Chapter 4:Family
So, this chapter takes place after a small time skip. And is pure random sweetness drabble.
Thudthudthudthud. Thudthudthudthud.
A grin slipped on to Luffy's expression when he heard the rapid paw steps of his newest family member.
"Rover!" Luffy called, and a half-grown brown blur sped around the corner and ran smack into him. Rover bowled the rubber captain over, wet tongue already hanging from him jaws happily.
Nami shook her head fondly at the sight. The pup they had found was growing at a rapid pace and Robin wasn't sure what breed of dog he was, but Rover sure had big dogs in his bloodline. He was already just past Luffy's knee, and Chopper had said he was still growing.
That being said, it meant that Luffy's new best friend was a still-growing ball of pure excited muscle just waiting to cause trouble. And boy had Rover taken an immediate attachment to the rubber boy. The two were practically inseparable. Where Luffy went, Rover followed. Zoro even told her that Rover would lay down on Luffy's stomach in his hammock on occasion. When Rover didn't, he slept practically underneath Luffy's hammock.
The group's fears about training and caring for the pup went unfounded. Despite Rover's large size and seemingly endless energy, Luffy could match it and the two of them kept each other entertained all day long. If anything, it gave everyone a sense of peace and more time to work. Besides, they all couldn't help but smile at the sight of the two of them playing.
Nami had never been more grateful for Chopper's ability to speak to animals. The "training" process took less than three days and only a few explanations to get the curious pup to understand. Franky and Usopp had fixed up the ship to accommodate Rover's… needs… and Luffy hadn't complained once about Nami telling him that what Rover needed came out of his food.
Well… that and Nami's fondness for the dog had encouraged her to make an exception. Rover now had his own allowance.
"C'mon, boy!" Luffy laughed and ran around to the back of the ship, Rover barking happily and chasing him. The two hadn't been able to sit still since Nami had told them that they would reach the next island later in the day. She checked the log pose and glanced at the sky. It wouldn't be long now.
A total of two seconds passed after the Straw Hat Pirates had docked before a telltale thud had echoed through the air and Luffy and Rover were bolting away from the ship.
From what they could see, they city itself was constructed of pale red stone. The sidewalks and street were concrete, and fake jewels decorated the grey surfaces intermittently. People were milling back and forth, walking between the seaside shops for fresh products. A few people stopped to look at the strange duo- Rover barking excitedly and running circles around Luffy- but their curiosity was quickly sated and they turned back to whatever they were doing before. Nami sighed in relief. That rubber idiot never had learned to be patient when they docked. Not everyone was welcoming to pirates.
"Oy, Luffy!" Usopp shouted as his feet touched land. "Wait up!"
Choppy chased after them, followed closely by the long-nosed sniper. The makeshift group had wanted to go exploring together, especially to find some new ideas for toys for Rover. Nami's eyes twitched, "If you're not back on time, none of you will get dinner, Luffy!" She yelled after them.
She swore she heard a worried yelp that hadn't come from Rover.
"He'll be back." Robin soothed.
Nami raised an eyebrow, "How do you know that? I trust Usopp and Chopper to be back on time, but Luffy has a knack for trouble."
"Yes, but Luffy will take care of Rover." Robin countered with a smile.
Nami blinked. It was true. Luffy had been taking perfect care of Rover by himself the whole time.
"He won't let his favorite pup go hungry." Robin reminded her and left the ship.
Nami stared impatiently over the side of the ship. The sun was setting now, and Luffy still hadn't come back.
Usopp and Chopper had returned earlier, but Nami hadn't been able to get a straight word out of either of them
From what she could tell, Usopp had claimed they had encountered some vicious monster and freaked out. While she had believed that they may be encountered some monster in the jungle, she didn't fall for "it was a hundred feet long and fifty feet tall! Its teeth were longer than I am tall!"
Apparently, in the ensuing… chaos… Usopp and Chopper had been separated from Luffy and Rover. When Nami had asked Usopp where his goggles were, he had tried to run out to find them again, and Chopper had been forced to put him to sleep. As odd a crew as they were, even Nami hadn't seen that coming.
It was long past dinner, and no one had seen hide nor hair of the missing duo. As much as she believed that Luffy could take care of himself, some concern wiggled past her irritation.
Luffy didn't just have to watch out for himself. He had to look out for Rover. As young and strong as the pup was, he was inexperienced and they hadn't begun to teach him his to defend himself.
It was an agreement they had finally reached after a long discussion. The life of a pirate- especially for them- just wasn't safe, and they didn't want Rover getting hurt on accident. Chopper told them that the dog's instincts would protect him to an extent, but he doubted the pup could keep up on just that. Rover had picked up a few basics already, but Robin had said it would be best to really start training him when he was almost fully grown. The growth spurts he was going through now would make it difficult and potentially discourage him.
Either way, Rover was already protective over Luffy, and Nami was worried the dog would try something that would put him in danger- and in turn, Luffy. Their captain was- if possible- more protective over the pup than Rover was over him. Nami supposed finding a puppy all alone, siting in the snow, and shivering from the cold would make anyway protective over it. She certainly didn't want to see what would happen if anything went after Rover.
Nami snapped out of her thoughts when Usopp appeared on deck with a bang.
"Are they back?" Usopp demanded suddenly.
Nami blinked in shock and shook her head.
Usopp turned and looked out of the city, worry evident in his expression. "I only got away because Luffy and Rover distracted it. I don't know where they or what happened after that."
"Zoro and Sanji went out after them. Franky and Robin are searching the city. We'll find them." Nami comforted him, and Usopp nodded distractedly.
Silence filled the ship again as they both looked out. Chopper eventually joined them, sniffing the air occasionally to check for their scents.
"H-hey! It's them!" Usopp exclaimed, pointing. Nami jumped up from her sitting position on the deck and ran over to the edge, leaning over the rail.
She could make out the smiling shape of Luffy, one hand waving toward them. He was leaning slightly in Zoro, who appeared gruff and relieved all at the same time. Rover trailed next to them, something dangling from his jaws.
The lanky pup bounded happily ahead of them, pausing and circling back when Luffy didn't run after him. Nami could almost see the concern emanating from his pelt.
"Luffy!" Chopper exclaimed in worry.
"I'm fine, Chopper." Luffy reassured with a grin, "Just tired."
Still, he allowed the reindeer doctor to check him over. Rover trotted up to Usopp and deposited something in his lap. Usopp held it up, ignoring the slobber. "My goggles! Thanks, Rover! Good boy!" Usopp thanked the dog with a scratch behind the ears. Rover wagged his tail happily, and the padded back to Luffy, resting his head in Luffy's lap. Luffy's hand moved to rub the pup's neck and back. Nami frowned and smiled at the same time. Luffy really was tired. The strokes didn't have any excess energy to them, and he was using one hand to help himself stay sitting. There were shadows under his eyes as well.
"Chopper, will you go find the others please?" Nami asked, and the doctor hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded and shifted to walk point. "Just let Luffy and Rover rest soon. They're both tired."
"What happened?" Nami asked quickly.
"I found these two over the edge of a cliff. Rover had run over it trying to get away from whatever that thing was and Luffy had to catch him. The… monster, I guess, surprised Luffy and he ended up over the cliff as well. When I got there, Luffy was holding onto a ledge with one hand and Rover with the other. He didn't have anything else to grab on to, and he couldn't pull himself up without dropping Rover. There was no way Rover would have survived the fall." Zoro narrated with a glance at Luffy.
Luffy's hand tensed and gripped Rover's fur tighter when Zoro mentioned dropping the half-grown pup. Rover whined and licked the palm of Luffy's hand. Nami noticed a layer of skin had been scraped off in places. It was tinged an angry red. Nami winced, that probably stung.
"Why couldn't you get up?" Nami asked curiously. It wasn't like only his arms stretched.
"No room." Luffy replied tiredly, "'sides, Rover is", Luffy yawned, "nakama."
"They fell down the cliff face for a bit. I saw them from another one that ears horizontal to them, but there wasn't anything close enough for Luffy to latch on to. Whatever that thing was chased them on to a narrow cliff face and knocked them off there. It was still there when we left." Zoro explained.
Nami watched Luffy silently for a moment. "He's crazy." She sighed under her breath, but she had to admit Luffy really looked after that dog.
"Rover found Usopp's goggles on the way back. Gave Luffy a heart attack when he suddenly took off." Zoro added, and Nami swore she heard a hint of fondness and respect in his tone.
"Alright. Go get some rest. I'll have Sanji make you some food and get you when it's done." Nami instructed with a smile. Luffy nodded and stood, heading towards the men's quarters with Rover following close behind him.
Zoro glanced towards Nami, "He really loves that dog."
Nami relented with a sigh. They'd all been trying to convince her ever since they decided to keep the dog. "Usopp was right. Rover really is good for him." Nami agreed.
Rover nudged Luffy's hand and the captain playfully rubbed the dog's back, reassuring him that he was fine. Nami smiled when the dog barked happily and Luffy found the energy to race Rover to the door.
Nami walked back over to the edge of the ship to wait for the others to return.
"Go sleep or whatever. I'll tell the others what happened when they get back." Nami told the swordsman. Her eye twitched at the snorted "charitable witch".
"I could always raise your debt instead."
Zoro grinned at the familiarity.
I didn't quite know how to end it, so I decided to stop on something we see all the time. End with something normal- you know? So, how did you all like it? I'll have chapter 5 up later.