Yay, I'm alive. I would have had this sooner but my computer decided to erase this document. Grrr. Anyway, onto a chapter long overdue.

I was at the War of the Best all over again. In fact, it was exactly the War of the Best. I see the killing, the cool characters I always wanted to meet fighting the marines. I was standing there, which was weird because if I truly was there, then I would be fighting. Why was I just standing here? Oh, was I looking for Luffy?

I glance around, ignoring the other cool characters. My eyes flick over the executioner's stand, and I freeze. For there is my captain, bound in chains, taking Ace's place. No, it couldn't be. Akainu is standing next to him, and his scornful words break out over the battle.

"Look Dragon's son, look at the foolishness of your comrades to try to save you."

Luffy bowed his head, looking not at all like the pirate king I knew. This couldn't be happening. We would save him. We would protec-

Oh.

This is a dream.

My mind is a strange place. In good dreams, I am content and will not bring myself to lucidness, or rather I cannot. I don't realize I am in a dream, no matter how weird or crazy it is.

However, nightmares are different. I can usually sense when they are nightmares halfway through and bring myself to a more conscious part of my mind. I know what's going on, and because of that, I try to change the dream. It never works though, either not changing or changing for a second and then reverts back to the orignal situation.

I try to keep this in mind as Akainu turns and shoves a magma fist right through Luffy's chest.

I cannot move, my legs frozen as I cannot help my captain. My mind is clear, and though it is traumatizing, I know it isn't real, and that helps with the coping process. My body doesn't agree with my mind though. My legs buckle, my mouth opens to scream, and boiling hot tears flow like rivers down my cheeks.

Relax Rose, it's not real. It's just a dream. You have to realize that. You have to wake up. Wa-

Suddenly I am no longer on that bloodstained battle ground but on the more peaceful deck of the Sunny.

I bolt upright, breathing hard and my heart trying to evacuate my chest. My body has diverged from my mind completely, following the panic mode while my mind is calm. It's really weird.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and I jump, whirling to face a very concerned looking navigator.

"Rose, are you ok?"

Nami looks really worried. I smile at her.

"Yes, Nami. It's nothing."

Nami frowned.

"No, I have had enough nightmares to know differently."

I shake her off, still smiling.

"I really am though."

She gave me a motherly look as she pulled me to my feet.

"Come along Rose."

She leads me over to her tangerine trees, and sits me down as she plucks a ripe one. She hands it to me and I peel it carefully. She shouldn't worry so much, but I can tell the navigator would anyway. So I humored her, taking a bite of the delicious fruit that I hadn't tasted in forever.

"Want to talk about it?"

I shake my head.

"No, Nami. I'm fine. There is nothing you can do."

Nami hugged her knees to her chest, looking down at the deck.

"I know what it feels like you know. You have seen me."

I shake my head, looking up at the blue sky.

"Ah, but our nightmares are different. You dream of the past; I fear the future. You already know what happens in yours. You know you have a happy ending. I don't have that luxury."

Nami glanced at me.

"Oh, you were dreaming about the battle."

I nod.

"I have no idea what will happen, but I refuse to let my dream become reality. I promise I am fine Nami."

My breathing is no longer erratic, and my heartbeat has calmed. My body is now obeying my mind again and I truly am fine, because I know my words are true. Nami gave me a smile.

"Well, I'm just glad you are ok. Nightmares usually take me awhile to get back to normal."

She stands, but before she walks back to the helm, I wrap my arms around her for a warm hug.

"Thank you though, for worrying about me."

Nami returned the hug, and I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Well someone hs to."

She lets go, and traipses back to the wheel while I head to the kitchen. No more relaxing, if I don't want to make that dream a reality, I need to strategize for the battle, and my brain doesn't work without food.

I walk in to Sanji preparing supper, and Brook whiddling away at his violin. I sit down at the table.

"Yo Sanji, can I have some brain food."

He cooed, his hands a blur as he whipped up something for me.

"Right away Rose-swan."

As soon as he said it a fruit smoothie pretty as a picture dropped in front of me. I sipped it, and as usual, was amazed at it's refreshing taste.

"Thank you Sanji."

He murmured something about mellorines and how gracious I was, before turning back to his previous task. Brook sipped some tea.

"I am assuming Rose-san, you are trying to strategize for the battle. If so, I will leave."

He stands, his violin in one hand and the tea cup in the other. I grab his boney wrist, ha, skull joke.

"No, please stay. Music helps me focus and block out distracting noises."

He gives me a skeletal grin, ha, another one. I am on a roll. Anyway, he smiles and sits back down, playing a ditty on his violin. I clasp my hands together and focus partly on the music, and the other noises disappear into the background. I sip my smoothie, and my mind turns completely at the task at hand.

All right, we have quality over quantity right now, obviously, but that is nowhere near enough. They have strong guys too, and I need to even the playing field as much as possible. We need as much help as we can get.

So the first obvious choice would be Akainu. He is the fleet admiral, and he will be less willing to let Luffy leave then anyone else. In fact, we would have to almost kill the guy to allow him to let the pirate king leave. He will not let Luffy slip through his fingers again.

So, how to combat this guy? We can't fight fire with fire; Ace proved that was ineffective. What else hurts lava? Cold tempertures obviously. We get him cold enough it could slow him up, make him sluggish. But what could do that? Aokiji was ice itself and lost to him. Can't use heat, or cold. Sigh, no one said this would be easy. There has to be something though. No one is invincible; he has to have an achilles heel.

Ok, let's look at it at a devil fruit user standpoint. What hurts devil fruit users? The sea, seaprism stone, and haki. That's about it right? Well haki is only a weapon to a chosen few, and I can't count on that as a reliable weapon. Ok, sea prism? We don't have that.

That leaves the ocean. Well, that's convenient. I will just make everyone carry buckets of water around. Focus Rose, no time for jokes. I need a way to carry the ocean in a transportable fasion.

My eyes fall on my weapon, and then over to Sanji who is pulling ice cubes out of the freezer.

Ding! An idea!

I grin, excitment filling my eyes. Yes that could work. Oh my gosh! I jump up and hug Sanji.

"Oh thank you so much."

I ignore the blood spurting out of his nose and Brook's question.

"Rose-san."

I speed outside, glancing around for, there, a bucket. I grab the handle and I trip, my excitement making me careless.

"Rose, what is going on?"

I glance up to see Usopp and Robin looking at me strangely. I just chuckle, my grin splitting my face. They know this face. This is the face I usually have when I have a good idea.

I run back to the kitchen, heading down to Franky's workshop. He looks up from his blowtorch on the new cannon for the encircling walls, looking confused.

"Rose sis?"

I jump over to the lever that opens the dock system, the door cranking open to the ocean waves. I dip the bucket in the cool water, ignoring it's sting. I need to test my theory. I run back, careful not to slosh the water around as I climb the ladder.

I am surprised to see every member of the Strawhat crew in the kitchen. Chopper is tending to Sanji, Zoro's eyes following me from his corner, Nami and Robin sitting at the table. They all have a hopeful look in their eyes. Usopp asked again.

"What did you think of Rose?"

I grin, laughing.

"I might have a way to beat Akainu."