Chapter Twenty-Five: The Weather Outside is Frightful, but the cold Jinchuuriki is scarier.

Previously:

"I was thinking last night… Those Beasts of yours are like swords. Currently, they're sheathed, and won't listen to anyone; not even the only ones who can wield them. They've gotta be given respect, while you must earn their respect in return."

"What?" Gaara cocked his head, remembering Zoro had said something like that before. Still not really understanding, he asked, "My monster is like a sword? How so?"

"Yep, you pretty much have to prove you have the right to wield them. There are some swords that have to be tamed, but since your Beasts are alive, your approach to them must be different."

"Different how?" Gaara asked.

"By finding a unique balance between you, whatever it is." Zoro shrugged. He held up Wado Ichimonji. "This sword belonged to someone else before it was given to me…I asked for it. But I proved to this blade I had the right and the conviction to wield it."

"You talk about the sword as if it's alive." Gaara said in interest.

"Alive, but not in the traditional sense."

"You actually think the Fox and the Tanuki have names?" an incredulous Naruto questioned.

"Why wouldn't they?" Zoro answered as if it were the most obvious thing.

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"You aren't a monster, Tanuki-san." The man looked up at him from his spot. His face was blurry, and he held a black-sheathed sword casually over his shoulder.Ichibi couldn't see his face, but somehow knew the man was smiling at him, in a gentle sort of way. His tone of voice was thoughtful; even…sad, somehow."I think… applying 'monster' to you is a loose term. I mean, even Humans can be monsters. You've seen what Humans are capable of, yet they dare to call you and your siblings, monsters. Tsk, tsk, tsk!"

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"Ichibi-sama, Kyuubi-sama! I, Nefertari Vivi, beg of you, as the Princess of Alabasta, daughter of King Cobra and the late Queen Titi, please find it within yourselves to save my country!"

"Uh…what?" Naruto said eloquently.

"I know we're paying you, but I would never dream of bribing the Biju to win a war!" Vivi was looking at them with pleading eyes. "I simply don't want my people to die so needlessly…so please…have mercy… I know you can save them!" Vivi smiled hopefully as tears ran down her cheeks. "When we go back to Alabasta, you – both of you can just make sure no-one fights – no-one has to die, then!"

The Pirates shared confused glances between themselves.

Gaara raised his hand as if he were asking permission to speak.

"Yes, Ichibi-sama?" Vivi paused, "Or, do you prefer Gaara-sama?"

"Um…" Gaara blinked then said, "I'm just Gaara, not Ichibi, Ichibi is different."

"Vivi, the brats aren't the Biju themselves," Zoro said, wondering if Vivi had misunderstood the explanation. The people back in the Elemental Nations seemed to think along the same lines. "The Biju were Sealed into them; they didn't become the Biju…"

"'Sealed into…?'…But why?" Vivi asked. "Is it something along the lines of being chosen worthy to bear the Biju's power?" Vivi looked increasingly perplexed. "Did…did something happen to the Biju? Did the Biju wish to better understand Humanity?"

"It was kinda forced on us to be honest," Naruto replied. "Kyuubi's pretty annoyed at being locked up." Naruto looked down sadly. "My mom had Kyuubi before me, and some stuff happened and Kyuubi would have escaped but he couldn't, and people were dying…my parents sacrificed themselves to Seal Kyuubi into me…"

They had done the right thing, hadn't they? Anyone in the Elemental Nations would have agreed that they did. Except, Kyuubi and Ichibi were their own people, and weren't mere beasts like everyone else had always assumed. Vivi viewed the Biju as something that could save her people without war… when that was the purpose of Jinchuuriki – to fight and kill, and be a balance of powers between the Nations.

But the Biju weren't merely weapons, and despised being called such.

"…Everyone was scared of me, because my own Seal isn't exactly the best…it wasn't done right. People thought that I was a monster…Ichibi and me didn't start off the best." Gaara fidgeted with his scarf. "I couldn't control my sand very well back then, and…a lot of people got hurt…so that's why…the Kazekage wanted me gone."

"If I ever meet that Kazekage guy, I'm gonna kick his ass!" Luffy huffed and coughed, because at least there was someone he could take his frustration out on for making his nakama so upset. No-one heard him as they were paying attention to Vivi's conversation with the brothers.

"How could…" Vivi looked horrified. "To forcibly lock up the Biju and – is that why you-I'm sorry, the Biju disappeared? How is that possible?! Humans could never defeat a Biju! Why would they do such a thing?! How could they?!"

To even dare to hoard the Biju to themselves when the world – and her beloved people were suffering – Vivi was furious.

"To be forced into becoming prisoners…and force children to bear such a heavy burden…" Vivi clenched her fists. "To force such a thing on you and resent you for it…the very nerve! How terribly cruel…" Vivi looked at the boys, and said, "If Ichibi-sama and Kyuubi-sama can hear me, I'm so sorry…"

"Hold up," Nami said. "Why do you think the…Biju…why do you think that they can stop the war in Alabasta?"

"Because that was how Alabasta was founded, and they have stopped countless wars in the past, as well." Vivi replied as if it were the most obvious thing. "It was Ichibi-sama who founded the country."

"Wow, you're old, Gaara…"

"That wasn't me, Captain."

"The Biju are just stories…right?" Pudding asked, looking entirely skeptical.

"How can you refer to such great beings as merely being stories?" Vivi was quite incensed.

"Oh, oh! How did the Mystery People save Alabasta?" Luffy was raising his hand and asking the most important (in his opinion) question. Quite unwittingly, Luffy managed to cut Vivi off from diplomatically telling Pudding how wrong and disrespectful she was for calling the Biju "stories".

As if she were giving a speech in front of a large crowd and not to a small group of Pirates, Vivi gladly replied,

"The shortened version of the story is that before Alabasta was united as a country, it was made up of several smaller villages. Two powerful clans from the largest and strongest villages were constantly at war with each other for years, and their feuds bled into the rest of the smaller villages.

"Both Clan Heads had amazing propositions for those who would join them; and when they were victorious, riches would be bestowed upon them. Siblings began to slay each other; father against son; mother against daughter; families were divided, and the once-golden sands were stained red. The fresh spring waters turned into blood.

"But then a great famine came, and the fighting still didn't stop – even though the people were suffering and starving. They refused to stop.

"When the people who were tired of war begged and pleaded to the gods for help, it was Ichibi-sama who answered their prayers. He ordered the fighting to stop, and the people had to come to an arrangement that benefitted everyone equally. One that ensured people would have food, medicine, and long-lasting livelihoods that would benefit them for generations to come.

"Ichibi-sama blessed the union between the eldest son and daughter of the feuding families with a Great Seal, and it is said that he gave the newly crowned king and queen a promise – admittedly, I don't know what that is." Vivi smiled ruefully.

"It was said that Ichibi-sama even put a Cursed Seal on the mouths of the warmongering fathers so that if they ever mentioned anything about war and betrayal to their children; if they tried to manipulate them, they would lose the ability to communicate in any form whatsoever. One father so much as tried to insinuate to his youngest son to betray his older brother for the crown, but the man promptly turned to stone. His statue actually resides in one of the palace's meeting rooms where all peace talks take place, as a reminder.

"Ichibi in his benevolence, also gifted two people who were to be advisors and guardians from each of the families with Devil Fruit – these Fruit have been passed down in the Royal Family's guardians for generations."

"Whoa…"

"That's so cool, 'ttebayou…"

"To think that I get the chance to meet not one but two Biju…" Vivi was elated. "I was told that I had childish hopes that the Biju could rescue us as you've been gone for years – centuries, even! But you're real, and you're here! …I'm so relieved! If you could find it in your hearts, Biju-sama…please, help me save my people."

"Well…um, we'll help you where we can, 'ttebayou?"

/ "Oi, don't tell her that!"/ Kyuubi didn't like promising things he wasn't sure he'd be able to deliver on - plus, Naruto shouldn't be promising things in his place anyway.

"Thank you…" Vivi bowed again. "Thank you…that's all I ask. My father and I will be eternally grateful."

Luffy coughed then raised a hand up in the air. "Guys, we have to party for our nakama – we celebrated everyone, but not Ichibi and Kyuubi." Luffy gave Naruto and Gaara an insistent look, "We have to celebrate all of our nakama."

"Alright, fine." Sanji said, his tone was one of long-held patience. "I'll make sure to set some aside for our little Biju nakama."

Thinking about Ichibi being someone who helped found a country and bring peace to it; Gaara thought of the Ichibi he'd known at the beginning of his life: angry, manipulative, blood-thirsty, and resentful of Humanity. People thought that he was a monster to be feared, but Vivi… she had an entirely different view of him.

Gaara concentrated and went to see Ichibi.

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Within Gaara's mindscape, he found Ichibi sitting sort of curled into himself, and Ichibi seemed to be asleep, not even raising his head a bit when Gaara appeared. Usually, Ichibi was leaning as comfortably as he could get while looking peeved, and would occasionally slap his tail against the pillars and ground to make some sort of point.

"Ichibi?" Gaara started, but the Biju didn't seem to be paying any attention.

A strangely quiet rumble sounded, "I'd rather be alone right now."

Gaara nodded, even though he wasn't sure if Ichibi was paying any attention. Ichibi watched as Gaara left, letting out a heavy sigh. His thoughts were racing.

"I could sense them with my mystery power when we first met…" Luffy said casually, "And I wanted to ask you guys about them so bad, but I figured I'd let you guys tell me on your own…besides," Luffy's grin widened; it was friendly, welcoming, and warm, "They're basically our nakama too, right?"

Then the others, foolishly, laughably, saying that the kids were there to stay, in spite of seeing a mere preview…

"Oh, you two aren't that scary," Pudding said, and she had genuinely meant it.

Vivi, bowing and begging for something so ridiculous. Apologizing to him. Having a person tell an incredible story and think so highly of him; it was disconcerting, not having memories of what was clearly a big deal to the foolish girl. Him, the Ichibi, stopping a war, and not participating or instigating? That was how those fools in the Elemental Nations saw him. He was a weapon. But Vivi…

Vivi was so incensed by the Biju being Sealed away, just like...that time…

Really, this situation was almost like…Ichibi recalled – like Ryuuma.

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Usopp stood back and admired his handiwork. He had built a special shelf in the galley, and Gaara placed his odd figurines on one, as they both represented the Biju. A lower shelf was there so the crew could leave gifts, as it was really the only way Usopp could think to include their extra members.

Two dishes and two cups of sake were set aside, arranged beautifully by Pudding. She placed them on the shelf, and it looked very much like an official offering.

"Why are you two so inspired by the Biju?" Pudding asked as she sat down.

Vivi sent Pudding a look as if she had insulted the Royal Family.

"Because…that's what they are?" Naruto replied unsure. "Why are you questioning it?"

Thinking of Mama, someone who could rage for days with unstoppable force and gorge herself on food and people alike, and in combination with her Conqueror's Haki until she was satisfied or exhausted… The boys, or the Biju as they insisted on calling their power, paled in comparison.

"I've seen a person with incredible, unstoppable power before – nothing much stopped her – but the Biju…I've always thought that they were just stories… But you're claiming that they're real, and Vivi-chan has so much hope…" Pudding was quiet for a moment before she asked, "Could you-the Biju, really stop someone who seems unstoppable?"

"You bet!" Naruto replied without hesitation. "Me and my brothers are strong, and Kyuubi's pretty much back up, 'ttebayou."

Naruto grinned satisfactorily at receiving an indignant snort from Kyuubi at being called "backup".

"I see." Pudding looked as if she wanted to say something else, but decided not to. The Biju were merely stories, after all. She had grown up reading them. Children's stories to either scare children into behaving; or dream of fantastic, faraway lands. There were several islands out there that believed in the Biju as being something more; people that believed that the Biju would rescue them in their time of need. A fat lot of good that it did them.

Getting Vivi's hopes up for fairy tales and exploiting her faith…

The boys seemed genuine and honest. Like they weren't intending to manipulate Vivi's feelings.

The Biju were just stories, weren't they?

Not voicing her doubts for the sake of Vivi, because a person needed hope and something to believe in at times like this, Pudding simply smiled. "I'll make some desserts with some new recipes, so please tell me what you think when they're done."

Sanji was silent as well. While admittedly, the stories of the Biju he'd heard depicted them as beings of chaos, while others saw them as deities. In fact, he'd known several fishermen and hunters who prayed to the Dolphin-Horse who represented the sea and land, for a bountiful hunt. Sanji was fairly sure that the Dolphin-Horse was a Biju – the Gobi, but admittedly some illustrations and depictions were inconsistent.

There were even a few people who denied that the Dolphin-Horse was a Biju, and thought that saying those prayers was more of a superstitious tradition; a knock on wood sort of thing. But there were always those few who genuinely believed that if they didn't say their prayers and thanks to the Dolphin-Horse, they would go home empty handed.

Whatever the brats' power was, whatever they wanted to call it, Sanji didn't particularly care. Whatever that oppressive aura was, whatever it was that Luffy claimed was there, he didn't know. But the stories of the Biju made the creatures seem like something Humans could never hope to tame or even understand.

In Sanji's personal opinion, if the Biju were real, they'd be more impressive. They wouldn't exactly be inhabiting the bodies of a couple of kids. Hearing that they'd been Sealed into kids, and for those kids to be mistreated, struck a nerve. Shitty superstitions made people do shitty-stupid things.

So he stacked their plates high with nutritious food for growing boys and kept his thoughts to himself. He didn't want to start pointless arguments, and he could just see how much Vivi needed to believe that there were two Biju here right now.

At least the kids weren't exploiting her exactly.

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"Hey, do the Biju poop?" Luffy asked the important questions, of course.

Vivi gasped. "Luffy-san, don't ask the Biju-sama such inappropriate questions!"

Gaara winced, then said, "He's laughing at both of you, and no, he doesn't."

"Oh~" Luffy was fascinated. "What sort of games does he play?"

"Oh! Good idea, Luffy!" Usopp bounced his fist in his palm. "We can play games through Gaara and Naruto! Like, if we play 'rock, paper, scissors', or some other game like that, the Biju can just tell them what they want."

"Yeah!" Luffy agreed. "Play with us sometime, guys!"

"Hey, what all can the Biju do?" Nami asked the truly important questions. She coughed a bit. "After what happened on Little Garden, I don't want something like that to happen again. Especially not with Marines; that'll put way too much attention on us."

"He's the reason I have sand manipulation like I do," Gaara replied. "I lost control because I saw that people I care about were in danger, but I-we won't let it happen again."

"Well, mostly I've gotten stronger and faster, and my eyes go red, 'ttebayou."

"Ask them for advice since it's their power," Zoro suggested, as if it were the most practical thing. "Train harder so that your body can withstand that rush of chakra, too."

"Okay," Gaara agreed. "I'll train hard, Zoro-nii."

"But Kyuubi's always so stingy," Naruto groaned, the Weight Seals on his arms and legs already feeling heavier despite Zoro not even touching them yet.

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Gaara approached Nami and held up a sheet of paper and a pen to her. He didn't exactly look at her as he shyly asked, "Nami, can you write down the character nakama for me? Please?"

"Sure," Nami replied and wrote down 仲間 in her neat handwriting.

Gaara thanked her and ran off.

For a moment, Nami felt light-headed, but brushed it off. She was probably tired from everything that happened at Little Garden.

She glanced at Zoro with some concern when he tried to lift weights. After a few sets of swinging the oversized dumbbell, Zoro doubled over in a hacking cough that sounded particularly violent.

"Maybe you shouldn't push yourself…" Nami suggested, hoping she didn't sound too insistent.

Zoro finished coughing before he answered, "If I can't withstand a few stupid coughing fits when I'm just training, how can I call myself a decent Swordsman if it happens in a real fight?"

"Okay, maybe you have some logic, but that doesn't mean its sound." Nami thought of poor Doctor Nako, who was practically pulling his beard out when it came to Zoro.

"I have to overcome this!" Zoro was very determined. He began swinging the dumbbell again.

He probably would have looked much cooler if he hadn't started coughing.

"That does it," Nami put her hands on her hips and stood with as much authority she could muster. "I'm not watching you do this to yourself. I'm telling you to rest – and no working out. You're making your lungs worse."

"Why should I?" Zoro complained.

Nami crossed her arms. "I'll tell Naruto and Gaara that you're making yourself sick."

Zoro made a face. He cringed, and Nami received a glare. As if she wouldn't dare essentially tattling to the younger brothers.

"Fine." Zoro muttered with a defeated pout. Zoro Sealed the dumbbells away, complaining about not being able to train under his breath.

It was quite satisfying that a mere threat was all it took. It was also sweet that both the younger brothers had their older brother so wrapped around their fingers. Nami wondered what else she could manipulate Zoro into doing if she just mentioned Naruto and Gaara. Maybe she could rope them in on helping…

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Gaara stared at himself in the bathroom mirror and took a deep breath. Carefully, he used his own sand to carve 仲間 on the left side of his forehead. Gaara smothered several colorful curses into his scarf throughout the entire process.

But it would be worth it. He wanted reminders for what the others had said; that they hadn't turned him and his brothers away in spite of what had happened. Nakama was something precious. Ichibi could certainly use the reminder as well, Gaara was sure.

Gaara's bangs mostly covered his newly acquired tattoo, not that he minded. It was personally for him. He wouldn't show it off unless the others asked.

Usopp was the first one to notice. "Gaara, what's on your forehead?"

Gaara pushed his bangs back. He fidgeted a little as he explained his reasoning. "It's something precious, and this is the first time someone's considered me their nakama…so, I just…wanted to always be reminded of it. What…what do you think, Usopp?"

"Hmm…I think it makes you look cool."

Usopp was on the receiving end of a look as Gaara beamed at him. "Thanks, Usopp."

"Whoa, Gaara!" Luffy grinned when he saw. "That's so cool!"

"How'd you manage that, 'ttebayou?" Naruto asked.

"I used my sand to carve it."

Naruto shivered at that answer, and wished he hadn't asked.

Zoro just pushed Gaara's bangs back for a few seconds, and then affectionately ruffled his hair.

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Looking at the bite on her stomach, Nami made a face. It wasn't itchy, but it looked red and swollen almost like hives, with a spreading bruise that looked splotchy. It felt somewhat sore, but she rubbed on a salve to fight infection just in case. Maybe she was allergic to something? She took an anti-allergen, just in case.

Outside, Nami stumbled a bit on the deck, but was able to catch herself. Seriously, her body felt a bit heavy, almost as if she hadn't slept a full night. She began coughing and spit up a nasty mix of phlegm and wax.

"Wonderful," she muttered under her breath as she wiped the stuff off of her hand with a tissue. She felt lightheaded for a few seconds, but brushed it off. She checked the weather, and everything looked fine.

A News Coo was flying overhead, so Nami waved it down.

The bird squawked at her as she placed a few coins into its pouch. She took a newspaper and said, "This is more expensive than last time! I'm not paying another cent next time, got that?"

The bird merely squawked, which was likely the avian equivalent of shrugging its shoulders. The News Coo took off to continue its deliveries.

Nami's eyes scanned the newspaper, and she made a face. Stealing a glance at Vivi, who was talking to Pudding about something – and then Usopp happily contributed as well. Nami shook her head, and folded the newspaper to put in her desk. They had plenty of time, nothing to worry about.

"You smell weird, 'ttebayou." Naruto said, very out of the blue.

"Gee, thanks, Naruto." Nami tapped him on the head with the newspaper and glared.

"No, not like that!" Naruto quickly defended. "Uh, I mean…you just smell off, 'ttebayou…"

"Uh-huh." Nami poked Naruto's forehead with the newspaper. "Don't ever tell a girl that she smells bad, Naruto. Anyway, please put this in my desk, would you?"

Taking the newspaper without a word, Naruto added a quick, "You do smell funny!" before he took off to carry out Nami's request.

"Tch!" The nerve! She didn't smell bad! She'd taken a bath this morning. Nami sniffed herself just in case. She could only smell her shampoo and body wash. She'd even put on deodorant. What could Naruto smell?

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"You smell weird," Gaara commented very dryly the next day and several hours later.

Nami only glared. Her sarcastic reply was, "You smell funny."

Tilting his head, Gaara replied, "But I don't smell, I bathed yesterday."

Nami felt groggy, too tired to roll her eyes. Actually, it hurt to roll her eyes. She looked at the food that Sanji had placed next to her on the railing and the sight of it made her feel nauseous. The smell was something awful. Normally, orange-glazed chicken was her favorite food, except she couldn't stand it right now.

Nami knew she was getting sick, but chose to ignore it. It was just a cold, or something. If people got too concerned over her, than they wouldn't make it in time…

"Nami, are you okay?" Vivi's voice seemed to float through Nami's head. "You look so pale…"

"I'm fine, no worries!" Nami waved her off.

But Vivi reached forward anyway and pressed a hand against Nami's forehead.

"Nami-san, you're burning up!" Vivi sounded horrified, because of how hot Nami's forehead was. There was no way Nami should even be moving around in her state!

Suddenly Nami yelled, "Turn the ship!" Nami stumbled, but steadied herself on the railing. "Turn the ship thirty-degree starboard! Gaara, shield our port and stern!"

Nami started coughing and wheezing, and collapsed to her knees. Fortunately, Vivi held onto Nami so that she didn't fall and get hurt. Vivi rubbed Nami's back as she went into a nasty coughing fit that sounded like it was coming from deep within her lungs.

The crew moved without question, and they stared at the massive rain and lightning storm that struck the ocean where their ship had been moments ago.

Vivi was impressed that Nami could sense that storm, and not only that; she knew just how far they had to go so that they could easily stay on course without much correction.

"Nami!" Luffy reached for Nami's face to give her a few light slaps to wake her up. He rapidly pulled his hand away, though. "Ow! Hot!"

"She's really burning up!" Vivi was worried. "We need to cool her off, quickly!"

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They put Nami into bed, and Vivi quickly retrieved a cold cloth and pressed it to Nami's forehead.

"This isn't good," Vivi turned to the others, "Do any of you have any medical knowledge?"

Vivi's face fell when everyone pointed at Nami.

"If she were starving, Sanji-dear and I could make her something." Pudding answered.

"If she was cut-up injured, we could do something," Gaara said.

"Seriously? Haven't any of you ever been sick?!"

She received various replies consisting of "nope".

"Are you people even Human?" Vivi sighed. At least she understood with Gaara and Naruto, and Three-Eyed Tribe members could be considered a separate class of Human. But still.

"She just has to sleep it off, she'll be fine." Zoro said.

"Don't put Nami-swan on the same level as you, moss-brain."

"She just needs meat, then." Luffy suggested.

"Don't put her on your level either!"

"Bushido-san, Luffy-san, this isn't a normal fever," Vivi explained, "I don't know if it's something she can just sleep off. We probably should get a doctor for the three of you anyway, because of the non-stop coughing."

Nami started wheezing, so Vivi and Pudding propped her up. Just then, Nami woke up and began trying to move.

"Nami-san, hold still!" Vivi gently pushed at the other girl's shoulders to encourage her to settle down.

"Vivi…desk…newspaper…" Nami pointed. "Na-Naruto…newspaper…"

Naruto was the one to grab the requested newspaper, and Nami pointed to Vivi.

Handing the newspaper over, Vivi began to read, and her eyes filled with horror. "No…no…!"

Her people… She read how people were defecting from her father's army, and were joining the rebels' faction. With this latest defection, her father's army was now outnumbered by several hundred thousand. Her hands shook.

"This means…a million of my people are going to die!" Vivi started crying. She had to hold onto hope, she didn't have much choice at this point.

0000

The Pirates had left it up to her to decide what they should do, since it was her country in the balance. Vivi didn't need that long to think, she knew what she had to do. She stepped out onto the deck.

"Listen," Vivi announced. "It's important that we get to Alabasta as soon as possible, so let's hurry and find Nami a doctor!" Smiling softly, she looked in the directions of the Jinchuuriki – or more specifically, Kyuubi and Ichibi. "I don't have to worry too much, because both of you are here, and even if…even if a few people die, I know you can stop them before it gets worse. Ichibi-sama saved Alabasta in the past, he can do it again."

"What if they can't stop the people fighting, though?" Usopp spoke up. He didn't intend to discourage her, really. He was asking an honest question that was a legitimate concern.

"It's not what I want, but I know the Biju can save Alabasta!" Vivi looked down, not meeting their eyes. "If they can't, then…if they don't stop fighting…" Her shoulders shook but she looked up determinedly. "My people will listen, they have to!"

"And if they don't?" Zoro now asked.

Vivi's reply was just loud enough for them to hear. "…Then I won't hold it against you, because you tried."

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There was a memory nagging at Ichibi. He took a deep breath and focused, trying to will the memory forward.

00000

[***]

Ichibi was standing at the base of a cliff, watching the sunset. It was peaceful, but inwards, his emotions were turbulent. He roared as he swiped his arm across the cliff, sending more than a few boulders flying. They landed several miles away in the nearby forest; either landing with a booming impact or rolling a mile or so before stopping. He could see flocks of birds take flight to escape, loudly complaining about being displaced.

He then flopped to the ground in a huff, stirring up dirt. Ichibi stared at the ground in front of him.

"Wow, Tanuki-san…" Ryuuma walked up, his sword casually held over his shoulder. He momentarily eyed the newly designed landscape before asking, "What's with the redecorating?"

Ichibi sent a side glance at Ryuuma. What Human could possibly understand his plight? But Ryuuma was simply asking; and not demanding. He considered not answering and simply be left to wallow in his misery, but…Ryuuma stood there looking expectantly at him.

"Some fuckin' stupid war in a fuckin' stupid country. I should have left them all to die."

Ryuuma blinked a few times and whistled, then sat down on the cliff's edge. "…It sounds like it went bad? What happened?"

He was still bitter, though, the memories of the insufferable Humans and their war. Testily he asked, "Why do you care, Ryuuma-san? It involves your own kind dying."

"People die every day." Ryuuma simply shrugged. "It's obviously bothering you."

Perhaps Ryuuma could offer some sort of insight. He was Human himself, after all. Ichibi exhaled. "I went to stop a civil war – it'd been dragging on and off for years. At times, it seemed like those people had their shit together, only for it to go to worse shit than it was before. This time though, it got really bad. Far too bad to ignore, so I went to handle it."

Ichibi was silent before he slammed a fist into the ground, causing the area around them to shake. Ryuuma leaned back a little to ensure he didn't go tumbling to the ground hundreds of feet below him. If he did fall, hopefully Ichibi would catch him.

Ryuuma sat up, and glanced over at Ichibi, who looked like a forlorn child if he were to be honest. He kept that thought to himself. "Things didn't go as planned?"

"There were dumbasses who still wanted to fuckin' fight, even though I tried to negotiate. So even after being warned, I had to kill those who wouldn't stand down. And the ones who were left standing, the ones I saved from their suffering…" Ichibi was silent before rumbling quietly, "They called me a monster, and started threatening me – and – some even tried to kill me. Not that they could do much…but I…ended up killing several more…and even used a few Seals to make a point." that certainly hadn't helped things. "My sister says I should have just left when things were going bad."

But he had wanted to do more. To be something for the people when they so desperately needed it. Except…

"You aren't a monster, Tanuki-san." Ryuuma was smiling up at him, in a gentle, sad sort of way. It was honestly such a strange expression on Ryuuma's face that Ichibi was taken aback for a moment. His voice was sad as he continued. "I think… applying 'monster' to you is a loose term. I mean, even Humans can be monsters. You've seen what Humans are capable of, yet they dare to call you and your siblings, monsters. Tsk, tsk, tsk!"

Ryuuma reached over and patted Ichibi on his nose. "I've seen Humans do some pretty bad things to each other, especially when they think they can get away with it and do. But sometimes, you have those folks who simply don't want to be saved. Who knows why? Maybe they don't like the idea of peace because to them that would mean they no longer have a purpose. People want to fight; but not how the Giants like doing things."

Ryuuma shrugged lopsidedly. "At least, that's what an old man I met at a bar on the Outside said to me, once. Seems like it applies here, huh?"

Humans were prideful, feeble, curious creatures. Some of them came to the Biju filled with respect and awe. Others feared the Biju; or saw them as nothing more than weapons that could end wars for a price. What an insult it was, attempting to bribe the Biju to win a war!

"You've heard the stories about us, and have seen what the Biju are capable of casually – and I told you that I killed a bunch of Humans…and you still aren't afraid?"

"And why would I be? You're my friends – I'd kill for you." Ryuuma gave a laugh, as if he had told a joke Ichibi wasn't in on but should still understand anyway. "Not that I'd ever have to, I mean, you're the Biju. Not even armies stand a chance. People need you, you know? The Biju – they've saved Wano before, and you've saved me personally, for that I'll always be grateful. I owe you for that."

Ichibi stared at Ryuuma – what a ridiculous Human that he was. But that statement – well, there was more than one statement, actually. Something in Ichibi, his emotions were no longer storming within him. In fact, calm bemusement was in its place. Ryuuma was a very strange individual.

They were silent as the sun went down. When the sun finally disappeared beyond the horizon; and a crescent moon took its place, and the stars were like thousands of pinpricks in the sky, Ichibi's rumbling voice broke the silence:

"Shukaku."

Ryuuma jerked to look up at Shukaku. "What?"

Shukaku smiled down at the Human – it was more of a smirk, really. "Shukaku. That's my name, Ryuuma-san."

A smile spread across Ryuuma's face – a Biju giving someone their name, it was a great honor. For there had been many people in the past who had known the Biju their entire lives, and had never earned even one name.

"It's nice to meet you, Shukaku-san."

00000

"What?" Gaara voiced aloud, from where he was sitting at the table with the others. A few of the people stopped what they were doing to look at Gaara, who had unexpectedly spoken up.

"Hmm? Sand-brat?" Zoro looked at him.

"Gaara, you alright?" Usopp asked.

Gaara looked spaced out for a second before his eyes widened and a grin spread across his face. "Shukaku! His name is Shukaku! Zoro-nii! Ichibi – Shukaku gave me his name! He said it was alright to tell you guys, this is the best!"

It was surprising to the crew that Gaara could actually be loud.

Luffy whooped, and was undeterred by a coughing fit. He could feel the excitement from Gaara and the calm amusement from Shukaku, "That's amazing!"

Gaara was so elated, and Vivi began crying again, with so much joy – because she understood the significance of such an act. "Thank you, Shukaku-sama."

Zoro was tackled into a hug from Gaara, and Zoro fumbled his drink a bit, but he kept it in place with his Chakra. Zoro simply grinned with pride. "Good job, Sand-brat." With a smirk, Zoro raised his bottle, "It's nice to meet you, Shukaku."

For Shukaku, it was almost like seeing Ryuuma again.

00000

Kyuubi couldn't voice his frustrations enough. For his brother to give his name out so easily like that, Kyuubi scoffed. Shukaku had always been the sentimental one. Having a love for Humans… Wait…Kyuubi shook his head. Since when did Shukaku care about Humans? He hated them, and wanted nothing but bloodshed.

Kyuubi's thoughts were interrupted when he had a visitor. His eyes narrowed when he saw Naruto approach him.

"So…Shukaku gave Gaara his name…"

Naruto put his hands behind his back and dug his toe into the rock he was standing on. He then looked up at Kyuubi expectantly. Naruto also tried adding puppy-dog eyes.

Kyuubi narrowed his eyes. "No."

"What?! Why not, 'ttebayou?!"

"Because I'm not as foolish and impulsive as my brother."

Naruto huffed and pouted, then stuck out his tongue. "Spoilsport! I'll get you to tell me your name, no matter what!"

Naruto was gone, and he was pouting loudly, ensuring that Kyuubi could feel how annoyed Naruto was at Gaara earning Shukaku's name – hell, he even felt the jealously that lingered in the back of Naruto's mind.

Kyuubi rolled his eyes at how childish Naruto could be.

0000

Kyuubi could see the desperation and the hope in Vivi's expression. Her love and determination for the people of Alabasta was to be admired.

It was a difficult thing to admit, but…he had no idea what she wanted. He didn't know what he was supposed to do.

There was something at the back of Kyuubi's mind. A distant memory eating away at him…and Kyuubi forced his way through it, trying to pull the memory to the surface. Something triggered when Vivi spoke of the Biju and saving her country… then that something within his memories, of a time so very, very long ago slowly began to surface…

As unfortunate a thing it is, sometimes wars must be fought.

Humans justify their wars in numerous ways; sometimes, the war is about conquering lands and its people; sometimes they are fought to overthrow a tyrant. Humans can easily settle these things between themselves with the right sort of people taking charge.

Giants have a unique view on war; for them, it is about honor above all else. If anything, it is a group of people gathering together to fight and settle their differences and no-one dies as a result – or if death is required, it is an honorable death. But even Giants will succumb to greed, jealousy, and hatred, and they will go to war for blood.

[***]

Several hundred years ago, somewhere in Elbaf:

Kyuubi sat amidst a battlefield; the smell of rot and burned flesh was in the air. There was wailing as Giants removed their helmets and collapsed to their knees next to their former comrades; brothers-in-arms burned beyond recognition.

A Giant slowly walked up and sat down next to Kyuubi. Actually, it was more like he collapsed in exhaustion and defeat.

He removed his helmet and his gauntlets then ran his hands through his mane of hair and over his face. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, it was clear that he had been crying. In fact, he was crying still, and couldn't hold back his tears.

"This isn't what I wanted, Kyuubi-sama." His voice sounded broken. More like a small child's, really. Not like the hardened warrior that he was.

"No-one ever does, Tjorvi." Kyuubi responded with a grumble.

"He was my brother! I tried talking to him, and—we—I…I could have gotten through to him, if I'd had just a little more time…"

Kyuubi sighed heavily, his chest rumbled with the action. Clearly, the Giant had been trying to convince himself of what could have been. Mortals, even the ones who lived for a few centuries, had foolish notions such as these.

"How much longer, Tjorvi? When your fields burned, and the widowed and orphans wept for their losses? When your people starved? When your country became nothing more than a distant memory that no longer exists on future maps?"

"But you have siblings too…" Tjorvi reasoned. "Surely, you've given them second chances to redeem themselves, somehow…"

Kyuubi shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Us Biju, we aren't like the traditional families. Yeah, we've had our differences and petty squabbles, but the future of a freaking country has never been in the middle of our disputes."

Tjorvi said again, "I could have gotten through to him…If only-"

"Tjorvi, the moment when Geiter wouldn't listen to even me meant that such drastic actions had to be taken. This,"Kyuubi flicked one of his tails towards the bloody and burned devastation around them, "was what we wanted to avoid. This was what they were warned about, and they wouldn't stand down."

Tjorvi looked so lost. "I don't understand how things could have gone so wrong…my precious younger brother – he –" Tjorvi choked back a sob. "I don't know why he did what he did! I want to understand! Was he suffering and I failed to notice?! Did he resent me?! Was it something I did? Did I cause some sort of overlooked slight that festered in his soul?!"

Kyuubi looked up at the sky as it started to rain. How ironically and annoyingly poignant.

"He wanted war, plain and simple, Tjorvi. It wasn't anything you or your parents did or didn't do." Kyuubi looked at Tjorvi pointedly and scoffed. "Something you have to remember, Tjorvi, is that not all Clans share the same honor and ideals. The Elemental Nations is rife with Clans who were once a close-knit family unit that are divided by beliefs, politics, greed, the list goes on – and those things, are caused by even more reasons." Kyuubi softly added, "Sometimes, those reasons are justifiable and completely understandable. Other times, those people are like Geiter – they just want violence, because they can."

Kyuubi had felt Geiter's greed and bloodlust so strongly he could taste it, along with his fury at being told to stand down and come to a peaceful resolution. The men and women who had joined him reveled in the violence Geiter caused.

Tjorvi buried his face in his hands. "I feel so lost, Kyuubi-sama. What am I supposed to do?"

Kyuubi looked out at the Giants, who were still mourning the losses of their brothers in blood and arms.

"You need to be strong, for them. You need to pick up the broken pieces and continue living for the sake of others. And try to avoid wars that will drive your country to ruin."

"How am I supposed to do that? After all this?"

"I suppose…remember the pain of having to fight your loved ones over something so petty. So empty and pointless. This isn't something you get over… You just…keep moving forward. Tell the truth. Don't forget what happened and don't try to justify Geiter's actions too much…because then someone will twist the words and sympathize with him, and there could be another situation like this one.

"Hmm, tell future generations of the mistakes that were made and what you wish had been done differently – what should have been done differently, and be sure to implement that. Not knowing your history is a dangerous thing, especially if it's your own."

Tjorvi didn't seem to know what to say to that. Finally, he murmured, "I suppose that's true, Kyuubi-sama…" he took a deep breath and let it out heavily in clear exhaustion. "I…I'm going to burn my… Geiter now…he needs his funeral rights, all of them do. Even after what he did, he still deserves at least that much." Tjorvi glanced up at the sky. "I can't…do that just yet, though. The rain is…there's too much of it…"

Kyuubi watched as Tjorvi got up and walked away. The Fox pitied him. The air was unpleasant.

"Hey, Tjorvi…" Kyuubi said, getting the Giant's attention, "I'm sorry that I couldn't… that it came down to this."

Tjorvi offered a kind, tired smile. "It's like you said, Kyuubi-sama… Geiter…" Tjorvi broke. He had been holding back earlier. Tears and snot mixed with the rain running down his face. He covered his face with a hand. "He wouldn't listen, and there was no other choice."

Kyuubi remained silent as the Giant sobbed, loudly, truly letting out all of his frustrations and emotions.

After a while, Tjorvi pulled himself together, mostly. He was still sniffling, but he managed, "Thank you, for doing what you could, Kyuubi-sama."

Kyuubi only nodded. He didn't bother to shake the rain from his fur as he stood. The sky was still thick with rainclouds and refused to let up. This was the least Kyuubi could do. He gave a fierce wave of his tails; and the force broke through the clouds, letting the sunlight through.

That was that, then. Kyuubi started to trod away before looking back one last time when someone called out to him.

Several of the Giants waved solemnly, before turning back to their task of ever so carefully separating the corpses and sorting them by the familial crests and unique designs on their armor – the only things that identified them. Others were constructing funeral pyres to properly send their dead off.

Ending wars was hardly a pleasant thing.

[***]

Kyuubi blinked. He thought of Vivi, being surrounded by burning, bleeding corpses. 'I didn't want anyone to die, but I don't blame you'

She would be broken, and blame herself for bringing ruin to her country. That was what the Biju are…except…she didn't see them like that.

"I know you can save my people," Vivi was so damn adamant of that.

He didn't know what Vivi expected him to do, and for some reason, he felt guilty.

00000

***East Blue; Dawn Island: Six-and-a-half Years Ago***

Much like his son and grandson, Garp would make unannounced entrances and laugh at everyone's annoyance. So, Garp burst into Dadan's house, and announced, "I'm here for my precious grandsons! It's time for a training session!"

All of the Bandits ceased their conversations and slowly turned and looked at Garp with wide eyes.

"Oh…welcome, Garp-san." Dogra said with an unnecessarily loud voice, while trying to not glance at the kitchen but horribly failing at it.

"How's the Marine life treating you, Garp-san?" Magra asked in an also unnecessarily loud voice.

"Garp, you need to take those two brats and keep them with you!" Dadan yelled, since she was much better at acting normal than some people.

"They'll be out of your hair when they become Marines." Garp waved a hand, brushing off Dadan's complaint.

This of course got both Ace and Luffy to protest becoming Marines.

"That was a long hike, and it's hot outside…I'm gonna grab a drink before we go." Garp started making his way towards the kitchen, when both of his grandkids suddenly grabbed him and were talking over each other.

"Let's go train now, old man!"

"I want meat, Grandpa!"

Garp patted their heads affectionately, causing Luffy to squirm away and Ace to huff and scowl. "Just let me get a drink and we'll head out."

"I can get it for you…" Kam started to offer, except Garp had now disappeared into the kitchen. "Oh, no…"

In the kitchen, Garp saw a new member of Dadan's Family.

"Oh, hi there!" Garp greeted. His smile fell when the guy turned to look at him with eyes drawn rather badly on his eyelids. One eye looked like a lazy eye and the other drifted into the guy's eyebrow.

"Good afternoon," the younger man greeted with a forced, wide smile. His voice held no real inflection. "Ya must be Garp, I've heard so much about ya."

"You're a strange guy!" Garp laughed as he patted the guy on the back, which felt more like heavy slaps to Touma. "I'm Garp, Ace and Luffy's grandpa."

Touma winced in discomfort, but also because he realized that he hadn't exactly thought of a fake name to use with Garp if he ever encountered the man.

"…Tona…" Touma replied, "Nice t'meet ya."

Garp laughed at this strange individual. He was certainly an eccentric guy.

The men in the kitchen didn't notice the face-palms, eye-rolls, and disbelieving looks being sent their way.

Garp sat down at the table with the other Bandits and he took a swig of his water before saying, "There's another reason I'm here; you've heard about Black Dog Mongril and his crew by now, right?"

"Yeah, that bastard's been causing a bit of trouble in Goa." Dadan stubbed her cigarette out.

Mongril had been making a name for himself in various parts of Goa for the past few months, but it hadn't really bothered Dadan all that much, since he had pretty kept to his side of Mt. Columbo, far away from her territory.

"I'm wondering if you can keep an eye out for them," Garp said. "Black Dog's men beat an old shopkeeper and his wife to death a few days ago, which is a first, as they haven't killed anyone before that; only wounded – a few stiches here and there, but nothing so severe that someone died. Guess either they got more confident, or the robbery went severely out of hand. Judging by their trajectory, I think they may be headed here."

"Really, Garp? You're making us do your job?" Dadan complained. "Shoveling all this work on us."

"I'm not shoveling anything onto you, Dadan!" Garp laughed in his denial. "I'm just saying that I may just so happen to be looking the other way if your group comes across any of Black Dog's men and you very conveniently make our problems go away."

"Mongril can be petty and vengeful." Dadan stated, because she didn't want anything to do with the man. Defending her territory was one thing, but it was another when it was attacking Mongril's men without provocation – and hoping she could get away with it. It would be far better if Black Dog stayed on his side of Mount Columbo and left them alone.

"Hey, you'll get paid for it." Garp argued. "You can keep the spoils. It'll save us from having to pay you for turning him in."

"Fine, fine, you stingy bastard." Dadan reluctantly gave in. "But if at any point it looks like we're in over our heads, I'm going to protect my family by staying out of it and you can actually do your damn job!"

"Thanks, Dadan!"

Garp was quick to notice that both Ace and Luffy moved differently when it came to their combat training. They were faster, and while their dodges weren't exactly perfect, the boys could certainly last longer with their inelegant dodging.

"This is very nice!" Garp praised. "At this rate you'll make fine Marines yet!"

Luffy stopped and stuck out his tongue. "I'm not gonna be a Marine!"

"Whatever." Ace scoffed. He crossed his arms and glared up with all the defiance he could muster. "There's no way I'll ever be a Marine, I'll be a Pirate."

"Yeah!" Luffy agreed as he mirrored Ace in crossing his arms. Instead of glaring, Luffy beamed. "I'm gonna become the Pirate King."

"Enough of that nonsense." Garp replied. "It's far better for you to be a Marine, and Ace, you'll be at the age they accept applicants soon enough, so it's best that you're prepared-"

"And wear one of those stupid, tacky outfits?" Ace cut Garp off. "I wouldn't be caught dead in one of those things!"

"Yeah!" Luffy nodded along.

Garp pressed the bridge of his nose. Not this again.

"I wanna be a Pirate, like Shanks." Luffy started saying. He was basically babbling in his excitement. "I promised I'd give this hat back to him, so I have to be a Pirate-"

"You aren't going to be a Pirate, Luffy!" Garp's voice raised unexpectedly.

"Why not?!" Luffy demanded. "I wanna be a Pirate, I'll get an awesome crew, and I'll be the Pirate King!"

"Hey!" Ace's voice joined in. "What makes you think we even want to be Marines or have anything to do with those bastards?"

"It's better for you to be Marines than Pirates! You don't need to have a bounty on your head, either of you," Garp pointed at Ace, "Especially you!"

"So, if I don't become a Marine, I have to waste away here, and live out a boring life? It's not like being a Marine is any safer than being a Pirate."

"Being a Pirate means you won't have any protection-"

"Oh, you're going to protect us? From what? And why would I – why would anyone want to join people like the Marines?"

"I don't wanna be a Marine, at all! Ever never! No way!" Luffy felt like he had something important to add to the conversation. "They don't party, eat meat, or have adventures! And they always have rules."

Luffy made a face at the mere thought of rules.

"Enough of that nonsense!" Garp's voice took on an unexpected hard edge. "I'll say it as many times as I have to! You aren't going to be a Pirate!"

Luffy looked close to tears in his frustration. "But I don't wanna be a Marine!"

"You don't get to be the one to decide that!" Ace shot back, glaring at Garp. "Here you leave us with Dadan for months at a time, only show up every once in a while when it suits you, and you want us to just be shut up in a cage! That's basically what the Marines are!"

"Listen here, you two," Garp's voice had raised quite a bit and he might as well have been yelling at those new recruits who thought that being a Marine was simply living life out on a boat with matching uniforms as a bonus. "You two are going to be Marines, and that's final! If you weren't so connected to that damn hat and the Red-Haired bastard who put that pipe dream in your head, I'd toss it out!"

Luffy clutched his beloved straw hat protectively. "NO! You can't have Shank's hat!"

Ace felt hot – even though the evening was cool. "You bastard! When are you gonna get it through your thick head that neither of us want to be Marines?! We're going to be Pirates!"

"Absolutely not! I am not going to hunt either of you down, not like your –" Garp cut himself off from whatever it was he was saying, and sighed. Taking a deep breath, he let it out as he tried calming down. This conversation was going in circles. He looked every bit his age, just then. "Look, it's better if you two become Marines, instead of simply staying on Dawn – or becoming Pirates."

"I'm gonna be the Pirate King, and that's final!" Luffy shot back.

"Hey, Old Man…" Ace's fists clenched. He felt so hot he might just burst into flames. "What about the Tenryuubito?"

"The Tenryuubito?" Garp asked. The change in topic was unexpected. "What about them?"

"The Marines are essentially their lapdogs, right?" Ace glared at the ground by Garp's feet before looking up at the man. "They snap their fingers, say 'jump' and you ask how high."

"What's that got to do with anything, you brat? Where'd you even hear about 'em anyway?"

"Those bastards are the ones who killed Sabo! Magra told us everything! You really think that either of us are going to work for the people who freaking murdered our brother?!" Ace snarled. "Or do you even care?!"

At the thought of Sabo, Luffy stared at the ground and fidgeted.

"Ace, you brat!" Garp threw his hands in the air. "What makes you think I don't care?!"

"Because that guy was never brought to justice! Aren't Marines all about that crap?! Or is it when it only applies to people who don't have you by the balls?!" Ace grabbed Luffy's arm. "Come on, Lu. We're leaving." Turning to glower at Garp over his shoulder, "We're tired, so we're heading back."

"I'll turn you two into fighting fit Marines even if it kills me!" Garp yelled. But it felt like an empty statement.

Neither boy turned back to look at him. Luffy almost did, but Ace said something to him and Luffy quickly turned to face forwards.

Garp silently stared at the boys as they disappeared into the forest. He sighed as he scratched at the back of his neck. This was far too complicated. The boys took after their parents in the best and worst ways. Far too free-spirited and strong-willed. They were so stubborn, that it was like the immovable object meeting the unstoppable force.

But this was for the best, he told himself. It was far better to become a Marine for everyone involved.

The boys could see the ocean from where they were, and a few stars were already out. They had often stared out at the distant horizon talking about their dreams of seeing what was beyond what they could see. There were places that were just pictures in the books Kam showed them; places that Touma told them about; and they desperately wanted to see those places for themselves.

As they were heading back when they ran into someone.

"Maggie!" Luffy wrapped his arms around her leg.

Ace scolded, "You really shouldn't wander out here at this time of day because of the tigers."

"Oh! Hi, Luffy, Ace." Maggie greeted them happily. She brushed a few strands of her dark purple hair out of her face.

Maggie worked with Makino at her bar as a cook and waitress plus, she was Kam's older sister. She was one of the few people of Goa who willingly traversed the mountains with little to no concern for the beasts that roamed the island. They'd never bothered her, so by her own logic, she would be fine.

"I couldn't just sit around waiting for Kam to see me, you know. He never comes down the mountain."

"You're bringing food again?" Ace asked, and he reached out with a silent offer to carry one of the bags on her shoulders. "Huh…I didn't realize it was already the third Wednesday of the month."

"Yep! Also medical supplies, along with washed and mended clothing." Maggie handed Ace a bag, and gave Luffy one as well. "I know Bandits are pretty self-sufficient, but I still worry."

She studied the boys for a moment and frowned. "Are you two alright?"

"Stupid grandpa!" Luffy huffed.

"The old man's so insistent on us being Marines." Ace complained.

Maggie was silent for a few seconds before smiling softly and saying, "Garp cares, but he just doesn't know how to say it. He's trying to show you, but…eh…he's not very good at showing it, either. I'm sure he wants you to be safe, and be able to take care of yourselves when he's no longer around. Being a Marine is sort of insurance, I guess."

"But he's such a jerk about it!" Luffy whined a little, but he didn't really care. He felt entitled to a little whining after talking with his grandpa.

"He's always trying to control us." Ace added as he kicked a rock.

Maggie winked at them, "Try to get along with Garp, and understand him. Take his training for what it is."

"He's training us to be Marines, nothing else."

Maggie ran her fingers through Ace's hair, disheveling it even more. She just laughed as he scowled at her.

"You need a proper haircut young man, we'll do that back at the house." Maggie stated, and Ace scoffed but didn't protest. "Anyway, you two need to get along with your grandfather, and listen to him."

"But he doesn't listen to us! Why should we listen to him?" Luffy whined. "I tell him I wanna be a Pirate, and he hits me."

Maggie winced, as she had witnessed Garp's "Fist of Love" more than once.

"Yes, but…don't take his training for granted. You can still follow those crazy dreams of yours. You two are his precious grandkids, and he has a lot of responsibilities." Maggie shrugged. "You being Pirates means he might just have to prioritize his job over family."

"What does 'prioritize' mean?" Luffy asked.

"It means he'll have to decide what's more important; you two as his family, or his role as a Marine."

Ace scoffed and picked up a small rock. He threw it at a tree, clearly frustrated. "Being a Marine, that means rules, rules, rules – and being a Government lapdog." Ace looked up at Maggie. "They killed Sabo, Maggie. And Gramps actually wants us to work for the people that did it."

Maggie nodded, understandingly.

"One thing you could do is go ahead and enter the Marines, and then a few weeks in suddenly realize that that life isn't for you, and just leave. That way, you can still sort of meet your grandpa's expectations, but still become a Pirate."

Surprised, Ace stared at Maggie who shrugged. Honestly, working in a bar or not; she didn't really seem the type to be encouraging people to become criminals.

"…Or, just stop talking about being Pirates, take Garp's training for what it is, and then one day…you just leave for your adventure before you have to leave for recruitment."

"You're so smart, Maggie!" Luffy praised.

Perhaps Maggie shouldn't be encouraging kids to commit the crime of Piracy, but she could see how the boys' eyes lit up whenever they spoke of Roger and Pirates. How their expressions looked when they stared out at the horizon. Those were flames that simply couldn't and shouldn't be snuffed. She couldn't really picture them being Marines, anyway.

+0000+

Present Day

Naruto and Gaara kept an eye on the Log Pose while they sailed along seemingly aimlessly. Or at least, it felt that way. Nami was gradually getting sicker. Pudding and Sanji were doing all they could to make sure her fever stayed down and got fluids so she wouldn't get dehydrated or malnourished. Both of them seemed particularly concerned, and their combined nerves made Luffy anxious.

Nami did wake up for a few minutes during the night to see that everyone was in the cabin asleep, and Gaara was sitting at the foot of her bed very much awake. He was messing with his sand, rolling bits of it between his fingers.

"Nami?" he asked when he noticed she was awake. Gaara looked almost hopeful that she'd gotten better.

Nami remembered that one night when she first met Luffy and the others; how Gaara was pretty much in the same position back then as he was now. He looked more concerned and relieved here and now; instead of suspicious and creepy. His presence was a source of comfort now; and not of fear.

She was happy that the crew cared so much.

Nami smiled at him. Her voice was weak as she whispered, "I'm glad you're here, Gaara-kun."

She was asleep again before Gaara could respond.

0000

The weather started to gradually get colder, and Vivi was relieved. "This consistent weather means that we're getting close to an island."

The Log Pose's needle was also showing promise of a nearby island. They could only hope that they could find it sooner rather than later.

"Joy." Gaara said flatly.

Vivi had to hide her amused smile, since Gaara had bundled his scarf around his head so only his eyes were visible. He also had on more than one layer, so he sort of waddled rather than walked. He also couldn't put his arms down by his sides; instead they stuck nearly straight out.

There was also the issue that he was barefoot – which now was coming back to bite him.

It looked as if he could topple over and not be able to get back up again without help. Usopp had the bright idea of attempting to push Gaara over, but was immediately deterred.

"Don't even." Gaara practically snarled without even turning around. Usopp scampered away because the possibility of losing a finger or a limb wasn't worth it.

Gaara didn't think it could get any worse, but then it started snowing. Gaara was even more miserable because people were thinking that this weather was "fun". They had the nerve to make things with snow.

Naruto had never seen snow before, and was elated. It was even more exciting that a concept like snowball fights existed.

Unfortunately, Luffy couldn't seem to play for as long as he would've liked because he kept doubling over into hacking coughs that sometimes had specks of blood in whatever he coughed up.

"Seriously, Gaara, you should have shoes on in weather like this." Usopp chided. He shivered at Gaara's glare, which was icier than the weather. So instead, he focused on his snow sculpture.

"Think of it as training, sand-brat."

That suggestion only earned a narrow-eyed glare.

"My feet are probably going to fall off if I train."

Pudding rolled her eyes and presented Gaara with a pair of snow shoes. "Didn't you know you had these? Nami-chan was the one to think of buying them."

Nami had also bought the boys several outfits for the various climates they could encounter.

Gaara finally relented wearing the snow boots. Moving around was awkward, and having his feet stuffed into the shoes contributed to his misery.

Luffy was earning plenty of glares from Gaara for not seeming to care about the cold in the slightest.

"How are you not even cold, Luffy-san?" Vivi asked.

"Huh?" Luffy questioned, before he started rubbing his arms and shivering. "It's s-so cold!"

"How are you realizing that now?" Sanji questioned. He grinned as he presented his snow sculptures to Vivi and Pudding. He'd definitely captured their beauty!

"Here's a jacket, Luffy-sweetie," Pudding handed Luffy a long, red jacket before going to admire her sculpture.

"I wish one of Captain's toes would fall off." Gaara irritably and very miserably muttered under his breath.

00000

They encountered a man who could stand on the ocean. At first, it had a few members of the crew wondering if he was using chakra. But then, it turned out he was standing on a submarine.

He had soldiers with him who asked (more like demanded) if they had an Eternal Pose to someplace called 'Drum'.

While they were talking, a man who very unwelcomely boarded Merry, took a chunk out of Merry's railing by biting it; much to everyone's shock.

"My carvings!" Gaara glared at the man, who was trying to eat their ship. He'd worked hard on those! There was also another very important factor; more important than his carvings. A large tendril of sand wrapped around the man's ankle. Neither the man nor his cohorts had time to react.

"Stop eating our ship! It's too damn cold!"

With a snarl, Gaara whirled the man over his head, then released him to fly away over several miles.

His companions blinked owlishly before it finally seemed to register what had happened.

"You dare treat the great Wapol like that?"

"Oi, your Captain's a Devil Fruit user, right?" Sanji thoughtfully pointed out.

"Drowning at sea…how poetic." Pudding cheerfully said. "I do wonder how long he'll last."

The men finally seemed to realize that their Captain couldn't swim, and would likely drown if they didn't hurry up and go get him. They quickly boarded their ship.

As they sailed away, the men yelled out at the crew:

"You better not forget this!"

"Remember us!"

"Please remember us!"

0000

It was with great relief that they came upon an island. They could only hope that it was populated.

"There are people!" Luffy announced, being able to sense them before he saw them. He coughed a bit.

"Stay right where you are, Pirates!"

Luffy could feel their suspicion and fear. These people had no reason to worry, he'd just tell them what they needed and they could finally help Nami.

"We need a doctor!" Luffy announced.

"Yeah, right!"

"As if we'd believe anything a Pirate has to say!"

"Just leave!" one man shouted, as he fired at them with his rifle.

Luffy heard the panicked yells below deck and the fear and anger spike from his nakama.

"You bastard!" Luffy immediately geared up for a fight.

The townsfolk prepared their weapons as well. This was going horribly wrong!

"Luffy-san, stop, please!" Vivi grabbed onto Luffy and didn't let go. "They aren't going to help us like this!"

Luffy turned to Vivi. She looked angry, but that wasn't what his Mystery Power was telling him.

Vivi then turned back to the townsfolk and bowed, her forehead pressed to the deck. She turned to look at Luffy out of the corner of her eye.

"You should bow too."

"Huh?"

"You have a lot to learn about being a Captain, Luffy-san." Vivi said just loud enough that only Luffy would hear. So Luffy copied Vivi and bowed.

Just then, Gaara burst out onto the deck, and his eyes looked furious. Sand was whirling around him. The people stiffened, and Gaara looked ready to attack. It really did look comical, seeing how Gaara waddled; but he was obviously out for blood.

"Someone fired a gun." Gaara stated. His eyes shifted towards the crowd. "My shield reacted."

"Gaara, stop." Luffy commanded, loud enough that the townsfolk would hear.

Gaara scowled from underneath his scarf.

"Gaara-san, you should bow too." Vivi suggested softly. Mostly because she was well-aware of how Gaara came across when he chose to threaten people.

Gaara paused for a moment and shifted awkwardly where he stood.

After a moment, he said, "…I can't bow."

That seemed to release some of the tension the locals held. Relieved that his senses weren't being throttled every which way, Luffy started speaking.

"My Navigator is sick-" Luffy was cut off with a coughing fit, and the cold, dry air probably didn't help things. Luffy pressed forward determinedly, even though he was wheezing a bit. "Our Navigator's really sick, and some of us have a cough. We need a Doctor. Please. I swear as a Captain that we won't do anything!"

Luffy pressed his forehead to the deck. His desperation was more than obvious.

"Very well." A man who looked rather imposing spoke up. He raised his hand, signaling to the others to call off the attack. He motioned, "Steer your ship to the dock in front of the green building."

"Thank you! Thank you, so much!" Luffy looked so happy and relieved. "We have to get Nami ready to go!"

When the Village Leader saw the genuine reaction, he smiled, just a little.

Dalton, as he introduced himself, wasn't sure what to think of the crew.

"If we get lost in the snow we might have to resort to eating each other to survive."

"Gaara, no-one's eating anybody!"

"Ah, you never know, Usopp-sweetie! Desperate times, and all that. Captain Donner's crew is infamous for that reason. Even the Captain was eaten, you know."

Usopp shivered. "That's horrible…"

"Hypothermia would be such a way to go…it often causes you to strip." Pudding blushed. "It would be humiliating to be caught out in your underwear…"

Usopp grumbled under his breath why she seemed so happy about that thought.

"I'll warm you up with my love, Sweets-chan~!"

"Oh, Sanji-dear~"

Another member of their crew coughed, which sounded bad. Dalton didn't have to be a Doctor to realize that.

"Zoro, you need to wear your jacket, seriously!" Usopp said. Since Nami was incapacitated, he had to be the voice of reason.

Zoro just glanced around, and seemed to think that wearing a T-shirt in this weather was fine.

"I can use this as training."

"No! No training until you get better, Zoro-nii, ttebayou!"

Naruto opted for the best determined glare he could muster as he insistently held out Zoro's coat.

Zoro winced and glared for a second before he scowled and accepted the jacket in defeat. "…Fine, damn brat."

Usopp sighed in relief that Zoro at least listened to Naruto.

"WHOA~ (cough, cough) look at those huge mountains!" Luffy grinned. He was carrying Nami on his back, and didn't really understand why (or care) that Sanji would rather she be carried "like a princess". As long as Nami got the treatment she needed, it'd be fine.

As they walked, Dalton told them a bit about Drum and its history. Wapol forcing the people to beg him for medical treatment; picking and choosing who got treatment and who didn't – which created resentment between the townsfolk and increasing their desperation. How he fled when the Blackbeard Pirates attacked, and left everyone to fend for themselves…

It was no wonder that the townsfolk were so defensive.

"We've recovered what we can over time, and we aren't willing to give up what we've finally achieved."

"Didn't we meet a guy who was looking for Drum, earlier?" Usopp questioned.

"Yeah, we did." Sanji said. "He tried eating our ship. Then the shitty brat here threw him off for several miles…"

"It was too cold to deal with his shit." Gaara muttered.

Dalton gave a frown to the boy who was wrapped up in layers of clothing.

"Well…hopefully Wapol doesn't find this place, again. If he does return, we're prepared to fight him off."

Dalton pointed to the tall mountains. "There's one Doctor left on the island, Dr. Kureha, who many folks consider to be a witch. She comes down from her mountain on her own whims to check on the various towns' residents."

"We can't just summon her or something?" Zoro asked, and Dalton shook his head.

"There's no real way to contact her, unless you can climb the Drum Rockies."

The mountains looked easy to climb, or so Naruto assumed. How hard could it be?

Zoro coughed, which turned into a nasty fit. He wiped away the few specks of blood on his hand on his jacket. "There's no guarantee that she's coming here, then. We should just go to her."

"Wow, who knew the Cactus-Brain could have a good idea?" Sanji quipped, and he grinned when Zoro glared at him.

"There's no need for all of us to go," Sanji reasoned. "So, Luffy, Nami, the Mossball and myself will go. The others can stay here if the Doctor comes and they can tell her we're on the way. Easy."

"I'll go too." Gaara stated. "I can carry Nami and everyone else with my sand. And we'll have an easier time climbing the mountain with chakra. We can leave this frozen hell faster."

"Less work for us, then." Sanji said. "We need to treat Nami-swan's ailment as quickly as possible."

With that, they set off.

Dalton led Usopp, Vivi, Pudding, Naruto and Karoo to his house to wait for the time being.

They had barely settled down when one of the other townsfolk practically burst through the door.

"The-the Doctor!" he practically wheezed. "I just saw her leaving her castle! She's headed towards Bighorn!"

Upon hearing that news, Usopp and Vivi decided that they would try to intercept the Doctor in Bighorn.

Naruto, Pudding and Karoo stayed behind just in case the Doctor passed through. If the Doctor was heading elsewhere, then one of them could ride Karoo to intercept her.

They borrowed a map and a sled from one of the townsfolk. Unfortunately for them, the Doctor was swift in her visits, because by the time they reached Bighorn, they were told she was heading towards Gyasta next.

00000

As their group trudged through the snow, Luffy and his group encountered several giant rabbits called Lapahns. They mostly ignored them, since it was more vital in getting to the castle. Gaara kept a tight grip on Zoro, not letting him fight or wander off unwittingly.

One oversized rabbit charged at them, only to be intercepted by a wall of sand. Of course, the Pirates still didn't pay any attention to the rabbits.

After several more passes, the four members who could actually move finally got tired of the Lapahns.

"Cut it out!"

Luffy punched a Lapahn; Sanji kicked one; Zoro grabbed one and slammed it to the ground; and Gaara grabbed one in his sand and threw it into a tree.

After that, they continued their trek.

"Oi…" Zoro pointed to a large group of Lapahns further up the mountain. "What're they doing?"

The creatures began jumping, which shook the ground. The Pirates could feel the impacts even from where they stood some miles away.

"They wouldn't…seriously?" Sanji wondered aloud. "Are they trying to cause an avalanche?"

"…This is probably where we all get buried alive and slowly freeze to death." Gaara muttered bitterly.

The snow further up the mountain slowly began falling; and building up slowly. Within minutes, a wall of snow was billowing towards them.

"Get behind me!" Gaara ordered as he formed a large sphere of sand around their group. Gaara held his hands out, as a protective measure to keep the sand up. He winced a little as the snow slammed into his shield and impacted around them.

Once the roaring stopped, Gaara then swirled and pushed his sand out, clearing their way.

"…Shit…" Sanji breathed. He didn't want to think of all the ways things could have gone wrong if Gaara hadn't been there. "That was too close. I think Gaara spoils us with his sand shield."

Luffy praised Gaara as well, thinking it was the coolest thing.

Gaara was thankful that his blush was hidden. "O-of course."

Luffy though, grinned at Gaara's elated feelings.

They neared the base of the mountain, when they passed a baby Lapahn desperately trying to dig its parents out of the snow. They probably were caught in their own attack. The baby snarled at them, trying to defend its trapped parents. Luffy said nothing as he simply stepped forward and pulled the parents out.

With that, Luffy motioned. "Let's go. We're almost there."

He coughed again, and wiped his mouth. It almost hurt to breathe right now due to the air getting thinner.

They finally reached the base of the mountain, and Luffy transferred Nami to Gaara, who made a makeshift basket with his sand to carry her. Since Gaara didn't want to remove his gloves and shoes no matter how much he detested wearing them, he just formed more of his sand into claws. Gaara then wrapped the others in his sand and began climbing the side of the mountain with his makeshift claws that he stuck into the rock face.

00000

The climb was tiring, and it was getting miserably cold. Wind and snow whipped around them. Gaara released a few Seals on him that weighed him down, making things much easier, but still. His clothes were slowly becoming soaked, defeating the purpose of keeping him warm.

Gaara pressed forward, and almost slipped at one point when his sand claw didn't penetrate the thick layers of ice. Luffy reached out with both hands, and was able to grip the ledge; and Gaara wrapped more sand around Luffy to strengthen his hold. Gaara let go of his hold on the mountain, and they shot upwards.

Both Sanji and Zoro were in agreement that rocketing upwards and then falling so close to a cliff's edge wasn't anywhere near fun. At least Gaara's sand was at the rescue once again. Maybe Sanji was right: Gaara's variety of uses for his sand had spoiled them.

Their group practically collapsed once they reached the top.

"It's too cold. I hate it here. I can't feel my face." Gaara complained under his breath. "My nose, fingers and toes are probably going to all fall off."

Zoro wheezed a bit. "We're almost there, sand-brat."

Sanji then took Nami, and carried her the way he believed she deserved to be carried: bridal style. They slowly made their way through the thick snow that was nearly twenty feet above their heads. They stumbled through the snow onto a shoveled path, terrifying a creature of some kind. It was difficult to make out what it was in the dark and falling snow.

Luffy let out a harsh sounding cough. He could sense curiosity, but mostly fear coming from the creature. "Please, help my nakama!"

The creature turned and started walking away, looking nervous. It briefly looked back at them, as if expecting them to follow. The creature seemed to shift and grow in height, but it was difficult to tell.

They were led to the castle, and once in the torchlight, they could see that the creature was a reindeer wearing a hat. The deer led them into the open doors of the castle. It didn't seem that the witch cared that the main entrance was chilly and was covered in a carpet of snow.

"Chopper? What's going on?" an old woman called as she leaned over a railing a few floors up.

Luffy quickly bowed, and ignored his raking cough. "Please, save my nakama! Nami's really sick!"

The old woman arched her brow when even Zoro let out a harsh cough.

"Alright, Chopper. Take 'em to the south wing."

The reindeer led them to a small room that had a few beds, and was warm.

Taking off their coats, and Gaara was more than thankful to strip off all the layers. Since they weren't sick, the woman had Gaara and Sanji hang everyone's clothes by a large fireplace so they could dry.

The old woman introduced herself as Dr. Kureha.

"Chopper, take care of the girl. You boys who are sick, come with me."

Kureha ordered Sanji and Gaara to go to another room so that they wouldn't get in the way.

Gaara glowered at her, and Kureha wouldn't budge. She'd been in this world for far too long to be intimidated by children; no matter how much they pouted and glared.

"What're you staring at, boy? Wondering about the secret of my youth?"

"What're you talking about? You're old." Gaara said bluntly.

His eyes widened when Kureha threw an axe at him. His sand blocked it, of course.

"Oh, my. My apologies," Kureha said through her teeth, not sounding sorry at all. "I get so worked up sometimes. Good thing you have that sand, otherwise, I would have had another patient."

Gaara quickly retreated to the room he and Sanji were ordered to go to, deciding that old ladies were scary.

0000

When Kureha heard that the pair had breathed in wax flakes, she was mildly amused.

"That's certainly something you don't hear every day." Kureha cackled, "Luckily for you two, all you need is a lung flush. Simple enough procedure."

Kureha frowned when Zoro tried to insist that he didn't need to be put under anesthesia. Kureha slapped Zoro across his head. She couldn't care less about the glare Zoro sent her way, creepy silver eyes or not. He was about as intimidating as a Lapahn kit.

"Of course you need it, you dolt!" Kureha huffed. "These young people insisting that they're so tough!"

After taking care of the boys, Chopper approached her because Nami needed some extra care. Wax flakes and kestia on top of that. The girl was extremely lucky.

0000

After they were done treating Nami, Luffy, and Zoro; Kureha had them all put in the same room to make observation easier. She also had a few patient files to go through, so Chopper was put in charge of their care.

When Chopper entered the room, he was shocked to see both Sanji and Gaara there. How they managed to sneak in, he wasn't sure. Both seemed to be asleep.

Oh, well. He could just ignore these Humans and get on with his task. He checked Nami's vitals, and then moved on to the other two.

Nami slowly opened her eyes, and glanced around. For a moment, she was confused. She probably would have panicked if she hadn't spotted Gaara's red hair – or saw Sanji with his head buried in his arms at the foot of her bed.

Nami then spotted the small reindeer.

"Oh, hello…" Nami croaked a little. She felt really thirsty. Still stiff and tired, but she could actually breathe without any effort now.

Chopper yelped, and tried and failed to hide behind the doorway.

Just then, Gaara opened his eyes from meditating, and he scowled at Nami when he noticed she was awake.

"Everyone was worried about you. We had to come to this miserably cold place. Don't get sick again."

"Aw, were you worried about me, Gaara-kun?" Nami teased as she ruffled his hair.

"No!" Gaara denied, stubbornly crossing his arms and not looking at her. He didn't pull away, either. "It was just…inconvenient, that's all."

"Sorry to worry you." Nami chuckled.

Nami then turned her attention to the reindeer-tanuki creature.

"Are you the one who helped me? Thank you!"

Gaara then turned his attention to Chopper, and his eyes widened. He hadn't seen the creature walking around, since he and Sanji had to sneak through the castle to avoid the terrifying old woman. He'd been talking to Shukaku as well, and had been invested in the conversation for hours.

"I…I only helped you because it was my job, that's all! I hate Humans, just so you know."

"Is that right?" Nami said. "You did a really good job, then. I feel better already!"

"Asshole!" Chopper danced a little as he giggled. "Bitch! Don't think your comments make me happy! I'm not!"

"I'm Nami, this is Gaara. That's Sanji. Over there is my Captain, Luffy – and the snoring guy at the end is Zoro, Gaara's brother. What's your name?"

"…I'm Chopper. Toni-Toni Chopper. So…you need to hurry up and leave, and…"

Chopper trailed off when Gaara approached him.

Gaara was looking at him with wide-eyed wonderment.

"What-what do you want, Human?!"

Gaara suddenly grabbed Chopper, and ignored his protests and demands. "Let me go! What do you think you're doing?!"

"So fluffy!" Gaara hugged Chopper tightly. "You're so fluffy I could die!"

"Let go of me!" Chopper managed to squirm away. "Don't touch me, Human!"

Due to the noise, the rest of the crew woke up.

Sanji fawned over Nami, while Luffy complained of being hungry. Zoro took one look at the ensuing chaos, and muttered about all the stupid noise and went back to sleep.

Luffy noticed Chopper and yelled, "FOOD!"

Chopper screamed and ran for his life, with Luffy in pursuit.

"NO!" Gaara protested as he took off after them. "He's not food, Captain! He's a cuddle-buddy!"

Nami watched them leave and smiled. "Things are getting back to normal, ne, Sanji-kun?"

"That it is, Nami-swan." Sanji agreed, and he wished he could light up a cigarette. Kureha had threatened him with experimental surgery if he so much as pulled out a cigarette and looked at it.

Without prompting, he got Nami a drink of water. Nami appreciated that Sanji payed attention to this sort of thing.

00000

Wapol and his crew recognized Drum Island easily enough.

"Finally, we're home." Wapol smirked. "Time to reclaim my title and my throne."

00000

Meanwhile, Chopper was fleeing for his very life from a couple of crazy people.

"Give me food!" Luffy demanded.

"I'm not food!" Chopper yelled back. "I'm a reindeer!"

Chopper let out a scream when Gaara suddenly tackled him from above. What the hell, had he actually jumped from one of the upper floors?! "Fluffy cuddle-buddy! Captain, I want to keep him!"

"Of course!" Luffy finally slowed down as he approached them. "Do you know where the food is? I'm starving!"

"Let me go!" Chopper roared as he grew in size. "I'm not going anywhere with you Humans!"

Gaara still hadn't let go of him; if anything, Gaara's hold tightened even more as he buried his face into the fluff on the back of Chopper's neck. "Giant fluffy cuddle-buddy! This is the best!"

"Get off of me!" Chopper yelled, to no avail.

"No!" Luffy now hugged Chopper, wrapping his arms around the reindeer and Gaara several times. "Not until you tell us where the food is!"

Chopper thought that these people were insane.

00000

Kureha went to see her patients, and frowned in clear disapproval that one patient was missing and was currently running around the castle when he should've been resting; and the two people who weren't supposed to be in there had snuck in at some point. Gaara had left behind his gourd, so she knew he had been there. Sanji at least looked a little guilty.

She ended up telling the Pirates about Chopper when they asked about him. That also brought about mentioning Dr. Hiriluk. What a foolish man he'd been; with an even more foolish dream. If he could see Chopper today…he'd be proud, and so insistent that he leave on some grand adventure.

"Thanks for treating us," Nami said. "When can we go? We have someplace we need to be."

"Feh, you can't go for at least another week!" Kureha huffed. "Three of you are still recovering from those issues with your lungs, and you still require some observation after recovering from kestia."

"…So…" Nami looked scheming. "What if we were to take your assistant with us?"

"What, you want to strand an old woman on top of this mountain without her assistant?"

Just then, Chopper, Gaara, and Luffy burst into the room, and practically barreled into Zoro.

Zoro began yelling and cursing at them, and threatening them with bodily injury.

"I'm gonna kick all of your asses!" Zoro yelled, and Chopper screeched.

"Zoro-nii! We're keeping him!" Gaara announced as he held onto a squirming Chopper.

"No! No!" Chopper protested.

"He's going to lead us to food!" Luffy said excitedly.

"I never said that!"

"You're disrupting the patients' rest!" Kureha scolded. "And you…" Kureha loomed over Luffy, "You should be resting!"

Luffy yelped and started to run away, though he looked a little too happy about it.

"Luffy, Gaara, cut it out!" Nami ordered.

Both Luffy and Gaara quickly turned to her, and Chopper wriggled away from Gaara's hold, and hid the corner of his face behind Kureha's leg.

"Well, it seems that Gaara-kun has spoken, we're keeping you, Chopper!" Nami announced, and both Luffy and Gaara especially, lit up.

"I'm-you're what?!" Chopper demanded.

"I never said that." Kureha replied harshly.

"Well…" Nami smirked at Kureha. "We still need to have some medical observation according to the good Doctor Kureha, and we don't have time to sit around for a week. So it makes sense for Chopper to come along, doesn't it?"

"I can't believe you're trying to steal my assistant," Kureha huffed irritably. "What nerve! I won't share the secret of my youth with you."

"…But you're already really old, you don't need him." Gaara reasoned. "Besides, when you die, the cold will just preserve your body very nicely."

Kureha stared at Gaara, while Nami looked between her and the boy, hissing admonishments. She let out a cackle, the cheeky nerve of this kid!

"Doctorine, tell them I don't wanna go!" Chopper begged.

Kureha simply smirked at them. "Check their vitals, will you, Chopper? These idiots got themselves so worked up. I have other things to take care of."

Chopper obeyed, and eyed Gaara and Luffy with suspicion.

"Soooo…" Luffy said far too casually, "Come with us! I like you."

"No…" Chopper stubbornly refused. But then, he asked, "Are you really Pirates?"

"Yep!" Luffy nodded. "Nami is my Navigator,"

"Don't forget Thief," Nami interjected with a wink.

Luffy nodded in agreement and continued.

"Zoro is my Swordsman; Sanji is my cook; Gaara has all this awesome Mystery Sand and a Mystery Person; and I'm the Captain! I'm gonna be the Pirate King."

"R-really?" Chopper turned to Luffy. "Have you…have seen amazing islands? Met new people?"

"We saw Giants at the last island." Luffy grinned. "And there were dinosaurs and giant bugs, too!"

Chopper was elated, hearing their stories.

Zoro and Gaara it seemed, had traveled quite a bit, and had interesting stories as well. Chopper wanted to join them, except…

"I can't go…"

"Aww, why not?" Luffy pouted.

"You're coming with us." Gaara stated, almost making it sound like a threat.

Nami was the one to give Gaara's shoulder a slight push, silently telling him to not threaten people.

"I'm a monster." Chopper said. That was reason enough. No-one wanted a monster on their crew.

"You aren't a monster." Gaara immediately disagreed. "I know, because I've been called a monster, too. Zoro-nii, my other brother, Naruto, and my nakama, I'm not a monster to them."

Chopper looked at Gaara, wondering how anyone could consider the Human boy to be a monster. Sure, he had those strange eyes, and a smell sort of like an animal yet not – there was a scent of sand and blood – but yet – there wasn't even a hint of a threat.

"You should come with us. It'll be great; you won't have to put up with all this stupid snow."

Just then, Luffy jolted and he scowled. He was uncharacteristically serious. "Remember that guy who tried to eat our ship? He's outside."

The scent of a threat wafted off of Gaara just then, as he looked furious. "That bastard ate Merry's railing. I spent hours carving patterns into her railing and Usopp polished it. And he ruined it."

Chopper and the others ran outside, with Gaara debating whether or not he would wear his layers of clothing. He could hardly move with the clothing on, so with a heavy, put-upon sigh he braved the frigid weather. He still wore his gloves and shoes, at least.

00000

Kureha glared at Wapol as he marched through the castle gates as if he owned the place. He'd forsaken any right to it when he abandoned his people. They watched as he consumed various objects, and Chopper gasped when Wapol went for the doors.

"The birds!" Chopper went to save the defenseless creatures.

"That guy!" Luffy fumed.

"We can take 'em," Zoro said.

Kureha whacked both of them, hitting pressure points that caused both of them to crumble to their knees. "You can't fight, you idiots!"

Kureha scolded both of them. "Seriously, you'll do more damage to your bodies if you don't rest! You aren't fighting!"

"But…but…" Luffy tried to argue.

Kureha thrusted her thumb towards Sanji and Gaara. "You've got two uninjured perfectly healthy crewmembers." She turned towards them. "You can fight, right?"

Sanji nearly lit a cigarette. He tapped the floor with his toe. "Of course."

"Yes, I can." Gaara said with a creepy grin.

"I wanna fight too…" Luffy bemoaned, as he pressed himself up against the railing like he was in prison. This wasn't fair!

000000

One of the men burst into Dalton's house. "Sir! We have—an emergency!"

"Stay here," Dalton ordered the Pirates as he followed his subordinate.

Pudding glanced outside, and frowned. Dalton, and the rest of the villagers looked concerned about something. They hurried off as a group.

"Something's going on," Pudding said, "obviously. Their cute, little, panicked faces make it look really bad."

She glanced over at Naruto. "So, Naruto-sweetie, do you feel like staying here, twiddling your thumbs, or do you want to have fun?"

Naruto was on his feet in seconds. "Have fun, 'ttebayou!"

Pudding pulled on her jacket. "Let's go, then."

00000

Wapol and three of his cronies used the soldiers as a means of distraction. Dalton tried fighting Wapol off, but it was fruitless. Wapol continued to eat the villager's houses, and Dalton was powerless to stop him. Dalton was thankful that people ran out of their houses, and weren't consumed by Wapol. Though seeing their fear; watching as the lives they had built up being torn apart around them – Dalton was furious.

A true King didn't disrupt his citizens' lives like this!

Wapol continued on his way toward the Drum Rockies as if it were nothing that he had essentially torn apart an entire village for his own gain. Not like it was a surprise.

"Wapol!" Dalton yelled as he charged at the former King.

There was the sound of a gunshot, and a scream. Dalton felt something hot tear through him – he gasped and fell to his knee. He forced himself to stand up again.

"WAPOL!" Dalton snarled. No matter what, he wouldn't – couldn't give in. He charged forward. Dalton's advance was halted when a second shot rang out. He fell forward, then. The white snow underneath him was slowly becoming red. He watched as Wapol, Chess, Kuromarimo, and Condor; along with a few more of his cronies continued on their way, hating that he couldn't move.

He forced himself up again. He wouldn't give in here!

Dalton tried to fight the men off, but he was injured and severely outnumbered. One man raised his gun towards Dalton's head and pulled back the hammer. Dalton glared defiantly. He wouldn't offer the satisfaction of begging for his life.

"Oh, my…what have we here?" Pudding's voice spoke up, giving everyone present pause. Dalton stared. Hadn't he told her and the boy to stay back at his house? "Oh-what have I been missing out on? Is that blood? I'm a little jealous of your position, Dalton-san, mind if I join you?"

Pudding slowly walked towards them, her magenta pink jacket stood out amongst the snow and darker colors the townsfolk and soldiers wore.

"So many handsome men, I'm outnumbered and that means you could take advantage of me…" Pudding shook her head. She hugged herself with a sigh, and winked. Blush colored her cheeks. "My innocence could be ripped away so easily…please, be gentle."

"What?" the soldiers questioned. They all glanced at each other, not knowing what to make of the situation.

Something burst out of the snow, and screams suddenly followed as Naruto ripped through the men, spinning with Hayabusa. Sure, rifles were cut, along with several fingers. But at least no-one lost any limbs! That was a victory, in Naruto's opinion.

"Red snow makes me think of cherry snow cones." Pudding smiled as she drew her knives with a flick of her wrists. "I wonder what sort of recipes you'll inspire in me?"

"F-fire!" one of the men shouted, and his men aimed their guns and fired.

Pudding charged towards a soldier, and ducked forward into a flip. Her leg shot over her head, kicking the gun to the ground. Continuing with her forward momentum, she sliced his leg easily, and straightened. He fell to the ground, as his leg could no longer support his weight.

"You certainly move fast for a first date," Pudding smiled as she glanced down at her slightly bloody shoulder. She broke his dropped rifle with a fierce, Haki-powered kick. "I'm flattered, really. We can get more personal with each other, then."

Pudding whirled out of the way as she sliced an oncoming soldiers' fingers. "Ladyfingers? Tiramisu? I'm getting hungry just thinking about it."

Another soldier charged at her, and yelled as he brought his now useless rifle down as a club. He struck Pudding across the back. The sound of its impact made even the villagers watching wince – because of how painful it looked and sounded.

"Oh!" Pudding cried out.

Pudding slowly turned towards the man, and he leaned away with a wide-eyed expression of fear. Pudding had a smile and blush darkened across her cheeks. "How fun! I'm going to have a bruise from that, most certainly." Pudding closed the distance between herself and the soldier in seconds, and reached out as she grabbed his collar. "That was elating~."

Another soldier who had lost the use of his rifle thanks to Naruto, tried to sneak up behind her. He figured he could use her as a hostage against the boy and he could save his comrades. Instead, Pudding smashed the knee of the soldier she was holding onto with a kick. Then whirled around, now wielding two knives.

The man yelled out in pain as Pudding stabbed his shoulders, and sliced the knives down the entire length of his arms.

Pudding looked far too overjoyed to be normal as she sliced her way through Wapol's soldiers.

"You men have such big guns but no idea how to properly use them…color me disappointed," Pudding lamented as the last of the soldiers fell.

"They seem to be using them just fine?" Naruto said as he walked up to her. "They just aren't very good shots."

"You're so cute, Naruto-sweetie. Ah, such innocent youth." Pudding patted Naruto's head, confusing him even more.

The townsfolk stared at the two Pirates, who easily dispatched the soldiers.

Pudding unzipped the soldiers' coats, and sliced the ends into ribbons. She then hogtied the men and looked pleased with herself. She knew how to improvise.

"Well then," Pudding turned her attention to the villagers. "That was disappointingly easy."

"Yeah, not even a challenge for Hayabusa…" Naruto sighed. At least the kusarigama was somewhat listening to him, now. But he still had to think of a way to dual-wield his kusarigama, dammit, 'ttebayou!

"Dalton-sama!" one of the villagers yelled.

Dalton could feel himself fading. He cursed that he had failed here. That he had failed his people.

"We need to get the Doctor!"

"There's no time!"

"Well not if we're standing around arguing!"

"Excuse us…" several people slowly approached them. The Doctors slowly approached the villagers.

"You…what do you want?" one of the men asked venomously. The Ishii-20 had left them desperate long before they abandoned them.

"We can help!" another of the Doctors said, raising his hands in a show of peace.

Another Doctor spoke up, "Please, let us help him!"

The villagers hesitantly stepped back, but one villager said, "If you kill him…" he raised his gun meaningfully.

The Doctors understood, and felt that response was more than warranted. The Doctors worked quickly, and within minutes, Dalton's breathing was stable.

"It was thanks to that Quack Doctor, back then." One of the Doctors removed his mask. "His courage and sacrifice…it meant more than you could ever know."

"That it did," another Doctor agreed. "Wapol threatened us, and we'd lived under his thumb for so long…but not anymore."

One Doctor took off his glasses and cleaned them. "We won't have to worry about him – not that much, anyway. Not anymore."

"What're you talking about?" a woman asked.

"We fought back the only way we could," was the cryptic reply.

00000

Wapol and his men trudged through the snow. Robson yawned lazily and smacked his lips. The hippo would much rather be sleeping. The hippo anticipated resting once they reached their destination.

Several Lapahn intercepted them.

"Take care of those things," Wapol told his remaining soldiers, using them as the perfect distraction so that he, Chess, Condor, and Kuromarimo could go around.

The soldiers stared at the Lapahns with some trepidation. Well…they had guns. How hard would it be to dispatch some oversized rabbits?

One of the men fired his gun, and the Lapahn easily dodged it. Then it charged, bounding towards them, zigzagging as it went. Another man fired, and he saw how the Lapahn's white fur turned red. Instead of acting like it was injured, the Lapahn instead became even more enraged. Lapahns began leaping from the trees, snarling.

One man lost his arm, and another had his throat ripped out.

"Run away! Run away!" yelled their leader, because this was utterly hopeless. No-one protested his decision.

Their guns hardly did anything! Aggressive Lapahns were one thing; enraged, aggressive Lapahns were another.

It was a tactical retreat, of course. Nothing more.

0000000

Wapol huffed as he felt short of breath, for some reason. His arms were feeling oddly numb. He was tired, and he wanted to take a well-deserved nap in his old room. The thought was just a small part of what motivated him to keep going; even though he was sorely tempted to lay down and sleep right there where he stood in the snow.

Approaching his castle, Wapol took in the sight of the front door being wide open, letting in all the snow.

"Why are these doors open?" Wapol complained upon reaching his castle. "Whatever bastard's living here is making a mess of my castle."

There was a shoveled pathway, though why someone would purposefully not close the doors was beyond him. His eyes narrowed at the Pirate flag that rippled in the wind on a flagpole of the castle.

Without a second thought, Wapol took aim and shot the flag down.

"Stop! Don't!" Someone from inside the castle shouted just as he'd fired.

He smirked when it fell. Wapol let out a harsh cough. He didn't think much of it; since he could be taken care of later. He better not be getting sick, though. He shouldn't be sick. Now onto –

Chopper stared in horror as Hiriluk's flag fell.

"Huh…?" It took Wapol a moment. Then he realized. A cruel smile was on his face as he laughed, "You're that freakish creature who tried attacking us after that stupid, Quack Doctor killed himself! What a joke!"

Chopper growled at them. How dare he speak of Hiriluk like that! How dare he shoot down his flag! Charging forward, Chopper went to punch Wapol, except Condor intercepted him.

Chopper cried out as he was struck with a series of sharp, rapid kicks.

"What a stupid beast!" Wapol laughed cruelly. He fired his cannon at Chopper, sending him rolling several feet.

"You-you should just leave!" yelled Chopper, shakily standing to his feet. Chopper was determined to protect his home and Kureha. He charged again, and once again Condor tried kicking him – except this time, Chopper shrunk down so that the hits went over his head. Chopper shifted to his large form as he reached Wapol. Chopper grabbed his collar in a tight fist. "This country doesn't need you!"

Wapol stared at him, taken aback.

"I…" Chopper held back his fist, shaking. He was so angry, yet…Wapol looked so cowardly, and so pathetic. It wouldn't be worth hitting him. "I won't hit you, so leave this country!"

"Chopper!" Kureha called out. "He's not going to listen to you!"

Chopper turned towards Kureha. "But…"

Wapol smirked at the stupid beast for looking away. He aimed his cannon.

"Oi, don't take your eyes off your opponent!" Zoro yelled a warning from where he stood on the upper floor, but it came too late.

Chopper hardly had time to react as he was shot by Wapol. He was sent flying back.

"OI! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Huh?" Wapol and his men glanced up, and his eyes widened in shock. The flag was back! Someone was daring to defy him?!

"You fly a fake flag, right?" Luffy asked from his place on the roof. He ignored Kureha's yelling at him about his not doing stupid and risky things because he was still recovering. He had managed to save Chopper's flag, and tied it back to its proper place by using the sleeve of his jacket.

Luffy narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You have no idea what this Pirate flag means because you were fake Pirates who didn't even risk your lives!"

"What that flag means?" Wapol questioned. It was just a stupid flag, nothing more. What was the big deal? He laughed mockingly, "Stupid Pirate flags have no meaning!"

"That's why you're hopeless!" Luffy shot back. This guy was such an idiot for not getting a simple concept. "A Pirate flag isn't something you can raise as a joke!"

Wapol rolled his eyes. "You idiot! If it weren't for a joke, there's no way I, the King, would raise it!" Wapol slashed his hand through the air, emphasizing his point. What was so difficult to understand about this?! "You have no right to put that stupid flag back up when I take it down!"

Wapol took aim and fired again. Luffy simply grinned. "You can't break this flag!"

Wapol sneered when the cannonball exploded. Spreading out his arms and laughing madly, he declared haughtily, "He must've been blown away! Such an idiot!"

He went into a hacking cough again. Taking in a few breaths, his smirk was back.

Though his gleeful smile fell when there was…sand? A large sphere of sand was protecting the flag.

"What?!" Wapol demanded.

"See? What did I tell you?" Luffy asked, as the sand fell away. There was a kid standing sideways on the castle glaring at him. All the sand gathered into a gourd on his back.

The kid was practically holding back a snarl. "I won't let you hit my Captain."

"How is that possible?" Condor asked, giving a flap of his wings. Wasn't it Crocodile that had the Sand Devil Fruit? Perhaps the ability to stand on walls was a Devil Fruit, but how? No-one could eat two Devil Fruit!

"I don't know who the heck this Pirate flag belongs to," Luffy said, "but since this flag is a person's pledge to risk his life, it's not raised as a joke!"

Luffy now glared, and an energy of some kind crashed down on the cowardly King and his men.

"This flag isn't something you can just break while laughing foolishly!" Luffy looked every bit like the Captain he was as he declared, "You can't come and go as you please when it suits you. The life of a Pirate is one of pride, you commit your all to it! This flag, it represents that commitment! You can never destroy it!"

There was a warning and a firm command housed within that strange energy: run away.

Unfortunately, Wapol was far too foolish and had too much stubborn pride to run. Even though his senses whispered at him to run, he thought that it was just a fluke of some kind. There was no way these Pirates could do anything to him. His men seemed hesitant, but they stayed because he did.

Wapol was starving, and he figured he could just hit two birds with one stone by eating the doors. He would have more armor as well. Wapol casually ate one of the doors with a few loud chomps, then turned to the second one.

"Don't…" Chopper panted. The snowbird chicks were on that door, and he needed to keep them safe. He was in his larger form, nearly pleading. "Don't touch the door!"

Horrified upon seeing that Wapol had no intention to listen to him, Chopper charged forward to shove Wapol away from the door.

Luffy was fully intending to fight, except Kureha threatened him with an axe. She had absolutely no intention of letting him overexert himself – and while she appreciated it, his stunt with the flag had her threatening a month's bedrest. Not even Zoro was spared, since Kureha kicked him in the side and demanded that he not fight either.

Pouting, Luffy relented.

"Gaara! Show that bastard what it means to be a real Pirate!" Luffy did glare, looking surprisingly outraged. "Oh, and Gaara. You can take an arm and a leg."

Gaara slipped his goggles up and he grinned. "Thank you, Captain."

Wapol opened his mouth to bite the door when, a person surrounded by sand bodily crashed into him. Chopper skidded to a stop in shock. What just happened?

Gaara grinned madly. "I'll pay you back properly for eating Merry's railing."

"What? What?! How dare you hit me! I'm the King of this country!" Wapol yelled as he shifted his cannon into a machine gun.

Gaara's shield easily caught all of the bullets, and Wapol was left wondering what was with that sand? Gaara went through a series of spins to build up momentum as he formed a giant hand.

There was something in Wapol's attitude that rubbed Shukaku the wrong way. He couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was, or why he should even care. But a self-glorified, selfish, traitorous King who abandoned his people had no right to a throne.

"I don't give a fuck who you are!" Gaara replied, as his sand slowly expanded around him. His creepy smile unnerved Wapol, but he wouldn't be the one to admit it.

Gaara happened to glance over at Chopper's fight with Kuromarimo and Chess – only to see a ball of fluff.

"He's even fluffier." Gaara sighed happily. He wanted to bury his face into Chopper's fur even more, now.

Wapol tried to use the distraction to hit Gaara; but of course, his sand protected him. Gaara sighed wistfully, wishing he could watch Chopper's fight. Alas, Luffy had given him orders.

Wapol sneered as a cannon shot out of his mouth. Since he couldn't seem to hit the kid, he'd go for something else! He took aim, and then veered to the side at the last minute and fired.

Gaara turned wide-eyed. "Captain! Zoro-nii! Doctor!"

There was an explosion, and for several tense minutes – Gaara wondered if…

He couldn't see anything through the haze.

"We're okay!" Luffy called out.

Over with Luffy and the others, Kureha stared at Zoro in surprise. Zoro breathed heavier than normal, as he caught his breath. Ghosting hadn't been that difficult, before. But transporting himself and two other people…

"That's an interesting ability…" Kureha observed quietly, to which Zoro shrugged.

Relieved, Gaara slowly turned back to Wapol – and with a murderous glare on his face, the traitorous King recoiled.

"You ate Merry's railing and tried to kill my Captain and brother." Sandy tendrils surrounded Gaara, who was looking increasingly menacing. Gaara charged forward, and shot out his sand in a fierce arch.

Gaara struck Wapol, who went flying back. Wapol hit the ground and rolled several times before stopping. Wapol groaned as he pushed himself up. He felt that a few things were broken, he went to eat a few large boulders, when he was pelted by sand.

"Sand Shuriken!"

Wapol put his arms up in a defensive position, and he hissed at how the attacks hurt when they made contact with his exposed skin. Why was he feeling the attacks like this?

Opening his mouth wide, he consumed several of the sand projectiles. This was too easy, Wapol thought. He was certain he could work with this and beat this kid. He'd then have him thrown in the dungeon for defying him!

Wapol stood up before he let out a hacking cough that convulsed through his entire body. Another fierce cough and Wapol spat up blood. What?

Wapol stared shakily at the blood in the snow. Was that his? No…no way. That couldn't be his! His vision started getting blurry. He fell forward, barely catching himself.

"W-what did you do?!" Wapol demanded, near panicking. He was sick! He couldn't be sick! Wapol was not supposed to be sick! That was why he had all those Doctors! They were supposed to prevent this sort of thing!

Gaara cocked his head. "Nothing, really. My sand has poison in it, some of which you ate."

"You poisoned me?!" Wapol snarled as he forced himself to his feet. "I-I won't accept this! I'll have you arrested then executed!"

"You tried to kill my family and the Doctor."

He had to get back to the Doctors! They could fix this! Then he'd be back, and he wouldn't lose next time! This castle was rightfully his! All of them, the monster, the witch, the Pirates! He'd have them all arrested and publically gunned down! He'd leave their corpses up as a display that warned of what happened to those who defied him!

His breathing was becoming more sporadic.

"Please, spare me!" Wapol started begging desperately. "I-I'll make you second King! How's that sound? J-just…get the Doctors! Let me-!"

Wapol descended into a series of fierce coughs that nearly made him pass out because he couldn't take in a breath.

He just had to try and trick the boy! Who wouldn't want an entire country? Surely, this kid could be manipulated into betraying those Pirates and serving under him?

"I thought you were going to execute me?"

Gaara was closer, now. Wapol felt more fear than he ever thought was possible.

Wapol gripped his arm when a sudden tightness shot through it. His chest began to hurt and it was getting increasingly difficult to breathe. Why was he having such a hard time? He had always been able to breathe easily up here.

"My Captain is the only King I'll serve." Gaara stated coldly as sand slowly climbed up Wapol's limbs.

"Get away from me!" Wapol cried. "You monster!"

Wapol tried to thrash the sand away, but it was no use. Gaara clenched his fist, crushing an arm and a leg that were still converted into metal.

Wapol collapsed as a thick, painful haze came over him.

He passed out in the snow, and was unable to enter his castle.

0000

"I'll take you both down in three minutes!" Chopper declared to Kuromarimo and Chess as he took out a small pill. "Rumble Ball!"

The pair of course didn't think the small reindeer could do much. It was two against one!

"What can you do to us in three minutes?!" Chess questioned mockingly.

"Three minutes?" Luffy practically beamed. "That's amazing!"

Chopper bit down on his Rumble Ball, and transformed into Walk Point.

"You're just another Devil Fruit user." Kuromarimo stated, pulling out his bow.

"You're a Zoan-Type," Chess added. "We've seen all your forms, so there's nothing more you can do!"

Chopper dodged several fiery arrows from Kuromarimo; and transformed into Heavy Point.

"I'm a Human Reindeer!" Chopper shot back.

Chess prepared his hammers to strike Chopper down. Chopper easily dodged Chess' hammers as he shifted into Jumping Point next; and leapt several feet high into the air.

"Look at how high he can jump!" Luffy was practically yanking on Zoro's arm. "Are you seeing that, Zoro?!"

"Yeah," Zoro huffed in disappointment. "I wanna fight, too…"

Unfortunately, though…Kureha had a threatening eye on both of them. And well, there didn't seem to be a Swordsman among them.

"What's that form?" Chess asked.

"Impossible!" Kuromarimo said. "There's no way a Zoan could have that many!"

Chess charged forward and used Kuromarimo as a boost to hit Chopper with a hammer.

"Guard Point! Fur Boost!"

Chopper shifted into a fluffy ball that absorbed the impact of the hammer, and he simply bounced away.

"He's so cool!" Luffy whooped.

"Another form?!" Kuromarimo asked. That was impossible! "Zoan-types only have three forms! What the heck are you?"

"The Rumble Ball is a drug that messes with the wavelengths of the Devil Fruit's normal transformations," Chopper explained. It had taken him five years' worth of research to find four more transformation points.

"He has seven forms?" Chess questioned uneasily.

Kuromarimo took aim and fired, though Chopper easily dodged it by twisting out of the way in a different form.

"He has seven forms!" Luffy nearly passed out in his excitement as he clung to Zoro.

"Stop pulling on me!" Zoro demanded as he pushed Luffy away in vain, since Luffy's neck simply stretched out.

"He's so interesting! I want him on the crew! He's coming with us!" Luffy's eyes sparkled, and his grip on Zoro loosened. Zoro pulled away and grumbled under his breath.

Kureha honestly had never seen someone faint on their feet from excitement before.

Chopper charged forward into Jumping Point and used Kuromarimo as a springboard – then, he shifted into Arm Point and struck Chess with a brutal thrust that knocked the wind out of him. Chopper also heard several ribs break from the impact.

Chopper turned on his heel as Kuromarimo called out for his partner – Chopper shifted into Heavy Point and gave the man an uppercut. Chopper winced only slightly when he heard Kuromarimo's teeth and jaw crack.

Chopper then turned towards Chess who was trying to stand. Chopper yelled out, "Just leave this island and never come back!"

He struck Chess with a fist, and the man went down and stayed there. Chopper nearly collapsed from exhaustion, but he remained upright. Just like he had promised, he defeated the pair in three minutes.

Luffy was absolutely determined to have Chopper on his crew, now.

Hiriluk

00000

"You should just leave," Condor said, giving a brief flap of his wings. "It'll make things easier for all of us."

"A…talking ostrich…" Sanji muttered in mild disbelief, really wishing he had a cigarette right then. Mostly because processing this properly required a dose of nicotine. He took in the sight of an actual talking ostrich that wore three bowties along the length of its neck. "I guess anything really is possible on the Grand Line."

Maybe he should just accept the absurdity and not question any of it.

"Greetings, I'm Condor," the ostrich spoke, raising a leg and spreading out his wings, "I've mastered several forms of karate, even Fishman's. It would be best to surrender."

"Sorry, that'd go against my Captain's orders," Sanji replied. "Ostrich meat is best prepared rare to medium rare. Can't take your eyes off it."

Condor admittedly became a tad nervous. This guy was seriously talking about cooking him?!

"Low-fat meat cooks faster than other meat products."

"…you can't be serious."

"Oh, but I am. My Captain woke up starving."

"Enough of this nonsense!" Condor demanded, and he charged forward. He struck at Sanji with sharp kick.

"Javelin Strike!"

Sanji brought up his leg to block, then flipped forward into a spinning kick attack.

Condor flapped his wings as he responded with his own series of hits. Condor suddenly ducked down and thrusted his beak outward several times, stabbing Sanji in the side. Sanji winced in mild pain, but he'd had worse hits from the Shitty Geezer.

Sanji brought down a kick as Condor was coming at him, "Collier Shoot!"

Condor squawked, and jumped away. Sanji pursued the ostrich.

Condor spun and doubled back. "Triple-Heel-Beak-Strike!"

Condor went through a series of moves that implemented his fierce kicks and his beak. Flapping his wings, he struck out with his heels. Sanji had to block both the kicks, and also worry about his talons. Condor had the advantage of reach, speed, and power.

Sanji managed a decent kick Selle that hit Condor in the side.

Condor winced and struck out fiercely, aiming for Sanji's stomach. Sanji winced as he managed to dodge, but Condor's claw ripped through his jacket and tore through his side.

"Perhaps I owe you an apology," Sanji said, pressing his hand to his side. "I should take you more seriously, you shitty feather duster."

He wanted to get this over with so he could attend to his precious Nami-swan, and Sweets-chan would definitely fret over him with an injury as mild as this.

Sanji made a "bring it" gesture to Condor who obliged.

When Condor kicked out with an upwards strike, Sanji wrapped his leg around Condor's. With a twisting motion, going forward; Sanji then struck Condor in the neck with Collier Shoot, followed closely byÉpaule.

Condor cursed and flipped himself around, managing to kick Sanji in the back; nearly between his shoulder blades. Sanji practically wheezed, and spun away from Condor just as he brought down another kick that made a large pit in the snow.

He was certainly going to bruise from that – and getting massages – Sanji sighed wistfully at the thought of warm weather and the beautiful ladies on the crew.

That would have to wait for now, though.

Sanji threw himself to the ground and rolled when Condor came at him with another series of rapid heel-strikes. Timing it perfectly was difficult; because if he wasn't careful, Sanji could potentially tear up his legs on Condor's claws. Then what good would Sanji be if he was that careless?

Taking a deep breath and concentrating, Sanji swept his Haki-enhanced legs towards Condor's own.

"Gigot!"

Condor cried out in unexpected pain. Sanji was quick to follow up with Poitrine Shoot. Rapidly twisting his body to continue his momentum, Sanji hooked his foot behind Condor's head and slammed it into the ground with Reception.

Perfectly fitting for an ostrich.

Condor gasped as he pulled away, bloody; and his wing was broken. Not only that, but his leg was terribly sprained and was already swollen several times its usual size.

Normally, Sanji would continue a fight like this, except he'd noticed as Condor slowly pulled himself up.

"Your Captain and crewmembers have already lost." Sanji stated, reaching to his mouth to let out a puff of smoke from habit. He stopped himself when he remembered, and looked forward to having a cigarette even more. "You should just leave."

Condor narrowed his eyes at him.

"Oh? You're giving us a chance to run away? Do you think we won't return once we've recovered?"

Sanji shrugged. "Alright, then."

Sanji wasn't always one to fight dirty, but he was a Pirate. A gentleman certainly, but only towards beautiful ladies.

"Returning wouldn't be a good idea." Kureha said, as she wielded a rifle. "You should take that traitorous King and your allies and leave, while you still can."

Cocking the rifle, Kureha added, "And if you are stupid enough to come back, this island will be your grave."

Condor unfortunately, was limited in what he could do. His injured leg didn't support his weight – and it was in no position to be useful for attacking.

Admittedly, and shamefully, it would be better to leave.

Condor noticed Wapol's missing limbs – and took in the sight of a defeated Chess and Kuromarimo.

"Very well."

Robson had no interest in doing anything but sleeping, so that forced Condor into carrying his crew down the Rockies.

00000

Condor noticed the defeated men, and the Ishii-20. He saw how all of them lingered off to the side, well out of the way.

"King needs treatment," Condor said in a commanding tone.

"Then you better go find a Doctor," one of the Doctors responded, and he crossed his arms.

"I hope you find one who can treat him," another added, as he also made no move to help.

"You aren't welcome here, so get going while you still can." Dalton spoke up.

It seemed that it was just the four of them.

Condor got them onto their submarine, and hoped that they could find an island to treat them soon enough. This wasn't over. They'd be back soon enough, and Wapol would reclaim what was rightfully his.

00000

Chopper was quick to treat Sanji's injuries, while Luffy chattered at him about joining their crew.

Kureha observed, closely.

"You people certainly have interesting abilities," she shifted to look at Zoro – who decided that napping on Robson was a good choice, while Gaara had bundled himself up again and was happily nuzzling the hippo. The hippo moaned in contentment at the attention.

"Especially you two."

"Hm?" Zoro opened one eye to look at her. "What're you talking about?"

"His sand, and that teleporting ability." Kureha then looked at Zoro. "Those eyes, I've actually met someone like you, oh…nearly forty-five years ago."

Zoro sat up and looked at her. "What? Really?"

"Oh, yes." Kureha nodded wistfully. "She was quite the troublemaker. If I remember correctly…" tapping her chin thoughtfully, "her name was Escape Artist Bonney Gin. Quite the notorious Pirate Captain in her time, and you know – even when the Government caught her, they could never keep her locked up!"

Kureha laughed.

"Made the lot of them look like fools!"

"What happened to her?"

"I don't really know," Kureha admitted. "I doubt someone like Bonney would be satisfied settling down. I imagine she either successfully went into hiding, or finally kicked the bucket."

Zoro just nodded. There wasn't much he could do with that info.

"And you, controlling all that sand…is that some sort of Devil Fruit?"

"I could never eat something like that." Gaara replied without even looking at her.

"No? Ah, well."

She shrugged and made her way over to the others. She listened as Luffy, Sanji, and Nami were trying to convince Chopper to come with them.

Smiling sadly, Kureha knew that it was about time her student left. He'd already learned everything he could from her, and now… Kureha wiped her eyes to hide her tears.

"Hey, boy," she said to Luffy. "I'm curious. What's your goal?"

"To be Pirate King," Luffy answered easily.

"Of course."

"So, Chopper, you're coming, right? Say you want to come!"

"But I'm a monster…" Chopper said quietly. "Why would you—"

Chopper was cut off when Luffy yelled at him, "Shut up! You're coming with us, and that's final!"

Nami rolled her eyes. "What a way to invite him…"

Chopper looked at the Humans standing before him, and he began to cry. He thought of Hiriluk – and Luffy – and – he wiped at his tears. "Is it okay? Is it really okay if I leave?"

Kureha made a fist and took a deep breath. "You're seriously trying to steal my apprentice!"

Chopper yelped when something was thrown Luffy.

"Ah! Luffy!"

"Let's get out of here!" Luffy laughed as he grabbed Chopper, "Come on, Zoro, Gaara!"

Gaara looked as if he was seriously considering attacking Kureha, except Luffy was laughing joyfully. They all clamored into the sleigh And Chopper transformed to pull them along.

"The hag's suddenly went crazy!" Zoro said as several projectiles were thrown at them.

"What this?" Nami questioned, holding a large bag in her hands. "I found this in our seat."

She inspected its contents and found supplies and clothing for Chopper. "I guess she didn't want to say goodbye…"

Chopper of course, began crying even harder. He wished he could properly thank Doctorine for everything she had done for him.

Luffy whooped and stuck his arms out, having the time of his life. Zoro and Sanji were both ready to grab Luffy if he went out on a wild hair and suddenly decided to jump. Gaara hunkered down in his seat and looked miserable. Nami looked out at the passing scenery, and could see the lights for the villages. It looked peaceful.

00000

Upon reaching their ship, the first thing Nami asked in horrified shock was, "What the heck happened to your face, Usopp?!"

His face was swollen and bruised.

"Oh, there was an accident! But no big deal!" Vivi laughed nervously and waved them off. "I'm so glad to see all of you already feel better! Ha, ha, ha!"

"Mah facsh feelsh fine, do." Ussop said. "Dosh it look that bahd?"

"It could be worse, 'ttebayou."

"Everyone, look!" Luffy happily introduced Chopper. "We have a new nakama! So that means we have to party."

Everyone introduced themselves, and when Karoo quacked at him, Chopper said,

"Nice to meet you, Karoo. That's amazing! I'm a Doctor."

It was then discovered that Chopper could communicate with animals. Which was a really cool ability, and made Naruto want to have full-fledged conversations with Karoo.

"Oh, you're a Doctor, Chopper?" Luffy grinned. "That's so cool!"

"Of course he's a Doctor," Nami spoke up. "Why else would you invite him to the crew?"

"Seven forms, cool reindeer." Luffy stated.

"Fluffy cuddle buddy." Gaara said.

"I'd say fashionable pelt," Pudding suggested.

"Emergency food supplies," Sanji replied drily.

Chopper gaped, almost reconsidering joining the crew. Gaara grabbed Chopper protectively.

"No, Sanji! If anyone's emergency food supplies, it's Naruto!"

"Why am I always the one who's eaten, 'ttebayou?!"

"You're the youngest. We all have to make sacrifices."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Gaara.

00000

At the castle, with help from the villagers, Kureha prepared the cannon. It was time for Hiriluk's dream to become a reality.

The crew stared mesmerized as they sailed away. It was an amazing, beautiful sight of a sakura tree. Chopper wailed in his sadness for leaving and thankfulness, and thanked Doctor Kureha and Hiriluk for everything they had done for him.

They all continued watching until the sakura tree was just a speck in the distance.

Chopper of course, was quite surprised upon learning that Vivi was a princess, and they were going to save her country. Pirates were so cool! He was also equally surprised to learn that apparently Gaara and Naruto had Biju.

So that's why they both smelled different?

"Nice to meet you," Chopper said, giving a polite nod.

He was also surprised to be told that one was named 'Shukaku.'

He didn't have much to give in terms of offering, so Chopper left a couple of his Rumble Balls at the little Shrine.

0000

They drifted with no direction and no island in sight for weeks; their Navigator had been left on Drum, along with their only Log Post. The last of their rations had been eaten up just days before. They were able to catch a few birds and fish, but it wasn't enough.

Wapol was starving, exhausted, and sore. He was probably still alive because the most vital of his organs had been replaced with metal. He couldn't be too careful, but something still had gone wrong. Those damn Doctors had done something to him, he was sure of it! When he finally reclaimed his throne, the Doctors would be the first to suffer!

His stomach growled, loudly.

He eyed the men who worked under him. It was their job to make sacrifices for his sake, was it not?

It was far better for him to not starve.

He could make them better, anyway.

Kuromarimo, Chess, and Condor were soon devoured. They served their King very well, indeed.

0000

It was just a few weeks later when Drum received the newspaper, and Kureha realized Luffy's D. initial.

It seemed that Chopper had joined a dangerous man. She smiled knowingly and cackled at the thought. She gave Robson a scratch behind his ear, and the hippo grumbled contentedly.

0000

Author's Ramblings:

I wanted to avoid completely rewriting scenes unnecessarily, and I really wanted to get this chapter published because it leads into everything that will happen in Alabasta.

Condor is a Naruto-anime only character that well, got made one of the bad guys here.

Thank you to Kitt21 for having the nakama tattoo idea.

look at them they're so beautiful
post/189881162092/datiyaknowsshit-by-your-side-is-where-i-belong

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Zoro: "Why would you buy the brats clothing that they'll grow out of and have to throw out anyway? You should buy stuff that they'll grow into. It lasts longer that way."

Nami: "Zoro-kun, they should at least have clothes that actually fit."

In the end, they compromised and bought clothes that actually fit.

0000

It's highly debatable whether or not King Arthur even existed. There are just so many stories surrounding him that it's become impossible to tell if he was even a real person.

Concerning the Biju and how/why people know about them: even though there's historical documentation, there's an oversaturation of real/fake stories; people telling the same story but from different perspectives and expanding on them to make them more incredible, people basically writing fanfiction of the Biju doing incredible things…then the Biju disappear, and they become fantastical stories.

My own personal headcanon for the series/this fic is that Sanji goes with them to the hospital because he needs to make sure that Nami's going to be okay, since his mother was sick at one point too. We all know how that turned out…

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Captain Donner – a reference to the Donner Party.

If you don't know who the Donner Party is, morbid history time:

Led by George Donner, they were a group of American pioneers who migrated to California in a wagon train from the Midwest, and were vastly ill-prepared to make the trek. They had the most unfortunate luck that any group could have, suffering various mishaps along the way.

In 1846-47, with their supplies running low and they being exhausted, they got trapped in the worst snowstorm the Sierra Nevada mountain range had seen in years – think snow that's over 20 feet high.

In desperation after they'd run out of supplies, some of the migrants resorted to eating the bodies of those who died of starvation/illnesses. George Donner and his wife Tamsen were both eaten.

Of the 83 members of the Donner Party who were trapped in the mountains, only 45 survived to reach California.

This is just the shortened version of the story. The full story is much worse.