I do not own One Piece

It is owned by Oda

I just own the OC's

Enjoy!

Drum Island opening: Ranbu no Melody(Bleach OP 13)

Jou POV

When Chopper bursts into the room, letting them know Wapol has arrived at the castle. Jou stood up from Nami's bed. Of course, Wapol would show up here. This was once his castle. Maybe he's come back to take it back. Good. This means they can take care of him and his goons here. This means Jou can have that fight he promised Musshuru.

"Wapol?" Sanji wondered. "You mean that big mouth?"

"Who's Wapol...?" Nami questioned.

"Some jackass that's quite an annoyance ever since we got here," Jou stated.

"That's not all," Chopper added. "Musshuru is with him, too. He's returned."

"So, Wapol and his older brother have come back," Doctorine said, standing from her chair. "Suppose we should head out and greet them. Let's go, Chopper."

Chopper's eyes glared, and his body became more prominent and muscular. Jou had no idea Chopper could change his size at will. It must be something he was able to do with his Devil Fruit. He did come off as a little bit imposing with his new height. Chopper went with Doctorine out of the castle; Sanji followed after them.

"You're going too?" Nami asked Jou.

"I sure am," Jou nodded. "Wapol and his brother caused us quite a bit of trouble on the way here. It's time we return the favor," he turned to Valentine. "Are you staying here, too?"

"I'll stay here," Valentine replied. "I'll keep an eye on Nami."

"You'll keep an eye on me?" Nami rose a brow at her. Jou put on his snow jacket and scarf and wrapped his chains around his wrists. He left the room to catch up with the others.

"So...?" Doctorine spoke. "You guys have crossed paths with Wapol?"

"Yeah," Jou nodded. "He has been causing trouble for us even before we came to this place. We even had the pleasure of meeting his brother before we reached this place. He even showed us his Devil Fruit ability."

"Musshuru..." Doctorine started. "Is just as vile and corrupt as his younger brother, Wapol. He was banished to the Land of Fire because of his Devil Fruit power. The Shroom-Shroom fruit."

"Shroom-Shroom fruit?" Sanji wondered.

"He said he was a poison-spore human," Jou mentioned.

"Yep, let's him create and control poisonous mushroom spores," Doctorine mentioned.

"Thankfully, you had the antidote to give Valentine," Jou commented. "Do you know if he has any strengths or weaknesses?

"Because of his Devil Fruit..." Doctorine voiced. "He has an unfortunate weakness to fire. If you have that, it should give you an edge against him."

"No, no fire," Jou shook his head. Jou didn't have any fire on him. Thinking of something to use against Musshuru, Jou realized he did something to use against Wapol's brother. "I do have something. My boots have metal inside them that weakens Devil Fruit users."

"That works," Doctorine said. "As long as you can get close to him. He's way quicker than his brother."

"I'm pretty quick myself, actually," Jou remarked.

No POV

Wapol, Chess, Kuromarimo, and Musshuru made it to the top of the mountain. The four of them standing across from Drum Castle. Wapol is all too happy to return to his rightful home as king.

"Hahahaha!" Wapol laughed. "I have returned finally! Now, at long last! We shall restore Drum Kingdom!"

"Wapol, sir?" Chess pointed. "Look! On top of the castle!" Wapol noticed where his man was pointing and found a flag flying atop the castle.

"Why is that strange flag flying?!" Wapol growled. "Where's the flag of the Drum Kingdom?!"

"Things sure have changed since I've been gone, brother," Musshuru commented, his arms folded. At this time, Doctorine walks out of the castle followed by Chopper, in his Walk Point form, Jou, and Sanji.

"Hehehe!" Doctorine cackled. "That old thing? I burned it!"

"Well, Kureha!" Wapol exclaimed. "The last survivor of our Doctor hunt! Get out of my castle!"

"This castle is no longer yours, Wapol!" Doctorine declared. "It's gone on corruption during your reign! Leave! Not just here! The country, too! Drum Kingdom has already died out, moron!"

"What's that?!" Wapol screeched.

"Wapol, sir?" Chess voiced. "Look, it's two of the Straw hats are with her." He pointed at Jou and Sanji.

"That means Straw hat is here," Wapol glared.

"So they really made it up the mountain," Musshuru noted. "That means we can kill them here."

"Exactly, brother!" Wapol agreed. "Chess, Kuromarimo, take these two out this instant!' Kuromarimo leaped into the air, readying his attack.

"I won't let you!" Chopper exclaimed, charging toward their current opponents.

"Take this!" Kuromarimo said. "Marimo's Static Cling!" he tossed his puffball of hair, his target being Doctorine.

"Doctorine!" Chopper called. The hair never came close to Doctorine as Sanji managed to block it, raising his leg in front of her.

"Nice move, Sanji," Jou smirked.

"Hey, afro man!" Sanji shouted. "A real man shouldn't throw things at a lady." Doctorine grinned in approval.

"Who the hell do you think you are!?" Chess questioned.

"I'm just a pirate," Sanji replied coolly. The puff of hair wasn't falling off his leg. "What the? It won't come off!" Sanji tried to shake off the puff of hair, but to no avail; it was glued entirely to him. "What's the hell's with this afro?! Get off!"

"That's right!" Kuromarimo chuckled. "There's more where that came from!" he pulled out another puffball from his afro. "Marimo's Static Cling!" he threw two more at the cook, one clinging to his shoulder and the other on his back.

"Hey, Jou, Reindeer!" Sanji shouted. "Don't just watch, help me out!"

"A-Alright! Yeah!" Chopper agreed.

"What's the deal with these things?" Jou said, running to Sanji to get the puffs off him.

"Come on, it's disgusting!" Sanji exclaimed.

"It's stuck on me!" Chopper said, one of sticking to him now

"Eww, this is gross!" Jou groaned, trying to shake the hair off. "Here, Sanji! Take it back!"

"I don't want it!" Sanji voiced. "Why don't you two take 'em? " The trio argued over who should take the afros.

"What are you 3 doing?" Doctorine asked them. Chess pointed an arrow at the three bickering over who takes the hairball's

"Those nasty afros are highly flammable, you know?" Chess mentioned.

"Crap!" Sanji exclaimed. "He's gonna burn the afros!" Hearing that, Jou and Chopper quickly placed the afros on them back onto Sanji and sprinted toward Chess.

"Decoy Plan!" Jou and Chopper exclaimed.

"I see, I'm bait," Sanji said before realizing, "YOU'RE BOTH USING ME AS BAIT?!"

Chess fired an arrow at Sanji, the fire setting the afro on the cook aflame. Jou and Chopper ran to attack Wapol's bowman. Sanji dove into the snow to get the fire off him. Jou held his red chain, ready to attack alongside Chopper. Wapol appeared before Chess with his mouth wide open. Jou noticed the Munch-Munch man back-flipping to escape from Wapol's jaws, but Chopper wasn't so fortunate and was eaten by Wapol.

"Chopper!" Kureha shouted.

"Oh, crap!" Jou noticed. "Chopper!"

"Dammit!" Sanji cursed.

"Ah, Sanji!" Luffy shouted, running out of the castle and wearing Nami's coat. "You found the reindeer?!"

"Luffy!" Sanji swung out his leg toward the captain. "Grab onto my leg!"

"Leg?" Luffy wondered. "Okay!" he complied and stretched his arms, grabbing the cook's leg.

"Jou, you think you can move outta the way!" Sanji warned the look-out.

"Huh?" Jou mouthed; he saw Luffy gripping Sanji's leg, realizing their plan. "I see." Jou went to a safe distance. "Let her rip, guys!"

"Don't let go now, Luffy!" Sanji declared. "Armee de L'air! Gum-Shoot!"

Sanji launched Luffy with a swing of his leg. As Luffy soared, he whirled around to increase his speed, slamming into Wapol's stomach. He knocked the hippo man backward. Wapol's mouth opened, causing him to release Chopper and return to his brain point. Before Chopper could hit the ground, Jou leaped up and caught Chopper in one of his arms.

"Not bad, not bad," Sanji remarked, not soon after the cook's back snapped, and he screamed in pain, dropping into the snow.

"His spine dislocated?" Kureha examined. "Well, of course."

"Looks like Sanji's out," Jou figured, putting Chopper on the ground. "Hey, Chopper? You okay?"

"I-I'm okay..." Chopper nodded. "Thank you."

"I didn't do anything," Jou shook his head. "You should thank my captain and our cook."

"Oh, I see," Chopper said, looking at Luffy. "Thanks. You guys are amazing."

"He went flying!" Luffy exclaimed, watching Wapol fly and land in the snow. Doctorine planted her foot on Sanji's back to get him to stay down.

"Wapol, are you alright?!" Chess asked.

"They really got you, didn't they!?" Musshuru commented. "Even though they're worthless pirates."

"Hey?" Luffy said, noticing Musshuru. "It's that weird guy from earlier."

"Brother, let me take care of them," Musshuru voiced. "I'll take them off your hands."

"No, I won't let you take over for me," Wapol insisted, standing up. "I'll kill those Straw hats! I'll show you the true power of the Munch-Munch fruit!"

"True power?" Jou questioned.

"What's he gonna do?" Chopper wondered.

"Don't let your guard down,'" Doctorine said, seated on Sanji's back. "If this guy was really that weak, the doctors and citizens would've stopped that idiot long ago. And you guys know Musshuru isn't one to take lightly either."

"What I eat becomes apart of me and will greatly shock you," Wapol declared, his body transforming. "Munch-Munch Shock!" Wapol's transformation gives him doors, a rook, a chimney atop the roof, windows, and his arms changing into a pair of cannons. "Wapol House!"

"Wow, amazing!" Luffy exclaimed, impressed by Wapol's new form.

"This is the strongest form of the Drum Empire," Wapol annonced. "Those who disobey me will die! This is everything I stand for! That's because this country is my country. And this castle is my castle! So, therefore..." he pointed a cannon toward the top of the castle. "I don't want such a disgraceful flag resting atop my castle! I'll blow it to pieces!"

Wapol fired his cannonball, hitting Hiriluk's flag at the top of the castle. Chopper ground his teeth in anger, glaring at the man.

"Serves you right!" Wapol stated. "What's wrong? Got a problem?"

"What the hell are you doing?!" Chopper shouted. "Attacking the skull!"

"What's that mean?" Wapol asked.

"Hey, Wapol!" Luffy called, standing on top of the castle, holding the flag. "You don't understand the meaning of this flag, do you?"

"What's that, straw hat?" Wapol questioned. "Muhahaha! Like I care about some dumbass speech. I thought I said, this is my country?! I'll shoot again! That worthless thing!"

"Look out!" Chopper warned Luffy. "Get outta the way!"

"You can't touch me!" Luffy exclaimed. "The skull-mark... IS A SYMBOL OF FAITH!" Wapol wasn't having any of it and fired another cannonball at Luffy and the flag. Jou and Sanji's faces paled at the shot hitting their captain.

"Luffy!" Jou called.

"A direct hit?!" Doctorine breathed. Wapol laughed victoriously, believing he had finished Luffy. Musshuru grinned in satisfaction, but soon, his eyes bulged when the smoke cleared. Luffy was still on top of the castle, holding the flag. Wapol's laughter paused when he found the straw hat captain still alive.

"See?" Luffy said. "It's not broken."

"Impossible!" Kuromarimo shouted. "This guy's gone mad!"

"I don't know whose skull this is or where it came from..." Luffy spoke. "But it's still a pirate flag regardless." Luffy's eyes narrowed. "This is a promise of life! It's not something just anyone can hold! SOMEONE LIKE YOU HAS NO RIGHT TO DESTROY THIS AND THEN LAUGH ABOUT IT!"

Chopper stared up at Luffy in astonishment. Hiriluk's words about the pirates rang true when Luffy spoke proudly about the flag's meaning.

"This is..." Chopper murmured.

"A pirate," Jou finished, Chopper looking at Jou. "That right there is what we call a pirate."

"Amazing...!" Chopper remarked.

"Chess! Take care of them immediately!" Wapol ordered. Musshuru started to walk forward, his fists clenched.

"Wait a moment," Musshuru declared. Wapol stared at his brother. "Wapol, you should make preparations. I'll enjoy myself a bit." With that, Musshuru vanished from beside his brother. Luffy stuck the flag's pole into the top of the castle, and Musshuru appeared beside him to attack the captain.

"Spin Drill!" Musshuru's hand formed into a drill, and using it to strike. Luffy dodged it just in time and fell off the castle. He landed on one of the lower towers, and Musshuru nearly landed on him with a crash. Luffy avoided Musshuru, landing on the wall and leaping at the mushroom man. Musshuru dodged Luffy's punch and kicked Luffy off the castle.

"Shade Dance!" Musshuru fired purple bullets of spores from his hair. The bullets hit Luffy while in mid-air, falling on the snow. Musshuru's Shade Dance hit where Luffy landed.

"Luffy...!" Jou and Sanji shouted for their captain.

"Hey, are you alright?!" Chopper asked.

"Heh..." Luffy laughed. "I'm fine. Cause I'm rubber."

"Rubber?!" Chopper wondered. "What's that mean?"

"My captain ate a Devil Fruit that turns his body into rubber," Jou smiled at Chopper. "It means he's like you." Chopper looked at Jou, blinking in confusion. Musshuru appeared beside Luffy, ready to lay another barrage of attacks.

"Look out!" Doctorine warned. Musshuru punched Luffy, but before the punch could connect, a red chain coiled around Musshuru's arm. Musshuru was tossed away, sending him flying through the air; he skidded in the snow and glared at Kusari Jou; standing in front of Luffy, he spun his red chain a few times before hanging it over his shoulder.

"Hey, jackass..." Jou smirked. "You wanna have a go at someone? How about you fight me instead."

"You impudent cur!" Musshuru spat.

"Jou..." Luffy mouthed.

"Hey, Captain..." Jou said. "Why don't you handle Wapol and let me take this guy."

"Okay," Luffy nodded and smiled. "Kick his ass."

"Will do," Jou replied.

Jou POV

Luffy leaped to get distance from Jou and Musshuru. Musshuru sprung at Jou, throwing a punch. Jou caught the fist in his hand. He shoved Musshuru's fist and jumped away, withdrawing from him. The two stood across from each other as Jou flicked his right wrist, taking hold of his steel chain.

"Who do you pathetic pirates think you are, hm?" Musshuru questioned. "Trying to save this country? This land belongs to Wapol."

"From everything I've heard, this country was ruined by Wapol," Jou declared. "You guys have been hounding us since we arrived, but now he's going down. My Captain will make sure of that. I couldn't fight you before because I had to protect my friends. But now, I don't need to hold back." Jou grinned." So, let's go."

"Prepare to suffer for your words!" Musshuru exclaimed, leaping into the air. "Shade Dance!" purple bullets were hurled at Jou. Jou back-flipped to avoid them, twirling his chains, gathering wind, and launching his attack.

"Dual-Chain Cyclone!" Jou hurled a gust of wind, knocking Musshuru's bullets away. Musshuru avoided the wind, dashing at Jou. He sent a flurry of punches and kicks at Jou. Jou weaved between the incoming blows from the mushroom-themed man. Jou ducked under an overhead chop and swung both of his chains. Musshuru evaded those two chain swings by whirling through the air. The man planted a foot on the ground and raised a leg.

Jou raised his leg to counter Musshuru's kick. Their legs clashed until Musshuru knocked Jou's leg away, twirled, and delivered another kick to Jou's chest. Jou fell on the ground, skidding across the snow. While flat on his back, he kicked up to get back to his feet.

"Dual-Chain Typhoon!" Jou gathered wind and threw four wind blades at Musshuru. The mushroom man evading all blades sent his way. Jou took out a throwing knife and flung it at Musshuru.

"Spin Drill!" Musshuru molded his hand into a drill, knocking away Jou's knife, and advanced toward him. He aimed for Jou's face. Jou craned his neck to the side to avoid it. Jou swung his red chain as Musshuru ducked under it, driving his fist into Jou's stomach. Jou let out a shout and went flying backward into the snow again. Musshuru got into a fighting stance, and Jou stood up, wiping his chin.

"Damn..." Jou said. "For a tall, lanky guy, he sure is fast."

"Hey, you okay?" Chopper asked in concern.

"Yeah, never better," Jou said, rolling his neck before looking at Chopper. "I may not have a Devil Fruit power like you and Luffy. But I got other tricks up my sleeve."

"Heh! Mushushushu!" Musshuru laughed. "Did you think you could hit me with your attacks?! You worthless-"

"Fade Step!" Jou took a step, vanishing, and appeared in front of Musshuru. Wapol's brother looked shocked before Jou kicked Musshuru's face. The man screamed, and it was his turn to be sent into the snow. Musshuru stood up, glaring at Jou, wiping blood off his bottom lip.

"I'm just getting warmed up," Jou remarked. "I'm ready when you are!" Jou and Musshuru charged each other to continue their fight.

No POV

"Now, I have to eat!" Wapol announced, leaning over Chess and Kuromarimo. His two henchmen screamed in horror. "Behold: The Munch-Munch Factory!" Wapol took both of them into his mouth and ate them.

"No way...!" Sanji exclaimed. "He's eating his own men!"

"That's so mean!" Luffy shouted. Steam let out from Wapol's chimney and cannon arms.

"He stopped," Chopper noticed.

"Now feast your eyes on this!" Wapol announced. "Come forth, you miraculous union!"

"What kind of union?!" Sanji wondered as the door that was Wapol's stomach opened up.

"Allow me to introduce myself! I am the strongest warrior of Drum Kingdom! Chessmarimo!" Chessmarimo had two large arms, short legs, a wide body, and both Wapol's henchmen color patterns.

"Miraculous union?" Sanji repeated. "More like ridiculous union."

"Sweet!" Luffy was impressed.

"It's ridiculous!" Sanji shouted at the straw hat captain.

"Just don't let your guard down," Kureha said. "They might look silly, but don't be fooled. They're tough—so tough that the citizens couldn't act against them. That's how these thugs were able to exile all the Doctors." Jou and Musshuru put their fight on hold to see what was happening with the others.

"What did he do to them...?" Jou questioned. "It looks like he's just standing on his shoulders?"

"My brother's men may be rather out of the ordinary, my brothers' powers rather unorthodox..." Musshuru stated. "But they'll suffice enough for your pathetic friends."

"What do you-" Jou was about to say until dodging a punch from Musshuru and continued their fight.

"Article one of Drum Kingdom constitution," Wapol voiced. "Those who don't do as the King wishes will be put to death! That's the number 1 law of this country! you refused my wishes and broke that law! Now, you are all going to be punished for your crimes!"

"Hey, reindeer," Luffy said to Chopper. "I'm gonna kick these guys' butts for showing your friend's flag disrespect." Luffy pointed at Hiriluk's flag. "You in?" he asked with a smile.

"M-Me...?" Chopper stammered.

"You idiot!" Wapol screamed. "You just don't get it, do you?! Alright then! If you feel so strongly about that flag! I'll just take a shot at it again!"

"Stop it!" Chopper screamed, going into Heavy Point and charging Wapol.

"Go get 'em, Reindeer guy!" Luffy cheered. Chopper went to punch the 'king' only to be blocked by Chessmarimo. Chopper leaped to get distance from the morphed men.

"Hahahaha! Sorry, freak!" Chessmarimo stated. "But there's no way I'm going to let you land a single paw on our King!" Chopper shrank to his Brain Point. "Wow, there really are some strange creatures in this world. You must be that Yeti the villagers hated and feared. They tried to kill you and chase you away, right? I bet you spent your whole life all alone with no friends. You're a monster! Nobody likes you! People wanna kill you! But here you are, trying to save this country! That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"

"Shut up!" Chopper exclaimed. "Even if I don't have friends, I can still fight for something I believe in! And as long the flag flies, I will!"

"That's not true!" Luffy shouted from the top of the castle, stretching his arms and ready to launch himself. "I'M YOUR FRIEND, REINDEER! ME!" Luffy went flying toward Wapol and Chessmarimo, knocking them down.

"Oh no, Straw hat!" Chopper called. Jou jumped away from Musshuru's kick and turned to Chopper.

"My captain's made of rubber, remember?" Jou reminded. "So fall's like that won't hurt him."

"Hey, Reindeer!" Luffy pointed at Chessmarimo. "Can you finish off that two-headed guy for me!"

"That one over there?" Chopper looked at Chessmarimo. "Piece of cake."

"Good," Jou nodded. "Kick some ass. Just leave this guy to me!" Jou leaped at Musshuru, the two continuing to strike at each other.

"I'll take care of this one," Luffy declared, turning to Wapol. Wapol fired cannonballs at Luffy, the straw hat captain dodging and going in for a punch.

"I'm taking you down," Chopper announced to Chessmarimo.

"Is that so? You and what army?" Chessmarimo wondered. "Huh, you little freak?!"

"Freak?" Sanji questioned. "That's like the pot calling the kettle black." Doctorine stamped her foot on Sanji's back.

"If you keep moving around, you may lose the ability to walk, so just stay down there and shut up," Doctorine told him. "And don't worry. When push comes to shove, my little reindeer can hold his own."

"Listen up, my name is Tony Tony Chopper!" Chopper stated. "Not freak! It's the name the world's greatest doctor gave me! He was a wonderful man and even if he forgave you for disrespecting his flag! I won't forgive you!"

"The only one who will show no forgiveness is me," Chessmarimo exclaimed. "I'll stomp you!" Chopper reached into his pocket, pulling out a small round yellow ball, holding it in between in hoof.

"Rumble Ball," Chopper mentioned. "The effect of the Rumble Ball lasts 3 minutes. All the time I need to take you down."

"3 minutes! Heh!" Chessmarimo chuckled. "You couldn't defeat me in 3 years, let alone 3 minutes." Chopper tossed the Rumble Ball in the air as it fell into his mouth.

"Rumble," Chopper said, biting on the ball, shattering it between his teeth.

"You're no match," Chessmarimo stated. "Not against this." he aimed two bows, pointing arrows blazing with flames at the tips. "Marimo Snow-Melting Arrow!" he released the arrows, the projectiles soaring at Chopper.

"Walk Point: Leg Boost!" Chopper charged ahead, turning into his standard Reindeer form, and dodged the incoming arrows. "Heavy Point: Weight Boost!" Chopper reverted to his human form, running at Chessmarimo, the fused men holding four hammers in each hand.

"Marimo's Super Surprise Quattro Hammer!" Chessmarimo attacked, but Chopper avoided it by going into another form.

"Jumping Point: Jump Boost!" Chopper's body became tall and narrow, leaping into the air. Chessmarimo was gearing up for another attack once Chopper was close. "Guard Point: Guard Boost!" Chopper's body became large and round, which protected him from the hammer.

"Another form?!" Chessmarimo exclaimed. "No way! I hit you dead on!"

"It won't work!" Chopper declared.

"How is this possible?! You Zoan-types have a 3-form limit?!" Chessmarimo wondered. "What the heck are you?"

"The Rumble Ball is a special pill that enhances the power of Devil Fruit transformations," Chopper explained. "Over 5 long years of research, I discovered 4 additional transformation points. Do the rest of the math yourself, you jerk."

"A 7-form transformation is impossible?!" Chessmarimo questioned. "I won't be deceived by what has to be an obvious sham!" Chessmarimo bounded at Chopper to attack.

"It's not one!" Chopper went toward him, bouncing toward him in Guard Point. "Arm Point: Arm Boost!"

The fur around Chopper dissolved as he changed into his human form, his biceps large and muscled. Chessmarimo attacked with a hammer, but Chopper broke it with one of his hooves. When another hammer came down at Chopper, the reindeer-human shattered that one, too.

"Could a sham do that?!" Chopper asked. "If you thought that was something? You should see what my iron hooves can do against rocks."

"Not my hammers?!" Chessmarimo cried, but now, the next weapon came into their arsenal. "Marimo Super Surprise Quatro Ax!" Chopper planted his feet, ready for whatever attack was coming his way. "Snow-Splitting Blade!" Chessmarimo sent an airwave at Chopper, and the reindeer-human dodged but was slashed in his shoulder.

"Damn! You dodged it!" Chessmarimo shouted. "Let's see you dodge this!" Chessmarimo charged Chopper with their axes. "Multi-Dimensional Snow Splitter!" They hacked at Chopper from several directions, but Chopper evaded by changing into different forms. Chopper escaped the attacks, finally gaining some distance.

"Brain Point: Brain Boost!" Chopper voiced. "I was looking for your weak spot!" Chopper put his hooves together. "Scope!" As the fused men got close, Chopper deduced that the weakness was Chessmarimo's jaw. They slashed at the ground as Chopper leaped off it. Chessmarimo was worried now as Chopper finally made his move.

"Roseo!" Chopper's attack connected to Chessmarimo's chin, and the fused men fell defeated into the snow.

3 minutes," Chopper stated confidently, patting his hat.

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered. "You were incredible, reindeer! No, you were more than that!"

"Shut up!" Chopper smiled, becoming bashful of the praise.

"What?!" Luffy wondered, finally realizing Wapol was nowhere to be found. "He got away!"

"Because you were too busy watching the transformation?!" Sanji told him.

"Get going, Captain!" Jou exclaimed. "He could've gone to the castle! Nami and Valentine are there, so hurry! I need to finish this guy!" Jou turned to face Musshuru.

"Right!" Luffy agreed and bolted to find Wapol with Sanji in tow, crawling since his back was broken.

Jou POV

Jou was impressed with Chopper's fighting skills. Not only does he have the skills of a doctor, but he can also hold his own in a fight. Since Chopper finished Wapol's henchmen, Jou still had to take down Musshuru; it was time for the next round of their fight.

"Shade Dance!" Musshuru fired purple bullets. Jou avoided them by leaping into the air with a flip; once he landed on the ground with one foot, he threw another knife at Musshuru. Musshuru swung around with a roundhouse kick. Jou raised his arm to block and moved his head to avoid an incoming right fist. Jou lashed out with his chains, one of which wrapped around Musshuru's wrist, the other caught in the shroom man's hand.

Jou went for a low kick, knocking Musshuru's feet out from under him. Jou pivoted on one foot, and Roundhouse kicked Musshuru in the chest. Musshuru flew backward, rolling across the snow back onto his feet. With how he ground his teeth, Jou figured he might be angry now, his opponent standing to his full height.

"Lot Stiffen!" Musshuru created six purple clones, all similar to him in appearance. Musshuru pointed his arm out for the clones to rush Jou.

"Clones, huh?" Jou commented, unamused. "How original." Jou dodged a barrage of punches and kicks coming from Musshuru's clones. He used Fade-Step, getting away from the six duplicates of the mushroom man. Jou reappeared, spinning his chains, gathering wind to them.

"Dual-Chain Revolver-Typhoon!" Jou swung both chains, releasing six airwaves. Each hit all of Musshuru's clones, causing them all to dissipate at once. With that out of the way, Jou ran to Musshuru again, twirling his chains. "Dual-Chain Cross Slash!" Jou attacked, bringing his chains down with an X slash.

Musshuru hopped into the air above Jou. Jou pulled out a throwing knife and threw it at the airborne Musshuru. The blade only grazed Musshuru's cheek, but that didn't hinder his incoming attack.

"Spin Drill!" Musshuru descended to pierce Jou with his drill. Jou somersaulted to avoid it as Musshuru slammed into the ground. "Shade Dance!" The purple bullets went toward Jou, but he didn't move from where he stood, whirling his chains.

"Dual-Chain Cyclone!" Jou deflected the projectiles coming at him with a gust of wind. Jou wasn't ready for the kick that came from behind him. Jou didn't see him move; Musshuru was quick, much more than Jou was. But Jou wasn't about to lose this because the guy was faster than him. Jou caught himself on his feet until Musshuru dove in for an onslaught of punches and kicks.

Jou managed to weave through the flurry that came his way, using his chains to avert the blows. Jou did well until he took a punch into his stomach, sending him off the ground. Musshuru came at him with another Spin Drill. Jou narrowly deflected it with his red chain, but the attack knocked him away. Jou fell into the snow, about to stand, and saw Musshuru above him again.

Another Spin Drill diving toward him. Jou heard Chopper let out a gasp once Musshuru's attack hit. He didn't connect since Jou moved his head to the side, even planting a foot on Musshuru's body. Jou saw Musshuru's face pale; that was the Seastone weakening him. Jou kicked Musshuru over him and quickly rolled back to his feet, whirling his chains.

Dual-Chain Revolver-Cyclone!" Jou struck Musshuru in the chest, causing him to hack blood. When Jou's chains hit, a rush of wind launched Musshuru, rolling across the ground.

"Alright!" Chopper grinned. "I bet that hurt him!"

"Hehehehe!" Doctorine chuckled. "Not bad. Don't look like Musshuru is finished yet."

"Fade-Step!" Jou appeared before the recovering Musshuru, spinning his chains and striking him with a Dual-Chain Revolver. The chains struck him in the chest, once more sending him careening through the snow. Jou felt Musshuru was waning, and his attacks had an actual effect. Good, this means Jou was able to finish for good. Musshuru stood back up as Jou stepped closer; the mushroom-themed man stood up, giving Jou a crooked smile. Jou continued to walk forward but raised an eyebrow.

"Cross Shade!" Musshuru launched steam spores, which wafted toward Jou. The steam encircled him, and Jou spun his chains, gathering wind to blow the steam spores away so he would avoid breathing them.

"Dual-Chain Whirlwind!" The swirling gust dissipated steam from around Jou. Once taken care of, Jou stood up, looked around, and didn't see Musshuru.

"Where the hell did he go?!" Jou wondered.

"Run Alpha!" Jou heard something approaching him from behind. He turned around to find spores moving across the ground. Jou leaped away, but the spores quickly caught him, encasing his left arm and dropping his red chain in the snow.

"What the hell is this?!" Jou exclaimed. He let go of his steel chain to try and pry his arm loose, but the spore had him stopped in his tracks. Jou knew this wasn't good. Musshuru had Jou right where he wanted him. Jou could've used Fade-Step but only had two uses left; it wasn't like he saw this coming.

"Come on, dammit!" Jou growled, struggling to get himself free.

"Incoming!" Musshuru announced. "Snow Spore!" A wave of spores enveloped Jou. Jou felt his body weaken, his vision blurry, his breathing laboring the moment the spores covered him. He attempted to cover his mouth, but the spores were too great.

"What... was that...?" Jou huffed out as he heard Musshuru snicker.

"My Snow Spore lets me release a massive wave of spores from my body," Musshuru explained. "It paralyzes you. Very soon, your body will succumb to the poison, and then you'll die."

Jou tore his arm from the spores holding him, ripping his jacket sleeve. He felt his legs give out and fell on his knees. Musshuru slowly approached him, but Jou's vision turned blurry.

"Mushushushu!" Musshuru laughed victoriously. "Now die!" With that, Jou slipped into unconsciousness.

Nami POV

Nami was getting restless. Doctorine told her to stay in bed, but Nami knew she couldn't stay here forever. She put on her shoes nearby and grabbed the blanket from the bed. Nami turned to Miss Valentine; the woman had passed out, snoring loudly with a snot bubble in her nose. Nami wouldn't bother waking her up, so she approached the door.

We've gotta get Vivi home! Nami thought. I spent enough time resting! Doctorine doesn't seem to be around, so maybe I can slip out without her noticing!

Nami pulled the door open and looked around. The vast castle was empty. There didn't seem to be anyone in sight, especially Doctorine. Nami smiled, realizing getting out would be easy.

"Great! It looks like the coast is clear!" Nami commented. Soon, Nami came face to face with an unfamiliar man, who chuckled once he saw her on the balcony. "What? What the-! Who's he?!"

"Well, another straw hat, I presume?" the man grinned. Nami's eyes widened, realizing this guy was not good because of how he looked at her.

Uh oh, he doesn't look friendly, Nami thought. Nami's new plan was to play dumb. It worked for her past when she stole from pirates; who's to say it won't work against this guy? For all she knew, he was dumb enough to believe her.

"Huh?" Nami waved her hand. "Straw hat? What's that mean? I'm sorry, sir! But I don't know what you're talking about?"

"What?!" he wondered. "Oh, I was wrong!"

"Yes, I'm just a traveler passing through, and I'm actually on my way out!" Nami added.

"Oh, I see!" the man said.

"Nice talking to ya, see ya!" Nami replied, walking away.

"Right!"

"Huh?" Nami turned around to find the man had got onto the balcony.

"Liar!" the man screamed and was soon chasing after her. Nami screamed, running from the man to get away from him as fast as she could. "The King of this country commands you to stop!"

"No, I won't!" Nami exclaimed. "Get away from me, you big freak!" Nami ran down the steps; luckily, the stairway was too narrow for the man to fit through. If he was stuck, then she was safe now. He struggled, wriggling his legs to get out.

"I must've gained weight recently!" the man stated. "I can fix that! Munch-Munch Factory!" Nami just watched in stunned silence, watching the man slowly eat himself. She snapped out of it, her eyes wide.

"What is he?!" Nami questioned. This guy wasn't human. There was no way a normal person would do this to themselves. For some reason, his whole body was absorbed into some cylinder-shaped object. Nami backed as the man hopped down the steps.

"He...?" Nami mouthed. "Turned into a bucket!"

"My miraculous bone-structure shaping technique is now complete!" the man exclaimed. He leaped into the air with a backflip, landing on the ground. He was no longer as fat as before but had utterly slimmed down. "I'm lean and mean! I'm hungry!"

"No!" Nami screamed and ran away again. The man pounced on her, and Nami was pinned to the ground. Nami screamed; the only thing she could do was take a key that was hanging off his belt.

"Back off!" a voice rang out. The weird guy was knocked off Nami. She turned around and found her timely rescuer in the guise of Valentine. She was floating in the air with her leg raised and landed on the ground before Nami.

"Geez, can't a girl get her beauty sleep!" Valentine commented.

"About time you woke up!" Nami told her. "I was about to leave this place without you!"

"Well, you're welcome!" Valentine remarked. "I did just save your life!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Nami replied. "By the way, you know you talk in your sleep?"

"Oh, yeah?" Valentine wondered. "What I say? Anything good? Mr. 5 tells me I say some pretty wild crap while I'm sleeping."

"Huh?! It's you!" the man said to Valentine. "Impossible! I thought you were dead! My brother's poison should've killed you!"

"Doctor Kureha had an antidote!" Valentine declared. "You dumbass! You didn't think she made something to work against that!"

"Who even is this guy?!" Nami questioned.

"This guy is Wapol!" Valentine mentioned. "He's the guy who's been causing trouble for us even before we came to this place!"

"Enough!" Wapol shouted. "I've had enough of you, straw hats! Seeing as how it's time for dinner! I decided I'm gonna eat both of you!"

"This guy is just a freak!" Nami exclaimed.

"Here I come!" Wapol leaped at them with his wide open.

"Found you!" a foot slammed into Wapol's face, slamming him into a wall. Nami turned and saw Luffy walking toward them.

"Oh, Straw hat!" Valentine exclaimed.

"Huh, that's funny," Luffy said. "Wasn't that guy a big fatso before?" What ticked Nami off was that the jacket she bought was torn to shreds, and of course, it was because her captain was wearing it. Nami immediately bonked Luffy on the head.

"So..." Nami stated, a dark look covering her face. "Do you mind kindly telling me why the coat I kindly loaned you is all torn up before I murder you? Do you have any idea how much I paid for that thing?!" Nami jabbed a finger at Luffy. "28,800 Berri's! That was after haggling!"

"Hey, wait!" Luffy tried to reason. "I didn't do it! That loudmouth over there did! It's not my fault he shot a cannon at me!" Nami smirked as she came up with an idea.

"Okay..." Nami sighed. "Then, in that case, Luffy! I guess I can forgive you," she stated with a smile. "To be honest, I should've known that you would've brought it back in good condition when I let you borrow it." Nami looked away with a devious look in her eyes. "You can just pay me back at my usual 300% interest. Which comes to 100,000."

"AAAH!" Luffy screamed. "You should've said! I would have never taken it then!"

"Damn, girl..." Valentine said. "You're ruthless." Nami just laughed in response, an evil grin on her face. After giving her captain a hefty fine, she couldn't help but wonder where Jou was during all this.

"Luffy, you know where Jou is?" Nami asked.

"Jou?" Luffy repeated. "Oh yeah, he's fine. He's outside fighting some mushroom guy."

"Mushroom?" Nami wondered.

"Wapol's brother?" Valentine asked.

"Yeah, him!" Luffy nodded.

"Hello!" Wapol called. "I'm still here!"

"Oh, that's right," Luffy looked at Wapol. "I still have to kick your butt."

"Hah!" Wapol chuckled. "I'll be the one doing the butt-kicking! Behind me lies this castle's arsenal, and I'm the only one who has the key to it! Inside its walls are some of the most fearsome weapons known to man! All I need to do is devour him, Straw hat! Then my Munch-Munch shop will make them a part of my body! And you will be forced to face a fearsome living weapon the likes of which you've never seen! The three of you don't stand a chance!" Wapol laughed as he reached for his belt, realizing something was missing. "This isn't over!" he exclaimed, running away.

"Hey!" Luffy exclaimed. "He's getting away! Come back!" Luffy chased after Wapol, leaving Nami and Valentine. Nami eyed at the key in her hand.

"This must be the key to the arsenal that he was yapping about," Nami sighed. "Geez, why couldn't it have been the key to this castle's treasure vault? Oh, man..."

"Nami, my love~! Valentine, my dear~!" Nami and Valentine turned to see Sanji crawling toward them with the use of his arms.

"Thank heavens~!" Sanji said. "I'm glad you're both safe~!"

"Sanji, what happened?" Nami wondered worriedly. "Why are you crawling? Are you okay?"

"I'm great now that I've seen you, Nami dear~!" Sanji claimed. His eye seemed to leer at her chest. "But there are two that will make me feel even better! If I could rest my head on your warm belly!"

"No way!" Nami shouted; she slammed the cook's face into the snow.

"Pretty please...?" Sanji muffled in the ground.

"Oh, you can't use your legs~!" Valentine knelt to Sanji. "You poor thing. Come here." She moved Sanji on his back, setting his head on her lap. The cook's face turned red, his eye turning into a heart.

"Miss Valentine~!" Sanji said lovingly.

"So, what do you plan on doing?" Valentine asked Nami. "You heading outside?"

"Yeah, I'm going to find Jou!" Nami nodded.

"Okay, I'll take care of Sanji," Valentine smirked. "You go and find your boy toy!"

"He's not my-" Nami was about to retort but noticed the sly grin from the woman. "Whatever." Nami held her blanket over her shoulders and darted out of the castle.

Nami ran out of the castle, her legs sinking in the snow, holding the blanket around her shoulders from the cold. She turned her head, finding Doctorine leaning over something. When Nami got closer, what she saw made her jaw drop. She found Jou. He was lying on his back in the snow. His hat and hair shadowed his eyes. He didn't seem to be moving, and his skin was grayish. Worry settled in Nami's stomach as she rushed over to him.

"Jou!" Nami screamed.

"What the heck are you doing, girl?" Doctorine questioned. "Why are you out here? You should be inside resting!" Nami ignored the witch doctor, going straight for Jou with her hands on his chest.

"Oh my god!" Nami exclaimed. "What happened to you?!" Nami asked Jou but got no response. Whatever had happened to him, he was entirely out. "What happened to him? How did this happen?!" she frantically asked Doctorine.

"It was Musshuru," Doctorine explained. "Musshuru's power lets him release poisonous spores. The boy there was putting up a good fight until Musshuru made him inhale enough spores to kill 10 men." she jabbed a finger at Jou.

"What?!" Nami wondered. She shook Jou, but he wasn't budging; he was completely gone. Nami blinked away the tears threatening to leak from her eyes. Nami didn't want this to be the end. She wasn't about to let Jou go. She gave Doctorine a pleading look. "Is there a way to save Jou? You're a doctor! Please! You gotta try!" Suddenly, Doctorine just started to laugh and grinned at her.

"Girl, did you think I wouldn't be prepared for Musshuru's tricks?" Doctorine stated she pulled a purple vial. "An antidote to counter the effects of Musshuru's poison."

"Good, then give it here," Nami said, reaching out. "I'll give it to him."

"You know how to administer the medicine?" Doctorine asked, hand on her hip.

"How hard can it be?" Nami shrugged. "I just pour it down his throat, right?"

"Yeah," Doctorine smiled. "Go for it." Nami eyed the vial with purple liquid inside it. Nami lifted Jou by his shoulders; she popped the cork from the vial and held the back of his head.

"You better not give up on me, Jou..." Nami said. "After everything we've been through, you wouldn't let it end like this." She let out a sigh. "Please... I don't want to lose you." Nami poured the liquid down Jou's throat. Once it was down, she placed Jou in the snow while leaning over him. For Nami, it was an agonizing few seconds to let the antidote do its thing. Nami couldn't doubt it would work since Doctorine was confident in the antidote.

Worry started to settle in Nami until a gasp of breath escaped Jou's mouth. Tears began to well from Nami, and she blinked them away. The color returned to Jou's face as Nami smiled. Although she was not ready for the...

BONK!

The sudden headbutt Jou delivered the moment he sat up.

"OWW!" Jou and Nami yelped together. Nami nursed her head and looked at Jou. She was happy seeing him back to life again. Jou rubbed his eyes and stared at her.

"Nami?" Jou wondered, blinking his eyes. "What are you doing out here?" Nami's expression went from happy to angry. Her face was turned away from him, and her right hand was clenched into a fist.

"You..." Nami's body shook; it wasn't from the cold. She was angry. "IDIOT!" She punched Jou in the face. He fell flat on his back in the snow, nursing his face.

"What the heck was that?!" Jou groaned. Nami tackled him to the ground and continued to try to punch him. "Wait, hold on!"

"You! Stupid! Moron!" Nami screamed, still trying to attack him in between her words.

"Nami, stop it!" Jou exclaimed, sitting up and seizing her wrists. "Would you stop it?!" Jou looked her in the eyes. Nami didn't say another word, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Why are you out here?" Jou wondered.

"I came out of here to find you," Nami replied. "But then, I find you lying here on the ground, not even moving an inch."

"I see..." Jou sighed. Nami pulled away from him, her hands on his shoulders. "By the way, mind letting me get up?"

"Are you just going to sit on him all day?" Doctorine asked. Nami found herself straddling Jou. Nami blushed and quickly got up, allowing Jou to stand. He cracked his neck and grabbed his chains.

"Okay, now where did that mushroom jackass go?" Jou wondered.

"What?!" Nami questioned. "You're still going to fight? You nearly died?!"

"Look, the guy's dangerous," Jou told her. "Someone has to take him out." He looked around and turned to Doctorine. "Doctorine, where's Chopper? Wasn't he here?"

"The moment Musshuru thought he killed you, Chopper went after him," Doctorine explained. "Chopper's a tough one, but I don't think he'll be enough to defeat Musshuru alone."

"Okay, I'm off," Jou nodded. "Which way?" Doctorine pointed in the direction they went. Jou started walking as Nami watched him.

"Hey?" Nami said. Jou stopped, looking back at her. Nami didn't know what she wanted to tell him. What if he didn't come back again? No, she wasn't going to go thinking that. Jou brought down Arlong Park so that she could be free. That's when Nami learned he would never let her down. "Just be careful."

"Heh..." Jou smirked. "Yeah, you got it. Take this." Nami looked up and caught Jou's hat. "Hold onto that for me, " he said as he turned to leave. "Boy, is he in for a surprise when he finds I'm still alive?" He sprinted to where he could find Chopper and Musshuru. Nami watched him, holding Jou's hat to her chest.

"Your boyfriend is something else, isn't he?" Doctorine smirked.

"Yeah, he is..." Nami agreed, realizing what the doctor said. "What?! We're not together... we're just friends..."

"Kehehehe!" Doctorine laughed. "Keep telling yourself that, girl." Nami kept her eyes where Jou had left. She held Jou's hat, knowing he'd do what he needed to do and come back to her.

No POV

After watching Jou go down, Chopper had taken it upon himself to fight Musshuru. Even with the help of a rumble ball, there was no way he could finish Musshuru in 3 minutes like Chessmarimo. The prince of the Drum Kingdom proved a much harder combatant than Wapol's men. Musshuru grabbed Chopper by the throat and slammed him to the ground.

"Your feeble attempts at trying to stop me end here, monster!" Musshuru spat. "Now, die! Spin Dri-"

"Dual-Chain Cyclone!" A blast of wind knocked Musshuru off Chopper. He skidded backward on the snow and looked up to find Jou stepping forward with both chains on his shoulders, his hair flowing freely through the wind.

"Huh-wha-?!" Musshuru's eyes bugged out of his head the moment they laid on Jou.

"Chopper," Jou said, not looking at the reindeer.

"Hey, you're alright," Chopper stated. "No surprise thanks to Doctorine's antidote."

"True that," Jou chuckled.

"I see..." Musshuru spoke. "So that witch had an antidote."

"That's right," Jou grinned. "Or I could be a ghost who's come back to haunt you for all the pain you caused."

"It doesn't matter," Musshuru declared. "All of you will be dead soon anyhow."

"Then let's finish this," Jou said, walking toward him. "Chopper, stay back and let me take care of this."

Jou POV

Jou and Musshuru's third round had started. Each of them exchanged blows, sending their attacks. Jou knew better than to let Musshuru poison him again. He was done playing and knew he had to finish Musshuru once the opportunity presented itself.

"Spin Drill!" Musshuru jabbed forward, and Jou ducked under it to strike with his own.

"Dual-Chain Cross-Slash!" Musshuru leaped over Jou's chains, swung out with his leg, and swiftly kicked Jou in the forehead. Jou screamed as he rolled through the snow; he halted and fell on his knee.

"Are you okay?" Chopper asked in concern.

"I'm good..." Jou answered. Though that kick just now must've busted his forehead, he could feel the blood trickling down his face.

"Are you sure you can beat him?" Chopper wondered. Jou didn't answer Chopper immediately, he twirled and swung both chains and hanged them over his shoulder's.

"Chopper..." Jou spoke. "You keep forgetting one thing about me."

"What's that?" Chopper questioned. Jou turned to Chopper, his face serious.

"I'm a pirate," Jou smirked.

"Huh?" Chopper gasped, blinking his eyes. Jou stepped toward Musshuru. Jou figured he was about done with him, too, judging by the glare he sent his way.

"You pathetic knave!" Musshuru spat. "What do you and that captain have to gain in protecting this place?!"

"Because this place is considered home to a friend of ours!" Jou claimed. "What kinda friends would we be if we let you and your brother take it over again!"

"Friend...?" Chopper murmured from behind Jou. Jou ran at Musshuru. He twirled his chains, bringing a mixture of wind and snow. Musshuru tried to slow Jou down by sending 6 clones. Jou swung out his chains; the wind evaporated them, and he continued his advance.

"Run Alpha!" Musshuru sent spores traveling through the snow. Jou continued spinning his chains, and snow and wind collided along his chains.

"Fade-Step!" Jou disappeared to escape the solid spores that came his way. Jou emerged before Musshuru, his chains nothing but blurs in his hands, sending wind and snow to rush around them in a giant spiral.

"Spin Drill!" Jou avoided the blow, moving quickly like the wind, and released his attack.

"Dual-Chain Blizzard!" Jou struck Musshuru directly in the chest, zooming through him once his attack was delivered. A combination of wind and snow sent Musshuru spinning through the air, a burst of snow scattering wildly from Jou's attack. Musshuru, his body still, his mouth spurting blood, and eyes rolled back, was plunging to the ground. Before he could hit the ground, Jou leaped, wrapping his chains around Musshuru's ankles.

"This island no longer belongs to you or your brother," Jou stated. "Now, get lost!" Jou tossed Musshuru into the air and off the island. Jou landed on the ground in a crouch and stood up, wrapping his steel chain around his wrist and hanging his red chain over his shoulder.

"Amazing..." Jou heard Chopper. "So, this is the strength of a pirate?" Jou didn't face Chopper but let a smile curl his lips.

"It's over, Chopper," Jou said.

"Huh?" Chopper wondered.

"The battle is over; we won," Jou voiced, looking at the castle. "All Luffy needs to do is beat Wapol, and we win."

No POV

Luffy was still fighting Wapol. The 'King' of Drum Kingdom had tried different tactics to deal with the straw hat pirates but never succeeded. His latest attempt was firing a cannon at Luffy, which he believed succeeded.

"What an idiot!" Wapol laughed. "He let his guard down!" He overlooked Luffy, landing behind him with a big smile on the captain's face.

"Look who's talking!" Luffy exclaimed. Wapol's eyes shot open in surprise, seeing the pirate had survived.

"1..." Luffy started a count. "2..." Luffy used his powers to twist his body, snatching Wapol by his shoulders.

"HEY! WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!" Wapol cried. "No, stop!"

"Gum-Gum..." Luffy aimed Wapol straight at the castle's ceiling. "Bowgun!" Using his rubber body, his body swirled at a high speed that sent Wapol crashing through the the very top of the castle. The attack knocked the 'King' unconscious, sending him flying off the island.

Jou POV

Jou was hanging around outside the castle entrance, winding down from all the fighting. He didn't know what was happening but noticed something opening up underground.

"What's that?" Jou wondered. Of course, he didn't know if it was more trouble, but he didn't worry until some familiar faces showed up. He saw Usopp and Zoro appear from it. "How'd those two get here?" As he was about to approach them, he heard a scream from above. Jou saw his captain ascend onto them, crashing into the snow—the surprise attack from Luffy angered Zoro. After that, Vivi, Carue, Marianne, and Mr. 5 soon came up.

"I'm really surprised you guys came all the way up here," Luffy grinned. "Well, not you, Zoro, but you, Usopp. Aren't you normally scared of doing stuff like climbing mountains?"

"Yeah, right!" Usopp laughed. "Whenever there's a towering peak in front of me. I get to climbing! But let me tell you, scaling that mountain hand over hand was no picnic!"

"You didn't climb it!" Marianne exclaimed, with Carue nodding in agreement. "We took the ropeway car." Usopp let out an unfortunate sigh.

"Luffy, where are Nami, Jou, Sanji, and Miss Valentine?" Vivi wondered. "Are they alright?"

"Yeah, all of them are just fine," Luffy grinned.

"Thank goodness!" Vivi smiled in relief.

"Hey, guys!" Jou waved, joining the group. Vivi smiled at him until her face went to one of concern.

"Oh, Jou!" Vivi exclaimed. "What happened to you?"

"I'm fine," Jou assured. "Nothing to worry about."

"You sure?" Mr. 5 questioned. "Because you look like hell."

Jou probably did look bad when someone else looked at him. One of his jacket sleeves was torn off, he had a scratch on his forehead, and his hat was gone, but Nami currently had it.

"I got into a fight," Jou stated. "I won, though. I mean, I thought it was over when I got poisoned-"

"Poisoned?!" Vivi and Marianne said in unison.

"I'm alright," Jou said, waving his hands. "Luckily, I got the antidote in time."

"A fight, huh?" Zoro spoke, folding his arms. "I missed out on some fun."

"Well, the important thing is you're okay," Vivi smiled in relief.

"Sure am," Jou agreed.

"So, what were you doing on top of the castle?" Zoro asked Luffy.

"Beating the crap out of the King," Luffy said.

"Wapol had a brother, too," Jou mentioned. "Had a Devil Fruit that let him poison people. I managed to take him out."

"Oh," Zoro replied. "Okay."

"You mean those people I saw flying through the air were actually Wapol and Musshuru?" Dalton wondered; the man appeared to have been previously wounded. "You two beat them?"

"Yup!" Jou and Luffy nodded. "We sure did."

"And Wapol's henchmen?" Dalton questioned. "What happened to them?"

"Oh, well, the reindeer beat them up," Luffy stated.

"Oh, yeah," Jou smiled, remembering Chopper taking down Chessmarimo. "He was amazing."

"Those two...?" Dalton blinked. "A reindeer?"

"Oh, hey, Usopp!" Luffy called to the Sniper. "And you gotta meet him! Get this! He's a reindeer!"

"Reindeer?" Usopp questioned.

"A reindeer...?" Dalton repeated.

"Yeah, I don't know where he went off to?" Jou said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sure he's around here somewhere?" Dalton turned his head and saw Chopper. Hiding in his usual stance behind a tree.

"I-It is you...?" Dalton breathed. "Bluenose...? You never gave up." Dalton's eyes were wide with shock. "Didn't you? You still kept fighting, believing in what this country could become. And now, thanks to you... Drum Kingdom..." Dalton's eyes welled up with tears. "It can finally be reborn." The townspeople made their way onto the mountain. They seemed shocked when they spotted Chopper.

"What is that strange creature behind that tree!?" A villager shouted.

"It almost looks like a reindeer!?" shouted another.

"It's a monster!" shouted a third.

"Don't shoot him!" Dalton told everyone.

"AAAAGH!" screamed Usopp. "IT'S A YETI!" Chopper ran off into the forest, crying. Jou took this time to punch Usopp over the head.

"OWW!" he cried. "What'd I do?!"

"You're a jackass!" Jou exclaimed.

"He's not a yeti!" Luffy told him. He's my new friend!" Luffy soon started chasing after Chopper, trying to get him to join the crew. Jou had to try to convince Chopper to come with them. Chopper has been through a lot emotionally; his parents and herd shunned him; he has to be shown there are people out there who will accept him, no matter who he is.

Jou searched around the castle for Chopper. He checked nearly every room where he might have been hiding. Jou realized he hadn't checked the roof. When Jou was a reckless teenager, he would sit on the roof of his and his mom's old home whenever he wanted to clear his head. Jou found Chopper seated on the very top of the castle.

"I sure have been running a long time," Chopper said. "I caved before I realized it. I can't hear that rubber guy anymore. Looks like I shook him, I guess."

"Nice job," Jou said.

"Huh?" Chopper turned his head and found Jou coming over. "Oh, it's only you."

"Chopper," Jou nodded. He slid down the roof, dropping snow as he did, and sat beside Chopper. Jou and Chopper looked at each other. The reindeer's eyes widened, and he started digging into his pocket.

"Oh, you're hurt!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Huh?" Jou wondered. "Oh, you mean this?" He pointed at the scratch on his head. "This is nothing. Trust me, I'm built like a battleship." Chopper placed a bandage on Jou's forehead.

"There," Chopper nodded, sitting back down. "That's better."

"I appreciate it," Jou smiled. Chopper blinked his eyes before turning away. Jou figured Chopper wasn't used to people showing him kindness. They sat there for a few seconds until Jou spoke. "So, we might be getting ready to set sail."

"Really?" Chopper wondered.

"Yeah, now that Nami's better, we're gonna leave soon," Jou stated. "And... you should come with us."

"Huh?" Chopper questioned. "But you said you didn't want me to join your crew?! That you don't need cowards..."

"Chopper, I wasn't being serious when I said that," Jou looked at him. I didn't mean it, and I'm sorry about that. Please come with us. We need a doctor right now, and I believe you're the best choice." Chopper blinked in surprise. "So, how about it? Wanna come to be a pirate with us?" Chopper looked away with a sad look on his face.

"I cant..." Chopper declared. "I can't leave this place. I just can't." Jou sighed, folding his arms over his chest.

"I see..." Jou said. "But I think you're still just making excuses. You feel like you don't belong on our ship because we're a bunch of humans, huh?" Chopper's silence let Jou know he wasn't far off base. "Look, just because you look different doesn't mean you don't belong with other people."

"But that's just it!" Chopper shook his head. "How will I know the rest of your crew will accept me?"

"They will," Jou stated. "You'll like 'em. And they'll like you, too. I guarantee it."

"Really...?" Chopper asked, looking at Jou.

"Really," Jou nodded. "I promise you'll have fun. Me, and even Nami believe you should come with us. Plus, our Captain agrees even more that you should join us. Oh, and if anyone ever badmouths or disrespects you..." Jou flexed his arm, his face deadly serious. "They're gonna answer me."

"Oh..." Chopper mouthed, tilting his head.

"HEY, DEER!" Luffy shouted from the bottom of the castle. "COME BE A PIRATE WITH US!"

"How about we go down there to see everyone?" Jou said, standing up. "Everyone's waiting."

Jou walked toward the rest of the crew. He found Nami with them. She immediately ran over to him and glomped him, her arms around his neck.

"Woah!" Jou exclaimed. "Hey there, stranger. What did I do to earn this kind of greeting?"

"Oh, shut up..." Nami sighed. "Oh, and here." She handed him back his hat; Jou took it and put it on his head. Jou turned his head and saw Luffy talking to the others.

"Come on, Luffy!" Usopp complained while making a snowman. "We've been tracking him forever, and he still hasn't shown up!"

"He's not interested in becoming a pirate," Zoro stated. "You're just going to have to accept that."

"No!" Luffy declared. "That's not true! I want the reindeer to be a pirate with us!"

"Just because you want something doesn't mean it's going to happen!" Zoro shouted.

"I don't know, Zoro..." Jou said. "I remember Luffy recruiting you and me the same way."

"Where have you been, Jou?" Usopp asked.

"Oh, I just went to find someone," Jou stated, gesturing to Chopper a few feet away from them.

"Reindeer guy!" Luffy grinned.

"Tony...?" Nami noticed him, too. Currently, Vivi and Valentine were dragging Sanji over by his ankles.

"Oh, the reindeer..." Valentine said, looking at Chopper.

"Hey!" Luffy said to him. "Hey, you're gonna come on our ship and be a pirate with us! Kay!"

"I can't," Chopper told him.

"Sure you can, reindeer!" Luffy claimed. "It's a whole lot of fun!"

"That's not a very good argument!" Usopp voiced. Even after their talk, Chopper still seemed apprehensive about joining them. Sure, Luffy was deadset on Chopper joining, but Jou wanted him to decide independently.

"It's up to you if you decide to join us, Chopper," Jou said.

"Maybe I do wanna be a pirate!" Chopper stated. "But I can't ever be one of you! I'm not human! I'm a monster! I can't be your friend, and I can't become a pirate on your ship! You see?! I'm just here to say... thank you. I appreciate you asking me to join your ship. That was really nice." Chopper choked out. "So, thank you. I'm going to stay for now." Chopper smiled. "But if you ever come back if you wanted. You could stop by here again."

"Shut up!" Luffy shouted. "LET'S GO!"

"Most people don't make friends by telling them to shut up," Zoro muttered.

Jou couldn't help but smile. Chopper's never had people who just accepted him. Tears of joy fell from his eyes, his loud wails echoing in the sky.

No POV

"Hey, how about we go say goodbye to the old doctor lady and that Dalton guy from the village!" Luffy suggested, rolling on a large snowball.

"Don't be so thoughtless," Nami stated. "We need to leave Chopper alone with Doctorine for a while. He lived with her for 6 years. We should let them say goodbye in peace. I'm sure it's going to be very sad for them both. Doctorine acts all tough in front of us, but deep down, I think she really is a kind person."

"You sure?" Luffy wondered.

"We're just gonna leave without saying anything to her?" Usopp questioned.

"We need to get going soon anyway," Jou mentioned.

"Yeah," Nami agreed. "Once Chopper comes back, we'll head straight down the mountain and set sail. To Alabasta. Sounds good to you, right, Vivi?"

"Yes," Vivi smiled. "Now that we have a doctor coming with us."

"Well, in that case, I'll go ahead and get the ropeway ready," Usopp said. "Hey, Luffy! Give me a hand!" Everyone waited for Chopper to show up. Soon, their new reindeer companion came racing out of the castle in his Walk Point, dragging a sleigh behind him.

"Oh, finally," Zoro noticed. "Here he comes." Everyone saw Doctorine chasing Chopper out of the castle, waving a flail above her head.

"What's going on?" Nami wondered. "He's being chased!"

"I thought you said they were gonna have a peaceful goodbye?" Jou asked Nami. "Does that look peaceful to you?"

"It isn't what I was expecting!" Nami frowned.

"Everyone get on the sleigh!" Chopper called. "We're gonna head down the mountain! Hurry!" Doctorine screamed, tossing a Morningstar, which caused the pirates, former agents, princess, and duck to scream at the angry witch running at them in a rage.

They had gotten off the mountain; Chopper ran across a rope that extended from the castle to a huge tree. Once they reached the ground, Chopper leaped from the rope and landed in the snow, pulling the sleigh and heading to the pirate's ship.

"That was fun!" Luffy laughed.

"Yeah!" Marianne agreed, smiling. "It was like we were flying!"

"Hey, reindeer! Could we do that again?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah, can we?" Marianne wondered.

"You idiots!" Nami chided. "We don't have time for that!"

"I thought I was gonna die!" Usopp cried.

"When do you not think you're gonna die?" Mr. 5 remarked.

"Well, we're almost to the ship," Jou noticed. Sanji opened his eyes, leaning up and looking around.

"Where am I?" Sanji questioned. "What's going on?"

"Morning, sleepyhead!" Valentine smiled.

"Oh, Sanji! You're awake!" Vivi said. "You okay?"

From behind the retreating group, a bright pink hue glowed along the snow. It caused Chopper to halt the sleigh to look at what was behind him. Everyone turned to the magnificent view that had to be the most bewitching sight they'd ever witnessed. An enormous pink cloud loomed above the island, the pink particles mingling with the cascading snow.

"Oh, cool," Luffy commented.

"Well, ain't that a pretty sight," Jou grinned.

"Wow," Nami breathed, her eyes sparkling as she stared up at the gorgeous sight in the sky.

"It's breathtaking..." Marianne commented.

"It's beautiful..." Valentine added.

"That too," Marianne agreed.

Tears of joy leaked from Chopper's eyes. His wails echoing out from seeing the view before him. This was Dr. Hiriluk's last wish; the project he had worked so hard to make happen had come true—Cherry Blossoms in the Drum Kingdom.

Doctor Kureha stood on top of the castle. Tears leaked from her eyes through her smile. Her student, whom she had taught medicine for 6 years, was leaving the island with people who had finally accepted him. She never told Chopper she would miss him, but she didn't want him to miss a chance to go on an incredible adventure. At least she had to say goodbye by finally releasing Hiriluk's formula.

"Now, have a safe trip..." Kureha said. "My stupid son."

The pirates and their newest member were finally leaving Drum Island. The view of the cherry blossoms over the island is just as beautiful from afar as it was up close. Chopper was quietly watching the view as the Going Merry drifted away.

"Hey?" Usopp whispered. "Do you think Chopper's okay? He's looking a little down?"

"He is leaving home for the first time," Jou mentioned, a hand on his hip. "So it's understandable how he's feeling."

"He'll be fine," Nami stated. "Let's just leave him alone for a while."

"It's an emotional time," Sanji commented. "He's going on his first journey as a man. It's a rite of passage."

"He's about to leave Drum Island behind for good," Vivi said. "It's been his home his entire life."

"Yeah," Usopp agreed.

"I'm leaving then," Chopper said to himself. "With Doctor and Doctorine. My adventure is finally starting. Right now. On this ship."

Soon after, Luffy wanted to throw a party to celebrate Chopper joining their crew. Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji attempted to get Chopper involved in the party, but he didn't feel comfortable and started backing away from them. When someone tapped him on the shoulder, Chopper jumped a bit until he looked up and found Jou.

"Hey, Chopper," Jou smiled.

"H-Hi!" Chopper stuttered. Jou folded his arms and leaned on the side of the ship.

"Sorry if the others are a bit wild," Jou remarked. "We tend to get like this when nothing's happening. But it seems like this is the best time to party. Don't ya think?" Jou winked at the reindeer, Chopper cutely tilting his head in confusion. Nami snuck behind Chopper, taking him by the shoulders and startling him again.

"They're a handful," Nami claimed. "Jou's right, you know? Your new friends are about as crazy as they come."

"My friends?" Chopper questioned.

"That's right," Nami smiled. "These guys can really be a lot to handle, like this guy right here." She pointed her finger at Jou.

"Hey, that's cold," Jou frowned at her.

"But now that you're one of us, you're gonna have to get used to it," Nami insisted.

"Yeah, so loosen up and have fun," Jou grinned. "It's what friends do." Chopper smiled at the Lookout and Navigator, his blue nose twitching. Vivi had walked over with Carue beside her.

"Hi, Tony," Vivi greeted with a smile. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," Chopper nodded. Carue quacked, talking to Chopper. "Hello, Carue. It's nice to meet you, too." At this time, everyone paused the celebration to stare at the little reindeer.

"Were you able to understand, Carue?" Vivi wondered.

"Wait a sec?" Jou said. "Can you understand animals, Chopper?"

"Yes," Chopper nodded. "I'm still technically half-animal by nature. So I can understand what they say."

"You can talk to animals?" Vivi asked.

"That seems to be the case," Jou smirked. "Little guy is just full of surprises, isn't he?"

"Oh wow, Chopper!" Nami smiled. "Between your medical skills and talking to animals, you've got some amazing talents."

"That's not all," Jou added. "He can fight, too. You guys should've seen him. He's got some moves. He's a good fighter."

"Don't be silly, you jerk!" Chopper grinned, doing his happy dance. "Flattering me like that isn't gonna make me happy or anything!"

"He sure looks happy!" Luffy and Usopp said.

"Hey, what did you mean about Chopper's medical skill anyway?" Zoro inquired.

"Well, Chopper here is a Doctor," Nami explained. "And a first-rate one at that. Doctor Kureha taught him everything there is to know about medicine." This surprised all the other guys on the crew, save for Jou.

"Impossible!?" Zoro said. "Chopper are you seriously a Doctor!?"

"How cool?!" Luffy said in amazement.

"No way?" Usopp exclaimed.

"Really, Luffy?" Nami wondered. "If you didn't know that, what did you think Chopper was when you asked them to join us?"

"A talking transforming reindeer monster," Luffy said.

"Back up food," Sanji said.

"Wait! Oh no!" Chopper screamed.

"What's the matter?" Jou asked.

"I was in such a big hurry I left my medical bag behind!" Chopper claimed. "It had all of my tools in it."

"No need to worry," Jou smiled. "Nami...?"

"Isn't this it?" Nami said, holding Chopper's blue backpack in her hands.

"That is my bag?" Chopper said, sounding confused.

"It was in the back of the sleigh," Nami stated.

"How is that?" Chopper asked, still confused.

"What do you mean?" Nami asked. "Weren't you the one who packed the sleigh and got it ready for the trip?" Chopper shook his head. "That's amazing. Doctorine must've known what you were planning to do even before you had decided to leave the island with us."

"That's very thoughtful of her," Jou commented.

"What a kind woman," Nami said.

Chopper stared at his bag, and tears rose again as Jou and Nami smiled. Nami glared at the other crew members, who returned to partying loudly.

"Those guys," She groaned. "Can't they see you're having a sentimental moment here! I'm sorry, Chopper! Chopper?" Nami looked down and saw Chopper putting chopsticks in his nose, similar to Luffy. "You too?!"

"Hahaha!" Jou laughed. "That's getting into the spirit, Chopper!"

Sanji and Zoro started a small fight. Marianne used her paints on Usopp and Luffy, making them make funny faces, and Vivi was trying to get Carue to stop choking. Chopper watched everyone distracted in their antics, Jou and Nami on either side of him.

"Hey, you know...?" Chopper spoke, and Jou and Nami looked at him. "They're crazy." Chopper gave a broad smile, chopsticks in his nose and mouth. "But I've never had this much fun ever!"

"Good!" Nami smiled.

"Little tip to being on our crew; just go with it!" Jou grinned.

"I propose a toast to our new friend, Chopper!" Usopp announced a tankard in his hand.

"Yeah!" The pirates yelled collectively, holding their tankards in the air. Miss Valentine and Mr. 5 watched the others party from the side, drinking from their tankards.

"So, you enjoy your trip up to the mountain?" Mr. 5 asked.

"Oh, yeah," Valentine replied. "Besides getting chased by huge rabbits, escaping an avalanche, and getting poisoned. Good times all around." Mr. 5 let out a chuckle. "I would've preferred a lovely tropical island, but you know how it is."

"Well, it's either this or Double Zero tracks us down and kills us," Mr. 5 declared.

"Guess we got lucky, huh?" Valentine smirked at him.

"Suppose we did," Mr. 5 chuckled before taking a drink. The two of them quietly watch the group in front of them act without worry or care. "But man, these people sure are crazy."

"But they're not so bad once you get used to them," Valentine remarked. "Well, at least one of us is having fun." Valentine's eyes were on Marianne.

"Do me next!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly.

"I made this one to hide the ship!" Marianne said. "This is Boring Brown!" A brown symbol was put on Luffy's clothes. Luffy's face went into a dull expression, his eyes droopy, and drool fell from his mouth. This caused Usopp and Chopper to start laughing wildly.

"Now me! Now me!" Usopp cheered.

"Then me!" Chopper raised his arms. Valentine and Mr. 5 continued to watch Marianne play with Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper. Taking note of the smile on the young girl's face.

"Guess we may as well enjoy ourselves for now," Valentine winked at Mr. 5 before dragging him along to join the party.

[Nami POV]

The party was in full swing; everyone laughed and had a good time. Nami couldn't help but notice a certain Lookout missing from the party. Nami, by some chance, found Jou at the back of the ship and drinking from a tankard.

"Hey," Nami made herself known. She smiled as he turned to her. Nami approached him and continued to stare at him. "Are you alright? You're not still feeling the effects of that poison, are you?" There was obvious worry in her voice. "I could go get Chopper."

"No, it's alright," Jou assured with a smirk. "I'm alright. But instead of worrying, how about you look at that fantastic view." He gestured out only for Nami to see the cheery blossoms cascading onto Drum Island as their ship sailed away. The sight caused a smile to spread across Nami's face as she put her hands on the back rail.

"You're right," Nami agreed. "The blossoms still look gorgeous even from this distance!" The cherry blossoms were so beautiful that she never thought they could bloom on a show island. "So beautiful," she mentioned as the glamorous view enamored her.

"Yeah," Jou stated. "I was just thinking that." Nami smiled at him as she saw Jou staring at her. Jou was smiling himself until he seemed to become flustered. "I-well-um-" He fumbled with his words until he cleared his throat to compose himself. "I was talking about the cheery blossoms."

Nami giggled into her hand. It was honestly endearing to see him stammer. It was rare to see as Jou usually held an air of confidence and his usual smirk. Even if she wanted to tease him right now, Nami would take his word for it.

"Yeah, I know," Nami remarked as she leaned her arms on the rail. They watched the cherry blossoms in the distance in silence. Nami turned her head over to Jou, who kept his eyes forward. He was unusually quiet, deep in thought, the breeze blowing his bangs, which peeked out from his hat.

"You asked me if I was alright earlier?" Jou asked. "I'm fine. It's just... I'm appreciating life right now."

"What...?" Nami questioned. Now, there was clearly something wrong with him. "Okay, did that poison mess with your head or something?" Nami crossed her arms over her chest. Jou blinked at her until he started laughing. Nami felt herself becoming a tad annoyed. She was showing genuine concern for him, and he just started laughing.

"No, not at all," Jou breathed as his laughter faded. "But that poison did put something in perspective. Honestly, it made me appreciate things more. Things like that." Jou pointed at the cherry blossoms. "If I died, I would've gotten to experience something as simple as cherry blossoms falling on a snow island. Speaking of, it's because of you, I get to experience that."

"What made you think about this?" Nami wondered.

"Well, for starters..." Jou said. "We managed to scale up a slick mountain just to get you to a doctor, then I get into a fight with Wapol's jackass brother and end up poisoned. And then you showed up just in time to save me with the antidote."

"I didn't do much," Nami sighed. "Doctorine was the one who made it; you're just lucky she had an antidote for that poison." Nami was, however, thankful she had the antidote. Nami didn't want to think about it because Jou wouldn't be here talking with her right now if she didn't. It caused the worry to settle in again. "I was worried you weren't going to make it." Jou stared at her with a raised brow.

"You were worried?" Jou questioned.

"Are you kidding?" Nami snapped. "Of course I was! You almost died!" Nami raised her voice at him, but Jou only shrugged his shoulders.

"I was only mostly dead," Jou stated. "I hear there's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead." Nami only stared at him in confusion.

"What?" She wondered.

"I was still conscious after I was poisoned..." Jou mentioned drinking from his mug.

"Wait-You were?!" Nami asked as Jou nodding once he was finished drinking. "Wait a minute?! Does that mean...? You heard what I said...?"

"I may have heard your voice while drifting in and out of consciousness," Jou said. Nami looked away from Jou as she clasped her hands over her red cheeks. She didn't think he had heard her while he was out of it from the poison.

"How much did you hear?" Nami questioned.

"Not much, I'm afraid," Jou said. "I did hear you say 'please'; other than that, I'm drawing a blank on what else you said."

"Please... I don't want to lose you." Nami recalled the words she said before she poured the antidote down his throat. Nami initially thought her pleas went unheard, but she didn't know he had heard her. Nami was glad Jou didn't hear it all, but part of her wished he did.

"All I'm trying to say is thanks," Jou smirked. "Thanks for that antidote. For saving me. What would I do without you, huh?"

"Yeah, I know," Nami smiled. "Listen, Jou, I—" Nami paused as Jou's arms circled her. His arms were strong yet gentle as he held her. "What are you doing?" Jou released her, seeming shocked by what he had just done.

"Sorry," Jou apologized. "I didn't mean to do that."

"No," Nami shook her head and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don't be sorry." Nami's head was pressed into his chest as Jou put his arms back around her. It was nice to embrace Jou like this. It brought more warmth from the cold winter-island air despite wearing jackets. Jou pulled away, his arms around her. Nami didn't want him to let go just yet, not that she would tell him.

"Nami..." Jou spoke.

"Yes?" Nami asked. Nami's eyes widened when she saw he was leaning in. Was he about to do what she was thinking right now? Nami instinctively leaned in as well, even pushing herself on her toes. She closed her eyes but completely froze once she felt something against her forehead. Nami's eyes opened to find Jou planting a kiss on her forehead. Jou pulled away and smiled at her. Nami blinked her eyes at him as he released his arms from her.

"Jou-" Nami was cut off as Jou raised his finger to her lips.

"How about we talk later?" Jou said. "C'mon, we wouldn't want the others getting suspicious now, would we?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nami asked, hands on her hips, as Jou just chuckled.

"Nothing," Jou dismissed with a wave. He grabbed his mug as he walked past, giving her one last smile before returning to the party.

Nami watched him leave as she turned back to the cherry blossoms. She reached for her forehead, the lingering feeling of Jou's lips still there. Nami sighed as she fell against the cabin. Her hand dropped to her chest as she felt her quick heartbeat. Nami knew what this meant, and she wasn't going to deny it anymore.

I honestly haven't had time to think about it. But when I think back to the day Arlong Park fell. The moment he came up from Arlong Park's remains, that was when I knew... I had feelings for Jou.

Of course, it wasn't just because he defeated Arlong for her; every other moment they shared caused these feelings to stir up. Nami crept back to the party and leaned against the cabin as she watched the others and their antics. Vivi and Valentine smiled as she watched Chopper dance about with Luffy, Sanji, and Carue. Nami's eyes fell on Jou, sitting beside Zoro, Marianne, and Mr. 5. All in a group talking. But Nami's gaze was purely focused on Jou, her heart pounding. The first time she saw Jou, he worked at that restaurant in Shells Town. Nami never thought she'd develop feelings for someone she didn't know a few months ago.

Nami's never felt this way about anyone before. When she used to steal treasure from pirates, she used seductive ways to get what she wanted but never went any further from the pirates she stole from. But this was different. Jou was different. Would it be selfish if she told him how she felt even with what's happening right now? Trying to help Vivi return to her country while dealing with a Warlord and his criminal organization.

Nami knew that, as of right now, there was danger at every turn for them. Jou was poisoned and almost died earlier. The thought of that caused Nami to softly sigh, leave it to Jou to make her worry like this. With all that's been happening, maybe telling him soon won't be bad since anything could happen with their lives as pirates. It was better not to leave things left unsaid.

Whenever Nami decides, she'll tell Jou. Tell him how much he means to her...

She'll tell him...

She loves him.

Okay, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I like to make arc finale chapters long, so if you got through it, you're a legend. We are nearly where we stopped. It just took us a while, but it's been a journey, and I hope people continue to follow this story.

Jou: People might have dropped it, but that happens. We appreciate all of you who have stuck around at this point.

Well, let's get to reviews...

Reviews for chapter 31:

TiltedPotatohead: I'm not sure about doing the specials, but Jou's eventual original arc will be sort of like an episode of Jou.

Guest: My apologies. I hope the fact I've been using Grammarly Premium helps fix those run-on sentences.

Guest: The 00 is trying to keep the number pattern of Baroque Works. Probably would've been better if I went with X.

Guest: Yeah, I already know Miss Goldenweek, Miss Valentine, and Mr. 5's real names. And I plan to use those names for them. I've seen people change them in others, but I'm gonna use their canon names.

Jou: Author has done some research beforehand.

Reviews for chapter 32:

Sodomi: I don't know if it will upset people, but Jou will never get a devil fruit. I like the idea of a character just fighting with natural strength.

Jou: I like being able to swim.

However, if Jou ever got a devil fruit, it would be wind-based. I haven't been motivated much to work on the persona story, but I've been thinking of bringing it back.

Guest: Thank you.

yogaratw607: I guarantee Strong World will definitely happen. So will Film Z. As for ones like Gold and Stampede, I don't know. Those don't really fit super well in the canon, but we will see what happens.

Guest: Oh, thank you so much! It makes me happy to hear someone enjoyed what I've written so far. Okay, let me pitch this: what if I added one additional person? Just one. I believe I can work around one additional member of the Straw hat crew.

Guest: Here you are, sir. I hope you read and enjoyed the last few chapters!

Deadpool322: Chopper's one of my favorite Straw hats, too!

Guest:

Jou: Tends to happen when you don't post a thing in a while.

True, don't worry; as long as I'm around, this story continues.

johannvanguard: Yeah, Miss Goldenweek was why she, Mr.5, and Miss Valentine escaped from Little Garden. But with Mr. 00's inclusion in the story, he would have gone there to kill them, but since they're with the straw hats, they're safe for the time being.

ethan0bastian: Yep, nearly there. I hope you liked the interactions between Jou and Chopper in this chapter.

ShadowUzumaki55: I got other ideas for Rana during the Alabasta Arc.

Jou: What kind of ideas?

You'll see.

jaffa3: And here he is: Tony Tony Chopper!

ogatokusatku: Other than Jou, there will be just one. People probably had already guessed who.

pokemonking0924: Oh, yeah. Double Zero is Jou's opponent in the Alabasta arc.

Jou: Sounds like I'm about to get my ass whooped again.

You've been through worse.

Reviews for chapter 33:

Ddswalkthrough: I hope you liked this one, too!

pokemonking0924: Carue got frozen in the lake all because he thought Zoro was drowning. But Marianne being there prevented that from happening.

Reviews for chapter 34:

Guest: I'm not adding an extended crew, but just one additional person may be doable.

Eric Williams: I never really thought of Shanks as Jou's father. When I picture Jou in my head, he does have a similar eye shape to Shanks. Jou's mom, Becky, and Shanks definitely knew each other, and they were the same age.

I think it's funny when people wonder Jou's father is. First Roger, then Kaido, now Shanks. Who's next? Blackbeard. Jou's father is not Blackbeard, so don't even assume that.

At this point, it's still pretty early to find out who Jou's father is.

Scout157: Thank you so much! Hope you enjoyed this one, too.

Okay, that's gonna be it for this one. Next time will the start of the Alabasta arc. Hopefully, I can pull off my new ideas I want to try for this. Who knows? But you guys may be in for a treat.

I'll see you guys next time!

Jou: Bye! Come back again soon!

Later!