A/N

Yo. I apologize in advance if I offend anyone in this chapter, be it your religion or your own god-complex (we all know you're out there... *cough* Light *cough*). I'm anglican (if you care), but I rarely get offended (in any way, really) so I hope you can understand that this is all in humor. This is just something random that I came up with while talking to my friend. Btw, italics will be used for both thoughts and dreams, 'kay?

Disclaimer: Again, the only thing I own is Anni, my take on the events, and... nothing else really. Damn.

To secretdewdrop: No, I don't think that it will diverge from canon in any major ways, except maybe in the Marineford battle and the timeskip.

Enjoy!

Anni's POV

"What?!"

"That jackass is a hero?!"

Vivi smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, yes. He has been acting the part of the hero of the land. He has been killing the pirates that threaten the people, but it's all for appearances. He really plans to take over Arabasta."

I looked up from my place lounging on the railing on the side of the ship. "Well, can't your dad just kick him out? It's not like he's that important, is he?"

"Actually, Crocodile is one of the Shichibukai. He is one of seven amazingly strong pirates that are paid by the World Government. They are allied with the Marines and they kill other pirates," Vivi explained to me.

I crossed my arms and rested my chin on them. "I don't like them. I don't like the marines either, and the World Government sounds like a controlling organization that doesn't think about anyone else," I huffed.

Luffy laughed. "So all we need to do is kick his butt, right?"

Vivi smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, he is still the head of Baroque Works. There are nine agents under Crocodile that are very powerful. They are each paired with an equally dangerous partner, except for Mr. 2, hence the odd number. Crocodile's alias is Mr. 0, indicating that he is more powerful than the rest of them. His partner, Miss All Sunday, is nearly as dangerous as he is. We will probably have to fight most, if not all of them."

Zoro opened his eyes and blinked from his place on the deck and leaning against the baluster. "Doesn't sound so hard."

I kicked his head because it was next to my feet. "You weren't listening, were you?"

"I can listen perfectly fine when I'm asleep!" he exclaimed, "And don't kick me!"

"Hey, you two! Listen to Vivi!" Nami interrupted our potential argument.

Vivi giggled. "No, it's fine. That's about all we need to know. Other than that, we just need to prepare mentally. Oh, and get a supply of food for the journey across the desert."

"Waitwaitwait. Journey across the desert?!" Usopp asked in a squeaky voice.

Vivi nodded. "Yes, that's right. We have to travel across the desert to get to the capital."

Usopp slumped down onto the deck, holding his head. "Well, I can't go. I've got the I-can't-travel-across-the-desert-or-else-I'll-die-of-heatstroke disease. It really is terrible. And don't even get me started on my allergy to sand..." he muttered, trailing off.

I leaped up to stand on the baluster. "Yes! I've never seen a desert before! And I don't have to worry about the heat!"

"Are you ever affected by the temperature, Anni-chan?" Sanji asked me, still trying to get his head around the 'Anni ≠ lady' thing.

I scratched the back of my head in thought, and answered, "Nope! I don't think so at least. I've never been in a situation where I'm way too hot or way too cold. I mean, sure, I get chilly or sweaty, but other than that, I don't think that I'm affected by heat or the cold to any extremes. Much."

Sanji shook his head in the universal motion for 'I give up' and went inside to start our dinner. He was planning something elaborate, so he had to get an early start on it. Luffy and Usopp started fishing with Carue, and Nami and Vivi struck up a girly conversation that I wanted no part in. Zoro went back to sleep, and I was officially bored.

I contemplated bugging Zoro, or going to see what Sanji was doing, but concluded that they would just be irritated with me. Luffy and Usopp were whispering about using Carue as bait for sharks and I wanted no part in Vivi's wrath. Nami and Vivi's conversation was hushed and there were occasional giggles, so I decided nope! Chopper was also inside, making some kind of medicine for my back wound. I didn't feel like bugging the poor fluffball if he was doing something important.

XxX

Ten minutes of lying on the deck later, I realized that no one was on watch. I climbed up the ladder to the top, where I looked around quickly with my improved spyglass. Nothing.

Argh! I'm so bored! What do normal people do in these kind of hard times?

I hummed 'Crazy Rainbow' as I sat thinking. I moved around, from the bottom of the crow's nest, to the top of the mast (uncomfortable), to the side of the crow's nest, and eventually to the wooden bar that held up the mast (called the yard arm, apparently). I sat cross legged there for a while with my chin on my hands, until I got used to the swaying of the boat.

Hmm... I feel like an eagle.

"Anni-chwan! Be careful, or you'll fall!" Sanji shouted from the door.

I turned my head around (I was facing the front of the boat) and said in a deep voice, "Eagle-god doesn't fall."

If I was looking, I swear, a virtual question mark would have appeared over Sanji's head. He seemed to struggle with a reply, but eventually gave up and went back inside. I smirked in triumph, Eagle-gods don't smile, and turned back to the front.

A few minutes later, the ship hit a particularly big wave, and the spyglass fell from its perch onto, you guessed it, Zoro's head.

"Dammit, Anni! Stop with dropping hard objects on my head!" he yelled, rubbing his head.

I turned my head slowly, and said in the same voice, "Eagle-god doesn't apologize. Or drop things. Eagle-god does whatever Eagle-god wants to do. Inferior humans can't influence Eagle-god."

"What the hell, Anni? I swear, you have multiple split personalities," he scowled.

"Eagle-god has only one personality. Eagle-god doesn't need more than one," I monotoned.

He stood up and shook Luffy and Usopp, who were nearly asleep.

"Huh?" Luffy muttered.

"Do you want something Zoro?" Usopp asked.

Zoro scowled in my direction. "Yeah, I want you two figure out what the hell goes on in her head," he said.

Luffy and Usopp both shook their hands dismissively.

"Nope. Impossible."

"Well then just try!" Zoro tried again.

"Fine, but don't blame us when it doesn't work," Usopp said, walking to the front of the Merry to face me.

"Ahem, Anni?" he asked.

I shifted my gaze from the horizon to him and said, "Eagle-god doesn't respond to puny mortal names like Anni. Although, it is the best name for a mortal. Much better than the others."

"Hmm... this looks like a task that is almost too difficult for the great Captain Usopp-sama," he said, ducking past Zoro and through the door, "So I will have to think about it for a while."

Zoro then shoved Luffy towards me who was looking down on them with an unamused look. "You try. Maybe since you're both idiots you'll be able to translate for me."

"Eagle-god objects to being called an idiot by an inferior being."

"Argh! Do it fast!"

Luffy looked up at me and blinked. "Anni, are you really an eagle-god?"

"Eagle-god does not comprehend the thought process of lower beings. Eagle-god is superior in every way possible."

"Including the idiocy?" Zoro muttered to himself.

Luffy's eyes sparkled. "Aw, cool! I wish I was one too! Then I would fly around and eat meat and beat up anyone I wanted and eat more meat and..." he continued to ramble about his life as an eagle as Zoro facepalmed at his stupidity.

From behind me I heard a door open and Nami's voice say, "Anni, Zoro, Luffy! Come in for dinner."

Glancing at the sky, I noticed that the sun was still moderately high in the sky, but low enough to be time to eat. Smirking, I decided to see how far I could push my joke. Without turning around to see her reaction, I addressed Nami, "Eagle-god demands her food outside."

Silence.

Then, "Oh, so this is what Usopp came in to avoid."

Dropping my act, I flopped backwards to hang off the bar by my knees. I swung back and forth and sighed loudly.

"Ahhhh... I'm soooo bored!" I groaned, swinging upside down.

Nami laughed. "You're so funny, Anni."

"Funny?! No, she's bipolar! With split personalities! Not funny!" Zoro exploded, throwing his hands in the air.

I laughed, flipping down onto the deck. I patted his shoulder as he glared at me. "It's okay, I was just bored," I said, skipping inside, "But now we can go eat, so I won't be bored anymore."

Hmm... I do switch moods fast. Weird. Oh well.

I burst through the door shouting, "Sanjiiiiii! What's for dinner?"

Vivi, Usopp, Chopper and Sanji jumped in surprise at my shout. Chopper ducked under the table to get away from the noise, and Vivi breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was just me. Usopp flinched and clung onto Sanji's arm, but the latter shook him off.

"Yes, Anni-chwan? Oh, yes, dinner," he said distractedly, trying to pry off a clingy Usopp, "Today it is Chateaubriand, and I was about to light it, but Vivi said that we should wait for everyone."

Vivi nodded in agreement. "It looks delicious. Sanji really outdid himself with this one."

Crossing the room, I sat down in one of the chairs next to Sanji and stared at the steaming roast.

"Yummmm..." I mumbled, patting my hungry stomach.

Zoro and Luffy burst through the door in front of Nami, who bonked them on the head for no particular reason. Muttering curses, the green-haired swordsman slid into the chair next to me and promptly rested his head on the table. Sanji then reached over me to smack his head, but I beat him to it.

"Zoro! Wake up! We're gonna start eating after we light the roast!" I said, lightly smacking the back of his sleeping head.

He moved slightly. "Tch."

I turned back to the dinner and a thought struck me.

"Hey, Sanji, can I light it? Pleeeeeease Sanji?" I asked innocently.

He tilted his head, considering my request. "Sure, that seems okay."

He was about to hand me the matches when I lit my finger on fire and stretched it out towards the brandy-covered roast. It lit with a fwoosh and flames burst to life all over it. Everyone's eyes were glued to the dancing flames. I snickered, and caused the fire to blaze up like a bonfire, nearly hitting the roof.

"No, wait! Anni, stop or the meat will get burnt!" Sanji shouted, panicking.

I was smiling and laughing, but at those few words, I made the flames die down. I examined the outside of the meat and it only seemed a shade darker than when it had started.

"Sorry, Sanji," I said apologetically, bowing my head. I hadn't intended to burn it, only do something exciting.

He nodded in acceptance and got up to slice the meat in the kitchen. Looking around at my nakama's faces, I saw an array of emotions. Luffy's eyes were sparkling, Usopp's were wide with fear, and Nami's were full of surprise and disapproval. Vivi seemed to shocked to do anything, as was Carue. Zoro's eyebrows were raised at the situation, but he didn't seem too surprised. Chopper was nowhere to be seen. I scooted my chair back and peered under the table. The poor reindeer was clinging onto a table leg and shaking like a leaf in the wind.

"Aw, Chopper, did I scare you?" I asked softly, reaching out to pick him up, then lifting him onto my lap. He nodded almost imperceptibly, so I hugged him tightly and set him down on his seat next to Sanji's empty one.

A minute of waiting later, Sanji brought in the sliced roast covered in sauce. We all grabbed for the food (some certain rubber arms took a lot more than the rest of us) and all proceeded to stuff our faces with the exception of Nami, Vivi, and Sanji who ate like normal human beings.

Dinner proceeded as usual, chaotically, until Sanji brought out a huge chocolate cake for dessert. I took a piece that was almost the size of my head, and proceeded to gobble it down in a matter of seconds. A few people left, but I asked for a second helping because it was so good. After that though, my stomach was nearly bursting so I decided to head for bed early.

After changing into my pyjamas and brushing my teeth, I collapsed on the comfy mattress on the floor of the girls room that I called my bed. I was soon asleep before anyone else came into the room.

XxX

Gah, it's kinda cold.

I woke up in the middle of the night to a breeze blowing through the window and under my blanket. Stumbling to my feet, I wobbled over to the window, avoiding the other two sleeping figures, and shut it tightly. As I brought my arm down, however, a flash of pain shot through my back. I winced and lay down on my mattress again, ignoring it.

I couldn't get comfortable. I tried laying on both sides, my back, and my front. Eventually, I found a slightly more comfortable position on my side. I arched my back involuntarily to avoid the pain, even though I knew that it would have bad long term affects. I slid back to sleep with a feeling of uncertainty.

XxX

The white fluffy paw shot out at me as I watched from a different perspective. I saw the blood flow out of the wound on my back and felt the pain of the slash. It happened again and again, but each time I tried to bend out of the way, arching my back to try to dodge the constant attacks. The snow turned red, and I watched myself lay in the ruby-coloured snow, mauled, dying, bleeding... unable to protect anyone.

My eyes shot open and I gasped softly. I reached behind me to feel my back just to make sure that it was still intact. It was fine, but the muscles were taut and arched, nearly hyper-extending my back. The nerves tingled in protest, but it was only my involuntary reaction to the memories. I wasn't scared or anything, but I couldn't help it.

I touched my face, and was surprised to feel wetness. I was crying? I don't do that. That's totally un-Anni-like. I wiped away the tears quickly and shut my eyes tightly. I focused on happy moments with my nakama. Feeding Chopper and Luffy marshmallows. Arguing with Zoro. Talking with Nami and Vivi. Scaring Usopp and Carue. Eating with Sanji. Smiles, laughter, happiness.

XxX

In the morning, I woke up in the same uncomfortable position (this time with my blanket bunched up behind me), but thankfully Nami and Vivi were early risers, so I didn't have to explain anything to them. I got dressed and went to see Chopper. He examined my back and tutted.

"You need to fix this problem. If you don't, then you will end up injuring yourself and possibly be incapable of fighting," he said seriously.

I pouted like a little kid. "But it's not me! It's my body's reaction to the memory of the rabbit-back-wound-thing!" I protested.

He shook his head. "No, it's not something that you can consciously control, but you need to find a comfortable sleeping position where your subconscious thinks that you're safe."

I was about to reply when a shout shook the entire ship.

"LUFFY! DID YOU EAT ALL THE FOOD?!"

I heard a muffled reply that went something like, "No, Usopp helped!" followed with vehement protests. I ran outside to watch the fight between the cook and the gluttonous captain. Sanji was towering over Luffy, and Luffy was backed against the stairs frantically looking for an escape route.

Vivi quickly stepped in between them, saying, "It's alright Sanji. We're almost at Arabasta, so I'm sure that we can survive by fishing for the next few days."

Sanji backed down and Luffy quickly ran to grab the fishing rod. "I suppose you're right, Vivi-chan. I'm sure that we can make it work," he said.

I sighed. This was going to be a long few days. I walked to the front and spotted a cloud of fog up ahead. Wait, no, not quite. Looking closer, it seemed like it was rising out of the sea.

"Nami, there's a bunch of steam rising out of the sea. What should we do?" I called.

"It's okay, just an underwater volcano. It's perfectly safe to go through," She called back.

Pumping a fist in the air, Luffy yelled, "Yosha! Straight through the steam!"

"Oi, you! Back to fishing!"

A/N

Cliffhanger? Sorry for the short-ish chapter. To me, Chopper seems like a cross between a stuffie and a little brother. Aww, so cute! Man, I gave up chocolate for Lent and I'm so happy that Easter's coming! Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! Also, it's a real mental thing to do weird stuff relating to an injury after you get injured. Me, was playing a game where you had to guess the song, but I didn't know the name immediately and I tripped and cut myself really deeply. Now, whenever I hear a song on the radio, I think of the name or I'll start hyperventilating. Just so ya know that it's a real thing.

Do you guys want an Easter chapter? Not quite sure what I'll do, but I'll think of something good if you guys want one. I think that it'll be fun to write, and it'll definitely include lots of fighting! I don't think I'll include future characters in the holiday chapters, but if you guys are desperate, I'll consider it.

See ya!