Ch. 42- The Marks of Friendship
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Kovar, and Monkey D. Star © Me
Shade © Gakuto1991
"That was beautiful," Aika smiled.
"It sure was," Chopper agreed.
"...Chopper...do you ever miss your home?" asked Blizzard.
"Sometimes, yeah," Chopper admitted, "but I was happy I got to see home again! And it made me remember why I joined Luffy in the first place!"
"You know, I'm kinda glad I got sick," Nami said as she petted Chopper on the head. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have met the best doctor, ever!"
"Yeah!" Aika cheered as she hugged Chopper, once again.
"Sh-shut up!" Chopper stammered with a blush on his cheeks. "Flattery will get you nowhere, you know!" Despite this, he was still giggling and clapping his hooves.
"You're still not good at hiding your feelings, huh?" Kumi asked while Robin chuckled.
"You know...it comes off as odd to me," said Sanji.
"What does?" Usopp asked.
"Has it ever occurred to you that aside from Moss-head," Sanji began (while getting a glare from Zoro), "Luffy seems to have met most of us by mere coincidence, at best?"
"Mere coincidence?" Blizzard repeated, sounding a bit offended by that.
"What do you mean, Sanji?" Robin asked.
"Think about it," said Sanji. "Luffy just happened to be caught in a whirlpool before he was pulled up on the passenger ship, where he later heard Zoro's name, then went to go and recruit him. After that, he met the rest of us by mere happenstance, like how he got carried off by that bird and then ended up officially meeting with Nami in Orange Town."
"Huh," Nami muttered. "Or how when Usopp accidentally shot that rock where Johnny and Yosaku were, thus causing them to take us to the Baratie, where we met you, Sanji."
"So what?" Franky asked. "Luffy just happened to pop into our lives by coincidence."
"I don't think it's coincidence," said Robin. "Every time we met Luffy, he doesn't just recruit us, but he also saves us."
"Saves us?" Zoro repeated.
"Think about it," Robin answered. "Zoro, if Luffy hadn't found you, you would've been shot dead by the Marines the following morning...and Nami, if Luffy hadn't met you, you would still be working for Arlong until the day you died."
Nami shuddered at that thought.
"Usopp, you and all of Syrup Village would have been slaughtered by Captain Kuro and his men," said Robin, causing Usopp to gulp, nervously. "Sanji would have been killed by Don Krieg and his armada and Chopper either would have been eaten alive by Wapol or killed, along with Dr. Kureha..."
Chopper let out a silent gasp while Sanji took a drag of his cigarette, trying not to look unnerved.
"As for me," Robin began, "Crocodile would have killed me back in Alabasta...and Franky would have been sent off to Impel Down."
"Oh, man..." Franky muttered with dread.
"Blizzard would've spent the rest of his life, waiting for his master, who was killed by a traitor, who likely would have killed him, too, as well as Miss Hillary," Robin said as she gestured to Blizzard, who let out a sad whimper. "Brook, you probably would have spent the rest of your days in the Florian Triangle..."
"...I don't even WANT to think about that," Brook said, grimly.
"And let's not forget Aika and Kumi," Robin said. "If we hadn't landed on Punk Hazard, Caesar would have killed them and everyone else on the island...not to mention Luffy would have never found out that Aika was his sister."
"Hearing about that last part is sad enough," said Aika with Kumi nodding in agreement.
"So you see," Robin began, "Luffy appears to us at a time when we need him most."
"But...why would that be?" Nami asked.
"Few things in this world happens by chance," said Zoro. "It must have been fate."
"Perhaps," Robin said with a hand to her chin in thought.
"At any rate," Zoro began, "it's because of Luffy that we're all here, now...which is why we have to find him and get him away from Kovar before it's too late."
"...I hope Big Brother's still okay," said Aika, holding Luffy's hat in her hands.
"Hey, we got this far," said Blizzard. "We'll find him...eventually."
At that moment, a new memory began to appear. This time, it showed Luffy, sitting on the Merry's figurehead. The others were all lying around on the deck with empty plates and mugs. Vivi was even snuggled up against Past Sanji, who snored softly as he had an arm around her. Past Zoro was leaning against the railing with a snot bubble in his nose, Past Usopp was sprawled out next to Past Nami, who was giggling in her sleep with a bright red flush on her face, and Past Chopper was nestled up with Carue.
"This must have happened after we had that party to celebrate Chopper joining us," said Nami.
"Man, you guys looked hammered," Franky said, humorously.
"Tell me about it," Usopp bemoaned as he put his hand on his head. "I had such a hangover the next day!"
The Straw Hats laughed a bit at that, but then brought their attention back on Luffy, who glanced back at his sleeping crew before he smiled and looked up at the sky.
"You're seeing them," Luffy said. "Right, Mom? This is my crew."
The stars gave off a soft twinkle, causing Luffy to laugh.
"Yeah, I know," he said. "I picked out some good ones, didn't I?" He then glanced back at the others, particularly at Past Chopper. "I have a swordsman, a sniper, a navigator, a cook...and now I've got a doctor, too, even though I didn't know he was one." He looked back up at the sky. "We really had a bit of a scare with Nami...but I'm glad she's okay, now...I don't know what I'd do if I lost her...or the others."
"Oh, Luffy..." Nami whispered.
"...I wonder what Ace is doing," Luffy said. "It's been a while since I last talked about him...but I'm sure he's doing okay. Who knows? I might see him sooner than I think!"
"Well...he's not too far off," Usopp smirked.
Luffy then gave a yawn as he stretched his arms, again.
"Well, I guess it's time I went to bed, Mom," he said. "Tell Sabo I said goodnight, too." He then slid off the figurehead and headed inside, accidentally stepping on Past Zoro's stomach.
"Ow!" the swordsman cried as he woke from his sleep. "Luffy, watch it!"
"Sorry, Zoro," Luffy said before he continued to head to the men's quarters for a good night's sleep.
The memory shifted to daytime, and for some reason, there was an air of nervousness...well, mostly coming from Luffy, who was sitting down on his knees before Past Sanji with this expression on his face that made it look like he was trying to pass off as innocent, but he was clearly guilty about something.
"Don't you lie to me, Luffy!" Past Sanji ordered. "Tell me what you know, right now?!"
Luffy just looked away, sweat dripping off his face.
"Don't you look away from me," Past Sanji as he grabbed the boy by the face. "I want you to look me in the eye right now and tell me the truth!"
"Oh, right," Sanji muttered. "This was five days after we left Drum Island."
"Wait, what did Big Brother do?" Aika asked.
"Same thing he does every time," said Nami. "He raided the fridge."
"Which reminds me," Robin began, "Aika, weren't you and Luffy about to do the same thing before Kovar came and grabbed him?"
"Wait, what?" Sanji asked in surprise.
"...Were we?" Aika asked, trying to feign innocence, like her brother.
"Don't get cute, Missy," said Zoro.
"No idea what you mean, Sanji," said Luffy as he waved his hand and puckered his lips. "I don't know anything. No clue."
"Really?" asked Past Sanji. "Then how do you explain that all the food that I had carefully rationed until we reached Alabasta suddenly went missing in the middle of the night?" He then grabbed Luffy by the face again. "I know you know, so 'fess up! You've got a terrible poker face."
All that he got in response from Luffy was a small burp, causing him to sigh as he stood up...but then, his eyes seemed to go wide.
"Oh, hey," he said. "It looks like you have something around your mouth there."
"I FORGOT ABOUT THE CRUMBS!" Luffy cried before he quickly covered his mouth, causing Past Sanji to growl.
"I KNEW IT WAS YOU, YOU PIG!" Past Sanji shouted as kicked Luffy in the face, sending him flying across the deck before he hit the wall.
"Can't take my eyes off him even for one second," said Sanji in irritation.
"It's a crying shame when our own captain eats all our rations," said Usopp.
"Like you're any better!" Sanji barked. "You, Chopper, and that duck ate some, too!"
"We didn't eat as much as Luffy did!" Usopp argued.
"I can see why you asked for a fridge with a lock, now," said Franky. "With Luffy's appetite, it's a matter of life and death."
A little while later, after Past Sanji gave Past Usopp, Past Chopper, and Carue a walloping for sneaking food, too, the group had now gathered around on the deck for a little meeting with Vivi.
"So, lemme get this straight," said Past Nami. "Crocodile is considered a hero in Alabasta?"
"Wait, a hero?" asked Brook.
"I'll explain it to you soon," said Robin.
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea are pirates who are in the pay of the World Government," said Vivi. "The citizens don't care if they chase other pirates off for money or treasure or if the Marines do it in the name of justice. Either way, the threat is eliminated."
"Hmph!" Past Sanji scoffed. "Some hero this guy is. No one even suspects that he's trying to take over a kingdom."
"Ah, who cares?" Luffy asked as he threw a punch in the air. "All I gotta do is kick Crocodile's ass, right, Vivi?"
"That's right," Vivi nodded. "If we can stop the rebellion and expel Baroque Works from Alabasta, then the kingdom will be saved."
"Jeez, she makes it sound like it's supposed to be easy," said Franky.
"Well...Luffy was going to show her it wouldn't be so easy, later," said Zoro.
"How so?" asked Blizzard.
"You'll see," said Zoro.
"But what kind of operation is Baroque Works, anyway?" asked Past Usopp. "I mean...how come these people have numbers and names and such?"
At that moment, Past Zoro groaned as he woke up and rubbed his eye.
"Their system is simple," said Vivi. "Sir Crocodile, or Mr. 0, is at the top, and taking orders directly from him are the agents- 12 people and an animal. They all have codenames, with the men being numbers and the women being holidays or days of the week. Each man is paired with an equally lethal woman. Mr. 13 and Ms. Friday are special. They execute any agents who fail. All agents from Mr. 5 and up are called 'officer agents'. Most of them have Devil Fruit powers and they handle the most important missions. After them come the frontier agents, who command the lower operatives and collect payment for the company at the entrance to the Grand Line. That is the kind of organization Baroque Works is."
"Oh, yeah?!" Luffy asked. "Then we'll just go ahead and kick that Crocodile guy's ass!"
"...You didn't get a word of that, did you?" asked Past Sanji.
"Hold it," said Past Nami. "If Baroque Works' plan is to take over Alabasta...that means that the officer agents will be..."
"...That's right," Vivi affirmed. "They'll be coming together, soon."
The memory shifted once more, showing Luffy and Past Usopp sitting on the railing with their fishing rods. However, the former's stomach began grumbling, clearly wanting food. All Luffy could do was groan as he rubbed his empty belly.
"I'm so hungry," he muttered. "And the fish aren't biting at all!"
"Really?!" Past Usopp questioned. "You do realize this is your fault! You ate all the bait that we had! The fish aren't ever gonna bite if we don't give 'em a reason!"
"Hey, you ate some, too!" Luffy retorted.
"Yeah...but I only ate a little bit!" Past Usopp said in defense. "Just what was stuck to the lid..."
"You both are gluttons," said Sanji. "Let's put it that way."
"Seriously, Luffy's not the only reason our food supply gets drained, now and then," Nami agreed with a glare.
Blizzard snickered a bit at that.
"Blizzard, we're talking about you, too," said Sanji, causing the wolf-dog to freeze.
"Hey, guys," said Vivi as she walked up to them. "How's the fishing going?"
To her horror, she saw that Luffy and Past Usopp were using Carue as bait, hoping to catch either a shark or a Sea King with him. Naturally, Vivi reprimanded them both by bonking their heads together.
"That's my Vivi," Sanji grinned.
"Yohohoho!" Brook chortled. "And I thought Nami was feisty!"
Just then, the Straw Hats spotted something rising from the water's surface, causing her to gasp.
"Is that...smoke?!" asked Vivi.
"What the hell is that?!" Past Usopp asked, nervously.
"Cotton candy?" Luffy asked with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, hungrily.
"I'm almost not surprised Luffy thinks that's food," said Kumi.
"I think everything looks like food to Big Brother's eyes," said Aika. "What is that, anyway?"
"It's steam from a geothermal vent," Robin said. "Otherwise known as an underwater volcano."
"There are volcanoes underwater?" Aika asked.
"That's right," Nami answered. "And when lava bubbles up to the water's surface, it cools down to form rock. That's how new islands are formed!"
"Wow, really?!" Aika asked.
"Yeah, but that takes thousands of years," said Chopper.
"By that time, we'll all be long gone," Brook said, "even though I'm already dead. Yohohohoho!"
"Oh, I see," said Aika. "Too bad. I would've liked to explore it!"
Soon, the Past Straw Hats sailed through the cloud of steam, coughing and gagging from the smell as they covered their mouths.
"Yuck!" Past Usopp cried. "It smells like sulfur!"
"I can't see!" Luffy shouted.
"Relax!" Past Nami called. "It'll clear up, soon enough!"
"Yeesh," Franky muttered as he covered his mouth, even though he couldn't really smell anything. "Going through a cloud that smells like rotten eggs has gotta be murder on your nose."
"I'm glad I wasn't there," said Blizzard, covering his nose with his paws.
As the steam finally cleared, both Luffy and Past Usopp gawked as they saw someone clinging to Carue: a man wearing makeup and a ballerina outfit.
"Huh?" Aika asked. "Who's that guy? And how come he's got makeup?"
"Oh, it's Mr. 2," Robin said.
"Oh, my gosh!" Chopper exclaimed in excitement. "It's Bon!"
"No way!" Usopp exclaimed, just as ecstatic as the little reindeer.
"Oh, god, not that weirdo," Sanji bemoaned.
"Bon Clay! I don't believe it!" said Blizzard.
"Wait...Blizzard, you know Bon?!" Chopper asked.
"Yeah, Luffy and I ran into him when he and I went to Impel Down," answered Blizzard.
"Impel Down?!" Chopper repeated in shock. "Wait...didn't you guys escape from there?! If that's true, did Bon go with you?!"
"...Umm...well..." Blizzard muttered before he sighed, sadly. "We don't...really know what happened to him."
"What do you mean?" Usopp asked, worriedly. "What happened?"
"It's a long story," said Blizzard. "You'll see, later."
"WHAT A WEIRD FISH!" Luffy and Past Usopp cried.
"GAH!" Bon Clay cried as he jumped off of Carue. "HOW DID I GET CAUGHT BY A DUCK?!" Unfortunately for him, he ended up falling into the sea, forcing the Past Straw Hats to come to his aid, once again. Soon, Bon Clay was sitting on the deck, dripping wet as he kneeled before his saviors.
"Wait, hold up," Franky said. "Mr. 2...that means he was part of Baroque Works, right? Why'd you save him?"
"We didn't know he was from Baroque Works at the time," said Zoro.
"And he may have been our enemy once," said Usopp, "but he's a really great friend!"
"...If you say so," Franky replied.
"You saved me! Thanks!" Bon Clay exclaimed as he bowed his head. "I never imagined my that my life would be saved by a group of complete strangers. Thanks again. I'll never forget your kindness! But could I trouble you for a cup of warm soup? Chicken noodle will do."
"NO WAY!" the Past Straw Hats yelled.
"WE CAN'T EVEN FEED OURSELVES!" Past Zoro barked.
After Bon Clay did a bit of flirting with Vivi (to both hers and Sanji's disgust), he decided to show off his Devil Fruit powers to the gang. Aika was shocked when she saw him smack Luffy across the face, but then she was even more shocked when she saw him turn into an exact copy of Luffy (minus the matching clothes). The same went for the others when they saw Bon Clay turn into Past Zoro, Past Usopp, Past Chopper, and Past Nami, respectively. Of course, Nami was not amused when Bon Clay flashed Luffy, Past Usopp, and Past Chopper, and even Franky and Brook drooled a bit at the sight, which caused them to get clobbered.
"Perverts," Nami muttered. "I'm surrounded by them, I swear!"
"Hey, don't look at me!" Usopp cried.
"Wait, what just happened?" asked Aika, who had hers and Kumi's eyes covered by Robin.
"Don't worry about it, girls," said Robin, who was using her powers.
After switching back to his regular face, Bon Clay began to entertain the Childish Trio by switching faces, randomly. It almost wasn't surprising that they all got along and danced on the deck, merrily. However, it was when Bon Clay's crew sailed by, calling him by his codename, that he had to leave...although, any crew members who weren't there at the time were a little surprised by the fact that his codename was revealed, and yet no one said anything, not even Vivi.
"You'd think Vivi would say something, wouldn't she?" Franky asked.
"Well...Vivi's sweet and all," Sanji began, "but...she's...a little..."
"Scatterbrained," Nami said.
"Yes, scatterbrained," Sanji said. "Thank you, Nami...that was not easy for me to say."
"You're welcome," Nami replied.
However, the only thing that made Vivi more upset was the fact that among Bon Clay's collection of faces was the one of her father, King Nefertari Cobra.
"Dammit," cursed Past Zoro. "If that Mr. 2 can impersonate the king, then we could be in for some real trouble."
"Looks like we really let a bad guy get away this time, huh?" asked Past Usopp.
"He was really a bad guy?" asked Past Chopper.
"Zoro's right, though," said Past Nami. "This guy could be a real problem if he decides to make us his enemies. If he disguised himself as one of us, that means we wouldn't be able to trust each other."
"You think so?" Luffy asked, to the Past Straw Hats' surprise.
"It's a shame," said Franky. "The guy did seem like a lot of fun."
"...You call that fun?" Kumi asked.
"I call it weird," said Aika.
"Wait a minute," said Past Zoro as he put his hand on Luffy's shoulder, just when Past Nami was about to explain. "Luffy here might be a little slow, but he might actually have the right idea in not being worried." He then smirked. "Believe it or not, this was a lucky encounter for us. Now we can make a plan."
"A plan?" the Past Straw Hats asked.
"Zoro thought of an idea?" asked Brook.
"Yeah...and it was one of the few good ideas he ever had," Sanji smirked, causing Zoro to growl at him while Blizzard snickered a little.
"Don't even start, you guys!" Nami barked as the memory changed, showing that the crew was still on the Merry, except the crew was sitting in a little circle, along with Past Sanji, who had not been present at the time that Bon Clay was there.
"What are you guys doing?" Aika asked.
"You'll see," Zoro answered.
"So, what do you guys think?" asked Past Sanji.
"Ooh, ooh! I know!" Luffy exclaimed. "Let's make it an 'X'!"
"An X?" asked Past Nami. "Why?"
"Because we're pirates," Luffy replied, simply.
"Yeah," Past Usopp began, "but...doesn't an 'X' usually mean death?"
"It doesn't matter," Luffy said. "It has to be an X! What do you think, Vivi? Sounds cool, right?"
"Yeah," Vivi nodded. "I'm fine with that, too."
"Look, cool or not, it doesn't matter," said Past Zoro. "That's not why we're doing this!"
Soon, the Past Straw Hats all had black Xs tattooed on their left wrists.
"Here we go!" Luffy grinned.
"Okay then," said Past Zoro as he held up his wrist. "In case you see one of us, but you think they might be a fake, take the bandage off and show them to your friends...if they don't have it, that means they're an impostor."
"Right," Vivi nodded.
"Ah, I see now!" Brook exclaimed. "A double mark, isn't it?"
"So that's what that was," Robin said. "Very clever, Zoro."
"Hey," Zoro grinned. "I have my moments."
"It's not like you to think of something as clever as a double mark, Moss-head," said Past Sanji. "Maybe you're an impostor, too."
"DON'T MAKE ME KILL YOU!" Past Zoro shouted as he drew his swords.
"Nah, that's definitely Zoro," said Luffy.
"Oh, good," Past Usopp whispered in relief. "It is Zoro."
Soon, everyone was tying bandages around their wrists.
"Tie 'em on tight, got it?" asked Past Zoro. "The enemy's got too many secrets."
"That's a good idea," said Vivi as she tied on Past Nami's bandage.
"With these, we'll be able to tell who's who," said Past Nami.
"Are these Clone-Clone Fruit powers really all that good?" asked Past Sanji, using his teeth to tie on his bandage.
"They're not just good, Sanji," said Past Usopp. "They're practically flawless! You should've seen him, earlier!"
"Hmph!" Past Sanji scoffed. "Sounds like a real freak to me."
"He was amazing!" Past Usopp replied. "We couldn't help but cheer for him!"
"Now that we know what we're up against," said Past Zoro, "we have to plan our next move, carefully."
"Umm...hey," said Past Chopper. "What can I do?"
"Just do whatever you can, Chopper," said Past Usopp. "If you can't win, there's no shame in running away! Just do your best!"
"That's your philosophy, eh, Usopp?" Past Sanji quipped while tying a bandage around Carue's wing.
"Do my best...got it!" Past Chopper exclaimed.
"Is there really no shame in running away?" asked Aika, somberly.
"Aika, there are some points in life when you face an opponent that is stronger than you," said Blizzard. "If you run away, that's fine...but don't run all your life. If you run, you give yourself the opportunity to think things through and choose your fights carefully. You run so you can live and get stronger to fight another day." He then glanced at Usopp and Chopper. "Right, guys?"
"Uh...y-yeah! That's right!" Chopper answered.
"W-what Blizzard said!" Usopp agreed, grinning confidently.
"...I see," Aika said before she smiled. "Right! Okay then!"
Kumi barked in agreement while in the memory, the Merry was beginning to approach the harbor of Alabasta's shore.
"There's the harbor," said Vivi. "We better weigh anchor in the cove to the west. We have to hide the ship."
"Right!" Luffy exclaimed before he held out his wrist to the crew, who did the same thing. "No matter what happens, guys, from here on out...this mark on our left arms...will be the sign of our friendship!"
"Right!" the Past Straw Hats agreed.
"Okay...let's get going!" Luffy declared as the memory faded to black.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next time on One Piece: The Fire Within.
Brook: A mark of friendship, eh?
Franky: *sniffles* I ain't cryin'...!
Aika: *gasps* Look! Smoky's back!
Luffy: *spits food* You're that Smoky guy! What are you doing in Alabasta?!
Nami: Hold it...if that's Smoker...then that means...!
?: HEAT HAZE! *a jet of fire appears out of nowhere*
Luffy: Huh?!
Ace: Long time, no see...eh, Luffy?
Luffy: Ace?!
Next time: The Brothers' Reunion
Next up, one of the few chapters I've been waiting for! But not for a while, because I'm gonna be updating Whole Cake Island next.
Review, please!