arm around the larger man's torso, hugging him lightly. Before he went back to sleep, he had to say something important.

"Everything's okay now. Sorry, I took so long. I fell asleep outside. Please don't be mad at me," Luffy whispered, not knowing if his boyfriend was even awake to hear his apology.

"Idiot," came the soft reply as Zoro shifted, rolling over to face the younger man, surprising him. He swiftly wrapped his arms around his love and pressed him to his broad chest, relieved that he wasn't mad at him. His heart had soared when Luffy had climbed into his bed and had snuggled up to him. "I'm not mad at all," he said, placing soft kisses on black hair (after the hat had been placed in the corner, of course). Luffy smiled at the affection and nuzzled into Zoro's chest.

"You were scary though," Luffy teased quietly, tipping his head up to leave his own kisses on the exposed skin of the swordsman's neck and collarbone. Zoro suppressed a shiver as he felt those lips on his skin, but Luffy could tell that he had been affected and smiled. The swordsman bundled Luffy into his arms even more, practically swallowing up the younger man's body with his own.

"I had to get everything through your thick head, obviously." He rubbed comforting circles on Luffy's back. All he wanted to do was show his partner just how much he loved him after their little spat with the crew. Luffy was on a similar page and hugged Zoro tightly.

"I don't want you to leave us…to leave me," he whispered, remembering the swordsman's threat to leave the crew if they kissed Usopp's ass and let him back on the crew without apologizing.

"I won't," Zoro responded seriously.

"But you said-"

"Shut up." Luffy was cut off with a kiss, the searing passion it contained startling the rubber man. It was all tongues and teeth, just as ferocious as their confrontation had been, and Luffy eagerly joined in, becoming just as aggressive as Zoro. They played with each other's tongues and kissed deeply as if they were as desperate for that touch as their need for air. They quietly, but firmly, dueled for dominance, and Luffy eventually won, plundering the swordsman's mouth as they continued to kiss for several more minutes. It wasn't until they truly needed air that they broke apart, their hands still wandering across arms and backs. Luffy's hands were fisted on Zoro's shirt and the swordsman's large hands were splayed across his lover's back and waist. Their lips gravitated towards the others' even as they caught their breath, pecking and pressing quickly and softly, still craving that connection. When they'd calmed down, Zoro continued their conversation.

"I did mean it," he admitted, "But I knew that you'd understand the seriousness of it all and would make it so I didn't have to leave."

"It still sucked, thinking about you leaving the crew," Luffy gave his lover a disgruntled look and Zoro kissed his forehead in apology.

"But I'm not going anywhere. You can forget about it now." Yet, Luffy realized that he'd probably never truly forget it; he'd always remember that Zoro had put Luffy's respect over his own personal happiness, and while it was scary, it was also very admirable. And prideful. Zoro was nothing if not prideful. "I just wanted you to have the respect you deserve," he finished.

"Even if I'm an idiot sometimes?" Luffy asked. Zoro snorted.

"Sometimes?" he replied sarcastically, teasing the rubber man. Luffy punched him in the shoulder. Hard. Probably harder than he'd meant to.

"Ow."

"Shishishi!" Fight resolved, feelings mended, affection given, the pair settled into the bed together to sleep. Luffy felt Zoro's breath tickle his hair and heard his heartbeat as he snuggled into that broad chest. He felt comforted and loved now and thought that Zoro should know that.

"Hey, Zoro…" he started. He felt the swordsman rouse himself from the doze he'd slipped into, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Mmm…yeah?"

"I love you." The rubber man nuzzled his lover some more. Zoro chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest. Luffy loved that sound and smiled when he heard it.

"I love you too." Zoro held his beloved even tighter to his chest, happy that he didn't have to worry about squeezing too hard, because rubber. The younger man made a joke about being squished and then proceeded to laugh quietly at his joke. Zoro rolled his eyes, but Luffy's laugh was one of the best sounds in the world, right after shouting Zoro's name in ecstasy. The pair fell asleep quickly, but they stayed wrapped in each other's arms for most of the night, until Zoro rolled onto his back during the night and unconsciously deposited Luffy onto his chest, both of them sprawling out. And when the rest of the Straw Hats woke up in the morning and saw their captain sprawled face down on their swordsman's chest, they knew that everything was as right with the world as it could be.

The Naked Truth

Well, the day was shaping up to be very interesting. The Straw Hats had been lounging around until Mozu, Kiwi, and Chimney had come running into their place, winded but excited. They told the crew that their ship had been completed! They had a brand new ship! But before they were able to pack up and leave, Zambai and the other men of the Franky Family came crashing in. They showed the crew their new bounties and everyone had one this time. Luffy and Zoro were pleased with theirs, Robin was quietly excited as well, but Nami was mortified that she had a bounty at all, and Chopper's was only 50 Beri, so he was pretty devastated. However, none of that compared to the horror and disappointment radiating off of Sanji. He had a bounty, yes, but he had a crap-ass drawing instead of a photograph and it was awful! He collapsed to the ground devastated while Luffy laughed and Zoro took a shot at him and got an appropriate amount of retaliation. Then, Zambai and the others interrupted the teasing and revealed that their boss also had a bounty and that he couldn't stay on Water 7 anymore. They begged the crew to take Franky with them to sea. Luffy didn't take much convincing as he'd already decided that Franky was going to be his shipwright. The gang was delighted and left to go take care of some "dirty business."

In the meantime, the Straw Hats went to Scrap Island to go see their new ship! She was magnificent and as Ice Pops unveiled her, the crew's jaws hit the ground. The ship was at least twice the size of the Going Merry and had a beautiful sunflower (lion) figurehead and the ship was painted with bright, reds, yellows, and oranges. She was a brigantine ship (square-rigged in the front with a gaff sail in the back), one which relies on the skills of its navigator (in which Nami found a pleasant challenge), and had an actual lawn on the deck, an observation tower instead of just a crow's nest, an aquarium, a swing, and a slide. And probably most importantly, it had a fridge with a lock! (Sanji was so pleased that he could finally keep Luffy out of the fridge and Luffy was so disappointed that getting his midnight snack was going to take more effort.) The crew loved her! They were running around the ship, searching every nook and cranny for all the awesome things Franky, Iceberg, and the Dock 1 foremen had built. She was wonderful, a Ship of Dreams, the best they could've hoped for! But there was something wrong: Franky wasn't there.

Luffy ran to the railing and leaned on it while calling to Ice Pops. "Hey Ice Pops! This is cool and all but where did Franky go? We've got to thank him for this!"

Ice Pops, with little Tyrannosaurus on his shoulder, looked up at the young pirate. "I'm sorry, but it appears that he doesn't want to see you." Luffy's face dropped, confused, but before he could say anything, Ice Pops asked him a question. "Straw Hat, you were going to invite Franky to be your shipwright, weren't you?"

"Yep!" he replied cheerfully. "Wouldn't have it any other way! Besides, this is his ship after all! He has to come!"

"That might be your problem."

"You mean he doesn't want to join?" Now Luffy was even more confused; how could wanting Franky to come along be the problem for Franky to come along? It made no sense! Thankfully, Ice Pops continued on again.

"It's the opposite: if you invited him, he wouldn't be able to refuse. That's why he's hiding right now." The older gentleman could practically feel the young man's confusion radiating off him and smiled. "M'well, what I'm saying is that he wants to join you in his heart. Of course, you can probably see that yourself; seeing all the love and care he put into building this ship. And he's quite fond of your crew, so please don't blame yourself for this. He believes that it's his duty to stay on this island and his bond has become the chain that binds him." By this point Zoro had joined the pair to listen in on the conversation, leaning against the railing up in front of the kitchen, and watching Luffy watching Iceberg. Luffy had been looking forward to having Franky as his shipwright, and even if it looked impossible right now, the swordsman knew that Luffy would never give up. He'd seriously had to hound at least three people to join his crew and even went after another member to the point of declaring war on the government and nearly killing himself in the process. His boyfriend was no quitter and Zoro almost felt sorry for what was in store for Franky.

"Yeah?" Luffy asked.

"Yes," Ice Pops nodded. "Though, if you ask me, I think he's being needlessly stubborn over nothing. Still, that's how he feels, so trying to reason with him would be a waste of time. So if you really want him to go with you, then your only choice is to use force! Since he's not willing to break that chain which binds him here, you'll have to do it for him!"

"Use force?! After he was so nice to us…I guess I can give it a shot," Luffy replied. Zoro just rolled his eyes. Literally everything Luffy did was forceful and he'd literally bugged people onto his crew, put them in a position where they couldn't refuse, or refused their refusal. So why are you getting hung up now? The swordsman shook his head and got ready to do the inevitable for his captain.

Out at the Franky House, things were getting hairy. Zambai and the others had returned to their home to find Franky lounging outside drinking cola. They'd been a little surprised that he was there instead of with the Straw Hats because they thought that he'd want to go sail on his ship with Luffy and the others. But Franky was acting all surly and stated that he couldn't leave them, especially when they couldn't even build a house right (their old one had been demolished by the Straw Hat men so they were in the process of putting up another). Then Zambai blurted out that they'd just gotten back from begging the Straw Hats to take Franky with them. The cyborg got irritated that his bros were trying to ship him out, but Zambai argued that Franky couldn't stay…he'd seen how happy Franky had been building his ship, and how he'd smiled like he'd never seen him smile before. He told Franky that he'd been doing what he was meant to do and that he'd figured out that Franky was hiding from the pirates because he knew they were going to ask him to be their shipwright. But his last point put the nail in the coffin: even if he wanted to stay, even if they wanted him to, he couldn't because the government had put a bounty on his head. As Franky began arguing back, the most absurd thing happened: he was yanked to the ground and stripped of his briefs!

"I GOT HIS UNDIES!" Tamagon (the man who looked like an egg) yelled, triumphantly holding up Franky's briefs. While shocked, the rest of the Franky men shouted for him not to lose them as they were their ticket to get Franky moving.

"GIVE ME BACK MY BRIEFS!" came the furious roar in response to the theft. "That's the only pair of those I've got!" Franky was pissed and the men of the Franky Family backed up, nearly overwhelmed by his fury. Not wanting to give up, they came up with a plan (not a good one) but a plan nonetheless.

"EVERYONE SCATTER!" And so they did. They had to get the undies to Straw Hat no matter the cost!

The Franky Family ran through the Back Streets of Water 7 while holding Franky's briefs hostage, managing to toss them and hide them away from their boss even if the cyborg caught up to certain members. The citizens of Water 7 were used to the Franky Family's antics but what they weren't expecting today was a practically naked pervert running through the streets. The adults gasped in horror at Franky running wild and pants-less and several children pointed at the funny man before having their eyes covered by concerned parents. The police even tried to get involved, as Franky was clearly indecent, but also because the gang was knocking down buildings setting off explosions, causing untold amounts of property damage, and trashing the streets in their frantic efforts to get away from their bro and make it to Scrap Island. Franky was getting more a more frustrated because each and every time he'd manage to knock down one of his guys who had his briefs, they'd get snatched away before he could grab them. It was damn annoying! However, his frustrations got even worse when he'd almost cornered the thief with his briefs but another contender appeared to save the day.

Straw Hat Luffy called out to the limping man saying, "Hey! Pass them to me! Hurry!" The rubber man appeared on a rooftop and held his hand out with a smile. "Up here!"

"It's Straw Hat!"

"Don't you dare!" Franky shouted but the briefs were tossed, and the chase began anew.

"Let's see where they go next!~" Luffy teased, taking off across the rooftops of the city.

"You little turd! Come back here!" Franky growled, taking off after him in his naked glory. However, despite running after a panty thief, the cyborg couldn't help but ask about how the crew liked the ship. They loved it! And even as upset citizens threw whatever they could at Franky, he kept yammering on about the ship's features and how they could dump new fish into the aquarium and see them swim around and have fresh fish for meals, how the ship's Soldier Dock System was awesome, how he fulfilled all the crew's requests, and about how it was the best damn ship in the world. Luffy told him that it was the coolest ship he'd ever seen as he leaped from roof to roof high above the cyborg. Franky managed to shoot a cannonball at Luffy and blew up a roof, sending the rubber man flying into the air. Luffy threw the briefs to Chopper, who'd joined the fun in his beast form, and the reindeer took off clopping across the rooftops with the undies in his mouth (ew!). And while the Straw Hats had joined the fray, the Franky Family wasn't out yet!

"Look here he comes!" Kiev shouted. They'd used a yagara to move a Shoot Anything cannon across the city and were waiting for Franky to show up. And they had friends. "We're counting on you two for this one!"

"No problem!" Zoro said as he and Sanji shot down the street straight towards Franky and each of them took a hold of one arm and threw the man right into the cannon.

"Ready?" Kiev called as he and a bro moved the cannon. "Aim for Scrap Island!"

"What the hell are you trying to do?!" Franky's head popped out frantically, trying to process the situation but he was already doomed.

"The Franky Family's secret weapon!"

"Fire! Shoot Anything Cannon!" Kiev called activating the cannon. Franky screamed as he was fired into the air, flying high above the buildings of the Back Streets. Zoro and Sanji smiled smugly as the naked man disappeared.

"Hey!" Chopper shouted to no one in particular. "Aren't we supposed to send his undies there first?!" A pair of rubber arms stretched out and grabbed the rooftop the reindeer was on.

"Grab on Chopper!" Luffy smiled as he got ready to rocket himself to Scrap Island too. Chopper shrank to his normal size and grabbed on. "Now Gum Gum…ROCKET!" The pair flew high into the air, Chopper screaming the whole way up and the whole way down. Zoro felt sorry for the poor reindeer and did not envy him. The swordsman nodded to the chef and they both took off running towards Scrap Island as well but not without Zoro running in the wrong direction several times and an annoyed Sanji yelling at him. While Luffy had a semi-graceful landing, Franky was not so fortunate. The cyborg had landed headfirst into a pile of scraps, his manly manhood on display for all to see. Chimney was singing about him being naked and Mozu and Kiwi were surprised at the lengths the boys had gone to in order to get their bro here. It was almost amazing but mostly just embarrassing. Kokoro was laughing her head off and Iceberg and his men were so embarrassed for the poor man.

"M'well, this certainly took an interesting turn," the shipwright said, holding back his chuckles. Eventually, Franky burst out from under the pile of scraps and turned to see his ship. Its captain was standing on the railing, triumphantly holding a pair of swim briefs in the air, fluttering in the sea breeze like the pirate flag high above them.

"Franky!" Luffy shouted. "Thanks! The ship is great! Just like you said: it's the best! We'll take good care of it!"

Franky smiled. "Yeah, I had fun with you guys! Have a safe trip!"

"Oh, I hate to break it to ya but if you want your undies back, you're gonna have to join our crew!" Luffy's huge smile was so smug that the cyborg almost wanted to slap it off his face. Luffy could tell from Franky's conflicted expression that he'd hit the nail on the head. And to the jeers and shouts of angry, scarred townspeople, their conversation continued.

Franky pushed his sunglasses up into his head, glaring at the young captain. "Give me back my briefs, Straw Hat," the cyborg demanded.

"Sure. Join my crew," the rubber man countered.

"What? Are you stupid? I'm not going to be a pirate." Franky took a few steps towards the ship and then stopped. "You know what? You can keep those briefs, brother!" And then the pervert did something truly outrageous: he jumped onto a pile of scraps and proudly gave his signature pose in all his naked glory, mortifying just about everyone in attendance. "Standing before the crashing waves, naked and proud! You wouldn't ask a lion to put on underwear; so why a man?" As he finished his impromptu poetry, Franky practically shined, blinding everyone around him, much to the dismay of the citizens. Some couldn't even look away because of the pure ridiculousness of the situation and more children's eyes had to be shielded from the pervert.

Luffy couldn't believe Franky's confidence! He didn't even think that Zoro could've pulled that off! And Zoro was the manliest man Luffy had ever met! "His determination is too great! He's a true man! A hero!" And then Nami slapped him to the ground before he got too carried away, disgusted with the whole situation herself.

"He's obviously just a pervert!"

Robin looked on with mild fascination, formulating a plan. "It might get a little rough," she started, getting Luffy's attention. "But shall I lend a hand?" Luffy straightened his hat and looked at her.

"Actually, Ice Pops said before that if we want Franky to join, we're going to have to use force to get our way."

Nami looked at her fellow female, not having the slightest clue as to what she was thinking. So she just asked. "What were you planning?" Robin just smiled and said nothing (which was never a good sign), and crossed her arms in front of her.

"Dos Fleur!" Her two arms sprouted in the most unexpected place: out of Franky's thighs, her hands dangerously close to his groin. Everyone gaped at the implication, terrified and horrified at the same time, especially the men. Franky's face turned an awful shade of purple as the ominous hands inched towards his…well…treasure. And then came the painful climax: "Grab!" The flower woman fisted her hands firmly with a devious smile on her face. Franky comically cried out in pain as his…um…family jewels were caught in a death grip.

Nami couldn't believe what she was seeing! "Robin! What did you do?!" she shouted, completely taken aback and the terrible things her friend had floating around her mind. However, the navigator couldn't look away from the spectacle as Franky continued to howl.

"Oh man!" Luffy's eyes bugged out of his head as the poor man writhed in agony. "OW!" Luffy reminded himself to never piss Robin off, not wanting to suffer any consequence like that.

"You're going to crush them, Robin!" Chopper wailed. "Don't do it!" Iceberg's jaw gaped and Paulie's cigar fell out of his mouth as his jaw nearly hit the ground.

"She'll tear them off!" Mozu gasped.

"She'll crush them to bits!" Kiwi added.

"Like little oranges!" they finished together.

"They're called tangerines! OWOWOWOWOWOW!" Franky piped up, despite his monumental pain. He flopped face down on the ground crying and no man could blame him.

"RoBIN!" Luffy yelled at his archeologist, still horrified by her behavior. "I still want him to be a man when he joins us! Lay off!"

Chopper dropped his head down on the railing, his legs swinging in the air due to his short stature. He pushed the brim of his hand down over his eyes, not wanting to see the carnage anymore. "Just looking at it hurts!"

"Everyone knows that pirates won't give up on treasure once they set their sights on it," Robin started (after letting Franky wail a little more). "And now that we have this one in our palms, so to speak, I won't let go without a fight!" She still had that disturbing smile on her face as Franky dragged his head up to glare at her.

"Come on! I already…told you…ah! Ow! I couldn't leave this island even if I wanted to!" Franky struggled to find his words over the immense pain he was experiencing. "I appreciate the offer, really! It just ain't in the cards for me! Sailing the seas would be great and all, but there's still a lot of stuff here I need to take care of here!" He moaned again for a moment before continuing. "That's why I gave the ship to you. I stopped being a shipwright a long time ago and I'm not going back. This is the last ship I'm building for the rest of my life! I only had one goal as a shipwright and now I've fulfilled it! I made my Ship of Dreams!"

"That's a lie, Franky!" A strong voice interrupted the cyborg's speech and he turned to look at Iceberg. Iceberg began walking towards his long-time friend and rival, speaking so everyone could hear. "You can say what you like but I know the truth: this isn't the Ship of Dreams that you talked about before."

A Ship of Dreams? A young Iceberg had asked Franky what that meant and he got the explanation, wanted or not.

That's right! And my dream doesn't end with blueprints either. It's much bigger than that! It's a ship that will sail with pride and courage across uncharted waters, fighting its way through battle, over every wave! And when it finally reaches the ends of the earth, then it'll be my Ship of Dreams! One day, I'll design that ship and hammer in the nails with my own two hands. And when its crew sails, I'll join as their shipwright. That way, I'll be there when the ship reaches its goal at the ends of the world. Even if it's beat up and worn out, I know that my ship will shine, brighter than anything the ocean's ever seen! What do you think? Pretty awesome, right Tom?

Ha! You bet! And if you ride that sucker down the Grand Line yourself, you'll surpass your master! If you're a man, you do it with gusto!

Iceberg knew that Franky remembered that day because that was the day he'd told his dream to others. However, Franky wasn't giving up without a fight.

"Yeah, well, my dream's changed now!" He stood to his feet shakily, still glaring at his old friend and sometimes rival.

"Your dream? That's not what this is about at all. You're not on this island because of something you have to accomplish…you're here because of guilt." Iceberg knew him too well and got straight to the point. "Ever since that day when Tom was taken away by the government, you've blamed yourself for what happened. It's obvious. But even before Tom left this island, he'd already forgiven you. For years, you've taken punks from the inner-city streets under your wing. You've taught them to be dismantlers, you worked as bounty hunters, and you've protected this island from attacking pirates. All of this, to atone for your sins, to look after the city that Tom loved, that Tom was forced to leave behind. Although, I don't think that most people saw it that way." Iceberg looked down at the cyborg, his heart full of emotion – love, grief, pride, hate – he'd experienced a lot of all of those over the years with Franky, Tom, and the others.

"No, of course not! Because that's not what I was doing! Not at all!" Franky denied, hiding behind his tough-guy persona. Then he stiffened in pain as his torture continued. Iceberg ignored that and kept going.

"You loved shipbuilding and gave it up. You suppressed your dream for years and years; are you going to do that for the rest of your life? Tom has already forgiven you. I have already forgiven you." Iceberg bit his lip, keeping himself in check. "Nothing you do will change that. This had gone on long enough." He could see that Franky was about to start crying and pressed on. "It's time to forgive yourself, Franky. Live! And follow the dream you've buried for so long!" And then Franky burst into tears, thinking about Tom's boisterous laugh and happy smile.

Suddenly, something fell out of the sky and landed between him and Iceberg, throwing the cyborg back several dozen feet.

"What the hell?!" Franky looked up and saw a duffle bag waiting for him. "A bag?"

"It's luggage for your trip, Bro!" Zambai's voice floated down from the huge, broken stairs leading up to the inner island.

"Move it! We're coming through!" Kiev shouted.

"Ah! It's the Franky Family!" A concerned citizen shouted. The crowd parted and there they were.

"Bro!"

"We love you!" All those saps were crying too!

"You too!?" Franky couldn't believe this! His own guys were trying to kick him off the island! But they did have good intentions.

"Bro!" Zambai called. "Forgive us! We didn't want to trick you! We're sorry!" The whole gang shouted an apology. "We'll take any punishment that you throw at us. We're not smart like you but we thought long and hard about this, and even we know that it's the only way!"

"Only way, huh? You guys aren't making any sense to me! You think that I'm better off without my only pair of briefs?" Franky asked, as said briefs were in the possession of one Monkey D. Luffy, who was listening patiently as things progressed. "Huh? Think I'll be better off with a bunch of pirates? Well, I don't care what you think! This is my life! And I decide what's best for me! I'm the boss, damn it! You think I'd be happy living out the life my underlings planned for me? You say you thought 'long and hard' but if you'd really thought about this you wouldn't have done it in the first place!"

"I know we're a pain," Zambai replied, his face just as crestfallen as his brothers'. "But is it wrong for us to worry about you even a little? You've turned our lives around! We just want what's best for you! We just want our Big Bro to be happy! Can't you see?!" Now the tears were flowing freely and not a Franky eye was dry.

Franky was thrown back onto the ground, wailing and holding his groin, lamenting how much it hurt as his balls were presumably squeezed again. Iceberg was just smiling because he knew what was really going on. But Luffy didn't, so he turned to Robin again, still curled up in a little ball of empathic pain.

"Hey stop! You're going too far!" He whined, feeling for his fellow man. "Come on! He's going to turn into a woman!"

"Can't you hear him crying?!" Chopper pointed out, shocked by the woman's callousness. Mozu and Kiwi did their thing again, comparing Franky's balls to grapes and then to apples (Franky much preferred the apple comparison) while the cyborg continued to wail and cry.

"Robin!" Luffy turned to look at her again but she was already leaning on the rail, her hands down at her sides. "You're not doing anything?" he asked, confused by her behavior in relation to Franky's.

She smiled, this time happily. "I only did it one time. He's just being a big baby." she chuckled. "How convenient: now he had an excuse to cry all he wants."

"He's faking it?!" Nami said, looking at Chopper, and then both of them looked at Franky. He was spinning around in circles on his back, still crying, still wailing, but the only pain he felt was in his heart.

"You guys, are you really going to be okay without me?" Franky sobbed, genuine tears running down his face, identical to the tears running down his family's faces.

"You taught us how to work together; we'll make you proud for as long as we live!" Zambai promised. "Water 7 will never forget your name!"

"Yeah! We'll be fine!"

"Don't cry, Bro!"

"We love you!"

"No matter how far away you are, you'll always be our boss! And you'll always be our Bro!"

Franky cried even harder. "I can't stop!"

The tearful farewell was interrupted in the next few moments with the appearance of a sprinting Zoro and Sanji making a beeline for the ship. They leaped off the huge, broken staircase onto Scrap Island and called out for their captain.

"Luffy!"

"Hey! What's up?" He called back.

"We've got bad news captain!" Sanji yelled.

"That stupid grandpa of yours came back for us, Luffy!" Zoro shouted. "He's got a whole bunch of Marines on the other side of the island getting ready to hunt us down and take us out!"

"Huh? Why?! I thought he said he was leaving!"

"We don't have time to figure that out!" the cook answered as they neared the ship. "Just set sail!" And then Sanji noticed the still naked Franky sitting on the ground. "What the hell? Dammit, Franky! Put your underwear back on already! Geez!"

And with that, Luffy remembered that he was still holding Franky's underwear, much to Zoro's annoyance when he noticed that too. The rubber man jumped up on the railing again and tossed the briefs into the air, already knowing the outcome. "Catch!" The cyborg snatched them out of the air and looked up at the young captain above him. "Well, come on! Get on my ship, captain's orders!" That smug smile was back but Franky didn't feel like slapping it off his face now.

Franky put on his own smug smile and he flicked his sunglasses back down over his eyes. "Your ship already, huh? An amateur like you will probably sink her within a week. You've got the finest vessel on the sea and no shipwright? That's a real pity, for the ship, I mean. What can I say? You don't leave me much choice! I've got to take care of my masterpiece after all! So set sail! I'm joining the crew!"

Said crew was all smiles as the remainder of them clambered onboard.

"YEAH! WE GOT OURSELVES A SHIPWRIGHT!" Luffy shouted for joy and leaped into the air while the rest of the crew cheered as well.

Franky grabbed the handles of his duffle and walked towards his new home and his new family. Well, Tom, this is it. I'm leaving the island. I know I was a bad student, and I know I only caused you trouble, but all the same, thank you for looking after me. And Iceberg, you put together a fine team of shipwrights. I'm sure they'll take good care of you. Sorry I've been such a pain over the years. Granny Kokoro, Shorty, and the Rabbit…Yokuzuna, all the lively townspeople…my little sisters…Sodom and Gomorra…and all my bros…I love you guys so much! I'm going to SUPER miss you all!

Franky showed the townspeople and everyone else his butt one more time when he jumped into the air and posed superly, and Sanji rolled his eyes in response to the cyborg's behavior. "Put on some pants," he grumbled, facepalming.

As the cyborg finally got on the ship, Luffy glommed onto Zoro smiling like an idiot. Zoro's hands came up under the young man's butt, supporting him as they looked at each other. "Shishishi! That was fun!" It was turning out to be quite an eventful day!

"Yeah?" Zoro asked, having quite enjoyed stuffing Franky into a cannon himself. "But that's the last time I let you have anything to do with some other man's pants." Luffy chuckled and yanked on the swordsman's ears playfully.

"That's because I can only get into your pants, right?" he teased.

"Damn straight," came the smug reply. Luffy laughed again and turned Zoro's head so that he could give him a kiss. Now all they had to do was get out of there, and then everything would be perfect.

The One That Got Away

The Straw Hats were sailing away from the island but there was a huge problem, besides the Marines on their tail: Usopp still hadn't shown up. Even after Franky pointed that fact out, Luffy nervously explained that they'd all talked about it at Galley-La and if Usopp didn't show up and apologize, well, then they'd have to leave without him. It was very apparent that Luffy was anxious and sad, uneasily bouncing his leg as he sat on the lawn's bench around the mast. He'd tried to laugh the whole situation off but pretty much everyone was feeling the same way he was. Zoro watched Luffy carefully, feeling much of the same sorrow at the loss of their friend, even if he'd been the one to urge Luffy to man up. He'd rested the Wado Ichimonji on his shoulder when he'd sat down and now he was gripping the sheath so hard that his hand was trembling. The Straw Hat crew worried over their wayward friend, nervously looking back at the shore of Water 7. They'd soon be gone, and that's all there was to it. It was at that time that cannonballs started flying towards the Straw Hats and their ship so their attention was diverted from Usopp to protecting their new home. The first cannonball had hit the water near the ship, rocking the vessel violently, and knocking everyone who'd been standing up over. Several more followed and Franky spotted a Marine ship coming around the island after them and swore, yelling that the Marines were after them.

"Grandpa!?" Luffy ran to the back of the ship with the cyborg and saw the dog-themed battleship headed their way.

"Hey Luffy, can you hear me?" Garp was speaking through a loudspeaker while standing on the figurehead of his ship, his white coat flapping in the sea wind. "This is your grandpa speaking. Don't try to ignore me!"

"Yeah, I hear you!" the youngster shouted back. "What's the deal!? Why are you coming back here?! You said you were going to leave us alone!"

"Yeah, well, I say a lot of things! Truth of the matter is I'm sending you to a watery grave!" Despite the distance between them, the old man's ears rang after Luffy's shout.

"WHAT?!"

"I know this isn't much consolation, for what it's worth, I'll fight you all on my own!" The old fart then turned around to grab something while setting his loudspeaker down and then hurled that something towards the pirate ship with astonishing speed. It was a cannonball! That old bastard was throwing cannonballs at them with enough force to blow a hole through the ship if they got hit! The throw shocked the Straw Hats and the ship barely got out of the way, once again violently rocking from the force of the explosion.

Sanji's jaw dropped to the ground. "He just threw that with his bare hands!"

"That flew faster than any cannonball I've ever seen!" Zoro leaped to his feet, both the Wado Ichimonji and the Kitetsu already in his hands. "And he pitched it just like a baseball!" Both the cook and the swordsman were sweating at the display of physical prowess they were up against, intimidated by a grandpa. But this was Luffy's grandpa, so it made a lot of sense.

Seeing the panic on his grandson's friends' faces, the old man let out a hearty laugh and boomed as he spoke."Those used to fly a lot faster in my younger days!" The crew started to sweat more.

"Listen up!" Nami shouted spurring her crewmates into action. "We've got to get out of here right now! If we don't he's going to wreck our brand new ship!" She was right, because Garp's Meteor Fist was only getting started, and it was turning into a Shower. And both his overcoat and his suit coat came off too! Garp the Hero was seriously going to kill them!

"Now, I hope you're ready boys and girls!"The Marine veteran cracked all of his knuckles, ready to put the youngsters in a world of hurt. "You can try to run if you like but you ain't gettin' away from me!" The crew, partially terrified, started moving the ship away from the island and Luffy shouted out orders to protect the ship from his crazy grandpa's cannonballs. Even as they kicked and sliced and punched and shot projectiles out of the sky, each and every member of the crew couldn't believe that Usopp still hadn't shown up. Was he really not coming? Were they going to have to leave him behind? A tense few minutes passed by, but there wasn't any sign of the sniper until Chopper somehow caught his scent. Usopp was up on the giant broken staircase, seeing the ship for the first time, and seeing it sail away from him as he pushed through the crowd of people watching the spectacle. He couldn't believe it! They were leaving without him!

"This must be a mistake!" Usopp panted, his body warm from his run to the coast. "Sure, we had our differences, but you can't be leaving without me!" He started to panic, his heart thumping painfully in his chest. "They can't! They can't! How can they do this?! We're still friends, aren't we?! We've been fighting side by side all this time!" They'd gone after Robin together, they'd raided Enies Lobby together, they'd destroyed CP9 together, and they'd protected each other and they'd escaped together! How could all of that mean nothing to them?

"You know I was there, right?" Usopp clenched his fist, both in anger and in panic. "After all that happened I may have worn that mask to protect my pride but it was still me!" Cannonballs were flying at the new ship, some missing and some getting knocked out of the sky by his friends. Well, they were maybe still his friends."Did you give up on me because we haven't talked since then? Is that it?" Usopp knew that his questions wouldn't be answered, not unless he tried to get to the ship. With his heart aching at the apparent rejection in front of him, he whispered his true wish: "Come back!"

He burst into a sprint, running down the broken steps He had to reach them! He had to be with them! He wanted to be with his friends! Zambai, who'd still been on the stairs since Franky embarked, yelled something about the steps being broken but the sniper ignored him. "It has to be a misunderstanding! It has to be!" He called out for them, yelling for Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Sanji, Chopper, and Robin. And Franky, apparently. He yelled his intention to come back to the crew and as he reached the end of the steps, he jumped. Suspended in the air for only a few moments, Usopp crashed onto the ground but got right back up and ran for the shore. He still didn't hear anything other than cannon fire. No one was answering him.

"I'm not kidding…" he whispered, his heart sinking with dread. "Don't…don't leave me!"

Back on the ship, Zoro had just sliced up two charging cannonballs and Luffy leaped into the air to catch five more with his Gum Gum Balloon. Robin sprouted several arms and cushioned the rubber man's fall against the mast behind him, and gave him a little push as he shot the cannonballs out of his stomach and into the sea. As Luffy hit the deck, Sanji kicked three cannonballs away from both him and Robin, protecting them flawlessly. Franky was shooting several cannonballs out of the sky but Garp just kept throwing them at a rate that was inhuman! But on top of the cannonballs, Chopper was shouting that Usopp was there and that he wasn't too late! But Luffy was busy telling everyone to protect the ship. He hadn't heard Usopp apologize yet, so there was no reason to stop.

"Heeeeeyyyyy! You should be happy! Your friend Usopp's back!" That shout was not an apology.

"So how about the weather we're having today, Chopper? We should go fishing! After the cannonballs are gone, of course!" That was not an apology either.

"Oh, by the way, I've got some great news! If you guys just turn around and pick me up right now then I'll be happy to be your vice-captain! Good deal, huh!?" That was definitely not an apology nor was it humble. And besides, Zoro already kinda filled that spot.

"Hey, Luffy! Guys! It's okay, I know you're nervous about seeing me again but we're all buddies here! Come on! It's not a big deal!" That one was utter bullshit and even Usopp knew that. He'd royally screwed up. Even if he had his legitimate reasons for leaving, it had been, in fact, a very big deal.

It went on and on, all the excuses and attempts at pretending that nothing was wrong. Even as Usopp reached the edge of the coast, he still hadn't been acknowledged. He yelled louder, his voice getting more and more desperate with each passing moment. He'd reached the end of the island; if he wanted to keep going, he'd have to swim. The ship was already fairly far out to sea, and even if he could catch up to it, there were cannonballs flying everywhere, greatly increasing his chances of getting hit and sinking to the ocean floor. And still, no one was calling out to him. Were they really going to leave him? Was he going to lose his friends and be stuck on this island all in one fell swoop?

"Hey! This isn't funny anymore!" Usopp screamed, praying that his voice was still reaching the ship. They had to say something to him! Luffy! Guys! Say something!

Chopper had told Luffy that Usopp was calling for them as the rubber man kicked another cannonball away from the ship, but his reply was, "I can't hear him." The young reindeer turned to Zoro (next in the chain of command and in scariness) and his reply came after slicing up three more projectiles, the explosions almost covering up his, "I don't hear anything!"

Chopper was outraged! "You liar! He's right there!" Franky let off another barrage of Weapons Left and the ship was blown to the left from the ensuing, but now harmless, explosions. The Straw Hats continued moving, sailing out to sea and leaving their former crewmate behind.

Usopp couldn't believe it. He just could not believe it. They were leaving…they were leaving him. "You're serious aren't you? I can't believe this. You're really going to leave without me." He wasn't yelling now but his words still carried the same desperation and sadness that his shouts had held. His lips trembled, his panic swallowed up by a sense of profound sadness and hurt. "Alright then, fine. I get it." The poor man fell to his knees, his fists trembling as he grappled with his fear, sadness, and longing. He tried to hold back his tears, still trying to hold onto his pride, but a few slipped down his cheeks as he saw his friends, his future, and his hope slip away.

"Fine…you're made your decision. If that's how it is, then I only have one thing to say to you…" he took a huge breath, wanting this last thing to at least reach the retreating ship. "I'M SOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYY!"

Luffy's breath caught in his throat as he finally heard the words that he had been so desperate to hear. They had continued getting further and further away from him this whole time, the distance between the island and the ship getting more and more insurmountable with each passing minute. The more the sniper had dawdled, the more hopeless it had seemed to the crew. But Usopp had finally apologized!

"I'M TOO STUBBORN, I KNOW! I TAKE BACK EVERYTHING I SAID!

Chopper and Franky were smiling, while Luffy looked dumbfounded. Sanji grinned while Robin smiled softly. Nami sighed in relief, her hands gripping the ship's helm in anticipation as she steered. Zoro, sweaty from effort like the rest of the Monster Trio, smirked as he said, "That's more like it!"

Luffy looked out over the back of the ship and saw the blubbering mess that was Usopp collapsed on the shore, still apologizing. "I know I'm being pathetic! I know I already said I'd quit…BUT WILL YOU LET ME TAKE IT BACK?! PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU! YOU'VE GOT TO FORGIVE ME! IF I'M NOT WITH YOU THERE'S NO POINT! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE! I NEED YOU GUYS! I'LL DO ANYTHING! PLEASE, LET ME JOIN THE CREW! JUST ONE LAST TIME!" Now the sniper was outright bawling and it was kind of pathetic but nothing made Luffy happier.

Luffy kicked his leg up into the air, tipping his body backward before bringing his foot crashing down on the deck. Having gained the momentum he needed, he threw his right arm forward with a massive grunt, stretching as far as he could to reach the shore. Even by Luffy standards, that stretch was impressive. And suddenly, his hand was in front of Usopp's face, open and welcoming. The sniper looked at the hand and then looked at the barely visible face of his friend.

"L-Luffy…!" he whimpered out the name, his face a mess of tears and snot. But Luffy wasn't any better.

"HURRY UP! GRAB ON ALREADY!" he wailed, his face now a mess of tears and snot. Zoro burst into laughter, his nervousness and dread evaporating into joy at the ridiculous sight of his boyfriend bawling like a baby. It was too funny!

Ussop took his captain's hand and all was forgiven.

"You'd better not drop him!" Zoro teased. The rest of the crew was either shouting in joy or shedding a few tears of their own, happy to have their liar back. Luffy's arm recoiled, dragging Usopp back to the ship at high speeds where he and his friend bonked heads with enough force to send them both tumbling to the ground. They collapsed onto the deck, still bawling their eyes out, but now laughing and a little loopy. Luffy was the first to his feet, his rubbery skull taking the damage much better than Usopp's had.

"Alright! The gang's all here!" he yelled with the biggest smile on his face. "We're going to get away from these stupid cannonballs and head to the New World! Let's go!"

But first, they still had to get away!

While cannonballs were still showering down on them, the Straw Hats continued to protect the ship, while Zoro hopped from mast to mast furling all of the sails. Franky had told him to do it, even though it didn't make any sense. Furling the sails would slow them down by taking away their wind power and that wasn't good with a Navy ship on their heels, But Franky seemed very confident about his instructions, so Zoro did as he was instructed. Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp were dancing around happily and Franky was still giving orders and doing his own little dance. Zoro leaped down onto the deck and yelled at all of them to shut up and help him! Sanji puffed on his cigarette and was getting a little annoyed at the situation.

"Would you hurry it up?" He snapped. "We can all agree that Zoro's stupid but right now we have cannonballs-" he paused for a moment to catch a cannonball with his leg and kick it away from the ship, "-flying at us!" He then

Once the sails were furled, they were all ready to get out of there, but then Franky brought up the issue of sailing a ship without a name; they couldn't leave until their beauty had a proper name! Sanji snapped at the cyborg about how this was not the right time but Franky coolly brushed him off because of course the ship needed a name! It was her maiden voyage after all! And so various names were tossed around, including the idiotic Black Bear Polar Bear Lion Tiger from Luffy, the Super Wolf Gorilla Bear (also from Luffy and Usopp slapped him twice for being ridiculous), the Big Boss Lionel from Zoro (who at least got the lion part of the ship in there, even if her figurehead looked like a sun or a sunflower), the Creature of Darkness (two guesses on who picked that one), the Dandelion Lion Dandy Unbearable Bear (Luffy really needed to stop), the Monsieur Sunflower (compliments of Sanji), and nobody cared about Franky's suggestion. Iceberg had thought it was a "splendid sun" and said that it was "a ship as bright as the sun, sailing with a shining smile as it soars over the dangers of a thousand seas" but then Franky had yelled at him that it was not a sun! And it was not his place but Ice-for-brains had come up with a suggestion: the Thousand Sunny. And despite Franky's best efforts to get his name approved, the whole crew agreed to go with Ice Pops' name.

"Nice to meet you, Sunny!" Chopper cheered, greeting their Sunny for the first time after the whole crew (minus Franky) agreed on it. The cyborg squatted down and drew despondent circles on the deck, upset that no one had liked, nor listened to his suggestion for a name. Sanji had to tell the 34-year-old man to quit pouting and get his "secret weapon" ready, whatever it was.

"Better make it fast too," Zoro added. "The Navy is going to catch up any second."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." The cyborg stood up with a smug smile on his face. This was going to be SUPER! "Take one last look at Water 7 'cuz it's going to be outta sight before you know it! I'm warning you: once we start movin', we'll be really movin'!" He disappeared into the bowels of the Sunny to do his thing and Luffy decided that now would be a good time to say bye to grandpa. He hopped up onto the back railing and took a deep breath. Zoro plugged his ears for the ensuing yell.

"GRANDPAAAAAA!" e shouted, causing everyone's ears to ring (except Zoro's). "Oh! And if you're there, Coby and…uh…that other guy! It was nice to see you again!"

The outrage from Helmeppo could be heard all the way to the Sunny. "You forgot my name again, didn't you?!"

"What are you yapping about?" Garp asked. "I've got plenty more cannonballs!" And with that, he threw another. "METEOR FIST!" Luffy smiled as the projectile rocketed towards him, he lifted his left arm up to his chest, parallel to the deck, and waited for the cannonball to get close enough. Once it was in range, he snapped his arm out to the side and smashed the cannonball to bits with his bare hand.

"Give it up!" he replied smugly. Coby couldn't believe how super cool and confident that had looked! Luffy was so awesome! "I don't know what's going to happen, but we're going to get away! Well, I hope to see you guys again someday!" he finished pluckily.

Garp was so annoyed with his grandson that he was itching to knock some sense into his rubber head of his and take him down a few pegs. Helmeppo had to hold the vice admiral back as he bellowed back. "You little shit! You show your grandpa some respect, you hear me?! How dare you!"

"I know he's annoying Vice Admiral, but you have to calm down!" the blond Marine instructed, but it was of little use.

Luffy then ignored his blustering grandfather and yelled toward the island. "Thanks for helping us with the ship, Ice Pops! You're awesome!" He was jumping from foot to foot happily, practically dancing on the railing. "And thanks to everybody else too! Bye Monster Granny! Bye Galley-La! We had a great time!" Their friends on the shore laughed, smiling as the pirates made a ruckus while leaving.

But the happy farewells were cut short when a huge black mass emerged from Garp's ship. The old fart had pulled out a massive ball and chain from somewhere and the weapon nearly blocked out the battleship's masts and sails. The Straw Hats' eyes bugged out, terrified that the Marine could apparently use that thing.

"Luffy…" the old man growled, his eyes as hard as steel. He'd taken a stance that would allow him to throw the ball and chain, his massive hands holding onto the giant chain links.

"What the hell is that thing!?" Luffy asked, trying to figure out how his grandpa was going to use that thing.

Usopp freaked out and started running around in circles panicking. "AAAHHHH! We can't dodge that! We'reallgonnadie! We'reallgonnadie! We'reallgonnadie!" Chopper was doing the same thing, only he was so scared that only unintelligible screams were coming out of his mouth.

"I'll pound some manners into you!" Garp boomed, winding up his attack. With tremendous force, the man hefted the iron ball and started to throw it.

"Luffy! Run away!" Coby yelled, trying to spare his friend from the fate that was rushing towards him. "He's serious this time!"

Heeding the warning, Luffy shouted to his shipwright who'd disappeared into the bowels of the Sunny. "Franky! Go!"

"Here it comes!" Garp bellowed, really swinging his strength. The oversized iron ball rose into the sky, its chain expanding and stretching to loom over the Thousand Sunny. The ball was so huge that it blocked out the sun as it got closer, casting a dark shadow on the little crew. That thing would crush the ship with no problem! It got closer and closer, looming over the Straw Hat crew like doomsday. Everyone prayed that whatever Franky was doing that he was going to do it soon!

"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper screamed as their doom bore down on them. Luffy leaped off the railing and onto Zoro's shoulders, yelling at Franky some more, telling him to hurry the hell up. The iron ball was getting dangerously close to the masts and it would only be a few moments more before the brand new Thousand Sunny was squashed as flat as a pancake at the bottom of the ocean. But then, something ran through the ship, shifting it much more harshly than the rolling waves and the crew felt a sort of power beneath their feet. It wasn't going to become apparent what it actually was until a few moments later.

"Coup de Burst!" Franky shouted, activating the ship's aft air cannon. The power of cola built up an enormous amount of pressure and compressed it before releasing it out the back. The air cannon boomed, rocketing the ship into the sky, barely escaping the huge iron ball that had been intent on destroying them. The ship gained tremendous speed and height, soaring high into the air as the ball crashed into the sea. It was amazing! They were flying! Again! Now if only they could've seen the faces of all the Marines as they flew away!

The Marines were shocked and some of them were even awed. Coby couldn't even speak, he was so cooled out, and Aokiji – who'd tagged along on Garp's ship for fun, apparently – had even pushed up his sleeping mask to see the spectacle. Grap just smiled, the grin surprisingly like his grandson's. "Not bad, kiddo," he chuckled. "I'll be damned; they got away after all. That's my grandson for ya!" The old Marine boomed with laughter, watching his grandson's ship shrink in the distance as it got further and further away. He anticipated the next time that they'd meet; that kid was always doing surprising things, especially with his friends. It was something the old man could be proud of and it also would be an excellent challenge to face him again, for both him and Luffy.

On the Sunny, the Straw Hats were surprised and overjoyed with their new ship; she flew just like Merry had! "Awesome!" they shouted, voicing their elation as the island began to shrink behind them. They watched the huge iron ball crash into the sea, creating waves that rippled across the ocean.

"I can't believe it!" Usopp gasped. "I never thought I'd feel this again but here I am!" He remembered when they rode the Knock Up Stream, soaring into the sky with the wings the Merry had been granted by the monkey-looking brothers. It had been terrifying but also exhilarating, just like this new experience with the Sunny was.

Franky walked out from the bowels of the ship, smiling at the awed faces of his friends. "It eats up three barrels of cola but it can fly for a whole kilometer!" he explained, reaching the back of the ship where everyone was. "I'm not trying to brag here but simply put, anything the Going Merry could do this ship can do better! And it's got tricks of its own. But even if it's all-new, I hope the brave spirit of the Merry can live on in the Sunny! If anything breaks, I'll fix it up as good as new! From weapons to furniture, I know this ship up and down! It may be my masterpiece but it's all yours now!" he declared. The crew cheered as they crashed into the waves, the Sunny taking the impact quite gracefully, rocking heavily but keeping all of her crew on board. The crew looked behind them, watching as Water 7 and Garp's ship disappeared into the horizon.

They were home free now, and it was time to party! Sanji brought out a feast and Zoro grabbed the booze and soon the party was underway. Luffy proposed a toast and everyone raised a tankard for the return of Robin and Usopp and welcomed Franky onto the crew. There was a lot of merrymaking, including the dance that Luffy and Chopper liked to do with chopsticks shoved into their noses and lower lips that made them look ridiculous. Zoro polished off three barrels of alcohol by himself, and that didn't even include what the rest of the crew drank, and Sanji went back and forth between the kitchen and the lawn at least a dozen times over the course of the hours. Everyone was very happy to be together, especially Usopp who had almost been left behind. He and Luffy never strayed too far from each other, as if they were trying to make up for lost time. Zoro would've been a little jealous at all the attention Usopp what getting from his boyfriend, but Luffy had also glued the swordsman to his side, so there weren't any downsides.

The pirates' festivities lasted until well into the night and then Nami got everyone's tipsy asses into gear because half of their stuff was still piled up on the deck and needed to be put away. She and Robin handled their personal belongings of course, but they (meaning Nami) made the boys take care of everything else. There was lots of stumbling and giggles as the Straw Hat men tipsily grabbed all their stuff and at least got it into their proper rooms. Some of the stuff did get put away but it was mostly because Sanji and Chopper were the soberest of them all. Then "goodnights" were said and everyone stumbled off to bed, except Robin who was going to stay up and keep watch while reading. The boys were delighted with their new box-hammock-double-decker-whatever-they-were bunks and all clambered to get into the one they wanted. In his excitement, Luffy leaped into the air and stepped on both Sanji and Zoro, knocking them to the ground, and snagged the front-most top bunk with a shout of triumph. Chopper and Usopp both scrambled over the downed cook and swordsman and claimed the other top bunks. Sanji and Zoro both glared at their crewmates (who just stuck their tongues out as a comeback) and settled for the bottom bunks along with Franky. Naturally, Zoro claimed the bunk under Luffy's and as they all settled in for the night (their possessions strewn about on the floor because no one wanted to put them away), the swordsman found that he suddenly had company in his bunk.

"Oi, Luffy," he gave the rubber man a look as soon as he was snuggled. "If you were just going to get into my bed, why the hell did you run for your own?"

"Because I wanted the top bunk!"

"You're an idiot." Zoro rolled his eyes at the Luffy-logic but allowed his boyfriend to stay. He cocooned the younger man in his arms as Franky turned off the lights. The room dimmed considerably but some moonlight filtered in from the door's window, enough to see by.

"Just deal with it, Moss Head," Sanji huffed. "I seriously doubt that Luffy is going to sleep in his own bed when you're around. Just don't do anything graphic in here; find another place for your hanky panky."

"Heehee, hanky panky!" Chopper and Usopp giggled at the turn the conversation had taken. Zoro blushed at having his intimate life on display…again. He hadn't even done anything this time! It was all Luffy!

"All of you shut up!" he snapped but all he got back was a chorus of chuckles, including Luffy's! The swordsman konked the rubber man on the head in retaliation. "They're making fun of you too, dumbass!"

"Shishishi! But you're the one who's embarrassed!" Luffy teased back.

Zoro's blush deepened as even his boyfriend made fun of him. So, he shoved Luffy out of his bunk and the rubber man fell to the floor with a crash. The dumbfounded look on his face made Zoro laugh when he sat up and looked over the edge of his bunk.

"Oi!" Luffy exclaimed grumpily.

"If you're going to make fun of me then you're going to sleep in your own bunk!" the swordsman replied.

"Oooooo!~ A lover's spat!" Usopp sang, giggling tipsily. Luffy ignored his friend and practically tackled Zoro, wrapping his arms around the man several times as they both rolled out of the other side of the bunk and crashed to the floor. They continued to roll around and wrestle with each other, prompting Sanji to snap at the couple.

"Hey! I said no hanky panky in here!"

"We're not doing that!" Zoro growled, pushing Luffy away from his chest, but ultimately failing as his body stretched. The rubber man had a tight grip on him this time and wasn't letting go. Nobody saw it but Franky was rolling his eyes as he settled into bed and wondered how he fell in with such a rambunctious crew. Then again the Franky Family had been rambunctious too. Whatever.

Eventually, Zoro had to give up trying to pry Luffy off of him and just got back into bed with the man still glommed onto him. The swordsman could just feel the grin radiating off of Luffy's face as he won, but he chose to ignore it as they settled into bed. The boys started to fall asleep, aided by the alcohol in their systems, but just as Zoro drifted off, he felt a curious hand roaming around in between their bodies. The swordsman stiffened in shock, his own hands instantly unwrapping from around Luffy's body to stop the rubber man from going any further with his antics.

"Dammit, Luffy! No! Stop it! Don't touch that!" Zoro hissed, trying to be quiet as he brushed his eager boyfriend's hands away from his pants. He couldn't believe that he was trying to do that here with the majority of the crew in the room! However, before the green-haired man could be more outraged, Sanji beat him to it.

"GO TO SLEEP!" the cook yelled, rattling the light fixtures with his yell and startling Nami awake in her room above them. The yell had also startled Chopper from his doze and Zoro and Luffy found that multiple shoes had been thrown their way from several sources in agreement with the yell. (And since Chopper and Franky didn't wear shoes that meant that they'd stolen one of Usopp's and one of Sanji's shoes to chuck at the couple.)

"Shishishi!"

"Luffy, I'm going to kill you," Zoro threatened, snuggling with his boyfriend despite the threat (once the captain's wandering hands had been deflected, of course).

"Shishishi, you know you love me!" the younger man shot back.

"Welcome to the crew Franky," Usopp snarked, laughing at the whole episode.

"Super," the cyborg chimed back.

Well, things were bound to be interesting from here on out, just like they always were.

To be Continued...

A/N: And there you go! Let me know what you think of this chapter and I'll see you soon!