A/N: Surprise!
Bet you weren't expecting another chapter today, huh? Meanwhile, Luffy and the gang seem to be in a tough situation, so where do they stand now? Find out now!
I do not own One Piece, It belongs to Eiichiro Oda
After a brief moment of silent walking, the arguments start up again, possibly a record for the longest time the some of Straw Hats have remained cool while steaming mad.
"BUGGY! WHAT'D YOU SAY TO GET US IN THIS MESS?!" Nami says, restarting the argument strong.
"It was a misunderstanding! I told her Luffy and Galette would get along well because he gets along with everybody!" Buggy defends himself.
"THEN YOU FIX THIS! TELL HER IT'S A MISUNDERSTANDING AND GET US OUT OF THIS!" She retorts.
"I doubt that is an option anymore, Big Mom has made it clear to the world that she gets what she wants. I'm afraid the only way to get out of this now may be in bodybags." Robin says.
"GAH! EMPERORS ARE WAY TOO SCARY!" Chopper shouts in response with a terrified expression and tears in his eyes at the idea.
"THAT'S TOO DARK, ROBIN! TOO DARK!" Usopp adds with a panicked expression similar to Chopper's.
"Well, what're we supposed to do, then?!" Luffy asks, getting quite frustrated with the situation (though admittedly, he is more angry about being forced into the marriage rather than the marriage itself). The Chess Peacekeepers are not sure what to do about this whole scenario, and try to calm the group down,
"Now, now.! Please don't fight.!" One of them says, causing Nami, Luffy, and Sanji (out of nowhere) to shout at them,
"SHUT UP! STAY OUT OF IT!" They say, and they immediately snap back into position and face away from the group. Sanji, who was moping to himself up until now, finally throws his metaphorical "hat" into the chaotic ring.
"Luffy! How could you do this to me?! How could get a hot fiancée before I even had a chance to?! This is a betrayal of the highest order!" Sanji says with more tears streaming down his face.
"I said I didn't want to! Blame Buggy!" Luffy tries to defend himself, but it seems to only make Sanji even angrier.
"That's even worse! To deny such a beautiful lady?! And with the opportunity dropped right into your lap!" He says, no one really knowing who's side he is even on anymore. He got mad at the thought of Luffy marrying Galette, but now he is equally pissed off at Luffy for refusing to. Zoro only gets more annoyed at the cook's antics, wishing he would just shut up, but does not want to get involved in this fiasco and just remains silent with an annoyed expression on his face. The group finally starts moving again, letting the Chess Peacekeepers return to their task of leading them to the guest rooms they will be staying in, but most of them continue the rather loud argument.
The Peacekeepers all divide the group into threes as they each are assigned to a room. Nami, Robin, and Alvida to the first room, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji to the second, Buggy, Franky, and Brook to the third, and Galdino, Mohji (and Ritchie), and Cabaji to the fourth. The fifth room is to be the groom-to-be's room, but Chopper is bunked with him because the Chess Peacekeepers (like most of the world) wrongfully assume Chopper is Luffy's pet. The rest of the hazmat suited Straw Hats are given random, lower scale guest rooms throughout the castle, and these rooms pale in comparison to the rooms the others got. Luffy's room is even nicer, at least double the size of the other rooms with a single massive bed and incredibly fancy and intricate (non-sentient) furnishing and portraits (of sweets) and mirrors hung up on the walls. The room has gray brick walls, a blue tile floor, and a massive window looking out at the expansive island. Luffy lets the the Chess Peacekeepers leave, despite his desire to just yell at them to blow off steam at the very least, and goes over to the bed. There is a piece of chocolate on the bed, and he eats it quickly with a scowl.
"Mm! So good!" Luffy says after swallowing it with a smile before immediately returning to his annoyed expression. Chopper cannot help but be worried about Luffy, with how upset he is, so he decides to talk with him about it,
"Luffy, are you okay? Do you really not like Gal-y that much?" He asks innocently.
"It's not that! I like Gal-y, she's super nice and cool! But I can't get married now! I already decided a while ago I would think about starting a family after I became the King of the Pirates.!" He explains.
"Oh…so you would want to get married at some point, though?" Chopper asks.
"Yeah." Luffy replies, with an unexpected lack of hesitation. Chopper never really understood how human attraction works, though he get the general gist. However, one of the few things that Chopper did know about human attraction is that Luffy did not seem to display it, possibly that he did not even know how to. It has been a surprise to hear everything he had heard today already about his Captain. He guessed his Captain was a bit more complex of a person as he had thought.
"Well, do you think Big Mom is right? That you might change your mind if you spend more time with Gal-y?" Chopper asks. Admittedly, Chopper does not really have an opinion on the matter like most of the others do. He trusts Luffy to make the right choice, and would not really care if he got married. As long as it was what his Captain wanted to do, he would support it, but seeing Luffy in this position makes Chopper uneasy.
"I don't know, Buggy kept telling me to keep an 'open mind' when we went to the Tea Party, but…I'm just not sure. I guess it's possible, but I'd rather think about it later.!" Luffy answers honestly. He lets his Straw Hat slide off his head and it hangs off his neck via the string sewed to it and flops onto the bed to relax. He lets out a sigh, looking up at the canopy of the bed he's been provided and wonders. He does not intend to bend to even Big Mom's will, but his options are limited. Luffy has always taken Robin's warnings seriously, and that whole "bodybag" business does not give him much wiggle room. He certainly could fight his way out, he could probably pull it off too, even if Big Mom is an Emperor. But he knew they would come after him and his friends some day. Plus, he wanted to stay on Big Mom's good side, not as a power play, but because he likes some of her family. Gal-y's super nice and he really likes her, a lot for a friend he just met (even for someone who has a reputation for making friends fast), plus he would really like to befriend Doggy and the others. They all seem so interesting, and he's already burned a bridge with Kid to get here. As much as it makes him uncomfortable, Luffy will just have to play along for now, maybe even stay open to the idea as long he can stay on Big Mom and her family's good side and maintain his position as his own authority. But can he pull it off?
"You gonna be okay, Luffy?" Chopper asks, hoping Luffy is not too burdened by the whole thing, and hops up on the bed to be closer to him. Luffy rubs Chopper's fur and instantly feels calmer.
"Yeah, I'm okay, it's just a lot to think about. Thanks, Chopper.!" Luffy says as Chopper snuggles into his Captain.
A/N: An uncomfortable scenario, Luffy has been put in to, what will he do? Boom! Surprise, another chapter up today! When looking at this chapter and the last, I realized they probably should have just been a single chapter since they are both quite short and of similar time and subject. Whoops. But that's why I released both today instead of just one. Oh well, next time, next time. For now, don't forget to follow, favorite, and review! See you next time!