The screaming woke him up. He sat up; his small, round face scrunched up. He blinked weakly, rubbing his eyes. His bottom lip trembled, the chaos around him overwhelming him. He began to cry; big, fat tears streaming down his dirty face.

"Everyone shut the hell up!" Zoro shouted, kneeling beside the child. He placed a towel over the child's bare lap and nodded, "And you, quit yer cryin'."

"Why's everyone yelling?!" the child cried loudly.

There was a thud as Usopp crashed into the salon chair, failing miserably at catching Nami as she fainted. Robin clutched at her throat, "He speaks?!"

"O-of course I speak…" he continued to cry.

Luffy snickered, "Oh my God. He's awesome."

They discussed the situation ad nauseum. It took over an hour for everyone to calm down enough to sit in a circle and attempt to formulate a plan.

"Little dude needs some pants," Franky decided.

Sanji shook his head, "First things first. We need X-rays. He could have a tracker or something…"

"And, uh, you know, he could be carrying the curse…" Usopp added. "The mark of the wolf…"

"Oh fuck…"

"Not again…"

"No…"

"I'm just sayin'."

"I'm not a wolf!" the boy protested. "Bastard!"

"Cause you're a werewolf," Usopp whispered accusingly.

"Oh, come on," Zoro groaned, "For fuck's sake…"

"I'm still…" Crocus shook his head. "I'm old. I can't take the shock."

"We need to tell them," Luffy decided, climbing into one of the salon chairs. He spun the chair around to face them, "About Deadhouse."

"I don't know if that's a good idea…" Sanji protested.

Zoro shrugged, "They're already in danger. They're already involved."

"You're from Deadhouse?" the boy asked, eyeing Luffy. "I thought so."

"How do you know about Deadhouse?" Sanji asked.

The boy shrugged, "I've heard things."

"And you're from Versipellis?" Luffy questioned. The boy nodded. "What do they do there?"

"Versipellis, from the latin, Verto; to change. Pellis; skin," the boy explained. "What did they do in Deadhouse?"

"Tested on dead people," Luffy replied with a shrug.

"What the hell's goin' on?" Franky grumbled.

"What's your name?" Luffy asked, ignoring Franky.

"I don't have one," the boy snapped, visibly irritated.

Luffy pressed onward, "What did they call you?"

"Reindeer!" the boy shouted, standing up, the towel dropping to the floor.

Sanji nodded, tilting his head back, "Shorts first."

"Can I name you?" Luffy asked excitedly. "How about Jose`?"

"Does he look like a Jose`?" Nami asked, furrowing her brows.

"Yep." Luffy nodded.

Nami shook her head, "We can't just go around naming people."

"I'd picked the name Tony for someone very special," Robin said suddenly, "but they didn't end up needing it." She smiled at the boy softly, "So, if Tony is okay, I think you should use it."

"Or 'Chopper'," Franky blurted, "because you snore like a god damn beast."

The boy grabbed the towel from the floor and fastened it around his tiny waist. He went and sat beside Robin, resting his head against her chest, "I like Tony."

"You're much more of a Chopper," Franky argued, plucking the boy from Robin's lap. "Come on, let's get you some damn underpants or something…"

"What happened to your arm?" the boy asked, startled.

Franky shrugged, "I didn't need it anymore…" he smiled widely, "So I cut it off."

"Where are you going?" Robin asked, turning around.

Franky nodded in gesture, "There's an Osh Kosh across the street…"

"Don't you think you need a weapon or something?" Robin demanded, standing. Franky stammered unsurely. Robin sighed, "May I borrow a weapon, Mr. Roronoa?"

Sanji stood up, "Oh, Robin-sweetheart, let me help you," he walked ahead opening the door. "I'll be your personal security detail…"

"Uh, thanks," Franky grumbled awkwardly.

Sanji shook his head, "I wasn't talking to you…" Sanji smiled, "I was speaking to the lady."

Franky made a face, looking to Robin for help. She only smiled, "Wow. It appears we have a gentleman among us…"

"Oh, well, I guess they're going shopping…" Usopp murmured, "Not like you were about to tell them super confidential government secrets…"

Luffy snickered, "Eh. I'm old news."

Luffy spun around in the chair. He seemed taken back by his reflection. He touched his hair and then his nose. He scrunched up his face, studying himself in the mirror. Finally, with a heavy sigh, he spun right back around. The chair was caught and he jerked to an abrupt stop.

He looked up to find Zoro holding his chair, "Wanna buzz cut?"

Luffy shook his head, his eyes wide, "I have a funny shaped head. No buzz cuts."

"Okay," Zoro breathed, laying a towel over Luffy's shoulders. "Just a little trim."

Luffy leaned back in the chair to look at Zoro, "Can you cut hair too?"

"I grew up poor," Zoro explained, grabbing a pair of scissors from the tray. "We didn't get haircuts at a salon."

"Explains those bangs," Usopp murmured, grabbing a razor at the next station.

"Hey! Wait!" Nami cried out, "What're you doing?"

Usopp shrugged, "Shaving my head."

Nami shook her head, "Nah… I mean… you don't have to…"

"I'm gonna have a crazy fro soon," Usopp argued. "You don't understand…"

Nami shrugged a slender shoulder, her lip pulled between her teeth, "I like it. I think curly hair is cute…"

"It's not curly…" Usopp insisted, "It's kinky. And it will suffocate us all in our sleep…"

"Do what you want with it," Nami sighed, leaning back on her hands. "I just think it'd be cooler if you let it grow out a bit."

Usopp moved the razor up and down, up and down, before finally abandoning it on the counter. He sighed, rubbing his temples, "I hope I'm not gonna regret this."

"It's not like we'll never find another pair of scissors again," Nami breathed out, smiling victoriously. "If you don't like it, you can cut it later…"

"How does it look?" Zoro asked finally, shaking his hands through Luffy's freshly trimmed hair.

Luffy realized his eyes had been closed. He opened them and examined his hair, trying his best not to look too closely at the rest of his reflection. He nodded, "It kinda looks the same. Good. It's good."

"What's wrong?" Zoro asked, tipping the chair back.

Luffy snickered, staring up at Zoro, "Nothing."

Luffy's eyes were big. And expressive. And the color was so warm. His face was a perfectly shaped oval and his mouth was large… Zoro realized he was staring at the younger man and quickly let go. The chair slammed loudly back to the floor, rocking forward and nearly tossing Luffy to the ground. Luffy's fingers curled around the arm rests, cutting through the fabric.

"You okay?" Nami asked, making a face at Zoro. She checked on Luffy before smacking Zoro's arm roughly, 'Jesus, Arnold. Take it easy, huh?"

"It's okay," Luffy insisted, placing the broken arm rest in the seat of the chair. "I'm sturdier than I look."

"We're baaaaack!" Franky announced, walking in with several bags of merchandise.

"Look," Robin cooed, having the boy turn around in a circle, "Tony picked a cute, little dinosaur backpack…"

"Yeah, Chopper has some super taste," Franky interjected loudly, "Look at these shirts. Almost all of them have trucks…"

"Help me," Sanji mouthed, coming up behind them.

"Wow," Nami breathed, kneeling in front of the boy. "What a cute little sloth shirt!"

"Franky!" Robin hissed in warning, "Chopper is not a proper name."

"Chopper is too a proper name. If people can name their kids Neveah or crazy shit like Sarah, I can call this reindeer kid Chopper…" Franky argued.

Nami looked to Usopp in surprise, "What's wrong with Sarah?"

Usopp shrugged, "No clue."

"Let's settle this like grownups," Sanji muttered, shaking his head. "Let the kid pick." The kid's eyes grew wide. He looked around for a moment before sinking to the floor, his backpack held in front of his face. Sanji sighed heavily, "Or not."

Everyone was quiet for a moment before Robin and Franky spoke in unison, "Hey it's okay, Tony…"

"…Chopper…"

"Don't be shy…" they looked at each other and Franky smiled.

Robin took a moment longer to finally crack a smile. She shook her head, tossing her hair over her shoulder, "Don't make me declare war on a one armed man, Francis Cutty."

Franky grabbed his chest, he groaned loudly, shaking his head. "Robin… Robbie… baby… how could you?"

"Kill me…" Sanji murmured, staring into Zoro's eyes. "Just… kill me…"

Zoro snorted, "You're on your own."

"Stop being so damn hard-headed you two," Crocus barked. "Tony Chopper. There it has a name."

"It should by Tony Toni Tone`!" Nami squealed excitedly. "Ya know, like the group…"

Usopp's eyes bulged, "Uh, Nami… what?!" Usopp shook his head, "How old are you?"

"Tony Tony Chopper," Robin decided, "It's double the Tony. Sounds good to me."

"No, uh, it's Tony, Toni-" Nami stopped when she met Robin's gaze, "Ah, never mind. Tony Tony Chopper is super cute too."

"Alright, Chopper," Franky said loudly, smiling right at Robin, "What's next on the agenda?"

"We need to find a veterinary clinic," Crocus insisted. "A workup is needed."

"Tony," Robin cooed, "Are you hungry?"

"Come on, Chopperrrrr," Franky rumbled, swinging the boy onto his shoulders, "If you're good at the doctor we can get you some candy…"

"Wait a minute," Sanji protested. "That's not a little kid. You need to realize that whatever it is is a highly experimental creature designed through…" Sanji stopped. He couldn't find the strength to continue when he saw the looks of pure fury that Robin and Franky were giving him. Sanji shook his head.

"Oh, Jesus," Usopp sighed, "Lord, grant me the strength to leave these idiots behind as they are eaten, because I know that's the opportunity you will have granted me, Lord…"

"You're taking me with you," Nami insisted. "I'm not getting eaten by a wererabbit either."

"I'm not a rabbit! And I don't eat people!" the boy shouted. "Bastards!"

"I can't be positive what it is or isn't, but it certainly can't be from the Leporidae family," Crocus insisted. "I believe it's a caribou, er…" he shook his head, "And human hybrid?"

"What sort of science does Germa Six Six do anyway?" Robin asked, causing Franky to hesitate at the door.

"Ah, story time," Luffy snickered, sitting down and crossing his legs.

Sanji grabbed a cigarette from his jacket and lit it. He puffed on it, his eyes closed, before finally beginning, "I think the best place to begin is how my father became a Nobel laureate in physiology…"

"Oh God," Luffy sighed, rubbing his eyes, "I thought this would be more exciting."

Sanji smoked, eying Luffy dryly, "I'll get there."

"Who's your father?" Crocus asked, curious.

Sanji made a face, he shook his head and chewed on his lip before finally answering, "Judge Vinsmoke of Germa Six Six infamy."

"I know of him," Robin said and Crocus nodded, "He definitely has a name in the scientific community."

"Well, he's behind everything here," Sanji admitted, "One way or another; it's that piece of shit's fault…"

It took much longer to explain the situation to Robin, Franky, and Crocus. Robin and Crocus were scientists. They asked questions that only Sanji could answer. They asked questions that the others could never have thought of in a million years. And once the entire story had been given they nodded.

Franky spoke first, "So which side fucking killed the whole country?"

"We can't be sure," Sanji admitted. "There's too much information missing in the middle there."

"But it probably wasn't the D Foundation," Franky pressed.

Sanji nodded, "Probably not."

"Why would your father do it?" Robin asked, looking to Luffy.

Luffy shrugged, "I don't know. I don't know him very well."

"We don't know anything," Zoro snapped. "Not really. We can't be certain who it was or wasn't…" Zoro paced, "And as long as innocent people are dying, it doesn't matter. It has to be stopped."

"And where do you fit into this story, Tony?" Robin asked.

The boy shook his head, "It doesn't matter."

"It does," Sanji said flatly.

The boy's lip trembled, "I was being held in a big building with no windows. People broke in and started shooting people. They shot animals too. They didn't care who they killed. One of the people who watched over me opened the doors and told me to run…" The boy cried, "And so I ran and I ran. And I knew someone like me was around but I couldn't find them. I called for help but people got scared and shot at me. And I looked forever… and finally I found you guys…"

"Why the hell is Houston the dumping ground for lost monsters?" Franky wondered.

"Conservative state with lots of scientists and lots of room," Sanji explained. "Red state means less red tape. Room equals privacy."

"Mr. Cutty," Crocus said, clearing his throat, "You were seriously injured. I'm still not sure you should be up and walking around. You should lie down and rest…"

"I'm not a monster," the boy said softly, staring way, way up at Franky.

Franky nodded, patting the boy on the head, "I was talking about those shitty scientists."

"Come on," Crocus breathed, getting out of his chair with great effort. "We need to see how our little friend Chopper is actually doing."

Robin looked wounded, "Doc…"

Crocus shrugged, "He looks more like a Chopper."

Luffy wasn't allowed inside the veterinary clinic. He opened the door and the horrid smell hit them and suddenly Zoro and Sanji were pushing him back toward the truck. So he sat inside the truck with Nami. She was in the driver's seat, plucking stray hairs from her brows.

"Cowards," Robin murmured, covering her face with the collar of her shirt. "They couldn't come back and let them out?"

"Maybe the employees all died," Franky suggested. "Cause, yeah, I don't think I could sleep at night knowing they were left here to die…"

"Let's just get this over with," Crocus sighed, "Grab some F10 and let's sterilize everything." Crocus looked around, "Chopper, let's head to the back and do some X-Rays real quick."

When Crocus stepped through the door he realized his mistake. The back room was disgusting. Blood and rotting flesh were smeared everywhere. He threw out his arm, catching Chopper before he walked any further into the room.

Two zombies looked up, blood stained mouths hanging open. Crocus cursed, shoving Chopper backward. Crocus slammed the door shut and turned to the others. "Zombies…"

Sanji and Zoro stepped around Crocus and Chopper. They walked side by side, stepping through the door and into the backroom. There was some screeching and some falling glass and then everything was quiet.

"Usopp," Zoro called out, "Bring a mop."

"Bring a mop," Usopp muttered, "Do I look like the janitor?"

Fifteen minutes later Crocus was doing Chopper's X-Rays. He studied them with Robin, both mumbling to each other in hushed voices. Sanji looked them over, satisfied when there were no implanted devices visible in the images.

"Everything looks…" Crocus shrugged, "Well, it looks different, but not necessarily bad."

"That's great news," Robin breathed out, brushing Chopper's hair from his eyes, "You're healing well, Tony."

Chopper nodded and smiled. He brushed up against Franky, staring up at the man pointedly, "And…"

"And what?" Franky asked.

Chopper licked his lips, "Where's my candy?"

Franky laughed loudly, "Aight. Aight. Let's get you some candy."

They walked out of the clinic together, piling back into the car. Franky walked around to the driver side and opened the door, "Heya, girlie. Ya mind if I drive?"

Nami tossed her hands up, "Knock yourself out."

"Do we look for a candy store or a grocery store, Chopper, my man?" Franky asked, rubbing his hand against his steering wheel.

"Grocery store," Nami blurted out. "Other people need stuff…"

"Oh, Nami, dear, what do you need?" Sanji asked attentively. "You should have let us know…"

"Yeah, I might have it," Zoro added, unzipping his bags.

Nami smiled, "Ya got tampons in there, Zoro?"

Zoro zipped his bag back up. He nodded slowly, looking to Franky, "Store."

"Ay, yi, yi," Sanji murmured, looking up.

Nami and Robin exchanged looks. Robin pulled a nail file from the glove compartment and began to trim her nails, "They ask and then they can't handle it."

"Yeah, guys. What gives? What's a little free bleeding between friends?" Franky asked, revving the engine.

Robin cut her eyes, "Francis."

Franky laughed, "Yeah, you're right. That was super disgusting."

"What are tampons?" Luffy asked, opening his own bag. He gestured to the contents, smiling at Nami. "Are they in here?"

"No, baby," Robin drawled. "You wouldn't have any."

Usopp cleared his throat. He leaned in closely, whispering into Luffy's ear. "Understand?"

Luffy nodded but then he started shaking his head, "What's a vagi-"

Usopp covered Luffy's mouth, a blush still managing to creep into his dark cheeks. Usopp shook his head, "No. You mustn't."

Robin laughed, fanning herself. "Oh, goodness. If you won't tell him, I will."

"Later, though," Sanji murmured, shaking his head. His face was red to the ears.

"Wow," Nami mused, "Who knew boys got embarrassed so easily?"

"I'm not embarrassed," Franky insisted, turning on the radio. "I'll tell 'im…"

"Wait!" Robin hissed, remembering. "The baby!" She turned around to check on Chopper. "We have an audience…"

Franky clicked his tongue, "Fine." He made eye contact with Luffy in the rearview mirror. "I'll tell ya later."

Luffy shrugged, "Okay…" he wasn't bothered. He pulled a Slim Jim from his bag and shoved the entire thing in his mouth whole. He chewed rudely, "I was just wondering…"

"You just passed a Walmart," Nami pointed out.

Franky shook his head, "Oh hell nah. You've ever been to a Walmart? Now add zombies… FUCK NO!"

Robin laughed, "H-E-B then?"

"Hell no, woman!" Franky continued, shaking his head. "Same shit, better cookies."

"Where are we going then?" Sanji asked.

Franky smiled, "The Mecca of American shopping." Everyone looked at Franky in confusion. Franky wriggled in his seat before announcing, "Super Target!"