Thank you to those few that still chose to leave reviews. I truly appreciate it. I have an extra long chapter for you guys. That being said, I won't make you wait any longer. Here is-

Chapter 9:

The Phantom of Dread

"What?!" Luffy cried.

"That doesn't make any sense at all!" Nami-san exclaimed. "We would never kill one of our own!"

Thunder roared and the rain fell harder.

"We should take this conversation inside," Robin suggested.

Nami-san steered Sanji back towards Sunny with everyone else following them. Everyone gathered inside the dinning room. Once he was inside, Sanji began wiping the mud off his face with a dishtowel and dampened it with vegetable oil. It worked just as it always had when they were kids, but some hade gotten into is eyes, so his vision was still blurred.

"Explain," Zoro demanded the moment he slammed the door closed.

Sarah spoke solemnly. "Ten years ago something came to this island."

"Something?" Sanji asked lighting a cigarette.

"Could you be more specific?" Robin requested.

"The locals don't if it's human, a monster, or even a demon. They don't know how it got here, only that it targets pirates. I think whatever it is has eaten a Devil's Fruit. I'm not sure what its ability is, but I've been questioning the surviving crewmembers of these murder cases, and I've developed a theory as to how it 'kills' its victims.

"The first thing it does is casts a spell on the entire crew as they sleep. If there are members that are awake and on deck then one of them will be 'killed'. But it is those that surround the selected victim that truly suffer. For the moment they look away, it strikes, and the one it has decided should 'die' immediately falls unconscious. But in their nakama's eyes they don't see the truth- that their comrade is simply unconscious. They see them suffering in agony from a fatal wound. Usually it's a hole in the chest. Sometimes it's a stab wound or a slit throat. Regardless, there is always a lot of blood.

"It always attacks a day and a half before the crew reaches shore. That gives the crew enough time to bury or burn the 'body' at sea before they expect it to start to smell. However, two days after the incident, the spell casted on the remaining crewmembers is broken, but by then it is already too late. The lost crewmember has already drowned, been dissected, or burned alive by his own nakama."

Luffy slammed his hand on the table and looked at her with terrified eyes. "Usopp was alive this whole time?!"

Sarah nodded sadly.

The entire room fell silent as ice-cold horror rippled through their hearts. They couldn't have! They didn't-! They didn't kill their own nakama! Luffy was paralyzed- too shocked to speak, think, or even move. He was numb.

Nami covered her mouth with her trembling hands. "No," she whispered.

Sanji's cigarette fell to the ground.

Brook uttered, "It can't be…"

"You're lying!" Zoro growled. He grabbed the hilt of his swords and looked at her like he was about to attack.

Sarah, however, looked back at him unfazed. "I wish I was."

"Wait a minute," Robin said just as Zoro was about to pounce. The crew looked at her. "If the victims never survive, how do you know that the spell was broken after two days? Or that there was even a spell at all?"

"Because it happened to my crew," she explained. "Shanks thought he had lost one of his nakama and did what you did. He laid them in a casket and sent them out to sea. Only they weren't dead. Two days later their 'lost' nakama woke up in the middle of the ocean."

"Shanks?" Luffy uttered. "This happened to Shanks too?"

Sarah nodded.

"How did they get back to the island?" Robin asked in a demanding voice. "Or even know where the island was?"

"Because I'm an exceptionally good swimmer with great instincts," Sarah said with a small smile.

"What?" Franky asked confused.

"I was the 'victim' of Shank's crew," she explained. "But I can't drown, which is why-" she quickly looked at the stunned captain. "What did you say your nakama's name was again?"

"Usopp," Luffy said numbly. His voice was quiet and his eyes weren't focused. Their captain was still in shock.

"Usopp?" she asked as if she hadn't heard correctly. "He wasn't- you're not talking about Yasopp's son?"

Luffy nodded. "He is."

"Was," Zoro corrected grimly.

Eyes wide, she sank back into her chair. "Oh, this is bad. This is really bad," she looked up at Luffy. "Yasopp's going to kill you."

Luffy stiffened.

"If he doesn't kill me first!" Sarah panicked. "Damn it! I really screwed up this time!"

"What do you mean?" Sanji asked, rubbing his sore eyes.

"Shanks sent me and my idiot nakama, Brandy, here on a fact finding mission on how to destroy the bastard that put us through that horrible nightmare. I was supposed to report back with any useful new information, come up with a plan of attack, and he'd send reinforcements. It was supposed to be my chance to show them how dependable and responsible I am. Dammit! And now Yasopp's son is dead, because I didn't take care of things quick enough!" Sarah was sobbing now. "This is my fault! I'm so sorry!"

Luffy clenched his fist. She looked at each of the Strawhats, "I'm sorr-!"

"Shut up!" Luffy ordered smacking his hand on the table. He spoke in a serious voice that sent chills down her spine. "I don't care about that now! I care about kicking that bastard's ass! If you're feeling sorry for yourself, you can't help me! SO GET A GRIP!"

Taken aback, Sarah stared at Luffy.

"You're right," Sarah said calming herself down. "But if you're going to after this guy you're going to need back up."

"No, this is personal," Luffy said.

"He has us," Zoro told her. "And after all the battles we've faced, we haven't lost a fight yet."

"But you have lost a crewmember," Sarah retorted.

That shut Zoro up.

"Listen to me," she insisted. "If you don't want to lose anymore of your nakama, you'll need to think this fight through. You'll need a plan and all the help you can get. Let's figure out how to face this guy, find Brandy, and then attack."

Reluctantly, Luffy nodded.

"Paper," Nami muttered, staring blankly at the table.

Sarah looked at her. "What?"

"We're going to need paper," Nami numbly explained she looked at Sarah. "to map out our strategy."

"Everybody go take a break and get the things we need," Luffy ordered in a deadpan voice. He lowered his strawhat over his eyes. "Then we'll come back here."

Everyone nodded, and slowly they each filtered out of the room until only blinded Sanji and quiet Zoro remained seated.

Chopper closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to get rid of the horrible thoughts about of what they had done. He opened them and saw that Sanji was still rubbing his eyes.

"Sanji, let me check your eyes, " the little doctor said hurriedly. "How's your vision? Can you see at all?"

"Yeah, but it's still pretty blurry."

"Oi, cook, how do I get this crap off my sword?" Zoro asked, pointing to his mud-covered katana.

"Vegetable oil," Sanji said handing him the dishtowel.

Once Zoro was sure all the mud hade been removed, he left the cook to be tended to the doctor.

He made is way to the bow of the ship. Where Usopp had died -or at least where he thought he had died. He still couldn't believe that they had been the ones that sent Usopp to his death.

It was his responsibility to protect the crew, and this time he had failed miserably. For ten minutes he had underestimated the deadliest sea in the world and looked away.

And it had cost them dearly.

Zoro glared out at the ocean. He would NEVER let that happen again.

Zoro reexamined his sword. He would need to polish it before they begin their hunt for Usopp's killer. He had to make sure it was prepared…

…to taste a lot of blood.

Sanji tried to keep his mind on what Chopper was saying. The little doctor was talking and berating him more than usual…probably so he didn't have to think about the terrible thing they had done to their own-

"You shouldn't have rubbed it!" Chopper scolded as he put eye-drops in the chef's eyes. "Keep you eyes closed for 20 minutes…"

Chopper trailed on, but Sanji wasn't listing now. Now all he could think about were the horrifying 'What ifs?' that they may be responsible for. Then a thought struck him.

'What if Usopp is still alive? He would be would be terrified of course… and alone… confused… and-'

'Starving!' Sanji realized, horrorstruck. If Usopp were still alive, he would be starving to death! And it would be his fault!

"Sanji! I told to keep them close-" the reindeer stopped when he saw the tears dripping from of his friends eyes.

"How could this happen?" Sanji croaked. He clenched his hands into fists. "Why did this happen? Why us?!"

"Why not us?" retorted Robin-chan from behind him. Sanji immediately started wiping the tears from his face. How long had she been standing there?

"Regardless of the people we are, to the rest of the world we are merely pirates," Robin-chan continued. "As long as we sail under a Jolly Roger, we are still seen as threats. This may not be as personal as we thin-"

"Stop it," Chopper choked. "Stop it. Please," he begged. "I don't care about that. I don't want revenge. I just want- I want-" Chopper broke out into the tears he had been desperately trying to hold back. "I want Usopp back!" he sobbed uncontrollably.

"I do too," Robin-chan said shakily. Sanji could tell she was trying not to cry as well. He felt Chopper jump past him and into her arms. Under normal circumstances he would be fuming with jealousy, but right now… he just didn't want her to see him like this. He had wanted to be strong for his crewmates. But try as might, he could stop the tears from coming back when sweet Robin-chan put her hand on his shoulder and gave it gentle squeeze. He put his hand over hers.

God he loved this woman.

Just outside Franky was listening to his crewmates cry in the kitchen. He wiped his eyes and walked away before he started sobbing too. He felt raindrops falling on his shoulder and looked up. They weren't raindrops. They were the tears of his captain.

Luffy was sitting on the mast high above the kitchen. He was scanning the ocean, as if he was looking for something. 'Probably Usopp' Franky concluded. But the kid was having trouble. Tears kept getting in the way of his eyes, making it harder to look for any sign of their lost nakama.

Maybe he should go up there? Maybe he should try to explain that his young captain that even his super grave boat was no match for the storm they just had. Franky sighed. How was he going to do this? Franky paused to think, until he knew what to do.

He walked away.

He was the shipwright, not the first mate. Snuffing out his captain's hope and breaking his heart was not in his job description.

He wandered the ship, trying not to think about anything.

Franky wanted to find a place where didn't need to talk to anybody, where he could breathe fresh air and clear his thoughts, and hide his tears (not that he was going to cry! ...again). He thought he would find solitude at the back of the library, but somebody was already there. Brook was staring out over the sea. He didn't need a face for Franky to know the skeleton had sunken deep into his thoughts.

He should probably just go down to his workshop and forget the fresh air idea.

"Ah, Franky."

Crap.

"Hey, bony-bro."

"I was just looking at the sky. Would you care to join me?"

"Actually I-"

"Please?"

Franky sighed and walked over to the musician.

Brook point out to the ocean. "If you look back far beyond this dark cloud there is a bit of sunlight shining on the sea. Do you see it?"

Franky squinted, but he couldn't make out anything past the dark cloud.

"I don't see it," he said.

"Try closing your eyes and taking a deep breath," Brook suggested.

Franky gave him a look. How was breathing supposed to help his vision? Nevertheless, Franky closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them. He looked out at the dark cloud.

He still couldn't see the damn sunlight.

"I still don't see it," Franky said again.

This is stupid, Franky thought.

"That's because you are not looking for it properly," Brook told him.

"What the hell is that supposed to-?"

"It may be difficult see right now, but it's there. And it's only a matter of time before we all can see it. These dark clouds hide a beautiful sky; the one we love to sail under. We can't force the dark clouds away, or make them pass by any quicker. But eventually we will again feel the sunshine our skin… and bones." Brook added.

"What do we do until then?" Franky asked, catching on to what Brook was saying.

"We wait patiently or we can kill time," Brook told him.

"I've never been a very patient guy," Franky smirked.

Brook said quietly, "I am."

Franky looked at his comrade. Then the door below them creaked. They looked down and saw their navigator enter the library.

The rain had lightened up. For now, Nami thought. She went to the library to get some paper and anything else they would need to map out a plan. Looking below her, she could see the crew scattered around the ship, all of them lost in their own thoughts. The reality of what they had done hadn't set in yet. That they had accidentally killed-

No. Nami shook her head. She didn't want to think about that. She couldn't right now, not when her crew was depending on her to fight with them.

She took a deep breath and shakily gathered what they needed. "Alright everyone! I got the supplies!" she announced once she was on the deck.

Slowly everyone assembled back inside. Chopper was still tending to Sanji-kun. "20 minutes okay?" the little doctor finished putting drops in his eyes.

Sarah pulled a map out of her satchel. "Here is a map of the island. This is the town, and here are the docks- where we are now. This monster's hideout is somewhere in this swamp," she said pointing to a swamp on the complete opposite side of the island. "We can't just walk in. The ground is flooded. It's about 4 feet deep and half your crew are DF users."

"So we'll need a boat," Zoro said.

"We could use the Mini Merry," Chopper suggested.

"Nah, the Mini Merry isn't designed for battle, but leave it to me! I'll make at super battleship that'll give this bastard nightmares," Franky said striking a pose.

"It can't be anything too big and bulky. This is a swamp after all, not an ocean," Sanji noted.

"And it can't be noisy either, if we want to catch this guy off guard," Nami added.

"I don't want to sneak up on the guy who killed my nakama," Luffy said darkly. "I want to see his face when he realizes the big mistake he made when he hurt my crew."

The crew looked at Luffy. None of them had ever heard him sound so threatening. Needless to say it was very unsettling.

Robin brought the conversation back. "We don't know if this enemy has any nakama of their own," she noted. "We should be prepared to face multiple opponents."

"I don't care! We'll beat up anyone who gets in the way!" Luffy said stubbornly.

Sarah tried to reason with him. "We should reconsider going in head first. We'd be at a huge disadvantage if we just go charging in. This swamp is extremely foggy and can play tricks on your eyes. We'll have to second guess everything we see."

"That's annoying," Zoro muttered.

"Not to mention we don't know what else our enemy is capable of with their ability," Robin said.

"I wouldn't be surprised it this guy has eyes all over the swamp," Sanji stated.

"There could be traps," Brook pointed out.

Sarah sighed. "Which brings us back to square one."

"Let's just go in and kick this bastards ass, already!" Luffy shouted, slamming his hand on the table.

"Ok," Sarah said putting her hands up in defeat. "We'll do it your way and run in headfirst and call him out. Obliterate anything and anyone he throws at us, until there's nothing left to do but kick his ass."

Luffy grinned, obviously pleased with himself. No one else was.

Sarah added, "But we'll still need a boat."

Luffy put his fists in the air. "Yosh! Let's get to it!" Luffy left the room. Everyone else filtered out to prepare for battle. Though it wasn't necessary, Sarah steered Sanji outside.

"It's been 20 minutes," she told him.

"Has it?" Sanji asked blinking.

He turned to her and their eyes met. "Hi," she said smiling.

For a moment Sanji just stared at her, then he cocked his head to the side curiously. "Huh…" It was as though Sanji had never seen anything like her before. Was she a... woman? She couldn't be! That little girl he had played in the dirt with as a kid couldn't possibly have turned into a woman, could she? She had the same round face… and the same shoulder length dark cyan hair, the same blue eyes. It was the rest of her that didn't make sense. She obviously had breasts, and a slim figure. There was no logical reason why she should be considered attractive, but for some reason, to Sanji, she just wasn't.

"I thought you'd be taller," he thought out loud.

"I thought you'd be sexier," she retorted.

Oblivious to the fact that the entire crew was gaping at them, Sarah and Sanji smiled at each other, until, finally, they embraced.

"I had almost given up on ever seeing you again. That is until I read your name in the paper. Taking on the World Government?" she punched his arm playfully. "You've gotten pretty gutsy."

"That's what happens with you follow a guy like Luffy," Sanji rubbed his arm. She might look like a woman, but she certainly doesn't hit like one.

"How do you two know each other?" Robin asked.

"I was Sanji's babysitter," Sarah told them.

"Babysitter?" the crew repeated.

"No!" Sanji insisted. "You were my friend, who just so happened to be two years older than me. You were not my babysitter!"

"Then how come I got paid to hang out with you?"

"Because-! Wait. What?"

"Nothing. Forget I said anything," she looked at the crew. "We met when we were kids on this cruise ship, the Orbit. Both of us worked in the kitchen. We were best friends… until one day we got into this big fight. I can't even remember what it was about, but I bet it was something stupid."

"It was about whether or not we should leave the Orbit's kitchen staff and go to North Blue," Sanji recalled.

"Oh… well maybe it wasn't so stupid…Anyway we had a fight and decided to go our separate ways," she explained. "I left for North Blue."

"So how did you become a member of Shank's crew?" Luffy asked.

"It's a long story, but it begins the day I found out what happened to the Orbit. It had been attacked by pirates, and then hit by a terrible storm," she looked at Sanji. "They listed all the survivors in the paper, but your name wasn't on the list. I couldn't believe that you were dead. So I swam to East Blue."

"Wait a second. You swam to East Blue?" Nami asked incredulously.

Sarah nodded. "The waves were still too rough for ships to sail, so I had to swim. But after a few days I got tired. That's when I came across this Marine ship. They let me come onboard. I thought they could help me, but instead…they captured me and took me to Marineford, their headquarters."

"Why would they do that?" Franky asked.

"Because they realized what I was," She showed them her neck. There were gills. "My mother was merwoman, but my father was a human. Children produced by the two different species are rare, but it does happen. Normally the offspring will either be merefolk or human. But in my case, I got a bit of each. They had never seen that before. So naturally they handed me over to their scientist to make me into one of their 'human weapons'.

"What?!"Sanji exclaimed.

"They embedded seastone into my skin and bones. So can I do this," she took off one of her gloves and grabbed Luffy's arm. Immediately he went limp.

"That's why my ability didn't work on you," Robin realized.

She nodded. "They did that to me when I was 14, which is why I never grew any taller."

"They're monsters!" Chopper decided.

"But if you were suppose to be a Government weapon, how did you end up on Shank's ship?" Nami asked.

She shrugged. "They rescued me… after I tried to kill them all that is. But that's another story."

"Oi, you can let go of our captain now," Zoro said.

Sarah looked down to see she was still holding Luffy's limp arm. "Oh, sorry!" she said letting go and putting her glove back on.

Sanji was fuming. "I can't believe those bastards would do that to an innocent girl!"

"That must have been terrifying for you," Robin said.

"Yeah, I got a few mental and emotional scars from them," she admitted. "When I first came on board Shank's ship I was really…damaged from what I experienced in the laboratories of the World Government. I would have emotional breakdowns at random times. I would also lash out and attack the crew sometimes and have violent outburst over the littlest things. Most nights I'd wake up screaming.

"I was so messed up. It took me a long time to recover, but they never gave up on me or abandoned me. Instead they let me join their crew, and I became part of their family," she smiled. "I remember the night they argued over whether or not I should become their permanent member of their crew. They were trying to decide what would be best for me. Ben said that 'a pirate ship is not a safe place for a damaged 15 year-old girl'. Yasopp told him that 'After the hell she's been through, nothing in the Grand Line would surprise her'. He also threatened to quit and take me back to his home in East Blue. He said Usopp would be thrilled to have a sister," her smile grew weaker. "Yasopp has been like a father to me…and now he's going to kill me."

"No he won't," Luffy affirmed. "Shanks won't let him."

Sarah shook her head. "Regardless, I won't be able to remain part of their crew. Yasopp will never forgive me, and the tension that will cause is unacceptable onboard the Red Force. I will have to leave, but I have no place to go," she choked. "If the World Government finds out I'm still alive, they'll come after me, capture me, and modify me until I lose my free will," she was shaking at the mere thought of it. "I can't- "

"Oi! Oi! Don't get upset!" Sanji said worriedly. He knelt down in front of her. "There's no way I'll ever let that happen to you. And if Shanks doesn't want you on his ship, I'll protect you. And if Luffy has a problem with that then he can find himself another chef."

Sarah looked at him with watery eyes, "Sanji…"

"Got it captain?" Sanji ask him sternly.

Luffy nodded.

Sarah took a deep breath. "Thank you."

"Oi!" Franky called as he came up out of his workshop. "Guys, come down and check out the most super mini battleship you've ever seen!"

Everyone made their way down to the Soldier Dock System, where a there was something about 4 meters long covered in a tarp.

"I give you," Franky tore away the tarp. "THE GATOR-GO!"

Sure enough there was a short, purple, alligator shaped submarine. But its most notable feature was the two see-though domes that sat on top of it head. Franky pointed to them. "These observation domes are super strong and can protect us from aerial attacks! She can also submerge itself in the swamp, so they won't see us coming!"

Luffy and Chopper's eyes were shining. "Awesome!" they said together.

The rest of the crew smiled. It was good to see Luffy and Chopper were starting to act normal again. This sad, angry, and depressed state they had been in lately was starting to get old. But despite Luffy and Chopper's enthusiasm, the rest of the crew looked at the Gator-Go looking rather perplexed.

"Well?" Franky asked, "Isn't she super?"

"No offense, Franky," Robin said, "but how are we all going to fit in her?"

Franky crossed his arms and smirked. "She may look small now, but she extends to a maximum length of 10 meters!"

"Really?!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Her mouth and tail can each reach a maximum length of 3.5 meters. That leaves 3 meters in the middle to house the control room. (scanners …) which is connected to the observation room. "

"That's incredible Franky!" Sarah praised.

"That's not all, sis," he opened the jaws "Not only does she have a hatch between her eyes, she has a door in the back of her mouth, in case we come across any super big enemies, she can bite them with her super sharp teeth, and we can rush out of her mouth and attack them!"

Luffy cheered. "That's amazing, Franky!"

"Now all we need to do is find Brandy!" Chopper enthusiastically.

"Where should we look for her?" Brook asked.

Sarah sighed. "I don't know. That idiot could be anywhere."

"Well if we don't kick this guy's ass soon our captain's going to go crazy," Zoro told her. "So if we can't find her in an hour. Then screw her, and we'll go without her."

"You're so strict Zoro-san! Yo ho ho ho ho!" Brook laughed.

"Anyone got any problems with that?" the swordsman asked.

"Oi, since when do you get to call the shots, marimo?" Sanji snarled. "If Sarah-san says we'll need her nakama's help then we don't go without her nakama!"

Sanji went to kick Zoro in the head, but the swordsman blocked the blow.

"We're wasting time!" Zoro growled back. "Usopp died because she didn't do anything. She said it herself. If this guy can attack miles offshore, then what's to stop him from attacking us here? The longer we stand around the more likely he'll strike us again!"

Now Sanji was pissed, "You shitty little-!"

"Sanji stop!" Sarah demanded. Sanji froze in mid kick. "He's right."

"Sarah-san-"

"We should get going," she agreed. "If we find Brandy on the way, great; if not, then hopefully she'll show up when we need her."

Sanji sighed and lit another cigarette. "Give me a minute to pack some lunchboxes. We're not leaving on empty stomachs," he said sternly.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to leave this late in the day? We should at least wait till morning. Maybe Brandy will show up by then?" Nami insisted.

"You realize who you just sounded like?" Zoro smirked.

Nami glared at Zoro.

"She has a point," Robin said. "None of us have gotten much sleep lately. We shouldn't push ourselves unnecessarily."

Chopper raised his hand. "I agree with Robin. We won't fight as well if we haven't had any sleep."

Zoro turned to Luffy. "What do you say captain?"

But Luffy wasn't there.

"Everyone take a look at the sunset!" Luffy ordered from the bow on the deck above them.

They crew sighed, but nonetheless followed captain's orders. However, when they got to the top they gasped.

"It's beautiful!" Nami exclaimed.

"Not as beautiful as you, Nami-swan~!" Sanji swooned.

"What the hell?" Sarah muttered to Robin.

She laughed. "He's very fond of beautiful women."

Sarah stopped in her tracks, then shrugged and joined the crew at the bow. Together they gazed out across the island. In the distance, past the town, they could see the sun setting over the foggy swamplands. The fog clouded the sun in a way that made beams of light soften, and gave the island an almost mystical look. The swamp itself was perfectly framed by the curved cliffs.

"It almost looks like a crystal ball," Chopper smiled. "You know, like the one in the picture Usopp drew of the time he beat the Silver Genie and saved the Fairy Phoenix!"

Sarah said, "Usopp sounds like he was a very interesting character."

"Yeah! He was amazing!" Luffy praised. He and Chopper dove right into retelling the great adventures of Captain Usopp.

"And then the Kangaroo King said 'I'll teach you how to make boats'-"

"Wait, Luffy, it wasn't the Kangaroo King! It was the Tarantula Tutor one that taught Usopp how to weave tree branches into boats," Chopper insisted.

"No it wasn't!"

"Yes it was!"

The two began bickering. Sarah had tried to pay attention as they talked about their lost friend (it was the least she could do), but had no idea what the hell they had just told her. She knew they were trying to tell her a story, but they were hopeless at it.

She sighed. "As much as I'd love to hear more about the Kangaroo and the Spider, there's a story I feel I need to share myself if Brandy is going to be joining us."

"You're going to tell us a story?!"Luffy asked excitedly, taking a seat.

Sarah nodded. "But first let me explain," Sarah sat down. "Brandy is like me. She's also damaged," she confessed. "But for different reasons."

"What the hell does that mean?" Zoro asked.

"Though we've both experienced some horrible things and have healed a lot since then, lately Brandy's been acting a bit more unpredictable and distracted."

"Then why the hell do you want her to come with us?" Franky asked.

"Because despite everything, she has never let me down!" Sarah insisted. "I just wanted to warn you in case she doesn't take the news of Usopp's death very well."

"Why? Did she know Usopp or something?" Nami asked.

Sarah shook her head. "It's a long story."

"What kind of story?" Luffy asked.

"A sad one," Sarah told them.

"I don't want to hear it," Luffy got up and left.

"I don't need to hear any of this shit either. If she decides to help us, great; if she gets pissed and chooses not to, then to hell with her," Zoro said following his captain.

After Zoro left, the rest of the crew looked back at Sarah. "Most of this story I overheard while Yasopp and Ben were talking to one of the ship's doctors after Brandy had an… 'episode', " she told them. "You promise to keep this story a secret, okay? If Brandy finds out I told you or even that I know about her past in the first place… it would NOT end well for any of us. So do you promise?"

The crew nodded.

Sarah took a deep breath. "It happened in East Blue..."

Luffy walked into the men's quarters. He was tired and hungry, but for once he didn't feel like eating. He didn't lie down in his own bed though, but rather plopped himself down onto Usopp's. He looked around. Underneath some dirty clothes there was a sketchbook full of illustrations of new inventions that Usopp had shown him the day before. At the end of the bed there was a hairbrush, and a bandana. There was something green stuck between the mattress and the bed frame. He tugged it out. It was Usopp's old slingshot. The one he had when they first met. Luffy smiled.

That was a fun day.

Luffy held the goggles tightly as fell back against Usopp's pillow and sighed. He was going to miss him… a lot. He already did. When they finally meet again in the next ocean- the one Brook told him about, would Usopp be mad at them for accidentally killing him? He hoped not.

"I'm sorry, Usopp," Luffy choked. "Please don't be mad."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, captain."

Luffy looked up. The beds swayed as Zoro leaned against them. "It wasn't your fault, or my fault, or any of the crew's fault."

"Do you think Usopp knows that?"

"I'm sure he does," Zoro said. "But we can't let this happen again," he added firmly. "We've never faced an enemy like this before. Strength alone isn't going to be enough to take this guy down. That girl may be right about having to think this one through. We've got to be prepared for anything this bastard throws at us."

Luffy glared at the bunk above him. "I'm still kicking his ass."

"No you won't," his first mate told him. Luffy looked at him confused.

Zoro offered him a hand up. "Not without me."

Luffy grinned and took it.

This was a promise.