Hi all! Here is Chapter 23! Please note that all original characters, settings, and plot belongs to Eiichiro Oda. Enjoy!

Magina stared at Zoro. Was he serious? She groaned softly when she realized that he was nothing but serious. Whatever fish-flying idea that he had, Zoro was convinced that it was their only option. A strange cry in her hearing prevented her from interrupting the man before he really built on his idea.

"Zoro-kun, this is no time to play games!"

"I'm not just playing here. Listen, I have a plan. Whoever loses at rock-paper-scissors, I'll cut off his hand…" Zoro explained.

"Eek! Stop spouting off crazy plans with such a deadly face!" Usopp shrieked.

"Wait! I'm not done yet. Listen to the whole plan before you decide against it," Zoro argued.

Magina's reservations died on her tongue as the cry intensified. Just what was she hearing? There was a nakama nearby, but their song was so warped that she couldn't even tell whose song it was. Then, a bestial roar echoed through her senses. Magina snapped back to Usopp whimpering as Zoro finished his plan.

"So, the man whose hand was cut off will hurry and bring the hand to Chopper and he can sew it back on."

Usopp turned her way, tears streaming behind the mask.

"Magina-kun, please talk some sense into him! We are not stuffed animals! That's just ridiculous!"

Magina shot a disapproving glare Zoro's way.

"What?" he shrugged, "We can't fight when we're connected like this. We don't have a lot of options."

"There has to be a better choice than maiming one of you two! Besides, I don't think that bringing a severed hand to Chopper is going to work really well."

Zoro frowned. "What do you mean?"

Magina listened carefully and then sighed. "It sounds like he's in trouble. He might be dying. I don't know… Maybe I can help but…"

She looked past her two nakama to the giraffe and the wolf who bickered loudly with each other. Usopp clapped his hand on her shoulder. Magina could feel Zoro's hand slip into hers and squeeze.

"Go to him, Magina-kun. Zoro-kun and I can handle those two!"

Zoro growled. "Yeah. Save him, then smack him for us. He's late with that damn key."

The resolve in their tones made it impossible to ignore. Magina took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She could trust Zoro to keep Usopp relatively safe, and she knew that the swordsman wasn't going to die without fulfilling his dream. She could leave this to them.

"Okay. I'll help him. I'll come back here with the key for sure!"

The two enemies were still arguing. It was easy to slip away. She mumbled a brief prayer to the gods and then followed the warped song to her nakama. Running around corners, dashing up and down staircases; Magina felt like she couldn't catch her breath.

It wasn't her wounds that bothered her. She never really thought before that any of her nakama could be this close to death. They all had close calls before, but they always came out on top. What if she arrived too late? What if Chopper… Magina stumbled to an opening. NO! There was no reason to think like that. She was here and she would help him!

Smoke billowed out of the broken entrance. A roar echoed in the chamber. Magina clapped her hands over her ears. The cry vibrated all the way through her body. The smoke smarted and stung her eyes. Magina took a deep breath before charging into the room.

A hairy monster with glowing eyes stood there for a brief second before tossing someone out of the window. The man's beat and mangled body was unrecognizable, but she caught a glimpse of his hair as Chopper threw him. He was a CP9 member; Magina remembered him from the Tower of Law.

Chopper…what happened to Chopper? He screamed in primal fury but all Magina could hear was a horrible wheezing and weeping. He couldn't speak in that state. As warped as his song was, Magina could still hear it. He was pleading, and begging; frantically wishing… She heard it as clear as stink on a fish: Stay away from me! I don't want to hurt my nakama!

Chopper turned to the outside wall, getting ready to climb. Magina clenched her teeth. She waited until he walked past her and then jumped on his back. The normally silky fur was matted with caked on blood. She could only thank the gods that he hadn't noticed her yet.

Still, what could she do now that she was here? She didn't have a song that could calm him, and she wasn't sure that he could hear her anyway. Magina gripped the fur tighter when Chopper began to climb outside the Tower of Law. She might fall off at this rate! Magina climbed up Chopper's back.

She felt cloth underneath her fingertips. She dared a glance up. It was Chopper's medical bag. Magina hesitated only briefly before tearing it open and grabbing some gauze. Maybe he couldn't hear her but she wasn't going to give up!

"I really wish that I brought some of my fishing gear with me. Or I should have brought Tetsu's rope. I could have made a harness," she grunted while trying to find a safe spot to hang.

"Whoa, Nee-chan! Are you alright? Did you need my help stopping this reindeer-gorilla? I can shoot it down for you. I really am Su-uper this week!" a confident voice broke through her thoughts.

Magina's eyes narrowed. "Franky, don't you dare! If you hurt Chopper, nobody will forgive you."

"Do you have another plan to stop this reindeer-gorilla then?" Franky demanded.

"I…" Magina faltered.

They needed to stop Chopper somehow. Could she really blame Franky for turning to violence first? She took a deep breath.

"I don't know how to stop him. Nami might have an idea though. I'm still going to do what I can to help him from here. I think she's in the tower."

"You're pretty stubborn. I'll go look for this Nami-girl then. Later!"

Magina rolled her eyes and set to work. She didn't think that Chopper would stay this size, so wrapping his wounds now might hurt more than it would help. Still, she couldn't leave Chopper like this either. Magina began to patch him up as best as she could, all the while humming her mother's lullaby. Maybe he couldn't hear her; but it might calm him a little. All she could do was try!

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The animals were still arguing, and the siren was safely out of the room. Now, there was only their survival on the line. He had another plan, but he was sure that Usopp would balk at his suggestion. Zoro's expression hardened. Fighting with only two katana only made their chances of survival decrease.

"Well, Zoro-kun, what do we do now?"

"I have another plan."

Usopp stopped and looked at him. Seconds later, he started shrieking. "Ah! I don't wanna hear it! That look on your face can only spell disaster for someone…and usually that person ends up being me!"

"Sogeking. There's no way that we can fight back using normal strategies and if we don't fight back soon, we won't survive. This won't be my grave and I won't let this be Robin's end either. What about you?"

There was nothing but silence for a good minute. "Zoro-kun. You are blunt but you speak true. What is your plan?"

"The main problem is that with you shackled to my wrist; I can't use my full strength. We will work together to create a new sword for me. Now, straighten your posture."

Zoro hoisted Usopp and maneuvered him up. It was difficult to hold both his feet and the katana, but he didn't have any other ideas. Usopp didn't either. This would give them the greatest chance at survival.

"Zoro-kun. This looks suspiciously like you're trying to turn me into a sword! I'm a sniper! I don't fight in close-range battles!"

"You will be my new blade, Sogeking. This is our only shot to stay alive," Zoro said calmly.

"Well, I don't feel like a sword, Zoro-kun. I am flesh and blood. How can I turn into steel?" Usopp snapped back.

Zoro deliberated. The only way that the marksman would cooperate in the end was to convince him that this was the best bet. Was there another way to help Usopp feel like a sword? He hid his smirk. He had an idea.

"You don't feel like a katana because you don't sound like a katana. Try making some sound effects, like Snap or Glint or Shing. That will help you feel like a real blade."

Usopp finally agreed. "I still think this plan is crazy, reckless, and that the chances of me getting hurt are very high. We'll try it your way, Zoro-kun. If we sit around doing nothing, we'll be slaughtered."

"Good, don't forget that you are a katana, Sogeking," Zoro growled.

Usopp obediently made a sound effect to match his new status.

"Snap!"

Zoro could tell the instant when the animals' attention was back on him and Usopp. The sniper could sense it too. His whole body started shaking.

"Sogeking, you are a sword now. Don't lose your posture!"

He thought he convinced Usopp but it was too much to expect the sniper to remain brave in the face of imminent danger.

"Zoro-kun, I don't want to try this anymore! Sound effects don't make the sword!"

Zoro grunted and took a few more practice swings. They didn't really have a choice no matter how much Usopp begged or pleaded. The giraffe and the wolf drew closer, commenting on how strange they were acting. Perfect. If the enemies underestimated them, they had a chance after all. First, the giraffe. He was the taller opponent, there was more of a chance to hit.

"Oni…"

"Oi! Don't! Zoro-kun! You're the one acting like a demon here!" Usopp yelled.

"Giri!" he shouted as he attacked the giraffe.

Unsurprisingly, the foreman dodged and kicked to counterattack. Zoro blocked it with his katana. The balance wasn't perfect, but he could still attack. The biggest problem with having a living sword was that Usopp gave away his attacks. Was there another way? Zoro switched targets.

"Tora…"

"Zoro-kun! Are you really going to do it?! I'll sue you!"

The wolf dodged and lashed out with his claws. Zoro ground his teeth. Damn! If he told Usopp once, he told him a hundred times!

"Zoro-kun…are you trying to kill me?! Ahh! This is the reason why I didn't want to try this ploy!"

"This wouldn't have happened if you just stayed still like I told you to!" Zoro snapped.

"Don't you have any better ideas, Zoro-kun? Specifically, one that isn't going to potentially kill me?" Usopp demanded.

"No, I don't," Zoro said bluntly.

Even as he said that, his mind was mulling over the problem. Usopp's first instinct was to avoid pain. Maybe he could use that to their advantage. The sniper was by no means bound to him like a traditional sword. Zoro pondered this.

"Zoro-kun?" Usopp sounded worried.

"Sogeking, I'm going to unleash your true power. You are the renowned sword Hana (Nose) Storm!"

There was a moment of stunned silence in the garden. Even the animals stayed still.

"What kind of nonsense is that?" Usopp asked. "And besides, who asked you to give me a cool name as a sword?"

Both the giraffe and the wolf leaped to attack. Cutting the air with the force of their kicks, the strikes flew at them, about to slice them to ribbons.

"Now, Hana Storm! Show your true power!" Zoro shouted as he held up the sword hand that held Usopp.

"Eek! Are you crazy?! Stay away! Stay away!"

Just as Zoro predicted, Usopp blocked the upcoming attacks by wildly using his real katana to redirect them. And because Usopp had no training, the rebounded hits were random enough to keep the animals at bay. They retreated far enough away from the field that they could only attack using range. This was going better than expected. He knew that he could count on Hana Storm to be the perfect shield. And he just had an idea for a fool-proof attack. Zoro grinned.

"I don't like that look, Zoro-kun. What did you just think of?" Usopp asked cautiously.

"Hana Storm's Ultimate Attack," he growled.

"Ultimate Attack?"

With all the craziness that's going on right now, I hope that this new chapter made you smile a little. This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I wanted things to be less busy. I will be trying to work out a schedule with my sisters for any of the enforced isolation that we might have so that I can still work on bringing you new chapters. Be healthy, stay safe and we'll see you in May for Chapter 24!