Story Cover Art shipfiend. Original Characters Eiichiro Oda.

Theme Song: "All Time Love" Jon Bellion (BOXINLION Remix)

Usopp made them jump through hoops, and at one point, very literally, to get to their destinations. The group began pestering and badgering the young man, begging for a reason for all the secrecy, but they became silent as they approached the large ghostly mansion in the deserted land.

Perona was the first to murmur about how perfect it was, but Sanji and Zoro were hesitant. Regardless, Usopp led the group up the dirt road and past the high brick wall with its old gate. On the left of the house was a large oversized tree that seemed to swallow a part of the house, and Zoro noticed how Usopp looked at it almost longingly.

"So are you going to finally tell us why we're here?" Law asked incredulously. Usopp turned with a sad smile and motioned them to the front door.

"This…this is my home. Well, it was a home…now it's just a house," he said dryly. They followed him into the parlor and took in the deadness of it all. Whatever furniture there was, it was covered in dusty cloth. Zoro could barely hear a single noise until something raspy came from the double doors beyond the stairs.

"Who else is here?" Zoro asked with suspicion. Though they had shaken hands, Zoro could not bring himself to trust a man that apparently lived such an empty life. Beyond that, Nami never once spoke of him and Zoro was feeling a little jaded at being the last to know. In the mysterious house with the man who knew all, there was nothing to gain any insight into his characters. Usopp was a ghost, calling their names but looking right through them.

Nevertheless, they followed Usopp through the doors and as he swung them open, he spoke cheerily to the figure lying in the bed by the window. "Nojiko! You have visitors."

Perona gasped as Sanji took in the sight with angry doubt. Zoro was the only one that moved forward to take in the lilac-haired girl in the bed. She looked not much older than Zoro, but her body was under the sheet as machines hooked tubes into her nose and mouth. The beeping and pulsing of the mechanisms displayed that Nojiko was just as dead as Nami described her to be.

"What the hell is this?" It was Law that pushed himself to the front, taking in the archaic technology that was connected to the young woman. "What the hell have you done to her?"

Usopp for once had ferocity uncommon to him as he pulled Law by the collar and away from the machines, "Don't you touch a thing. I'm trying to keep her alive."

Law was unfazed and swatted his hand away, "As if. This woman looks like she is dying of survival. What do you think you are? A knight in shining armor in some movie? What you've done is practically inhumane."

"Hey, watch it." Usopp was shocked as Zoro spoke up in his defense. "The guy's not a fucking doctor. You are. If you think you can change the situation…do it."

"Hey-" Usopp shouted as Law started to take her pulse, but Sanji pulled him back.

"Usopp, we know you were doing what you could…but that asshole is a professional. Perhaps he can do something for her."

Usopp's brows furrowed at the thought. That for as many years as he spoke to Nojiko, cleaned her wounds, handled her unconscious state from sanitary pads to IV drips…he was not the one she needed. Not anymore.

"Right," was all he could make out before walking over to the far side of the room to an array of computers. He pulled some things together and handed them to Law. "This is everything I have about her medical condition. Like I said…I tried my best…but…"

Law took the files and thumbed through it, but upon seeing the sad expression of the man, he stopped his figeting and sighed. "Why don't you tell me how she ended up this way first?"

"She saved her…" Zoro said with a frown, his arms crossed. With his one eye, he looked scarier as the darkness took over his face. "Arlong told her to murder her own sister…but Nami saved her."

The others looked at Usopp who nodded. "Yes, well…she tried. But Nojiko had taken up a lot of smoke and well when Nami finally brought her to me…she was unresponsive."

"And she brought her here?" Perona said as she looked around. "Where is here?"

Usopp directed their attention to giant portrait over the fireplace. A slim and pale-skinned girl with blonde hair and wide light brown eyes smiled down at them. Though she sat with elegance in the picture, her clothes seemed rather plain and simple.

"Wow," Sanji was the first to say, "who is this beauty?"

Usopp cleared his throat, "My wife."

They sat in the kitchen, coffees in hand, as Usopp spoke of his life and love. They met when they were kids, coming from this very village. She was always alone, as her parents often traveled, but she wanted to be a doctor…so she spent many of her years with her nose in a book. However, she was also very sick.

"Kaya…she was the sweetest, most sincere woman you could have ever met. An example of the perfect candidate…for just an amazing person. She…just wanted to help people and travel, but her weak health kept her from doing more."

"That's why you have all that equipment…" Law added.

"Yes, she was sick often, so I would come by during her treatments and tell her stories of my adventures." He chuckled. "Mind you, I was a computer nerd…I barely left my house myself and so the adventures I had were online, in games…but she took in every word I said. And though I know she knew I was lying, she still indulged me every time."

"I'd climb up her old tree and tell her stories…sometimes…we'd even sneak out and I'd show her something beyond the gates of her house."

"Okay, but…aren't you a little too young to have a wife? What are you…like 18?" Perona asked with a sip of her coffee.

"17, actually. And yes, you're right. But…I told you…I'm a tech genius." He looked down at the floor and frowned. "And well…Kaya didn't want to die alone. She was getting better, but then suddenly, she got sick…very sick. 16 and she was dying, and so we forged some papers and got married. It was all a secret…I mean, we weren't even like husband and wife, just a bunch of kids…trying to stop time for a second. But it was all a lie…one I tried to hide."

"Why?"

Usopp ground his teeth at the question but focused his rage on the tiles at his feet. "Well…because after Kaya died, I figured out that her butler, Kuro, was poisoning her for years. He was after her fortune, and even though it was a lie, the marriage we had was real. At least for the courts. I spent the next few months making sure Kuro didn't get a single cent of her inheritance, but he disappeared…and then…I was alone." Usopp looked up and smiled at them, tears in her eyes. "Well, until some stupid cat burglar tried to break in here, but…she wasn't as good as she thought and well…the rest is history. Nami is…my closest and dearest friend, Nojiko, too. Which is why she's here. Away from Arlong, from the public eye. No one cares about this decrepit old building. The village is practically empty now. We're safe here."

"Then why didn't Nami just run off to here? Why wasn't she safe here?" Zoro asked; his grip firm on his mug.

Usopp signed, "Well…because no one was looking for Kaya after Kuro…wherever he went. And as for me, her parents didn't even come to her funeral. There was nothing here to look for. But Nami…she was branded. She had someone who knew her entire life and didn't want her to have a moment to herself. And… I, I've been trying to fix my pride…But that shit's broken

... And I thought I could make fake IDs for her and her sister, but Arlong doesn't let go of things easily…and Nami trusted me, but I let her down."

Sanji inquired, "How?"

Usopp pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned, "I made a mistake and people close to Nami got hurt. And that…it's been on my conscious ever since. So, Zoro…regardless of what she felt for you, I told her to leave it alone. I told her to focus, because of last time…she nearly got killed worrying about others."

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about Boa and Mihawk, would you?" Perona chimed in.

"Y-yes," Usopp stammered. "How do you know them?"

Perona faked a chuckle and tossed her hair over her shoulder, "Little miss cat burglar isn't the only one with all the information. Anyway, Boa and Mihawk…they're alive. But…they did lose their child."

"Right…that old mansion…did Arlong?" Zoro asked, remembering his fond training center.

Perona shook her head, "No…Arlong isn't big enough for the likes of them, but he did sell them out. Probably because he found out Nami's connection to them…and well, information is power. So…the other heads took them out."

Sanji fidgeted for a cigarette and lit a match, "Shit, this is fucking depressing."

"This isn't some happy go lucky tale," Usopp said sourly, "People fucked up and they got killed…which is why-"

"Which is why we can't fuck up," Zoro said adamantly as he rose to his feet. "Usopp…what do you need from us?"

Usopp blinked, unsure how things seemed to move so quickly for the fighter. Perhaps he was eager to get back in the ring, but unless they find the right ring, Zoro would get beat up unnecessarily. Usopp gulped as he watched the torn up man flex his muscles as he cracked his knuckles. Either way, Zoro looked like he was willing to beat everyone just to get Nami back.

"Well…um…Perona, is it? I think you and I need to connect and cross-reference what we know. Um, Sanji…will be able to help, too. Then we need to see if we can contact this Iceburg guy…"

At first, Sanji was worried Zoro would ask, but he seemed dismissive of the idea. Sanji nodded as Perona held his hand with a small squeeze of comfort. Law eyed Sanji now in curiosity but went back to the files as he got to work on the girl who really needed his attention.

"Fine," Zoro said with determination, "and I'm going to try to connect with Boa and Mihawk…they may be able to help us."

"But will they help is the real question," Perona chimed in.

Zoro tightened the bandages on his hands, "Leave that to me. If they don't want to see me…I'll make them see me."

Usopp smirked, "Well, this team has really come together, huh?"

Zoro shrugged, "I'm at an all-time low…otherwise, I wouldn't ask for help."

Sanji scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Why not get healed up first…"

However, Zoro was already out of the room and roaming the mansion. He gripped his fists and felt charged for something, but the sadness in his heart was making his head heavy. He shook himself and punched the wall, which made an odd creaking noise resound in the old house. He needed to concentrate, but he just could not. She was the reason he was alone…she was the reason for it all. He gritted his teeth and chanted to himself, "I'm going to get you back…witch."