Disclaimer: …I'm really thirsty right now.
[1]
Roronoa Zoro didn't quite know how to feel. His insides were a jumbled mess, a mushy bog of anger and sadness and frustration. He sat on his bed, tightly clutching the deceptively innocent piece of paper in his hands, not knowing whether to clench his teeth or sob; to keep a passive expression or lash out; to be the proud, dignified swordsman so many people expected him to be or just be Zoro—the Zoro who cared about his sister, who missed her, who loved her, and had kept his emotions bottled up for too damn long.
His first reaction was confusion. A letter from Koshiro was an unexpected gift, although not necessarily unwelcome. Somewhere in his mind, it was likely pleasurably received. At the time, he had guessed it was only a normal letter—hello, how are you, goodbye. He'd opened it, not really knowing just what to expect. He accidentally tore the envelope in the process of opening it, an action that seemed insignificant at the time, but now somehow made him feel an inexplicable stab of guilt. Scanning the page, he still didn't totally understand…rather, it confused him more and more with each word. Looking back on it, he couldn't honestly say why exactly the words bewildered him to such an extent. Perhaps the message hurt him too much, making the letters blur from denial. Or maybe Koshiro's writing was just that bad.
The second reaction was anger—unrestrained, irrational fury. Damn. Why the fuck did she have to go and die? They had promised, hadn't they?! To train, to sacrifice their blood, sweat, and tears, and compete? To see who was the better swordsman? To fucking be there for each other?! Just…goddammit. Didn't Kuina want to prove that women could be just as strong, if not immeasurably stronger, than any man? Fuck, she never even beat Koshiro. That…that asshole. How could she think that she was allowed to just up and kick the bucket? Didn't she even think—
The angry cursing and frustrated punches soon gave way to choking sobs and heaving breaths. Roronoa Zoro—always standing, always strong—sank down and cried. He held his head in his hands, miserably failing at attempting to stop the tears.
The next reaction, sorrow, was the one he had most wanted to suppress, to hide. He was Roronoa Zoro. He didn't cry, didn't show his anguish. That's not what a swordsman was supposed to do. It was only a weakness. Still, Zoro could not hold back the sobs, the heartbreak, the mind-crushing regret that Kuina was gone. Grief was a foreign concept, something he had only felt at a very young age when he'd lost his parents. Feeling it again was confusing and odd, and he decided that he really didn't like it at all.
Afterwards, was a state of dazed numbness. He was completely and utterly spent, and all he wanted to do was lie down and sleep. Maybe, he thought. Maybe that's why he likes rest so much. You don't need to try and keep track of your thoughts or emotions. There are no complications. Just simple sleep. You are, in a sense, dead.
Dead. Huh. Kuina always liked to complain about how much Zoro would sleep.
Rather ironic, really.
When he had first received the news of Kuina's death, Zoro was, to an extent, okay. He was all too accustomed to not reacting to such things; he had even trained himself for it. A swordsman couldn't show such frailty. He didn't show his feelings—how could he?—and kept a mostly impassive expression. He stuck his grief in a bottle, closed it tight, and threw it into the ocean. Only now, the bottle washed up back up onto the shore. And all because of a few simple words.
Zoro,
This Saturday, 1:30 P.M.
It was a letter that didn't even affect him, not really. He couldn't go. They wouldn't let him attend; why would they? He was—in no way, shape, or form—cured. Not yet.
He was stuck.
Exhausted, Zoro allowed the familiar comfort of drowsiness overcome him. His eyes closed of their own accord, and the darkness that followed was a relief. His breathing slowed, and his body slumped, and his last thought was of a smiling face and the echoing words, "You'll never beat me, Zoro."
Never beat her, indeed.
[2]
Dadan was not the type of person you'd expect to run a foster home.
Undeniably, she was a terrible parent. She was brash, impatient, and rude; she took no extra effort on her part to provide nutritious meals or decent clothes for her charges. She would never censor herself around the children. Rather, she'd curse more often around them, little brats that they were. Dadan hated children, really, she did. That is, until three certain little kids showed up on her doorstep.
First was the angry one. Dadan woke up one morning—one that was supposed to be just like any other—ready to head over to work. She opened the door, stepped outside…and nearly face-planted after tripping over a basket on her front porch. Looking down, she saw a baby. A fucking baby on her doorstep. There was a note attached, surprisingly. As she read it, her face darkened to phenomenal levels of red and purple. Soon enough, the paper was violent crumpled and torn apart, falling mockingly to the ground. Damn that old man.
Later, after years of late nights and shouting and frustrated cursing and pain and sparking tempers and head-butting and many, many instances in which she very nearly gave up, the little demon brought home another brat. This one was more polite—to an extent. He spoke intelligently, with an air of cordiality that she had never seen or heard before, but the kid still somehow managed to insult her completely. He'd mock and disrespect her, always with that constant shit-eating grin on his face. It was damn infuriating.
Soon enough, Garp dropped a third with her. Now this one…this one really managed to always grate on her nerves. At least the other two were more mature, only bothering her when necessary, otherwise going off on their own. But, no, this one was entirely different. He was clingy and whiny and weak—some of the things she despised most. He always followed the other two boys, despite how futile it was. She watched, every day, how the kid would trail after them like a duckling, only to be cruelly shoved aside and ignored.
Now, one could say a lot of things about Dadan, but one of those isn't that she doesn't have pity. She felt for the kid. In fact, when she was younger, she was quite a bit lonely too. No one liked the rude, crass orange-haired girl. She wasn't exactly a people person. In the evening, when the elder boys would enter the house and go up to their rooms, little Luffy would come in a few minutes after, looking dejected and dirty. Her eyes would follow him as he climbed the rickety old stairs, swallowing down the urge to call after the boy and offer that they sit and have a slice of the cake leftover from the mayor's visit.
It took a long time—months of neglect and ignorance and loneliness—but Ace and Sabo eventually warmed up to the little kid. Soon after, they became inseparable, practically a single entity. And Dadan warmed up right along with them. Her behavior toward them didn't change—actually, it was possible that it became worse; she couldn't have them thinking she was going soft, now could she?—but it was undeniable that she became irreversibly fond of her three boys.
So, now, over seven years since their departure, she held in her hands a letter. It was simple, on crumpled line paper, messily scrawled with a pencil which had obviously broken several times throughout the process of writing, but she really couldn't have asked for anything else. The words reeked of her youngest son.
Hi Dadan!
Shanks (remember I told you about him? the really cool guy with the hair and scars?) came to visit a little bit ago and he told me that I should write a letter to you and I thought it was a good idea so here I am! I don't really know what to say in a letter but Nami's here behind me telling me I should ask you questions. So how's the village? Is the mayor still grumpy all the time? How about the family? Does Mogra still look like a chicken?
I made some new friends here! They're really interesting! There's a swordsman who has the coolest green hair ever and a orange-haired thief. …Oops, Nami got mad at me for saying that. She punched me. Stingy. Anyway, there's a guy with a cool long nose too, and a cook! He has a funny looking eyebrow, all swirly and stuff, but I think it actually looks kind of neat. Oh, and a kid with a blue nose! Isn't that funny? He's really fun to hug (like a teddy bear!) but he doesn't like it when I squeeze him too hard. We had a princess for a while too, but she left. I miss her already. And then there's Robin. My other friends don't like her all that much. I don't know why, she's awesome. She's quiet and a little dark sometimes and I can tell that she doesn't really trust anyone but I like her. Everyone's so nice here. They're like my family!
I don't have anything else to say but Nami says I should put in a closing sentence, whatever that's supposed to be. …okay she said that a closing sentence is when you tell someone goodbye and that sort of thing, but I don't like saying bye so I'll say talk to you later instead! Yeah, that's better.
-Luffy
P.S. Ace and Sabo just told me to tell you hello!
Later, when she showed the letter to the others, she'd firmly deny that the dark spots on it were from tears (shut up, those are probably just food stains from Luffy!) and refuse to believe that the small post script tacked onto the end drove a needle into her heart (he'll be alright, she chanted to herself; he'll be alright).
After all, there was nothing she could do.
[3]
When Ace walked into the bedroom he shared with his brothers, he did not expect to see them pouring over books, Luffy rubbing his jaw resentfully, as if it had done him a personal wrong. Sabo seemed exasperated, which was an uncommon sight to see. The blonde seemed to have infinite patience.
"No, Luffy," he was saying. "Not onomus, anonymous. Say it with me. An-on-y-mous."
"Anymunous."
"Closer, but no."
"Namagus."
"Where did you get the G from, Lu? Try again."
"Ananamayus."
Sabo threw his arms up and collapsed backwards onto the floor, laying spread-eagle on the wooden planks. "I give up. There must be something wrong with your tongue, because this isn't working at all."
Stepping over his mentally exhausted sibling, Ace sat beside the blonde. He poked Sabo in the stomach, saying, "Oi. What the hell are you two doing?"
"Sabo's teaching me better graham crackers!" Luffy exclaimed.
Sabo groaned. "Grammar, Luffy. Do you ever stop thinking about food?"
The younger pouted. "Of course I do!"
"Oh yeah?" A wicked grin spread across Ace's face. "Moose," he stated shortly.
Immediately, Luffy's eyes lit up, and a telltale sign of hunger showed itself in the form of a small trail of drool forming at the corner of his mouth. Sabo snickered beside Ace, still in his position on the floor. "Not mousse, Lu. Moose. Like the animal with horns."
Excitement disappearing, Luffy grumbled, "I knew that." He crossed his arms, looking away from his two brothers. "You can eat moose too anyway," he muttered under his breath.
Despite its volume, Ace and Sabo heard the words and grinned simultaneously. Luffy noticed and huffed. His brothers were so mean.
[4]
"…and then more wind came, and it was all like fwoosh, and it kept going and going and going and it wouldn't stop! It went so fast! I ran really, really, fast—like, cheetah fast—and I still couldn't catch it! Can you believe that? And then guess what? It got stuck in a tree! So, I had to climb the tree—and it was really hard, 'cause it was all old and skinny and weak; no good footholds! I almost fell like a million times! Then my brothers showed up and yelled at me for being stupid—but I think they were just worried—and told me to come down, it was just a 'stupid hat'. Stupid Ace and Sabo don't understand. Shanks gave me that hat, and I promised I'd protect it! …Do you know Shanks? He's super cool! He's got really bright red hair and wicked scars on his eye, and he's really nice to me, except when he teases me, then he's just mean. There was this one time—"
"Luffy!"
Luffy stopped mid-sentence and turned to see Ace jogging toward him. He smiled brightly and greeted his big brother. "Hi, Ace!" He waved.
Ace was scowling as he neared. "Luffy, where have you been? Me n' Sabo have been looking everywhere for you! You can't just disappear like that!"
"Sorry, Ace!" He laughed, which only caused his elder to glare harder. "But I saw a beetle, and it looked really cool so I followed it! Then I lost it, and I was going to go back, but then I made a new friend!" Luffy gestured to the man behind him. The man smiled nervously and gave a small wave.
Ace set his glower to the stranger and firmly grasped Luffy's arm. "C'mon, Lu. We're leaving."
Luffy walked backwards as he was pulled along by Ace, waving cheerfully at his newly-made friend. "See you later!"
The man was left standing there, dumb-founded, the coffee in his hand now cold after at least an hour of 'Luffy's' mindless chatter. Who the hell was that kid?
[5]
Marco sighed as his back popped in places that were probably not very healthy. He let his arms drop to his sides, slouching back into his chair, resenting the large stack of paperwork still sitting on his desk. Looking at the paper currently held in his grip, Marco smiled slightly. He glanced at the words printed in bold at the top.
Monkey D. Luffy.
It was yet another report from Law on his newest patient. Young Luffy and his two brothers had arrived only days ago, quickly settling into the serene routine around the facility and easily worming their way into everyone's hearts. The boys were energetic—no doubt about that—and were fairly mischievous. They'd announced their arrival with a big bang, replacing Thatch's shampoo with hair dye the day after their appearance. The man stepped into the cafeteria sporting a full head of bright yellow hair. It took months for it to return to its normal orange-brown hue.
Marco had taken an immediate interest in the trio. They seemed to share an impossibly strong bond, sometimes knowing how another felt or what they thought without it even being spoken aloud. It was incredible, really. When he'd voiced his thoughts to Thatch, the cook had laughed and agreed, saying they'd fit right in.
The facility had adopted the three, in a way. Most everyone had quickly become attached to the rambunctious and admittedly charming boys. Soon realizing the extent of their appetites, Thatch didn't complain one whit about preparing large amounts of extra food for them. Law, for once, didn't mess with their minds as he usually did when he met a new client, instead opting for playful teasing. Smoker, despite his gruff exterior, seemed to always give them quite a bit of leeway, which was a shocking contradiction to his usual strict ideals. The few elderly women in the facility constantly doted on them, cooing over how handsome they looked and pinching their cheeks, much to the three's discomfort.
Marco himself had rapidly become fond of them, albeit he didn't show it. The only ones who seemed to notice Marco's attachment were Thatch, and surprisingly, Luffy. The kid would follow him around, chattering endlessly, occasionally jumping onto his back and forcing Marco to be his transportation, sometimes offhandedly throwing in a comment about his hair. He'd ignore Marco's frequent pleads to be left alone, clearly seeing right through the man's stoic demeanor.
Marco set the paper down with a fond smile. Although, that grin soon disappeared as soon as he remembered the enormous stack of work still waiting for him. He groaned and leaned back, rubbing his temples with the heels of his hands.
Damn.
[6]
Tears rolling down his cheeks, he finished off the last bit of rice left on the plate, feeling full for the first time in what must have been months. "Thank you…" he whispered. He hadn't expected to come here and be cured of one of his disorders so quickly. He hadn't expected such kind-hearted people. The blonde before him, immediately upon introduction, had taken in his ragged, skeleton-thin appearance, and cooked him a meal. Sanji had practically shoved the food down his throat, determinedly not taking no for an answer.
From the moment the rice had touched his tongue, any thoughts of leaving himself hungry, of starving himself like he had been doing for months flew from his mind. It was incredible, an artwork of savory flavors and phenomenal taste. Gin devoured the concoction, not leaving a single morsel behind.
By the time he was finished, Sanji was looking on in satisfaction, a proud grin on his face. "It's damn good, right?"
Gin put his plate down, and looked at the cook. "I've never had such delicious food in my life," he agreed, rubbing his face with his sleeve to get rid of the tears.
"Damn right," Sanji stated. After a pause he asked, "Why would you do something like that to yourself?"
Sighing, Gin rested his head in his palms. "After my mentor left me, I sort of broke down," he began, only briefly wondering why he was about to lay his soul bare to someone he had met only moments ago. "He was all I had, really, and he just left. No word of warning, no nothing. Just gone. I didn't know what to do. I needed him. It's for the better that he's left though, I guess, considering my condition. Now I can get better, hopefully."
Sanji nodded. Dependent personality, he guessed. Not an easy thing to overcome. "Still, it's a stupid thing to do."
Gin smiled ruefully. "I know."
They sat in silence for a while, until the comfortable atmosphere was broken by Luffy running in and shouting, soon followed by the others, and overall just causing things to go to hell. Sanji soon got tangled up in an argument with Zoro, which somehow ended with that evening's dinner in Nami's hair. That led to a whole new level of chaos, but throughout the entire thing, Gin kept laughing.
He'd found home.
[7]
"Luffy! What the fuck are you doing?
Zoro watched agitatedly as the teen nimbly scaled the trunk of a fairly large tree in the back gardens. He trusted his companion's abilities, sure, but that didn't stop him from being concerned. That tree didn't exactly look stable. Despite its size, the plant was old and withered, the branches drooping sadly, seeming as if they could break at any moment.
Sure enough, the wooden limb currently supporting Luffy's weight suddenly creaked and snapped, leaving its load to fall painfully to the ground. When he didn't move right away, Zoro cursed and quickly ran over to the boy's side, kneeling to check him over for injuries. Luffy groaned and slowly rolled over from his face-down position to lie on his back. He grunted and tightly clasped a hand over his wrist, face scrunching up in discomfort. Zoro helped him sit up, cautious of any other pains the other might feel, and took hold the boy's arm.
Luffy hissed in pain as Zoro gently twisted it to the side, looking critically at the swollen area. It was slightly red and puffy, and signs of bruising were beginning to show. Zoro sighed and said, "I don't know for sure, but I think your wrist is sprained." The swordsman lightly hit the top of Luffy's head with his palm, eliciting an indignant 'ouch!'
"Idiot. I told you not to climb the tree," he reprimanded.
"But Zoro," Luffy whined. "There was a squirrel. Didn't you see it? It looked so cool, all fuzzy and bushy!"
"Whatever," Zoro decided. "Let's just get you to the infirmary with that creepy doctor."
Luffy laughed and stood. "I'll tell Traffy you said that."
With an amused smirk, Zoro responded, "Go ahead. What can he do? Dissect me?" The pair began walking to the facility, Luffy cradling his wrist in his hand.
"Yes," Luffy replied without hesitation, expression completely serious. At Zoro's alarmed look, Luffy grinned. "Shishishishi! Zoro, you're so funny!"
Zoro grumbled under his breath, which only prompted the younger to laugh harder. Soon enough, they reached the infirmary. Law, upon seeing the two enter, sighed and massaged his forehead with his fingers. "What did you do this time?" he questioned exasperatedly. After hearing about Luffy's adventures in the tree, the doctor rolled his eyes, lamenting Luffy's idiocy, and forced the boy into a chair. He took a roll of bandages from his cabinet, carefully and expertly wrapping them around the injured area. Soon enough, Luffy exited the room, contentedly sporting a new wrist wrap, Zoro following close behind.
"Thanks Zoro!" Luffy chirped as they neared the lounge.
The green-haired man snorted before shaking his head. "Don't mention it." Really, this kid was going to be the death of him. Trouble was Luffy's best friend, but Zoro didn't think he could honestly say that he really minded that fact. At the very least, things were guaranteed to be interesting with him around.
[8]
Law's hands shook as he held the needle in his hand. Worry. Caution. Fear, always fear. He was flooded with these emotions, and he still couldn't quite control them. The patient before him stared at him nervously, fiddling his fingers in anxiety, which didn't help the doctor's nerves. Seeing the man squirming uncomfortably—no—looking anywhere but him—stop—light tremors traveling through his body—quit it—sent shocks of thrill through his body—please—making him feel truly accomplished.
No, he told himself. You're not supposed to feel this way. Get ahold of yourself.
He took deep breaths, a strategy his mentor had suggested in case his disorder got out of hand. One breath. It's just a shot. Two breaths. Nothing to get excited over. Three breaths. You can do this. Four breaths.
Don't pay attention to the needle. It was just a simple medical tool. It's meant to cure people, not hurt them.
Ten breaths.
That sharp point won't really hurt him. That shiny, silver tip, ready to ruthlessly penetrate the man's skin…
Sixteen breaths.
His quivering, trembling form….terrified of him. Yes. Just how it should be—no. Stop. Trust over fear. Fear didn't help anyone. No.
Thirty-three breaths.
This needle in his hands…he knew exactly where to put it. Where he was supposed to put it…but he also knew where he could stick the patient with it to really make him squirm. Where it would cause the most pain, the best pain.
Sixty-seven breaths.
By now, Law was shaking uncontrollably, at war with himself. A part of him wanted to just give the man the immunization and be done with it. Like a real doctor was supposed to do, like a normal person would've wanted to do. The other part of him wanted to find different ways to use the needle, to discover what would make his patient scream the loudest, beg the hardest. The part of him that was slowly growing stronger. The part that, apparently, was going to win out.
"D-doctor…" the man stuttered nervously. "Can we just finish this?"
The fearful stumbling, the anxious, wide-eyed glances…that was it. The final straw. Something familiar inside of Law snapped, allowing a well-known blanket of contentment overcome him, clouding his mind and stifling his rationale.
He smiled sinisterly, and relished in the terror it caused in his patient. "Sure. Let's begin. I apologize for keeping you waiting." His smirk widened, and the man looked just about ready to bolt. Law's grip tightened on the needle.
He took calm, deliberate steps toward the man, drawing out the moment, basking cheerfully in the suspense. Before he could get far, however, his vision was obscured by purple and yellow. He glared at the obstacle. Marco merely gazed back at him lazily, although there was a steely, determined glint to his eyes that Law didn't like.
"I think that's enough," Marco said. Behind him, shielded by the guard's body, the patient nodded vigorously.
Law scowled, but could feel the aggression steadily leaking out of him. Moments later, he leaned heavily against the counter. He looked down at the floor, reluctant to meet the guard's eyes. "I told you," he bit out, tightening his grip on the countertop's edge. "I told you." He had known he wouldn't be able to do it. He'd known, but he'd let Marco convince him. Against his better judgment, he had agreed to treat a patient before he was ready. Sure, he had the education and the degree, but his mentor had sent him out into the real world before he was ready. Without supervision, he just couldn't control himself.
At the sound of the blonde's sigh, Law looked up. The patient was gone, but Law frustratingly couldn't feel any guilt for terrifying the man to such an extent. Marco was looking at him blankly. Law waited for the reprimand, for the anger, for the disappointment.
But they never came.
Instead, Marco walked forward, hands in his pockets, and offered the doctor a small grin. "Want to go grab some lunch before my next shift?"
Law wanted to scream. How could he just pretend like nothing had happened? That Law wasn't dangerous, that he wasn't some sort of freak? He knew he was. He looked up at Marco, infuriated and ready to shout and argue and let it go and give up, because he just couldn't do it, but the look he saw in Marco's eyes made him freeze.
He snorted, shaking his head. He'd never taken Marco for an optimist. This place never ceased to surprise him.
"You're paying."
[9]
Usopp fidgeted nervously, shuffling his feet and looking anywhere but at the intimidating man in front of him. Luffy, little demon that he was, had left moments ago in the middle of their conversation to use the restroom, leaving Zoro and Usopp alone in awkward silence. Zoro seemed unperturbed, staring at the long-nosed teen shamelessly. Usopp scratched the back of his neck and chuckled shakily. "N-nice weather w-we're having, r-r-right?" he floundered. Stupid, he scolded himself. Stupid, stupid, stupid…
Zoro merely raised an eyebrow, amused. "You mean the storm?" After a few minutes of the younger teen mentally beating himself up for his slip-up, Zoro took pity on him. "How're you liking the facility so far?"
Usopp glanced up at him, relief flooding him when he saw no sign of mocking or superiority. Zoro seemed genuinely curious. "F-fine," he responded, hating himself for being unable to say anything more.
The swordsman rummaged through his mind, searching for a topic in which Usopp would be likely to speak freely, comfortably. An idea popped into his head. "What about that blonde girl you came with?" Usopp visibly brightened up. He cautiously began talking about his childhood friend, slowly gaining momentum, eventually launching into various stories about their past antics, thankfully without drawing back into his Sogeking persona. Soon, the pair were freely talking and laughing, Usopp with minimal stuttering.
Luffy walked in to see this, and smiled brightly. There was hope for Usopp yet.
Sorry this took so long, but as you can see, this chapter is quite a bit longer than usual. It's over two-thousand words longer, without the author's note. It didn't help that MPA was last week. I was crazy busy preparing for that.
Anyway, as you can probably tell, this is the 200 review bonus I promised you all! I really can't express the extent of my gratitude to you guys. You have no idea how happy your encouragement makes me. I hope you enjoyed reading this, because it's really all I can give you in thanks. I can't exactly send you cookies, because trust me, if I could, I would.
[1]
I didn't like how Zoro seemed to just brush off Kuina's death all those chapters ago (I only have myself to blame for that), so I decided to write this scene. I know he seems a bit OOC, but I believe that Zoro had to break down at some point. He's not invincible. Oh, and the date on the piece of paper was the date of Kuina's funeral. Anyway, many thanks to flamingblue85 for suggesting a Zoro scene for the bonus. :)
[2]
Yeah…I wasn't planning to have Dadan in this bonus (that scene was supposed to just be Ace, Sabo, and Luffy messing about), but I ended up writing her anyway. Don't know how that happened, but hey. It worked. I know the letter has plenty of grammar issues, but it's Luffy. What do you expect? The only reason it wasn't worse was because Nami was there to correct him. Thanks to Animelover314 for suggesting more letters from Luffy.
[3 & 4]
For both of these, I was inspired by two very strange-sounding words I discovered recently. For #3, the word was 'baragouin', which means "language so strange as to be unintelligible" which for me translated into Luffy's amusing butchering of complicated words. For #4, the word was 'flibbertigibbet', which is defined as an "excessively talkative person," which fits Luffy to a tee. These scenes took place before the three boys were sent to the Going Merry. Both users Nimphy-Ryuu-chan and ItoshiMyHime requested ASL scenes, so thank you both for your ideas.
[5]
Yay, Marco! I love that guy. Thank you Nimphy-Ryuu-chan for suggesting a scene from the POV of the staff. :)
[6]
I had completely forgotten about Gin until someone mentioned him and Don Krieg. I'm glad someone reminded me. Gin has anorexia (or had) and dependent personality disorder (DPD) which is a psychological dependence on another to meet their needs. Someone with DPD rarely reaches normal levels of independence. In this case, Gin is dependent on Don Krieg. Gin won't really play a role in this story, maybe only being mentioned in passing, maybe some cameo appearances. Thank you very much Charmyxcream14 for your idea.
[7]
Oh Luffy, you get so fascinated by everything. Lesson for the day, kids, don't climb up a tree to catch a squirrel. Bad things happen. Not that I'd know from personal experience…*cough* Anyway, many thanks to ReVeaLxMeMoRieS for suggesting more Zoro and Luffy time.
[8]
Is it bad that this was my favorite scene to write? I love Law, really, I do. Contrary to how it may seem what with me making him angst like that, Law is one of my favorite characters ever. This one took place shortly after Law arrived to be a doctor at the facility, before Luffy, Ace, and Sabo ever showed up. At this point in time, he didn't have as much control over his impulses as he does now. Thank you very much Angelic Fluffle for suggesting a scene with Law struggling with his sadism.
[9]
This one was short, but I liked it anyway. I figure that Usopp must've have a hell of a time getting comfortable with Zoro due to Usopp's anxiety and Zoro's intimidating demeanor. Thanks to Curseokami for the idea of having a scene of these two. :)
To my guest reviewer, LemonDrop, I'm not really sure if Dragon will make an appearance. I'll figure that out eventually. :)
And to everyone, whether you've followed or favorited, reviewed or just read this, thank you so much. Really, I love you guys. ^^
-Spoons