I was slowly padding my along a dirt path, my head still held high after the encounter with the stupid cat butler. I was following the scent of my friends, in no hurry to get back. I knew there would be a big fight soon, tomorrow if memory served me correctly, and this time I wasn't going to sit around in a boat. If I was going to hang around Luffy and the crew I needed to pull my own weight. I was going to help with the fighting and nothing would stop me. Although that didn't mean I wasn't scared. In fact I was terrified. I could die, painfully. I could get hurt, which wouldn't be a pleasant experience. But my friends would be getting hurt anyway. They were doing it for what they believed in, and the fact they wanted to help the villagers and Usopp. So why shouldn't I help as well. A little fear is healthy, at least I will be careful whilst I am fighting. I refuse to let fear cripple me.

'Oh my, this train is thought is getting to corny for my own good,' I thought as I pulled myself out of my ramblings.

I cast my eyes back to the road that I was following until something caught my attention from the corner of my eye. I turned my head and stumbled, missing a step due to the surprise at what I saw. There was a person in a dark blue cloak; everything about the person was covered so I couldn't see any features of the person under the cloak. I froze and continued to look at the figure that was leaning lazily against a tree. The head under the cloak moved and I felt chills run down my spine as whoever it was turned their eyes to me. The air was tense with surprise and uncertainty. I didn't remember a guy in a cloak being on the butler's pirate crew. But then again, I couldn't see under the cloak; it could be anyone. But something didn't feel right about this person. They felt different. Not like the people we were getting used of dealing with. This person had power for sure.

The awkwardness between us continued until a sharp cry of a bird overhead broke my concentration. The sudden sharp sound shocked me, causing my eyes to flick up momentarily, and in the time it took me to look up and then down again the figure was gone. Not a single trace left; no sounds, no smells, nothing!

That was way too creepy for my liking so I took off at a faster trot from the place I had paused, using a lot of self-will not to bolt away.

'Who the hell was that?' I thought. 'I hope to God I don't have to fight him tomorrow.'

I finally caught sight of some of my friends, my jaws still pressed tight together in nervousness from the earlier encounter. Zoro was leaning against a fence, his three katana by his side. Nami was next to him, sitting on the top of the fence, and the three veggies were talking with a strange man. Stranger danger alert. The stranger pulled something resembling a round blade on a string out of his pocket and then it finally clicked who that character was. He was the hypnotist Jango – in other words the creepy guy that walks backwards. The Michael Jackson impersonator.

I lengthened my stride so I was loping at an even pace towards my friends, my head tilted to the side curiously as Jango began to swing the round blade back and forth with the three veggies watching it intently. When I had just about reached them, the hypnotist called out "Jango!" and then he and the three veggies fell the ground asleep. Although something must have backfired because Jango fell to the ground with them.

"Hey! What the hell is he doing?" snapped Zoro as I bolted the rest of the way, making a beeline to the veggies, worried about their safety. A quick glance over confirmed that they were all asleep and I began to gently nudge the pepper looking veggie kid's cheek to see if I could wake him up again.

"Hey… Where has the dog been?" I heard Nami asked Zoro in the background.

I didn't hear Zoro's reply because the three kids started to wake up slowly and I heard Jango groan and put his hand on his head. I sent a low growl in his direction as he got up muttering, "Damn, I didn't mean to knock myself out too. Ah well, it's time I go anyway," and without further ado he walked off down the road.

…Freak…

The little veggies were now fully awake and I hoped they had learnt something about talking to strangers, especially ones as creepy as Jango. I heard something in the distance, the sound of feet sprinting down the road, causing me to turn my head and narrow my eyes at the dot in the distance. Another downfall of being a dog, we didn't have very good sight for things far away. Sight was a dog's weakest sense.

"Hey… That's?"asked Zoro.

"Ah! It's the captain!" cried the trio in simultaneously. I didn't know how they managed to say the same thing at the same time, it was kind of creepy really.

"Wasn't Luffy with him?" asked Zoro, although he didn't seem that worried about Luffy.

"Is he still mad at the butler for looking down on his dad?" questioned Nami as she jumped down from her perch on top of the fence.

"Who knows," shrugged Zoro.

"No! His expression is different!" cried the carrot.

"Something must have happened at the shore!" yelled the pepper looking kid.

"He's panicking, what happened?" asked the onion. You had to give the kids credit, they were sharp and observant when they needed to be.

Zoro got a weird look on his face before asking, "Hey kids, do you know how to get to the shore?"

"I think something big has happened!" exclaimed the carrot veggie.

"Right! That hypnotist went that way too a little while ago," said another, crossing over his arms.

Damn, they were sharp for kids.

"Usopp's pirate group is moving!" proclaimed the onion.

"Are you guys done?" asked Zoro as he quirked an eyebrow. "How do I get there?"

"Oh… My God!" exclaimed the carrot.

"They're going to kill Kaya?" the pepper asked incredulously.

"The village is going to be attacked! Is that true Straw Hat!"

I internally flinched, the poor kids. Even if this was really just a story, it was real to me now. It felt like the real world, and these kids were too young to worrying about this stuff.

"Yep. That's what the guy said, there's no doubt about it," confirmed Luffy from his place sitting on the ground, his arms and legs crossed.

We were at the bottom of the cliff that Luffy had fallen off of, I only remembered what had happened to him after we found him sleeping at the base of the cliff. The moron got himself hypnotized. I was sitting by Nami's leg at this stage; I couldn't be bothered getting involved in this conversation. Besides, it's not like I could talk, so I might as well sit back with Nami and watch.

"Oh yeah, why were you sleeping over there anyway?" Zoro asked Luffy, after all we had found him asleep with his head in the ground. Well that's what it looked like to everyone anyway, I knew better.

Luffy just tilted his head to the side whilst contemplating it, "Hm... I remember I was on the cliff..."

I heard the little veggie trio chattering amongst themselves and Nami noted, "So that's why your captain ran into the village in such a hurry to warn them." She and Zoro turned around, ready to walk off and she called over her shoulder. "Well that's good, you guys are the first people to know. You should escape while you can! It'll be too late when the pirates get here!"

"Yeah! We should run away!" cried the carrot. They were only kids after all, it's no wonder that they'd want to run when they found out that their village was going to be attacked.

"Yes! Pack up our important stuff," Pepper agreed.

"My allowance, and snacks, and my model ship..." Onion listed off.

They all bolted then, calling out behind them, "Gotta hurry!"

I watched them leave with a frown, my tail not wagging for once.

"Oh no!" Luffy cried out so suddenly that I jumped.

"What now?" Sighed Zoro.

"We haven't brought our meat yet! Even the butchers will run away," Luffy said like it was the end of the world, and I sighed and turned around and began to follow after the kids.

Normally I would find what Luffy said funny, but what was happening, and about to happen, had my fur standing on end, and I was in no mood to appreciate Luffy's joke. In fact, it sort of pissed me off.

"Oi! Captain Usopp!" cried the pepper-headed kid as we spotted Usopp on the road in front of us.

I scowled as I saw him wipe his eyes, before pasting a happy expression on his face.

"Hey! Hi everybody!" His eyes widened as he saw Luffy though. "EH! How can you still be alive?"

"Still alive? I just woke up," said Luffy in a confused manner. I felt the tangy smell of blood slide past my nose and it was coming from Usopp. He got shot at didn't he? I remember that much.

"He was asleep the whole time," said the pepper veggie. "Captain! We heard about the pirates! We have to warn everyone!"

"Warn everyone….?" stuttered Usopp before he broke out into laughter. "Whahahaha! What pirates!"

"Just like all the other times, it was just a lie! I was having revenge on that butler by making up stories of him being a pirate!" Usopp lied to the kids.

"What! It was just a lie!" Pepper cried.

"Man! I thought something big was going to happen!" Carrot laughed with relief.

"Even Straw Hat lied to us!" Onion complained.

"A captain shouldn't make up lies just because of that. That's not honorable!" said the purple haired kid, or the carrot.

"Yeah, I feel the same way," came from the pepper.

"Me too..." muttered the onion. "No matter how mean that butler is… Captain, I never though you would make up lies to hurt others!"

The three veggies then turned their back on Usopp muttering about what was from dinner. My head had been lowered the whole time Usopp was talking, but now that he was done I walked up to him. I rubbed my head against his leg in a comforting way, before lifting up my head and gently licking his injured arm. He just looked down at me, closed his eyes with a sigh and walked off with the others back to the cliff, with me trailing behind.

Usopp sat in front of Luffy, Nami, and Zoro with his legs crossed. I was sitting beside Luffy, my eyes flicking up to stare at the stars in the sky whilst Usopp was explaining to the others about what happened at the village. My thoughts were mixed with so much turmoil that I was just trying to block everything out and concentrate on the beauty of the stars. But like all the other times I have been deep in thought, I was pulled out by someone yelling.

"SINCE EVERYONE THINKS I AM LIAR, I'LL PROTECT THIS VILLAGE MYSELF AND PREVENT THE PIRATES FROM ATTACKING! IN ORDER TO PROTECT MY VILLAGE, THIS WILL BECOME JUST ONE OF MY LIES!" Usopp yelled, standing up with his fist in the air.

"Although they fired guns at me, and chased me with me brooms in this village I grew up in…" he muttered, gripping his wounded arm. "I love this village, I want to protect everyone. How can I just watch as everyone dies!"

Zoro just 'tch'ed' and said, "You are a pretty good guy. You lied to your crew so you could do this alone..."

"Okay!" cried Luffy, rolling up his sleeves in the universal sign of getting ready to fight. "I'm definitely going to butt into this one!"

I barked twice at Luffy's announcement, eager to help Usopp as well.

Nami just chirped, "But first thing first, all their treasure is mine!"

"What?" Usopp sobbed. "You guys are willing to fight with me! Why…?"

"Because the enemies outnumber you!" exclaimed Luffy.

"You have the words 'I'm scared' written all over your face," Zoro teased.

"Idiots! Me? Scared? So what if they outnumber me! They can't compete with me! I'm captain Usopp! In my veins flows the blood of a courageous warrior!" I smirked in a wolfish way that only a dog can in reply to Usopp newfound courage. "Ah..." Usopp muttered as his legs started shaking. "Stop shaking!" He hissed at his legs, bringing his fists down to hit his legs. He looked up and saw us watching him and quickly snapped. "What are you guys looking at! They're Captain Kuro's Fleet, of course I'm scared! I don't need your sympathy now, go away!"

Zoro just snorted rudely and said, "We're not sympathizing with you! But rather, we are commending you for having courage."

I couldn't have agreed more with the swordsman.

"Why else would we risk our own life?" Luffy challenged.

"You... Guys..." murmured Usopp as he tried to hold back his sobs. "I'm so touched!"

We then got down to battle plans a Usopp explained some stuff to us, after all this is his home territory, he would be the best one to conferrer with.

"They are going to attack from this shore because this is the only way into the village. There is only one other slope, the rest is cliffs. This means so long as we guard this slope with our lives the village won't be harmed," he explained. The battle plan was well put together, I'll admit.

"Sounds easy," smirked Luffy, if only it was that easy though…

"Easier said than done…" Usopp muttered seeming to think like I did. "What are you guys good at?"

"Stealing!" came from Nami.

"Stretching," from Luffy.

"Cutting," from Zoro.

"Woof!" from none other than myself.

"Hiding," said Usopp as he turned around.

"You have to fight as well!" screamed the other three.

With a sigh Usopp turned back around, and this time his eyes landed on me causing me to cock my head to the side, questioning him with a soft whine.

"Can that dog really fight?" Usopp asked looking skeptical.

Could I fight? Oh that's just insulting. Of course I couldn't! I didn't have years of practice at a dojo like Zoro. I wasn't trained by that monster Garp like Luffy. I didn't even have to spend years defending myself like Nami. Hell, I didn't even play 'pirates' like Usopp. I've never taken any self-defense classes or anything of the sort. The closest to fighting I've come is watching it on TV and in cartoons. But the question that should have been asked was, would I fight? Of course I'd fight! How could I not when everyone else was risking their lives. I was going to do what I could, even if it killed me, which hopefully it wouldn't.

"Hmm..." Luffy said, seeming to consider what Usopp had said.

"I've seen her take on a wolf and a few marines," Zoro spoke up. "But she lost in both those fights."

I let out a soft growl at him mentioning that; he didn't have to word it like that! But he was right… I needed to get my head in the game, didn't I?

"I know! Why don't we ask her!" Oh Luffy, you're just too cute. No one else would suggest asking a dog but you.

I saw all their eyes turn my way and I puffed out my chest, holding my head as high as it would go. I then let out several different toned barks and yips, as if I was trying to speak.

Luffy just laughed at me and said, "I don't know what that meant but I'm pretty sure she wants to fight with us!"

I let out another bark to confirm his thoughts. I then decided to be cheeky, and lifted up my head, pointing my muzzle to the sky and letting out a long howl that echoed in the forests around us, and reached over the seas. It was challenge to the cats. If they wanted a fight, this dog was going to work against them.

I saw Usopp flip out as I howled, exclaiming, "Do you want the whole village to come down here! Shush!"

I just lowered the tone of my howl before letting it drop off completely, quirking a dog eyebrow at him.

He sighed in relief and Luffy continued to grin like an idiot.

Then Nami interrupted the silence with a question, "So is she part of your pirate crew?"

"Of course," Replied Luffy without missing a beat.

My heart missed a beat though, and I froze… I was their actual nakama? I wasn't just some pet or tag along? Luffy considered me part of his crew? Up until then I had just considered myself a tag-along as I thought I was only going for the sake of the story; that I was there just to watch this story play out… But I was their nakama? I couldn't seem to wrap my head around it. I hadn't even done anything to be worthy of being their nakama! At least not as far as I knew.

After my few second flip out, I swung around and launched myself at my captain. My front paws hit his chest with a 'thump', causing us to both topple to the ground as he let out a yelp of surprise. I then lunged at his face with my tongue, licking his cheeks, nose and anything else I could reach as his laughter rang in my ears. This was a dogs natural way to express happiness, and submission to higher power too while I was at it. And since I couldn't thank him verbally or hug him this is how my body choose to react in a case of extreme emotion. Although at this time I didn't mind my dog body that much. It had its ups too, even if it took some getting used to, I think I was finally starting to like it.

Anyway, after I'd finally calmed down enough to climb off Luffy and plant my ass back on the ground, my tail wagging full out, Usopp asked a another question about me while Luffy wiped the drool off his face. What was this, 20 questions with a dog?

"What's her name then? None of you have ever told me."

Nami blinked as she turned to Zoro and Luffy and said, "You know, you've never told me her name either."

"Beats me," said Zoro with a shrug. "She was just a stray from the island I met Luffy on, I think. I've never heard anyone call her anything."

Nami gave Zoro and Luffy a deadpan look and asked, "What have you been calling her all this time then?"

"Dog," said Luffy, blinking.

"Mutt," put in Zoro, not really caring what anyone thought.

"Idiots!" hissed Nami. "She needs a name, you can't just calling her Dog and Mutt forever!"

"Why don't we name her then?" asked Usopp, seemingly glad to finally have a better conversation then the impending pirate attack.

"Good idea!" exclaimed Nami… Oh gods, help me!

"I don't see why we can't just keep calling her dog and mutt," muttered Zoro, but he was ignored.

"What about Kiba?" suggested Usopp. I growled at the suggestion of his name.

'Oh please! Surely you can do better than that?' I mentally hissed.

Kiba is a common name for dogs and wolves because it meant fang. I didn't want a common name; I had always been an individual and I wanted my name to reflect that.

"Seems like she doesn't like that name," Hummed Nami. "How about Fluffy then, I've noticed her fur is really plush and soft."

My jaw almost hit the floor when she said that. I knew her suggestion would be bad, but I didn't think it'd be that bad! A growl was my reply to her and she sighed.

"Why don't we wait till tomorrow to see how she fights before we name her?" Luffy suggested.

I was once again shocked into silence by my captain. That was one of the most sensible things that I had heard come out of his mouth in a long time. I knew thaw kid could be smart when he wanted… But damn!

"Sounds good!" chirped Nami and the matter was settled for now.