Author's Note: Since I got back from vacation on Friday, I decided to re-write the beginning of the chapter, since I got a great idea for a beginning to this chapter.

This chapter may seem like filler, but, it isn't. It brings in new, important characters and plot points.

Disclaimer: One Piece is the property of Eichiiro Oda, as stated in the past.

Ch. 17: "Enter the Stowaways."

A few nights later, Heathcliffe found himself wandering around a snowy town.

"Did we dock here? If not… What happened?" Heathcliffe asked himself as he walked down the lonely street. Something caught his eye and he stopped – A teenaged girl was standing in front of him. Her black hair hung down in a limp and her blue eyes looked scared. All she wore to protect her from the cold was a thin, ragged, white, silk dress.

"Hey, there. Shouldn't you be wearing something warmer?" Heathcliffe asked the girl, who remained silent. "Do you… Have a home?"

The girl shook her head. Heathcliffe extended his hand out to the girl.

"You can come with me, beautiful," Heathcliffe said.

"O-Okay," The girl stuttered before grabbing Heathcliffe's hand.

"So, dollface, what's your name?" Heathcliffe asked the girl. But, before the girl could respond, Heathcliffe awoke in his bedroom in the Hyperion, where something was poking his forehead.

"What?" Heathcliffe said as he awoke. As soon as he got up, a pigeon flew into the hall and onto Kartik's shoulder.

"Morning, Heathcliffe! Say, who's this little guy?" Kartik said as the pigeon flew onto his hand.

"I dunno. I just woke up," Heathcliffe said with a shrug.

"I see," Kartik said. "In the meantime, I'll show the pigeon to Yuki-Rin and she'll know what to do with it."

"You do that. I'm gonna go take a shower," Heathcliffe said. A few minutes later, Heathcliffe arrived in the bathroom.

"I wonder how that pigeon got here and who owns it," Heathcliffe said as he opened the shower door. He didn't notice that a girl – who wasn't a crew member – was already taking a shower.

"AHHHHHHH!" The girl screamed.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there! Forgive me, please!" Heathcliffe pleaded before he ran off. What he didn't notice that that was the same girl from his dream.

"Aww! It's so cute! Can we keep him?" Yuki-Rin asked her crew at breakfast as the pigeon sat on her shoulder.

"You're the captain, so, you should decide if we keep it or not," Soren stated.

"Wait a second, Yuki-Rin, we don't know if somebody owns it or not," Hana explained.

"Well, then, for now, we will keep this pigeon with us," Yuki-Rin explained.

"Coo! Coo!" The pigeon cooed in agreement.

"So, what should we name it?" Yuki-Rin asked everyone.

"Let's name it Peaches!" Hana suggested.

"That sounds like a stripper name," Yulia commented.

"It is NOT a stripper name!" Hana yelled.

"Let's name it Graham," Daisuke suggested.

"What the hell kind of lame-ass name is that?" Yulia asked Daisuke.

"I think we should name the pigeon Killian," Molly suggested.

"What kind of – Where did that name come from?" Hatori asked Molly.

"Me home island," Molly deadpanned.

"I think we should name it after a samurai who became known as the 'One-Eyed Dragon'," Kazuma suggested.

"I think we should name it Prospero," Kartik said.

"I don't get it," Hatori said. Yuki-Rin facepalmed.

"I'm the captain, so, I should name it," Yuki-Rin stated.

"And what are you going to name it, Yuki-Rin?" Hana asked her captain, who grinned.

"Eustass Kidd," Yuki-Rin answered. Everyone else facepalmed.

"I told you, guys, we're naming it Date Masamune."

"Who the bloody hell is he? We're naming it Killian, and that's final!"

"I think we should name it Larry."

"Larry? No, no, no. We're going with The Midnight Raven."

"Heathcliffe, where did you get that horrid name?"

"It sounded badass, Kartik."

"Anyway, we're naming it Prospero."

"Oh, Kartik, you and your classical literature!"

"What were you thinking, Karin?"

"Kartik Abingdon II!"

"No, Karin, that's just… Obsessive. I'm going with Heathcliffe's decision of The Midnight Raven."

"That's too dark, Holden! I wanna name it Peaches!"

"Didn't I tell you that that was a stripper name? I'm going with Mr. Bombastic."

"Great name, Yulia, but, I'm sticking with Graham."

"Who names anything 'Graham' anymore?"

"We're naming it G.Z.!"

"Z.G., that's your name spelt backwards."

"Shut up, Drusilla! This is war we're talking about!"

"Excuse me, but, that's my pigeon you have. It's name is Ajax."

Everyone stopped arguing and turned to the doorway, where a teenaged boy and the girl from Heathcliffe's dream stood. The boy purple hair that went to his jaw, black eyes, and a slight tan. He wore a brown newsboy's cap on his head, a black T-shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes. The girl wore a red Chinese dress with gold piping and black high-heels.

"Oh, crap, stowaways," Hana commented as she got out her staff. Heathcliffe then got on his knees in front of the girl.

"I am so sorry for earlier! I didn't know somebody was in there, and I –" Heathcliffe said before the girl cut him off.

"It's okay. I didn't hear you come in," The girl said before she helped Heathcliffe off the floor. Heathcliffe took a few seconds to stare at the girl. Sure, she was dirty and ragged in his dreams, but, in real life, the girl looked clean, feminine, and – hard to admit for a guy like Heathcliffe – pretty.

"Oooh! Heathcliffe's in love! Heathcliffe's in love!" Holden sang.

"Shut up, Holden, before I send Isabella after you!" Heathcliffe threatened. The girl giggled.

"So, your name is Heathcliffe, huh?" The girl asked.

"Yep. Heathcliffe Sarutobi at your service," Heathcliffe introduced himself.

"My name is Aki Chung-Feng, and this is my cousin, Showtarou Shinohara," Aki said as she pointed to Showtarou.

"Yo," Showtarou said with a wave of his hand.

"Welcome –" Yuki-Rin said to Aki and Showtarou before Hana cut her off.

"Yuki-Rin, we don't know what business they have on here," Hana explained.

"Plus, we don't know if they're wanted pirates or not," Kartik added.

"We're not. My mother asked me to get Aki and bring her to me," Showtarou explained. Aki gulped.

"What's wrong with her?" Heathcliffe asked Showtarou as he pointed to Aki.

"Her mother recently died, and they were very close. Add to that, she is afraid of my mom," Showtarou explained.

"But, you don't seem to be scared of your mother," Yuki-Rin pointed out.

"I am. She's a bipolar, bitchy woman who only cares about her status in the world and if the person Aki is going to marry is wealthy enough or not," Showtarou explained.

"That sounds like Big Margo. Tell me, has your mother been working with Big Margo?" Z.G. asked Showtarou, who laughed.

"Hell no! Speaking of which, I heard about how you guys took Big Margo down. It was pretty cool," Showtarou explained. Hana then ushered everyone but Yuki-Rin, Aki, and Showtarou out of the room.

"That's great! Say, Yuki-Rin, show them to their rooms!" Hana said before she left with the rest of the crew. Yuki-Rin, Showtarou, and Aki sweatdropped.

"Is she always like this?" Aki asked Yuki-Rin.

"Uhh… I think it's because you guys are stowaways," Yuki-Rin explained. Showtarou facepalmed.

"All this searching I did for Aki and this is the thanks I get from you guys? Damnit," Showtarou said before he stormed off. "Aki, come on."

"Coming," Aki said before she followed Showtarou.

"There must be more to these two than meets the eye. I mean, they are good people, but, why would they stowaway on the Hyperion? And, what's the deal with this arranged marriage?" Yuki-Rin wondered to herself, not knowing of what was going to happen next.

Ending Note: The Ghost Ship will appear in the next chapter! Yay!

Aki and Showtarou: "Please remember to review this fic and to send in SBS questions!"

Ajax: "Coo! Coo!"

Aki: "Also, we have a special announcement to make."

Showtarou: "Ajax will appear in the next chapter of "The DysFUNctional Pirates", so, be on the lookout with him AND Perona!"

Ajax: "Coo! Coo! Coo!"

Aki and Showtarou: "Until next time, bye-ni!"