"How did that happen?" Zoro questioned as we sat around, discussing the article that was published in the newspaper about what had happened at Enies Lobby. There was no mention what so ever about the Franky Family's involvement, nor the three Galley-La shipwrights. "The Franky Family wreaked havoc there."
'Odd,' I mumbled. Zoro was sitting the ground, leaning against the pole of one of the bunk beds, the paper spread before him. I was sitting behind him, my chin resting on his shoulder so I could read the article as well. Nami, Chopper and Luffy were sitting around the table, having tea and donuts. Robin was leaning against the wall next to the table, and Sanji was standing in the middle of the room, smoking.
"Is it possible that your grandpa tweaked the info and said they were innocent citizens who got dragged into the mess?" Sanji asked Luffy.
"Nah, he doesn't pay attention to details like that," Luffy said, waving his hand.
"Nope, impossible," Chopper and Nami agreed.
"Either way, that's good news," Sanji commented. "It'd be a pity if they had to spend the rest of their lives on the run."
"Yeah, but they did write some horrible things about us," Zoro said, smirking. "It said that we declared war against the World Government, and that we were the reason that Enies Lobby burned down. This means our bounties will rise again."
'Hmm… Will I get a bounty this time? I'll have offenses against my name like destructions of world government property, trespassing, breaking and entering, assault, castration of Marine personnel…' I snickered.
"Oh, I wonder if I'll have a bounty on my head too!" Chopper gasped.
"That's possible," Sanji commented. "But mine will be the most problematic. They'll say something like, 'A superstar appeared'."
"What are you being so happy about! Are you all idiots!" Nami snapped.
'What to do now…' I mumbled, trotting around the streets aimlessly. The others had gone to do some shopping. I was a dog, and had no need of any shopping, so I'd decided to go for a walk instead. We had five days to wait for Franky, so we were allowed to rest for a few days.
"PUPPY!" a childish voice screamed, and I let out grunt a when I felt something wrap around my neck. I blinked owlishly, glancing down to a young child hanging off my neck, feet dangling above the ground with a massive grin spread across her face.
'Who the hell do you belong to?' I gaped as the girl let out a squeal before giggling, still clinging to my neck.
"Puppy! Puppy! Puppy! Play, puppy!" she chanted.
'Too… Cute…' I sweat-dropped, feeling my female motherly instincts coming through. A few people walking past gave us odd looks, and one lady even laughed, covering her mouth with her hands. 'Alright, kiddlet. Off, come on. You'll hurt yourself in a second.' I tried to lower my neck to drop her on the ground, but she refused to let go and clung even tighter.
"PLAY!" she screamed, her face starting to red, tears gathering the corner of her eyes.
'Ah! No! Don't do that! Don't cry!' I panicked, trying to nuzzle her. 'I'll play, just don't cry!'
"Puppy play with me?" she questioned, her face clearing up straight away, her smile popping up again. I felt duped at how quickly her emotions changed. Was she playing me?
'I'll do whatever, just don't cry,' I sighed, and suddenly the kid turned into a monkey, grabbing handfuls of my fur roughly, pulling herself up over my head and onto my back. 'Ow, hey, watch it!' I got a boot in the face, and I could feel my fur being pulled out by the handful as the kid wiggled. 'Holy shit… What am I meant to do? I don't know anything about kids. Like, do you need to feed it? What does it eat? Does it need to be walked? Is it potty trained? Oh, for the love of everything holy, please tell me it's potty trained…'
"Giddy-up, puppy!" the kid yelled as she finally settled herself on my back, straddling me like a horse. She jabbed her boots into my side. "Giddy-up!"
'Giddy-up? Are you kidding me? Do I look like a horse to you?' I complained, refusing to go anywhere.
"Giddy-up!" she called again, reaching forward and grabbing my bandana, pulling on it as if it were a pair of reins.
'Hey! Gentle!' I choked. 'I'd better up and find out who this monster belongs too…' I let out a sigh, slowly lumbering forward, hyper-aware of the happily squealing kid on my back who was kicking my sides.
"This way!" the kid yelled, way too loudly, puling my bandana to the left, trying to get me to go across the bridge and onto another street.
'Maybe it'll get me to take it back its owners?' I wondered, turning around to stare at the kid who was grinning like a madman. '…Can I trust it? Does it have enough intelligence to do that?'
"Giddy-up!" she yelled, kicking my sides again.
'I'm not a goddamn horse, I tell ya!' I snapped, shaking my head before continuing walking again. 'Urgh, I give up. Whatever.'
"This way!" she said, leading me around whilst kicking and pulling my bandana. I walked along the streets, drawing weird looks from people walking past. Not that I was surprised. They all seemed to know I was the Straw Hat's dog, and here I was, acting like a pony to a little a girl.
"Good puppy!" the girl yelled, giggling loudly. I couldn't bite back a slight smirk at the sound of her laughter – something about it just made me happy. It reminded me of my little brother. I missed be able to play around with him.
'Now what kid?' I asked, still lumbering placidly around the streets with the little monster stuck to my back. 'We can't do this all day.'
"Play, play, play!" she cheered, steering me around a corner and I gaped at the scene before me. She's taken me to a playground. Little, controlling, conniving shit.
'You little…' I grumbled half heartedly as she scrambled off my back, running towards a slide. A few other kids were there, and they gaped when they say me, sparkles growing in their eyes. 'Hang on… Don't even…'
"PUPPY!" one of them screamed really loudly, jumping out of a sand pit and tearing towards me. A whole pack of them stumbled and ran towards me, all different ages.
'Please spare me!' I begged, closing my eyes and flinching when I felt the leeches latching onto me all over. Screaming and giggling echoed in my ears, my nose, ears and tail being grabbed and pulled by so many hands as the kids swarmed around me like a bunch of piranhas.
"Come on kids, be gentle to the poor dog," a kind voice said, and suddenly all kids paused, the sound dying off. "You'll hurt her if you play too rough. Come on now, give her some room."
"But Gramps!" one of the older kids protested.
"No buts, go on. Go back to playing."
Slowly the kids let go, one by one, stepping back and giving me room to breathe. They wandered off, quickly distracted by other things. 'Ah, thank you,' I gasped, glancing up to an old man with benevolent eyes. He had white hair, crinkles around his eyes and a friendly look on his face. I instantly had a good feeling about him, my tail wagging.
"Sorry about them, they're bit excitable at times," he laughed. "You're the dog that is with the Straw Hats, right?"
'Yeah,' I grunted, nodding my head.
"It seems you brought Eleskria back, thanks for that. She has a bad habit of wandering off and getting herself into trouble. She's a good kid though," he said, glancing over to the little girl who'd led me here. She was now kneeling in the sand pit, busily building a sand castle with another little boy that looked just a bit older than her. "I'm meant to be watching them while the back streets get fixed up. Their parents are busy working, and I wouldn't be much help, so I'm supervising this bunch."
'Ah, it's no problem,' I replied, blinking owlishly at the old man. I flashed him a grin to get my point across.
"Puppy! Come play! Please!" Eleskria begged, and I looked at her, and then the old man.
"You don't have too, I'm sure you have things to do…" he said to me, uncertain.
"Please," the little girl begged, her eyes tearing up.
'…Oh, I give up. Just for a short while,' I snorted, flashing the old man another smile before trotting over to the sand pit and jumping into it with a bunch of the brats.
"Puppy!" they cheered, and I found a bucket shoved in my face. I picked it up, holding onto the handle between my teeth as the kids started to grab handfuls of the sand, filling the bucket. When it was full, one of the older kids took it off of me, and dumped onto a mound of sand gathered in the centre of the pit. The younger kids were patting down the sand, trying to make a castle out of it.
"It needs a moat!" one of them pointed out, and quickly there were many hands digging out a moat around the mound of sand. I wandered forward, sitting next to Eleskria, using one of my paws to gently dig out some of the sand. The little girl gave me a beaming smile in response that melted my heart.
"We need something on the top of it," one of them said, when the moat was finish, and they all looked around, coming up blank. I glanced around as well, and saw nothing that could have help. And then I remember what exactly would look great on the top. I hesitated before pulling the rose out of my bandana, gently laying it on the top of the castle. The thing was lucky and never died, it'd be better off with these kids. I couldn't cart it around all the time.
"Bo… Be…" Eleskria mumbled, trying to pronounce the word. "Bootifil!"
"It's done!" the kids grinned proudly at each other, glee on their faces.
"More play, puppy!"
'…Help me.'
'Hold on,' I cautioned, gripping the shirt of the kid sitting in front of me. I pushed off, sliding down the slide, holding onto the kid and landing neatly at the bottom.
"Me next, me next!" another kid called as I let go of the brat, smirking and jumping back up to the top platform of the slide. The kid quickly scrambled up the ladder, sitting down at the top of the slide. I chuckled mentally and grabbed him too, pushing off and sliding down the slide on my paws. The kid screamed and then burst into laughter when we reached the bottom.
"Me next!"
"No, me next!
"Me, me, me!"
"One at a time, children. You'll all get a go," the old man called.
"One, two, three, out!" two twins girls said at the same time as they spun the skipping rope. The boy that was jumping scrambled out of the slide, letting the next child jump in.
"One, two, three, out!" the next kid jumped out, running back to the end of the time. It was my time now, and I ran up, jumping in the rope and skipping neatly over it every time it swung past my heels. I could hear gales of laughter around me, the kids impressed at a dog being able to jump a rope.
"One, two, three, out!"
"Here!"
"I'm here!"
"You can't catch me!"
'Rawr, I'll eat you when I get my paws on you,' I laughed, trotting around and purposely missing the kids every time I tried to jab one with my nose. I had a scarf tied around my eyes, so I couldn't see what they were all doing and where they were. I could have easily tagged one of them, but where would the fun in that be?
"Can't get me! Haha!" I jumped towards the kid who'd called that out, getting a shriek in reply as the kid scrambled out of my road.
'No more. Mercy,' I begged, beyond tired as I collapsed at the feet on the old man who was sitting on a bench, watching the kids. The little bundles of energy were still going, showing no signs that they were going to stop any time soon.
"Haha, they really like you," he laughed, grinning down at me.
'I'd noticed.' I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Don't worry, their parents should be coming soon to get them. I dare say they'll all go home and sleep through the night," he said. "Thank you for that."
'No problem… I think,' I mumbled tiredly.
"Do you have to go soon?" he asked, and I shook my head. I'd wait here until all the kids got picked up and taken home. At least I could sleep in peace tonight then. The old man smirked. "You're pretty interesting for a pirate's dog."
'So I get told a lot,' I snorted.
"Bye puppy! Bye gramps!" Eleskria called, waving to me with the rose in her hair as her mother lead her away. I smiled and watched her go, partly sad and partly glad. That little shit had run me around all day, but she was still cute.
"Well, that's the last of them," the old man said, glancing up to the setting sun. "You'll be on your way then?"
I nodded. 'Mhmm.'
"If you get time before you leave, come back and play again? I'm sure the kids would love to see you." He reached down and patted the top of my head, ruffling the fur.
'I'll see how things go.'
"Eh? Usopp will come back!"
"Yeah," Sanji confirmed, taking a drag is his cigarette. "He was rehearsing at the beach."
"For real?" Luffy gasped. "Wow! Good to know! Let's go fetch him immediately! Woo hoo! Usopp's coming back!" Luffy started running towards the door, Chopper and Nami following him. I stayed where I was, looking up at Zoro who was standing next to me.
"WAIT UP, GUYS!" he snapped. "I won't let anyone go fetch him."
"Eeeeh! Why!"
"No matter what, you shouldn't take a modest approach. I will not approve of him until he apologizes," Zoro declared, crossing his arms his chest. I sighed sadly, dropping my eyes.
'I have to agree… I'm sorry,' I whimpered.
"ZORO! MAMORI!" Chopper ragged.
"Hey, why are you saying such things!" Nami protested.
"Shut up!" he snapped.
'Oi,' I warned, growling at him. There was no need to talk to Nami like that.
"Whatever the thoughts that were in Luffy and Usopp's argument, and no matter who was correct, as long as the two decided to fight, the outcome was entrusted to the match. In the end, he lost and left us." Zoro walked over to a silent Luffy, tapping his head with his sword. "Listen, guys. Even thought he's such an idiot, he is our captain. It's better not to have someone who cannot pay due respect to him when there's something in out crew." Zoro grabbed Luffy's cheek, stretching it out to prove a point. "A crew whose captain who has lost his dignity will surely collapse!" At this point, he pulled Luffy around to face him. "It's none of my business that you usually joke around, but if you humiliate yourself yet still claim any pretence of being my leader, then I will be the one to leave the crew this time!"
"Ehh! Then we'll never come together!" Nami protested as Zoro let go of Luffy and placed himself in front of the door.
"I agree that it'd be for the best if that fool decided to come back," Zoro said. "But I will never let him back in if he has no intention of excusing himself and tried to sweep this under the rug!"
'I agree. I love Usopp, but a lack of respect can cause major problems later on. If one person can get away with disrespecting the captain, then more will try. I won't sit back and watch everything fall out under out feet. There is a point where we need to draw a line, and this is it,' I sighed, slowly standing up to my feet and making my over to Zoro. I got his view on all of this. He wanted Usopp back, but he wouldn't let him back until he'd apologized, which was fair enough. 'Chopper, can you translate that, please?'
"I-I…" Chopper swallowed nervously. I approached Zoro, looking up so that my eyes met his. He looked down at me, and I inclined my head slightly, reading his body language for a sign that I was allowed to take up position next to him. A slight nod of his head was all it took, and I sat neatly next to him, my eyes staring sadly, yet defiantly back at Luffy, Chopper, and Nami. "Mamori said… 'I agree. I love Usopp, but a lack of respect can cause major problems later on. If one person can get away with disrespecting the captain, then more will try. I won't sit back and watch everything fall out under out feet. There is a point where we need to draw a line, and this is it'."
"Wait, Zoro, Mamori, I know it was his fault, but we can complain about him as much as we want after he comes back–" Nami started to say.
"IS LEAVING THIS CREW SUCH A SIMPLE THING!" Zoro demanded, pulling out one of his swords and slamming it into the ground on the side I wasn't sitting on. I didn't flinch, only twitching my ears slightly at the sound. I didn't take my eyes off of our captain.
"No…. But…" Nami stammered.
"Nami, unfortunately he's got it right this time," Sanji agreed.
"In the future there's no way we can trust a guy who does such a thing on a whim!" Zoro said. "Simply put, if the first thing Usopp says is his deepest apology, then it's all right for him to come back. If it's not, then he has no place to return here. We aren't playing pirates like kids here!" Zoro put his sword back in its sheath. "Are we clear?"
"We parted out ways once. There are still several days until the ship is competed and we sail out," Luffy conceded.
"The log pose is ready!" Nami, who was chilling at the table with Kokoro, announced. "The log pose is already pointing to the next island!"
"Then all we need is the ship to set sail! I can hardly wait!" Luffy said, doing one-handed handstands on the edge of a bed.
"Yeah," Nami agreed. "He said he wanted to surprise us, so we shouldn't come by until it's ready."
"So you know where the log is leading you to?" Kokoro asked.
"No," she replied. "Where? It's pointing a little bit downwards…"
"Ngagaga, of course the next island is Fishman Island, the Paradise Beneath the Sea!"
"Ehhh! Fi-Fi-Fi-Fishman Island! Finally!" Sanji yelled, his eyes turning into heart, steam coming out of his nose.
"Wha! What's going on, Sanji!" Chopper panicked.
"Fishman Island…" Nami sighed. "I've got mixed feelings."
"Yeah. After everything that happened in your village…" Luffy said, jumping off the bed and wandering over to her.
"But back them, those fishmen were pirates, right?" Zoro asked.
'Hmm…' I mumbled, thinking about it. Maybe the rest were not as bad.
"That's right. You know it pretty well, you shitty bastard!" Sanji cooed, spinning around and doing his happy dance. "Fishman Island is a famous spot in the Grand Line. Beautiful mermaids draw arcs above the water and play with fish in the dream kingdom." Sanji then froze, turning around and glancing at Kokoro. He fell to his knees and started slamming his fist against the ground, crying. "Can't I at least dream about it! I'm a pirate, dammit!"
"They have young mermaids too!" Kokoro snapped. "But, it's not that easy to get to the paradise."
"I'm curious about the 'beneath the sea' part," Robin said.
"That… You'll get it when you get there. That's not the problem. Look at the front page of the newspaper."
"What's this?" Nami asked, picking up the paper and looking at it. "'14 ships disappeared this month again.' What does it mean?"
"Florian Triangle," the drunken old bag answered. "It's an area that you have to go through to get to the paradise. More than 100 ships each year are reported missing on that sea. Later on, people also come across ships without the crew. And, there are even constant sightings of ghost ships that carry the dead on board."
"THERE ARE GHOST? SCARY!" Chopper panicked.
"I can meet living skeletons!" Luffy exclaimed, excited.
"What kind of thought is that?" Zoro sweat-dropped.
'One that our captain would have,' I said, rolling my eyes.
"No! I'd never want to meet them! I don't even want to see them!" Nami gasped, shivering. "Not such creepy ships! What happens on that sea!
"Ngagaga, who knows?" Kokoro said, a creepy look on her face. "If something happens to you, you won't come back alive. A dark sea with a thick fog… Be warned. Either way, it's a dangerous sea where many accidents have happened. Just be prepared."
"Merchant and pirate ships coming back as ghost ships… The legends of the 'Treasure Ship' always revolve around them," Robin pointed out.
"Let's go find the ghost ship!" Nami announced all of a sudden, her eyes turning into beli signs.
"Leave it to me!" Luffy cheered.
"EHH! NO!" Chopper protested.
"Bring on the disasters. We'll have plenty of food on board, so we should be fine," Sanji said.
"Treasure ships… Maybe they'll have swords…" Zoro mumbled, thinking about the one sword he'd lost when he had to fight a marine with the ability to rust swords. Now Zoro was down to two working swords.
"PIRATE BROS!" Chimney called as the doors were thrown open, and Chimney, Gonbe and the twins fell to their knees in the doorway, panting.
"Franky bro asked all of you come!" one started to say.
"The dream ship is done!" the other finished.
"It's a really great one!" Chimney chirped.
"EHH! IT'S DONE ALREADY!" Luffy gaped. "THAT'S MUCH FASTER THAN PLANNED!"
"Five top-notch shipwrights spent days and nights to build it!"
"All right! Let's go!" Sanji cheered.
"STRAW HAT!" a group of loud voices yelled, and we all looked at each other before wandering outside to meet the Franky Family who were running through the gates to our place. "STRAW HAT!"
"Franky Family," Luffy greeted.
"What's going on, guys?"
"You're all out of breath."
They all skidded to a stop before us, hand on knees, panting. Zanbai feel to his knees before us, gasping to breath. "I… I have a favour to ask of you! Did you see the wanted posters!"
"Wanted posters?" Luffy asked.
"You… You have an outrageous bounty on your head, Straw Hat! The others too… You've all got a bounty on your head!"
"Me too?" Sanji questioned, excited.
"Me too?" Nami gasped, not looking pleased at all.
"Me too?" Chopper gaped, looking as excited as Sanji.
'I wonder…'
"Here… See for yourself!" he threw the bounty posters on the ground before us. "All eight of you got a bounty!"
The reactions to the posters were mixed; Zoro and Luffy seemed happy to get an increased bounty; Nami was horrified at the idea of being wanted; Sanji was beyond horrified at his bounty picture; Chopper and I were both utterly dejected at our sorry excuses for a bounty.
'…ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!' I raged as I stared at my poster. There was a picture of my face, my lips pulled back in a snarl, blood coating my muzzle. My eyes had a wild look in them, focusing on something out of the range of the picture – probably meaning I was about ice some poor bastard. The title was ""Feral Dog" (pet) Mamori". And the bounty was… 'THIS HAS TO BE A JOKE! 500 BELI? I'M ONLY WORTH 500 BELI!'
"Well, I can feel ya… And I know you've got lots to say, but wait!" Zanbai protested, pulling out another wanted poster. "Our request is in regard to this. Look at this."
"Franky!" Luffy exclaimed as he looked at the wanted poster for the cyborg.
"That's right! We got off somehow, but bro didn't make it… Bro's life will be at stake if he stays in Water 7! If he's caught again, there's no way we'll be able to save him ourselves!" Zanbai explained. "I'm sure bro will be worried about us and won't want to leave the island… So we've all agreed… Straw Hat, please! Use force if necessary! Please take him out to sea! He's a son of a pirate after all!"
"Guys, you're prepared to deal with this matter about Usopp, right?" Zoro asked, and everyone picked up their bags and got ready to leave the room for the last time. "Remember that is how it should be done."
"…Okay."
"Hey, how much longer are you gonna stay depressed? It's pretty good to get a bounty that high for the first time, you know," Luffy said, talking to Sanji who was sulking over his picture.
"SHUT UP!" Sanji snapped, pointing to his picture. "WHY IS MY PICTURE THE ONLY HAND DRAWN ONE! TELL ME, WHICH PART OF THIS IS ME!"
"That picture looks just like you," Zoro said.
Sanji rounded on him, making a sound that was not human. "Δ ✕~ ◐❅ ≊✱~✖✹"
"Speak up, I don't understand what you're saying."
"I'll be a laughing stock of all the ladies out there…" Sanji dropped to the ground.
"I was tricked… He said he's a reporter from the town's magazine. I look cute in it, so I guess that's fine, but… Now I have a bounty on my head too," Nami moped.
"I'm a pirate as well! I fought like a brave man! I'm not satisfied with this amount! 50 beri!" Chopper cried.
'THIS PIECE OF ASS IS WORTH THAN MORE THAN 500 BERI!' I snapped, slapping my paw against the ground.
"Well, better luck next time, you two," Luffy laughed.
'How the hell does one increase their bounty! Who the hell's head do I have to take! Mass genocide? Would that work? World domination? No! I've got it! I have to castrate a Marine Admiral… Yeah! I gotta do that!' I planned, an evil smirk slipping on my face.
"Would that really work!" Chopper gaped, looking at me with teary eyes.
'…Uhh.'
"Don't forget anything. We'll get the ship and Franky, and then we'll set sail."
"Bro!"
"They're here!" the twins announced as they led us down to the seaside where Franky and the shipwrights had been working on our new ship. The area was covered in bits and pieces of old boats and junk. On the ground around the place was Paulie, the two brother shipwrights that had come with us to Enies Lobby, the Frog, and Iceberg, all seemingly asleep.
"Wow! There's something huge over there!" Luffy called out when he noticed something huge by the waterside, covered in a large blanket so that we couldn't see what it was. "Is that it? HEY! WE'RE HERE! FRANKY! GIVE US THE SHIP!"
'HAVE SOME DAMN MANNERS!' I snapped as Luffy, Chopper and Sanji ran down to the side of the ship. Nami, Zoro and I followed at a more sedate pace. Iceberg woke up, and stood next to the blanketed ship.
"Uncle Ice!" Luffy greeted.
"Welcome," he replied. "Unfortunately Franky's not around but the ship is ready. Allow me to show you the ship instead. The ship is amazing. I stood there in astonishment when I saw the blueprints. It will be able to cross any kind of sea. With this ship, you can even go to the end of the world. Franky left you a message Straw Hat."
"Just show me already!" Luffy protested.
Iceberg smirked, grabbing the sheet and pulling it off as he said, ""If you will be the Pirate King one day, then set sail with the King of Beasts!""
"IT'S HUGE! AND BEYOND AMAZING!" Luffy called, sparkles in his eyes. "Look like a lot of stuff is gonna come out of it!"
"HE'S GIVING US THIS?" Chopper gasped.
"Ha, it's twice as big as Merry" Zoro said, smirking.
'…I like it. He didn't do a half bad job,' I said, tilting my head to the side and smiling at the ship before us. It was amazing. The large ship looked like something out of a dream. Compared to our Merry, the new ship was a lot bigger, and had a lot of different additions. And at the front was a lion head, looking almost proud.
"It has a big gaff sail!" Nami grinned. "Is it a sloop?"
"Show me the kitchen!" Sanji called. "Kitchen!"
"It's a fabulous ship," Robin commented. "I wonder what kind of big flower he used for the figurehead."
"I think it's a lion, not a flower," Iceberg replied.
It didn't take long for everyone to jump on board and start exploring the new ship. The first thing Luffy did was drop to the ground and start rolling across the lawn that was on the main deck. "It's a lawned deck."
'…Amazing,' I gaped, the grass tickling the paws as I trod lightly across it. There were even a few trees and a swing on the main deck. 'This'll be so much fun to sleep on!'
"There's a slide!" Chopper called out, sliding down it.
"It seems like we can do some gardening here," Robin pointed out.
"A fridge with a lock that I've been dreaming off!" Sanji yelled from the kitchen. "And a huge oven too! Franky, thanks! This ship is the best!"
"Hey, Uncle Ice," Luffy called, running up to the railing and hanging off of it so that he could look over at Iceberg. I ran over to him, jumping up on the railing beside him. "Where's Franky? I want to thank him!"
"It seems that he has no intention to see you guys anymore," Iceberg replied. "Are you trying to recruit him as a shipwright, Straw Hat?" Iceberg asked.
"Yup! How did you know?" Luffy asked. "I've decided to have him as a shipwright!"
"He probably noticed that," Iceberg answered.
"You mean he wouldn't want to?" Luffy questioned, and I frowned.
'…He doesn't want to leave his family. You wouldn't either if you were in his position,' I sighed.
"Quite the opposite," Iceberg said. "He's not confident enough to reject such an offer when he is asked face to face. That's why he's hiding himself. In his mind, I'm sure he wants to go out to sea with you guys. He's entrusting his Dream Ship that he treasured so much to you, so it should be obvious. Franky really likes being with you guys. But he believes that he has a duty to stay on this island forever."
"A duty?"
"Nothing more than a silly tenacity, if you ask me," Iceberg sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "If you really intend to bring him along, don't choose your means. Just take him by force. That's the only way to set him free."
"By force?" Luffy gaped. "Can we?"
'…I think you need to reword that. You sound like you're going to violate him or something.' I sweat-dropped.
"KYAAH!" LOOK AT THE PERVERT!"
"WHAT IS THAT!"
'…Never mind, no rewording needed,' I gaped, as the cyborg who had his head buried in a pile of junk, his naked ass up in the air. There was a crowded gathered on the next level, gaping and gasping at the view that Franky was showing.
"B-Bro!" the twins cried.
"Look at this…" Iceberg mumbled.
"AHH!" Franky yelled, busting out of the junk.
"FRANKY!" Luffy called out next to me, holding up the pair of pants – if you could call the slip of material by that name – up in the air. Franky spun around to face us and I reeled back, turning my head away.
'I DON'T NEED TO SEE THAT!' I howled, embarrassment flooding my systems.
"THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SHIP!" Luffy yelled. "IT'S THE GREATEST! WE'LL TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT!"
"Yeah, I wish you all a safe journey with the ship," Franky replied.
"IF YOU WANT THESE BACK, THEN BE OUR NAKAMA!"
"Put your pants on!" the crowd yelled.
"Pervert!"
"You wrecked the town again!"
"Get lost, pervert!"
"Give me back my pants, Straw Hat," Franky demanded.
"Then be our nakama," Luffy answered.
"Don't be silly!" Franky snapped. "Don't assume you can make me your nakama just by taking my pants!" He then posed proudly, showing everything off with no signs of shame what so ever.
"KYAAAAA!"
"HE MADE HIS USUAL POSE WITHOUT ANYTHING COVERING HIS LOWER HALF!"
"HORRIBLE! HE'S HORRIBLE!"
"H-HE'S A MAN OF MEN!" Luffy gasped, awed at the display.
"HE'S JUST THE BIGGEST PERVERT EVER!" Nami snapped, smacking Luffy over the back of his head.
'Oh gods, my eyes!' I wailed, bringing one of my paws up to try and cover my eyes.
"If I'm allowed to be a little violent, I can help you out," Robin offered.
"Now that you mention it, Uncle Ice also said he won't come if we don't use force," Luffy mumbled.
Robin smirked as everyone looked at her. "Our little dog friend gave me this idea," Robin said, crossing her arms over her chest. I blinked owlishly, pulling my paw away from my face. "Dos Fleur." Arms grew out of Franky's thighs, and he looked down blankly for a few seconds. "Grab."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Franky screamed in agony as the hands clamped down on his pride and joy.
'No way… Robin!' I laughed hysterically.
"EEH! HEY, ROBIN!" Nami protested.
"SHE GRABBED THEM!" Luffy cried, his eyes popping out of his head.
"THEY'LL BE SMASHED, ROBIN!" Chopper yelled.
"AAARRRGGGGHHHHH!" Franky screamed in pain, doing an odd little dance.
"THEY'LL COME OFF!" one of the twins screamed.
"JUST LIKE ORANGES!" the other finished.
"HEY, ROBIN!" Luffy panicked. "I WANT HIM TO BE A MAN WHEN HE JOINS US! DON'T MAKE THEM COME OFF, OKAY?"
"IT HURTS JUST LOOKING AT IT!" Chopper wailed.
'HAHAH! OH MY GODS! ROBIN, I LOVE YOU!' I laughed.
"What's going on! Franky's getting hurt!" the crowd pitched in again.
"What is that sad painful chicken-like scream?"
"He's kind of pitiful, even though he's a pervert."
"If you ask a group of pirates to back off in front of a treasure, then you'd better have a good explanation, otherwise there' no way they'll back off," Robin said calmly.
"AHH!" Franky shrieked, flopping to the ground and wriggling around. "I… I said I want to stay on this island! I… I'm really thankful to you guys. More than I can ever imagine. I want to go with you guys… But I have stuff to take care of here! That's why I gave you guys a ship! First of all, I quit being a shipwright already! So that ship would be the last ship that I'd ever make! It was my wish… That is the dream ship!"
"Wait, Franky," Iceberg said, stepping forward as Franky rolled around on the ground. "That ship hasn't become your so called "Dream Ship" yet."
"I changed my mind on what I want to do!" Franky said, struggling back up to his feet.
"What you want to do? No, that's not right. Whatever you are doing on this island now is all just atonement," Iceberg challenged him. "You are still regretting and blaming yourself for Tom being taken on that day. But Tom already forgave you on that day, and directed you to the new road. You brought those punks in the backstreet together. You called yourself a bounty hunter and protected this island from looters. Everything was done to protect this city that Tom loved as atonement. Thought probably no one looked at it that way."
"Of course not… That was never my intention," Franky panted.
"You quit shipbuilding and subdued your will to live… Is that what you're going to do forever?" he asked. "Even if Tom forgives you and I forgive you, probably nothing will change. Why don't you forgive yourself, Franky? You can live your own dream, right?"
"OWWW!" Franky howled, tears pouring out of his eyes, and then something crashed into the ground right in front of him. "WHAT? A BAG?"
"It's luggage for your journey, bro!" the Franky Family called.
"You guys…"
"Bro! Please forgive us! For everything! We're really sorry! We're ready to accept any punishment! We're idiots, so we used out brains to fullest and thought of this!"
"What did you think about with the brains you don't have!" Franky snapped. "A way to take my pants away from me, huh! Or a way to make me a pirate! Don't butt in! It's my life! I decide everything on my own! How can I, a boss, happily walk the path that my men prepared? Shameful! What nonsense! Don't even bother to use that brains you don't have!"
"We're really sorry!" Zambai replied. "But can't we just think a bit about some who adopted us racketeers? CAN'T WE THINK ABOUT YOUR HAPPINESS!"
"OUCH! OWWWW! AHHH!" Franky wailed, flopping back to the ground and rolling around whilst crying and bawling. "You guys… OWWW!"
"Hey, Robin! Adjust your power, please! He'll become a woman!" Luffy begged.
"HE'S CRYING!" Chopper yelled.
"THEY'LL COME OFF!"
"JUST LIKE GRAPES!"
"NICO ROBIN, YOU BITCH! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU! IT HURTS SO MUCH THAT I CAN'T STOP CRYING! OWWW!"
'Look closer,' I sweat-dropped, politely avoiding my eyes. Robin just smiled, lowering her arms and leaning back against the railing.
"Hmm? You aren't doing anything?" Luffy realized.
"Fufu, I was only doing it in the beginning," she replied. "He's sneaky… Blaming the pain for his tears."
"SHIT! OWW! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! I CAN'T STOP CRYING!"
"BRO! ARE YOU OKAY?"
"Of course not," he cried.
"BRO!"
"BROOO!"
"BRO!"
"Can you even survive without me?" Franky cried, sitting up.
"We'll do our best to put our power together and succeed the hidden face of Water 7! Even though you're going far away, we'll always be your men!" Zambai replied.
"Leave it to us!"
"Bro, don't cry!"
"Broo!"
"LUFFY!" both Zoro and Sanji yelled as they appeared in the crowd, jumping down to the level of the junk yard, running towards us.
"Zoro, Sanji," Luffy said.
'What's wrong?' I asked, frowning and tensing up.
"The situation is getting worse!" Sanji called as he ran to the boat.
"Your Grandpa's coming back, Luffy! They already took the offensive in the coasts over there and are looking for us!" Zoro explained.
"EH! WHY?" Luffy gaped. "I thought we wouldn't get caught here!"
"How would we know! Prepare to set sail," Sanji replied, running past Franky. "Whoa, Franky! You haven't gotten your pants back yet?"
"Ah. Here you go!" Luffy said, throwing Franky back his pants. "Now get on my ship, Franky!"
"None of your cheek! You're armatures who can only do poor touch-up jobs," Franky smirked. "I'd pity this excellent ship if it didn't have a shipwright. All right, I'll take care of it! I, Franky, will be the shipwright for your ship!"
"WOOOH! OUR NEW NAKAMA!" Luffy and Chopper cheered as Zoro and Sanji climbed into the boat.
"Bro…" the twins said, covering their mouths, tears pouring from their eyes.
Franky started walking forward, picking up his bag as he made his way to our ship. All of the Franky family were bawling, and there were tears streaming from Franky's eyes too as he announced, "I'M GOING AWAY FOR A WHILE!"
'PUT YOUR GODDAMN PANTS ON ALREADY!'
"Set sail," Luffy ordered, reclining back against one of the seats on our new ship's deck. He had a smile on his face, but I could see straight through it.
"Hey, Luffy!" Nami protested.
"Luffy…" Chopper mumbled, tearing up.
"Are you sure, Straw Hat?" Franky question. "Don't you have to wait for one more person?"
"I was waiting for him. Ever since Sanji told us the story, I waited for him in that room at Galley-La so someone could welcome him, but he never showed up," Luffy laughed hollowly. "This is his answer. I'm sure he… Will have fun too. I don't think he'll quit being a pirate, so hopefully we'll see him on the sea sometime."
Everyone stared silently at him for a few moments before something exploded in the water right next to out ship, throwing us off balance. Everyone quickly ran over to the railing and Franky swore.
"Crap! They've found us! It's the marines!"
'NOW OF ALL TIMES.' I hissed, already in a foul mood. This was just adding to it.
"Grandpa!" Luffy exclaimed.
"Hey, Luffy! Can you hear me? This is your grandpa!" A voice called over a speaker, as Garp's warship approached us. On the figurehead of the ship was none other than Garp himself.
"Hey, Grandpa! What's going on!" Luffy demanded. "You told us that you wouldn't arrest us here!"
"Yeah, things happened," Garp replied. "So I'm sorry to say, but I'll have to ask you to just drown and die!"
'WHAT SORT OF MESSED UP FAMILY DO YOU HAVE!'
"EEEHHHH!"
"It's not like I can make up for it, but I'll kill you guys by myself," Garp said, taking a cannonball off of one of his marines.
"What's he gonna do?" Sanji gaped.
"Genkotsu Meteor*!" Garp yelled, launching the cannonball at us with just the power of his throw alone. It was ten times more powerful and faster than a normal cannonball, crashing into the shore right behind us.
"HE THREW THE CANNONBALL WITH HIS BARE HANDS!" Sanji gaped, shock written on his face.
"It flew much faster than a regular cannonball would, too. Does he know it's not a baseball!" Zoro hissed, his hands on the hilts of his swords.
"Bwahaha! I wish I didn't get old," Garp laughed. "My power is declining lately!"
"Can't be helped! We have to run away or our new ship will get wrecked!" Nami ordered from the higher deck.
"Bring 1000 cannonballs!" Garp ordered his marines as he took off his coat.
"Yes, Sir!"
"Not good! We're gonna get more of those cannonballs!" Franky called out.
"Shall we begin, kids?" Garp smirked, cracking his knuckles.
"Advance the ship at full speed! We'll smash the cannonballs!" Luffy ordered.
"HE'S HERE! USOPP IS HERE!" Chopper called excitedly.
"Wait! What are you guys doing? Hey, I'm still coming!" Usopp called, running along the broken staircase, and jumping into the air. I watched, cautiously out of the corner of my eyes, keeping most of my attention on Garp. "What's going on? Even after our quarrel, we fought together! I'm Sogeking! Did you give up on me because I disappeared? Hey, guys! Don't worry! I'm back!"
"Here you go! More, more, more! Bwahaha!" Garp laughed as he fired cannon ball after cannonball at the ship. Sanji, Luffy, Zoro, Franky and I were forced to defend our new ship from damaged. I launched myself off the side of the ship, headbutting one of the cannonballs back into the sea. It was thrown too hard for me to be able to send it back at Garp's ship.
"Usopp's here, Luffy! Usopp's here!" Chopper called.
"Protect the ship!"
"Heeey! Rejoice! It's me! Chopper! It's good weather today!" Usopp called, running towards the shore. "Let's go fishing! But it's not time for that, huh? By the way, I have good news for you guys! Don't be surprised, when I'm back, I won't mind being a vice-captain for you! Hey! Luffy! Guys! You! Don't tell me it's about what I said that time! We've known each other forever you know! I would never day suck a thing seriously! We've had lots of arguments, but we are nakama! I'll let some stuff slide! Hey, say something! Cut it out, guys!"
"Luffy! Usopp's calling you!" Chopper snapped as Luffy kicked a cannonball violently away.
"I don't hear anything," Luffy replied.
"Zoro!" Chopper called.
"I didn't hear anything," Zoro hissed, slicing another incoming cannonball.
"Mamori!" Chopper begged, and I flinched mentally, spinning around and using my back feet to kick away a cannonball.
'I don't know what you're talking about,' I replied, refusing to meet Chopper's eyes.
"Liars! You heard him!" Franky said.
"Stop joking around! What? Are you really going to leave me? I see… I've had enough! If that's how it is… Just let me say one last thing…" Usopp fell to his knees by the shoreline. "I'M SORRRRRRRRRRY! I'M SORRY FOR BEING STUBBORN! I WAS WRONG!"
Everyone seemed to freeze up, even my eyes flickered back to the shoreline to see a bawling and bowing Usopp. I didn't let it distract me for too long, jumping up and using my front paws to slam a cannonball back into the ocean.
"I KNOW IT'S SHAMEFUL AND I KNOW I SAID I LEFT THE CREW! CAN I… CAN I TAKE BACK WHAT I SAID!? CAN I PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE LET ME STAY WITH YOU GUYS! PLEASE! PLEASE MAKE ME YOUR NAKAMA ONE MORE TIME!"
Luffy threw out his hand to Usopp, stretching it across the sea. Tears were pouring out of his eyes as he sobbed, "IDIOT! HURRY AND GRAB MY HAND!"
"You're the idiot!" Zoro smirked as everyone cheered.
"Ahaha," Nami laughed, rubbing her eyes. "You guys look so lame!"
Usopp went flying towards the ship, smacking into Luffy and throwing them both to the ground.
"Finally! Everyone's together! Let's just get away from this bombardment and head for adventure, guys!" Luffy yelled, jumping back up to his feet.
"Hurry! Take in the sails!" Franky called.
"Hey, you sure, Franky!" Zoro called as he quickly jumped into action to take the sails up.
"Stupid bastard! Trust in this ship!" Franky called, pumping his fist in the air.
"That's right! Trust it, stupid bastard!" Luffy agreed, linking arms with Usopp and Chopper as they danced around.
"You bastard, stupid bastard!" Usopp joined in.
"You bastard!" Chopper agreed.
"HELP OUT, GUYS!" Zoro snapped.
'Good to see things are back to normal quickly,' I sweat-dropped.
"Usopp, until a second ago you were…" Nami mumbled. "…Oh well."
'DAMMIT, OLD MAN, HOW MANY OF THESE THINGS CAN YOU THROW!' I snapped, rebounding another cannonball off my head. While the rest of the guys messed around, Sanji and I were left to defend the ship by ourselves.
"Franky, we furled up the sails like you said. Hurry up or the warship will catch up with us," Zoro said.
"Not yet. We haven't named the ship yet," Franky replied.
"The ship's name! At a time like this!" Sanji snapped.
"That's right! A ship without a name won't be any good at sailing," Franky said.
"How come?" Sanji hissed, as we both forced to repel two cannon balls at the same time. "Well, its gotta be something like 'Lion'."
"All right! I just thought of an awesome name for it!" Luffy suggested, raising his hand. "The Bear! The Polar Bear Lion!"
"That's such a weird name!" Usopp rejected, smacking him.
"How about Tiger Wolf Lion!"
"Stop that animal enumeration!" Usopp snapped, smacking him yet again. "It's like some sort of curse!"
"Squid Octopus Chimpanzee!"
"WHAT HAPPENED TO "LION"?"
"Well, Lion is a good name for a ship," Franky agreed. "But I have a suggestion of my own too… Well, Iceberg suggested this one to me. What about Thousand Sunny?"
'Thousand Sunny…. I like it,' I smirked.
"WOW!" Luffy gasped. "It sounds much better than the one I was about to propose Dumpling Gorilla Lion!"
"It's better than my 'Lionel the Boss'," Zoro admitted.
"Better than my 'The Darkness'," Robin agreed.
"Better than my 'Monsieur Sunflower'," Sanji said.
"ARE YOU ALL NUTS!" Usopp snapped.
"A ship that crosses thousands of seas… Sounds wonderful," Robin said.
"Wait, guys! That was just for a starter! This name I thought up is your best bet!" Franky started to say. "Lo and behold! The name of the ship is Lion Gang Champion!"
"Let's go with Uncle Ice's idea! I love it!" Luffy called.
"Thousand Sunny is a good name," Sanji said.
"Agreed!"
"Now that we have a fitting name, the tension to sail off is rising!"
"Hey, Franky! Hurry up and let's get outta here with your secret weapon!" Sanji snapped.
"Yeah, hurry up. We took in the sails and the warships are on their way here," Zoro agreed.
"All right, shut up!" Franky snapped. "Take a good look at this beautiful water city while you can. You'll lose sight of it in a blink."
"Really? Then…" Luffy turned to his Grandpa's ship. "GRANDPA! COBY! AND… I'M GLAD I COULD SEE YOU AGAIN!"
"SPEAK MY NAME TOO!"
"What's the matter Luffy!" Garp demanded, lobbing another cannonball at us. "I still have some left to fire!"
Luffy knocked it to the side easily. "No use! We'll be running away seriously now! Until we meet again!"
'HOW THE HELL DOES ONE "RUN AWAY SERIOUSLY"?'
"IMPERTINENT PUNK, YOU'RE THE SON OF MY CHILD, LUFFY!" Garp snapped angrily.
"UNCLE ICE! WE TOOK YOUR SUGGESTION! THANKS FOR THE GREAT NAME! GUYS, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING! WE'LL GET GOING NOW!"
"RUUUN LUFFY!" Coby yelled from Garp's ship. "YOU'LL BE KILLED!"
"Here we go!" Franky yelled from below the deck. "An amazing emergency acceleration device! Made possible with a giant blank shot and treasure tree Adam's strength!"
'HOW THE FUCK DID THAT FIT ON THE SHIP!' I howled when Garp brought out a massive cannonball that was attached to a chain.
"DON'T THINK ME A FOOL!" Garp yelled, sending the giant ball our way. "OR YOU'LL HURT YOURSELF!"
"FRANKY! START!" Luffy ordered.
"WAAAH! ULTRA GIGANTIC IRON BALL! WE'RE DOOMED!"
"COUP DE BURST!"
A blast of air came out of the back of Sunny, sending us flying into the sky easily, dodging the giant ball.
"I've consumed three cola barrels, but we can fly 1 kilometre with this!" Franky yelled, coming back out onto the deck. "Whatever your Going Merry did, this ship can do everything! This ship surpasses it on every point! This Thousand Sunny will inherit that ship's brave spirit! Count on me for your ship and weapon needs from this day on your ship!"
'Welcome aboard, you pain in the ass,' I smirked as everyone cheered.
It had been a few days since we had acquired Thousand Sunny, and everyone was loving it. The ship was beyond magnificent. It had almost everything we needed – even a library. Most of the rooms needed to be accessed by ladders though, so it took a bit of getting used to on my part because I had to learn how to climb a ladder in my dog body. It didn't stop me for long though. My favourite features of the new ship were the grass on the main deck, because it was very comfortable to sleep on, and also the gym room and lookout, which had a great view for keeping watch.
The sun was warming the white fur on my stomach as I laid on my back on the grass, my legs sticking lazily up in the air. There was nothing better than having a few minutes to myself to just be able to relax. The rest of the crew were spread around the ship, doing whatever it was they felt like.
"You look more a little bit comfortable there," a familiar voice said, and my eyes snapped up, seeing an upside down Ikol sitting on the ship's railing near me. It took me a few seconds to realize I was seeing him upside down because I was on my back, and I thought for a second I must still be dreaming.
'Not a dream, a nightmare,' I snorted to myself, closing my eyes again. 'He's not really there.'
"…Oi! Don't ignore me, bitch," the voice snapped, and within a split second I had rolled over, launched myself back up to my feet, my eyes snapping furiously open.
'I'M GOING TO FUCKING STRING YOU UP FROM AN ELECTRIC FENCE BY YOUR BALLS!' I snapped, peeling back my teeth and snarling viciously at him.
"Ah, lovely to see you too," Ikol chirped, tilting his head to the side as he smiled.
Suddenly what Luffy had ordered me to last time we had drama with Ikol flashed through my mind. I was meant to tell them if he came back. A smirk played across my lips as I took a deep breath and started barking loudly, announcing to everyone that something was amiss.
"Go ahead and call your friends, I don't mind. I sorta wanted to talk to you all anyway," Ikol laughed, kicking his legs idly as he sat, still perched on the railing.
A door smashed open and I cut off my barking as Franky stumbled onto the deck, confused. "What's all the noise about?" His eyes then landed on Ikol. "Oi, who hell are you?"
"Ah, I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting yet, Franky," Ikol replied, lifting up one hand to wave lazily at the cyborg.
"What…" Franky mumbled, jumping over the railing so that he was on the main deck with Ikol and I. Before either of them could say anything else, another door burst open, and out come Sanji.
"Mamori, my princess! What's wrong! I heard you–" Whatever he was about to say was just cut off when his eyes landed on Ikol. He froze, his eye narrowing as Ikol raised his hand again and waved. "You…"
"It's him…" Nami gasped as Robin, Chopper and her followed Sanji out, standing by the railing. Sanji jumped down onto the lower deck with Franky and I.
Another door opened, and footsteps echoed as Luffy, Usopp and Zoro ran across the upper deck, running down the stairs and skidding to a stop on the grass.
"I-Is that…" Usopp stuttered, going slightly pale.
"IT'S YOU, YOU BASTARD!" Luffy yelled, his nostrils flaring.
"What do you want?" Zoro demanded, placing his hands on his swords.
"We won't let you touch Mamori," Sanji hissed, stepping protectively in front of me. Part of me was flattered that he wanted to protect me, the other part was annoyed that he thought I needed protecting.
"Wait, wait, wait," Ikol laughed, holding up his hands in the air. "I'm not here to hurt her or anything. Relax."
'Oh yeah? That'd make a change, wouldn't it?' I snorted, stepping around Sanji so that I could stand next to him rather than behind him. 'What'cha want then?'
"Wait, you guys know him?" Franky questioned, confused at our reactions to him.
"Yeah, he tried to kill Mamori before, and he also the one told us that she was human," Chopper explained, gripping the railings next to Robin and Nami.
"…SHE'S HUMAN? WHAT?" Franky yelled, his eyes popping out of his head as he stared at me.
'Ah… No one told him, did they?' I sweat-dropped.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that," Ikol said, slipping off the railing and landing on his feet. Everyone seemed to tense in reaction to his movements.
"Why should we listen to you!" Luffy snapped, his fist clenched and ready to hit Ikol at any second.
"Just listen to me, yeah?" Ikol requested, running one of his hands through his hair with a sigh. "I know you don't really like me all that much, and I get that, but I'm here to do something good for you… Well, for the dog anyway."
'Your idea of helping isn't always the same as mine,' I growled under my breath, but I couldn't deny that he had helped me in the past. The knife… The rose… He had only tried to kill me once, but he had helped me more than that…
"You tried to kill her back at Mock Town," Zoro accused, his hands still hovering above his swords.
"Oh come one, that was one time!" Ikol exclaimed in an exasperated manner. "If I made a habit of attempting to kill her then you could get worried, but it was only that once. Look, you all remember how I told you she was human, right? How would you like to see her as a human?"
Genkotsu Meteor: Literally "Fist Meteorite". Also known as "Meteor Fist" in the FUNimation dub.
I'll leave my notes down the bottom this time, so I don't spoil this chapter.
Why did she get such a low bounty? Because my beta and I discussed it and realised that Oda had a running joke of giving low bounties to animals. Bepo and Chopper are prime examples of this. I decided to keep the theme going with Mamori. Talking about Oda, I hope he gets better soon. We're having a two week break from the manga while he is in hospital with his tonsils. Poor Oda. And talking about Bepo, I've actually decided to make a cosplay for him! I think it'd be awesome. Although I haven't actually made my own cosplay before... Do any of you know how to make a large bear head for the cosplay? If you do, and you could give me some advice, I'd be forever in your debt.
Also please don't kill me for the cliff hanger. I know some of you have been looking forward to something like this happening right from when I posted the first chapter. I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as I can.
Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are awesome! (:
Beta read by praeses