Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece… only the idea… and yeah… if I did own One Piece, why would I be writing this, huh? -sighs- I wanna own it though…

Chapter Three

The days following Nami's death were horrible. For a short while Chopper managed to have the baby drink some milk to satisfy its thirst, but it soon became clear that even the treated milk was no substitute for a mother's milk, and no one was brave enough to pump Nami's body for the life-giving milk before they gave her a Viking's burial. And so, at the next island, they left the child in the care of a woman who had just lost her newborn to disease. To all else it would seem as if the pirates had come with a dead babe, and the woman's child had suddenly gotten healthy and strong again. It was a true gift to all of them, but Luffy took it hard. After all, it was the last little thing he had to remember Nami by, for at that island they had picked up another navigator after saving her from some drunkards. Her dreams were the same, and her navigation skills impressive, but never did she have the fervor that Nami did.

The years went by, and the crew remained untouched. No longer were they completely carefree, but they kept their innocence. No other tragedies happened under the watchful eye of Chopper, and everyone became paranoid. They had left the All Blue behind them, and with it Sanji and Nami's grave markers that housed their names, but not their bodies. Their ashes had been scattered to the winds long, long ago.

Yet, even as the crew started to get past the waves of grief that hit them on a nearly daily basis, they couldn't throw the sense of sadness that hung over them like a cloud. Laughter was often forced, and smiles always seemed strained, but over time and over a lot of rum, they finally managed to remember what happiness was, and were able to live with the knowledge that both of their missing crewmates would bash their heads in if they saw them like that.

And with that realized, the Straw Hats were back in business.

With the new ship came new stations that had to be filled. Franky was a carpenter, nothing more, and so the next crewmember they had to find was someone to help maintain the rigging and keep the ropes and such things under strict watch. Well, that and they needed a chef and a musician, but those practically fell into their laps.

Over the next five years, the crew became tight again, with four additions working and trying their best to pick up the slack Sanji and Nami left behind. But still, there was no one besides Luffy that could tie Zoro in a fight, and there was no schemer to keep their money in line. As great as the Straw Hat's bounties were, they became dirt poor, barely managing to get enough supplies to last until the next island.

But still they somehow managed to survive various military attacks and those odd pirates that decided to come out of nowhere with some stupid life goal that included destroying Luffy and his crew. Over all, there was never a dull moment, but neither was there a truly happy one.

It was seven years to the day after Nami died, and it wasn't a happy day. After all, there had never been any good to come out of that anniversary. Each of the crewmembers had their scars from various mishaps during that day, but Luffy's was the longest. Despite Chopper's best treatments, he still had a thick silver scar running from his heel to his shoulder blade from the very marines they found themselves running from.

"Luffy! To your left!" Usopp shouted, ducking under the sword of some military officer to dart to the right a little, watching as their captain swung his left leg out and swept the approaching military personnel with a kick. "Yosh! Gottem!"

"Usopp, watch your right!"

"Ah, Franky behind you!"

"Got your back Minera."

"Robin! Above, above!"

"Zoro! To your… oh… never mind…"

"Luffy! Guns! We need cover!"

It was the basic calls that were sounded whenever they found themselves smack dab in the center of a military base, trying to get out of the cement prison and back to the open seas and the Sunny. They would fight as one, watching each other's backs and trusting everyone to do the same. It was a crude principal, but one that kept them alive through thick and thin.

Zoro was a machine, as he had been since the deaths of his Nakama all those years before. It was hardest to watch his back, for only one was able to do it without getting slashed by the odd sword, and he was but a memory, a fleeting shadow in a fight. And so, Zoro always got the most damage, and always fought alone. Sure, when the rest of the crew needed him he would come to their aid, but the demon was back, and preferred to hunt alone.

Luffy and Usopp, however, fought very differently. Luffy would keep close to the sniper, helping him ward off close range attacks and letting him take care of those out of the reach of his fists and feet. They moved in perfect union, seeming to read each other's minds and take care of those they knew the other could not see. On the battlefield, these two were rarely separated, and no one questioned why. After losing two things dear to him, it was only right for Luffy to keep the one he cared about close.

They were no strangers to the various relationships on the ship. Everyone's business was just that, everyone's business. There was no way to keep a secret in such close quarters. For example, everyone knew that sometimes Zoro would just go into the kitchen, running his hands over the stove. Everyone knew that sometimes he would even smile sadly at the polished black, and run his hands over the sharpened kitchen knives fondly. Everyone knew that some five years back Luffy had pounced the sharpshooter and dragged him into the mikan trees. Everyone had heard the screams turn to moans, after all.

There was just no keeping a secret on a ship, even one as large as the Thousand Sunny.

It had been a stupid way to get kidnapped, even for them. Luffy had decided to give their young chef a break and go out to a restaurant to eat. That was mistake number one. Mistake number two was choosing a restaurant that was run and frequented by off-duty marines. Now, they really should have noticed the big sign above the door that said 'Serving the Marines since 1721' and really should have noticed how nervous everyone looked when they walked through the door. They also should have noticed that the food tasted a little off and that something wasn't right when not only Luffy fell asleep, but Usopp and Robin followed suit. But now, they didn't realize anything was wrong until they all woke up in a prison cell with a leering cadet poking fun at them. Of course, he hadn't really been expecting hands to suddenly appear beneath his shorts, leaving him a blubbering, whining mess while Robin got the keys and allowed all of them to escape.

So there they were, narrowly dodging swords and making their way slowly but surely towards the exit of the base, the ocean nearly in sight. They should have known it had been too easy, they should have known that something bad was about to happen. They should have known that, given their recent bad luck, that disaster would rear its ugly head again.

But maybe they did know. Maybe that's why they were treading so carefully. Maybe that's why even Zoro stopped launching himself into groups of marines in order to stay by his crew's side. Maybe that's why Luffy and Usopp were nearly attached at the hip. They didn't want anyone to be taken away from them, for separation of any kind could mean death. That had been a lesson drilled into their minds from Sanji's death.

But just as a hunter can shoot a bird from a flock, and just as a lion can separate a calf from the herd, a single shot got by Luffy's rubber blockade, and hit home, right in the tight muscle of a flailing leg.

"Shit!" Luffy shouted, wrapping a rubber arm around the stumbling sharpshooter to hoist him up and run, other arm pumping and nostrils flaring as he gasped for air, making sure to quickly close the gap left by the slight stumble. Usopp was just hanging there, gasping and swearing under his breath, tears stinging at the corner of his eyes. He had forgotten how it felt to be shot.

"Luffy! Ahead!" Franky shouted, pointing at the opening that led to the outside world. "We may not make it!'

It was a true fact, for the opening was already half closed by a rapidly descending metal gate, and from the green sheen of it, it was probably seastone. They hadn't heard the scraping of metal against stone over the din of people shouting and guns going off, but now that they had paused to look at the gate, they could hear each chink as the gate was lowered one more notch, and each little noise the gate gave off was like a punch in the stomach.

"Robin!" Luffy shouted above the din, moving slightly to shield Usopp and the rest of the crew from another barrage of gunshots. "Take Usopp, okay?" he asked, unwinding his arm from around the other man's waist and throwing him through the air to where he landed on about twenty arms sprouting from the ground. "I'm gonna distract them. You guys make a run for it."

"That's suicide!" their young chef shouted, eyes wide.

Luffy just turned, looking at the crew with a sad, but oddly reassuring smile.

"I know," he said softly, and then the sadness was gone as the light of battle reignited in his eyes and he turned to leap at the oncoming soldiers, drawing back his arms as bullets hit him, letting both the bullets and his fists fly at the oncoming soldiers.

"That idiot!" Usopp yelled, struggling against the hold of Robin's hands on his clothes as feet sprouted from his back, taking off at a run and carrying him further and further from their fighting captain. "Let me go Robin! He can't take them on by himself, no matter how strong he is! We can't just let him die like this!"

"Its not our choice!" it wasn't Robin who yelled back, but rather Zoro from where he ran just a little ahead of Usopp's struggling form. "Its his, just like it was Sanji's," his voice choked a little on those last words, and Usopp stopped struggling to stare at the swordsman's back. "It's his choice, and no one else's."

They had reached the gate, and Franky, Robin, and the others were making a path through the marines that had rushed up to meet them on the other side. As Usopp and Zoro passed beneath the gate and explosion sounded, and they both saw the body of their captain hit the wall, rebound to the floor, and then slowly push himself to his feet, wiping blood off his lip in annoyance before stubbornly placing himself between the gate and his crew, making sure that no more soldiers made it through behind them.

"His choice, huh?" Usopp asked as Robin's focus on him diminished and the feet and arms holding him steady disappeared, allowing him to push himself to his feet, staring not at the ocean behind them and the path that Zoro, Robin, and Franky were currently working away at but at the tiring form of Luffy.

The gate had five feet until it closed.

Without thinking, and without an ounce of fear in him, Usopp ran forward, ducking under the descending gate, and felt bullets tear through the skin of his arms and legs as soon as he stood up fully on the other side. He bit his lip against the pain, pulling out his slingshot and automatically loading and firing, the pellets exploding as soon as they met skin, weapon, and dirt, effectively distracting both Luffy and the fighting marines enough to give Usopp the time he needed, the time he wanted.

Without giving Luffy time to think about anything that was happening, he took a fistful of his captain's vest, summoned all the strength in his body, and threw Luffy backwards, letting loose three exploding stars after him to assist in the throw.

The gate had two feet until it closed, and Luffy slid under it, somersaulting to his feet and darting forward with fear in his eyes.

Usopp just grinned at his captain, his lover, as the gate slid further and further down, and just before it closed, shutting the outside off from anything that happened on the inside, the sound of hundreds of bullets hitting metal rang through the air, almost drowned out by Luffy's scream.

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I guess no one can say I didn't die as a brave man of the sea. I fulfilled that goal of mine, even if I had to give up others. There was just something about hearing Zoro talk of having a choice and watching Luffy fight for our lives that hit something, made me react in ways I never thought possible.

It was a final act of bravery, and I was never happier.

I knew that I would be leaving them, further shattering the bond we original Straw Hats had, but I just couldn't let Luffy die like that. He deserved more, he deserved another chance to meet up with Shanks, to give him that hat he would only let a few chosen people touch. I had fulfilled my goal, I was finally acting brave, but perhaps it was selfishness showing through. I just didn't want to go through the same pain of watching a loved one die without ever fulfilling their dreams. Both Sanji and Nami had passed too early, never seeing the All Blue, never finishing that map… I didn't want Luffy to go without becoming the pirate king.

And so I acted, I made my own choice about my life, and Luffy's. I made the choice that I would die, not our idiot captain. If anyone should be at fault for what happened, its Zoro, and I hope he's happy about that.

After all, I allowed a dream to live on… and Luffy's made that point the most important in all of our lives. A dream is worth dying for, just as much as it's worth living for because some dreams can only be achieved through knocking on death's door and then darting away at the last minute.

I wish I could tell them that it didn't hurt, that I never actually felt the bullets hit me. I guess I wasn't really that brave after all, 'cause I think I passed out as soon as the gate shut off my line of vision to Luffy's face.

Maybe that's why even after the fact, even as I could feel the rock of a ship, the warmth of the sun, and hear the murmurs of people conversing nearby, I stayed with my hands covering my eyes, crouched in a defensive position, not daring to open my eyes.

But something was poking at me, saying that this was definitely too familiar. Saying that I should recognize those faces, know the feel of the wood beneath my shoes, and that I should open my eyes to see where I was, and see if it was good or bad. After all, we were pirates, and I was almost convinced we would be going some place bad, despite our good intentions.

It took a while to realize that there was, in fact, something poking me… in the side… rather hard.

I took a chance and opened my eyes, peering through my spread fingers at the thing jabbing me in the side, and stared at the black dress shoe in interest. There was only one person who would be standing on a ship and jabbing me in the side with a polished shoe, and that person was dead… and I was dead… and as I let my eyes travel up the figure beside me and took in the cigarette hanging from slightly smiling lips and that curled eyebrow over a blue eye sparkling in semi-amusement, and that blonde hair covering the left side of his face, it all made sense why the food jabbing me in the ribs hurt. After all, Sanji had hard shoes… and…

"GHOST!" I shouted, jumping to my feet and stumbling back (not quite used to the fact that I was on a ship) before catching myself on the railing behind me. I was breathing heavily, but not only from the scare Sanji had just given me, but from the fact that I knew the railing I was leaning against. I knew it just as much as I knew the patchwork repairs lining the deck, mast, and other railing along the ship I was on.

"Well… yeah," Sanji said, a full grin on his face as he looked me over. "You look good, Usopp."

I just stared at him before movement from the upper deck caught my eye, and I saw Nami grinning and waving at me, looking as childish and as happy as she had after Arlong had been taken out.

"I was actually expecting Luffy would come next," she called down, laughter evident in her voice. "I could just see him choking on a chicken bone or something without Sanji or me to watch him. Oh, speaking of food… is lunch ready yet Sanji-kun? I'm a little hungry."

"HAI NAMI-SWAN!" Sanji called, pirouetting around to face her, hands clasped in front of his chest. I managed a small grin, heart still pounding from the fact that I had just found myself plopped down on the deck of our old ship, watching Sanji dote on Nami like at the beginning of our adventures together. I half expected to hear Luffy laughing behind me, to hear Zoro's biting remark about Sanji's attitude, to hear Chopper talking excitedly to Franky, to hear Robin's quiet laughter, and to hear Franky's loud-mouthed reply.

And as Sanji literally pranced towards the galley, I saw a figure in the rosy clouds around us, sitting at the mast head of Merry and laughing, a wooden mallet by its crossed legs.

Even in death, things didn't really change.