BROTHER ON BOARD
The Patient One - I took a long break for my summer job. I did the same thing last year but ended up getting distracted and didn't pick the story up again until February. The difference between this year and last year is that I've made a considerable amount of headway in this story and I have a lot more people reading it. So I jumped right back in as soon as I got back. Fair warning, I may end up doing the same thing next summer too. Thank you for your patience The Patient One. Also, I heard from Casey Flux that you recommended my story on the Fandom Flux Podcast. I ended up listening to the episode and I can't thank you enough for recommending Brother on Board and showing your support for my story on a public channel.
Lostdog200 - I haven't seen many of the One Piece movies. I haven't watched an episode of the anime in a long time. Now a days my exposure to One Piece comes predominantly from the manga. That's what I'm using to write this story. (And that's where all of my Sound Effects come from.)
BedofRoses1989 - Wow. I'm glad you like my story so much. Don't worry I'm back now so I'm going to return to a relatively consistent weekly update schedule. You'll see in this chapter that Sabo and 'Miss Wednesday' immediately get off on the wrong foot. And that's before he learns that she's royalty. It'll take a while before he learns that she's different than other royalty and nobles.
IchikoKitsuneKoumori - Keep Merry safe? Okay. I'll get someone on that right away.
rasEnshur1KEn - Sabo doesn't recognize her. There are too many nobles and royals in the world for him to know what all of them look like. But when we meet Miss Humpday (Maybe I should keep her away from Eyelash...) she's working with a man that likes to wear a crown and claim he's a King. Let's see how well that works out for him.
Lunapok - Here's more! And its longer than the last one too!
Johnny Spectre - I don't see Ace grilling Arlong for no reason. So the real question is: will Whitebeard's Mark intimidate Arlong enough that he won't attack Ace? There's still a ways to go before we get to that point. This chapter will feature the last Buggy/Arlong appearance for a while.
Syluk - Well I'm glad your back and thanks for writing this story's 300th review. No worries on being behind. I took three months off so I am too. The LuNa will only serve as a way for Nami to torture Sabo. So far he's proven to be pretty unshakeable... except when Bonnie Anne was kidnapped... or when people claim to be royalty or superior... or there's a mossball swordsman involved. Okay... so maybe he actually has a few things that set him off. But Nami's learned her lesson about kidnapping Bonnie and has found a less suicidal method of messing with Sabo by using his brother. Luffy may be 'awakened' but you're not going to see him suddenly profess his undying love for Nami. That would be majorly OOC. I'd like to think that may changes to the story and characters are a little more gradual and make more sense.
AnyMoreBrightIdeasGenius - Thanks a lot! It's good to be back.
Casey Flux - I'm glad you like my take on the story. I started out with small changes and they ended up becoming bigger ones. Just wait until you see what I have in store in the Grand Line. I listened to the episode on your Fandom Flux podcast. I'm honored to have been included on it. Thanks for mentioning it in your review.
Laboon-
"THIS IS IT!" Luffy shouted from the figurehead, "THE GRAND LINE, THE GREATEST SEA IN THE WORLD!" The Going Merry gained speed as it raced down the watery path that led down Reverse Mountain into the fabled ocean that housed the respective dreams of all the Straw Hat Crew, "FULL SPEED AHEAD!"
BUUOOOOHH!
"Huh? Did you hear something just now?" Zoro asked as he and Nami stood behind the Captain on the front deck.
"Who cares!" Luffy replied, "WOOHOOO!"
"We're sailing downward at high-speed," Nami pointed out, "I wouldn't be surprised if that noise was just from all the wind rushing passed us."
BUUOOOOHH!
"Okay… I definitely heard something that time," Sabo announced from up in the crow's nest. He glanced at Usopp and Sanji who were hanging onto the rigging above the mainsail beside him. "Do either of you see anything?"
Usopp adjusted his sniper goggles and peered down ahead of them. "I think I see… a mountain?"
"NAMI-SWAN!" Sanji shouted to the Navigator, "THERE'S A MOUNTAIN DOWN AHEAD OF US!"
"A mountain?" Nami repeated. "That's not right. Once we pass the Twin Capes at the bottom of the Reverse Mountain it should be all open sea."
BUUOOOOOOHHHHHH!
"Okay… it's getting louder as we get closer," Sabo complained as he picked at his ear.
"Hm…" Luffy grunted as he squinted ahead of them. "THAT'S NO MOUNTAIN! IT'S A WHALE!"
The whale in question was simply massive and easily matched the Sea King's they encountered in the Calm Belt in sheer size. The two four-story light houses that mark the Twin Capes at the base of the mountain looked like mere toothpicks compared to the enormous whale that was sticking its head out of the deep sea between them. But almost as notable as the whale's gargantuan size were the multiple vicious scars that covered almost the entirety of the whale's snout.
The whale opened its mouth and let out another incredible loud sorrowful wail.
BUUUOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!
"HOLY COW!" Sabo exclaimed.
"Okay, that's it," Sanji objected, "That's where I draw the line."
"Huh?" Sabo asked.
"I was fine with you shouting that at Arlong Park when that huge sea cow was bearing down on us," Sanji stated. "And that giant Sea King we were on top of in the Calm Belt had a spotted cow-pattern so I let that one slide too. But that is not a cow. That's a whale."
"Shows what you know!" Sabo retorted. "Female whales, dolphins and porpoises are called cows."
Sanji nodded thoughtfully then looked ahead at the massive mountain-sized whale, "Okay… but how do you know that whale's a female?"
Sabo shrugged, "I don't."
"I DON'T WANNA GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO FIND OUT!" Usopp shrieked.
"What do we do?" Luffy wondered, "Should we fight it?"
"HOW THE HECK ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT SOMETHING THAT HUGE!" Nami demanded.
"But its blocking our way," Luffy pointed out.
"At this point we're too close to see anything," Sanji noted, "I can't even see its eyes. It just looks like a massive wall."
KER-CHOW!
Bonnie fired off a shot off the front of the ship that veered to the left passed Luffy and the others.
"Huh… oh, thanks Bonnie," Sabo as he watched the bullet's course, "HEY GUYS! THERE'S A LITTLE GAP TO THE LEFT! WE CAN TRY SAILING AROUND IT!"
"I see it!" Zoro called out, "HARD TO PORT!"
"HOW?" Usopp questioned, "Did you forget? The whipstaff's broken!"
"Damn it!" Zoro cursed, "Just get in the galley! We'll figure something out!"
Usopp and Sanji jumped down from the rigging and landed on the railing outside the galley then followed the Boatswain into the galley in an attempt to repair the broken rudder.
"I'VE GOT A PLAN!" Luffy suddenly announced as he jumped off the figurehead.
"Luffy? Where are you going?" Nami called after the Captain as he dashed down the stairs and swung around into the anchor room.
"TURN LEFT! TURN LEFT!" Usopp shrieked as he and Sanji futilely struggled with the broken stub that remained from the whipstaff. But it was no good. They couldn't get enough leverage to fight the overwhelming pressure from the current coming down the mountain.
"GUYS! WE'RE CLOSING IN!" Sabo warned them from up in the crow's nest, "If you're gonna do something do it fast!"
"DAMN IT!" Zoro cursed as he drew Yubashiri and jammed the blade of his new sword into the broken bit of the whipstaff.
CHUNK!
"EVERYONE PULL HARD TO PORT!" the Boatswain shouted as he yanked on the handle of his embedded blade that was now serving as a makeshift whipstaff.
Usopp sprang up and grabbed the handle of the sword along with Zoro and pulled for all he was worth. Sanji contributed a foot and pressed the bottom of his shoe against the blade while he used his hands to push against the nearest wall for leverage.
The three Straw Hats strained together and eventually found a small measure of success as the rudder finally started to shift to the side.
"HEY! IT'S WORKING!" Sabo shouted back at them, "WE'RE TURNING!" But the Going Merry was quickly closing the distance to the whale. The gradual degree that they were turning with wouldn't be enough to get them around the massive whale-wall. "BUT WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE IT!"
KA-BOOOOM!
The front cannon exploded and blasted the whale at near point-blank range.
"WHAT WAS THAT?" Nami yelped.
"DID WE STOP?" Luffy called up from the anchor room.
"YOU DOLT!" Sabo scolded his brother. "We've got four oceans' worth of currents pushing us forward! Did you really think one measly shot from the cannon would stop us?"
KROOOM!
The Going Merry kept going and slammed into the whale at a slightly slanted angle which jarred everyone. Luffy smashed into the anchor's capstand, Nami stumbled across the front deck and barely caught herself from being pitched over the front railing, Sabo nearly fell out of the crow's nest and Zoro, Usopp and Sanji were thrown off of the whipstaff and flew across the galley.
KRACK!
The Going Merry's sheep figurehead which had taken the brunt of the impact snapped and flipped over the front railing… on a collision course with the still slightly disoriented Navigator.
"Oh shit…" Sabo cursed, "I can't shoot it! It's up to you, Bonnie!" Sabo grabbed Bonnie around the middle of her barrel and lobbed the rifle down at the falling figurehead like a harpoon.
"YAAH!" Nami yelped as she saw the carved chunk of wood that was big enough for Luffy to sit on come flying over the railing at her. She ducked down and covered her head to avoid being crushed.
WHAM!
Nami watched in what seemed like slow motion as the figurehead was knocked off course and smashed into the ground beside her. "I almost died just now…" The relieved Navigator looked back and spotted a familiar rifle on the deck behind her. "Bonnie?" Nami looked at the crow's nest and called out to Sabo, "WHO THROWS A RIFLE!?"
SKISH!
Sabo leapt from the crow's nest and landed on the rear railing of the front deck. "I couldn't shoot it," Sabo stated. "Usopp and Luffy would never forgive me if I blew a hole through Merry's head. But we promised someone we'd look after you so that's what I came up with on the fly."
Nami looked down at Bonnie Anne and eyed the familiar red ribbon tied around the rifle's barrel. "Right… thanks." She picked up the rifle and handed her back to a grateful Sabo who quickly slipped the rifle onto his back using her strap.
"THAT DUMBASS!" Zoro, Usopp and Sanji all yelled as they raced out of the galley.
Sabo looked back at the whale, "Well… the good news is it hasn't spotted us yet."
"Maybe it's slow?" Sanji suggested.
"We bounced backwards after we crashed into it!" Zoro pointed out, "Usopp, Rifle-freak, hurry up and grab a paddle! Cook, get back in the galley and work the whipstaff! We can get around it now!"
Sanji dashed back into the galley while the Quartermaster, Boatswain and Master Gunner scrambled down to the main deck and grabbed the Merry's long paddles. The four of them worked together and slowly began to steer the Going Merry around the huge whale.
BBBUUUUUOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!
The whale's latest wail was so close that it shook the tiny caravel.
"GAAH! MY EARS!" Sanji groaned.
"JUST KEEP ROWING!" Zoro ordered. "DON'T STOP NO MATTER WHAT! WE'VE GOTTA GET AWAY!"
Nami looked back and suddenly realized that Luffy was on the front deck with her. The Captain stared in horror at the Merry's broken figurehead then glared up at the whale. "HOW DARE YOU… DESTROY MY SPECIAL SEAT! YOU DUMB WHALE! GUUUUM… GUUUUUM… PIIIISTOOOOOL!"
KA-POW!
Luffy shot his arm out and slugged the whale right in the eye.
"OH NO!" Nami gasped as the massive whale's eye tilted down and it finally spotted the Going Merry. "IT'S SPOTTED US!"
"COME ON YOU BASTARD!" Luffy hollered as he brandished his fist on the front deck.
"SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY!" Zoro and Usopp yelled as they lunged up onto the front deck and kicked Luffy in the back of the head.
THWAK!
Luffy was knocked off balance from the kick and stumbled across the front deck… and at that moment the mountain of a whale opened its massive mouth.
WOOOOOSSHHH!
"WAAAAHHH!" the Straw Hats screamed as the current suddenly changed course and dragged the Going Merry into the whale's open mouth.
Luffy, still off balance, collided with the railing and went flying off the side of the ship. "YAAAAAHHH!"
"LUFFY!" Sabo hollered as he saw his brother go overboard. He ran forward with the paddle still in his hands and jammed it into the deck so he could vault off of Merry after his brother.
WHAP!
Luffy and Sabo collided in the air and Sabo's momentum carried them forward until they landed on one of the whale's huge teeth which were each easily as tall as a small building.
"WAAAAH!" The Captain and Quartermaster watched as their ship and their crew were all sucked down into the whale's gullet by the rushing current.
"NO! THEY GOT SWALLOWED!" Luffy screamed.
"AND WE'RE ABOUT TO BE CRUSHED!" Sabo called out as he pointed upward at the descending teeth. The whale was closing its mouth.
"We're not gonna die here!" Luffy growled as he wrapped his arm around his brother then stretched his other arm up and grabbed the whale's upper lip.
WOING!
Luffy and Sabo were yanked off of the tooth and went flying out of the whale's mouth and up onto its snout just as it slammed its mouth shut.
THOOM!
"The whale's diving!" Sabo pointed out, "Hurry up! Climb up as high as you can!" Luffy and Sabo scrambled up the massive whale as it sank down into the water.
"Huff… huff…" Luffy panted as they reached the top of the whale's head. "Damn it! The dumb whale swallowed everyone! GIMME BACK MY FRIENDS, YOU DUMB-JERK!"
Tomp! Tomp!
Luffy stomped on the whale's head but the whale probably didn't even feel it.
"Well… the good news is… they were swallowed whole," Sabo pointed out as he pulled Bonnie off of his back and caught his breath, "So at least we know they're all still alive and in one piece."
"Okay, then we've gotta go in after them," Luffy decided.
"And how are we supposed to do that?" Sabo asked.
"How else do you get inside someplace?" Luffy countered, "We use the door."
"Luffy, it's a whale," Sabo pointed out. "They don't have doors."
"Oh yeah? What's that then?" Luffy questioned.
Sabo turned and blinked when a saw a square door with a spinning hatch built into the top of the whale.
"Huh…" Sabo said simply as he stared at the whale-door in surprise, "I stand corrected."
"Should we go in then?" Luffy inquired.
"Well, our other option is stay out here and risk drowning," Sabo told him.
"IN WE GO!" Luffy exclaimed. He quickly spun the hatch and he, Sabo and Bonnie slipped inside the whale just as it went under.
Once the whale was fully submerged it shot its entire massive body up out of the water and flew through the air before it crashed back down and swam
"So… what do you think of this?"
"What do I think of this?" Zoro repeated.
"Yeah," Sanji replied as he casually lit up a cigarette. Nami and Usopp were silently staring off the front of Going Merry at a complete loss for words. "Any idea how to explain this? I could've sworn we were swallowed by a whale. Are we dreaming or something?"
"Probably…" Zoro as he surveyed the blue sky and stationary white clouds all around them. There was also a small island with a palm tree and a tiny hut up ahead of them. "This has got to be a dream…"
"ALRIGHT CREW!" Buggy shouted to his six companions as they raced down Reverse Mountain.
The giant whale was nowhere in sight so Buggy and his crew just sailed straight passed the Twin Capes and into the Grand Line.
Arlong glanced over at Buggy, "Since you've been here before then you'll know that we've got a one-in-seven chance in taking the same path as those Straw Hats."
"Those flashy bastards have a head start…" Buggy growled, "But even if we take the wrong path we'll be sure to hear something about them before long. HANG ON GANG! There's rough weather ahead!"
Completely oblivious to the Straw Hats' actual whereabouts, Buggy and his crew sailed right over them and the whale they were all inside as they made their way into the Grand Line.
"What's all this stuff doing inside a whale?" Luffy wondered as he and Sabo found themselves in a metal-lined hallway. "First a door… now a hallway…"
"I haven't the faintest idea," Sabo admitted. "But it's definitely not normal. This has got to be the weirdest whale I've ever been inside of…"
"But this is the only whale we've been inside," Luffy pointed out.
"True," Sabo admitted, "But I'm willing to bet that if we went in another dozen whales we wouldn't find another one with an inside as strange as this one."
Click!
Sabo turned to address his girlfriend, "You mean you know of a weirder whale?"
KER-CHOW!
"Wow…" Sabo remarked, "Add that to the list of things you've gotta tell me about once we get you outta that gun."
Zoro, Nami, Usopp and Sanji all watched as an old man with strange hair that resembled the petals of a crocus blossom came out of the tiny hut and took a seat on a lounge chair that was situated on his tiny island underneath the palm tree. He completely ignored the pirates and their ship as he casually picked up a newspaper and started to read.
"SAY SOMETHING, DAMN YOU!" Sanji eventually yelled.
"Be careful," Nami warned him, "That guy took out that massive squid with just one shot." The Straw Hats glanced over the squid that had attacked their ship but had been killed by three harpoons that the old man had fired from his house.
"Yeah, but did he mean to save us or was he just getting his lunch?" Zoro wondered.
"H-hey!" Usopp stammered, "If it's a fight you want… th-then you've got one! We've got a cannon and I'm the Master Gunner!"
"If you do that… someone will wind up dead," the old man finally spoke.
"Oh yeah, whose that?" Sanji challenged him.
"…" the old man glared at them.
"WELL?" Sanji demanded.
"Me," the old man dead-panned causing the Cook to face-fault.
"YOU BASTARD!" Sanji yelled at him.
"Hey, calm down," Zoro scolded the Cook. "Don't get so worked up." He addressed the old man. "Hey, old man, would you mind telling us where we are?"
"…" the old man glared silently at Zoro then finally spoke, "Its common courtesy to introduce yourself before asking something of others."
"Oh, you're right," Zoro agreed. "I'm—"
"My name is Crocus," the old man interrupted. "I'm the keeper of the Twin Capes lighthouses. I'm seventy-one years old and a Gemini with type AB blood."
"WHO CARES ABOUT ALL THAT STUFF!?" Zoro yelled.
"You know, this is the type of thing we have Sabro for," Usopp remarked.
"You're wondering where you are?" Crocus continued, "Where do you mouthy-brats think you are? Does this place look like a mouse's stomach?"
"So… we've really been swallowed by a whale?" Usopp realized.
"I don't want to be digested!" Nami whimpered.
"If you're looking for an exit… there's one over there," Crocus informed them.
The Straw Hats blinked in surprise when they saw a large double door that was easily big enough for a steam ship to sail through.
"YOU'VE GOT A DOOR IN HERE!?" Usopp exclaimed, "I THOUGHT THIS WAS A WHALE'S STOMACH?"
"Wait… is that door floating in the sky?" Nami wondered.
Usopp squinted, "No… if you look carefully at the sky and the clouds… none of its moving… this whale's stomach has been painted over to look like the sky."
"It's just a hobby," Crocus stated.
"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING IN HERE, OLD MAN?" Usopp demanded.
"Forget about him," Zoro decided, "There's a door so let's go through it and get out of here."
Unseen and unnoticed by anyone on the inside, the whale rammed head-first and full speed into the side of Reverse Mountain and the Red Line.
WHOOOOM!
The hard impact not only rattled everything and everyone inside the whale but it also caused a brand new gash to form among the vicious collection of scars that adorned the whale's head.
WHOOOOM!
The hallway that Luffy and Sabo were running down violently shook and threw them both off their feet.
"GAH! BONNIE!" Sabo shrieked as his rifle went sliding off down the hallway. "COME BACK!" Sabo half ran/half crawled down the hallway in pursuit of his wayward weapon/girlfriend. But chasing down the rifle became increasingly difficult as the whale continued to ram his head into the Red Line.
"WAAH!" Luffy attempted to follow Sabo but got thrown off his feet and ended up bouncing around the metal-lined hallway like a rubber ball.
"THE OLD MAN JUST JUMPED IN!" Sanji exclaimed as Crocus suddenly dove into the whale's stomach acid and swam off.
"WHAT? HE'LL GET DIGESTED!" Nami shrieked in alarm.
"He's swimming towards the exit," Usopp noted. The old man actually managed to pass the Going Merry which was being thrown around the rough waves that had been made in the stomach acid as a result of the whale ramming its head into Reverse Mountain. "We need to get out of here before that crazy whale gets any more violent!"
"We've got no choice, we're gonna have to paddle again," Zoro resolves as he motioned to the long paddles that had been left abandoned on the deck after they had been swallowed. "Hurry up and put your backs into it!"
"I think he's starting to take this Bosun-thing way too seriously!" Usopp complained to Sanji.
Elsewhere inside the whale, a mysterious man and woman had managed to make their way down the hallways to the whale's stomach despite all the shaking and were now lurking outside the door.
"Alright, we've successfully managed to infiltrate the whale, Miss Wednesday," the man recounted. He was skinny and had short orange hair along with a '9' drawn on each of his cheeks. He wore fancy green clothing and had a golden grown on his head. "The whale's stomach is on the other side of this door. The next step of our plan is to burst in and take out the old man."
"Right, Mr. 9," his partner, Miss Wednesday, replied. She had long blue hair tied back in a high ponytail and wore a top that had a series of rings over each breast as well as her stomach, a pair of short white shorts and a pale green coat. "Once he's gone we'll be able to bag this whale. It's big enough to feed our village for years."
Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday each pulled out a bazooka-like gun. "Ready, baby?" Mr. 9 prompted, "When I count 'one, two, three' we burst in and open fire!"
"Ready!" Miss Wednesday confirmed.
"HEY, HEADS UP! STOP THAT RIFLE!"
The mysterious pair looked down to see a high-powered rifle come sliding down the hallway.
Miss Wednesday dubiously brought her foot down on the rifle to stop it.
SKISH!
Sabo dove down the hallway and crashed to the ground at the odd pair's feet.
THUD!
"Gotcha, Bonnie!" he exclaimed as he slapped his hand down on the rifle. He looked up at the mysterious man and woman. "Thanks for that. The whale started shaking and she got away from me." Sabo stood up and peered curiously at the man and woman. "So… who are you guys supposed to be?"
"I'm a King," Mr. 9 announced.
Sabo raised an eyebrow, "Really?"
"Yes, and I—"
Whatever the crowned man was going to say was abruptly cut off by Sabo's fist smashing into his face.
POW!
Mr. 9 slammed into the door then dropped to the ground in an unconscious heap.
"Haha!" Sabo laughed and addressed his rifle, "Isn't the Grand Line great, Bonnie? We haven't even been here ten minutes and I already got to slug a King in the mouth!"
"Wh-what… why did you do that!?" Miss Wednesday sputtered.
"He said he was a King," Sabo answered with a casual shrug.
Miss Wednesday bristled at his answer. "That sounds like a reason not to punch him!"
"Lady, royalty and nobles are the scum of the earth." Sabo bluntly stated. "Those arrogant selfish assholes are always rubbing their superiority in the faces of the common masses. They'll do anything they can for a bit more power even if it comes at the expense of their people. So I'll take any chance I get to knock them off of their royal high horse."
"I'm… my… Not all royalty is like that!" Miss Wednesday insisted. For some reason Sabo's degrading comments about royalty and nobles had caused the blue-haired woman to flush bright red.
"I have yet to see otherwise," Sabo replied, "How would you know anyway?"
Miss Wednesday opened her mouth to say something but caught herself. "I don't!" she eventually said. "But you should give them the benefit of the doubt."
"Not likely," Sabo retorted. "You give those good-for-nothing bastards an inch and they'll find a way to hang you with it."
Miss Wednesday gave Sabo a hard stare. It wasn't quite a glare. But it clearly showed that she wanted to argue against Sabo's angry diatribe towards royalty but was restraining herself for whatever reason.
WHOOM!
The whale shook as it once again rammed into the side of Reverse Mountain. Then the hallway tilted at a very sudden and very rough forty-five degree angle. Both Sabo and Miss Wednesday were thrown off balance. Miss Wednesday fell back against the door behind her while Sabo shot out his free hand to brace himself against it and keep from headbutting the strange woman in the face.
Miss Wednesday, despite being a mysterious woman, was still only sixteen and felt her cheeks heating up from the sudden close proximity between her and the tall blonde pirate. Despite his vehement dislike for royalty he was still an attractive young man.
Suddenly a familiar voice called out in alarm. "WAAH! I CAN'T STOP! I CAN'T STOP! LOOK OUT!"
Sabo and Miss Wednesday turned to see Luffy come barreling down the slanted hallway. Sabo only had time to mutter a quick curse before Luffy crashed into him.
WHAM!
The impact of Luffy colliding with him caused Sabo to knock into Miss Wednesday who slammed back into the door and knocked it open. All three of them went flying out through the open door into the whale's stomach while Mr. 9 was left alone still lying unconscious on the floor by the doorway.
WHING!
"WAAAAHHH!" Luffy, Sabo and Miss Wednesday all screamed as they flew out over the stomach.
"AAAIIHH!" Miss Wednesday shrieked, "ITS A SEA OF STOMACH ACID! WE'LL BE DIGESTED!"
"Look, its Luffy and the freak with the rifle," Zoro pointed out from down on the deck of the Going Merry.
"Who's that with them?" Sanji wondered.
Luffy broke off from screaming to greet his crew, "Oh hey, you guys are alright! Maybe now you can help us…"
"USOPP! CATCH!" Sabo called out as he once again he gripped Bonnie Anne around the middle and threw the rifle like a harpoon.
WHAM!
Usopp didn't actually have to catch Bonnie Anne. She slammed into his chest and knocked him clean off his feet which resulted in him flying backwards a good ten feet before he crashed down to the deck.
"UUGGHH…" the disoriented Sniper groaned from the impact.
Luffy, Sabo and Miss Wednesday went crashing down into the stomach acid in front of the Going Merry.
SPLA-SPLA-SPLASH!
Sabo immediately dove deeper to catch his brother who was sinking like a brick. He grabbed Luffy and broke the surface shortly after Miss. Wednesday. "If you want to avoid being digested… follow me." Sabo took off and started swimming towards the Going Merry.
Miss Wednesday didn't need to be told twice. She took a deep breath and swam after him.
It didn't take long for them to reach the Going Merry. "OI! SANJI!" Sabo called up to the ship. "There's a girl with me! Hurry and pull us up!"
A split second later, one of the Going Merry's long paddles was dipped into the water. They grabbed onto it and the Ship's Cook swung Sabo, Miss Wednesday and the barely conscious Luffy up over the railing and onto the deck of the ship.
In the meantime, Crocus had slipped out of the whale's stomach and had made his way through the hallway to a giant shot that was the side of a cannon. Crocus hit the plunger and injected the whale with the shot of tranquilizer.
"Calm down Laboon!" Crocus urged the whale. "I won't let you hurt yourself."
The massive dose of sedative had the desired effect. The whale finally stopped smashing its head into the Red Line and sank down to the bottom of the ocean where it laid still.
"Phew, that was a close one," Sabo sighed in relief. "Thanks Sanji. Another couple minutes in there and our clothes would've started dissolving."
The Cook went stiff and suddenly had to clamp his hand over his nose while the blue haired woman's face flushed bright red.
"So Sabo… are you going to introduce us to your new friend?" Nami inquired.
"I would… but I don't even know who she is," Sabo admitted as he made his way over the fallen Usopp. "I met her and her dumbass friend outside that door over there. Her friend claimed to be a King so I decked him."
"Sabo! You punched a King!?" Usopp exclaimed.
"Yeah, isn't the Grand Line great?" Sabo replied as he grabbed Bonnie and used his hold on the rifle to pull the Master Gunner back up to his feet. "Although… I don't think he was an actual King."
"THEN WHY DID YOU PUNCH HIM?" Miss Wednesday demanded.
"Because he said he was," Sabo answered with a casual shrug, "I treated him with all the respect that his desired position deserves. Anyway, right after that, Luffy slammed into us and we went flying out into what I thought was a stomach." He eyed the painted sky and the small island. "But this looks more like a tropical retreat…"
"The crazy flower-guy said that painting was a hobby of his," Usopp explained. "He lives down here."
"What crazy flower-guy?" Luffy asked as he pulled himself up off of the ground. He made for his favorite seat but saw that it was still broken so he let out a little sigh settled for sitting on the railing near where it used to be.
"He dove into the stomach acid and swam away," Zoro stated, "We have no idea where he went."
"But for some reason it seems like the whale's calmed down," Nami pointed out. "And now that you two are back we can finally get out of here."
"Hold on!" Sanji cut in. "Nami-swan, normally I would be the first to agree to anything you say. But I feel like we're glossing over something extremely important." The Ship's Cook knelt down in front of Miss Wednesday and took her hand in his. He completely ignored the handheld cannon that she'd brought on board along with her. "I never got your name, beautiful."
"Oh!" Miss Wednesday gasped as her cheeks flushed again. "I… I'm Miss. Wednesday."
Sabo immediately jumped all over her. "You don't sound so sure about that. And that doesn't even sound like a real name. What are you, some kind of secret agent?"
"Um… yes," Miss Wednesday answered uncertainly but then decided to roll with it and try improvising. "I'm a secret agent… and my code name is Miss. Wednesday. I can't tell anyone my real name… or the name of my secret organization. I'm here on a mission with my partner Mr. 9."
"A secret agent!?" Luffy repeated. "WHOA!"
"THAT IS SO COOL!" Usopp exclaimed, "Sabo, you were right! The Grand Line is amazing! I never thought we'd get to meet secret agents."
"Secret organization… Miss Wednesday… Mr. 9… that sounds familiar," Zoro mused to himself.
"Hmm… I guess this means that dork was a secret agent too," Sabo mused out loud. "Oh well, he probably had it coming. That's what he gets for claiming to be royalty."
"Miss Wednesday… a woman of mystery!" Sanji swooned.
"Idiots," Nami muttered before addressing the others, "Alright! You know her fake name now. Let's get a move on."
"Ah, Nami-swan, am I detecting a hint of jealousy?" Sanji inquired. "Don't worry. I still love you."
"Then start paddling and get us to that exit!" Nami ordered.
"Right away, my love!" Sanji exclaimed as he picked up the same paddle he'd used to fish Luffy, Sabo and Miss Wednesday out of the stomach acid.
"I guess I didn't have anything better to do," Zoro relented as he grabbed the other paddle. But he paused and jabbed a finger at Sabo and Usopp. "I'll handle this. But when we get out of this whale you two are helping me fix the broken whipstaff and figurehead."
"Oh, sure Zoro," Usopp agreed.
"He really is taking this Bosun-thing seriously," Sabo remarked.
"That's what I said!" Usopp exclaimed, "And you didn't even see him earlier when he was like 'put your backs into it!'"
Zoro and Sanji started paddling and the Going Merry began to move across the now steady sea of stomach acid as it gradually closed the distance to the door.
But that was when Crocus returned to the stomach and spotted Mr. 9 lying unconscious in the doorway. The old man growled when he spotted the fake-King's weapon and promptly kicked it away into the whale's stomach.
"Damn you!" Crocus growled, "And they usually come in pairs…" He stepped into the doorway and shouted down into the stomach. "AS LONG AS I STILL DRAW BREATH… I WON'T ALLOW YOU TO LAY A SINGLE HAND ON THIS WHALE!"
"There's the target… I can still complete the mission," Miss Wednesday resolved as she grabbed her gun and surged back up to her feet. "THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK, OLD MAN! THIS IS THE END FOR YOU!"
Sabo had been lingering nearby with Usopp and never let her get off the shot. He slipped around in front of her and grabbed hold of her bazooka-like weapon then used his hold on the barrel to flip the girl over his head and down onto the ground in front of him.
FWUP!
Before Miss Wednesday could recover, Sabo quickly pinned her weapon between his arm and his side then twisted so it was pointing harmlessly off the side of the Going Merry. Finally, he pointed his own weapon at the girl's forehead.
"SABO! YOU BASTARD!" Sanji berated him. "YOU JUST ATTACKED A LADY!"
"Sorry Sanji," Sabo apologized. "But I'm not going to let a pretty face stop me from doing what's right. The whale might've tried to eat us. But it's still an innocent creature. The old guy just shouted that he'd defend it with his life. This one was seconds away from blasting him. So I know who I'm siding with." Sabo glared down at the girl and growled at her. "Drop. Your. Gun."
Miss. Wednesday let out a quiet whimper and released her hold on her weapon. Sabo yanked it away from her and tossed it off the side of the ship.
"You're lucky he got there first," Luffy informed the blue haired girl, "I would've knocked you out."
"What kind of—" Miss Wednesday started to ask but Sabo interrupted her.
"Congratulations Miss Wednesday," Sabo announced as he turned his focus back to the 'secret agent', "You claim to be a secret agent. But it turns out you're actually a whale poacher. But now you're a prisoner. Nami, grab some rope and tie her up then keep an eye on her."
"Why me?" Nami questioned.
"Because you're the sneakiest one here," Sabo answered, "She won't be able to pull a fast one on you."
"In some backhanded way… that almost sounded like a compliment," Nami remarked as she headed for the anchor room. It didn't take long for her to come back with the rope and a moment later she had Miss Wednesday trussed up like a holiday turkey. The Navigator then sat down on the younger girl's back for good measure.
"Sabo… we set sail to be free," Luffy reminded him, "I don't know if I like taking prisoners."
"It's only until we get out of here," Sabo pointed out. "If we leave her to her own devices she might try to hurt the whale again."
"Let her go as soon as we get out," Luffy ordered.
Sabo nodded then smirked, "Now that that's sorted out… time to deal with old guy…"
"Good luck," Zoro grumbled. "The crazy old guy's a pain in the ass."
"Maybe you just lack manners and people skills," Sabo retorted as he went over to the front of the ship. He looked up and saw Crocus staring down at them from the opened doorway. Sabo tipped his top hat. "Ahoy there! We haven't met yet but I figure you're the flower-guy that I heard about. My name's Sabo. I'm the Quartermaster of the Straw Hat Pirates. This is my girlfriend Bonnie Anne. Over there's Luffy. He's my brother and our Captain."
"…" Crocus glared silently down at Sabo.
"…" Sabo stared back with a good-natured smile.
"…" the other Straw Hats stared back and forth between their Quartermaster and the strange old man.
"So you're pirates…" Miss Wednesday's whisper was enough to break the tense silence. She had focused on the word 'pirates' and had missed the bit that followed.
"What's it to you, secret agent-girl?" Nami challenged her.
"Nothing… nothing at all," Miss Wednesday quickly answered. This earned her a suspicious glare from not just Nami but also Zoro.
"Hmph," Crocus finally broke his glare with a grunt. "At least one of you has manners. My name is Crocus. I'm seventy-one and my birthday is January fourth. I enjoy painting and doing the crossword puzzle in the newspaper. I'm the keeper of the Twin Capes Light Houses and a Doctor. Laboon here has been my patient for the last fifty years."
"Uh… okay…" Sabo replied. He didn't need to know most of that information. But some of it was useful.
"Wait a minute!" Sanji interrupted. "I thought you said you were a Gemini!"
"…" Crocus glared down at Sanji.
"KNOCK THAT OFF!" the Ship's Cook yelled up at him.
"I lied," Crocus stated simply.
"YOU'RE PISSING ME OFF!" Sanji shouted.
"Easy, easy, Sanji, calm down," Sabo instructed, "Let me handle this. Go help Nami guard the prisoner."
"Damn old bastard's still trying to make a fool out of me…" the Cook grumbled as the stomped back down to the main deck and took a seat next to Nami and Miss Wednesday.
"Anyway," Sabo said, "Since you've been with the whale… um Laboon…. for so long… I guess that means you're the one that added the door and those hallways."
"…" Crocus glared down at Sabo.
"..." Sabo stared back.
"They're both idiots…" Zoro growled as he got fed up and left to join the others down on the main deck.
"…" Crocus continued to glare at Sabo.
"…" Sabo grinned and continued to stare back.
"Yes," Crocus finally answered. "He's grown too big for conventional medicine."
"You may have a point there," Sabo admitted, "I've seen mountains that are smaller than Laboon. But I suppose you'd be the guy to ask for direction out of here. Even better, if you do us a favor and help us get out… we'll do you one in return and take the wannabe whale hunter girl and her royal dumbass partner out of the whale with us."
"…" Crocus glared down at Sabo.
"…" Sabo stared back.
"Here they go again…" Usopp groaned to the others down on the main deck.
"This is a boring…" Luffy complained. He jumped down off the railing and joined the rest of his crew down on his main deck. This left Sabo alone on the front deck still locked in a glare-stare off with Crocus.
"…" Crocus continued to glare.
"…" Sabo continued to stare.
KER-CHOW!
Bonnie suddenly fired which surprised Crocus enough that he blinked.
Sabo didn't. "Hah! You blinked! I win!"
"Hahahaha…" Crocus let out a low laugh. "So you did. You're a funny pirate. It's nice to see someone from your generation has the patience and appreciation for a running gag. Give me a moment to get my boat and I'll show you kids the way out of here."
Crocus grabbed Mr. 9 then dove all the way down off the doorway into the stomach acid. He left Mr. 9 bobbing near the Going Merry and continued to swim back to his island.
"Good news guys!" Sabo called out as he turned back to the others, "Dr. Flower-guy agreed to show us the way out of here. Do any of you want to pull the royal doofus onto the ship before he's digested?"
"Sure! I like fishing!" Luffy agreed as he darted over to the railing and stretched his arm off the side.
"How does he do that?" Zoro wondered as stared up at the Quartermaster. The old man had easily managed to get under his, Sanji's and Usopp's skin. He'd even annoyed Luffy enough that his A.D.D. had kicked in and he'd lost interest.
"I told you we needed Sabro to deal with that crazy old guy," Usopp reminded them.
"The guy must have the patience of a Saint," Sanji commented.
"I think my partner would disagree with you," Miss Wednesday couldn't help chiming in.
"Yeah, well no one asked you," Nami snapped at her. "That's why they call him 'the Dandy Man'. He can go from classy to deadly at the drop of a top hat."
"Wait… I thought we were calling him 'the Noble Pirate'?" Zoro questioned.
"There's nothing noble about him!" Miss Wednesday objected.
"Again, no one asked you," Nami informed the captive girl before the turned to the Boatswain. "And Zoro, you decided to call him that. I'm sticking with Koala's nickname."
"Here he comes!" Luffy called out as he reeled in his arm and dumped the unconscious man on the main deck near his partner.
"Did… did he just stretch!?" Miss Wednesday asked.
"Don't worry, my dear, those are just Luffy's Devil Fruit Powers," Sanji reassured her. "No big deal."
"WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE!?"
It turned out that in addition to being lined with metal, Crocus' island also doubled as low-powered motorboat. The island-boat was now secured to the back of the Merry and was pushing the caravel along a metal-lined waterway through Laboon.
Miss. Wednesday and her partner Mr. 9 had been tied to the main mast while the Straw Hats had relocated to Crocus' island-boat or the rear deck. Crocus sat in his lounge chair and told the Straw Hats Laboon's sad story.
He recounted how fifty years ago Laboon had been a baby Island Whale the size of the Going Merry and had followed a pirate crew through Reverse Mountain to the Grand Line from the West Blue. Crocus became friends with the pirates while they stayed at the Twin Capes lighthouses to repair the damage that had been done to their ship during their journey to the Grand Line.
After three months, when it was finally time for the pirates to sail onward, the Pirate Captain had taken Crocus aside. He asked Crocus to look after Laboon for them. The Grand Line was the most dangerous sea in the world and was no place for a baby whale. They vowed come back for Laboon in two or three years no matter what.
But the pirates never returned.
"So that's why he's bellowing and bashing his head against the Red Line," Nami realized.
"It's been fifty years and he still believes his friends are coming back," Crocus concluded.
"Those pirates… what were they called?" Sabo asked. "What was their mark? Who was their Captain?"
"They were the Rumbar Pirates," Crocus answered, "Their Captain was a man called 'Calico' Yorki. Their Jolly Roger had horns like a bull."
"Rumbar… Yorki… horns like a bull…" Sabo recounted, "Okay. We're about to head into the Grand Line. We'll keep our eyes out for any sign of those guys."
"Yeah," Usopp agreed, "We'll find out what happened to Rumbar Pirates."
"That's an admirable thought…" Crocus replied, "But I already did. I actually sailed with some pirates as their Ship Doctor over twenty years ago. Their Captain was very ill so I sailed with them for three years and did my best to prolong his life. During those three years I kept my eyes and ears peeled for any signs of them… Eventually I heard a rumor that most of the Rumbar Pirates died and the few that survived attempted to flee the Grand Line through the Calm Belt."
"So… they just abandoned their promise?" Zoro asked.
Crocus nodded, "I tried to tell Laboon but he doesn't believe me. That's when he started ramming his head into the Red Line. He thinks his friends are waiting for him on the other side."
Luffy's face went blank as he hung from Crocus' palm tree.
"Laboon's injuries just keep piling up," Crocus continued, "I built all of this inside him out of necessity. Traditional medicine doesn't work on something his size." Crocus sighed and got out of his chair. "There's only so much I can do. If Laboon keeps this up… he could die from his injuries."
Luffy's blank face was now set in a frown.
"Oh, whoa, we're here," Sanji noticed. The Straw Hats welcomed the changed from the somber subject and looked back to see that they had reached a large metal gate that was big enough for their ship to pass through.
"I'll open the gate for you," Crocus announced as he climbed up a ladder that led up from the waterway to the metal walkway that ran alongside it. He turned hatch and the door popped open.
Chunk-chuck-SHOOOM!
The Straw Hats sailed out of the stomach and Sabo promptly untied Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 then unceremoniously tossed them off the side of the Going Merry.
Mr. 9 woke with a shriek, "GAAAH! WE'RE IN THE STOMACH ACID! WE'LL BE DIGESTED!"
"Mr. 9! We're outside!" Miss Wednesday informed them. "This is normal sea water. You were knocked out and I was captured by pirates. They just released us."
Mr. 9 looked up to see Sabo still staring down at them from the railing. "Don't bother this whale again," Sabo ordered. "He's suffered enough already and is now under our protection. If I hear that you're still hunting him or that you've hurt him… I'll come back and I'll hunt you down and I'll hurt you just as a bad. Now get out of here."
"Wait… YOU! YOU HIT ME!" Mr. 9 exclaimed, "HOW DARE—"
"Yeah, I dare," Sabo interrupted. "I hit you because I thought you were a cold-hearted, self-centered royal jackass. But I've since learned that you're a whale poacher so now I know you're a cold-hearted, self-centered royal jackass! Mess with Laboon again and I won't use my fist… I'll use my gun."
Sabo aimed his rifle and fired.
KER-CHOW!
"EEEIIYYYEEE!" Mr. 9 screamed like a little girl.
The shot didn't connect.
"MR. NINE!" Miss Wednesday suddenly exclaimed and pointed at his cheek.
Mr. 9 brought his fingers to his cheek and they came away red. Sabo's shot hadn't hit him. But it had gotten so close it had made a gash that looked like a red line crossing out the '9' drawn on his cheek.
"That's your only warning," Sabo growled. "Now scram."
The mysterious pair of whale hunting secret agents swam off like a monster was chasing them.
Sabo hefted Bonnie up and looked over at her, "Think we'll see them again?"
KER-CHOW!
The rifle went off which caused Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday to swim away even faster.
"Damn," Sabo complained. "Well, they know what's awaiting them if they come back." He turned away from the railing and spotted a bracelet with a small glass ball mounted on it lying on the deck. "Huh… one of them must've dropped this…" He picked it up and studied it. There was a needle in the middle of the ball. "Oh well, finders' keepers. They were a pair of whale-hunting jerks. It serves them right."
Sabo stuffed the bracelet into his pocket then immediately noticed that there was something different about the main deck. Zoro, Nami, Usopp and Sanji were all staring up at Laboon.
"Hey… wasn't there a mast here a minute ago?" Sabo inquired. The Going Merry's main mast had been torn from the deck and was nowhere in sight.
"Your dumbass brother took it," Zoro grunted.
"Where'd he take it?" Sabo questioned.
"There," Usopp answered as he pointed up towards Laboon.
Sabo looked up to see Luffy running up Laboon with the main mast poised over his head.
"GUUUM… GUUUM… BOOOOUUUQUEEEET!" Luffy reached the top and jammed the jagged end of the broken mast down into one of the open gashes on Laboon's head.
CHUUNK!
"And now our main mast is on top of a whale," Sanji dead-panned.
"That's another thing that we've gotta fix," Zoro complained.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" The Straw Hats and Crocus all yelled up at Luffy.
"BOOOUUUUHHHHH!" Laboon let out a loud bellow of pain. He started to shake his head back and forth which caused the rubber pirate to swing around his head as he desperately clung to the mast.
"GRAB THE PADDLES!" Sabo shouted, "LET'S GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE LABOON CRUSHES US!"
"Hey! That's my line!" Zoro snapped.
"Then say it!" Sabo barked at him.
"GRAB THE PADDLES!" Zoro bellowed, "LET'S GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE THE WHALE CRUSHES US!"
Sabo, Zoro, Usopp and Sanji grabbed two paddles that they still had yet to put away since arriving in the Grand Line and started frantically paddling away from the enraged whale and towards one of the lighthouses that the Twin Capes were named after.
"LOOK OUT!" Sanji shouted as Laboon rammed his head and Luffy into the shore.
WHOOOM!
"THAT KID'S A GONER!" Crocus exclaimed.
"Don't worry about him," Nami reassured him. "Luffy's made of rubber. He can take a beating better than anybody."
Laboon pulled back from the shore to reveal that Luffy had been squished like a pancake.
FLOOM!
But then he inflated and stood back up, "IS THAT THE BEST YOU'VE GOT!?" he yelled at the whale. "GUUUM… GUUUM… PIIISTOOOL!"
Luffy stretched his arm out and once again drove his fist into Laboon's eye.
POW!
"WHAT IS THAT LUNATIC TRYING TO DO!?" Usopp shrieked.
Laboon came back and slammed head first into the shore.
WHOOOM!
Luffy managed to avoid being squished this time. But the sheer force of the massive whale slamming head-first into the shore blew Luffy backwards into the lighthouse.
WHAM!
Luffy hit the side and dropped to the ground then sat up as Laboon glared at him.
"IT'S A DRAW!"
"…" Everyone stopped and stared at Luffy as he stood up and faced off with Laboon.
"I'm pretty strong, huh?" Luffy teased his giant opponent. Laboon's eyes widened in surprise. "Our fight still has to be settled so we're going to have to fight again someday. Your old friends may be dead… but now you and I are rivals. Once my crew and I sail around the Grand Line, we'll come back here to visit you… then you and I will settle our score."
"…" Laboon's huge eyes welled up with massive tears and Crocus had a pleased smile on his face. The whale eventually let out another bellow. Only this one didn't sound quite so sorrowful.
"BBBWWWOOOHHH!"
There was a wide smile on Luffy's face when he came back to the Merry. "Now I need some paint."
"We don't actually have much left after we painted the flag…" Usopp admitted.
"Then I'll lend you some," Crocus announced. "There are no words to describe how grateful I am that you were able to help Laboon."
"If you really wanna help maybe you could help him paint too," Sabo suggested. "My brother is sort of… artistically challenged. But you seem to be a fair painter."
A thoughtful look crossed Luffy's face, "Oh! Dr. Flower-guy! Join our crew as our Doctor-Artist!"
"No way," Crocus refused, "I've got better things to do than babysit a bunch of kids."
"Hmph," Luffy grunted then turned to the Quartermaster, "Sabo! Make a note! In addition to a Musician… we also need an Artist for all of our… artist-y needs."
"I'll keep that in mind, Captain," Sabo agreed, "While we're at it… maybe we should add a Doctor to the list too? Or maybe even a Shipwright to help us keep up with the repairs to the Going Merry."
"Okay but the Musician and the Artist are the most important," Luffy insisted.
"You know… I can draw, Luffy," Usopp reminded him, "I made the design for our flag, remember?"
"Yeah, but I want an Artist that can draw even better than you can!" Luffy told him. "And one that doesn't just do it as a hobby. I want a real Artist!"
"He certainly knows what he wants," Sanji remarked.
"I just wish it was something important for a change," Nami remarked dryly. "Our beloved Captain really needs to work on his priorities."
"I'll help you out this time, kid," Crocus stated, "What did you want to paint?"
Luffy grinned and pointed to the black flag that was flying at the back of the ship, "That."
Crocus smiled, "Alright, I can do that."
"Keep him busy for as long as you can," Zoro requested, "The rest of us have to repair our ship."
Crocus nodded and led Luffy away from the Going Merry to get his paints from the lighthouse.
"Actually… I was going to cook that fish I won to celebrate reaching the Grand Line," Sanji said.
"Have fun, boys," Nami called out to them, "In the meantime I'll be plotting our course…"
"THAT STUFF CAN WAIT!" Zoro snapped at them, "I SAID: the rest of us have to repair our ship!"
"Alright, alright, geez!" Nami relented, "When did you suddenly become the Bossy Bosun?"
"You guys were right," Sanji commented, "The Mossball's really is taking this Bosun thing seriously."
"Tell me about it," Usopp agreed.
"You!" Zoro jabbed his finger at Sabo, "Go get the mast back from the whale. The rest of us will start fixing the figurehead. Then you two," Zoro jabbed his fingers at Sanji and Nami, "Will fix the broken whipstaff in the galley before doing that other stuff you mentioned. In the meantime, me, Usopp and the Rifle-freak are going to tackle the big project of fixing the main mast. DON'T let Luffy touch anything."
"I may have created a monster…" Sabo commiserated with the others, "Oops. Sorry guys."
This is getting to be a bit long so I'm going to end it here and have the Straw Hats sort out the Log Pose and get to Whisky Peak in the next chapter.
Beware Zoro the Bossy Boatswain! Does he seem OOC? Honestly, I think Zoro just needs some direction (in more ways than one). He takes his job as First Mate seriously enough. It's just not very hands on. There have been multiple times where he's stepped up and led the other Straw Hats when Luffy wasn't around. He's extremely loyal to Luffy and allows the Captain to do his own thing because he knows there's usually a point to Luffy's seemingly idiotic ideas. He's also the one that Usopp and Chopper go to for manly advice. He takes those responsibilities very seriously and is a good First Mate but since Sabo grew up with Luffy, he serves as a slightly better right hand since he's able to anticipate his brother's crazy whims and is more practiced in running damage control when things go wrong.
As the Boatswain, Zoro's main job is to maintain the Going Merry. He may seem lazy at times but Zoro has never been afraid of physical labor and he's never backed away from a challenge. I also think it's nice that there's someone on the crew (other than Usopp) that's actively looking out for the Merry's best interest. Zoro has shown that he isn't afraid to take responsibility when the need calls for it but here he realizes that if he doesn't badger the others into helping him out with the Merry, he'll end up having to do all the work himself. The sooner the Going Merry is fixed… the sooner he can take a nap.
Hey ichikoKitsuneKoumori – How's that for keeping Merry safe? She's got Zoro looking after her now!
OH! ALSO! Brother on Board has a TV Tropes page! I posted a sort-of link in my profile. A special thank you goes out to the Patient One for bringing it to my attention and for filling out a lot of it. Thanks! And an extra special thank you goes out to the Poarter for creating the TV Tropes page in the first place.
Silver signing off