NOTES FROM AO3:

Sooooo... this chapter posed a unique problem.

The original version of this chapter was pretty long to begin with. But in my edits, I ended up extending the first third to almost twenty pages. When I went to check how much was left, there were forty pages remaining.

I try to make each chapter between 24-30 pages, and there was no way I was going to go over by that much.

Additionally, I noticed that large portions of this chapter was more "tell" rather than "show," and it didn't sit well with me. Thus I made a decision: not only was I going to break this chapter up, but for the chapter after this one, I was going to create the first almost completely original chapter for my re-write.

Also, some of my original readers may note that this chapter isn't the chapter that was supposed to come next. I tweaked the order a bit- the original was too confusing, at least to me.

Don't forget to check out/add to the tv tropes page!

三

Chapter 10: The Monstrous Eighth Form! Welcome to the Party, Lysopp and Tony!

"They're called Rumble Balls?" Nami asked, holding the yellow pill between her fingers.

"Uh-huh! I invented them myself!" Chopper said proudly. He pressed his stethoscope to her back. "Breathe in deep, please."

Nami obeyed before continuing. "I can't say I know too much about devil fruits, but finding a way to modify your ability like this is impressive."

"Shut up, stupid human! I don't need you flattering me!" Chopper said with a happy giggle and wiggle. "I really don't!"

"Sure you don't," Nami said, sweatdropping. She rolled the pill between her fingers. "Although, only having three minutes sounds like a pain. Fights can last a while."

Chopper shrugged, putting his stethoscope away. "It can be, but who knows? There's always more to research; I might figure out how to make them last longer later!"

"What if you took more than one at once? Would that give you more time?"

Chopper didn't answer. He'd gone rigid, not looking at Nami.

"Chopper?" Nami asked.

"... N-No, it doesn't work like that," Chopper said at last, closing his bag. "I can only take one every six hours. It's still a drug, and I have to be careful."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Nami apologized. "I didn't think."

"It's fine!" Chopper assured her, turning and smiling at her. "You know now, and that's all that matters!"

Nami bit her lip. "But still-"

SLAM!

The door to the medical room slammed open. Luffy stood there, grinning like a lunatic and panting.

"THERE YOU ARE, REINDEER!" he shouted. "JOIN MY CREW!"

"DON'T YOU EVER SLEEP?!" Chopper hollered.

Nami sighed as Luffy and Chopper began another merry chase around the castle. She'd apologize properly to the little doctor later– right now, all she wanted was a nap.

Besides, Chopper said it was fine. Maybe she didn't have to worry.

Or maybe she should have worried more. That prevalent thought surged through Nami's mind as Monster Chopper's gigantic hand came down.

"RUN!" Roronoa ordered.

"GWROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Nami gave a brief shriek when Sanji picked her up bridal-style, but together with Usopp, Chopper (who quickly shifted into Walk Point), and Roronoa (who carried the still-unconscious Luffy in his arms) they leapt out of the path of Monster Chopper's attack and bolted away. The enormous appendage came down where they previously stood–

BOOM!

– and the resulting shockwave nearly sent them all tumbling. Luckily, the boys regained their footing quickly and continued to run ahead of the humongous reindeer. Monster Chopper let out another roar and charged after them, moving with more speed than an individual his size had any right to. Using his long reach, he attempted to swipe at the pirates.

"DUCK!" Roronoa yelled.

They ducked and the swipe went wide over their heads, and this happened two more times with two more warnings from Roronoa before the swordsman in question let out an annoyed, "DAMN IT!"

"Damn what?!" Sanji snarked. "The fact our doctor's trying to pulverize us?!"

"YES!" Roronoa replied immediately. He turned his head sharply to Usopp. "WHAT THE HELL, USOPP! I THOUGHT CHOPPER COULD CONTROL IT NOW!"

"WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE IT'S MY FAULT?!" Usopp snapped back, clutching his wounded arm. "AND HE CAN, USUALLY! IT'S THE ONLY FORM HE NEEDS A RUMBLE BALL FOR NOW! I DON'T KNOW WHAT WENT WRONG!"

"Whoa, seriously? The only form?" Sanji asked, jumping over a bush and earning another surprised shriek from Nami. "Is that even possible?!"

Chopper, hearing this, didn't react beyond gritting his teeth and keeping his eyes dead ahead as he galloped alongside his friends.

"CLEARLY!" Roronoa barked at the chef again. He turned to Usopp again. "AND EASY ON THE FUTURE STUFF! LUFFY DOESN'T WANT SPOILERS!"

"HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?!" Usopp argued.

"COULD YOU DUMBASSES STOP SCREAMING AND FOCUS ON THE REINDEER MONSTER?!" Nami bellowed, making both of the future men flinch on reflex.

Roronoa shook his head and looked ahead. "Whatever! All we have to do is avoid him for three minutes, and he'll turn back on his own! Then we can get some answers!"

Monster Chopper swiped again, and this time a little too close for comfort. However, the group picked up speed as their path became less littered with plant life. They were finally able to gain some distance from the giant doctor.

"Only if we survive that long!" Usopp pointed out as they ducked.

Before Roronoa could retort to that, he almost stumbled into Sanji as Chopper stopped suddenly. And before either of them could berate him for that, the reindeer doctor turned on his hoof and charged toward his monstrous older self.

"Chopper, what are you doing?!" Roronoa yelled, skidding to a stop.

"You're supposed to run away from the giant monster!" Sanji added.

Usopp stopped when he saw the others had as well, shouting, "Chopper, what are you-?!"

"You guys go on ahead!" Chopper shouted without looking back. "I'll handle him!"

Roronoa could feel his blood pressure shoot up. "ARE YOU INSANE?!"

"You can't fight him, just run!" Usopp added frantically.

Chopper ignored their protests and warnings, shifted from Walk Point to Brain Point, and reached into his blue bag. He removed a Rumble Ball and bit into it, yelling, "Rumble!"

Once he got close to Monster Chopper, he changed forms. "Jumping Point!"

Monster Chopper stopped giving chase and watched his younger change forms, staring with an almost confused expression on his otherwise empty face. Chopper jumped high enough into the air so that he was level with his older self's sternum and shifted forms again; now he was more reindeer-like but his arm muscles had expanded to ridiculous proportions.

"Arm Point!" Chopper called out. He reared back one hoof, then punched it directly into his older self's chest. "Cloven Roseo!"

BAM!

Roronoa didn't expect the attack to do anything. He knew how strong his crew had been back then, and fresh-out-of-Drum Chopper didn't have a chance against his older, titanic self. But his jaw dropped when Monster Chopper reeled back, the force of the blow leaving behind a hoof print in his fur.

"How...?" he muttered.

Usopp gaped at the sight. "Whoa! Nice hit!"

It didn't last. Snarling and moving once again with impossible speed, Monster Chopper raised his arm and swatted his younger self into a tree like a fly.

"Arrrragh!" Chopper cried out as he hit the tree and made a two-inch-deep imprint in the wood. He limply fell forward and tumbled to the jungle floor, changing into Brain Point as he did.

"No, Chopper!" Nami cried out worriedly.

Monster Chopper wasn't finished with his younger self. He stomped over to where he fell and lifted one giant hand. He then tucked in his thumb and pinky fingers, and the three remaining ones were curved into a claw-like position.

Chopper struggled to get up. By some miracle he'd only blacked out for a second from the attack, but he now ached all over and it was difficult to move.

"Chopper, stop!" Usopp shouted in desperation. "Don't hurt Chopper!"

"That makes no sense!" Sanji yelled at him.

"Sanji, now is not the time for– hey!" Nami started to scold the chef before she found herself sharing Sanji's arms with Luffy.

"What the-?!" Sanji said, letting Nami down so he could hold Luffy more easily. "Roronoa, what are you-!"

Roronoa ignored him, and ran toward the two reindeer.

Monster Chopper drew back his hand. "Cloven Rose..."

Usopp, Nami, and Sanji stared at him in shock and thought, He can talk?!

But Chopper can't talk when he loses control! Usopp thought. His eyes widened. Then does that mean...?

"... PALM!"

"CHOPPER!" Nami, Usopp, and Sanji screamed in unison.

Chopper closed his eyes, bracing himself for the immeasurable amount of pain he was about to experience.

It never came.

When he opened his eyes, Chopper gasped. "Roronoa?!"

The swordsman stood in front of him, heels dug into the ground and arms wrapped around Monster Chopper's fingers. Every one of his muscles bulged from exertion, and his teeth were grit to the point of almost cracking. Chopper noticed with wide eyes that not only did blood drip down the swordsman's arm from under his sleeve, but glowing pink veins had appeared on every inch of visible skin. It was only through his medical training that he realized that the veins were where Roronoa's nervous system would be, right down to the nerve endings.

The other three conscious pirates stared in total dumbfoundment.

"Zoro!" Chopper yelled accidentally. "Your shoulder! And what are-?!"

"WHAT DID I SAY?!" Roronoa snapped.

Chopper's mouth clamped shut.

"TWO RULES! TWO MAJOR RULES– DON'T FIGHT, AND IF I SAY RUN, YOU BETTER DAMN WELL RUN!" the swordsman continued, not even turning around to speak directly to the reindeer he just saved. He couldn't move an inch, or he would lose his grip on Monster Chopper's hand. "CAN NO ONE ON THIS CREW FOLLOW THAT?! YOU ALMOST DIED JUST NOW! IDIOT!"

Almost as though he'd heard, Luffy shifted in his cook's grasp. At the same time, Monster Chopper tried to move his hand but Roronoa didn't budge. The glowing veins on his skin throbbed, and the swordsman grit his teeth harder.

"I-I..." Chopper stammered. He swallowed the lump in his throat as tears welled up. "I'm sorry. I just... the first time I ran wild like this I couldn't do anything. I figured... I couldn't let myself hurt my friends. I only just got you!"

"Chopper..." Usopp said softly.

Nami felt her eyes grow wet, and were his arms not holding his captain, Sanji would have squeezed her shoulder in comfort. He settled for leaning in close to her.

"That's no excuse to sacrifice yourself like that!" Roronoa barked, though noticeably with less heat. "Not when the rest of us are here with you and able! Luffy won't tolerate anyone who tries to do that, and neither will I!"

Chopper looked up at his future crewmate in wonder. "I..."

Roronoa didn't let him finish. He gave one last grunt and shoved Monster Chopper back, forcing the giant reindeer creature to trip over a tree and fall on his back.

BOOM!

The ground shook from the impact. Roronoa then fell to his knees, clutching his chest and breathing as though he had run a triple marathon. Chopper and the others could now see that his nerves weren't the only things glowing. The scar on his eye, the scar on his chest, and just every other mark on his body shined with the same toxic pink light.

Roronoa was clearly in pain, and the fact he showed it was the biggest red flag toward his condition any of them had ever seen.

"Zoro!" Usopp said worriedly, rushing to his friend's side. "Are you alright? Why are you pink?"

Roronoa shook his head and pushed Usopp away. He pulled Shusui out and used it as a crutch to stand. "I'm fine. This is nothing, nothing compared to back then. I'm fine."

Usopp grimaced, but stepped back as Roronoa got upright– though the glowing did not fade. Nami and Sanji decided to rush over to join their friends while Monster Chopper started to pull himself up.

"Alright, Chopper!" Usopp called over to the future reindeer. "You're not mindless; we heard you speak! Why are you attacking us?!"

Roronoa smirked wanly. "Caught that too, huh?"

Chopper blinked in confusion at the exchange. He hadn't lost control?

Monster Chopper stopped, then lowered his head to stare blankly at the assembled pirates. He breathed heavily and slowly.

"... Play," he said at last.

"Play?" Usopp echoed.

"... Play... with friends," Monster Chopper went on, as if in a daze. "... Master... said to."

"You tried to kill us!" Usopp hollered. "How is that playing?!"

While Usopp yelled and the others grew puzzled, Nami scrutinized Monster Chopper more closely. The empty expression, the glassy eyes, the mention of a singular command...

She gasped. "He's in a trance!"

Everyone turned to look at her.

"It's just like with Tattoos on the beach!" she explained. "'Play' must be a hypnotic command!"

"Damn, then even if he turns back, he'll keep trying to attack us!" Roronoa realized.

"Wait, who's Tattoos?" Usopp asked.

Monster Chopper growled and brought both his hands over his head, clasped together. "PLAY!"

"Move!" Sanji yelled.

Roronoa quickly scooped up the younger Chopper and together the entire group jumped out of the way.

CRACK!

Monster Chopper brought his hands down, and this time his attack snapped the tree they'd all been standing in front of in half. Still, it gave them all time to duck behind another tree out of the giant doctor's line of sight.

"Usopp," Roronoa whispered. "What's our time?"

"Two minutes-ish?" he replied. He snarled and clutched his wounded arm. "Dammit! I have Sleep Stars that could probably knock him out, but I can't shoot with my arm busted like this!"

"No use crying over spilled milk."

"It's not milk, it's my arm!"

"Should we just keep running then?" Nami asked, interrupting the two future men. She sounded like she dreaded the idea.

"You and Usopp are in no condition to keep running, and I don't think we should keep jostling Luffy with the condition he's in," Sanji said, gently laying Luffy down on the jungle floor. He placed his suit jacket over the rubberman and then raised his visible eyebrow at Roronoa. "Guess I'll have to fight if we want to get this done."

Roronoa scowled. For once, the cook had a point. "Guess so."

"Can you fight?"

Roronoa glared at him, which lost some of its effectiveness given the shiny coat of sweat he'd developed and the pulsating pink veins. "Better than you, Cook."

"Zoro..." Chopper said, voice filled with concern.

Roronoa put him down and gave him a stern, but not unkind look. "You started this. Only makes sense you get to help finish it too. You game?"

Chopper's eyes widened, and then he wiped away the tears and saluted. "Yes, sir!"

RUMBLE!

The ground shook again– Monster Chopper was getting frustrated, and it wouldn't be long before he found them. With one last gesture to Usopp and Nami to stay put, Roronoa, Chopper, and Sanji moved out from behind the tree. There, they saw the future reindeer punching into trees in an attempt to draw out his prey. He stopped when he spotted the approaching trio.

"Got a plan?" Sanji asked Roronoa, lighting a fresh cigarette. "Even if he's hypnotized, we don't want to hurt the not-so-little guy, right?"

Monster Chopper turned to face them, growling deep in his throat.

"Chopper's practically invulnerable when he's like this. Our best bet is to keep him busy until his Rumble Ball wears off," Roronoa replied, brandishing Shusui. "I'm open to ideas though."

"I have one, but it involves us working together."

"... For two minutes. And that's it."

"Wouldn't want it any other way, Mosshead." Sanji looked at their younger doctor. "Chopper, is your Rumble Ball still in effect?"

"For a couple more minutes, yeah," Chopper replied. "Why?"

He gave the reindeer a conspiratory smile. "Think you could use Scope or whatever to find Jumbo's weakness while Roronoa and I distract him?"

Chopper nodded seriously. "You got it, Sanji!"

Monster Chopper lumbered toward the trio.

"He's coming!" Nami shouted, peering out from behind the tree.

"A little over a minute!" Usopp added. "Go, now!"

Roronoa and Sanji didn't miss a beat, rushing into action with determined frowns. Sanji immediately went for Monster Chopper's legs, rearing his leg back.

"Gigot!" he called out, sweeping his leg out into the rampaging doctor's kneecap.

"GWROOOOAAAARGH!" Monster Chopper roared as his leg buckled. However, he didn't seem too bothered as he immediately went to swat the chef aside. Sanji agilely leapt out of the way, landed on top of his hand, then kicked off while flipping into the air.

"Mouton Shoot!"

Sanji planted his foot directly into the giant reindeer's mid-section, sending him reeling again. Using Mouton Shoot without using the rest of the attacks beforehand made the attack feel premature, but Monster Chopper was simply too tall and the chef couldn't jump that high.

Sanji fell back to the ground, and Roronoa at the same time leapt straight into the air. As they passed each other, Roronoa spared his younger rival a probing side-glance.

No way he should have been able to kick Chopper that hard, he thought. Not at this point. Something's up.

But that something would have to wait. Once he was level with Monster Chopper's sternum, he flipped Shusui in his hand.

"One Gorilla!" he said, his bicep swelling to twice its size. "One Sword Style: One Gorilla Slash!"

He swung and smacked the back of the blade into Monster Chopper's chest, forcing the over-sized reindeer to slide backward until he collided with one of the giant trees.

"GWROOOOAAAARGH!" Monster Chopper roared angrily.

Nami poked her head out from behind her and Usopp's tree. "Hey! I thought you weren't going to hurt him!"

"I used the back of the blade!" Roronoa hollered back, falling to ground and only minutely teetering when he landed.

Meanwhile, Chopper had put the tips of his hooves together out in front of his face, and now looked through the hole they created.

Scope! he thought. He scanned all over his older self. Come on, come on... I've- I mean, he's got to have a weakness!

Feet, knees, thighs, waist, hands, elbows, arms, torso, neck, head–

Ping!

"Got it!" Chopper announced. "Aim for his left temple!"

"Left temple?" Sanji repeated, having already landed back on his feet.

"That's so random!" Roronoa added.

"I didn't pick it!" Chopper retorted.

Monster Chopper recovered from Roronoa's slash, pushing himself off the tree he'd smashed into. Roaring again in fury, he uprooted one of the relatively smaller trees and prepared to crush the pirates that were causing him so much trouble.

"Cook!" Roronoa shouted. "Stick out your leg!"

Sanji did so without argument for once, and when Roronoa jumped on to the outstretched limb, he understood what the swordsman wanted him to do– it was just like with Luffy back on Drum.

"Armée de L'Air– Power Shoot!"

Sanji kicked out his leg, launching the swordsman into the air toward Monster Chopper's head. As the swordsman hurtled forward, he sheathed Shusui and held the blade like a bat. Before the giant doctor could do anything to stop him, Roronoa swung Shusui smack into his left temple.

CRACK!

Elsewhere, far away from the battle underway, a certain feral-looking bounty hunter fell to his knees and clutched his head in agony.

He grinded his teeth, pressing his head against the soft dirt. "Damn it."

Monster Chopper went down almost instantaneously.

He first dropped the tree, swayed back and forth for a moment, and then fell forward with a loud thud. The impact of the fall kicked up dust, but when it cleared, Roronoa stood on the gigantic reindeer's back. He didn't look particularly enthused despite his victory, his mouth in a grim line when he stepped off Monster Chopper and on to the ground.

Sanji stuck his hands in his pockets. "See? That wasn't so bad."

"This time," Roronoa said pessimistically, sliding Shusui back into his sash. He turned toward the tree his friends hid behind. "Usopp, what's our time?"

Usopp popped his head out into the open, processing everything that just happened. "Uh... five seconds?"

POOF!

As if on cue, there was a large puff of smoke where Monster Chopper lay.

"Damn, we timed that..." Roronoa said, swaying. "... really... well..."

The swordsman collapsed to the ground, curling onto his back.

"Zo– Roronoa!" Chopper squealed, running past the quickly dissipating smoke and to the swordsman.

He was definitely in rough condition– his shoulder was soaked in blood, and though the pink light under his skin finally shimmered away, his skin was still pale and he sweated like he was back in Alabasta.

"What happened to you?!" he shouted, slipping his blue pack off his shoulders and digging through it. "That pink light... you were in severe pain! What haven't you told me?!"

"Not... important," Roronoa said with labored breath.

Chopper's brow furrowed. He snapped, "I'm your doctor, and if I say it's important, it's freaking important!"

"Not important," he repeated more heatedly. He pointed to the side, where Sanji now stood with a bewildered mien. "He is though."

Chopper turned to look where he pointed just as Nami and Usopp (with Luffy once again on his back) joined the blonde. They all circled the little shape that had replaced the very big one.

Chopper went slack-jawed. "Is that... really me?"

To the three awake past Straw Hats, Monster Chopper– or rather, Future Chopper– didn't really look too different from the one attending Roronoa.

Future Chopper had transformed back into Brain Point, and looked almost exactly the same as his younger self. The only physical differences were that he was marginally taller, his fur was a shade lighter, horns were bigger, (though the left one still had a metal ring around the base), and his nose was still very much blue. For clothes he wore a blue cap with metal studs over his trademark pink hat, and a pair of orange shorts. If he had a shirt, it had been lost with his previous transformation.

He lay there unmoving, eyes swirled from loss of consciousness.

"This is so weird," Chopper whispered, suitably boggled.

"Welcome to my world," Roronoa grumbled. He inclined his head slightly to get a better view of his past crewmates. "Usopp. Nami."

The pair flinched and hesitantly looked down at their green-haired friend.

He leveled them a no-nonsense glare. "You ran into us right after the red-eyed bastard did with Luffy on your back and Monster Chopper on your tail. What. The hell. Happened?"

Sniper and navigator made brief eye contact, and the latter gestured for the former to speak.

Usopp sighed. "Well..."

"Must be a crew-wide trait," Vaughan said with another shrug. He pushed his hand forward, tossing Luffy's still form over to the two pirates. "Here."

Usopp and Nami nearly fell over themselves to catch him, staggering under his deadweight. Nami quickly examined her captain and turned back to the bounty hunter. "What the-?"

"I made the blood rush to his head, so he'll be out for a hot minute, but otherwise the worst injury he has is to his pride," Vaughan explained. He waved his hand dismissively at them. "Now get lost."

"I'm sorry?"

"Go. Am-scray. Make like a tree and beat it."

Usopp glared at him, untrusting. "Why. After all the damage you and your friend did, why just let us go?"

Vaughan crossed his arms. "One, Erity is not my friend. Two, like I told your captain, I can't bring a younger Straw Hat into a marine base for his older self's bounty. That applies to a younger Cat Burglar, and you're just a longnosed nobody. I doubt I'd get anything for you."

Usopp's glare gave way to a perplexed raised eyebrow. "What? Hold on, you were there when-"

"Besides," Vaughan interrupted. He pointed behind them. "Holding on to you would mean I'd have to protect you from that."

THUMP. THUMP.

"GWROOOOAAAARGH!"

"... He took off, we took off, and not long after we ran into all of you," Usopp finished.

Roronoa didn't say anything, letting the information sink in while Chopper fussed over his once-again torn stitches.

"That guy seriously just let you go?" Sanji asked dubiously. "I don't buy it– not with the crew bounty his group has riding on this hunt."

"His reasons kind of made sense?" Nami admitted, scratching her cheek. She frowned. "But it's definitely suspicious. At least we now know the Carrions are aware there are two sets of Straw Hats on the island."

Speaking of two sets of Straw Hats, any further conversation stalled as the limp form of Future Chopper stirred. Everyone aside from Roronoa and Luffy nearly jumped a foot in response.

"Crap," Roronoa cursed. "Chopper, Nami, Cook– take Luffy and hide for a second."

Chopper clutched his roll of bandages. "But your wounds!"

"I'll be okay for a couple more minutes. Just go!"

Usopp handed Luffy off to Sanji, and the four past Straw Hats briskly jogged over to some nearby bushes to hide. Sanji and Nami lowered themselves behind them perfectly, while Chopper stuck out the wrong way.

Meanwhile, Usopp sat down next to Roronoa and Future Chopper, and together they watched their doctor. Their bodies were both rigid with tension– would he be back to his old self, or would he still be under the thrall of the Carrions' hypnotist?

Future Chopper eyes fluttered before finally opening. The dark orbs were bleary, but clear and free of any disconcerting glassiness.

Roronoa, Usopp, and the hidden Straw Hats simultaneously let out sighs of pure relief.

"What... what's going on? Where am I? " Future Chopper said weakly. He winced. "Why does my head hurt?"

"That would be his fault," Usopp replied, gesturing to Roronoa's prone body. "You actually had me worried there."

"I didn't hit him that hard," Roronoa grumbled.

Future Chopper blinked, then smiled when his vision focused. "Zoro, Usopp, you're here!" He gasped. "Zoro, Usopp, you're hurt! Somebody call a doctor!"

"You're the doctor," Roronoa and Usopp droned together.

"Oh, right!" The little doctor wriggled on the ground for a few seconds, but gave up with a huff. His lip wobbled as he moaned, "I can't move..."

Usopp chortled tiredly, reached over to pick Future Chopper up by the scruff, and then gently draped him face down on Roronoa's chest.

"Awm sowwy, Zowo," Future Chopper apologized, voice muffled by Roronoa's pecs.

Roronoa sighed, then slowly lifted his hand and rubbed the reindeer's back. "It's okay, bud. I'm sorry I hit you."

Off in the bushes, a pleasantly surprised Nami, Sanji, and Chopper watched the exchange. Not only was it a far cry from the anxious interactions they'd previously witnessed between Chopper and both of the Zoros, but suddenly Roronoa's earlier discomfort with the doctor's fear of him made sense.

"Zoro's... actually kind of nice, isn't he?" Chopper whispered.

"Steel exterior, marshmallow core," Sanji muttered without condescension.

Nami shushed them both, but patted Chopper on the shoulder.

Usopp reached over again and adjusted Future Chopper's head so his chin rested on Roronoa's chest and he could now see the swordsman's face.

"Yeah, why did you hit me? Is it why I can't move?" Future Chopper asked. He wriggled again. "It feels like I went into Monster Point."

"Uh, Chopper?" Usopp said. "You did go into Monster Point."

"WHAT?!"

Future Chopper's eyes darted wildly around the area, taking in his crewmates' injuries again and all the wanton destruction.

"But... but how?! I can control it now!" he wailed. Tears threatened to spill over. "Did... did I hurt you guys? I can't remember anything after that raggedy guy on the beach!"

"You didn't hurt us. We stopped you before you could," Roronoa assured him. He narrowed his eye. "What raggedy guy?"

"I have a lot to catch you up on," Usopp answered before Future Chopper could. He turned his head toward the bush the rest of the group hid behind. "But first..."

"Right." Roronoa nudged his head in the same direction. "Look over there, Chopper."

Future Chopper (with some help from Usopp) turned to look at the bushes. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Chopper, who still hid the wrong way.

"... Isn't that backwards?" he asked.

Chopper flinched, then adjusted his position so only his eye peaked out.

"Better, but I already saw you." He paused... and the penny dropped. His eyes bugged out of his skull. "EHHHHHHHH?! IT'S ME?!"

"You just now got that, fur ball?" Sanji said, stepping out of the bushes with Luffy on his back and making his way over to the others.

Nami followed after Sanji, punching him in the shoulder. "Sanji! Be nice!"

"Sanji, Nami! You escaped too? Oh no, Nami's hurt! Why is there another one of me?!" Future Chopper exclaimed. His eyes bugged out again. "AHHHHH, LUFFY?! HOW'D HE GET BEAT UP SO BAD?!"

"You do realize that they're all younger too, right?" Usopp asked flatly.

"EHHHHHH? THEY ARE?!"

"Wow, all humans really do look the same to you."

Future Chopper started to hysterically fidget. "Get me over there, I need to treat everyone! But why is there another me? Why are Nami and the others younger? Why is everyone injured?! What's going on?!"

Roronoa pressed his hand down on the reindeer's back, trying to keep him still. "Chopper, calm down. We'll explain, alright?"

"It's just... a really long story, you know?" Chopper added, walking out into the open as well. He clenched his hooves, face set in determination. "But don't you worry! I can treat everyone until you're able to move again!"

Future Chopper sniffled, but did calm down a little. "... Okay."

Usopp reached into his satchel and pulled out a familiar blue bag. "This should help, right?"

"My bag! You found it!" Future Chopper said, features immediately brightening. "I thought I lost it when-"

His face closed off, and he looked like he was remembering something uncomfortable.

"I'm sure everyone has information they need to share, but not this very second," Sanji spoke up. He pointed up at the sky; it had gone from red and gold to a deepening purple. "It'll be dark soon, and I don't think any of us want to travel at night."

Future Chopper frowned, but nodded.

"We should set up camp," Nami suggested to Roronoa. "Then when the sun rises again, we can go meet up with Brook and the others."

"Might as well," Roronoa agreed. He glanced at his shoulder. "You know, I don't think this has stopped bleeding since I tore it again."

"WHAT?!" Chopper hollered. He ran over to the swordsman. "Why didn't you say anything?! Arggggh, I knew I shouldn't have stopped working on you!"

"Wait, I recognize those marks!" Future Chopper realized, gaze snapping to the swordsman's wound. "Did you tear open your stitches again?! Why are you so reckless? I swear, if I didn't know better I'd say you had a death wish!"

"Lay off," the swordsman groused.

Usopp and the others laughed. Perhaps with two tiny reindeer doctors nagging him, he'd finally sit still long enough to actually heal.

By the time they sent Sanji and Usopp to collect the supplies Chopper had dropped during the chase and set up a meager camp, night fell and encompassed the jungle in darkness. They set themselves up in the nook between two gigantic tree roots where they'd be somewhat harder to spot. (Nami had argued against a campfire, but the other two future members of the Weakling Trio had argued vocally to keep it going.)

Then the time came to treat everyone's wounds and explain just what the hell was going on. Sanji was almost completely uninjured save for a couple scratches, but everyone else...

"SHE DID WHAT?!"

Nami, Sanji, and Usopp couldn't help but cringe at their doctors' shrill shout. One was used to it, but the other two had never seen such bravado from the reindeer toward their swordsman.

Roronoa sat propped up against the side of a tree root, the top half of his coat pulled down. He pointedly did not look at them. "Magnified my ability to feel pain by fifty. Weren't you two listening?"

"YOU COMPLETE AND UTTER BONEHEAD!" Future Chopper shrieked from his place in Nami's lap. He had yet to regain the ability to move, but promised everyone he would be alright in another hour. "HOW COULD YOU HIDE SOMETHING LIKE THIS FROM YOUR DOCTOR?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT DOES TO YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM?! YOUR BRAIN?! WHAT COULD HAVE POSSIBLY BEEN WORTH STAYING IN CONSTANT AGONY FOR OVER A DAY?!"

Chopper on the other hand, grew quiet after his shout. Now that the bleeding stopped, he was currently stitching Roronoa's shoulder again. But despite numbing the area with anesthetic, every pull of the needle caused glowing pink veins to pulse into existence around the wound. The swordsman tried to hide it, but the corner of his mouth twitched with pain with every stitch.

That didn't happen before when he'd treated Roronoa. If it had, he would have noticed. He would have.

"We had enough to worry about," Roronoa said as though it were obvious. "It's not that big a deal."

"NOT THAT BIG A– THAT DOES IT!" Future Chopper declared. "WHEN WE GET BACK TO THE SUNNY, I'M DEVOTING ALL MY TIME TO CURING HOPELESS IDIOCY!"

"I'm afraid Algae Noggin is a terminal case, Doc," Sanji said as he unpacked the lunches he'd made earlier. He looked over his shoulder to glare at Roronoa. "Seriously though, couldn't you have warned everyone the Carrions had someone with that kind of devil fruit before we all split up?"

"I did. I said she had a pain-in-the-ass devil fruit ability," Roronoa reminded them.

"We thought you were being uncouth, not literal," Nami grumbled as Usopp carefully wrapped her shoulder.

With only one doctor able, the sniper (who miraculously did not have a concussion from Erity's drop-kick) had been recruited in the medical effort once his arm had been taken care of. Future Chopper had directed them to use a salve from his bag on their Finger Pistol wounds before bandaging them, and another on Nami's bruises. It was mind-boggling how quickly they worked; Usopp had already regained full– but careful– movement of his arm, and Nami's abdomen no longer felt like it was about to tear in half. Her shoulder didn't even so much as ache!

"Whatever," Roronoa scoffed. "Brook knows, so he'll be on the lookout for the witch bitch."

"Funny you told Brook and not the rest of us," Sanji continued. He chewed on the end of his cigarette. "Is there anything else you'd like tell us that we 'shouldn't be worrying about?'"

Roronoa glared coldly at the chef. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm sorry," Chopper interrupted before Sanji could snipe back.

Everyone looked at the reindeer, who had his head bowed sadly.

"I should have noticed you were in pain back in the storeroom, or any of the other times I gave you a check-up," Chopper continued. "I could have given you a painkiller. I could have helped."

For a man who claimed he never regretted anything, Roronoa looked the closest he ever had to genuine remorse.

"Don't..." he began in an exhausted tone. He sighed. "You know now, and you can do something about it now. That's all that matters."

Chopper sniffled loudly, but the sadness did recede a bit. "Alright. But let me know if it gets worse."

"There's a syringe of liquid painkiller in my bag that should help a little," Future Chopper spoke up, voice equally tired. "Give it to him when you're done with his shoulder."

"Right."

"Enough about me." Roronoa gestured to the curled up form at his side with his good arm. "What about Luffy?"

The swordsman had insisted the Choppers take care of the captain first before he let them even get near his shoulder. The rubberman now lay on a sleeping mat Nami had had the foresight to bring: snoring, bandaged, and precious straw hat resting on his chest.

"He had pretty severe bruises, puncture wounds, and... bullet wounds," Chopper summarized. "Some kind of variant bird shot, by the looks of it."

"But oddly enough, it looks like his wounds already started to heal before Chopper got to him, and not in the Luffy-standard way," Future Chopper added. He grimaced. "That's not going to stop being weird, is it."

"Nope," Roronoa confirmed.

"Great. Anyway, the strangest thing is that– as far as either of us can tell– it appears Luffy hasn't lost any blood."

"Which is impossible!" Chopper declared. "With the wounds and their placement, he should have lost quite a bit!"

"Do you think Vaughan did something?" Nami asked Usopp, who had finished with her shoulder and now dug in Future Chopper's bag. "He called that move he used on you 'Bloody Puppet.' Shot in the dark; maybe he can control blood."

Usopp shuddered and pulled a tiny, folded-up tank top out of the bag. "What, you think he just... gave Luffy his blood back after beating him within an inch of his life?"

"Maybe? He did let us go."

"So he gets the 'Not as Big an Ass as You Could Be' award," Sanji said, sitting down with a stack of boxed lunches. "With all due respect dearest Nami, I would take everything he did with a grain of salt. I don't trust guys like that, especially if they can shoot a rubberman."

"I'm not saying we trust him– that guy definitely had an ulterior motive. I'm saying it's something to keep in mind." Nami shook her head and rubbed her neck. "But fine, we can table it. Back on point; is Luffy going to be okay, Chopper?"

"SNNNNNNNNRKKKK!"

Everyone looked at Luffy, who smacked his lips after that particularly audible snore.

"With adequate rest? Definitely," Chopper said confidently.

Everyone either chuckled or smiled, and almost instantly, a weight that permeated the air of the camp vanished.

Usopp gave Nami the tank top to put on Future Chopper, then crossed his arms. "Now that that's settled, I think it's time me and Chopper got an explanation."

Future Chopper nodded stiffly in agreement. Sanji decided now was the perfect time to pass out the lunches and did so.

"Right," Roronoa said as Chopper finished stitching his shoulder. "It's like this..."

With help from Nami, Chopper, and Sanji, Roronoa filled the other two future Straw Hats in about what they'd experienced so far– from the Past Straw Hats' landfall, to the spoiler ban, to Luffy running off like a moron to join Future Usopp.

(If Roronoa avoided any mention of the Going Merry, no one said anything about it.)

"Time travel," Usopp said once his friends finished. His face was light with awe. "I already got the gist from Nami, but still– of everything I thought we'd encounter on the vast Grand Line..." He grinned mischievously. "Franky officially owes me five thousand berries."

"We crossed the space-time continuum and that's all you have to say?!" Future Chopper asked incredulously. "I know the Grand Line doesn't make sense as a rule, but you have to admit that this is bizarre even by our standards!"

"That shows the difference between you and me, young Chopper. After everything I experienced, there came a point where my standards grew so high that only something truly impossible could faze me."

"Really? What point was that?"

"Talking skeleton."

"Oh."

"They're taking this well," Nami muttered discreetly to Sanji while offering Future Chopper another bite of food.

Sanji smirked, amused. "Better reaction than the skeleton, at least."

Future Chopper ate his food and looked toward his younger self. "So, I really just joined the crew a few days ago?"

Chopper looked up from his own food, mouth full of fish. He swallowed and said, "That's right. Two days ago now."

Usopp leaned back and gazed nostalgically into the campfire. "Man, Drum Island. Hard to believe that was just over two years ago." He frowned and rubbed his face in painful memory. "Ugh... aside from getting Chopper, that whole debacle was a nightmare."

"What are you talking about? You and I weren't even there for most of it," Roronoa disagreed.

"But what we were there for still sucked! Have you forgotten how we were chased down a mountain by a scalpel-tossing witch, attacked by a human trash compactor, and buried by an avalanche?!"

"Did that last part happen?"

"Yes!" Usopp snapped. "You were buried in the snow in just your pants, and Vivi slapped me so many times to make sure I was still alive that my face swelled up to the size of a beach ball!"

"Now that I remember." Roronoa shrugged and took a bite of food. "Good thing you still had your nose, otherwise I would have never recognized you."

"Asshole! You only remember what you want to!"

"Wait a minute!" Chopper shouted, jumping to his feet/hooves. "Roronoa, Usopp, you two were caught in the avalanche like Sanji? Why didn't you tell me?! You could have gotten frostbite or bone fractures or who knows what else! Let me look at you right now!"

"Uh, Chopper?" Nami piped up. "For these two, that avalanche was over two years in the past. Any injuries Usopp and Roronoa might have gotten then would have healed a long time ago."

Chopper wilted, sitting back down. "That's right. I forgot."

Usopp cocked his head to the side. "Why do you guys keep calling Zoro by his family name?"

"You're not mad at him, are you?" Future Chopper asked, concerned.

"Eh, no more than usual," Sanji said. He let out a puff of smoke before continuing. "We decided it'd be best to call our two sword freaks different things. You know, to keep addressing them from getting confusing."

"So we still call younger Zoro 'Zoro' and we call older Zoro 'Roronoa,'" Nami also explained. "While we're on the subject, we should probably decide what to call you two. We have the younger Chopper already here, and we'll meet up with younger Usopp soon."

"Right! Vivi always called me 'Tony,'" Future Chopper suggested. "I don't mind going by that."

"That'll do," Roronoa said. "Vivi's gonna have to call your past self by his real name when we regroup with her, though."

"Vivi..." the newly-dubbed Tony said, voice thick with emotion. "I missed her and Carue so much... I can't believe they're here!"

Nami patted him on top of his hat consolingly.

"Me too. I hated leaving her in Alabasta, so it'll be nice to have her around again, even if it's for a little while," Usopp agreed. He placed a hand on his chin. "Now, as for my name... I don't suppose I could get all of you to call me 'the Great Captain Usopp,' could I?"

"Not in this lifetime!" Nami chirruped.

"Not even if you were a lady," Sanji deadpanned.

"You're not a captain anymore though!" Chopper pointed out.

"Wait, Usopp's a captain?!" Tony gasped.

Luffy snored.

"No," Roronoa said.

"OKAY, I GET IT!" Usopp hollered. He crossed his legs and rested his hands on his knees. "Sheesh, I was only kidding. There's no need to gang up on me."

"You're giving up on the name just like that?" Nami asked. She took a sip from a thermos mug. "Huh, that's not like you. Sounds like you finally got a reality check."

"You've been calling yourself a captain since the day I met you," Sanji recalled. "It's practically your trademark. What changed?"

Usopp's eyes widened, as though he'd just had a major revelation. He opened his mouth to speak, but shut it when Roronoa shot him a glare. The swordsman shook his head, and Tony gave him the big, sympathetic reindeer eyes.

Usopp frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. He wouldn't meet their eyes– his gaze just kept darting to Luffy. "...Sorry guys. I can't really explain it without spoilers. You get how it is."

Sanji frowned, but silently conceded to dropping the subject for now. Nami, however, couldn't help but notice the sheer guilt Usopp's posture radiated. The moments just before Vaughan's arrival popped into her mind.

"... Did you really mean what you said back there? About how I would never do anything to let you all down?"

Usopp, she thought. What happened to you?

"Then what should we call you, Usopp?" Chopper piped up. "A family name? A nickname?"

Usopp finally looked up, his usually prideful smirk on his lips. "I have something better than either of those. It is a title I have earned through feats of daring and marksmanship throughout the Grand Line!"

He stood up and brandished his black slingshot, drawing back the bands dramatically. "Master of Pop Greens and the deadly slingshot Black Kabuto, I am known as 'King of the Snipers!'"

"We are not calling you that!" Sanji and Nami yelled together. "It's too long!"

"You sure that's a good idea, Usopp?" Roronoa pointed out, side-eyeing Tony.

Usopp tensed, sweat coating his forehead.

"Why would we call you the King of Snipers, Usopp?" Tony asked innocently. "Sniper King said he was your friend and all, but will he really be okay with you using his title like that?"

The sniper deflated.

"There's another Sniper King?" Chopper asked. "But the guy on the bounty hunter ship-"

"It's a future thing; don't worry about it! It's not important!" Usopp interrupted, waving the question off.

"For once, that's not a lie from him," Roronoa snickered. He snapped his fingers. "I got it! We'll call you 'Lysopp'."

"HELL NO!" the newly-dubbed Lysopp protested.

Nami nodded but smiled kindly. "Sounds good to me."

Sanji took a drag. "Can't believe Mosshead actually came up with something decent."

Luffy snored.

Chopper and Tony had identical cheery grins "Hi, Lysopp!"

"OKAY, I GET IT!" Lysopp sat back down, slumping forward and muttering, "Sheesh, now I know how Franky felt when we named Sunny."

Everyone laughed– even though most didn't understand the joke– except for Roronoa. He'd grown solemn and looked at the group with an intense stare.

"Lysopp. Tony," he said.

The laughter died at his tone, and everyone gave him their full attention.

"We've told you our story, but now you need to tell us yours. Between Tony's rampage, the bounty hunters chasing Lysopp, and what Luffy found on the beach..."

Roronoa reached into his haramaki and held up the New World log pose. "... What happened to you guys after we came to this island?"

Tony visibly paled under his fur. "Nami's log pose."

Lysopp looked pained. "Damn. Where'd you find it?"

"On the beach east of here," Nami replied.

"Yeah, that sounds right." Tony wiggled, and Nami set him more upright. "Me, Us- Lysopp, Nami, and Sanji were on a beach when..."

"When what?" Roronoa asked, placing the pose back in his waistband.

Chopper's teeth chattered. All he could do was watch as Sanji's head snapped back from the man's palm strike.

"Sanji!" Nami shrieked.

"Fire Bird Star!" Usopp called out.

The air shimmered with multi-colored light, and the man smiled a feral grin full of teeth.

Tony swallowed. "... when my memory stops."

Lysopp took Tony's hoof in his hand, squeezed it, and said, "It was back when we first arrived, not long after weighing anchor..."

三

TO BE CONTINUED