The bestial Chopper roared, swiping randomly around him as Usopp ran in circles around him and begged him to calm down. Nami, Luffy, Franky, and a whole group of employees from Laboon's watched the moonlit scene in a mix of shock and horror, while the patrons in the store/tavern itself could only see glimpses through the open door. Killer grunted, lowering himself in a combat stance. When he had first heard the roars, he had grabbed his weapons before running to the door. On his hands were a pair of gray metal gauntlets, with axels he could grip onto and curved, sickle-like blades. His Punishers, as he had dubbed them. Killer began spinning the blades at high speeds, readying himself to lunge at the furred rampaging monster.
"WAIT!" Nami cried out, stepping in front of Killer with her arms outstretched. "Don't hurt him!"
Killer was taken aback by Nami's protectiveness over this frightening creature. "What? Why?"
After taking a better look at the reindeer-like monster, Killer's eyes widened under his mask. "Wait… is that that little guy who was with you?!"
"Y-yes…" Nami nodded sadly. "We'll find a way to make him stop. Just, please, don't hurt hi-"
Nami was cut off by the sound of a loud boom nearby, followed by a deep, pained roar. She turned her head to see Chopper stumble backwards with a circle of lightly singed fur on his chest. She then saw Franky standing right beside her, aiming his Burn Bazooka at Chopper. Nami almost immediately sent Franky to the ground with a well-placed punch to the top of the demolitionist's head.
"The hell did you do THAT for?!" she yelled at him, so furious her eyes whitened out and her teeth became fangs. "Don't try to burn a hole through Chopper, you sunglasses-psycho!"
Franky groaned as he nursed the bump on his noggin. "I've modified the Burn Bazooka! That was one of my recent inventions, a stunning blast. Should have just knocked him unconscious, but looks like he's too tough for that."
"We just need to cover his eyes long enough for him to go back to normal" Nami stated, glancing up at the unfortunately cloudless sky. She winced as she heard the sound of sandals repeatedly slapping against stone, quickly growing more distant. Without even looking, she knew that Luffy was rushing ahead. With a sigh, she began running forward as well.
"I'm giving you three minutes" Killer shouted at them. "If you haven't gotten him under control by then, or he gets too close to Laboon's…"
He whirled his blades to emphasize his point.
"We will! Laboon's won't be touched!" Nami yelled back, before looking back at Chopper and muttering to herself. "I hope…"
Usopp yelped as he narrowly jumped over a sweep from Chopper, whose normally short arms had become long and thick as trees. The rampaging Mink had leaned down a bit to do the sweeping attack, which gave Luffy the opportunity he was looking for. With one mighty bound, the masked pirate launched himself into the air towards Chopper's head. While in his normal state Chopper had an unusually large head compared to his body, this time it was the opposite. In fact, despite Chopper's overall overwhelming size in his Sulong form, when Luffy grabbed onto Chopper's head he actually managed to cover both of Chopper's eyes.
Chopper roared, stumbling backwards and rearing back his arm to smack Luffy off his face. But before he could, Nami dove at Chopper's hand and grabbed onto it.
"Usopp! Grab his other hand and hold on! Quick!" she ordered the long-nose, gritting her teeth as Chopper struggled against her grasp. Usopp immediately obeyed, dropping his hammer to the ground and lunging forward to grab Chopper's other hand. With both of them holding back Chopper's arms, he no longer had a way to grasp at Luffy.
"Shishishishi! Just have to cover his eyes right? Easy as…" Luffy trailed off as he suddenly heard a crackling nearby. His eyes widened as the air around him filled with static, and a bright white light filled his vision. Nami and Usopp saw the same thing, as arcs of electricity coursed between Chopper's fur strands.
All three of them were blown back as Chopper unleashed an explosion of Electro around him, alongside a roar that seemed to shake the very earth. Luffy landed on his neck and shoulders, sliding backwards with his torso pointing straight up until he lost enough momentum for it to fall to the ground. Usopp spun through the air before landing on his front. He pushed himself up with his arms right before his five-ton hammer, which he had had sheathed on his back, slammed down right next to him. Usopp went white as a sheet, his head shaking as he grit his grit in fear. Nami tumbled until she ended up right in front of Killer and the rest.
Before Killer could even say anything, Nami had already gotten back up and half-yelled at him. "Not three minutes yet!"
Killer suppressed a sigh as he watched Nami bolt towards Chopper again. He got the sense that if he tried to stop the rampaging Chopper with any sort of violence, he'd need to do the same to the rest of the Straw Hats as well. Most pirate crews that came through here would have easily dropped their crewmate out of fear if something like this happened, but the Straw Hats seemed more concerned with Chopper's wellbeing than their own. Even as he was wildly flailing about and actively trying to destroy them. Camaraderie like that was something of a rarity among the many crews he'd seen, though it was certainly present on the one crew he had sailed with. Nevertheless, it didn't matter in the slightest if they didn't have the strength to back it up.
As Nami, Usopp and Luffy all dodged and weaved around Chopper's swipes, distracting him and keeping him from harming anyone, Franky was busy fiddling with his Burn Bazooka. Killer glanced down at the blue-haired pirate, whose face was suddenly split by the grin of a mad scientist. Franky stood up, bazooka resting on his shoulder, and aimed at Chopper.
"Sure about that?" Killer intoned. "Your captain got pretty mad last time you shot him."
Franky just chuckled. "No worries. This is exactly what she's looking for. Cover yer ears!"
He pulled the trigger, and the bazooka's blast shook the eardrums of anyone nearby who hadn't heeded Franky's advice in time. This time, though, the bazooka didn't fire ignited gas or a cannonball or anything. Instead, what came out were two big metal weights connected by a very thick and strong rope, hurtling towards Chopper. The rope flew forward until it was caught by Chopper's torso, and the momentum of the weights soon made them swing around Chopper, wrapping the rope around him repeatedly. Chopper's left arm was tied down against his body, confusing the beast into stopping his attack.
Nami wasn't about to let this chance go. She held out her metal arm and fired her hand, still connected to her wrist by a long rope, towards Usopp standing on the other side of Chopper. Luckily for her Usopp was quick on the uptake, and immediately understood what she was planning. He caught her metal hand in his, and began running around Chopper as she did the same in the opposite direction. The rope coiled around Chopper's legs, tightening to pull his legs closer together. And before Chopper's bestial mind could even begin to comprehend what was happening, his balance failed him and he fell forwards like a roaring, furry tree.
"Luffy! Your cape!" Nami yelled, as she and Usopp made sure Chopper couldn't kick out of the ropes. Luffy nodded, reaching back to tear off his red wrestling cape as he ran up to Chopper. He lunged at the Mink's head once more, and began wrapping his cape around Chopper's eyes as well as he could. Right now Chopper could only move his right arm, his other limbs reduced to uselessness by surprisingly strong ropes. His bindings wouldn't last long, but they'd last long enough for the Sulong effect to wear off… unless something else happened.
Which, of course, it did.
Chopper's palm slammed against the ground. His elbow was raised up high, and his arm shook. Then, with one sudden burst of force, Chopper pushed down so hard that his entire body flew into the air. Luffy didn't expect that in particular to happen, so he slipped off and pulled the cape off with him. Nami and Usopp also stumbled backwards, while Chopper roared and managed to tear his left arm free of the rope around his torso. They watched in horror as Chopper reached an upright position… then leaned a bit backwards… and then went even further back, stiff as a bord. His legs were still tied up, so all he could do was fall right back down the other way.
Unfortunately, he was standing near the edge of the plateau. With one final roar Chopper fell off the steep cliffside, towards the harbor below. And since the rope around his legs was still connected to Nami's arm, she ended up getting pulled down with it.
The Laboon's employees and patrons could only watch as two of the pirates went over the edge, while their crewmates called out to them. Almost immediately after, they heard the noise of splintering wood and splashing water. Killer sighed, praying that the ship that had been smashed hadn't been expensive. One of Killer's fellow employees stepped forward, but was blocked by Killer extending his arm.
"It's not been three minutes yet," he pointed out in a monotone voice.
The employee looked at him for a moment, before nodding grimly.
Nami's orange hair breached the surface of the waves below, the captain gasping for air as she emerged from the water. She had successfully managed to cut the rope to Chopper's legs, which quickly became undone without Nami's resistance holding it together. Chopper emerged almost immediately after her, flailing even more wildly than before. This was because the sails of the ship he had smashed through had gotten wrapped around his head, and the wet cloth proved very difficult for Chopper's current animalistic intelligence to figure out. There was enough space around his mouth for him to breathe, but his eyes were completely blinded by the soaking wet sail.
His flailing gradually slowed down, his raspy breathing grew more quiet. And slowly, but surely, he shrunk. Disconnected from moonlight for long enough, and he had nothing keeping his Sulong going. The terrifying furred titan's form morphed, the sail miraculously keeping itself wrapped around his eyes the whole way through. As soon as he was small enough Nami swam up and wrapped her human right arm around him. Swimming back onto land was difficult, since Nami had to use one arm to drag Chopper and the hand on her other arm was down in the water somewhere along with the rope.
Soon enough Nami was sitting with her back against the cliffside underneath the plateau. Chopper was in her lap, the two of them hugging each other tightly. The only sound besides the crashing of the waves was Chopper's sobbing. He endlessly repeated apologies too drowned in tears to be legible, while Nami gently stroked the fur on his head.
"It's ok. You didn't hurt anyone" Nami whispered, which made some of Chopper's tenseness fade away. At least the worst of his worries were alleviated.
"I-I forgot-" he sniffled, doing his best to hold himself together enough to speak. "W-what d-day it…"
"I know. We did too. It's been a stressful day" Nami said in a soothing tone. Above, the other Straw Hats peeked over the edge and signaled to Killer that everything had been resolved. It didn't take long for Nami and Chopper to be joined by the rest of the crew. Noting that Chopper didn't seem like he wanted to talk much, they resolved to simply be there until he felt better.
Luffy scrunched his nose. Nami had already pounded Perona into next month, so it didn't seem fair to him that a beating she had given Chopper would still affect him this much. He'd have liked to go give her another asskicking, but what he wanted didn't really matter if it didn't make Chopper feel better. Seeing the source of his torment get beat up didn't help the first time, so it probably wouldn't the second time either.
After a while, Chopper spoke up with dread in his voice. "I… I didn't destroy the Batty, did I?"
"Nope, she's right over there" Franky said, turning his head to look at the darkly-colored caravel and its bat (specifically a Brick Bat) figurehead. "You destroyed… actually, I don't know whose ship this is. Or was, rather."
"We'll deal with later," Nami spoke up, before Chopper had time to concern himself with that. "We should go get some rest now."
When the Straw Hats had made their way up the carved stairs to the top of the plateau, they found that the entrance to Laboon's was still crowded by people. Killer was in the front, arms crossed as he watched the approaching pirates carefully. A soaked Nami was carrying a blindfolded Chopper in her arms, with the other Straw Hats walking beside her. As she saw the crowd, who were clearly hesitant about letting Chopper in, her brows simply furrowed. The rest of her expression was neutral, but her glare was all Killer needed to see to know that Chopper WOULD be sleeping inside Laboon's tonight.
Killer raised a hand to gesture for the rest of the employees to follow him, before he began walking forward. "Come on, let's go salvage what we can of the broken ship before the water damage gets too bad."
The Laboon's employees and the Straw Hats passed each other without exchanging even a look. Without Killer between them and her none of the patrons wanted to argue with Nami either, so the crowd quickly parted to allow the pirates access.
By the time moonlight turned to sunlight, fears had mostly died down, Chopper was feeling a lot better, and the story among the patrons had gone from Chopper not being able to control his Sulong and smashing a ship, to him eating five families and also being an experiment of the Yonko Hogback, the "Monster Surgeon".
Luffy had insisted on cooking his crewmates' breakfast, which had been A-OK with the other chefs there. Just gave them more opportunities to watch a master at work and maybe steal some secrets… not that Luffy would have been able to keep any secrets, if he had them. On the other hand, he had also insisted that he didn't cook for himself, since he still wanted to try out as much cuisine from as many different cooks as possible. Many tears had been shed and much confidence had been boosted by the idea of such a culinary champion wanting to eat the chefs' food.
Usopp, Chopper and Franky were all sitting at a table, idly chatting while Nami talked to another Laboon's employee at a different table. They were apparently discussing monetary ramifications for last night's events. Even from a distance, Usopp could tell Nami was doing her usual frighteningly pleasant demeanor to intimidate the large man sitting across from her. Presumably trying to squeeze down the payment as low as possible. And judging by how sweaty he was and how far he was leaning back in his chair, she was succeeding.
However, she coughed up the money fast when the employee left the table to go get Killer. Less than five seconds after he arrived, Nami hung her head and pulled out a wad of bills. What stung Nami worse than having to fork out the money, was returning to the Straw Hats' table and seeing Usopp's mocking grin.
"Usual tactics don't work on Mr. Mask?" Usopp snickered.
"I-I hope it didn't get too expensive…" Chopper said apologetically, looking down in shame. His mood seemed to drop significantly with the reminder of the consequences for last night.
"It was surprisingly cheap, actually, only a couple thousand Bellies," Nami shrugged as she sat down. Her head then drooped to the side, as her eyes turned into horizontal lines with big tears underneath them. "But every Belly spent feels like a needle going into my heart."
Nami's eyes then shot wide open upon hearing Chopper's sad groan, and she immediately went into damage control. "I-I mean, it's no big deal at all! Really! Forget I said anything!"
Right then, a large platter of delicious food was placed on the table, much to the Straw Hats' delight. Luffy, his usual goofy grin plastered on his face, was balancing multiple platters on his arms and head, and expertly slid them off in front of each of his crewmates. He then sat down in a seat of his own, and almost immediately a huge tray of food was placed in front of him by two Laboon's employees. Almost every chef there had contributed to the veritable buffet upon the tray, wanting their food judged by the master chef Luffy had proven himself to them as.
"Dig in!" Luffy laughed, his mouth already half-full with potato salad. The other Straw Hats didn't need much convincing, and spirits were immediately lifted. It was difficult to feel bad while enjoying Luffy's cooking, after all!
As expected, the large amount of food upon the table quickly disappeared down the five pirates' gullets. And what made it taste even better to Nami, was that it was completely free since Luffy had also made additional food to be served to other customers.
"Another SUPER start to the day" Franky grinned, leaning back in his chair and letting out a loud burp to show his appreciation for the food.
"That was delicious!" Luffy moaned happily, leading to celebrations in the kitchen. Their food had the Luffy seal of approval! Which didn't really make much difference in the grand scheme of things, but definitely made the chefs feel better about their skills.
With a polite cough as attention-grabbing as a Sulong-monster's roar, Pudding made her presence known to the Straw Hats. She had already retired to bed by the time the whole Chopper-debacle went down last night, and this was the first time any of the Straw Hats had seen her since.
"If you plan on leaving soon, there's still some important things you need for the trip. I mostly need you Chopper, since you're the navigator, but it'd be best if all your friends could come along as well."
Pudding led the Straw Hats into a side room, which seemed to be mostly for storage. The old three-eyed woman picked up a bracelet with a glass orb and handed it to Chopper. Inside the orb was a compass needle hanging from a wire. A Log Pose. She explained Log Poses to them, how the needle points to the next island they need to travel to in order to continue down the Grand Line, by locking onto the same magnetic fields that make compasses useless in these wild waters.
As expected, Nami immediately began haggling for the price. But she quickly found that accepting the original price was the best she could hope for, as Pudding proved herself an immensely shrewd wordsmith and actress. So good, in fact, that Nami was starting to worry if her kind demeanor was an act as well. She did show brief glimpses indicating a hidden cruel side. Or were those flashes the act, only meant as a scare tactic to stop any haggling attempts? In either case, best to stay on Pudding's good side.
After the matter of the Log Pose was settled, Pudding's face took on a more dour expression.
"Now… Chopper" she addressed the reindeer mink, who had a pretty good suspicion about what she was going to talk about. "I hear you had a little… incident last night."
"Look, we already cleared that up with Killer, no need to-" Nami began, only to be stopped by Pudding raising a hand.
"I'm not looking to punish you or extort money or anything," Pudding rolled all three of her eyes, alleviating some of the Straw Hats' fears. "I just want to hear about what happened from you, Chopper. Haven't you learned to master your Sulong yet?"
While young Minks did lose their minds and become animalistic in Sulong, most had mastered it enough to retain their senses by their early teens at the latest. Chopper was 18, and a pirate. It didn't make much sense to Pudding.
"I-I did…" Chopper sighed. "But… I was captured by an evil pirate once. I turned into my Sulong form one night, and she freaked out. And… she and her crew almost killed me. They just piled on, slashing and stabbing and hitting and biting and-"
"I get it, I get it," Pudding hushed him. "And entering your Sulong form reminds you of that trauma?"
Chopper nodded.
"I understand. Memories can be a painful thing. Luckily, there is something I can do to help."
Pudding walked up to Chopper, crouching down in front of him.
"A long time ago, I ate a Devil Fruit," she began to explain. "The Memo-Memo Fruit. I can help you with these memories, if you'll let me? Here's what I'll do: I'll lock the memories away in your head. All you'll know is that something scary happened after you entered your Sulong form back then, but you won't remember any of the details. Not even subconsciously. You'll remember this conversation, and everything else around it, but none of what is traumatizing you. If you ever want to remember, just think really hard about it. Does this sound ok?"
"Y-you can really do that?" Chopper asked, amazed, trying to look Pudding in the eyes but not quite sure which to focus on.
"H-hold on!" a paranoid Usopp called out, pointing an accusatory finger at Pudding. "How do we know you won't do anything else bad while rooting around in Chopper's head?!"
"Because you're all right here next to me and can see everything I'm doing, and you're a young and spry pirate crew while I'm an 86 year old businesswoman."
"That's a very good point! Carry on!"
Pudding nodded, and touched her hand against Chopper's forehead… causing her fingers to sink into him like his head was liquid! She then grabbed something inside Chopper's skull, and pulled her hand back to reveal what looked like a film strip, each panel showing a part of Chopper's life from his point of view.
"This must be it…" Pudding frowned at a particular panel, which depicted Perona's Kawaii Pirates all charging towards him as a bloodied Sulong Chopper's hands were raised in defense. "I can tell it must have been scary."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pencil. She then quickly scrawled over the panel, making it illegible, before pushing it back in.
"Now, why do you lose control in your Sulong form?" Pudding asked Chopper as she stood back up, accepting Franky's help as he extended a hand to help the old woman.
Chopper stared straight ahead for a few seconds, grimacing as he tried his best to remember. "There was something scary that happened with Perona, I know that. I transformed, and then… I don't… know? Next thing I remember is the day after, and since then every time I looked at the full moon I lost control."
"Well, without even the subconscious memories of that event, you should be able to keep yourself from losing your mind in Sulong form," Pudding smiled as she walked over to a shelf. "It's a powerful tool, it'd be a shame to lose it completely. On that note…"
She turned around, now holding some goggles.
"Ah, no thanks" Franky declined politely, holding up a hand. "I work a lot with bombs, so I already have my own goggles."
"These aren't for you," Pudding chuckled, instead walking back to Chopper. "These are special Moonbeam Goggles, made specifically for Minks. If you turn this little dial on the side, the inside of the goggles will start emitting light identical to that of the full moon, allowing Minks to enter Sulong form at will. However, they last on a battery. These batteries only last for a total of two hours of use, before they must be recharged by absorbing the light of the real full moon."
"So two hours of Sulong over 29 and a half days…" Chopper mused, raising his hand to take the goggles.
"I don't know if you trust me or yourself enough to try it just yet, but it might come in hand. I like you more than most of the rabble that comes by, would be a shame to see you get killed."
Chopper started beaming with happiness, overjoyed at the thought of getting more and more control over his Sulong transformation. "Thank you so much!"
"You're so generous," Nami smiled happily, making Pudding turn her head to look at her. Nami's smile dropped slightly, as Pudding's own smile made it perfectly clear that this "gift" wasn't free. And who's in charge of all the Straw Hat's finances?
"Nami!" Chopper exclaimed. "From now on, I promise that my Sulong will be used to help you. I won't let it get in the way ever again."
Nami smiled warmly and nodded, much preferring to focus on Chopper's proud declaration than Pudding's demand for pay.
Luffy, meanwhile, was picking his nose as he looked at Pudding. "So, old lady, what's the deal with that promise you made a long time ago? The beefy guy with the mask mentioned it."
"SHOW SOME DAMN MANNERS!" Nami cried out, her eyes turning into angry white half-circles and her teeth becoming fangs.
Pudding couldn't help but laugh at how direct his question was. "Oh, I don't mind talking about it at all! Just be sure you wash your finger before you cook anything with that hand, ok?"
Pudding stared off into space as she began reminiscing. A look of nostalgia and affection washed over her face.
"Over fifty years ago, a certain pirate crew came down Reverse Mountain. I had already worked here for years at that point. The pirate crew's ship had gotten pretty beat up on the way, so they ended up staying here for months while the repairs were underway. The pirates were a fun, lively bunch, but there was one that stood out to me. A handsome, blonde man, always dressed in sharp black suits. Gentlemanly, funny, and the best musician I've ever heard. People say that love is a hurricane. And… it certainly felt that way. When the time came for his crew to leave, he made me a promise. He said he'd return here once his crew had traveled the Grand Line, as the best man he could possibly be. And in turn, I promised to stay here and wait for him. And so I have."
"F-for over FIFTY years?!"
"I know, I sound hopeless," Pudding chuckled. "I know he's most likely dead by now, and that does sadden me. But I'm fine. I didn't really have anywhere else to go, and the hope of that promise has helped me push through dark times. Laboon's is my home, and the staff and patrons are my family."
As expected, by now Franky had broken out in manly tears.
"Don't worry!" Luffy declared, clutching his fists in determination. "We'll find him and help him get back to you!"
Nami winced. In her mind, the only reasonable explanation was that he had given up on his promise. But Pudding didn't seem like that thought had ever even entered her head. Pudding gave the impassioned Luffy a pat on the head, before addressing the entire crew again.
"If you want to catch good weather, you'd better cast off soon. So, good luck to all of you!"
The Straw Hats gave a mighty cheer and started piling out of the room… except for Nami, glaring at Pudding who was tapping a price list. Specifically, she was pointing at the Moonbeam Goggles item. Nami grumpily pulled out her purse and handed Pudding some cash, before stomping out of the room.
But right before they reached the door out of Laboon's, Killer extended an arm across the doorframe to stop the crew.
"Do you ever sleep? I feel like I always see you working" Usopp asked, a big sweatdrop on the back of his head.
Rather than answering Usopp's question, Killer spoke directly to Nami. "Before you go, you need to clear things up regarding the boat that was destroyed."
Nami almost stumbled back in shock. "W-what?! I already paid you for all that!"
"On Laboon's end, everything's good. But you haven't talked to the people who actually OWNED the boat yet."
The entire crew sighed and sank a bit together. Killer gestured with his thumb to a nearby table, where two people were sitting. Though the Straw Hats were unaware, these were the same two who had been watching the crew all of yesterday. Except for during the Sulong-chaos, as they had both fallen asleep in their chairs.
The man was the larger of the two, standing at over two and a half meters tall. He was tanned and very muscular, showing off said muscles by wearing no shirt. Instead he wore gray knee-length pants, crimson elbow pads, and dark gray shoes. His spiky brown hair was tied into a thick, short ponytail, and his upper lip was covered by a light grayish brown mustache. His beard went almost completely horizontal outwards after his mustache, before going down into a half circle that went well below his chin. On his left shoulder and chest he had a tattoo of the kanji for the number 9.
The woman was comparatively short, her head barely reaching above his waist. Unlike the man she wasn't human, but a Mink. A white-furred rabbit Mink, judging by the ears poking out of her short blonde hair, her rabbit nose and the big poofy tail just above her butt. She wore a light green short-skirt sleeveless dress. The bottom of the skirt had dark green frills, while the collar had white frills. Around her torso was an orange band tied in the back, and on her feet were orange dress shoes. Down the middle of the dress were three black vertical lines, with white between them. The lines' bent and cut off in a pattern that formed the letter repeatedly down the front.
Neither of the two looked all too pleased. Not surprising, all things considered. The man had an intimidating scowl, while the woman looked more like a pouting child. However, secretly, they were giddy. They had planned on taking Nami along with them back to their base on Whiskey Peak, for the sake of her bounty, and now they had an excuse to order her around! They could use this opportunity to trick her into going there. But they'd have to play it cool, and choose their words carefully so as to not arouse suspicion…
Nami was the first to talk, deciding to just bite the bullet and get things over with so they could leave.
"Listen, I'm REALLY sorry about what happened to your ship," she apologized, hoping to deflect the blame onto herself. Chopper had gone through enough grief as it was.
"Oh, don't worry about it," the rabbit woman said dismissively, waving her hand.
"Don't worry about it? Your ship's just scrap by now," Franky pointed out, tilting his head.
"Well, there is a market for scrap," Usopp shrugged. "Could earn back a bit of dough with that."
"People do sometimes come here to sell their ships for scrap," Killer spoke up, scratching the back of his neck. "Lots of connections here and such."
"The more important part here is what the ship cost," Nami sighed. "Hey Killer, you got a good look at the materials, right? How new and expensive did it look?"
The muscular masked man grunted, thinking for a moment before answering. "Not very, if I'm being honest. Hard to tell after it was smashed, but even the stuff that had survived mostly unscathed indicated the ship would probably only last for a few more months."
"Then… were they here to sell the ship for scrap?" Chopper suggested. "They'd still need a ride home though."
"The ship didn't look too big," Usopp pondered, flicking his nose. "They can't have sailed very far in it. Their home island must be close by."
"Then we can sail them there!" Luffy suggested with a grin. "Gotta start the adventure somewhere, right?"
Usopp scratched her chin. "But wait, wouldn't they have already started the process of selling the ship or asking about it? What other business would they have her?"
"Well, honestly, I saw them spend well over an hour staring at a menu yesterday," Killer admitted. It was hard to tell if he was holding in a chuckle. "I think they're just slow at getting things started. But I can just pay them for the materials right now, and sell them off later. Saves time for all of you."
"Well, sounds good to me." "Me too." "Yeah!" "Yup." "Sure!"
The Straw Hats all nodded in unison, then turned to the man and the woman. Both of them sat there slack-jawed and dumbfounded. Through a series of assumptions the Straw Hats had accidentally provided an alibi for the two that was a million times better than the plan the man and woman had thought of themselves. They were going to say they were hosting a ship-smashing competition, and the prize was a trip to Whiskey Peak. After a few awkward seconds, they just responded with a synchronized and awkward "Yes."
As usual, the man was bellowing at the top of his lungs, while the woman had a more reasonable volume.
"Oh, we should introduce ourselves," Nami pointed out, as the seven people began boarding the Going Batty. "I'm Nami."
The other Straw Hats introduced themselves in turn.
"I AM TIM!" the large man shouted and waved, while grinning innocently.
"And I'm Lotta," the rabbit woman smiled politely, tilting her head cutely.
With introductions made, the Straw Hats and their new guests sailed off from Laboon's, into the Grand Line and towards Whiskey Peak.
Author's Note: Well what do you know, Shuffle Piece has a TV Tropes page now. I'd go update it myself, but that feels like blowing my own trumpet.
Also, "Tim" is Tilestone, one of the Water 7 shipwrights. He's probably less recognizable in the community than "Lotta", so I figured he should be mentioned.
