Chapter 9: Breakfast wars

Breakfast time for the Strawhat crew was war as Kurona, observed from his seat between Franky and Zoro. Luffy sat at the head of the long table shoveling down largest portion of scrambled eggs and sausage he'd ever seen. All the while, the cheery pirate garbled out a conversation with Brooke, and strangely the skeletion understood every word he was saying.

Sanji the chef acted rather stiff towards him when he handed him his meal, but immediately became a love struck fool over Nami and Nico Robin. Kurona found it all kind of funny but wasn't sure it was appropriate to laugh. He seemed particularly un-fond of Zoro, who glared just as deathly at him. It honestly felt like he was watching a dog and a cat growling. Hopefully he wouldn't get drawn into whatever was between them.

The long nosed man, Usopp was going over the contents of a little black book, a gleeful mischievous grin spread his cheeks to impossible lengths. If he didn't know any better, Kurona would hazard a guess that he was planning some sort of prank.

The demon sword was shaken from his musings by the little talking deer, "So how about it Kurona?"

"Uh, I'm sorry I wasn't listening" he said bashfully.

"Chopper wants to know if you'll give him a sample of your black blood" Zoro explained clearly bored, "He wants to study it, or something". Oh no, he was afraid this conversation would happen. The Strawhats were becoming interested in his blood.

"Do all living weapons on Meister Island have black blood like you?" Robin asked.

"W-well no" damn it, he was already wilting under all the attention. Honestly everyone avoided him back home, and no one outside of his immediate circle spoke of his unique blood condition, "My circumstances are...special to say the very least. I'm sorry Chopper, but I'm afraid I'm not allowed to give away my blood to anyone but my creator".

It was now Usopp's turn to join in, "Creator, I thought weapons were born?"

"You some kind of lab experiment kid?" cued Franky "Hey it's alright I can relate. I wasn't exactly born a cyborg you know".

"Who cares Kurona is totally awesome and strong" Luffy laughed, raucously raising his glass of orange juice "I want to make a toast. To our new crew mate, Kurona!"

"YEAH!" they all cheered.

Any further jubilation was brought to a grinding halt, along with the ship. Dishes and people went lurching foreward, causing a mess of food, chairs, and tangled limbs.

"Damn I got to shut off the engine" Franky shouted running out the door.

"Did we hit a rock?" Nami wondered.

"Let's go" Luffy yelled leading the charge to the upper deck. The sight they beheld upon reaching it however was unexpected. Dark green tentacles rose from the ocean depths to ensnare the Sunny Go in its wet sunction cup grip.

"It's a Neptunian".

"It's lunch!"

"It's a monster!"

"It's a challenger".

"No, it's Sir Squidworth!"

The Strawhats paused from their panic to stare at Kurona. The demon sword boy wasn't scared at all. In fact, he was smiling brightly at the enormous sea creature. One of the appendages wiggled out for him to hug onto.

"I missed you so much boy".

Sir Squidworth?" Zoro's eyes were wide in disbelief.

"He's my pet, or well, he used to be before I was assisting Professor Stein with a experiment, and I accidently spilled a experimental growth serum into his tank. Hehe, I was grounded for like a year".

This new development threw Luffy into a fresh wave of excitement "He's got a pet sea monster too~Kurona you're the coolest!"

"Perhaps Sir Squidworth could safely navigate us to the island harbor?" Robin suggested tickling a tentacle with multiple hands.

"Of course he can, he lives there after all".

"Whoa no no no!" Nami objected , her orange hair flipped about her face "we are not doing this. Just in case you've all forgotten, we're wanted criminals with huge bounties on our heads. We can't just sail up to a new place and expect everything to be hunky dory. I tell you this all the time, we have to be more discreet".

"pfft where's the fun in doing that all the time. Besides it never stays that way" Luffy scoffed with a dismissive wave "anchors away squid! Take us to Meister Island!"

Usopp joined Nami in her groaning. Why was it so hard for their captain to listen once in a while?

Sir Squidworth quickly picked up the knots as he maneuvered through the rocky outcroppings. The crew was well on their way again to a new adventure.

A dense fog had rolled in, the closer the ship drew to Meister Island. From the grassy deck, the crew could make out the shapes of buildings and the haunting blue glow of-were those giant candles?

"Lord Death has this thing about candles" Kurona said simply when asked.

"And skulls too it seems" Zoro grumbled. He was starting to not like this place. It was dreary and the streets seemed far too quiet for this time of day. It felt too much like the time they found themselves trapped in the Florian's Triangle. Kurona on the other hand looked so happy to see his native island once again.

The giant squid lowered the Sunny Go at a empty dock space with suprising gentility for such a large creature. Kurona thanked his old friend with a plate of biscuits before watching him return to the fathoms of the Grand Line.

"Bye buddy, I'll see you later!"

Franky, dropped the anchor while Luffy lowered the gang plank "All ashore!" Luffy yelled. Usopp thought it best to stay behind and guard the ship with Sanji "I'll help you clean up the kitchen Sanji old pal".

"Yeah sure Usopp" Sanji snorted, watching as Kurona and the rest of the Strawhat crew descended to the dock.

"Finally I never thought I would see home again" the demon sword thought to himself. He couldn't wait to see his friends and family again after so long.

"Why does your family live Kurona?" Robin asked.

Rrrrrrrr

Kurona tried not to blush at the beautiful mysterious woman "M-my family? Oh my family! I have one of those, they live further in town!"

Rrrrrrrrr

"Aw can't we eat first?" Luffy whined rubbing his growling belly "I'm dying of hunger here!"

Rrrrrrrrr

"You just ate breakfast Luffy-pig" Nami huffed crossing her arms.

"Yeah but I never got to finish remember!"

Rrrrrrrr

"Do you guys hear something?" Zoro frowned cupping his ear.

Choppers furry ears flicked to attention "I do".

Nami and Luffy in ceased their bickering to listen.

Rrrrrrrrr

"It sounds like...wheels?"

"Wheels?" Kurona blinked. Could it be?

The sound of small plastic wheels grew louder until a shadowy figure riding a office chair emerged through the dank fog. A front wheel wheel caught one of the cobblestones, pitching the silver haired man forward into a face plant.

"That had to hurt" Nami winced.

"Hahahaha! What a dummy!" Luffy on the other hand, did not bother to hide his mirth at the hilarious display.

Kurona was about to go over to the new comer, but the feel of Zoro's restraining hand prevented him from doing so.

The man in the badly re-stitched lab coat, and a scythe on his back, brushed himself off and readjusted his glasses, a calculated glint in his smoky eye "Good morning you all. I hate to be rude but I believe you have something of mine".

"Stein!"

"Hello Kurona".

End Chapter.