(A/N: Thank you so much son of morgana for your review. ^_^ And to everyone who followed, favorited, and added this story to their alerts as well. It really means a lot. If there's anything special you'd like to see in this story, just let me know. I'm always up for ideas. :3)
Crocus began to tell everyone the tragic story of Laboon. A lively group of pirates had come down from Reverse Mountain and into the Grand Line. There happened to be a baby whale swimming alongside their vessel, and he had apparently been traveling with these pirates for some time. They had become a family to this baby whale who had chosen to leave his home and pod in the West Blue, yet they didn't want to bring Laboon into the dangerous waters of the Grand Line. So once their ship had been repaired, the pirates asked Crocus to look after Laboon for two or three years until they returned while they promised Laboon they would be back for him.
That had been 50 years ago...
"Laboon's been waiting for those guys for 50 years?" Usopp murmured, his eyes growing wide in disbelief.
"So that's why he's bellowing," Nami voiced. "And he's ramming it to reach the other side of the wall?"
"Yes."
After taking in everything the old mad had told them, the Straw Hats decided it was time to finally depart. Once they had made sure that Miss Wednesday and Mr. Nine were securely bound on the Going Merry, Crocus led Toffee and the pirates to the exit.
Zoro couldn't help but let out an impressed whistle while saying, "This water pipes incredible. Surprising he's still alive with such a big tunnel in him."
"Is this more of your 'having fun'?" Sanji questioned impassively, glancing down at Crocus who was sitting in his lawn chair on his own ship.
"This is my 'doctor' fun. I'm his doctor after all," Crocus replied nonchalantly as he flipped through his newspaper. "A long time ago, I ran a clinic here on this cape. I was even a ship's doctor, years ago."
"Really? Well be my ships doctor!" Luffy exclaimed, riding upon what remained of the figurehead of the ship.
"Don't be stupid! Unlike you six young'ins, I don't have the energy to go around doing foolhardy things anymore!" Crocus scoffed. Though Toffee found it a little funny since he was climbing up a nearby ladder pretty fast for a guy who claimed he wasn't very spry.
"So then all of this is a result of your medical treatment?" Nami questioned, peering around the metal tunnel.
"That's right. When they get this big, there's no way to treat 'em from the outside," Crocus answered, walking over to a turning wheel where he proceeded to open the exit, a large iron door, for the group. "Here we go!"
"WE'RE OUT! IT'S THE REAL SKY!" Luffy cheered, throwing his hands up into the air; Nami and Usopp meanwhile letting out sighs of relief.
Usopp found himself glancing back at the whale where he uttered, "Still, I can't believe he's been here for 50 years...Those lousy pirates sure are making him wait a long time."
"Idiot. This is the Grand Line, y'know? They're dead. No use waiting on them anymore," Sanji said rather bluntly.
"That's for sure. I guess that just shows how terrible and chaotic this unexplored ocean is going to get," Nami spoke up, crossing her arms over her chest.
"How can you jerks say such heartless things?! You don't know that! They might still come back!" Usopp cried out angrily, tears even forming in his eyes. "It's such a good story! A whale that continues to believe in his nakama's promise..."
"I agree with Usopp. It's possible something's just holding them up," Toffee mentioned with a faint smile. "They could be stranded somewhere and don't have a way to return here or maybe they're suffering from a mass epidemic of amnesia!"
"Right! Even if that last thing you said is pretty out there...B-but you feel the same way, don't ya, old man?!"
"Yeah. But the truth is crueler than you can imagine," Crocus responded quietly, pushing up the spectacles he wore. "It was all part of their plan. Those guys ran away...from the Grand Line."
"No way...So they actually left the whale behind?!" Usopp exclaimed in horror; Toffee just lowering her head sadly at this.
"They tried to run away from the Grand Line...That means they would have had to cross the Calm Belt, right?" Nami brought up.
"Even if by some chance they are still alive, they would never return to this place. The seasons, the weather, the ocean currents, even the winds, they all go around in unpredictable patterns. Common logic is useless in this ocean. The terror of the Grand Line quickly overwhelms the weak of heart."
"So those weak-hearted shitheads...without a thought for your life or their promise, packed it up and hightailed it out of the ocean," Sanji spat out, clearly disgusted.
"Poor thing...You can still see the hope in his eyes that they will come back for him..." Toffee whispered, staring up into the whale's bleary onyx orbs.
Nami frowned deeply at Crocus. "But if you knew this, why haven't you told him? The whale understands human speech, right?"
"I did tell him. All of it. But he refused to listen...The night I told him, Laboon faced Reverse Mountain and bellowed for the first time...He began battering himself against the Red Line. He still believes they'll return from the other side of that wall. He just won't listen to the truth..."
"What a whale..." Sanji mumbled.
"Even when there's no point in waiting...If there was no reason to wait, he would have listened to me. More than anything, he's afraid of losing his reason to wait. His home is the West Blue. And yet, there's no way home for him now. All he wished for...was to continue being nakama with the men he followed here."
"Y'know, he may be in this pitiful state...but you were betrayed too, right?" Sanji brought up, chewing lightly on his cigarette. "It's really not your problem anymore, is it?"
"Look at the scars on his head! If he keeps ramming it against the rocks like that, without a doubt, he will die. We may have a strange relationship, but it's been 50 years. I'm not going to watch him kill himself."
Hearing Luffy letting out a sudden yell before he took off running across the ship and directly toward the whale, Sanji sighed out, "What's that moron doing now?"
"Can't take your eyes off him for a second!" Zoro grumbled.
"I wonder what he's going to do with the crow's nest?" Toffee mentioned, tilting her head as she watched Luffy climbing up the whales head.
"Gum-Gum...The art of Flower Arranging!" Luffy yelled, slamming the structure into the top of the whale's head where it was already wounded and bleeding. It was amazing his actions didn't kill the whale right off as a torrent of blood started to splurt out.
"...EIYEEEEE! SO MUCH BLOOD!" Toffee shrilly screamed out, placing both of her hands on her palid features, her pupils having shrank in fear. She started to feel dizzy and lightheaded, her body swaying from side to side before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her form made a loud 'thwack!' once she hit the ground.
"Toffee?!" Nami and Usopp both cried out together, rushing over to the grey haired woman's side.
"Oi! Is she alright?!" Sanji exclaimed, looking down at the petite female in concern once Nami had gently lifted Toffee up, giving her limp form a small shake.
"I-I think so...Looks like she just passed out..." Nami murmured with a small sigh of relief.
Zoro just shook his head. "That's something you don't see every day. An assassin that's afraid of blood," he mused, his words causing surprised looks to appear on Usopp and Nami's features. Noticing Laboon trying to attack Luffy after the crying whale had knocked the rubber boy off his head, he placed his hand on the hilt of one of his blades and huffed out, "If she's fine, leave her for now. That crazy fool out there might need our help."
"Looks like you've finally regained consciousness."
Toffee's eyes opened and closed for a few seconds before she was turning to face the voice of who had spoken, and she noticed Nami smiling at her.
"What...happened...?"
"You lost consciousness. It was so sudden that you really freaked us out," Nami explained while shaking her head. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay. Just a little tired is all," Toffee admitted while she sat up, running a hand through her short locks.
"Zoro said you probably passed out because of all the blood...Is that true?"
Nibbling at her bottom lip, Toffee hesitated a moment before slowly nodding her head. "Yes. I can't handle the sight of it...Normally I'm okay if it's just a little, but large amounts of blood like that tend to make me hyperventilate and sometimes even pass out...I'm pretty pathetic for an assassin, even a former one, aren't I...?"
Nami scratched at her cheek before saying, "There's probably a reason for that, right?" Noticing Toffee looking uncomfortable, she quickly added, "And you don't have to tell me why that is...To be honest, it makes me a little relieved. Here I always pictured assassins to be cold, heartless monsters, but you're nothing like that."
"I always thought the same of pirates, but all of you are really kind," Toffee said with a faint grin. Nami and Toffee started to giggle, and Toffee only quieted down when she remembered something. "By the way, what happened with Laboon? Luffy didn't kill him when he jabbed that mast in his head, did he?!"
Nami unleashed a more awkward laugh at Toffee's freaked out look before saying, "No, no! Nothing like that happened! He just got into a childish fight with that whale. He claimed himself as Laboon's rival and promised him we'd return after sailing the Grand Line to challenge him again."
Toffee's eyes grew big since she definitely wasn't expecting that, and a soft smile formed across her lips knowing Luffy gave Laboon something new to hold onto. She just hoped he and the rest of the Straw Hats would be able to keep that promise. "I see..."
"Anyways, if you're still tired, you should get some more sleep. I'll let the others know that you're going to rest a bit more," Nami said. She stood up from the stool where she had been seated and started to make her way to the door.
"Um, but isn't this your bed? I really don't mind going back down to the cargo hold to sleep..." Toffee mentioned nervously, gripping at the hem of the thick covers to pull off her form.
Nami gave the female an irritated expression, marching back over where she caused Toffee to yelp when she was forcefully being pushed down by the navigator. It was hard to believe she was technically older than Nami. "You'll rest here in this room from now on. I'll have Usopp put a bed in here for you. And besides, those weirdo's Mr. Nine and Miss Wednesday will be staying in the cargo hold for the time being."
"Eh? W-well alright...But I don't think you need to have a bed made for me. I am only remaining on your ship until I find a town..."
"Are you always this wishy-washy? Look, it's obvious Luffy sees you as a friend. He wouldn't have invited you along otherwise. And I know we were kind of hard on you in the beginning, but the rest of us like you too. Even if you can be a little odd." Nami stated with a smile and wink, giving a small wave before she left the room.
A friend, huh? Toffee pondered, pulling the pink covers up to her chin where she couldn't help but feel a warmness building inside of her. Other than her little shadow companion and family, she had never had many friends...There had been other kids in her hometown she had played with, but they had never been especially close...
"I really like the Straw Hat's, but I don't think we can stay with them," Toffee whispered, petting at her shadows head and making him close his eyes in content when he had materilized next to her. "I'm really going to miss them once we finally find our new home..."
Toffee wasn't certain how long she had slept, but the room was dark. The only light came from a small lamp on a nearby desk. She noticed Nami's head was resting on the writing desk that was covered with sea charts. The orange haired female must have been working on them before she ended up passing out.
Quietly moving out of the bed, Toffee grabbed the blanket off of it and layed it over Nami's peacefully breathing from. She then turned off the glass lamp before carefully making her way up stairs and out onto the deck. There was no one around, and she grabbed her notebook before moving toward the badly repaired mast where she sat down and leaned her back against it.
It was cool out tonight, but not unpleasent, and Toffee smiled to herself as she gazed up at the star filled sky. After writing a small passage, she began to sketch the nighttime sky around it, gently singing a song her mother used to sing to her.
"Deep, deep, down, I believed
I could bring you back to me
In this world, I found fun
Can the damage be undone?
"Even if I'm no longer really me
There's still a part that lives inside
my heart that hopes to be
by your side until you reach the end
No matter what I am by then
I'll always be your friend
"Don't leave me behind
Won't you stay with me this time?
I don't want to let go
But I'll be okay alone..."
The lyrics always held a certain sadness within them. Toffee often wondered if her mother was thinking of her father when she sung this song, or perhaps someone from her past long ago...She had never thought to ask, but the song had always comforted her when she was sad or unable to sleep.
"What are you doing?"
The sleep filled voice caused Toffee to squeak and jump, and she turned to see Luffy nearby as he was rubbing at his eyes, letting out the occasional yawn every now and then.
"Oh uh, n-nothing! I didn't wake you, did I? My voice doesn't carry that much, does it?!" Toffee cried out in a slight panic. That was all she needed. To wake the rest of the crew and have them believe she was even more strange.
"My stomach woke me up," Luffy replied groggily. He tilted his head when he noticed the book in Toffee's hands, and a grin formed on his face as he yanked it right out of the startled female's grip. "Ooh! What's this?"
"W-wait! I don't really let people read my journal. It's too embarrassing!" Toffee exclaimed in a high-pitched tone. She ended up having to chase Luffy around the deck who was casually flipping through the pages and seemingly ignoring her cries for him to stop-her shadow comically running around in circles for some reason instead of helping her, and it wasn't long before Toffee was tripping and face-planting with the ground.
"You sure do that an awful lot," Luffy laughed out while crouching down in front of the groaning female. "Did you really write all of this? So cool! There's even pictures of all of us in here!"
Toffee very slowly sat up on her knees, slight tears in her pink orbs while she rubbed at her reddened nose and said meekly, "I like writing about everything I see...B-but I'm not so great at drawing even though I enjoy it..."
"Huh? What are you talking about? The pictures aren't bad! The one of Usopp and Nami crying in fear is really funny! Shishishi!" Luffy claimed, displaying to Toffee her own drawing where Nami and Usopp had seen the giant squid. The pirate captain let out a thoughtful hum before a wide grin spread across his face. "I got it! You should stay and write about our journey! Nami says we need a log-something-or-other,"
"You mean a log keeper?"
"Yeah! That!"
"...Well, to be honest I've always wanted to travel and see everything that's out there in the world and write about it," Toffee admitted with a dreamy smile. "That way people who were sheltered like I was can read and see pictures of things they never knew existed..." She rubbed at her head before sighing out, "But considering how dangerous it is out there, I'm not sure if I can handle it...Nami must have told you what happened...?"
Luffy crossed his arms over his exposed chest, moving his head from side to side. "Ya mean how you fainted 'cause of what I did? It's pretty weird to be afraid of blood," Toffee just laughed awkwardly at his remark, blinking when her eyes were suddenly covered and Luffy continued by saying, "If you hate it that much, I'll just slam my hand over your eyes like this! Nami and the others will do the same!"
Toffee couldn't help but smile at the kind gesture. Still, she didn't want to be a burden on the group if they were ever in a serious battle... "Thank you...But I-I need to think about it a bit more..."
The straw hat wearing male just gave Toffee a confused look, but hearing a sudden rumble that didn't come from his own stomach, he laughed seeing Toffee's cheeks turning a bright red. "Ooh! your hungry, too? Great! I bet you could break into the lock Sanji keeps on the fridge!"
"Why does Sanji keep a lock on the door?" Toffee asked curiously. That seemed a bit harsh if the others ever wanted a late night snack.
"I ate a whole month's worth of food once, and he got upset for some reason." Luffy replied with a shrug, leading the way to the kitchen.
The hairs on top of Toffee's head stood straight up since she couldn't fathom how someone could eat a whole month's worth of food without exploding! Luffy must of had a high matabolism or that energetic nature of his helped him burn off calories faster than most...
I'm a little envious. I could eat as many sweets that I wanted if I didn't have to worry about gaining too much weight Toffee found herself thinking with a small pout. She came out of her thoughts when hearing a little bell chime and a scream coming from Luffy as his foot had been caught in a rope trap, and he was now hanging from the ceiling.
"...Sanji really goes all out to keep people out of the kitchen at night, huh?" Toffee mused in awe as she watched Luffy bounce around while he struggled to break loose.
"If I didn't the others would starve thanks to this idiot and that damn moss head," Sanji spoke up, his sudden appearance causing Toffee's pupils to shrink since she hadn't even heard him approach. "Shouldn't you still be resting, Toffee-chan?"
"I'm alright now. I was actually hoping to get something to eat. I haven't had anything since yesterday morning..." she spoke up shyly as her stomach let out another groan of complaint.
"Is that so? I'll make sure to cook you up a delicious midnight snack then, dear Toffee-chan~" Sanji sung out happily, leading the girl over to the dining table and having her take a seat there.
"Make sure to cook lots of meat!"
"You'll get something once I make sure Toffee has her fill!" Sanji said sternly, this causing Luffy to whine similar to a puppy.
Toffee laughed lightly, a content smile on her face as she rested her cheek in the palm of her hand, watching Sanji rush around the kitchen like a true expert; cooking multiple delicious dishes single handedly that would normally take a full kitchen staff to prepare.
I kind of hope you get the chance to meet these guys one day, brothers. Something tells me you'd all get along really well with everyone here...
(A/N: If any of you were wondering what the song Toffee was singing is, it's 'His Theme' from the game Undertale by hikarustation. :) I absolutely love her beautiful voice, and I can't help but imagine Toffee with it. I just changed a few of the lyrics, but not too much from the original lovely arrangement. ^_^)