AN:

Alright, so this is it! This is the last chapter before canon. Because of that, I wanted to go through the whole story to revise some stuff and make some small changes. No big changes to note, it was mostly grammar and format so don't worry about having to re-read everything. That being said, definitely feel free to go back I'm sure it reads better as a whole now.

Anyway, this chapter is a little shorter than my more recent ones because it was originally a part of the last chapter but I still think it's a fun one. I hope you guys enjoy reading it. As always, feel free to let me know what you think, good or bad. I really appreciate all the support.

Here it is, the last chapter before canon, Enjoy.

Chapter 24: Time Flies, Part Two

"Hey, Luffy.", Usopp said as he sat on a bench beside the slightly younger teen.

Zoro had gone to find booze somewhere in town and the two were waiting for him to get back, which they both knew could take a while.

"Where's Levi gonna go when we head to the Grandline?", he curiously asked. The long-nosed boy didn't even really know how getting into the Grandline worked. He'd heard that you had to enter through a place called Reverse Mountain, but he had no idea what that entailed... Or where it was for that matter...

"What do you mean?! He's coming with us!", replied Luffy, incredulously, his hat covering his face. He wasn't just gonna leave his friend all by his lonesome there in the East Blue!

"That might be kind of hard. I'm pretty sure the current on Reverse Mountain would rip your friend Levi to pieces.".

"What the heck! No way! Levi's way strong! He can take some currents just fine.", the teen pouted through his hat.

"I'm sure he's very strong, however, the currents on Reverse Mountain are, very likely, stronger.".

"No!", huffed Luffy, childishly.

"Alright then, how about this? If you're expecting him to pull you between islands, he won't be able to. Sea creatures from the blues don't do well on the Grandline. They lack the necessary traits that would enable them to navigate its waters.".

The black-haired boy continued to pout, "Well, I don't care! Levi is coming with me! We're buddies! I can't just leave him!". Sun hit his eyes, unexpectedly, as his hat was lifted from his face. "What the heck, Usopp! Gimme back my hat!", he demanded, squinting to look at his friend. When his vision cleared, his eyes were met by the image of Usopp with two hands growing out of his shoulders and covering his mouth. Two more hands, growing out of his stomach, were holding his arms in place, and yet another set kept his feet firmly rooted to the ground.

Luffy's eyes turned to stars, "Woah! Usopp! I didn't know you had more than two hands! Where the heck have you been hiding those?!". A laugh from behind made him turn, his eyes meeting a beautiful black-haired woman.

The woman was tall and slender but curvy in, what most would say, all the right places. She had straight shoulder-length black hair that was cut into bangs at the front and tan skin covering her from head to toe. Her eyes were a deep blue, the thin iris wrapping around a large black pupil, and Luffy thought they were beautiful to look at.

On her head, she wore a white cowboy hat that matched a long but thin white fur coat hanging on her shoulders. Underneath, she wore a long-sleeved purple shirt with a modest collar and a matching short skirt. The long tan legs under the skirt led down to more purple in the form of a pair of heels. Jewelry-wise, the boy didn't see much, other than a golden band on her arm that had the black letters 'BW' stamped into it.

"Like what you see?", she asked with a teasing smile, uncrossing the hands in front of her chest and dropping them back down to her sides.

Usopp's screaming immediately burst into the air as the hands growing from his body dissolved into flower petals. He stood up and immediately began to run for his life. That had been one of the scariest experiences of his life. One second he'd been about to reply and the next, arms were growing out of his body where they weren't supposed to. He may be a big bounty hunter now, but that kind of stuff wasn't normal and it was SCARY.

The woman giggled at the reaction and waited for the black-haired boy to say something, spinning his straw hat on her finger.

"I'd appreciate it if you gave me my hat back.", insisted Luffy, seriously. He didn't know who this person was and he didn't like it when strangers touched his treasure. Even if she did have a really cool power.

She smiled, apologetically, and obliged, tossing the hat back in his direction, "I'm sorry if I offended you. I really was just trying to get your attention.".

The teen caught his hat and immediately put it back on his head, sighing in relief. With his treasure recovered, he looked up at the lady and pointed at her face. "You have really pretty eyes.", he complimented.

"Why thank you, Straw Hat Luffy. No one told me you were such a charmer.", the black-haired woman replied, teasingly. She gestured to the seat next to the boy, asking if she could sit.

Luffy nodded his head in confirmation. "How'd you know my name?", he asked curiously as she sat on the bench next to him, crossing her legs... Did she really need to sit that close?... He shook his head at the thought. It's not like he really minded, she was REALLY pretty. Like Nami pretty, and that was saying something.

"I'd be surprised if there was someone in the East Blue that didn't know your name... Or at least the name of Merry's Terrible Trio.", she answered, eyeing the straw-hatted teen critically, "You guys have been big for a couple of months now. I'm actually surprised there are still pirates left in this ocean at all. The three of you have been working hard.".

Luffy thought about her answer for a moment. It was true they were pretty well known as bounty hunters now. They'd been doing it for a good long while and each of them had grown in their own ways. He brought his hand up to look at it before dropping it back down with a sigh. He still couldn't use haki... It was starting to make him nervous, as he wasn't completely sure it was going to come back. He shook his head looking back up a pair of pretty blue eyes. He could think about that later.

"Yeah.", the boy laughed. They really had been working hard. Well, these days it was mostly Usopp. Most of the people they fought weren't very strong so they were good practice for his long-nosed friend. He'd grown a lot in the past months and Luffy was happy to see it. He was really glad Usopp had come with them, trips were more fun when there were more people. "The only ones left are the bigger ones and Zoro wanted to leave those for last.", Luffy explained.

The woman nodded her head in understanding.

Luffy looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to get to the point of why she was there, "So, did you want something with me or...?".

"I'll be frank with you, Luffy. My boss...", she paused for a second, looking him in the eyes, "He wants to hire you.".

It took the teen some time to understand her words and he still wasn't sure he did. "For what?", he asked, confused.

The black-haired woman seemed to think for a moment before answering, "He wants to hire you as a bounty hunter.", she eventually said, "He wants you to be one of the top brass in his organization.".

Luffy took in the words and thought about them. He didn't think he'd like working for someone. Plus, the bounty-hunting thing was only temporary. So, he didn't really even need to think about it, the answer was easy. "No thanks.", he replied with a big smile. His eyes stayed on the woman as he waited for another question. "Is that it?", he asked, curiously.

She looked at the boy for a long moment before standing up and giving him a smile in return, "Yes, that was all I wanted to ask you. It's a shame but I understand. I will let my boss know of your answer.". She sent Luffy a teasing smile, winking in his direction. "I think we could have had a lot of fun working together.".

The word fun brought Luffy back to the hands growing out of Usopp earlier. He wanted to see them again! He thought it was way cool! "Hey! Can you show me your power again? I really liked it!", he asked with enthusiasm.

The pretty lady laughed an angelic laugh and she sent the boy a smile, sitting back down. It wasn't often someone wanted to see her devil fruit power. She crossed her hands in front of her body, "Fleur.".

Luffy jumped in surprise when he felt two hands grow out of the sides of his stomach, laughing loudly when they began to tickle him. "Stop it, lady! Th-that tickles!", he cried through his laughter. His laughs died down when her hands stopped in their assault of his sides and he curiously looked up at the brim of his hat. It felt heavier for some reason. He took off his treasure and gaped when he saw fingers growing out of the top of the yellow straw. His eyes turned to stars when he looked back at the lady. She was so cool!

The woman laughed at the look Luffy was sending her. She'd never seen someone's eyes turn into stars before. "You're a very interesting boy, Straw Hat Luffy.", she smiled at him, "I think I've decided I like you.".

"Well, I like you too, lady!", he replied with his signature smile, "I really like your power! I bet it's really handy.". His mind began to wander and he couldn't help but think about how much food he could stuff into his mouth if he had more hands... It actually made him kind of jealous.

"It certainly can be.", she laughed. She was enjoying talking with the straw-hatted boy. She hadn't been so candid with someone in quite some time. Her eyes roamed his form and found the necklace hanging around his neck. It was beautiful and she couldn't help but want to know where he'd gotten it. "That's quite the necklace you have there.", she said pointing at the brown cord.

Luffy looked down to where she was pointing and smiled, "Yeah, I really like it! It's one of my treasures!". He looked up at the woman's eyes and pointed to his hat, "Just like this.".

"May I ask where you got it?", the black-haired woman asked. She really was just curious. It was interesting that he considered his hat a treasure but she was more intrigued by the necklace so she didn't voice her interest in that particular item.

The teen smiled at the question, "Someone I really look up to, and one of his friends, helped me make it a long time ago!".

The answer satisfied her and she nodded, continuing to smile in Luffy's direction. It was strange, but the jewels connected to the leather cord reminded her of devil fruits... She made to continue her line of questioning but then realized how much time she'd spent chatting and decided not to. It was time for her to get moving. Her boss would be waiting to hear from her. "Well, it is very beautiful.", she said, beginning to stand to her feet, "I've very much enjoyed our conversation, Straw Hat Luffy, but I'm afraid that it's time for me to take my leave."

Luffy pouted at the words but didn't make to stop her. He'd really liked talking with the pretty lady and was sad to see her go.

The unnamed woman turned away from the bench, looking over her shoulder with a smile, "I'm very glad to have met you and I hope it's not the last time we get to chat.". She turned her head away and made to walk into the crowd. However, before she could take her first step Luffy's voice sounded from behind.

"Hey, pretty lady.", he said, making her turn back in his direction, "What's your name?".

Said pretty lady seemed to think for a moment before replying, staring at the straw-hatted teen with her mesmerizing blue eyes. A small smile came to her lips as she shook her head to herself, turning away from Luffy and toward the crowd once again. She shot a teasing look at the teen from over her shoulder, "You can call me Miss All Sunday.".

Without another word, the straw-hatted boy watched the woman seemingly melt from his sight and into the crowd. She'd been interesting and he hoped he got to meet her again someday. Her power was so cool! Plus, he'd really enjoyed talking with her!

"Miss All Sunday...", Luffy repeated into the air, groaning. He totally wasn't gonna remember that, it was too long! He wished it'd been shorter... He shrugged his shoulders, pushing his hat down to cover his face. If he forgot, he'd just have to ask the pretty lady again... If he ever saw her... Thoughts on the matter settled, the straw-hatted teen closed his eyes. He was still waiting on Zoro and he guessed Usopp now, too. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for a nap. So, that's precisely what he did.

It only took a mere few seconds for the boy to fall into the dark realm of Morpheus and for once, he didn't dream solely of meat. Instead, his usual fantasy was accompanied by a woman with beautiful blue eyes using her amazing power to shove his face full of food.

A teardrop fell and stained the gray newspaper in the girl's hands, her eyes scanning the paper again.

'Merry's Terrible Trio... Good? or Evil?' was the headline stamped across the top of the page.

Brown eyes drank in the picture of her three friends underneath the words... She missed them. Even Usopp... The time they all spent together felt like a lifetime ago.

Nami stuffed the paper into her shirt and erased the thoughts, looking at the approaching pirates from the deck of the large merchant ship she'd snuck onto. She was almost there again. She was almost back to a hundred million.

Her eyes thinned into a glare... This time she would make sure the money got to Arlong's hands before he could do anything about it. And if she ever saw Nezumi again...

Let's just say it would be hard for her to not try and murder the man.

"GET BACK HERE STRAW HAT BRAT! NO ONE INSULTS MY BOOT!", a voice screamed over the pounding of footsteps of an angry mob of pirates.

Luffy's only response was laughter, dodging his way through the forest and trying to stay ahead of the men that wanted to kill him. They were pretty slow so it wasn't too hard. His feet carried him into a clearing and he crossed it as quickly as he could, a voice shooting into the air.

"Usopp! You're up!", yelled Zoro from his place sitting on a tree branch.

The long-nosed boy nodded at his future crew mate and steadied his hand, pulling back his slingshot.

The three bounty hunters were currently pursuing a bounty on not just a single pirate, but a bounty on a whole crew. Frankly, it had been sheer dumb luck that they'd found the pirates all in one place, but none of the temporary bounty hunters were complaining. It beat trying to search for them.

Usopp continued to pull his slingshot further back. A small addition had been made to the weapon in the form of a wrist brace, enabling him to draw even further and increase his firepower by a good margin. He'd have to thank Saul if they ever made it back to East Lodestone. He stopped pulling when he felt he'd reached maximum draw length, eyes peeled on the tree line.

The sniper had gotten to know his slingshot a lot better over the last couple of months and was now capable of things he never thought he could do before he became a bounty hunter.

The pirates stampeded into the clearing and Usopp kept his hand steady, waiting for his moment. He eyed the raging group from his tree branch and searched for the right spot, eyes widening when he found it. He immediately let his projectiles fly, "LEAD STAR:". His green slingshot snapped forward, multiple lead bullets releasing from its pouch, and the projectiles moved through the air so fast that no one in the yelling crowd even noticed them until it was too late.

Usopp watched the volley move through the air and reloaded his slingshot in the blink of an eye, searching for something. His eyes widened when they found what they were looking for and he drew back as hard as he could before quickly releasing.

"SCATTERSHOT!".

A singular metal ball shot forward and somehow flew faster than the ones fired previously, sailing in between them just before they would have impacted against the stampeding pirates. The small projectile reached the middle of the grouping and finally connected with another, creating a chain reaction. The pieces of metal began to knock into each other in the air and rebound into the pirates with even more force than they were originally released with.

Lead ripped through the group of men, their yells of pain sounding around the clearing. A bloody mist erupted into the air surrounding them, some of the pirates dropping to the ground, dead, and others moaning in agony, holding bleeding wounds.

Of the more than twenty men that rushed into the clearing, there was only one who remained standing.

The captain of the Bootleg Pirates stood frozen in place as he watched the crimson mist settle on the ground and paint his men red. His eyes were wide. What the hell was going on? He'd heard rumors and seen a few articles in the news about Merry's Terrible Trio but that was all he thought they were, rumors. Even if they had some truth to them, he thought, at most, the articles had been exaggerating! What kind of bounty-hunting group could destroy an entire town in pursuit of a bounty?! It didn't sound real!

He and his boys had just been having a nice drink when the straw-hatted kid had waltzed in and made fun of his boot. It'd made him mad. So mad, in fact, that he had the crew try and kill the kid. But, they hadn't been able to catch him and he eventually led them into the forest... His wide eyes gazed across the moaning men on the ground spread amongst various dead bodies and he dropped to his knees in surrender...

Just who the hell were these kids?

"Please come see us again, sometime.", Sanji's smooth voice said, suavely.

The woman blushed, smiling back at the teen who grabbed her hand and laid a soft kiss on her knuckle.

The blond looked up at the beautiful blushing face belonging to the one whose hand he held, "You bless this place with your bea-".

"That's my fiancé, you creep!", the man opposite the woman yelled in rage, his chair screeching across the floor and interrupting the black-suited chef. He moved behind the teen before he could so much as twitch and threw a punch as hard as he could at the back of his head.

Sanji's eyes never left the beautiful woman's, his head seeming to move on its own as it tilted out of the way. The man's fist hit open air and he stumbled forward, the chef spinning to the right and standing at the same time. He watched from behind as the man fell toward the table and grabbed the back of his jacket to stop the fall. "There's still food left on that table and I won't let you waste it.", he said, a very serious tone to his voice, roughly pulling backward on the man's coat, his back slamming into the ground with a smack.

The woman gasped as her fiancé's groans sounded into the air. "I'll have your job for this.", he wheezed, rolling on the floor and trying to regain his breath.

Sanji looked down at the man and scowled. He went to reply but was interrupted when he heard the front entrance open. He turned toward the sound and his eyes immediately turned into hearts when he saw someone familiar standing there. He sent one more wink at the woman still sitting wide-eyed at the table before he twirled toward the front to greet the person who had just entered the restaurant.

"Lady Carina! I'm so glad you came to see me!".

Zoro held his katanas above one another and parallel to the ground, the tips pointing to the right, "Nitōryū:". He burst forward toward his adversary and slashed across where the boy's stomach should have been, "Two Cutter!".

Luffy was already out of the way of the blade, flipping over the verdet and landing behind him. His fist flew forward without hesitation and found the back of Zoro's skull... Or at least it should have.

A boom sounded through the air, the fist rocketing over the swordsman's head and ruffling his hair as he moved just in time to not get knocked out. He turned on a dime and brought Kitetsu and Kajiya upward with all of his strength, "Tower Climb!".

The straw-hatted teen jumped backward and two purple slashes sailed upward into the empty space, right through the area he'd previously occupied. "Pistol!", he screamed shooting his hand through the air.

Zoro sliced one of his blades through the projectile and ducked when he heard a second scream of "Pistol!". The second air bullet raced above him and he stood, wasting as little time as possible, bringing his blades down in the direction of his future captain, "Tower Climb Return!".

Two more purple slashes left his blade at even greater speeds and he scowled when he saw those miss as well. Luffy was just too damn fast... He brought his katanas parallel to the ground once again, the tips facing the left side this time, and ripped them through the air, "Flash!". Before the projectiles even left his blades, Kitetsu and Kajiya were already moving into position for his next move, holding them diagonally against his body, "Ripple!".

The straw-hatted boy's eyes widened slightly at the four air blades moving toward him, his friend's attacks were getting faster. He bent his body to dodge the first set of slashes, managing to escape them unharmed, but the second pair was too close to completely avoid.

Luffy's foot dug into the ground and he launched to the right, just as one of the slashes sliced into his arm, hissing in pain. He landed with his eyes searching for his opponent, looking up in shock as Zoro's form fell from the sky. He hadn't even seen him jump... His foot cracked the earth and sent his body back in the direction he came from, Zoro screaming "Demon Bear!" as his blades connected with the ground.

The earth rumbled and the immediate area surrounding Zoro ruptured, purple flashing upward from newly created fissures.

The black-haired boy managed to move in time but just barely, his feet carrying him away from his opponent while the purple light ripped through the middle of the area, creating havoc around the swordsman. Luffy couldn't help his widening smile, he was having way too much fun. He bolted back in his friend's direction and slammed his hand into the dirt with all the strength in his upper body. "Sun Palm!", he roared, cracks rocketing through the earth in a circular wave around him.

Zoro flipped through the air and landed just outside the blast radius, slashing Kitetsu through the air and following behind the air blade while it traveled toward his opponent. "Nitōryū:", he growled. The swordsman let his arms drag behind him before halting his momentum and heaving his katanas through the air, "DIVIDER!". In the blink of an eye, he'd already flipped Kitetsu in his hand and coiled his body, his form blurring as he spun through the air.

Luffy watched in wonder when the first light purple slash seemed to give birth to two darker ones on either side of it. His feet cracked into the earth and he bounded toward the projectiles with a big smile. He jumped forward just before all the air blades would have met in the middle and dove through a gap so small it looked like he shouldn't have been able to fit.

"EQUINOX!", Zoro screamed, finishing his rotation.

Grinding sounded into the air from behind when Luffy's body came through the other side and his eyes widened, his vision held by a quickly growing violet ring. Not good... Thinking quickly, The straw-hatted teen rotated his body in the air and punched toward the sky, "PISTOL!". The force of the strike sent his back crashing into the ground, cracking it as the purple ring flew over his face. In a flash, he was back on his feet, and it only took one large step to get inside the guard of the swordsman he was fighting, "Sun Palm:". He curled the knuckles on his right hand and shot his arm forward with blinding speed.

Zoro's eyes widened when he felt his future captain step inside his guard, looking down just in time to move his enhancement to the middle of his chest, right over his heart.

"Impact!", Luffy yelled, a huge grin consuming his face.

The palm connected with the Zoro's chest and he immediately felt his enhancement crack. That wasn't good... His eyes widened as what felt like a circular wave of pain spread throughout his whole body, feet leaving the ground. His form shot in the opposite direction, flying through the air for a moment, before he curled his body and roughly landed, rolling to avoid any extra damage.

The swordsman shakily stood to his feet, groaning. That had hurt... Even though his enhancement. It was a good thing he'd figured out how to move it around... He was aching all over, like the attack had somehow affected his entire body. The fact that Luffy could do that much damage without haki was honestly frightening...

Zoro took a deep breath and drew his third katana, placing Wado Ichimonji in his mouth. He'd warmed up enough.

"Are they always like this?", Gaimon asked, looking over at Usopp as the two and the rest of the island's inhabitants watched Luffy and Zoro spar.

Usopp went to respond but paused before any words left his mouth. They didn't spar very much, actually, when he thought about it. "No, not really.", the long-nosed boy eventually replied, "I've only seen them fight each other once or twice.". It was definitely something, though. Every time he got to watch them, he was amazed. The two moved so fast he almost couldn't keep up. They were also just insanely strong. He'd grown a lot in the months they'd been bounty hunting, but he was still nowhere near those two.

Purple suddenly consumed Usopp's vision and his eyes widened, diving to tackle Gaimon to the ground. The air blade passed over the heads of all the spectators and into the forest behind, the sound of trees falling echoing from the same direction.

The long-nosed teen lifted his head and looked at the two still battling with outrage on his face. "WATCH WHERE YOU SHOOT THOSE THINGS, ZORO!", he screamed in anger before looking down at the bushy-green-haired man stuck in a treasure chest, "You alright, Gaimon?". Now that he was thinking about it, the man was rather short... He probably hadn't needed to tackle him...

Gaimon only laughed in response. He was having a jolly ole time. This was the most excitement he'd felt in a VERY long time. "Oh, you don't need to worry about me, sonny. I'm doin' jus fine.", he replied, eagerly continuing to watch the two friends fight one another.

"PISTOL!", Luffy screamed, his arm cracking through the air. The largest air bullet yet materialized and he followed in behind the projectile just like Zoro had earlier with the flying slash but much closer, his eyes firmly locked on his opponent.

Zoro slashed Kajiya through the air and cut the bullet in half, sending the halves past his head. Kitetsu came in after, to hit the body running behind the projectile, but was met with empty air, the swordsman's vision locking on Luffy's form as he flipped over him. He felt a pair of hands grab the back of his shirt and his eyes widened.

Luffy grasped the cloth shirt with all his strength and pulled Zoro over his head, slamming him into the ground with a grunt of exertion. His arm came back to knock his opponent out and end the fight, but, when he shot it forward the swordsman moved just enough for it to crack the ground instead of his nose. A katana suddenly appeared at his neck and he bent backward just quickly enough to watch the sword pass over his face, jumping away when another came at his middle.

Zoro bent down and started summoning his enhancement once more, Wado already beginning to drink up the haki flowing through him. His swords pointed to the sky as he crossed his arms in front of his body, "Santōryū:". The ground splintered underneath the swordsman's feet, his form blasting toward his adversary.

Luffy watched his friend approach in absolute glee, smirking to himself. He pulled his arm back and loaded as much power as he could into it. If he got the timing on this wrong... He could probably die... Just before the verdet heaved his swords forward with a shout of "Shimmering Demon Cut!" Luffy's coiled arm rocketed out... toward the ground, "Pistol!".

The shing of three blades split the now-glittering air and Zoro gaped, watching all of his katanas miss the figure now sailing higher and higher above him. His future captain turned his body toward the ground and he didn't like the smile being sent in his direction... He barely had enough time to get his swords up before Luffy's arms began to blur through the air with a shout of "Gatling!".

The projectiles rocketed into everything in the general vicinity of Zoro, dust clouding his vision as he tried to block and slice as many of the bullets as he could. the swordsman grunted in effort and pain at the same time. There were just too many for him to handle, and even though they were just air, they HURT.

Luffy's roaring stopped and a gust of wind blew the dust away so he could be seen clearly again.

"Sun Palm:", the straw-hatted boy screamed in joy, looking down as his body began to fall. The wind started to blow by his face while he accelerated in the direction of his opponent, his smile stretching to absurd proportions at watching his opponent's form quickly grow larger.

Zoro watched the scene with wide eyes. Was he really going to use that move?! It could kill him! His eyes widened even further when he heard the word "Meteor!" yelled into the air. His eyelids drifted shut and he awaited the pain he knew was coming. The only thing he was really able to do was pray he didn't die... It was already too late for him to move.

The sound of someone landing heavily on the ground and a slap to his right cheek made the swordsman open his eyes, just as his future captain began to laugh.

"I can't do that one without haki.", Luffy admitted honestly. He had a strong feeling that his hand would shatter if he tried... Not to mention the rest of his body.

Zoro groaned slightly. His body still hurt from the Sun Palm attack, and the air bullets hadn't helped. He pushed the pain to the back of his mind and looked at the other boy's hand intently. "Still not back?", he asked, eyes coming back up.

"Nope", replied Luffy, popping the p and turning toward the spectators. The fact didn't bother him too much, it would come back when it was time. And, if it didn't?... Oh well. It wouldn't stop him from becoming the Pirate King. He would just keep getting stronger without it like he already had been.

The teen's eyes landed on Gaimon and his thoughts were pulled in a completely different direction as he began to sprint toward the tiny man, a huge smile on his face, "Small Guy! Let me try to squeeze in there with you!".