One Piece: Disagreements
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard © Me
Summary- Tired of Luffy's reckless behavior, Blizzard confronts him about it, but knowing how hardheaded Luffy can be, it could be easier said than done. (Post time-skip, contains Luffy/Nami, Zoro/Robin. WARNING: Luffy may be OOC.)
"Ouch!"
"Hold still, please, Luffy!"
"Sorry."
It appeared to be another usual day on the Thousand Sunny, home to the Straw Hat Pirates…well, almost usual. Tony-Tony Chopper is currently in the sick bay with one of his usual patients: Monkey D. Luffy. Now normally, Luffy would only go to the sick bay for one of these two things. It was either A: a candy-induced stomachache, or B: an injury he had sustained during a fight. Today, it just so happened to be B.
The Straw Hats happened to have a bad run-in with the Marines earlier this morning, and Luffy attempted to challenge the Commander in charge of the fleet. Unfortunately, he didn't acknowledge the fact that he happened to be armed with a zanbato. When Luffy made a move to attack, he had been struck in his right side by the huge sword and was given a very deep and rather dangerous wound.
The crew has recently docked at an island, which they decided to make their impromptu hideout, after they escaped, and Chopper found that Luffy's injury was so deep, that he needed to have it closed with at least 98 stitches. The young reindeer had just finished doing so, and is now wrapping Luffy's stomach up in bandages.
"There," said Chopper. "All finished."
"Thanks, Chopper," Luffy said.
"You know, Luffy," said Nami, who happened to be staying at her lover's side the whole time, "you should really be more careful. If you hadn't just go charging that Commander, you wouldn't be in this mess, right now!"
"Sorry," Luffy apologized, although he didn't sound like he meant it.
"Now, Luffy," said Chopper. "You should lie down and get plenty of rest."
"Okay," said Luffy, "but first, I gotta get a lunchbox from Sanji. Usopp and I are going bug hunting!"
"NO YOU'RE NOT!" Nami shouted.
BONK!
"OUCH! NAMI, THAT HURTS!" Luffy cried, holding his head.
Just outside the sick bay door is Blizzard, who lied down on the kitchen floor with a somewhat grim expression. One look at this wolf-dog, and anyone could tell that he is upset about something, and it was obvious that he is upset about Luffy getting injured. Actually, it isn't the only thing he is upset about.
For as long as he had known Luffy, Blizzard had noticed one of the many things that made up his reputation: being absolutely reckless. At first, when Blizzard joined up with everyone, two years ago, he didn't really think much of it, but as time went by, he saw Luffy taking his fighting a bit too far, and it usually ended with him having some serious injury, and the more this happened, the more Blizzard found himself worrying for the captain's wellbeing. Not only that, but Luffy's behavior had gotten the rest of the Straw Hats in danger more times than he could count.
More than anything, Blizzard was afraid that all this recklessness was going to cost Luffy something more than just sweat and blood: it could cost him his very life.
Blizzard would ask Chopper why Luffy does such things, but he always got the same answer.
"That's just the way Luffy is."
Unfortunately, that answer was never good enough for Blizzard.
At that moment, Chopper came outside of the sick bay, but when he did, he accidentally bumped into Blizzard's backside.
"Oh!" Chopper said. "Hi, Blizzard!"
Blizzard turned to look at Chopper with that same listless expression.
"What's the matter?" Chopper asked. "Are you still worried about Luffy? If you are, it's okay! As long as he doesn't do anything to open up his stitches, he'll be fine!"
Blizzard heaved a sigh before he stood up on all fours, towering over Chopper.
"It's…not just Luffy's stitches that I'm worried about," the wolf-dog said, much to Chopper's confusion.
"Well, what's wrong?" asked Chopper.
"Chopper…let's go somewhere where no one can hear us," said Blizzard.
Chopper's eyes went wide, and he sighed in slight exasperation. Every time Luffy got hurt like this, Blizzard would always take Chopper so they could speak somewhere private about the captain's recklessness, and needless to say, the little reindeer was getting quite miffed, but he decided to go along with it just to get it over with.
"Fine," Chopper said.
XXX
Later, in the Soldier Dock System, Blizzard and Chopper are sitting by the Shark Submerge, and after what felt like hours, the former finally spoke.
"Okay, Chopper," said Blizzard. "I know I've been talking to you about this, A LOT, but…I have to know. Why must Luffy be so reckless all the time?"
Chopper heaved a sigh and said, "Blizzard, I keep saying-"
"And please don't say that's just how he is!" Blizzard nearly snapped. "That's not good enough!"
Chopper cringed a bit at Blizzard almost snapping, but then he managed to compose himself.
"Blizzard, I'm sorry," said Chopper. "But…that's all I can think of."
"Chopper," Blizzard said. "I may not have grown up with Luffy, but still…I'm only asking because…I'm worried about him. I worry about him all the time, and I'm pretty sure that you and everyone else on the crew worry about him, too. Remember back on Thriller Bark? He used both his Gear Second and Gear Third techniques, and you said so yourself that he'd tear his body apart!"
"That was two years ago," Chopper rebuked. "I'm sure he has much more control of his Gears, now."
"There was also that time on the Sabaody Archipelago where he tried to attack Sentomaru, and Kizaru, and those Pacifistas!" Blizzard said.
"It was a desperate situation, back then," said Chopper. "Besides, he admitted we couldn't beat them the way we were before."
"And do I have to mention what happened in Impel Down?" Blizzard asked. "You know, when he fought Magellan and nearly got poisoned to death?"
"Like I said, Blizzard, that was a desperate situation," said Chopper. "Luffy was trying to rescue Ace and he got in his way. I would've done the same thing if I were him, actually!"
"Well, what about what happened at Marineford, two years ago?" asked Blizzard. "He almost exhausted himself, twice, and was nearly killed by all three of the Admirals!"
"Blizzard, Ace was gonna get killed," Chopper argued. "You were there, anyway! What did you think was gonna happen?!"
"And what about happened on Fishman Island, when Noah was falling?!" asked Blizzard. "He almost died from blood loss!"
"The entire island was in danger!" Chopper exclaimed. "Not to mention ourselves! We'd all be flattened!"
"Chopper!" Blizzard shouted.
"Look, Blizzard," Chopper said. "You just have to accept the fact that that's just how Luffy is!"
Blizzard growled softly in frustration before he stood up and walked out.
"Where are you going?" Chopper asked.
"Sorry, Chopper," said Blizzard. "But that answer is just not good enough for me. If you can't give me the right answer…then I bet Luffy will."
With that, Blizzard left Chopper by the Shark Submerge, and for some reason, the latter couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry in the pit of his stomach.
XXX
In the kitchen, Luffy is happily enjoying a heaping plate of spaghetti and meatballs for lunch, messily slurping up noodles and getting the sauce almost anywhere besides inside his stomach, much to Sanji's disgust.
"Sanji!" Luffy called as he finished his plate. "More spaghetti, please!"
"Sure thing!" Sanji called. "You sloppy, bottomless pit of a…" he trailed off when he saw a certain wolf-dog enter, and for once, it didn't appear that he was looking for a peanut butter snack.
Luffy looked up at Blizzard, absentmindedly licking the sauce off his lips, and noticed that his canine companion had a rather cold glare in his cherry blossom pink eyes.
"Luffy," Blizzard said. "We need to have a talk."
"Can't it wait?" Luffy asked. "I'm eating."
"No," Blizzard replied, bluntly. "Now get off your ass and come outside with me. NOW."
Luffy seemed a bit confused at how angry Blizzard sounded, but simply brushed it off as nothing. So, after he wiped his face with the table cloth (much to Sanji's irritation), the captain followed the wolf-dog outside onto the lawn deck.
"So what's up?" Luffy asked.
"Okay, Luffy," Blizzard said. "Something just had to be said about this, all right?"
"About what?" Luffy asked.
"About you!" Blizzard replied. "Luffy, I may not have grown up with you, but I've known you long enough to realize that you're completely reckless!"
"Reckless?" Luffy asked. "What's that? Some kind of cake?"
"Are you kidding me, Luffy?!" Blizzard questioned. "You don't even know what being reckless IS?! Man, you really are a moron!"
"Hey!" Luffy exclaimed.
At that moment, Nami happened to come outside after finishing drawing a map of the island, but when she spotted Luffy and Blizzard on deck, she just stood there, watching them, although a bit confused about what Blizzard was saying consider the face that he is a dog.
"Luffy," Blizzard began, "when someone is being reckless, it means they're being absolutely careless and indifferent to danger! Take today, for example. You just blindly charged that Marine Commander, even though you saw that he had a giant sword that could've easily cleaved you in half!"
"Well, yeah," Luffy answered, "but it didn't. I only cut me in the side."
"That's not the point, Luffy!" Blizzard shouted.
"Why are you yelling at me?" Luffy questioned. "I'm not yelling, so why are you?!"
Soon, Zoro, Robin, and Franky came out on deck as well, watching Luffy and Blizzard beginning to argue.
"Look Luffy!" Blizzard said. "All I'm saying is that you're being too headstrong! One of these days, it could cost your life!"
"So what?!" Luffy asked. "I've cheated Death before!"
"Well, maybe one day, Death won't give you a chance!" Blizzard argued. "Dammit, Luffy, you can't keep taking all these risks! Think about your dream! Dammit, think about your CREW!"
Before long, Chopper, Brook, Usopp, and Sanji came outside next to watch the spectacle.
"Why do you think I take all these risks, you stupid dog?!" Luffy questioned. "I'm not doing it to kill myself! I'm doing it to protect the people I hold dear to me! Even if it means losing my life, then that's fine with me!"
"WELL IT'S NOT FINE WITH ME AND IT'S PROBABLY NOT FINE WITH THE OTHERS, EITHER!" Blizzard barked.
"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU YELLING?!" Luffy shouted. "I'M NOT YELLING, SO WHY ARE YOU?!"
"BECAUSE YOU'RE PISSING ME OFF, THAT'S WHY!" Blizzard shouted.
"WELL, YOU'RE PISSING ME OFF, TOO!" Luffy yelled.
"Oh, really?" Blizzard asked. "Well, what are you gonna do about it, Luffy?! You gonna punch me, like you did to Usopp?!"
Luffy's eyes went wide. A vein appeared on his forehead as he clenched his hands into tight fist. POW! Before Blizzard knew it, he found Luffy's knuckles connecting with his jaw. KRASH! The wolf-dog was sent crashing into a wall, much to everyone's shock.
"Oh, no, not this again!" Usopp exclaimed, remembering a certain incident that happened in Water 7.
"Luffy, are you crazy?!" Franky questioned.
Blizzard pulled himself out of the hole in the wall that he had made, and looked at Luffy, who sent him a vicious glare.
"You…bastard…!" the wolf-dog hissed.
"Come and get me, you damn fleabag," Luffy said.
GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWRR! Blizzard roared before he charged at Luffy, who got into a fighting stance.
"Luffy! Blizzard!" Chopper cried to his two big brothers. "STOP!"
WHAM! Blizzard tackled Luffy and rammed him right into the wall behind him, but since the captain was made of rubber, it didn't really faze him as much as the wolf-dog thought, but right now, it didn't really matter to him. All he knew was that he was in a fight…one he wished he didn't have to get into.
BAM! Luffy managed to catch Blizzard off guard with a swift punch to the jaw, causing him to stagger backwards, and at that moment, Luffy charged at the wolf-dog, stretching his arm back and twisting it around as he did.
"Gum GUUUUUUUM…RIFLE!"
POW! Luffy punched Blizzard, smack in the middle of his chest. If Blizzard weren't so resilient, then that punch would've definitely stopped his heart. The wolf-dog only retaliated with a fierce bite to Luffy's shoulder.
"GAH!" Luffy cried in pain before he pushed Blizzard off and then tackled him onto the deck.
"LUFFY! STOP!" Zoro called.
"YOU'LL OPEN YOUR STITCHES!" Nami yelled.
"Steel FANG!" Blizzard shouted as he turned his fangs black with his Armaments Haki and bit down on Luffy's ankle and proceeded to thrash him around. Luffy quickly made him let go when he kicked him right in the eye. The wolf-dog yowled in pain before he growled at the captain, his left eye twitching in pain before he lunged at Luffy and tackled him again.
Before long, the crew decided that it was probably best to break this up now before it got too far, so they ran to stop their two crewmates. Nami, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp held Luffy while Chopper, in Heavy Point form, Robin, Franky, and Brook held Blizzard back. The two fighting Straw Hats growled at each other, struggling to get free from their crewmates.
"Lemme go!" Luffy snapped. "This fleabag needs to be taught a lesson!"
"Forget it, Luffy!" Usopp argued.
"Whatever the damn Mutt said, let it go!" Zoro added.
"Get the hell outta my way!" Blizzard barked, although the only one who can understand him is Chopper.
"Blizzard, stop it!" Chopper shouted. "Leave Luffy alone!"
"Luffy, you still need to rest!" Nami said. "If you get into another scrape like that, your stitches will come open and your guts will spill out!"
"Now you probably get what I mean, huh, Luffy?!" Blizzard questioned.
Luffy pushed Nami, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp off of himself, and Blizzard did the same to Chopper, Robin, Franky, and Brook.
"Listen, Blizzard!" Luffy snapped. "I'm the captain and you're my dog! You can't tell me what to do!"
"I'm just trying to look out for you!" Blizzard argued. "What'll it take to get you to realize that?!"
"I can take care of myself!" Luffy spat. "You're my dog, not my babysitter, and if you don't like it…"
"Luffy, wait!" Zoro said.
"Don't say it!" Usopp cried.
"THEN YOU CAN JUST LEAVE!" Luffy shouted.
All of time seemed to a complete standstill. The Straw Hats stared at Luffy, shocked and horrified by his words. Even Luffy covered his mouth when he realized what he had just said, but no one was more shocked, more horrified…and more heartbroken…than Blizzard.
"…you idiot," Sanji whispered, a hand slapped on his forehead.
"B…Blizzard," Luffy muttered. "I didn't-"
"…you know what, Luffy?" Blizzard asked. "Forget it, all right? I can tell when I'm not wanted anymore."
"But Blizzard, I didn't mean it!" Luffy said. "I was only-"
"SHUT UP!" Blizzard barked at Luffy. "I don't care…I don't care what you say anymore. As of today, Luffy…I'm not your dog, anymore. And Chopper?"
Chopper gasped.
"…take care of yourself," Blizzard said, and with that, the wolf-dog ran down the gangplank and off into the island's dense forest.
"NO!" Luffy cried as he attempted to run after him, only to be held back by Zoro.
"No, Luffy!" the swordsman said. "Stop! Let him go!"
"NO!" Luffy screamed as tears began to well up in his eyes. "LEMME GO! LET GO OF ME! STOP IT!"
The more Luffy struggled to get out of Zoro's grasp, the tighter Zoro held onto Luffy, refusing to let go of him. Eventually, the captain broke out into ear-piercing sobs and fell to his knees. Zoro let his arms go by then, allowing Luffy to curl up and cry, and Chopper, in Brain Point form, soon joined him.
"…I'm sorry, Blizzard~!" Luffy whispered as he sobbed. "I'm so sorry!"
Little did Luffy that Blizzard had not gone too far away. He is actually sitting behind one of the trees closest to the Sunny, and when he heard Luffy's heart-wrenching, he couldn't help but shed tears, as well.
I'm sorry, Luffy, he thought as he turned and walked away, and no sooner had he done so that it began to rain.
XXX
It has been almost seven hours since Blizzard's supposed defection from the Straw Hat Pirates. The rain continued to pour down hard outside. The crew had gone inside, taking shelter from the downpour. However, anyone could tell that the tension in the atmosphere is very thick, and it wasn't just because of the rain.
Luffy had shut himself away from the crew inside his and Nami's room, lying on the bed, refusing to let anyone enter but Nami. One might think that because it was so quiet, the captain had simply cried himself to sleep. On the contrary, Luffy is very much awake. He just couldn't sleep after what happened earlier this afternoon.
To him, it was bad enough Usopp when he got into that fight with Usopp on Water 7, but it was even worse knowing that he had just pretty much told his best canine friend to leave the crew. As if that wasn't worse enough, but Chopper suddenly stopped talking to Luffy, saying that he wanted nothing to do with the captain. Luffy didn't blame him, though. He knew how close Blizzard and Chopper were, and the latter had the right to be angry.
He just wished that he could go back in time and stopped himself from saying what he had said. Hell, if he could, he'd stop himself into getting into that fight with Blizzard, period, but he couldn't.
All he could is lie in bed, overwhelmed with heartache.
Just then, KNOCK! KNOCK! There came a knock on the door.
"Luffy? It's me."
"…come in," Luffy answered.
Nami opened the door, a plate of meat in her other hand.
"Hey," the navigator greeted her beau. "I brought you some meat, just in case you were hungry."
"…I'll pass, thanks," said Luffy.
Nami sighed before she placed the meat on the nightstand, went around the bed to her side, sat down next to Luffy, and gently pulled him onto her lap.
"…my tummy hurts," Luffy said, simply.
"I know, I know," Nami said as she began to gently rub Luffy's belly, but even that didn't seem to cheer him up like it usually did. "You poor baby. I just hate seeing you like this."
"…I didn't mean to say it, Nami," said Luffy. "I didn't really want Blizzard to leave. I-I was just so mad and-"
"Shh~!" Nami shushed Luffy, gently petting his head. "There, there. It's gonna be okay. It'll be all right."
"…I wanna go look for him, Nami," said Luffy as he began to tear up, again. "I wanna go out there and find him, but Zoro said I can't. He said that I would be a bad captain if I did! But I don't care! I want my dog back, Nami! I WANT MY DOG BACK!"
"Luffy, calm down!" Nami cried as she tried to get her captain to settle down. "Please! You have to calm down, honey!"
"I WANT BLIZZARD BACK~!" Luffy screamed before he broke into sobs, again.
At that moment, Zoro came in, and needless, he did not look please at all.
"What are you doing in here?!" Zoro asked Nami. "What part of 'He needs to be left alone' do you not understand?!"
"Zoro, he needs me right now!" Nami argued.
"Dammit, Nami, he does not need your freaking pity!" Zoro remarked. "If he's gonna cry like a baby, then don't help him!"
"GET OUT!" Nami shouted. "JUST GET OUT, ZORO, OR I'M RAISING YOUR DEBT!"
Zoro growled before he turned and left, slamming the door behind him. By the time he left…Luffy had tired himself out, and all Nami could do was watch him, and soon, she burst into tears, as well.
"Oh, Luffy…!" she said as she held her captain and began to cry.
XXX
It had to be at least 11 o'clock at night…and the rain is still pouring down.
Most of the Straw Hats had already gone to sleep for the night. Nami said that tomorrow, the crew would be leaving the island, for she knew that it was only a matter of time until the Marines find out where they are, and she didn't want to take chances.
However, one Straw Hat is wide awake: the captain himself.
Luffy lied in his and Nami's bed, the latter in a deep sleep beside him. The captain just couldn't bring himself to fall asleep, now, as tired as he was from fighting and crying all day. The thought of Blizzard being left alone on the island…it just continued to eat at him from the inside out. He just couldn't let this go, no matter how hard he tried.
Zoro told him it was pointless to think about Blizzard.
"He's not one of us, anymore," he said. "You're only making a mistake if you go after him."
Luffy clenched at the blanket and chewed his lip to the point where a tiny drop of blood trickled from it. Soon, he threw the covers off himself and got out of bed, being careful not to disturb Nami.
"I have to go and find Blizzard," said Luffy. "If I can't convince him to come back, I should at least say goodbye to him."
With that, the captain left his and Nami's quarters, crept passed the slumbering Zoro and Robin, who are now sharing the women's quarters together, and went out into the pouring rain. Once he walked off the gangplank, he headed deep into the forest.
Little did he know that a certain swordsman happened to see him, and he could only sigh in exasperation.
"I thought that idiot learned his lesson, the last time," said Zoro before he went back into his and Robin's room. "Oh, well. It's not my problem, now."
XXX
"Blizzard!" Luffy called as he walked through the forest, the rain still pouring down onto the earth, which had now become wet, slippery mud. By this time, the rainstorm had gone into a full blown thunderstorm, but that did not deter Luffy one bit.
He had to find Blizzard before he left. It wouldn't be fair to just leave him here without a word. Even if Blizzard said he isn't Luffy's dog anymore, Luffy still saw him as such.
"BLIZZARD~!" Luffy called. "WHERE ARE YOU~?!"
The only answer he got was the clap of thunder.
"Where are you, Blizzard?" Luffy asked as he wandered out into an empty meadow. "Please…I'm really sorry. You know I say things I don't mean when I get mad, sometimes! I…I don't know what I'd do without you…who's gonna lick peanut butter off my toes? Who's gonna chase seagulls and roll around in the mud with me? Who's gonna fight bad guys with me?! I…I just want you back, Blizzard."
A pause came, but then, Luffy heard the sound of foliage rustling. He gasped and turned around, smiling hopefully.
"Blizzard?" he asked, beaming.
Wrong.
Out of the shadows came a whole army of Marines, and not just any Marines, but the same Marines he and the crew fought with, this morning. Luffy gasped, this time out of surprise and shock.
"Y…you guys aren't Blizzard!" Luffy said.
"No…we're not."
Luffy turned around and saw a shadowy figure step out in front of all the other soldiers, and he is revealed to be a tall, rather burly man, a bit like Hamburg of the Foxy Pirates, just less giggly and had a more chiseled face and a Fu Man Chu mustache. He wears a dark blue suit with black pinstripes, a Marine coat draped over his shoulders, a mop of auburn hair atop his head, and in his hand…a large zanbato.
He is Commander Olaf, the man who delivered that near-fatal wound to Luffy earlier this morning.
"Well, well," said Olaf. "If it isn't Straw Hat Luffy? I thought we'd find you running away to this island to lick your wounds. What's wrong, Straw Hat? Looking for your little lost doggie~?"
"Shut up!" Luffy said. "I don't even wanna deal with you guys right now!"
"Don't want to fight, eh?" asked Olaf. "Not so tough now without White Wolf to help you, are you?"
"What are you talking about?!" Luffy asked. "I don't need Blizzard!"
"Really?" asked Olaf. "Then prove it. Men! Attack! I want Straw Hat Luffy in chains!"
The Marines charged at Luffy, who took a fighting stance. As soon as the Marines drew closer, Luffy stretched out his leg and kicked them out of his way. However, a few more came, armed with sabers.
"Take THIS!" Luffy shouted as he stretched his arms out and punched from both sides. He then turned and saw another come up behind with a spike ball mace.
"Gum Gum…BELL!"
Luffy stretched his neck back and slammed his head into the Marine's head, knocking him out cold. As he turned to face three more Marines from behind, PLURT! Blood suddenly squirted out through his bandages. Luffy grunted in pain and clutched at his right side. As he pulled his hand away, he saw a fair amount of blood that had spilled on his palm.
"Dammit…!" Luffy cursed. "My stitches opened up!"
"Something the matter, Straw Hat?" asked Olaf.
"I…I'm just fine!" Luffy retorted, albeit still clutching his reopened wound.
"Prove it, then," said Olaf as he held up his zanbato. "Face me."
Luffy growled before he charged at Olaf, his fist held up.
"Gum Gum…PISTOL!" he shouted before he stretched out his arm in attempt to deliver a hard punch to Olaf's jaw. Instead, his fist ended up bouncing off the side of the blade.
"What the hell?!" Luffy questioned.
"Is that the best you've got?!" Olaf asked. "I really thought that a man with 400 million on his head could do better than this!"
"I'm just getting started!" Luffy barked. "Armaments Hardening!"
SHEEN! Luffy's arms became black and hard as iron, and he stretched them back behind himself.
"Gum GUUUUUUUM…BAZOOKA!"
POW! Luffy's hardened palms landed right smack in Olaf's stomach, causing him to cough up blood. However, Luffy soon felt a wave of pain as he clutched at his open wound and felt his own blood beginning to seep out, again.
Olaf growled as he held up his zanbato and began to bring it back down on Luffy, who looked up and somersaulted out of the way, causing the huge blade to hit the ground and form a crater.
Unfortunately, when Luffy landed on the ground, he ended up slipping on the ground because of the rain, and as if that wasn't bad enough, more blood came spilling out of his wound. Luffy suddenly found his vision beginning to blur, and the whole world started spinning around him.
"What's wrong, Straw Hat?" asked Olaf. "Out of breath, already?"
Luffy struggled to stand up, but it looked like the loss of blood had finally taken its toll on him. He could only drop to the ground, still grasping his side. His breathing became labored as he tried to keep himself together, but with every move he attempted to make, the more blood that came spilling out of him. Suddenly, he couldn't take anymore. He just lied down on the ground in seeming defeat.
Olaf snickered as he approached Luffy, holding his zanbato beside him.
"This is the true power of Straw Hat Luffy?" he asked. "What a joke." He then lifted his zanbato over his head, and his men watched as the Marine Commander prepared to deliver the finishing blow.
"Yeah! Do it Commander!"
"Finish Straw Hat!"
"Lop his head off!"
Luffy weakly lifted his head to look at Olaf, who prepared to bring the zanbato down on his head.
"That bounty of yours is mine," he said. "Say goodnight, Straw Hat Luffy!"
Just when Olaf was about to make due with that promise, AWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~! An eerie howl began to fill the air, and then, out of nowhere, a white blur whizzed passed the Marines and tackled Olaf.
Luffy weakly raised his head up again, but because his vision started to thin out, all he could make out were the sounds of Olaf's screams of pain and horror, as well as vicious growling and barking, the sound of sharp teeth tearing into flesh, followed by more screams and the sound of footsteps that got softer and softer, and then…silence. Luffy saw a white shape approaching him, and a voice calling his name…but then…nothing.
Everything went black.
XXX
"…fy? Lu…y! Luffy, wake up! Wake up!"
Luffy let out a small moan as he opened his eyes. The first thing he sees is a wooden ceiling, and when he looked to his right, he saw Nami, Chopper, as well as the rest of the crew, who smiled at him.
"Guys?" Luffy asked. "Ugh…w-where am I?"
"You're back on the Sunny," Nami answered.
Luffy attempted to sit up in the bed, but Nami eased back down against the pillow.
"You shouldn't get up," Nami said. "Chopper said you lost a lot of blood after you reopened your wound."
"When we found out the Marines were on the island we were on, we had to hightail it outta there," said Zoro.
"But wait," Luffy said. "I was in the middle of the forest. How did you guys find me?"
"We didn't," Robin answered.
"He did," Usopp added as he pointed to the door. Luffy followed his gaze and saw, to his surprise, that it is none other than Blizzard.
"…Blizzard?" Luffy asked.
"…hey, Luffy," said Blizzard, although with a hint of guilt and sadness in his voice.
It felt like a whole hour went by before Luffy said anything.
"Guys?" Luffy asked. "Could you…give us some alone time?"
"Sure, Luffy," said Nami, and soon, the entire crew filed out the door, leaving Luffy and Blizzard alone.
An awkward pause. Luffy scratched the back of his head, as if trying to find the right words to say. Just when he was about to open his mouth to speak…
"Okay, I'm sorry," Blizzard said, suddenly. "I'm sorry I started yelling at you, Luffy, okay? It wasn't in my place to do that."
"…but Blizzard," Luffy said.
"No!" Blizzard barked. "Don't try and say it was your fault! You're the captain…I'm your dog. I'm not supposed to go against your ways. Usopp made that mistake, and you guys were just about to abandon him, even though you didn't want to."
"But we didn't," said Luffy.
"That's not the point, Luffy," said Blizzard. "…I just wanted you to stop being so reckless all the time, that's all."
Luffy stared at Blizzard before he reached over and gently pet him on the head, much to the wolf-dog's surprise.
"…I don't really mean to be reckless," said Luffy. "It's just…you know that I'm just trying to look out for the people I care about."
"And I can understand that," Blizzard said, "but…don't you think you're being a little inconsiderate?"
"What do you mean?" Luffy asked.
"Well…what about the people that care about you?" asked Blizzard. "Like me, and Nami, and Chopper, and Zoro, and everyone else?"
Luffy looked down, as if to think for a minute, but then he looked at Blizzard again.
"Luffy, there are a lot of reasons why I go out of my way to protect you," said Blizzard, "but I'll just name a few, 'cause I know you'll fall asleep if I told them all. First of all…I don't wanna see this crew without a captain to lead it. Second…I don't want Nami to be widowed before she even marries you."
"Wait, you know we're engaged?" Luffy asked.
"No, I didn't," said Blizzard with a smirk. "You just told me."
Luffy slapped his palm against his forehead.
"Relax," said Blizzard. "Your secret's safe with me."
"Thanks," Luffy said.
"And most importantly," Blizzard started, "…I don't want a lose another master."
Luffy's eyes went wide.
"Now you know, right?" Blizzard asked. "I mean…I know I probably can't change you Luffy, but that doesn't mean I can't stop worrying about you. I hope you understand that, now."
"…I do," Luffy said. "And…if it means that much to you…I'll try and stop being so reckless, so much."
"You promise?" asked Blizzard.
"Yeah," Luffy answered.
"…in that case," said Blizzard, "can I…be your dog again?"
Luffy smiled at Blizzard, a tear forming in his eye.
"Of course you can, you stupid fleabag," he said tearfully.
Blizzard tearfully smiled before he went over to Luffy, who sat up and embraced the wolf-dog's neck.
"I love you, buddy," said Luffy as his tears spilled out of his eyes.
"I love you, too, Luffy," said Blizzard. "Let's never fight like that, again, okay?"
"Okay," Luffy agreed.
That night, Nami and Chopper went to go check on Luffy, but when they did, they found Blizzard curled up on the floor with Luffy lying on the wolf-dog's side, wrapped up in the blanket. All they could do was smile at them before they left them to rest. Even though these two best friends had a huge disagreement, at least they were able to forgive and forget in the end.
Too bad Zoro had Sanji take away Blizzard's peanut butter privileges for three weeks as punishment for fighting with Luffy.
THE END
Sorry I took so long updating my little one shots collection. Also, sorry if the fight scenes were a bit too short. This probably isn't my best work.
Anyway, I only have one week of school left! I'll be graduating on the 18th! Wish me luck!
Review, please!