I dreamed about a younger Chopper running from angry villagers and a strange man running beside him, I was about 16 and seemed to be viewing these things with my own eyes, curled up on a couch, there was... something cold in my hands and I seemed to be eating it. I had a feeling... I was waiting for someone.

I took a bite of what was in my hands, staring intently at the picture on the screen as Chopper and this man, doctor Hiriluk, seemed to repeat the pattern elsewhere, I laughed, it was quite funny really, but there was something about the whole situation that seemed to bother me. I shifted setting down what I could now identify as a bowl, and stood up, walking over to the tv and stopping the show on the screen. I pulled a disk from the dvd player and placed it in a box.

I shut that box and picked up another one, and stopped. I looked over across what seemed to be a large kitchen at a plain wooden door, then at a clock. "He's late..." I said softly, "She's late... they're both late..." I got a feeling in the pit of my stomach that this was a normal occurrence. It wasn't right, but at least I could take care of myself. I set down the box and went back to the couch. I glanced at the clock again, and bit my thumbnail.

A door creaked open somewhere behind me, I didn't turn to look, my eyes were glued to that door. I only glanced away when a tall blond haired man slinked into my peripheral vision. He just walked right passed me and into the kitchen. I stared between the man and the door.

He looked around the kitchen, "You didn't cook anything?" He sounded disappointed, the man was some relation of my mother, I was staying with him while my parents were away. He turned to me, a frown on his face.

I stared at him. He stared back. I glanced at the clock.

Something dawned on him, and he laughed his incredibly creepy laugh, well, creepy isn't quite the word, just... odd I guess. "Heh heh heh heh!"

I shifted slightly, there was obviously something I wasn't getting. "Hm?"

After he was done with his laughing fit he smiled, "I forgot to tell you, Riza called. She said that the meeting is running long so she and your fath-"

"Step-father." I corrected.

He smiled wider, "Right, forgot that John's not Shawn." He leaned against one of the counter top. "The way Riza treats him, he might as well be."

"He's not dad." I grabbed the now bowl of ice cream soup off the floor. "What did mom call about?"

"Anyway the meeting is running long, she's not going to be picking you up for another few hours."

I sighed, "Give me a moment and I'll have something made."

He moved out of the kitchen, "You spoil me."

"Go back into your cave," I said, referring to his room, "To much exposure to the outside world might make you break out in hives." He only ever came out around dinner time. He didn't even come out when I arrived.

He turned and laughed, waving a hand, "Knock twice when dinner's ready."

"Knock twice when dinner is ready." I mocked him, "Heh heh heh heh! I forgot to tell you, Riza called." I started work on dinner.

"Your impression needs work!" He shouted before I heard the door shut.

I stuck my tongue out at his door. Then things went fuzzy.

My nose twitched. I could smell the smoke on someone's clothes. I rolled over in the bed, "Go away, Benn..." I moaned, pulling the pillow over my head, "Tell Shanks I've got a hangover or something."

"Hm?" A confused voice that definitely did not belong to the first mate of the Red Hair Pirates said, "I don't know who you're talking about, Leanah dear."

I removed the pillow and looked at Sanji, "Sorry... Thought you were someone else for a second... all this dreaming is getting me confused."

He held up a cup to me, "Here, I made you this green tea, it should help you relax, maybe even quiet those dreams you've been having."

I sat up and took the very hot cup from the chef, quickly switching to holding the rim so I didn't burn my fingers, "Thank you, Sanji, you really didn't have to."

The chef blushed and smiled, "Oh, it's no problem for a beautiful woman such as yourself."

"Hey, you." Doctorine said from the door, "I don't recall you ask permission to use my kitchen."

Sanji looked back at her, "Madam," I winced, this wasn't going to end well for him, "I made a dish for you as well, it's supposed to make you look years ye-AAHH!" In a flash she kicked Sanji and he flew into a wall.

"I'm not a madam." She said, walking over and standing between my bed and Nami's, "I'm a swingin' single still in the prime of youth. Don't forget it."

Nami smiled, "Not a day over 139, right?"

"DOCTORINE!" Chopper shouted from the hallway, "SAVE ME FROM THIS LUNITIC!" He ran into the room with Luffy hot on his tail.

"Wait! Hold on!" It didn't seem like Luffy wanted to eat him this time, but actually had something other than food on his mind.

Chopper jumped through a door, leaving a Chopper-shaped hole in it. Luffy just hit the door and fell over. Soon Chopper ran back out, hiding behind one of Doctorine's legs as Luffy followed.

"Wait.." Nami said, staring at our captain, "What are you doing, Luffy?"

Luffy had Chopper cornered, "This guy's gonna join us and be our friend!" Chopper dashed to the left, Luffy still followed.

"Doesn't seem like he wants too..." I mused, sipping the tea I had received.

"Really!?" Nami said, "Great!"

Once again Chopper took refuge behind Doctorine's legs, "I didn't say I'd do that!"

Luffy leaned in front of Chopper, "Sure you did!"

I blew on the tea, "So Luffy just heard what he wanted..."

"No I didn't!"

"Did!"

"Didn't!" They ran circles around a now very annoyed looking Kureha, "Be quiet, both of you!" They stopped bickering, but Luffy was still chasing the reindeer, eventually they left the room again. "Friend, huh?" Kureha mused, "If only he knew... what friend means to someone who's been through what Chopper has..." She sighed, "Poor guy."

We all watched the doctor, a silent, unasked question hung in the air. What's the story? What doesn't he know?

Kureha glanced back at us, then back out the door, "When he was out there, on his own, there was only one human that he ever really opened up too. That man's name, was doctor Hiriluk."

Didn't I just have a dream about a doctor Hiriluk? I thought.

"He was a crazy quack, but he named Chopper, and called him his son."

I didn't want to rush my tea, but the story that was going to by told next almost made me want to.

Doctor Kureha told a tale that could be considered even more heart breaking than the first, a tale of a reindeer human who had turned his back on everything, and a doctor who wished for nothing more than to heal the sick and injured.

Sanji had gone to get me more tea, I sat in silence, thinking again.

"Hey! If you keep that look on your face, I'll be forced to make you smile!"

I looked up, expecting to see Shanks with a beer glass in his hand, but he wasn't there. Hm... I love traveling with Luffy and his group, I have a place here, even if I don't quite know what it is yet, but I just know I do. I stared at my empty cup, But... Shanks and his crew... I guess I felt at home with them too. Gah! I'm thinking to much! I shook my head, What I need right now is a nice glass of wine.

And as soon as I thought that, Sanji walked over and refilled my tea. I sighed, it wasn't what I was hoping for, but it would have to do. I sipped the tea, not caring about how hot it was.

Nami looked at Kureha, "So... What happened next? Between Chopper and doctor Hiriluk?"

Doctor Kureha smiled, it was small, and yet very respectful. She continued the story of Hiriluk and Chopper.

Tony Tony Chopper, a new name given to the reindeer by someone he just met, and was slowly learning to understand. I could understand that. I could understand that perfectly. I sipped my tea, Yeah. I know just how you feel on that front, Chopper. I thought, Or... I imagine I do... I shifted, wanting to listen more intently to the story.

"The good times passed in the twinkling of an eye. And then..." Something changed in her voice, it got heavier, she leaned forward grabbing her bottle of- what I could now tell was- plum sake, she took a long drink. When she was done drinking the moment still hung in the air, "It finally came time to saw farewell. As it always does in the end."

I could picture it perfectly.

A healed Chopper, having spent so long in the company of this man he came to love and trust, only to be chased off. A tearful parting, one that must have hurt both Chopper and Hiriluk, a true attachment cannot be made one way, every attachment goes both ways.

She stood up and move to make a fire. "Of course... The quack thought he was doing the right thing. He didn't want Chopper to worry. After all, the idiot wasn't healed, he was still dying." She stoked the flames, staring into them with a look I couldn't place. She stabbed at the fire, "However... the story of these two outcasts doesn't have a happy ending." Doctorine stood up again, walked over to her chair and sat down. "When he found out Hiriluk only had ten days to live, Chopper got very upset, as you might imagine. It was only natural, but then he decided to take action the only way he knew how."

"He tried to find a cure..." I guessed.

The doctor nodded, "He tried to find some damn cure-all myth." Kureha frowned, "What he did get was the Amiudaki. a mushroom that kills you less than 12 hours after you eat it. And the idiot ate it away..." She sighed, "He ultimately went to this castle after the king at the time set a trap for any doctors left, and blew himself up there, making this his grave. It's been six years since then."

"So for the six years since then, Chopper's been studying medicine under you." Nami was looking down processing the tale that was just told.

"Yeah... I taught him everything I know." Doctorine had completely changed from when she strated telling the tale to the end. Even after six years, it still hurt. "He's been a good student."

"Doctorine!" Chopper called from the halls, "Doctorine!" He was panicked, something big must've happened that wasn't Luffy. He burst open the door, he looked more like a reindeer now as opposed to the other form I had seen him in, "Doctorine, there's trouble, he's here!" He looked up, "Wapol is back!"

I stared at Chopper, "Wa..pol?"

Doctorine just smiled, "Is he?" She stood up, "Well, it seems I have some more guest to attend to. You all stay here." She walked out of the room, "Chopper, follow me!"

I pursed my lips, "To heck with that!" I stood up and grabbed my coat, pulling it on. "I'm going out there."

Sanji pulled out a cigarette and lit it, "I'll go too."

I checked under the bed, and around it, then the cabinet on the other side of the room. "What are you looking for?" Nami asked.

"My swords..." I said, still picking though the cabinet, "I can't find them..."

"Here," Sanji held out a rapier, "Use this."

I stared at it, then him, "You really know nothing about swords, do you?"

The chef shrugged, tossing it back in a small pile of weaponry. I walked over and picked through that, I didn't find Ami or Ana, but I did find a different katana, I supposed it was good enough and walked out the door with Sanji following.

We ran to the gates, and saw that it was in fact Wapol, and those two guys who shouted at us from the ship.

"Hm?" Sanji slumped, "Not these guys again..."

Luffy, who was coatless, was staring at the ground, "Last time I ran in to you guys I couldn't fight because I had to protect my friends. but now..." He looked up, "Ooooohhh you guys are so gonna get it!" He laughed.

I assume Luffy had already thrown the first punch, seeing as Wapol was on the ground and his two.. attendants, I guess, were kneeling by his sides. "How dare you!" The deeper voice one shouted, "Do you know who you just attacked? This is no lowly commoner! This is Wapol, the king and absolute ruler of Drum Kingdom!"

"That's right!" The high voiced one said, "Show some respect! He's this country's monarch, how dare you do something like that to his most excellent of Excellencies? For shame!"

"The country he was king of died!" I shouted back, I was about to say something more, but Luffy cut me off.

"Who cares!?" He stretched his cheeks out, "He ticked me off again!" I could imagine that he was sticking his tongue out at them.

"So I take it you've run afoul of Wapol before, Young man." Doctorine said.

Luffy let go of his cheeks and turned to her, "I sure have! He's that annoying big mouth pirate!"

"What did he do?" She asked.

Luffy stomped, "He ate part of our ship! And then he attacked me and my friends! This guy's got it coming, and I'm going to give it to him."

"OK," Sanji started, "But before you do that..."

"Aren't you a little chilly without a coat?" I finished, stressing some words to hopefully help it sink in.

"You know... cold?" Sanji ventured.

It seemed to sink in, Luffy turned back to Wapol, "Hey! Did he say he was a king?! But I thought he was a pirate!"

I facepalmed, "Idiot..."

"Took you long enough!" Sanji yelled.

"Ha," The deeper voiced one said, "So you're disrespectful and have wax in your ears. But yeah, Wapol is the king of Drum Kingdom, when you met him before he was temporarily a pirate for his own reasons. But no longer."

"That's right." Now that I was actually paying attention to them, the higher voiced one, who was now talking, looked sort of like and odd jester. "King Wapol's pirate days are behind him, and so he's returned to claim both his castle and his country." The other guy looked sort of like a boxer if a boxers gloves and helmet were made of hair.

"Wah! It's freezing out here!" Luffy said, crossing his arms for warmth as he shivered.

"You really are an idiot!" Sanji said, looking like he was ready to hit Luffy.

"Honestly, Luffy..."

"Yeah, It's 50 below zero!" Chopper stared at our captain.

I shook my head, "Go get a coat, Luffy, I won't have you almost getting frostbite again."

He was already gone.

Wapol finally got to his feet, "Straw-hat, you've got some nerve! Just wait. I'm going to bite you into pieces!"

We all looked back at Wapol and his group, Sanji raised a hand, "Uh, sorry, but you'll have to hang on for just a minute, he had to go get a coat." It was perfectly polite and respectful on Sanji's part, Wapol didn't take it that way.

"IS THIS A JOKE?!"

"Tell me," Chopper said suddenly.

"Eh?" I looked at the reindeer.

"Your friend... he can stretch himself... How?"

Sanji briefly glanced up, "Oh, that. It's because he's a rubber man."

Chopper was shocked, "What the heck is that?"

Sanji and I glanced at each other, then smiled, looking back at Chopper, and simultaneously said, "It's a monster."

Chopper blinked at us as Wapol seemed to get a grip on the situation. Sort of. He put on an over confident smirk, "Well, Well, it looks like we're up against that old hag, a reindeer and a few of the Straw Hats. Not that much of a challenge. This should be over quickly, and once we've eliminated them there won't be anyone foolhardy enough to defy me!"

"Of course, sir." The jester one said, "Today will be remembered as the day you return Drum kingsom to it's former glory."

Wapol looked at our small group. "I'll start with you, doctor Kureha. You've committed a major offense by moving into my castle, and even a grater one by flying that strange flag." I looked up, straining my neck to see a jolly roger flying where a kingdom flag might. I chuckled.

"It's not yours!" She shouted, "Not anymore, it's Hiriluk's grave." There it was, the reason a woman like her would stay in a large place like this. "I had no interest in this run down place, what with all the bad things you did here, but we could use it to do some good, and the reindeer insisted on flying the doctor's flag."

"Besides, you can't bring back something that died!" I shouted, "Drum Kingdom died the day you abandoned it when Blackbeard and his crew attacked!"

Wapol ignored me entirely and laughed, "Ah! I had almost forgotten that fool!" I tensed, now he had certainly gone to far. The "king's" facial expression changed, "How dare you desecrate my castle by flying the flag of that stupid doctor!"

"Stupid!?" I screeched, shifting into a fighting stance, "Why I outta-!" Sanji grabbed my shoulder. I calmed down.

"I command it be burned immediately!" The "king" shouted.

Chopper stared down at the snow, then he began to grow. "I'll never let you touch that flag, or get inside this castle..." The reindeer was steadily changing form. "Never!" He was now a whole lot taller than I was. Another form.

Now I knew what Chopper could do, the human-human fruit was a Zoan-type, The form he was in while he was pulling the sleigh must have been his reindeer form, the form he'd been walking around in all this time must be his hybrid form and the the form I was seeing then was his human form. I have to admit, it was pretty cool.

"Look sir," The jester said, "It's that-"

"You're right!" The other one interrupted, "It is him, it's that doctor's monster. The one Dalton stopped."

"That flag there," Chopper continued, "It's a symbol of his faith. I won't let you take it down! Not now, not ever!" Anyone could tell he was dead serious.

Wapol laughed, "We're going to take it and all of you down! And we're going into the castle. Show them no mercy boys!"

His two attendants stepped forward.

Sanji took a drag from his cigarette, then addressed Kureha."Old la-"

I gently elbowed Sanji, "Doctor-"

He rubbed his side, "You gonna fight too?"

She smiled, "If their more than you kids can handle, I'll step in." She laughed, "But the girl's still in no condition to fight."

I stared at her, "I'm just fine!" I gripped the borrowed sword, it didn't feel quite as familiar as Ami, but it would have to make do. Sanji and I stepped up beside Chopper.

The boxer one began speaking, "Don't worry, sir, we'll get them out of your hair. An' speakin' of hair!" He threw something in our direction.

It was headed straight for Doctor Kureha, "Doctorine!" Chopper shouted as the black projectile got closer.

Sanji stopped it with his leg at what could have been the last second. He looked at Wapol and his crew, "Hey big man with the Afro. Didn't your mother ever tell you it's not right to strike a lady? Especially not a hot young one?"

She laughed, "Now that's more like it, blondie."

I drew the sword. Readying to attack. Something wasn't right about this.

The attendant smiled, "What's that?"

"Huh?" Sanji stared at what you could now see was a giant ball of hair on his leg, he swung his leg, trying to get it off. "Damn! Why won't this stupid thing come off? What's making it stick to me!? Static electricity or something?!"

"Exactimundo!" The man said as he laughed.

Sanji continued to freak out. I sighed.

The attendant threw two more at Sanji, he tried desperately to get them off. "Reindeer, help!"

Chopper ran over, "I'm coming!"

"Get these things off of me!"

I walked over as Sanji and Chopper began trading the hair balls back and forth.

"Boys, stop!"

"Will you two stop messing around?"

Sanji froze for a second and I swiped my sword over one, it clung to the blade. "Ok... Not what I was expecting..."

"Ha!" The boxer guy smiled, "There's a reason I don't keep my hair conditioned."

"And it's a good one too," The jester raised his bow, readying an arrow, "Their dryness makes them burst into flames much easier." The head of the arrow caught on fire.

"How is that-?"

"Oh no!" Sanji said, "He's gonna burn these things!"

Chopper passed off the last one to Sanji, I still had on on my blade. "Here!" He said before running off.

Sanji got mad, "Hey wait, what are you doing!?"

I stared at my blade, a plan forming in my head.

"Decoy plan!" The reindeer shouted.

"Decoy plan?" Sanji stared at Chopper as he ran away, "Wait!? We're the decoys!?"

Abandoning plan time! I brushed the hair off on Sanji, "Sorry, you're the decoy!" I ran.

Sanji didn't have time to say anything before the jester fired the flaming arrow at him, catching one of the hair balls on fire. Sanji yelped and stood on one hand, using the other to scoop snow on to the burning area.

I felt more than a little bad that I had just sort of made him the decoy, but it felt right, in a very odd way.

The decoy plan Chopper had seemed to work fairly well, While they were all distracted by Sanji trying to stop the fire on his leg he ran from the side, airing to punch one of the three of them. It would have worked. If the attendant hadn't dodged and Wapol hadn't pushed him out of the way.

"Move!" The "king" shouted, opening his mouth wide and biting down on Chopper.

"Chopper!" I shouted, running towards them, "No you don't, you bastard!" I screamed, turning the sword in my hand, It was interesting not having Ana in my other hand, but it also felt oddly natural to only have one blade.

I noticed Chopper shrink back to his small form as opposed to stay in the large one. The two attendants got in my path, I twirled to avoid them, tripped over my own feet, and landed face first in the snow.

My coordination was still shot. But I served as a marvelous distraction so Sanji could shoot Luffy at Wapol and free Chopper.

I got up and brushed the snow off of me, then picked up the sword and sheathed it as I walked back to the castle.

"Not to shabby." Sanji said.

"Eh..." I chuckled, smiling at Sanji, "I guess we were both decoys in the end."

The chef nodded. Chopper looked at the three of us, "Uh. Thanks you guys. You were so amazing."

I looked at Luffy, "Yeah, I must admit that wa-"

"Hey!" Sanji shouted, pointing at Luffy's coat, "Wait just a minute! Isn't that Nami's coat you're wearing?"

The captain nodded, "Woah, look. Big-mouth guy is still alive! But his hippo is headed to the moon."

I turned around just in time to see something fly far out of sight, I prayed for the poor thing.

"TAKE IT OFF RIGHT NOW, JERK!" Sanji shouted.

I turned back and pried Sanji off of Luffy, "I'm sure he got Nami's permission before he took it, so just calm down, will ya?"

"But it's Nami's coat!"

I sighed, then rubbed my arms, "Burr, I'm a little chilly, even in my coat."

Sanji turned to me with hearts in his eyes, "Is there anything I can do to make you warmer?" he asked.

"Oh, I seem to have warmed up already."

Sanji seemed dejected until suddenly...

"-MY BIGGER APITITE!"

We all looked over at Wapol, "The hell? There's no possible way..."

But, it was apparently, as Wapol was standing up.

"Whoa... He got up." Luffy said in awe.

"Yeah, but how? You hit him pretty hard!" Sanji said.

"Guess he's tough?"

"My guess is that tin he's wearing... and probably all that fat, too." I crossed my arms.

"Chess, give me a list of what I ate today, and in the exact order than I ate it."

The jester pulled out a note book, Oh... so that's his name... He took out a small book. "Well sir, you started by eating two cannons on the ship, one sauteed in butter and the other raw." My eye twitched, this guy eats cannons? "Then it was a cannon ball and gun powder salad followed by the main course of a toasted cottage." He bowed.

"And you thought I ate a lot..." Luffy sweat dropped.

"You do." I said.

"But this guy's a bigger pig than you." Sanji chipped in.

Wapol glared at us. "You see straw hats, what ever I eat becomes a part of my body because of the Munch-Munch Fruit." He laughed evilly.

Chopper tensed up. "What's happening?"

Wapol began shifting. A chimney sprouted from his head.

"What the-?"

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Munch-munch shop!" Wapol shouted as his arms morphed into cannons and his body turned into a house. "The Wapol house!"

"A house!?"

"Oh my god!"

"AWWWESOOOOOOOOOOOMEEEEEEE!"

The "king" looked at Chess and the other attendant, "Now, if you'll excuse me," He said, most likely addressing us, "I have to eat!" He loomed over his attendants, "Behold! The power of the Munch-Munch Factory!"

He picked the two men up and shoved them into his mouth!

I was utterly disgusted by the scene playing out in front of me. "How crewel!"

"He's eating his own men!"

"That's so Meeeaaannn!"

After he was done... chewing them, steam billowed out of the cannons and the chimney from his head. He.. danced? Stepped? I don't know, moved from side to side. He stopped, and more steam billowed out.

"He's... stopped."

"But for how long? And why?" I asked.

"Feast your eyes on this! Come forth you miraculous union!" He smiled as the door from the house that replaced his stomach began to open slowly.

"Uh..." I was at a loss for words.

"What kind of union?!"

"Allow me to introduce myself." I winced at this new "voice". It sounded like Chess and the other guy were just talking in unison, and their voices didn't really enhance each other either. "Behold the strongest warrior in all of Drum Kingdom!"

When they stepped out... I couldn't believe it. They had just merged into one being, but... to me it looked more like someone had taken them apart with a seam ripper, and then asked a high school sewing student with ADD to put them back together. "Errr..."

"Chessmarimo, ha!" The "miraculous" union shouted.

"Miraculous union?" Sanji frowned.

"More like 'hideous union'." I said curtly.

"SWWWWEEEEEEETTT!" Luffy shouted.

Sanji got in Luffy's face, "It's ridiculous!"

"Just don't let your guard down." Doctorine warned.

Sanji and I looked over at her. "Hm?"

"They might look silly, but don't be fooled. They're tough. So tough the citizens couldn't stand against them." She paused, "That's how these guys were able to exile all the doctors."

Nothing can ever be easy can it? I sighed internally. A tense moment hung in the air, or... it would have been tense if Luffy could've shut his mouth.

"Article one of the Drum Kingdom Constitution: Those who don't follow the kings wishes will be put to death! That's the top law of this country, you refused my wishes and broke that law."

"How many times do we have to say it! This isn't-" I started shouting.

Wapol interrupted me, "Now you are all going to be punished for your crimes!" There was no reasoning with this guy. "But first I'm going to deal with that quack's flag soiling my regal castle! It's time I take that thing down!" Wapol raised a cannon arm and fired at the flag.

I followed the cannon ball, "No!"

The cannon ball crashed into the tower roof, and the smoke cleared just enough for us to see the flag begin to fall.

"Hey... a pirate flag..." Luffy said slowly. "Hey reindeer... That flag.."

Chopper didn't answer, he just stared up at the falling flag, a look of horror in his eyes. That is until he turned and ran full dash at Wapol and Chessmarimo.

"HOW DARE YOU?! YOU ATTACKED DOCTOR'S FLAG, YOU JERK!" The tiny reindeer was approaching them fast, Chessmarimo slid to stand in front of Wapol and block Chopper's path. But Chopper shifted into a fully grown human size.

Using the forward momentum he had gathered, and the sudden growth spurt, Chopper launched himself over Chessmarimo and latched on to Wapol. "Doctor tried to-! Doctor tired to-! He tried to save even you!" The reindeer pulled a fist back, ready to punch Wapol, but, he stopped. A moment passed, then two. "I-" Chopper started. "I won't hurt you if you just... leave this country forever!"

Doctorine was shocked, "Chopper, what are you doing?! Even if he does promise that, you can't trust a word that man says!"

Chopper was shaking now, he turned slowly, "But... Doctor said..." Faster than a blinked Wapol had a cannon arm pointed right at Chopper and fired.

"CHOPPER!"

I turned, "Luffy! We gotta- Luffy?" Luffy wasn't there anymore.

"Hey! Big-mouth!" Luffy shouted from the top of the castle. I turned, he had torn a sleeve off of his coat and used it to tie the flag back in place. I smiled, Luffy hadn't heard the story behind Chopper and that flag, then again, I really only heard half of it, but... He was protecting it anyway.

"Straw hat!"

"You guys weren't real pirates! You were just fake ones! That's why you don't understand what flying a pirate flag means. 'Cause you're just a bunch of fakes who didn't risk your lives!"

I glanced at Sanji, who was merely trying to keep his cigarette burning in this cold, a thoughtful expression on his face. I assumed these kind of battle field speeches were a normality for Luffy.

"A pirate flag's meaning!?" Wapol shouted, "BWAHAHAHA! Don't make me laugh! Flags have no meaning!"

Flags have no meaning? I chuckled softly at the thought. Then what did the Drum Kingdom flag mean?

"If you think that..." Luffy shouted in reply, "Then you're dumber than you look!"

"What?!"

"Listen!" Luffy shouted, "Pirate flags stand for something, Big-mouth! They're not raised as some kind of joke!" This was obviously a topic Luffy cared a lot about.

"The only joke here is that I've let you live as long as you have!" Wapol retorted, "Since you dare put that flag back, after I knocked it down, it's time I deliver the punch line!" The former tyrant raised an arm, and aimed at Luffy. He fired.

Chopper practically jumped up when he realized what was happening. "Hey you, look out!" He shouted to Luffy.

"Do your worst. You'll never break this flag."

3... 2... 1.. impact. I winced when the cannon ball hit the roof.

"LUFFY!" Sanji shouted.

"Was he hit?" Doctorine asked.

"Why are you worried?" I asked, gaining an odd stare from Doctorine. "This is Luffy we're talking about."

Sanji relaxed a bit, "Good point."

Wapol laughed in his "victory". The smoke cleared, and there, on top of the castle, was a very pissed off Luffy.

"I told you. You can't break it!"

Wapol stopped laughing. "What?" Chessmarimo asked in confusion, "How did he do that? It's Impossible!"

"I have no idea who this pirate flag originally belonged to." Luffy said, "But it doesn't matter, a pirate flag is someone's pledge to risk their life! It's not something to laugh at." There was a moment of stunned silence. "It stands for something that you stupid jackasses will never understand, not in a million years!"

I smiled, That ought'a floor those bastards.

"You won't break it." Luffy repeated, "Because the skull on it is a symbol of faith!"

I almost wanted to clap, but the tension in the air was enough to know not to. This is going to be an interesting battle.

Author's note:

Huzzah! Back story!
So I've revealed the weird relative and her parents names.
And the battle on the drum Rockies is starting. I consider this a pretty good chapter

Edit: Rescinding the link that used to be here, under the author fear of revealing to much to soon.

Your ever willing author,
Kari910