Well my Halloween weekend was kinda sucky. Friday night I was an exorcist in a haunted house and that was fun, but Saturday night I went to a frat house costume party and it was busted by the cops :( I'm a responsible individual, so I got off scott free but alas, I never got to dance! Stupid justice system ruining my evening.

Hope all of you guy's Halloween weekends didn't end up like this! XD Kanpai!

Disclaimer: One Piece = ©Oda, not me :(

Pumpkin Carving

There was a brisk chill in the air as the Sunny-Go raced across the ocean waves.

The Strawhat crew was slightly bundled up against the cold. Nami was busy putting the log pose on the outside of her jacket sleeve so she wouldn't have to keep exposing her bare skin to the chill every time she wanted to check their course. When she was finished she blew hot air onto her already gloved hands, not really warming anything.

It was then that Sanji came out from the kitchen carrying a very heavy looking crate. Everyone watched him curiously as he walked to the center of the deck and set down the heavy load, shivering when he realized the cold and lighting a cigarette to warm himself.

Nami saw Luffy jump down from the figurehead.

"Whatchya got here Sanji?" He asked frankly, walking up to the crate and inspecting it.

With a swift and accurate kick Sanji removed the cover of the crate, which landed harmlessly beside Luffy who didn't even flinch.

"Wha-?" Luffy cocked his head as he studied the contents of the crate. The rest of the crew was just as puzzled as he was.

"It kinda looks like that hard fruit I found on sky island!" Luffy pondered. Usopp frowned and rubbed his head where Luffy had chucked the rock hard object at him.

"These are called pumpkins." Sanji said, emitting a combination of smoke and cold breath into the air. "While looking for new ingredients on the last island someone offered me these. They have this holiday called Halloween, where they use these for both decoration and food-"

He was cut off as Luffy abruptly grabbed a pumpkin and swallowed it whole, the round object getting temporarily stuck in his throat and blocking his air ways. Nami appeared behind him and whacked him on the head, efficiently reprimanding him and saving his life at the same time. Luffy swallowed the gourd with one huge gulp, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks Nami~"

"BAKA!" Nami and Sanji said at the same time.

"I have to peel and cook the damn thing first," Sanji added. "There aren't that many, so don't waste anymore!"

"They're kind weird looking," observed Usopp as he came up to peer into the crate at the orange bulges.

"I think they're sort of pretty," said Chopper optimistically. "They're the same shade as Nami's hair!" He smiled looking up at her. Nami blushed at the cute little reindeer's comment and patted him fondly on the head.

"Well technically these pumpkins aren't finished. What the locals do is cut the tops off of them and carve out their insides until they're hollow. Then they carve faces and shapes into the sides, and when it gets dark they light candles in them to show off the designs."

"That does sound festive," remarked Robin from her chair.

"I SHALL CARVE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PUMPKINS FOR MY DEAR ROBIN~CHWAN AND NAMI~SWAN!"

"I want to carve one!" Luffy bounced up and down.

"Me too! Me too!" yelled Usopp and Chopper, dancing in circles.

Zoro wanted no part in any of this "nonsense", but somehow Robin was able to persuade him to join. Sanji set three pumpkins aside for cooking, and eventually everyone had a knife and a pumpkin set before them.

As is the norm in the Strawhat crew, chaos ensued.

Not knowing where to put the pumpkins guts, Luffy shrugged and threw them over his shoulder. Feeling a dark aura behind him, Luffy turned to see a steaming Usopp behind him, guts hanging off his nose. Pulling his slingshot out of nowhere, Usopp chased Luffy around the ship screaming:

"PUMPKIN STAR!" and pelted him with pumpkin seeds.

Chopper was curling his tongue cutely in concentration as he cut into his pumpkin with a doctor's precision. Robin had summoned extra arms to carve her pumpkin while she read a book in her chair. Franky had summoned a small chainsaw from somewhere on his body and was eagerly sculpting his large pumpkin with a grin.

Brooke studied his pumpkin for a moment before he set to work. Whipping out his cane sword, he made several fire-quick slices to it's side before sheathing his sword slowly. Having finished early, he played music while everyone continued working.

Smirking evilly, Zoro stood before his pumpkin with swords raised.

"Don't go overboard and destroy it marimo, you only get one," warned Sanji from his spot by his pumpkin.

"Shut it butterfly antannae. Swordsmanship also requires skill and control."

And with that Zoro flew at his pumpkin, moving so quickly you could barely see his swords before he was sliding them back into their sheaths.

Usopp went back to his pumpkin breathless after chasing Luffy. Luffy was laughing as he sat back down and picked up his knife. Nami became nervous when she saw how carelessly he was weilding it, stabbing the pumpkin more than carving it. But when she went to observe him and make sure he didn't cut off his fingers he shooed her away, telling her she couldn't see it until it was finished.

With a contented sigh Nami finally put the final touches on hers.

"Nami~swan, Robin~chwan! Would you like to see what I have carved for you?~" Sanji swooned, coming very close to stepping on Zoro's pumpkin and an early death.

"I think we should wait until it's dark and we light them." Robin suggested. "That way we can see them all at once."

"Haiiii Robin~chwan! You are so wise to think ahead like that!" And then he was off to the kitchen to prepare the extra pumpkins for dinner.

They lined their pumpkins up facing backwards on the expansive steps leading to the upper deck. Nami was curious what Luffy had carved. She had tried to sneak a glance at the pieces he had extracted from his pumpkin, but they were all cut and jagged, like he hadn't made an outline and carved it but rather just hacked away until the pieces came out.

Everyone became excited as the sun started to set, even though it became colder the less sunlight there was. The smell of cinnamon emanated from the kitchen, and they waited impatiently for the sun to finally go down.

Taking care not look at the designs, Franky placed a candle in each one and lit them.

"I believe it's dark enough now." Robin said.

"Yaaayyyy!" cried Luffy, Usopp and Chopper while the rest of them smiled.

After retrieving Sanji from the kitchen, the time came and Robin turned each pumpkin around to be seen by the others.

Chopper's was a beautiful and intricate sakura tree. Nami could swear she could even see the individual blossoms.

"Chopper, yours is beautiful!" she exclaimed.

"Baka! That won't make me happy!" he squealed as he wiggled with delight.

Robin's depicted an array of delicate flowers, some still buds while others opened as if to soak in the sun.

"As is to be expected of our wonderful Robin~san!" Sanji exclaimed.

Franky's was a replica of the Thousand Sunny, sailing on a calm sea with the sun shining down. Brooke's showed a figure holding a violin, facing the outline of a whale squealing gleefully in the surf.

Nami was curious what Zoro would carve. She couldn't imagine him carving anything too intricate or beautiful.

Robin turned Zoro's pumpkin around.

"DAMN MARIMO!"

Carved in big, capitalized letters Zoro's pumpkin said:

IM WITH STUPID

with a large arrow pointing down at Sanji's pumpkin one step below.

As the crew laughed Robin turned Sanji's pumpkin around. Both girls sweat-dropped as they saw their resemblances glowing from the pumpkin. Nami thought her bust and hips were a bit exaggeratted.

"Do my angels approve of my slave-workings of love~?" He asked with heart eyes.

"Err, uh… good job Sanji. It looks just like us!" Nami lied.

"MELLORINE~"

Then it was Usopp's turn. It showed a person wrestling with something that looked like an octopus.

"This is a depiction of the time that I, amazing Captain Usopp, wrestled the fearsome Kraken with my bare hands!" Usopp cried, standing beside his artwork.

"No way!" cried Chopper with stars in his eyes.

"This monster was so big that it could crush a ship one hundred times the size of Sunny! But he was no match for me when-"

As Usopp continued to spew lies Robin turned Nami's pumpkin around. Everyone sweat-dropped when they saw the treasure chest surrounded by beli signs and valuable objects.

Nami held her breath as Robin approached the last pumpkin; Luffy's. What could he have carved? Meat? Probably.

But when Robin turned it around with a smile Nami could only stare at it in shock.

Glowing softly through the face of the pumpkin Nami could discern the rough outline of a hat and a mikan sitting side by side.

She turned to look at Luffy, who was grinning at her like a maniac.

"Do you like it Nami?" He asked. Her response was to attack him with a hug.

"That's my favorite one." She said, snuggling into his cardigan as he pulled her closer. Robin chuckled as Sanji literally deflated beside his own pumpkin.

After that they enjoyed all of the tasty things Sanji had made. There was pumpkin pie with whipped cream, warm pumpkin bread, roasted pumpkin seeds smothered in cinnamon and butter, and pumpkin juice to wash everything down. They ate by the light of the jack o' lanterns flickering glow, making a toast to their very first Halloween on the Thousand Sunny.

Happy Halloween everyone! And don't forget to review :3