Coco: Hola~ It's me...Coco.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Before we get started today, I'd just like to address the several messages I've been getting lately regarding people asking if I'd be interested in my characters/work being turned into art. Now, the reason why I haven't responded to the messages is some of them are very copy/paste. Like they supposedly come from different people, but the messages are almost the exact same. And I'm getting spammed by them, so to me that sends up red flags.

Now, maybe I'm just being paranoid, or maybe my suspicions are valid. But let me just answer them here, I don't mind if any of you wants to draw art of my work. In fact, I'm honored you like my writing enough to do so. However, if you do, please just made sure to credit my characters to me. And for those who are asking if I want to talk on other formats/work together on the art, respectively I must decline for my own personal reasons.

Now, if you ever want to leave a review or ask a question, you are welcome to leave me a private message. However, I must warn you that I am terrible for checking for those (very rarely does fanfiction ever alert me to them) so it might be a while before you get a reply. I apologize in advance.

Now, moving on from that, let's get into the chapter.

'It's…it's so cute,' Wren thought.

Wren and the creature stared at each other for a bit longer until Nami shifted on Wren's back. Wren glanced over her shoulder at the navigator whose face was completely red as she took in painful breaths.

'I need to find Dr. Kureha quickly,' Wren thought.

Wren turned back to the creature who stiffened once Wren's attention was back on it.

"Please," Wren began. "Can you help us? My companion is very sick. She needs to be seen as soon as possible."

The creature seemed surprised by her words before it took note of Nami on her back. The creature lost some of its cautiousness as it stepped away from the tree.

"She is running an extremely high fever." Wren continued. "It's been caused by an infection that my father could not treat. However, he sent us here saying Dr. Kureha might be of assistance. Could you take me to her?"

The creature studied her a bit longer before it started walking towards her.

"…is your father a doctor?" The creature asked cautiously.

While some might have been surprised by the little one's ability to talk, Wren was not. After all, she's known talking-animals and similar creatures all her life. She might not know what this little creature was, but it talking did not frighten or surprise her.

"Yes," Wren said nodding. "His name is Magier B. Vladimir."

Recognition shined in its eye as surprise took over its expression. It then looked uncertain for a moment before motioning Wren to follow it.

"I will take you to Doctorine." It—no, he—told her.

Wren gratefully bowed her head before following the little fellow towards the castle. Her new acquaintance showed her inside the castle. As they were going through the door, she looked up to see a nest of snowbird chicks on top.

'So…that's why the door remains open,' Wren thought.

She was then led up some stairs and down a hallway before coming to the stop in front of a door.

"Doctorine, we have a patient," Wren's guide called through the door.

"A patient? Chopper, are you telling me someone came up the mountain?" A voice called back as the door slowly began to open.

The door opened completely to reveal an elderly woman. She had silvery, blonde hair that fell in waves past her shoulders. Her eyes were a deep brown, and she had a well, pronounced nose on her face. Though while her face was wrinkled the rest of her form looked like it belonged to a much younger woman. As did the purple, leather outfit she wore.

'For someone nearly 140, she certainly doesn't look her age,' Wren thought absently.

When the woman, who Wren was going to presume was Kureha, turned towards her, Wren stood up a bit straighter. She almost felt like this woman was trying to look right through her.

"Excuse me for intruding," Wren said to Dr. Kureha. "However, my friend is in dire need of medical care. She is very ill."

Wren turned to give Dr. Kureha a better look at Nami. The woman's brow quirked as she pulled down Nami's hood.

"Yes, she seems to be running a high fever." Dr. Kureha said. "The cause?"

"An infection caused by an insect bite on her abdomen." Wren replied. "I have my father's notes. Everything he documented while she was in his care. He believes it was the kestia."

Dr. Kureha looked away from Nami to narrow her eyes at Wren. She leaned in closely causing Wren to feel the need to step back…and she has faced much scarier people in her life. However, Wren held her ground as Dr. Kureha looked her up and down.

"You're Vladimir's brat, aren't you?" Dr. Kureha said as she stepped back through the door into the room behind her. "Well, bring the sick girl in and put her on the bed."

Wren blinked a tad surprised that Dr. Kureha was able to tell who Wren was. Many people likened her appearance to her mother. She had her father's hair color. However, that was the only similarity between them.

"Yes, I am." Wren replied as she stepped through the door.

She then thanked the woman for allowing her to place Nami in the bed. Once she was settled on the bed, Wren stepped back out of Dr. Kureha's way.

"Chopper, begin the examination." She ordered then turned to Wren. "And you give me those notes from your father."

Wren nodded her head then took her bag, which had been resting against her hip. She quickly dug inside to pull out the notes to give to Dr. Kureha. The woman placed her reading glasses upon her nose to begin reading the notes.

"If it is an infection caused by the kestia, bringing her to me was the best decision," Dr. Kureha said. "You won't find many if any other doctors who carry the medicine made to fight against the infection left behind by their bites. Have you been giving the patient any medicine since leaving your father's care?"

"Yes, she has been given fever reducing medicine every few hours as needed." Wren replied. "Taken orally through a liquid form. The medicine was only made to work on the fever as my father didn't wish for the infection to react poorly to anything stronger."

Dr. Kureha nodded her head as Wren glanced at the creature that Dr. Kureha had called Chopper. The small, furry animal was quickly doing as he was told as he began to rid Nami of her outer layer of clothes to get a better look at her. With how he was working, Wren could only guess that he was an apprentice of Dr. Kureha. It made her even more curious about him.

Wren's eyes then glanced at the window by the bed as the wind picked up once more. Her mind turned to Luffy and Sanji. She wondered how they were doing and if they had managed to escape the lapahns. She knew the pair wasn't push overs after watching how easily they handled Wapol and his men. However, those carnivorous rabbits were another story. Not only that, but they also had no way to get up the mountain even if or when they managed to get past that first obstacle.

'I need to go back for them,' Wren thought.

Wren glanced back at Dr. Kureha who was giving instructions to Chopper. Wren didn't know either of them. Doctors or not, they could still be a danger. It left her wondering if she could trust them enough to leave Nami in their care without her or one of the others around to keep watch.

'You need to be more trusting,' she could hear Havel's exasperated voice huffing at her from the back of her mind.

'You must open your heart to others once again, Misce.' The Lady's advice soon added behind Havel's.

Wren almost sighed at her brain's ability to remind her of such things in moments like these. It could be annoying at times…though helpful as well.

'Father trusts this woman.' Wren told herself. '…and I trust him…that should be enough to trust her to at least not cause harm to Nami while I am away. Besides…she is a doctor, and we did come seeking her help. It should be fine.'

She also needed to check on the boys before something drastic happened to them. With that in mind, Wren stepped forward.

"Excuse me, Doctor." Wren got the woman's attention. "I hate to leave after just arriving. However, we left two companions behind, so that I could get Nami here safely. I need to return to them to ensure they reach here safely."

Dr. Kureha waved her off saying there was nothing she could do here for Nami anyway. Wren thanked the woman before she left the room.

'Those two better be in one piece,' Wren thought. 'After hearing how Dr. Kureha charges her patients, I would hate to see how much she'd ask for if I brought her more than one patient.'

Wren appeared at the bottom of the mountain and blinked when seeing the landscape had changed. Trees were ripped out of the ground and looked as if they had been carried down the mountainside by an avalanche.

'That isn't a good sight,' Wren thought. 'I wonder what caused the avalanche.'

She shook her head as finding out what was the cause of this wasn't important. Her priority was finding Luffy and Sanji and ensuring they were okay. And if they had been hurt because of this avalanche, she needed to quickly take them to Dr. Kureha.

'This crew of pirates is certainly a handful,' Wren thought as she went looking for the boys.

She trekked through the snow while stretching out her haki as far as she was capable of. Trying to hear the voices of Sanji and Luffy. She had to go rather far down the mountain before she came across anything. However, it wasn't her companions. It was the lapahns. A portion of their earlier numbers was buried within the snow and the rest were trying to dig them out. At her approach those who were digging suddenly became alert. They turned towards her with growls building up deep within their throats. Wren paused while slowly raising her hands in a placate manner.

"There is no reason for a fight." Wren said as she lowered herself into a kneeling position.

The lapahns' ears twitched at her words as Wren removed the gloves from her hands. She then reached towards the ground but paused for a moment.

'Is it really the best idea for me to use my magic against the snow?' she wondered. 'After what happened to father's garden, it might not be best.'

However, if she did nothing at all…some of the lapahns will die before they can be dug out by their packmates. With that in mind, Wren placed her hands against the thick layers of snow beneath her. She took a deep breath before saying a small spell in her mind to make the winds to pick up and lift the snow from the ground. Once enough of the snow was removed, the lapahns, who weren't trapped, quickly lifted their packmates out of the snow.

'Good,' Wren thought as she stopped using her magic.

She then picked up her gloves to place back on her hands, which were already starting to turn pink due to the frigidness of the snow. Wren slowly moved towards the lapahns who watched her with less hostility.

"Those boys you were chasing…could you tell me where they are?" She questioned them.

The lapahns exchanged a look before they looked back to Wren. The largest one nodded to her before it stood to its full height. It started walking away, so Wren followed it. The others brought up the rear as they showed Wren farther down the mountain.

'How far could they have slid down?' Wren wondered as a bit of worry started to creep in. 'And how are they after they just went through an avalanche of this large a scale?'

It didn't take much longer before Wren heard Luffy's familiar voice. He wasn't alone. She could hear the weakened presence of Sanji with him along with four others.

'And one of those four have a stronger presence than the others.' Wren thought.

As if sensing the danger as well, the lapahns picked up their pace. One even scooped Wren up causing her gasp in surprise. She was placed on its back as it hopped quickly down the mountain. Soon Wren's eyes fell on Luffy who seemed a little worse for wear as he was carrying an unconscious Sanji.

'There they are,' Wren thought then narrowed her gaze. 'Along with that annoying royal and his men.'

However, there was another with them that she did not recognize. He was the one with the odd presence. Though he was taller and slimmer than Wapol, there was a resemblance between the two that suggested they might of some relation.

'He could be dangerous,' Wren thought.

She went to leap off the lapahn's back, but before she could, a lapahn with a scar and one of the lapahns from Wren's group jumped into action. They swatted down Wapol's two officers, who were attacking her companions, down into the snow. Wren was a bit surprised they were helping. However, she did suppose they might be returning the favor. Wren then blinked when the lapahn carrying her placed her on the ground carefully.

The creature stared down at her and then reached out to place its large paw on top of her head. A sign of gratitude. It then joined its friends to attack Wapol and his men. Seeing this as her chance to get to the boys, Wren hurried towards Luffy and Sanji.

"Luffy," Wren called out.

Luffy turned his head when hearing her call. His face lit up when spotting her.

"Wren!" He called back. "Did you manage to get Nami to a doctor?"

"Yes," Wren said with a nod. "And we need to return to her."

She reached towards Luffy, so she could leap the three of them to the stop of the mountain. Now that she had been there, she could easily use magic to transport them there, which would save them time. However, before she could place her hand on his shoulder, she felt an attack incoming. She quickly snatched the front of Luffy's coat to twist the boy out of the way. She grunted in pain when the attack hit her in the side where her wounds were still on the mend.

"Wren!" Luffy called out in worry as Wren shoved him back.

He stared at her as she glared at the one who managed to hit her. It was the man who hadn't participated in the previous attack against the Going Merry. The one with the dangerous presence. His arm was covered in an odd purplish ooze that was eating through her coat.

'My mending injuries and the snow that's wrapped up around my ankles slowed me down,' Wren thought in annoyance as she removed her coat. 'Now some of my wounds have reopened.'

She looked down in aggravation to see blood seeping through the white material of her clothes. And it wasn't just the blood but whatever that purple ooze was as well.

'Poison, maybe?' Wren thought when she felt a small wave of dizziness wash over her. 'Whatever it is, I'll never be able to get the stain out. So, there's no point in trying to salvage this dress…Now, to get rid of whatever this poison is.'

Fire erupted on the side where the poison was seeping into her open wounds. Luffy gasped in surprise as flames lapped around Wren's wound, which caused her dress to singe and burn away from the wound. It was a loss of clothing that she was not pleased about considering she had few clothes to her name now.

"Wren, what are you doing?" Luffy questioned. "Doesn't that hurt?!"

He reached towards her, which is when Wren's hand shot out to grasp his wrist. She shook her head and lowered his hand as she felt the weak feeling spread throughout her body.

'Whatever this is, it must have entered my bloodstream quickly…before I could completely burn it away,' Wren thought. 'Due to my half-fae physiology, I have some immunity against natural poisons, but I'm not sure how strong that immunity is against poisons born of devil fruit abilities.'

Wren glared at the one responsible as he grinned darkly at her while looking ready to attack again.

"I am going to overlook this transgression against my clothes for now because I don't have time to deal with you," Wren told the man as she stared at him coldly. "However, next time you cross my path, you won't be so lucky."

"Tch, don't make me laugh, woman." The man told her. "Even if you manage to get away now, my poisonous spores will kill you shortly."

Wren scoffed at his words as she brushed her hair over her shoulder before placing her hand on her hip.

"And who are you to decide that?" Wren questioned as she looked down on him and his companions. "Our paths will cross again, and you won't be so lucky a second time."

The man clicked his tongue at her before he launched himself at her. However, before he could touch her, she along with her companions vanished in the blink of an eye.

"W—what? Where did they go?!" Wapol, who had finished off the lapahns with his men, shouted. "H-how did that woman do that, bro?!"

"You Hippo Head, I told you not to call me that. Call me Big Brother!" His brother—Mushuru snapped. "And I don't know, but when we catch up to those pirates, I won't let that woman escape me again."

Luffy blinked looking around to see that their location hand changed. It was like before when Wren transported them to where Zoro had been located. He took in the stone walls and snow-covered stairs and guessed they were somewhere in the castle. He grinned.

"Wren, we made it!" He said happily. "Your magic is awesome!"

He turned to grin at her, but his expression turned to confusion when Wren suddenly teetered forward and hit the ground.

"W…Wren…" Luffy murmured before panic took over. "Wren, hey, Wren! What's wrong?!"

He knelt beside her after carefully placing Sanji on the snowy floor. He placed his hands on the older teen's shoulders and gave her a slight shake. She didn't respond to his shaking as she laid on the ground and breathed heavily. Her cheeks flushed red.

"Did that guy's attack do this to you?" Luffy asked as he looked at the injury, which looked as if it had quickly grown infected as it was turning an ugly shade of purple. "…Wren…"

He carefully picked her up into his arms where she laid as limp as a noodle. His jaw tensed in worry. He then looked up when he heard a noise from above. He saw a strange creature and an older woman.

"What's with all the racket?" The woman demanded.

"Help!" Was all Luffy shouted. "Please, my friends need your help! You're the doctor Mage Pop's mentioned, right? You can help them."

The woman said nothing at first as her eyes fell on Wren. Her eyes zeroed in on Wren's wound causing her gaze to widen.

"Is that…?" the woman murmured. "It can't be…Chopper, take the blonde boy. I will see to Vladimir's brat."

"Yes, Doctorine." Chopper replied with a nod.

The two quickly came down the steps with Kureha taking Wren out of Luffy's arms. She took a closer look at the wound.

"There's no doubt…this is his poison." Kureha said. "…How could you get into so much trouble in such a short amount of time, brat?"

She then looked to Luffy as he was staring at Wren intently. Worry clearly in his eyes. He looked up at Kureha.

"Save her, please!" He said to her. "She is my friend. Sanji too."

"I will do what I can." Kureha promised as she stood with Wren in her arms.

Luffy quickly got up to follow her as Chopper was still making his assessment of Sanji. However, Luffy paused to look back at Sanji in concern. Then he was also worried about where Nami was and how she was doing. They started out on this journey to save a friend from death and now two more were injured. It had the young captain wondering just how things could have gone so wrong.

Wren blinked curiously as she sat next to Doflamingo on the railing outside their base. Down below was a boy, who had grenades wrapped around his body, and he was currently fighting against Diamante with Trebol supervising. Wren had been told when she joined Doflamingo outside that the boy was wishing to join their crew.

"Don't kill him, Diamante." Doflamingo told the man. "This is just a trial before we take him into our family as an apprentice."

The boy cursed at Diamante as he once again failed to get the upper hand on the older man.

"I know, Doffy." Diamante assured their captain.

He then easily parried against the boy's next attack, but the boy didn't pause for a moment as he went back in to attack. Wren tilted her head wondering why the boy wanted to join them so badly.

'He looks frail,' she thought.

Though she supposed she had no room to judge as she was still recovering from her time on the slaver's ship. She was still underweight and her skin was a similar sickly white to the boy's own complexion. Though unlike her, he had even whiter patches along his body.

"If I beat him, will you make me a commander?" The boy asked.

It was silent for a moment, but soon Diamante and Trebol were laughing at the ridiculousness of the boy's question. Baby 5 and Buffalo, who were also watching, were cackling away along with them. As Doflamingo's own chuckle joined the rest, the boy's scowl deepened.

"Are you serious?" Diamante asked the boy.

"Stop laughing!" The boy snapped as he went in for another attack. "I'm serious!"

Diamante swat him back once more, which only increased his and Trebol's amusement.

"You can't kill a person with spirit alone." Diamante mocked the boy.

The boy only frowned as he picked himself up off the ground once more to hold his sword out in front of him.

"I told you, I have explosives!" The boy retorted. "I'm going to die soon anyway, so I'm not afraid of anything!"

His words seemed to annoy Diamante who lost his grin all together. A clear sign he was done playing with the boy. He swiftly ended the match with the boy falling right into the scrap heap behind him. As Baby 5 and Buffalo laughed at his defeat, Wren sighed.

'Did he honestly believe things would turn out any differently for him?' Wren had to wonder.

Her gaze then turned towards the large blonde beside her as he stood up from the railing.

"Who is he, Doffy-sama?" Wren asked.

Doflamingo, who tilted his head at her question, turned to the five-year-old girl to help her down from the railing.

"I believe he said his name was Law." Doflamingo said. "Does he interest you, Wren?"

Wren hummed looking back at the boy—Law—as he was picking himself off of the ground.

"I…don't know…" She said.

Wren's brow furrowed as the smell of disinfect began to rouse her from her dream of a distance memory. It was a smell she knew very well from having grown up around her father and then Law who had kept up with his medical studies even after joining the Donquixote Family.

'But Father and Law aren't here,' Wren thought groggily.

Wren's eyes slowly opened as her mind caught up to current events. She sighed while sitting up in the bed she had been placed in. She glanced around to see she was in a unfamiliar room with medical equipment placed next to her. She also took note of the IV placed at her bedside that was currently pushing fluids into her veins.

'I must have passed out after arriving back at the castle,' she realized as she reached for her eyepatch, which was sitting on the table beside the bed.

After tying it around her eye, she looked down to see her clothes had been changed out of what she was wearing earlier. She was still in the thick black tights, but her white sweater dress had been replaced with an oversized, button-down pajama top. It was soft to the touch and pale blue in color. She lifted the shirt to see she had fresh bandages wrapped around her torso.

Her side felt mostly numb. Whether that was the lingering effect of the poison, or the cause of a numbing agent Kureha or Chopper could have used on her, she wasn't sure. Either way, it would seem as if the poison mostly ran its course.

'It must not have been a chemical-based poison.' Wren surmised as she pushed the thick duvet off her.

She went to remove the IV from her arm next, but the sound of shouting distracted her. She looked towards the door with her brow quirking as she wondered why there was racket happening outside. The door to her room was then thrown open with Chopper running in screaming and just behind him was Sanji and Luffy.

"Come back here, meat!" Luffy shouted.

The small humanoid reindeer just cried as he ran in a circle around the room.

"No, leave me alone already!" Chopper pleaded.

He ran right out of the room with the boys hot on his tail. However, they were back quickly as they rushed to Wren's bedside.

"Wren!" They exclaimed in unison.

Both were smiling broadly as Sanji reached out to grasp both of Wren's hands within his own. Wren stiffened at his touch, but if he noticed, he didn't mention it.

"You're up." Sanji said. "Thank goodness."

His thumbs brushed over the skin of her hands gently as if he was afraid to place too much pressure.

"Are you feeling better?" Luffy asked. "That old doctor lady said you were poisoned."

"I'm fine, thank you." Wren said as she removed her hands from Sanji's hold. "I was just about to get up when you barged in."

She went to remove the IV once again as she felt fine. However, before she could do that, a voice called out.

"Don't do that." Chopper told her.

The three pirates looked up to see Chopper leaning the wrong way through the door. He was giving Wren a stern look even though he was shaking like a leaf.

"Even if you are feeling better, you need to finish that bag of fluids." Chopper told her. "It's flushing your system of the poison. It's a method and mixture developed by Dr. Vladimir. Normally, such a method wouldn't work for a human…but…"

He trailed off unsurely as Wren glanced back at the bag of fluid hanging from the IV pole. Now that she took a closer look at the bag, she could see pieces of herbs floating in the green tinted fluid.

"I'm not human," Wren finished Chopper's sentence. "So, I take it that my father spent quite some time on this island."

Chopper slowly nodded his head then stiffened when a loud grumbling noise cut through their conversation. Chopper slowly looked to Luffy as the boy was staring at him with drool running down his chin.

"…Meat…" Luffy mumbled as he shuffled forward.

Chopper squeaked before he took off running once again. Luffy was right on his heels while shouting for him to come back. Wren shook her head at the straw-hatted boy. She would have to stop that before Chopper was hurt.

"That boy has too much energy," she said as she placed her feet on the stone floor below.

She shivered for a moment at the cold touch of the stone before she reached for her boots, which were placed at her bedside.

"Are you certain you should be getting out of bed, Wren-chan?" Sanji questioned as she slipped on the boots. "Perhaps you should rest a bit longer."

"I will be fine." Wren assured Sanji. "And how are you feeling? The last time I saw you, you were unconscious."

She could see some bandages peeking out from underneath his shirt, which he only had halfway buttoned up. He followed her gaze to his bandaged torso.

"I'm fine," Sanji told her as he began buttoning up the rest of his shirt. "Luffy and I were caught up in an avalanche caused by those overfeed rabbits."

Wren suspected as much. Though she supposed with his rubber body that Luffy was spared from any serious injury.

"You're lucky to be alive." Wren commented as she stood.

She then put her hand around the IV pole, so she could bring it with her. She would rather leave it behind, but supposed she should follow Chopper's order.

"Aw, were you worried about me, Wren-chwan?~" Sanji cooed. "I'm sorry for causing you any distress~"

Wren sweat-dropped at his behavior as she began making her way towards the door. She made it to the doorway just as Chopper went by screaming. Luffy, who was apparently still chasing the poor animal, ran by as well while shouting for Chopper to come back.

"Hey, Luffy, don't let him get away!" Sanji called as he rejoined the chase. "We need that meat to make a delicious dish for Wren-chan and Nami-san!"

Wren, who stepped out into the hall, sighed as she watched them disappear around the corner.

"They're being too loud," she muttered under her breath.

She then blinked when Dr. Kureha, who was carrying a horde of weapons, went running by her. She was shouting for the boys to leave Chopper alone as she hurried after them. Wren frowned at the scene as Dr. Kureha disappeared around the corner as well.

"Ridiculous." Wren scoffed.

Wren continued her way and after some exploring, she happened upon Nami. Said orangette was sitting up in bed. Looking much better than she has since Wren's met her.

"Look who's awake." Wren commented as she shut the door behind her. "It is good to see all that effort to keep you alive wasn't a waste."

Her tone had a light ring to it to show she was only teasing the younger girl who smiled in return.

"Yeah," Nami replied with a chuckle. "Thanks for looking after me, Wren."

She didn't know the older woman well. After all, the time they have spent together, Nami was mostly out of it due to the raging fever. Their introduction was even fuzzy to the navigator. Though despite only vaguely knowing Wren, Nami felt comfortable around her considering how much care Wren had put into looking after her.

"Think nothing of it," Wren told Nami as she took a seat at the small, circular table in the room.

She then shifted the IV pole beside her, so it was out of the way without it tugging at the needle in her arm. Nami eyed the bag of fluids. Seeing concern in her brown eyes, Wren waved off her worry.

"Everything is fine," Wren told her. "Out of the three of us who needed medical treatment, I am the least concerning."

Nami didn't look completely convinced, but didn't press the matter. It was something Wren was grateful for.

"What is the verdict for your infection?" Wren questioned.

Nami frowned as her brows furrowed in obvious frustration. Her expression of displeasure had Wren's right eyebrow quirking curiously.

"I was told we must stay here another three days before the fever completely breaks." Nami said. "But we don't have that kind of time. We need to get to Alabasta as quickly as possible for Vivi's sake."

Wren didn't comment right away as she leaned back in her commandeered chair. She crossed one leg over the other while giving a thoughtful hum.

'That is a problem,' Wren thought. 'The more time we are here the closer Crocodile is to reaching his goal.'

She didn't like the thought of that man getting his hands on a destructive weapon. Though something even worse than that would be if Doflamingo's spy got their hands on it before Crocodile. If Doflamingo was to control a powerful ancient weapon, then his and Wren's game would end abruptly and with a checkmate on his end.

"I tried telling Dr. Kureha that we couldn't stay here, but that crazy woman pinned me down and threatened me with a scalpel." Nami huffed. "What kind of doctor threatens their patients like that?"

Though Wren only met the elderly woman briefly, she could believe Nami's words. Especially after hearing Dalton speak about Dr. Kureha and her…unique quirks.

"We also need to concern ourselves with how we're going to pay for treatment." Wren added with a sigh. "I don't like owing anyone. However, I am not certain we have the means to pay Dr. Kureha. Dalton made it very clear that her bills are steep."

Nami turned pale at this information. The crew wasn't exactly a wealthy one. They were lucky to have enough money to get supplies and shop for necessities when needed. The odds of them having the money to pay Kureha for any one of their treatments was unlikely. Even if the doctor took other things like supplies, it wasn't guaranteed that it'd be enough.

"We might have to make a run for it," Nami was muttering to herself as the door to the room opened.

Both women turned their heads to see Chopper entering the room cautiously.

"Did you outrun your pursuers?" Wren questioned with an amused lithe to her tone.

Chopper didn't reply at first as he peeked out the door before slowly shutting it behind him.

"I think so," Chopper replied then paused before opening his mouth again to speak, "How are you both feeling?"

Wren flippantly waved her hand as she felt no lingering pain or discomfort. Even the numbing feeling in her side had faded away.

"Perfectly okay," Nami said. "I don't even think I have a fever anymore."

"Docterine's medicine works quickly to reduce the fever." Chopper said. "But the bacteria from the kestia will still remain inside your body for a little while longer, so just take your antibiotic shot and stay in bed. As for you, it's almost time for another bag of fluids."

He said this all sternly. Mentally Wren couldn't help but coo at how cute the little reindeer was even trying to be stern. On the outside, however, she sighed. She'd rather not take any more treatment. She felt fine.

"Thank you," Nami said getting Chopper to look at her curiously. "You're the one who's been taking care of us, aren't you?"

Nami gave Chopper a friendly smile, which seemed to surprise the little reindeer. However, he soon frowned.

"You just shut up! I don't need thanks from you or any lowlife human!" Chopper snapped.

As Nami seemed a bit surprised by Chopper's reaction, Wren tilted her head. She studied the small, humanoid reindeer who glowered at the two women.

'What an interesting reaction,' Wren thought.

However, she was then mildly surprised when Chopper's expression turned bashful as he smiled.

"Hahehe~" He laughed. "Don't mock me! Oh, never mind that! I'm just being silly. No, seriously, I'm being such a fool."

He then proceeded to do a small dance as the two women exchanged a small glance.

"He's not so good at hiding his emotions." Nami whispered to Wren.

"Clearly," Wren agreed.

They then watched as Chopper seemed to catch what he was doing. He cleared his throat as he stared at the women curiously. He even inched closer to Nami. Looking almost like someone guardedly approaching a wild animal.

"Is it true that you guys are pirates?" Chopper asked as he raised his hoof over Nami's hand looking as if he might poke her.

"Yes," Nami replied.

Chopper hummed at this information as he poked Nami's hands a couple of times.

"Really real pirates?" Chopper pressed.

"Real pirates," Nami confirmed.

"So, you guys have a flag with a skull on it?" Chopper inquired.

"Yeah, it's on our ship." Nami said. "So, you're really interested in pirates, huh?"

Chopper gave a scream at her question, which had Wren and Nami blinking at him in confusion.

"No!" Chopper denied as he rapidly backed up.

He hit the bookcase behind him causing the books on it to fall off. Chopper cried out in pain as those books fell on top of him.

"Not at all, you idiot!" Chopper shouted once he recovered. "Shut up!"

He then flinched when Wren, who got up from her chair, knelt in front of him. When she reached out, his heart started to pound loudly in his chest. He was then surprised when she simply moved the books off him.

"You need to be more careful." Wren cautioned him. "You're not hurt, are you?"

Chopper stared at her for a moment before slowly shaking his head negatively. He then allowed Wren to help him back to his feet. She adjusted his hat, which had become askew due to the fall.

"She's right you need to be more careful." Nami said. "Anyway, I have a question for you…do you want to come with us?"

Chopper stiffened with a gasp leaving him as he looked at Nami in disbelief. Wren looked at the younger female while wondering just what Nami had going on in her head.

"You could come sail with us out on the ocean." Nami continued. "If you did that would really help me out a lot. If we had a doctor on the ship, I wouldn't have to stay here three more days, right?"

'So, that's why she's asking.' Wren thought as she returned to her seat at the table.

"I think you would have a really good time if you came," Nami finished.

"No!" Chopper snapped. "That's crazy! You realize I'm a reindeer?! I don't belong on a ship with a bunch of humans!"

Surprised confusion colored Nami's face as she stared at the upset reindeer. Wren, who had unreadable expression on her face, kept her gaze forward, looking away from the pair.

"I mean…just look at me," Chopper continued. "I'm a reindeer, but I walk on two legs and talk and everything. Animals aren't supposed to be able to do that stuff."

As he spoke, he pressed himself back against the bookcase as if trying to make himself look as small as possible.

"And who decided that, hmm?" Wren commented. "It might be unusual, but being who you are isn't wrong."

"She's right," Nami said. "And if you're trying to scare us off, it's not working."

Chopper didn't seem fully convinced as he remained leaned up against the bookcase.

"But I have a blue nose…" Chopper said.

Before Nami or Wren could reply to his statement, Sanji and Luffy came skidding into the room. Chopper blanched at the sight of them.

"There you are, meat!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Come here, deer!" They both shouted causing Chopper to scream and take off running. "Come back!"

And just like that, Chopper was ripping open the door and dashing out to freedom. Though he wasn't out of the woods as Sanji and Luffy were right behind him.

Wren sighed giving a wave of her hand. A slight breeze picked up in the room to press against the door. The push was hard enough to get the door to shut, so the girls wouldn't be exposed to the chilly winds from out in the hall.

"Really you would think they were raised in a barn." Wren said shaking her head.

"They probably were." Nami said with a chuckle.

The two girls then turned towards Dr. Kureha, who entered the room through the opposite doorway, as the woman gave a sigh and took a seat besides Wren at the table.

"Those brats sure can run, can't they?" She commented. "I don't like much what you were doing there, Red. Trying to tempt my reindeer away from me without my permission."

Nami, who tightened her blanket around her, chuckled at Kureha's words as a smile pulled across her face.

"What?" Nami asked. "I need your permission to make a move on a man all of a sudden?"

Kureha cackled at Nami's question, which had the orangette's smirk widening.

"No, I suppose you don't." Kureha said. "If you want to take him away from here, go ahead. But I must warn you that it won't be as easy as you think. Chopper has a scar on his heart. A deep one my medicine can't cure. From the moment he was born, everyone—including his parents—turned their backs on him."

Nami's eyes widened at Kureha's words as Wren sighed. She leaned back in her chair while placing her arms over her chest. She had suspected Chopper had gone through some kind of rejection in his life based on his reaction to Nami's request of him joining the crew.

'However, to think his own parents abandoned him…that is heartbreaking,' Wren thought.

"All because he was born with a blue nose…he was forced to walk at the back of the group; separated from the rest of the reindeer even though he was a helpless newborn." Kureha explained. "Then one day he ate a devil fruit, and he became even more of an outcast than he had been before. The other reindeer pressured him to leave the herd. His blue nose already made him different, but now he wasn't like the ordinary reindeer at all. Still, he was lonely and wanted friends, so he went down to a village walking on two legs as humans do."

Wren shifted at the mention of a human village, which went unnoticed by the two women in the room. Or if they did notice, they didn't mention the look of unease that fell across Wren's face.

"But even walking on two legs, he didn't look anything like the humans." Kureha continued. "And for some reason his nose was still blue as well."

Nami frowned as she began to get the feeling that this story was only going to become worse.

"He didn't know what was wrong." Kureha said. "He couldn't understand why they reacted to his appearance with so much fear and anger. He had gone to the village seeking friends, but they called him a monster and drove him away. He was no longer a reindeer, but he wasn't a human either. He was something in between, and so he lived alone after that. Caught between two worlds that wouldn't accept him. Now that you've heard his story, do you think you can heal the scar on his heart?"

Nami didn't have an answer to the older woman's question. She looked to Wren thinking maybe she might have some kind of answer. However, Wren seemed to be lost in her own mind as her gaze was focused out the window.

'How typical,' Wren thought. 'Humans…they always react with violence when dealing with the unusual.'

—FLASHBACK—

Wren whimpered curled closely to her mother as the two were huddled together in a cell with several others. Like her and her mother, many of them were injured and malnourished. Wren couldn't even remember how long they've been locked away on this ship. She had lost track after the first couple of weeks.

"Momma, I'm hungry," Wren whimpered as she looked up at her mom.

Aibell looked sadly down at her daughter as she pulled the small child closer to her side.

"I know, songbird." Aibell said. "Just please try to hold on a bit longer. I'm certain our family is looking for us."

Wren nodded her head and despite her growling stomach, she tried to make herself comfortable within her mother's embrace. For a moment, she found a bit of peace as her mother's fingers began to comb through her hair. However, that peace was shattered as the door leading to the main deck was slammed open. As the others in the cell shifted warily, Wren felt her heartrate pick up.

She watched fearfully as one of the slavers stomped into the room. He had his whip in hand and based on the expression he wore on his face, he wasn't in a good mood. He stumbled slightly as he made his way towards their cell. And as he leaned against the cell, Wren saw the bottle of alcohol in his hand as it glittered in the dim lighting.

"You freaks, behaving in here?!" He slurred as he leaned his head against the bars.

His eyes swept across the slaves before they landed on Aibell and Wren. He leered at Wren's mother who pushed Wren behind her.

"Not going to answer?" the man questioned. "Have you all suddenly gone deaf or mute?!"

He then snapped his whip against the bars causing Wren cry. Aibell tried to shush the frightened child, but Wren was too scared to quiet her noises. When hearing her cries, the man's face contorted in anger.

"Hey, you, shut up!" The man said as he came into the cage. "You hear me?! How many times have I told you to keep your filthy mutt face shut?!"

Wren tried to cover her mouth to muffle her sobs, but it wasn't enough as she soon felt herself being jerked away from her mother. She cried out as she was tossed against the hard, wooden floorboards. A moment later she was wailing in pain as the man cracked the whip against her back. Her mother's begging voice could be heard in the background, but Wren could barely hear it over her own cries.

"Shut up!" The man snapped as he kicked Wren in the ribs.

His whip then whipped across her eye causing a deep gash. Wren screamed as blood came pouring from the wound.

"Damn, I used too much force." The man murmured. "Now your face is all messed up. The captain is sure going to yell at me for that. Dumb little bitch! This is all your fault!"

He stomped his foot onto Wren's head as her fingers clawed against the wood beneath her. Her fingers bleed as large splinters dug into the under sides of her fingernails. She didn't even feel the pain as she tried to thrash and get away from the slaver.

"Please, leave her alone!" Aibell begged. "Punish me instead! Please, don't hurt my daughter!"

Aibell then bit back a whimper when the man whirled around and grabbed Aibell by a fistful of her hair. He threw Aibel against the iron bars. The iron began to burn Aibell's skin due to the faefolk being weak against the metal.

"Who gave you permission to speak, freak?!" The slaver demanded. "No one cares to hear your pleas. Why would anyone care for monsters like you, huh?"

He threw Aibell down beside Wren before he began to whip them both. Aibell pulled Wren tightly against her to try and lessen the abuse Wren received from the offending whip.

'Why…why is this happening to us?' Wren thought in despair as she curled up against her mother. 'What…did we do…? Why do the humans hate us?'

—END OF FLASHBACK—

Wren came out of her thoughts as the boys' shouting snapped her back to the present. She had been so deep in her memories that the loud noise caused her to flinch. As she listened to Chopper's screams, her hands clenched in her lap.

'Chopper…I understand you more than you think.' Wren thought. 'Like you, I have closed off my heart and I'm frightened…frightened by the thought of opening it up to others ever again.'

Coco: And that is the end. I hope you all enjoyed. And I'm sorry to say that there is no CLC today. I might have to start spacing them out more, so I don't run out of stuff to discuss XD So, sorry to those who might have been enjoying them. Or maybe you've been skipping them all along...who knows XD

But anyway, until we meet again be sure to keep being your beautiful selves and stay safe out there.