One Piece 1. Assessments

**Hi there! This story is a sequel to my fic ****_On the Misty Shore. Y_****ou're going to want to read that first, or you'll be as lost as Zoro. :P For those that have read it, welcome back, and thanks for sticking with me. c:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

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**Chapter 1 – Assessments**

Breakfast on the _Thousand Sunny_ was always an exciting time, matched only by lunch and dinner—or possibly the odd enemy attack. Bits of rice, meat, and the occasional roll flew through the air as each crew member fought to claim their share. It wasn't as hard as it had once been—their captain's arms could no longer stretch across the entire table, nor was his appetite quite so limitless, but Luffy still did an admirable job of clearing as much of the food as he _could_ reach.

At the far end of the table, a translucent figure watched the proceedings wistfully. "Looks good," Zoro muttered to himself. What he wouldn't give for a drink right now…

"Jealous?" Zoro looked up to see Sanji grinning down at him. "And it tastes as good as it looks."

"Probably tastes like shit, then." The swordsman scowled and looked away.

A vein twitched on Sanji's forehead, but amusement was still in his voice as he leaned closer. "You're not fooling me that easily. I heard what you said just now, Marimo. You miss my cooking, admit it. You'd do anything for just one bite of my lovingly-prepared meal—"

"Like hell," Zoro growled. "It's just a leftover habit. After three centuries of not eating, even your food starts to look almost edible."

There was a creaking noise as Sanji's hand tightened on his spatula. "Care to repeat that, shitty swordsman?"

Zoro rose, smirking, to face him. "I said that it's a good thing I don't need to eat anymore. At least I don't have to pretend to enjoy your cooking."

"Why you—" Sanji launched a furious kick at Zoro, who watched the chef with a bored expression as the attack swept cleanly through his intangible body. "Stop _doing that_, damn you!" Sanji sent another round of fruitless kicks at the ghost.

"Stop what?" Zoro asked. "I'm not doing anything. It takes effort to touch things. Why should I spend that effort on you, love-cook?"

Sanji let out a wordless cry of frustration. "Why are you even here, shithead?" He glared at Zoro. "As you oh-so-helpfully pointed out, you don't need to eat! Aren't you supposed to be keeping watch? Get the hell out!"

"What, scared something might sneak up on you?" Zoro yawned, standing there just long enough to make a point that he was leaving because he chose to and not because Sanji had told him to, then vanished from the galley.

"Fucking shitty ghost," Sanji grumbled, flopping into a seat and taking a deep drag on his cigarette.

"I'm still not used to that," Usopp said with a shiver, staring at the spot where Zoro had been standing.

"I know what you mean," Nami said, stirring her coffee. "It still bothers me sometimes, even after six months. So much is still the same…" She stared into her drink. "Sometimes, when we're sailing peacefully, it feels just like it did before. I start forgetting about what came after, our new lives, and all of it…and then Zoro will walk through the wall, or appear out of nowhere, and everything comes crashing back."

"Yeah," Franky said. "Or we'll be fighting guys we coulda handled no problem before, and we only realize we're in over our head when Zoro steps in to rescue us." He lifted his glass of cola, draining it in one long gulp and slamming it back onto the table. "Man, this sucks! I miss my old _super-_body."

"I'm glad he does, though," Chopper said. "You guys get too reckless sometimes. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Anyway, it can't be helped," Robin said calmly. "It will take time to regain our former strength. Locating four specific devil fruits or even just recovering speed and muscle…they won't happen overnight. We've already made great progress since we've returned to this world."

"You're absolutely right, Robin-chwan!" Sanji said, leaping up to offer her another coffee. "But I still wish it'd go faster," he muttered, once he'd returned to his seat. "I can't stand depending on the shitty marimo for safety."

The rest of the crew shared the sentiment, if not the chef's feelings toward the ghostly swordsman. It was an undeniable fact that Zoro was currently the strongest member of the crew by far, and likely would be for some time to come. Their new bodies, while generally fit, didn't have the years of training from their previous lives. Luffy and Sanji had some Haki control back, but it was weak and still unreliable. None of the devil fruit users had their powers restored. Franky had been spending increasing amounts of time in his workshop, but there had been no signs of cyborg modifications so far, and all he would tell them was that whatever he was working on wasn't ready yet. Between Chopper's ministrations and regular energy transfers from Zoro, Luffy's health was considerably better than it had been when they'd first returned; but "better" wasn't the same as "robustly healthy", and he still tired easily.

Zoro, on the other hand, while occasionally having difficulties maintaining a solid hold on his swords in the heat of battle, had lost none of his ability since becoming a spirit—in fact, having spent nearly four hundred years alone with nothing to do but train, he was stronger than ever. In response, Sanji was training twice as hard as anyone else on the crew, determined to regain his old skills so he could stop being protected and get back to _doing_ the protecting—particularly of the ladies, of course.

"Not to worry, Sanji-san," Brook said comfortingly. "I'm sure we'll be able to pull our weight soon—even though I now have more weight to pull, Yohohoh-AAAHH!" The musician's laugh rose sharply to a scream as without warning, Zoro popped back into the room directly across from him. Luffy continued eating, unconcerned, and Robin merely blinked, but the rest of the crew jumped, shrieked, or fell backwards, startled by the swordsman's sudden appearance.

"Zoro-san…please don't do that..." said Brook weakly, clutching at his chest.

"What have we told you about sudden appearances?" Nami yelled. "If you can't bring yourself to use the door like a normal person, at least teleport to the side of the room, don't just pop up right on top of us like that!"

"I should kill you for scaring Nami-san, you shitty bastard," Sanji snarled.

Zoro snorted. "Bit late for that, cook." He turned to his captain. "There's a ship approaching, Luffy."

Luffy looked up, breakfast momentarily forgotten. "What kind of ship?"

"Looks like a pirate ship," Zoro said. "It's too far away to be sure of the mark, but it's definitely a Jolly Roger."

"Pirates." Sanji ground out his cigarette. "Probably means a fight, then."

"We could just get out of here," Nami suggested. "Franky, we have enough cola for a Coup de Burst, don't we?"

"Yeah, we're all stocked and good to go!" Franky said confidently. "We can disappear before they get anywhere near us."

"Well, Luffy?" Usopp asked hopefully. "Let's just leave for now, huh? We're getting close to the next island, remember, and we heard there might be a devil fruit there, too! We don't need to be getting involved in anything dangerous right now!"

Luffy was silent for a moment, eyes shadowed by his hat. "No," he said at last. He looked at his crew. "I don't want to run away anymore. We'll never be as strong as we were before if we keep running from danger."

"We'll never get to be that strong if we fight someone we're not ready for and get killed, either!" Usopp whined, but everyone knew there was no use arguing with Luffy when he had made up his mind like this.

"We keep going," Luffy said firmly. "If they catch up to us, we'll deal with it then." He smiled. "Besides, maybe they're nice guys!"

"I doubt it…" Nami said with a sigh as Luffy headed for the door, chuckling. "Well, come on, then. We'd better be as ready as we can."

Sanji grinned hungrily as the crew left the galley. "Perfect," he said, pulling out a new cigarette and lighting up. "I could use a good workout."

"Be careful, Sanji!" Chopper said worriedly. "I know you're getting stronger, but…but…"

"Yeah, I know," the chef said, pausing to rest a hand on the reindeer's head. "I'm not gonna do anything stupid. Just stay here and relax."

Chopper didn't look happy, but stuck in Brain Point form, he was even more useless in a fight than Luffy, and the crew had decided soon after they'd returned that the little doctor would stay out of the way during any conflicts until he regained his powers. They needed Chopper to remain unhurt; the rest of the crew was far more likely to sustain injury these days, and having medical attention available after the battle was critical.

The crew lined up on deck as the ship approached. It was definitely a pirate ship, though rather small and shoddily built. The flag featured an image of a round green fruit carved to resemble a grinning face, with two black knives crossed behind. The Straw Hats eyed the flag, considering.

"…Melon Pirates?" suggested Usopp at last.

"What a sad-looking ship," said Franky. "I'll bet she's never seen a decent shipwright in her life."

"_This_ is the big emergency?" Sanji grumbled.

"Should be about right for you," Zoro said with a grin. "I think I'll sit this one out. You kids have fun."

Sanji bit down hard on his cigarette. "Sure," he ground out between clenched teeth. "You just stay back and let us handle it, gramps."

Zoro glared. "Call me that one more time, cook—"

"Well, let's not be too quick to judge these people on appearances." Robin spoke up. "If we underestimate them, we may be cut to pieces."

"T-that's not funny, Robin." Usopp gripped his kabuto nervously.

"It doesn't matter what they look like," Luffy said. "We'll see if they're friendly, and if not, we'll take care of them."

"Right," Franky said. The shipwright was carrying a small shoulder cannon, though he kept it lowered for the moment.

Zoro placed a hand on Luffy's shoulder. "I'll be here if you need me," he said. Luffy nodded, and Zoro faded from sight.

The ship caught up to them a minute later. Up close, it looked even worse—clearly something that had been cobbled together by amateurs just starting out. The sails were patched; the planks were uneven and stuck out at weird angles.

"It's a miracle the thing hasn't sprung a leak," muttered Franky.

The ship's crew was on deck. They seemed to be armed mainly with swords, though one or two sported battered guns. Every one of them fixed the Straw Hats with identical glares as they drew near the Sunny.

"Well, they look friendly," Brook said, keeping a firm grip on his sword.

Luffy was undeterred. "Hey!" he called enthusiastically. "What's up, guys?"

One of the pirates stepped forward. He was a hulking giant of a man, with long, scraggly blond hair capped by a green helmet that strongly resembled a melon. He brandished his sword at the Straw Hats. "Prepare to die, insolent fools!" he shouted.

"Seriously?" Nami asked. "He couldn't come up with a better opening line than that?"

"Why?" Luffy called back to the man. "We haven't done anything to you!"

The man's eyes narrowed. "How dare you use that flag?" He swung his sword up to point at the Straw Hats' Jolly Roger, fluttering proudly in the wind. "That mark belongs to Monkey D. Luffy, the second king of the pirates! You insult his name by trying to claim it as your own, and we will make you pay for your impudence!"

"Oh, not this again," Usopp moaned.

Nami sighed. "How many times does this make now? See, Luffy, this kind of thing will just keep happening! We really should just put the flag away until we're stronger—"

"No," Luffy said. He glared back at the other captain. "This is our flag! And we'll defend it!"

"Cheeky brat." With a mighty leap, the man landed on the Sunny's deck, brandishing his sword at Luffy. "You're dead!"

"Oi, shithead," Sanji said. "Get the hell off our ship."

"Or we'll get you off," Franky said, raising his cannon to aim at the pirate.

The man glared at the weapon contemptuously. "You expect me to be scared of your little toys? If you're so full of yourselves that you'd use _that_ flag, you should have something more impressive to back it up!"

"Well, we could call up the resident ghost," Sanji said, raising his leg, "but he tends to get grumpy when we bother him for things we're perfectly capable of handling ourselves."

The fight was brief. The man's sword skills were not much more impressive than his ship, and a few quick kicks sent him sailing back to crash among his men, bruised and bleeding, with his melon helmet smashed to bits.

The rest of his crew roared in outrage and surged forward onto the Sunny. "Looks like it's party time," Franky said, grinning.

The Straw Hats set to with relish. The Melon Pirates had a lot of men for such a small ship, but they were just as weak as their captain had been, and Luffy and his crew had no real difficulty finishing them off.

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"Is it over?" Chopper asked a few minutes later, peeking cautiously out from the galley.

"Yeah." Sanji grinned at him. "No problem. We kicked their asses."

"Awesome, Sanji!" Chopper squeaked, running down onto the deck. "You're amazing!"

"Yeah," said a voice, and Zoro reappeared in the middle of the deck, smirking. "Congratulations on being able to handle small fry, Swirlybrat. Bet you're real proud."

Sanji's good mood evaporated in an instant. "Shut the hell up, shitty ghost," he growled, and sent a kick flying straight through Zoro's head. It may have been a useless gesture, but seeing that smug look disrupted even for an instant made him feel better, somehow.

"Did anyone get hurt?" Chopper asked anxiously.

"Not a scratch!" said Usopp proudly. Then he glanced at his captain. "Hey, you okay, Luffy?"

Luffy was leaning on the rail. He seemed uninjured, but was breathing a bit hard. "I'm fine," he said.

Chopper rushed over to him. "You can't push yourself so hard in fights yet," he said worriedly. "Come on, I need to make sure you're okay." He began tugging Luffy towards the stairs.

"I'm just a little tired, that's all. I'm fine, really—"

"Don't argue with your doctor! Get in here!"

With a sigh, Luffy gave up and allowed himself to be led to the infirmary.

"He's okay…right?" Usopp asked.

"I'm sure he's fine," Nami said. "He really has gotten much better since we returned. He just needs to learn not to take things too fast." She headed for the stairs. "I guess I should see if Chopper needs help with anything."

"Man," Franky said as the rest of the crew headed inside as well, "it's nice to be famous, but I could do without all these pirates throwing themselves at us out of wounded pride."

"Yeah," Usopp agreed. "But I guess we're stuck with it, huh? You heard Luffy; he'll never hide our flag. We're lucky we were able to convince him not to go shouting the whole story to everyone we meet."

"All we have to do is get stronger," Sanji said, heading into the galley. "Then it won't matter who comes after us or for what."

"And with any luck, the next island will help us do just that!" Brook said. "If there is a devil fruit there, and if it is one of the four we seek—"

"That's a lot of 'ifs'," Usopp said.

"We must think positively, Usopp-san! Why shouldn't it be one of ours?"

"Okay, fine," the sniper said with a sigh. "I just hope we can get it without too much trouble."

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**So…yes. First chapter. Hopefully you enjoyed. c:**

**I'm not going to make any promises on how often I'm going to update. I have the next several chapters written, but I want to maintain that lead (maybe even increase it), so you'll get chapter 2 when I'm finished with the chapter I'm writing now, etc. I would love to make that happen once a week, but I know I won't be able to keep to that every time, so…it'll take as long as it takes. I have a tumblr linked on my profile that might give you some idea of when the next chapter will be coming. Or maybe not. I just find it helpful to talk about what I'm writing, so I make a lot of random posts there about whatever part I'm working on.**

**I'm going to tell you right now that I don't plan on going into too much detail about everything that's changed in the last 400 years – what the political powers are, how technology has advanced, etc. That doesn't mean there won't be ****_any_**** of that, but I'm not interested in trying to reinvent the entire OP world, and that's not what this story's about, anyway. One thing I will say is that the World Government is no longer around, because I can't really picture One Piece ending with it still existing, at least in its current form.**

**Regarding any ghost stuff in this fic – I did do research, but I'm going to be picking and choosing and making things up to suit the story, so please don't tell me I'm "wrong" about something. Ghosts aren't really something we have concrete facts for to begin with (even on whether or not they exist). On the other hand, if you have any information you'd like to share, or an idea for something, I'm listening. It might be useful for some of the stuff I'll be doing later. c:**

**Okay, I think that's it for now. (I feel like there was something else I wanted to mention…Oh well.) Thanks for reading!**


	2. Heaven and Hell

***waves* Welcome back! Here is chapter 2. It shouldn't have taken so long, since I had less than half a chapter to write before posting this, but RL has a funny habit of getting in the way now and then. ;P**

**Thanks so much to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed! ^_^**

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**Chapter 2 – Heaven and Hell**

"I'm not coming."

"C'mon, Zoro, please? You never go with us to islands anymore!"

Zoro shot his captain an exasperated look. "Because I'd attract too much attention! Flag aside, weren't we trying to keep a _low_ profile for now?"

"You know perfectly well that there are ways around that," Nami said. "Look, there's supposed to be a devil fruit on this island, and I'm sure we won't be the only ones after it. We might be attacked! Don't you want to keep Luffy safe? You're coming with us and that's final."

"Tch, fine," Zoro gave in with a sigh. "I'll come. But I'm not wearing that ridiculous getup."

"It's not ridiculous, it's very fashionable!" Nami retorted. "And of course you're wearing it! You can hardly go wandering around looking like that, and I'm not having you hovering around us invisibly, it's creepy!"

"Like I care," Zoro said. He disappeared a moment later, however, and soon the Straw Hats could hear grumbling and the banging of Zoro's locker as he searched for the clothes.

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Half an hour later, Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Chopper, Usopp, and Robin left the Sunny and headed into town. The day was warm, and one or two people looked at Zoro oddly, but they shrugged it off; there would have been far more staring if his ghostly appearance had been visible.

Every inch of Zoro's body was covered. He wore a hooded coat made of black leather over a dark green shirt and pants, the coat's hem long enough to brush against the ankles of his boots. Subtle embroidery along the coat's shoulders and skirt suggested a wave pattern. On his hands were black leather gloves, and his face was obscured by a scarf and a full-face mask, in case anyone got close enough to see under the hood. Several belts and chains accented the outfit, jingling as he walked, and his swords hung from a sash at his waist.

"This is stifling," Zoro complained. "Do you have any idea how annoying it is to keep all this crap touching me for so long?"

"Deal with it," Nami said. "It's bad enough you can't stay solid longer than a couple of hours; I don't need to hear your whining when I'm trying to work with a time limit."

"Tch." Zoro adjusted his sash. "So? Where do we start looking for this thing?"

"Hmm," Nami glanced down the street. "How about there?" She pointed at a squat building with a sign proclaiming it to be a bar. "I'm sure someone in there will have heard something about it."

"I bet they have meat, too." Luffy said. "Let's go!"

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"This is torture," Zoro said, staring moodily at his glass. Bad enough the witch had made them come in here—was it really necessary for him to order rum he couldn't drink just to blend in? It looked so good, too...even though it was the cheapest brand in the bar.

"Hang in there, Zoro," said Chopper, comfortingly. "I'm sure we'll be able to leave soon."

"Yeah," Usopp said. "Nami's great at getting people to talk."

"They have to know something to be able to tell her about it." Zoro lifted the glass, pretending to drink as his eyes scanned the room. The dark liquid brushed against his mask, and he fought the urge to remove it, just for a moment, and attempt a swallow. He'd tried it before, multiple times. It never ended well, but he wouldn't have cared—if only he had been able to taste it. Hell, at this point he'd settle for smelling it, though that might just make things worse.

"We heard about this fruit on another island," Robin said. "If the rumor has spread that far, I'm certain the locals will know all about it."

"And if these people don't," Luffy said around a mouthful of meat, "we can just go somewhere else to ask."

"Especially if they serve meat?" Usopp asked with a grin.

"Yeah," Luffy grinned back. "Especially then."

And there would be alcohol too, no doubt. Zoro snorted as he replaced his glass on the table. It was almost ironic, really; spending the day visiting the all the local bars would have been the perfect start to a vacation, once upon a time. But his friends were right; it was quite likely someone here had a lead on the fruit. And Nami was the perfect person to charm, bribe, and/or threaten it out of them.

As if on cue, Nami came sauntering back to the table, a smile on her face. "Got it," she said. "The fruit is with a man living just outside town. Apparently he needs money for something and is trying to sell it."

"Good," Zoro said, standing in relief. "Let's go."

"An old man has it? Living by himself?" Usopp looked apprehensive. "He must be pretty scary for an old guy, if no one's stolen it yet."

"He certainly wouldn't be the first formidable senior we've met." Robin got to her feet.

Luffy looked up from his plate. "Are we leaving already?"

"We didn't come here to eat, Luffy," Nami reminded him. She snatched Zoro's glass and drained it in one long pull. "Come on."

Luffy hurriedly tried to finish his meal, eventually grabbing the last two pieces and carrying them with him as they left the bar.

"'Blend in' my ass," Zoro said. "You were planning to drink that from the start, weren't you?"

"I paid for it, I wasn't going to waste it," Nami said. "You really weren't missing much, though—get something with a little quality next time, will you? Now follow me and don't get lost."

"You're the one who ordered it!" he protested, but Nami was already walking away. Zoro shot her a glare—unnoticed beneath his hood and mask—and the six Straw Hats started down the street toward the east edge of the town.

It took less than a minute for Zoro to notice they were being followed. A few dark forms slipped around corners and between the other passers-by. Bandits, he guessed, judging by their appearance. The men did not look especially fearsome, but Zoro knew better than to assume this group would be as weak as the Melon Pirates had been. Quietly, he alerted the others. They decided to try to lose their pursuers, or at least lead them to a less busy area in case of a fight. Turning down a side street, they abruptly found the path ahead blocked by several more men, all with the same scruffy, disreputable look as those following behind. In seconds, they were boxed in, with more men joining the enemy ranks by the second.

"Damn, guess we've got no choice now but to fight," Usopp said, pulling out his kabuto.

"Chopper, Luffy, stay behind us." Since their return, Nami had had to adjust to being one of the main fighters. As her abilities depended more on her weapon and knowledge of weather than physical strength, she was not as affected by the limitations of her new body. She raised her Clima-Tact and stood protectively in front of the captain and doctor.

"I can fight, Nami!" Luffy protested.

"That doesn't mean you go charging in like you used to!" she said. "Stay behind me and keep an eye on Chopper."

Luffy didn't look happy, but he positioned himself between Chopper and the men nearest to them, raising his fists.

Zoro drew Shūsui and stepped towards the group that had blocked them from behind. "You get one warning. Leave now."

A tall, seedy-looking man with shaggy brown hair stepped forward. "That's mighty kind of you, but I think we'll stick around. See, we heard you asking about that fruit back there, and it just so happens we're after it too. Big score like that, who could pass it up? And we don't need some ragtag bunch of pirates getting in the way." He drew a sword from his belt and approached Zoro, grinning evilly.

"Oh, wonderful," Usopp said. "Nami, you gotta be more careful talking about this stuff!"

"Shut up and get ready!" she snapped.

The bandits charged. Zoro met the tall man's blade with his own and knew within a few seconds that despite his appearance, the man had skill. Not enough to truly challenge the world's greatest swordsman, of course, but after nearly four centuries of training without a sparring partner, Zoro had a newfound appreciation for even the most modest of talents. He decided to enjoy himself for a bit.

Behind him, he heard the crackle of Nami's electricity, the twang of Usopp's weapon, the shouts and yells from his friends as they attacked. He found himself grinning. It felt so _good_ to fight with them again. Zoro moved his sword gracefully through the air, blocking and slashing as his opponent attempted to penetrate his defense. Occasionally another bandit from the group would try to sneak past him, only to be stopped by a lightning fast attack. As always, part of his mind stayed focused on remaining tangible; it would not do to lose his sword—and clothes—midway through the fight.

Zoro's opponent slowly seemed to be realizing exactly how outclassed he was. His attacks became faster and more desperate, and as his confidence disappeared, Zoro barely had to put any effort into blocking him.

He took the time for a quick glance at the others. They seemed mostly to be holding their own, but with some difficulty—these bandits were indeed far stronger than the pirates of the other day. Nami was in the lead, attacking the second group that had cut them off ahead. Usopp was backing her up from a distance, while Robin and Luffy were dealing with any that got through to them.

Finally, Zoro grew bored with the fight. Leaping back, he sent a flying slash at his opponent that shattered the man's sword and sent him crashing back to the end of the street, where he lay unmoving. Satisfied, Zoro sheathed his sword. He scanned the street ahead of him for stragglers, but it seemed the only bandits left were in the group behind him.

A shrill scream made him whip around. As the fight had continued, the Straw Hats had been drawn away from each other somewhat. Luffy was trying to take on three at once, while in a corner of the alley, a black-haired bandit had Chopper trapped. The man raised his arm to strike, a long knife shining bright in the sunlight, and Zoro moved. He managed to keep hold of his tangibility—barely—and slid between bandit and reindeer just in time to prevent the knife from hitting the little doctor.

A moment later, a sharp pain told him that while he had stopped the blade, he had not been able to fully raise his sword in time. He looked down to see the knife sunk to the hilt in his side. A fresh wave of agony washed over him, and Zoro staggered. _Why is it hurting like this?_ he thought in confusion. _Physical weapons shouldn't affect me like this!_ Shūsui slipped in his hand and he frantically grasped for the mental control needed to stabilize his form.

The bandit grinned, yanking the knife from Zoro's side with a vicious twist. He raised the weapon for another attack, but with a roar, Zoro rammed his sword forward, cutting the man down. His movements felt sluggish, his body slow to respond through the haze of pain. He cursed himself for his weakness. He'd fought through worse pain than this, sustained injuries far more serious than a simple knife wound. Had three centuries free of such sensations really dulled him this much?

Gritting his teeth, he kicked the slumping bandit away and, drawing Kitetsu, charged at the remaining enemies. It was time to end this.

* * *

Luffy ducked under the bandit's club and slammed a fist into the man's gut. He had been testing his control of Observation Haki today and it was working fairly well—he hadn't suffered anything worse than a few bruises and a small cut to his arm. His punches, however, were less satisfactory, and the shaking in his limbs was telling him he couldn't keep this up much longer. The bandit staggered back, gasping for breath, but seemed to have taken no permanent damage, and was moving toward him again a few seconds later.

Luffy tensed, preparing to dodge, but before the bandit could reach him, a green-and-black blur came barreling in, catching the man in the side and sending him flying into the wall. He collapsed in a pile of rubble and did not stir.

"Thanks, Zoro!" Luffy called. The only response was a grunt as Zoro charged toward the remaining bandits. He sidestepped around Usopp and Nami and with one sweeping attack, the bandits were tossed into the air. They landed farther down the street with various thuds, screams, and splatters of blood.

"That was awesome, Zoro!" Usopp cheered.

"Took you long enough," Nami said. "Was the guy you were fighting really that good?"

"Shut up," Zoro huffed. He flinched a little as he sheathed his swords, and when he turned, Luffy noticed he had a hand pressed to one side. "You okay, Luffy?"

"I'm fine," Luffy said. "Just a scratch. But what about you, Zoro? You're acting like you're hurt."

Immediately, Zoro's hand dropped from the spot it had been touching. "It's nothing," he said, straightening.

Luffy frowned. That was the voice Zoro used to use when he was shrugging off an injury. Since becoming a ghost, Zoro had been cut a few times, but he'd always said they barely tingled, and only for a minute or two after receiving the wound. He'd showed them the fading lines. They'd laughed about it. So why was he suddenly acting so different?

"Zoro!" Chopper ran forward and hugged the swordsman's leg tightly. "You were amazing! Thanks for saving me!"

"Don't worry about it," said Zoro gruffly. "You're all right?"

The reindeer nodded. "No one even touched me, thanks to you and the others."

Luffy had been moving forward during the exchange, and now he stood directly beside Zoro. He hesitated for an instant, then jabbed a finger hard at the spot Zoro had been holding. The effect was immediate. Zoro gasped in pain and doubled over, clutching at his side. His clothes shifted oddly, and Luffy knew his friend had nearly lost his solidity.

"Damn it, Luffy, what the hell did you do that for?" Zoro choked out, as Chopper scrambled backwards, staring at him in consternation.

"I knew it." Luffy fixed his first mate with an authoritative glare. "You _are_ hurt. How? What happened?"

"Not…here," Zoro hissed through clenched teeth. "Too many…people."

Luffy looked around and saw a few of the bandits beginning to stir, while curious faces from the busier road could be seen at the end of the alley. "Okay. We'll find someplace private, then."

The Straw Hats emerged from the little street, all of them shooting concerned looks at Zoro surreptitiously. Zoro ignored them and strode forward briskly, though one hand stayed at his side. Finding an acceptable place took longer than they would have liked, and Luffy was burning with worried impatience by the time they at last squeezed into a tiny passage between two buildings, hidden by bushes.

"All right," Luffy said as he swung to face Zoro. "Now what's going on?"

"I don't know," Zoro said. "One of them got me. And I can feel it this time."

Nami frowned. "It hurts?"

"_Yes_, it hurts!" Zoro snapped. "Don't ask me why!"

"Let me see," Chopper said.

Zoro hesitated, then pulled the layers of leather and cloth aside. Luffy heard gasps as the swordsman's body was revealed. He stared. A deep gash cut into the left side of Zoro's abdomen, and a translucent silvery liquid was seeping from it at a steady pace, soaking the dark clothes.

"Zoro…" Nami seemed lost for words. "I…I think you're bleeding."

* * *

**Hmm. Well, that's probably not good. *whistles***

**Thanks for reading, and I'll try not to keep you waiting too long for chapter 3 (though I have a few things to work out with the chapter I'm writing next, so it may not be as fast as I'd like).**


	3. Injury and Progress

**Before I forget, happy birthday, Usopp! I'm sorry you don't have a bigger role in this chapter. At least you're in it? ^_^;  
**

**I was kind of amused at the differing reactions in the reviews last time. XD Is Zoro dying? Is he coming back to life? Hmm...hehe.  
**

** Anyway, here's chapter 3 for you! I'm not completely happy with this one, but I hope you enjoy it. c: I'll just be over here hiding... (Another fight scene and my first named OC[s], both in the same chapter, oy. /confidence issues)**

******Thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed! c:  
**

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Injury and Progress**

"Zoro…I think you're bleeding. But…it doesn't look like blood…"

"Ectoplasm," Robin said, leaning forward to study the wound with interest. "If I were to guess, I'd say that he is bleeding ectoplasm, Nami."

Usopp was pale. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"What do I do?" Chopper looked frantic. "I've never seen anything like this before! I didn't know a ghost could need medical care! How do I treat something like this?" The little doctor was near tears.

Zoro let go of the clothes. He seemed remarkably calm as he pulled his three swords from his sash and held them out to his captain, but his voice was tight as he spoke. "Hold these for me, Luffy."

"Sure," Luffy said, clasping the weapons tightly in his arms. "But what—"

He got his answer almost immediately, as Zoro abruptly became intangible again, the dark clothes falling in a heap to the ground. Zoro sighed softly, and the tense set of his shoulders lessened by the slimmest of margins.

Pulling aside his green coat and haramaki, Zoro looked down at the injury. The rest of the Straw Hats followed his gaze. Nothing seemed different; the silvery substance still dripped freely, and the wound looked just as bad as it had a moment before.

"Maybe…maybe I could…" Chopper trailed off helplessly, unsure what to suggest.

"Hold on," Zoro said.

Standing there watching Zoro bleed was testing the limits of Luffy's patience. There had to be something they could do, anything other than just waiting like this! What would happen if it didn't stop? If Zoro lost too much, would he die—again?

But Zoro just stood there, face impassive. And gradually, Luffy could see a change. Ever so slowly, the flow began to slacken. Within a few minutes, it had slowed to a trickle. It seemed the gash was beginning to heal; however, looking at Zoro, Luffy still felt a twinge of worry. The flesh around the wound was shimmering and bright silver, but the rest of the swordsman's body was more transparent than usual.

"It looks like it's stopping," Chopper said in relief, peering closely at the injury. "How's it feeling now?"

Zoro shrugged. "Hurts less than it did before."

"But how did you get hurt in the first place?" Usopp asked. "I mean, you're a spirit! You've been cut by stuff before and it didn't do this!"

"Dunno," Zoro looked a bit unsettled. "He wasn't using Haki as far as I could tell—and I'm not sure if Haki could do this, anyway."

Robin looked thoughtful, but when she spoke it was simply to suggest that they return to their quest and deal with this new development later. "There will likely be more groups after the fruit," she said. "We should keep moving."

"Fine," Zoro said, "but I'm not putting those things back on."

"You probably shouldn't get solid for a while anyway, Zoro," Chopper said. "At least until that wound completely heals."

Nami sighed. "Wonderful. So we get the invisible ghost following us after all. Just make sure you stay with us; we won't be able to tell if you get lost." Before Zoro could offer a retort, Nami turned to Usopp. "You carry his clothes."

"What? Why me?"

"Because Chopper's too small, Luffy's already carrying the swords, and it's rude to make a lady do all the work. Besides, I need to watch where we're going."

"And who here is a lady, exactly?" Usopp muttered. But he bent down and started picking the clothes up anyway.

"Just leave 'em." Zoro waved a hand dismissively.

"No way." Nami said. "I paid a lot of money for those!"

"Blackmailing a shopkeeper into giving you an eighty percent discount doesn't count as 'paying a lot of money,'" Zoro said irritably.

"Haggling is hard work, you know! And anyway, you'll need them later."

"Need them? I'd be happy never to touch them again!"

"Now look, you—"

"Okay, okay," Usopp cut in, clothes now safely bundled in his arms. "Let's just get going, huh?"

"Sounds good to me," Zoro said. He faded from sight a moment later, and the crew left the alley and resumed course for the house where they hoped one of their prizes would, at last, be waiting.

* * *

"That must be it," Robin said, looking up at the white house perched on top of the hill. The building had a slightly ramshackle look about it, but it was clean and the yard was well-kept. A low fence surrounded it, and Robin pushed the gate open and started up the path.

As Usopp made to follow her, he heard a soft muttering coming from Luffy's direction. "Hmm? Did you say something?"

Luffy smiled. "It's nothing." He pushed past Usopp and trotted up the hill. He reached the doorstep a moment after Robin did, and reached around her to ring the bell.

After a minute, there was the sound of shuffling footsteps, and the door was opened by a middle-aged man with graying hair and glasses. "May I help you?" he asked, peering at them.

"Hi, I'm Luffy!" The boy leaned forward. "Can my friends and I come in? We want to see your devil fruit."

The man paled slightly, and there was a faint tremor in his voice as he spoke. "Devil fruit? What would I be doing with something like that?"

Nami stepped forward. "Trying to sell it, from what I hear. Look, we're not here to kill you and steal the thing. We're willing to pay, if it's one we're looking for."

"Well…" The man looked unsure.

"Please! It's really important. I promise we're not bad guys." Luffy grinned at him.

The man sighed. "Very well, then, come in." He stood back from the doorway to allow the Straw Hats to step through.

The man led them to a sitting room. It had a worn look, and felt rather cramped, though that could have been due to the sheer amount of stuff in the room. Shelves lined the walls. Most were filled with tightly packed books, though a few held various odd-looking gadgets. More books were piled on the floor along with boxes of varying size, and a desk in one corner held several stacks of papers. It was a comfortable sort of clutter, though, and none of it looked dusty or uncared for. The man excused himself to make tea, while the crew settled themselves as best they could on the room's small sofa. "Well?" he asked, once he had returned and they were all settled. "What do you want with a devil fruit?"

"That's not really important, is it?" Nami leaned forward. "Just tell us which one it is and how much you want for it."

"I…" The man glanced down, one hand rubbing at his mouth. "I'm afraid I don't know which one it is."

"That's all right," Robin said. "We'll know if it's the right one when we see it."

"I can't let you see it," the man said. "Not until I see the money and you've agreed to buy."

"Why not?" Nami asked. "Why on earth would we agree to buy it without seeing it? It could be a fake!"

"It's real." The man's face was set. "But in spite of your assurances, miss, I have no guarantee that you won't simply steal it as soon as you see where it's hidden. I won't take that chance."

Nami sighed in frustration. They couldn't simply leave without seeing it. But spending that kind of money, when the fruit might be useless to them…it was unthinkable.

"And your price, Mr…?" Robin asked.

"Olin," the man said. "And my price is three hundred million."

"_What_?" Nami's voice rose to a screech. "That's way too much!"

"Some people would find it perfectly reasonable," Olin said. "You're free to leave if you're not one of them."

"We _can't_ just leave!" Usopp protested.

"There's no way we're spending that much on something that might not even be what we're after," Nami said. "If you expect us to pay that kind of ridiculous price, the least you can do is—"

"Bring it to our ship in an hour." Luffy spoke for the first time since they'd entered the house.

"You agree to the price?" Olin asked.

"Yes," Luffy said. "Bring it, and you'll get your money."

"What?" Nami stared at him. "But Luffy—"

"Let's go," Luffy stood. "One hour, old man." And he turned and walked out.

* * *

Nami managed to wait until they reached the bottom of the hill before exploding at her captain. "Luffy! What were you thinking, agreeing to that? This probably isn't even one of the ones we need!"

"It's okay," Luffy said, a strange smile on his face.

"It's _not_ okay! We can't just go handing out our treasure for every fruit that comes along—"

"What is it, Luffy?" Robin asked.

Luffy looked at them, the smile widening. "Before we went in, I told Zoro to find out where the fruit was."

"You did?" Usopp asked, looking around in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the ghost. "Oh…is that what you were mumbling about before we went up the hill?"

"Yep," Luffy said. "I thought he'd be able to find out faster than we could if the old man really had a fruit, and if it was one of ours."

Nami looked stunned. "Then…then, since you agreed to buy it…"

"That means…" Usopp was trembling. "We found one? Really?"

Luffy laughed. "Yeah! We all saw pictures of what they looked like, right? So Zoro could tell."

"Which one is it?" Nami asked.

Luffy's eyes sparkled, but before he could speak, Zoro's voice came from the air to his right. "It's Chopper's."

The reindeer gasped, gaze snapping to the apparently empty space next to Luffy. "Mine?" he asked in a trembling voice. "It's…it's really there? You're sure?"

"Yeah," said Zoro's voice.

"All right!" Usopp punched the air. "Way to go, Chopper! You'll be back to your old self in no time!"

"Celebrate after we have it," Zoro said.

"Well, guess we'd better get back to the ship," Nami said. "We should have everything ready for him when he arrives." For a moment, her features twisted in misery. "Three hundred million…that's so much…all that beautiful treasure…"

"It's okay, Nami." Luffy patted her on the back as they walked towards the town. "We can get more. It's for Chopper."

"Yeah…I know," she said, smiling a little. "It'll be worth it."

* * *

"You actually _found_ one?" Sanji's visible eye was wide.

"Yep!" If Luffy had still been rubber, he would literally have been bouncing off the walls. "Chopper'll be back to normal in an hour."

"This is so exciting!" Brook said. The musician had pulled out his guitar and was strumming it, unable to hold still. "Congratulations, Chopper-san! Oh, I hope we'll find mine next!"

"But Brook," Franky said, "even if you eat the Yomi-Yomi no Mi, you won't have any powers until you die again, right?"

Brook's playing faltered. "Yes…I suppose that's true. It would be my third time dying…that's quite a record, Yohohoho!"

"But I don't want you to die, Brook!" Chopper said. "Even if I know you'll come back, I don't want to see that!"

"Chopper-san…" the musician said, clearly touched.

"You know, I've been thinking about something," Usopp said. "I know we've already spent a few months looking, but…you guys don't necessarily have to eat the same fruits as you did before, right? This could be a chance to try out different powers."

"I like my fruit," Chopper tugged at his hat. "Having different powers would be cool…but you can only have one, and I know which one is best for me."

"Yes," Robin smiled at the reindeer. "I think we all feel the same."

Luffy laughed. Of course he wanted his fruit back. He couldn't wait to be rubber again. _I wonder if I'll be able to use my Gears right away…how much will I have to relearn?_ His stomach informed him that that really wasn't important right now; there were more pressing matters. "Sanji!" He waved at the chef. "Food!" What better way than lunch to pass the time until Chopper got his powers back?

* * *

They were polishing off the last plates of food when they heard the shouts. A moment later, Zoro appeared in the galley. "He's here. But it's not good."

"What do you mean, 'not good'?" Nami asked, as the crew rose quickly from their seats.

"I mean it looks like someone tried to beat him to death," Zoro's face was grim.

"What?" Chopper dashed from the room.

The rest of the Straw Hats followed, Zoro fading to invisibility before emerging on deck. They ran to the side of the ship—and found Olin on the dock, barely standing.

"Not good" was perhaps something of an understatement. What they could see of Olin's body was a mess of bruises. Blood dripped from a large wound in his shoulder—perhaps a gunshot—as well as several smaller cuts. His voice was still in working order, however.

"It's gone!" The man sounded near tears. "They found me…on the way here. They took the fruit…I tried to stop them…!" He fell to his knees, voice dropping to a choked mumble that nevertheless carried up to Sunny's deck. "Gone…I'm sorry, Anjia…I couldn't get the money…I'm so sorry!"

"Shit." Sanji dropped to the dock next to Olin. "Come on, old man, let's get you on the ship. Our doctor can fix you up."

Once Sanji had helped the man onboard, however, he saw their doctor needed a little help of his own. Chopper was frozen in place, eyes wide and staring. "Gone…?" he repeated, sounding almost puzzled. "My fruit…is gone?"

"Oi, Chopper," Sanji nudged the reindeer gently with a foot. "Don't worry. We'll get it back, whoever took it. But right now this guy needs help."

Chopper blinked, then focused on Olin. "Oh no! He's seriously hurt! He needs a doctor right away!"

"So," Sanji pushed Chopper towards the injured man, "go help him already, doctor."

"Oh. Right!" Chopper scrambled forward. "Bring him to the infirmary! Nami, can you help me?"

"Of course," she said, moving to follow.

"Wait." Luffy's quiet voice brought everyone to a sudden halt.

"What?" Sanji asked, as the captain strode forward to stand in front of Olin.

"Old man." Luffy's expression was unreadable, eyes shadowed by his hat. "Who took it?"

"Luffy, now's not the time!" Nami began to turn back to Olin again. "He can tell us after his wounds are treated."

"Who did it?" Luffy stepped closer, ignoring Nami. "Where are they?"

For several seconds, the only response was Olin's panting breaths. Then his eyes dragged upward to focus on Luffy, and he spoke in a hoarse whisper. "The…the Stone Dogs. They're…a gang from a nearby island. They're…thugs, barely worth being called pirates, but they're strong. Too strong for me."

"Where are they?" Luffy asked.

"They have…a base, on the north side of the island, for when they come here."

"Got it." Luffy stepped away. "We're gonna get it back."

"Hold on a minute, Luffy!" Nami said. "If these guys are strong, we'll need to fight them together. Right now I have to help Chopper take care of this man, and Zoro is still—" She broke off abruptly, glancing at Olin. "Just wait a bit. I promise we'll go as soon as we can."

"No," Luffy said. "This can't wait."

"I know how you feel, Luffy, but—"

"Why don't I take the ship around the island while you and Chopper are treating the guy?" Franky suggested. "You should have enough time."

"I…Oh, all right." Nami sighed. "Come on, let's get him inside."

Once Olin was safely in the infirmary with Chopper and Nami, Sanji came back out to join the others on the third floor, where Franky had Sunny underway. "So," the cook said, "sounds like this could be a real party."

"He did say this gang was strong," Robin said. "Though his idea of strong may be different from ours."

"Yeah, that's right! These guys'll be no problem for us!" Usopp sounded as though he was trying to convince himself as much as the others. "I mean, all we have to do is bring Zoro along—"

"No," said Luffy.

Usopp stared. "What? Why not?"

"Chopper said he shouldn't be solid again until he healed all the way." Luffy addressed the air to his left. "You're still hurt, right, Zoro?"

Zoro shimmered into view a few feet away. "I'll be fine, Luffy. I can fight."

"That's not what I asked." Luffy stepped closer, bending down to peer at the spot. He couldn't see much through the coat and haramaki, but Zoro's side remained brighter than the rest of him. "Is that wound still there?"

"It doesn't matter. I can manage long enough to get this done."

"So in other words, you're not healed yet." Sanji rolled his eyes. "Just leave this to us, idiot."

"If you think I'm going to sit back here and wait—"

"You don't have to do everything, Zoro-san," Brook said.

"Yeah, these guys can't be all that great if they're sticking to a couple of little islands," Franky said, smirking. "If they were a real threat, they'd have set off for something bigger by now."

Zoro glared. "You know better than to assume they're weaklings because of that."

"We'll be okay, Zoro." Luffy was the picture of confidence. "You stay out of this."

"Luffy—"

"Captain's orders."

Zoro huffed an impatient sigh. "Fine, I'll let you guys handle it. But if you get into real trouble, I'm not going to stand on the sidelines watching."

"Okay." Luffy gave Zoro a smile. "But you won't have to step in. Promise."

* * *

The Stone Dogs' base was a sturdy building of average size, made of rough-cut wood with no paint or decorations of any kind besides a lonely flag painted with the gang's mark—a gray, rocky-looking paw print. A wide dock surrounded it, stretching out into the water far enough that the Sunny had no problems pulling right up to the edge.

"Okay," Luffy said. "Nami, Sanji, Franky, Brook, Robin—let's go."

"Huh?" Usopp blinked. "What about me?"

"You're going to protect Sunny and Chopper and the old man," Luffy said. "If anyone tries to come, you can stop them before they get close."

"Oh, right…good idea. You can count on me, captain!" Usopp gave a jaunty salute, relieved to be staying on the ship during a fight, for once.

The six Straw Hats left the ship and strode along the dock. Luffy knew Zoro was following close behind. In the past few months, he'd found he'd developed a sense for the spirit's presence. He still couldn't see him if Zoro didn't want to be seen, but more often than not, Luffy could tell when his friend was nearby, even if he was invisible. It was a comforting feeling.

Their approach had not gone unnoticed. As they drew close, the doors of the building were flung open and men began filing out. There were at least two dozen of them, and most were large and heavily muscled. All wore the same mark as the flag somewhere on their person. They carried an assortment of weapons—swords and guns were the most prominent, but Luffy could see spears, knives, a mace, a couple of shoulder rifles, and a few futuristic-looking weapons with strange prongs and barrels.

"Well, hello there," one of the men said. He was shorter than the rest, but with the same muscular body. A prong-tipped rod made of some kind of black metal rested against his shoulder, and his red-brown hair was covered with a gray helmet sporting carved dog ears. "I'm afraid we're not in the mood for visitors just now. I suggest you all turn around and leave. Trespassing can bring you a whole lot of trouble, you know."

"You stole something we need," Luffy said.

A few of the men broke into sniggers. "Business hours are over for the day, kid," the helmeted man said. "But all right, I'm curious—what is this thing?"

"The devil fruit!" Luffy glared at the man. "We're here for the devil fruit you stole from the old man today, Helmet-ears! And we're gonna take it back."

There was a pause, then the dock erupted in laughter. "You think you can take it from us? There's only six of you!" one of them called.

"Maybe you're too late." Another man sneered at them. "Maybe one of us ate it already, and he's about to finish you off with his awesome new powers."

"Yeah right." Nami said. "I know your type. You'd never pass up the kind of money you can get from a devil fruit just for a chance at a good power."

"You think so? Maybe having devil fruit powers would help us get money faster."

"Not this fruit." Nami smirked. "You wouldn't get much use out of this one, trust me."

"If it's so useless," Helmet-ears asked, "why do _you_ want it?"

"That's none of your business," Nami said—but Luffy had opened his mouth as well.

"Our friend needs that fruit!" Luffy stepped forward, glaring. "Now hand it over!"

"Sorry, kid. As it happens, we've already got a buyer. Wanted this fruit specifically, and they're gonna pay real well for it." Helmet-ears swung his rod down to point at Luffy. He pressed a switch, and a spark leapt between the two prongs, the tips quickly becoming white-hot. "Last chance to leave, brat. Otherwise you'll have to fight your way through all of us."

"Okay," Luffy said. And the Straw Hats charged.

Sanji got there first, a flying leap carrying him past Luffy. In seconds his strong kicks had two of the men unconscious on the dock. He looked extremely pleased with himself as he dodged a retaliatory blow from a third man, who joined his fellows on the ground a second later.

The next moment, Luffy didn't have time to observe anymore as one of the Stone Dogs closed on him, twirling a long staff in his hands. He was fast; at first, it was all Luffy could do to keep up with him. Gradually, though, his body warmed up and became used to the rhythm, and he began to think about more than just dodging. Sanji and Robin, who had both had some training in martial arts in the other world, had begun trying to teach him as soon as his health had been up to it; they had reasoned that he needed a way to defend himself until his Haki improved and he recovered his devil fruit powers. Luffy's form was terrible—he simply didn't have the patience necessary for learning the exact movements—but he had picked up some useful skills in spite of it.

Twisting to the right, Luffy managed to get a fist past the man's staff, landing a blow to the pirate's chest. It wasn't terribly hard, but did cause the man to stumble back a pace and gave Luffy a moment to breathe.

He could hear the boom and chatter of Franky's weapons. A flash of lightning caught his eye, and he saw several severely toasted Stone Dogs thrown back from Nami. Brook flashed by; the musician might not be as light and fast as he used to be, but he could still move quite well for an ordinary human, and had lost very little skill with his sword. Luffy couldn't see Sanji from where he stood, but hearing a familiar string of attacks shouted from behind him, he knew the cook was fine.

He and Robin were having the hardest time, Luffy thought. They had both eaten their devil fruits at a young age, had grown up building their entire fighting style around their powers, and fighting without them was a big adjustment. But she seemed to be holding her own well enough.

Luffy's opponent came at him again, and he barely dodged in time. _Focus, damn it!_ The end of the staff smacked painfully into his leg, and Luffy howled, twisting to the side and slipping another punch past the man's guard. Luffy's heart was pounding, and his breathing sounded harsh in his ears. He felt strong, though—this was simple exertion, not the weakness of his body. _All the same, I need to finish this._ He let loose a flurry of punches and finally landed a solid hit that sent the man crashing down.

Luffy looked around and saw that the majority of the Stone Dogs had already been dealt with. _I took too long._ He gritted his teeth._ I've only gotten one so far. I'm the captain; I have to do better than this! _He stared at his fist. Maybe it was time to try something stronger. He had had limited success with Armament Haki in training so far, but…

A sword-wielding thug swung at Luffy and he ducked quickly. _Okay, let's do this._ The timing would have to be perfect; he knew he couldn't hold the armament for long. The man slashed at him and missed again. The attack caused him to overbalance slightly, and Luffy seized his chance. One arm drew back; armament was activated, and a moment later a hardened fist was slamming into the man's chest. The thug soared through the air, landing with a crash in the wall of the Dog's base. Luffy felt a rush of satisfaction, followed a moment later by a wave of exhaustion. His new body wasn't prepared to handle the use of Haki, even if his mind remembered how.

There was a blur of movement from his other side. Another Dog was coming fast, and Luffy, busy with the last one, hadn't noticed. He flung himself backward, but not quickly enough, and the man's sword opened a long cut on his chest. Luffy cried out, stumbling away.

He felt a sudden surge of presence behind him. "No!" he yelled, never taking his eyes from his opponent. "I said to stay out of it!" The wound hurt, but it wasn't immediately threatening. He could still fight. The thug looked wary; the seemingly nonsensical shout appeared to have unsettled him. _Good,_ Luffy thought, and moved in to attack.

Shaking off his confusion, the man swung his sword to meet him. This time, Luffy was able to dodge, and managed to slip in a punch as well. They circled each other, striking and dodging, until finally Luffy landed a solid hit to the man's solar plexus. The Dog had no armor or other protection, and even without Haki, the blow had caused him considerable pain. The sword dropped to the ground as the man struggled for breath, and Luffy didn't waste time, stepping forward and knocking the man unconscious with a sharp strike to the head.

Luffy stumbled back, breathing hard. He knew he was approaching his limits; he couldn't last in a long fight yet, and the injury was weakening him as well. He looked ahead to see three Stone Dogs approaching him at once. _I have to try the armament again. Nothing else can take them out fast enough._ He just hoped he'd be able to activate it and keep it going long enough to deal with all three.

Luffy braced himself for a charge, fist clenched and ready. Before he could move, however, a black shoe slammed into one of the men. The thug crashed into his companions, and all three landed in a heap on the dock, where they were hit with a rather large bolt of lightning.

Luffy blinked and looked around. There were no Stone Dogs left; the pirates were twitching, groaning, or lying very still on the ground. Nami and Sanji stood nearby, and he could see the rest of his crew approaching.

"Luffy!" Nami hurried forward. "You're bleeding! How bad is it?"

"I'm okay." Then he pouted. "Why'd you have to jump in? I was going to finish them!"

"Don't be such an idiot!" Nami whacked him on the head. "You're hurt, you're tired, and you were outnumbered. It doesn't matter who beat them, just be glad we won!"

Luffy rubbed his head as a slow smile grew on his face. "Yeah…we won. That means…"

"That means there's a fruit in there with our name on it." Franky nodded towards the building. "Or rather, Chopper's name."

Luffy laughed. It didn't matter that he was tired. It didn't matter that his wound hurt and he could still feel the blood trickling down his chest. It didn't even matter that he'd only been able to take down three of the enemy. They had found one. They had found one of the fruits they needed, and Chopper would have his powers back. They were making progress at last.

* * *

**One down, three to go (assuming the fruit is waiting inside like they think)! Does that mean we're 1/4 of the way through? Nope, not at all! They aren't all going to be this fast. (If you're curious, I estimate I'm roughly halfway through the story as of chapter 11, and the total word count just hit 54,000 words. So yeah, it'll take a little while :P)**

**Next update...IDK. I'm really excited about chapter 12 (the next one I have to write), so it may go quickly, but I have a few non-writing things to take care of this month, and I'm also going to an anime convention in a few weeks, so that could slow things up a bit. I'll try to get at least one more chapter out during April, though.**

**Thanks for reading! c:**


	4. Life

**And it turns out things went quickly, so here's chapter 4! By the way, I meant to say this last time, but the chapters are going to be getting longer now. Out of chapters 3 – 12, only one is under 4k words (and some are considerably longer). Hope you're all okay with that. XD**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed! They really help motivate me, especially when I'm writing one of the tricky bits. (I will be savoring them 100x more than usual when I reach the ending of this fic. It's going to be brutal—the writing process, not the ending. Probably. :P)**

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Life  
**

It didn't take them long to find their prize. The Hito-Hito no Mi was in a room in the center of the building, along with other spoils of the gang's recent raids. Nami's eyes lit up at the sight of treasure, and she announced that as they had defeated the Stone Dogs, everything in the room now belonged to them, and they would be taking it back to the ship. With some difficulty, they loaded it all up and returned to the Sunny.

Chopper's face when they arrived on deck was a perfect blend of worry and joy. His eyes flicked between the crew's injuries and the fruit in Luffy's hand as he trembled with indecision.

Luffy held the fruit out to him. "Here, Chopper. Go on."

For a long moment, Chopper just stared at the fruit, tears welling in his eyes—then he shook himself and stepped toward the stairs. "It…it can wait," he said. "Treating your injuries is more important."

"But we did all that to get this for you." Luffy frowned at the reindeer. "C'mon, hurry up and eat it already."

"No!" Chopper grabbed Luffy's free hand and tried to drag him towards the infirmary. "That wound needs to be looked at now! And…and I don't want to be worrying about you guys when I eat it."

"Chopper has a point, Luffy," Robin said. "He may not be able to control the powers immediately. It would be best to have our injuries treated so he can focus on himself."

"Okay," Luffy said reluctantly. He was looking forward to seeing Chopper restored to his old self, but he knew their reasoning made sense. Better to just go and get it taken care of as quickly as possible. And the cut _did_ hurt.

In the infirmary, Nami helped Chopper clean and bandage Luffy's wound. While they worked, Luffy watched Olin, who was asleep in the bed. The man was covered in bandages but didn't look quite as terrible as he had earlier. He stirred fitfully, and as Chopper finished his treatment, Olin's eyes opened.

"Oh, you're awake!" Luffy said cheerfully. "Chopper fixed you up good, didn't he, old man?"

Olin turned his head slowly to look at Luffy. "…Yes," he said weakly. "Thank you…" His gaze fell on the fruit now resting on Chopper's table. He drew in a breath. "You…you got it back?"

"Yep!" Luffy hopped off the chair. "It was easy."

"I see…" The man turned to look at the ceiling again. "Well, I suppose I'd rather you have it than that awful gang. Congratulations." His voice held a note of bitterness.

Luffy stared for a moment, then nodded to himself and turned to Nami. "Take us back to the town."

"Right," she said, turning to leave.

Luffy caught her arm. "And Nami…have three hundred million ready for the old man when he leaves."

"What?" She stared at him.

There was a flurry of movement from the bed as Olin tried to rise, followed by a cry of pain. "You stay put!" Chopper yelled, rushing over to force his patient back down again.

Olin subsided, staring at Luffy with a stunned expression. "…Why? You retrieved the fruit on your own. Most pirates would consider themselves well within their rights to simply keep it."

"Luffy isn't like most pirates," Chopper said with a smile.

"You can say that again," Nami muttered. "All right, fine. It'll be ready."

"We had a deal," Luffy said. "That fruit belonged to you. I don't want to get our powers back by stealing from good people, like Helmet-ears and those guys did." He looked at their guest. "You need it for something, right? The money."

"I….yes. For—for my daughter, Anjia. I…" Olin raised a trembling hand to his forehead. "Thank you. Thank you so much. You don't know what this means."

"Sure." Luffy headed for the door. "No problem." Just before he left the room, he turned to look at Chopper. "Let me know when you're gonna eat it, okay, Chopper?"

"Okay," the doctor said. "I…I'm going to wait until Olin's paid. I don't want to steal from him, either."

"Then hurry up and get him well enough to leave," Luffy said. "I want to see you get your powers back already."

Furrowing his brow, Olin opened his mouth to speak.

"Honestly, Luffy," Nami said. "It's _Chopper's_ fruit, not yours. He can do what he likes."

"I know that," Luffy said. "But when he eats it, it'll finally be real, you know?" He grinned. "We'll be one step closer to getting back to our old selves!"

"Your old selves?" Olin asked.

The three Straw Hats froze. "Oops." Luffy shot him a grin. "It's nothing, don't worry about it. Later, old man!" And he scurried from the room before Olin could ask anything else.

* * *

Olin left later that day, weak but walking with the aid of a staff. Sanji and Franky went with him to carry the money and make sure he got back okay. When they returned, the crew gathered on the deck. Chopper stood on the lawn, holding his fruit and trembling slightly.

"You're absolutely sure this is the right fruit, Chopper?" Usopp asked.

"Yes."

"You ready?" Zoro said.

Chopper drew a deep breath and nodded.

"Maybe we should give him some privacy," Nami said. "I don't think I'd want to eat a devil fruit with everyone watching me."

"But I want to see," Luffy protested.

"Luffy—"

"It's okay," Chopper said. "I don't mind if you guys stay." He gripped the fruit a little tighter with his hooves. "It's a little scary…I mean, I've wanted this for months, and I can't wait to have my powers back, but—but even so…" He gave them a watery smile. "I'm so glad you're all here with me!"

"Aww, Chopper." Usopp sniffled a bit. Beside him, Franky was in floods.

"Um…" Chopper glanced down at the fruit. "Maybe you should step back a little, though. Just in case."

The crew retreated a few paces. "Okay!" Luffy said, waving to Chopper. "We're ready!"

"Right." The reindeer raised the fruit, took a deep breath—and bit. Almost immediately, his face screwed up in disgust.

"That bad, huh?" Zoro asked.

"I—I think that was…even worse than the first time," Chopper spluttered after choking down his mouthful of fruit. "Why do they have to taste so awful?" He shivered.

"Do you feel any different?" Usopp asked.

"I…I don't kn—" He broke off suddenly, a slow smile spreading over his face. The little reindeer was very still for a moment, then suddenly his form changed, growing larger and larger until he stood before his friends in what was unmistakably Heavy Point.

"Yes!" Luffy cheered.

"Awesome, Chopper!" Usopp shouted.

Chopper let out an ecstatic laugh as he switched to Walk Point. "They're back! My powers are back!" The reindeer leaped and danced across the deck. "I feel like me again!"

"Oh man, we really did it!" Franky said, wiping at his eyes. "What a super day!"

"One down, three to go," Robin said, smiling.

"I think this calls for a celebration!" Brook said, pulling out his violin.

"Of course!" Luffy said. "Sanji!"

"Food, right, I know," the chef said. He headed for the galley with a grin. "Congrats, Chopper."

The party was long and loud. Chopper couldn't seem to sit still, and ate his food as he bounced and jumped and ran among his friends, switching forms every minute or two. Only one small cloud marred his sunny horizon, but Chopper did his best to put it from his mind as they celebrated.

* * *

Zoro looked toward the town from his seat in the crow's nest. The crew had finally quieted down and headed to bed about an hour before, leaving the swordsman on watch. It was a duty he had found himself performing with increasing regularity since their return—after all, why should one of the mortal crewmembers sacrifice a good night's rest to keep watch when there was a sleepless ghost available?

Zoro didn't really mind—he had gotten used to being alone during his long wait on the island, and while he was happy to have the others back, it was good to have a few hours of regular solitude. And on quiet nights, he could let himself drift a little, allowing his mind to detach slightly from the physical reality around him. Sometimes, if he relaxed enough, it almost felt like sleep.

Tonight, though, there was plenty to think about. Like what the thugs' leader had said, just before the fight. Robin had picked up on it, too…

"_He said someone wanted to obtain this particular fruit." Robin looked up from her glass during a lull in the celebration. "Why? The power of the Hito-Hito no Mi is unlikely to be in great demand, normally."_

"_Who cares?" Franky said. He had drunk more alcohol-laced cola than was strictly wise, and his already-loud voice was steadily increasing in volume. "Maybe they're really attached to their pet cat and want it to talk to them."_

Somehow, Zoro had a feeling Robin's question had a different answer. It could be nothing serious. Hell, with how well the Straw Hat name was known, even after all these years, the powers used by the pirate king's crew would probably be highly desired. _Even so, though, there are better choices for a human. Robin's, even Brook's…or Luffy's, of course_. The fruit of the pirate king himself would surely carry maximum bragging rights. Well, for now, it didn't matter. They'd gotten to Chopper's fruit first. And if it turned out that there _was_ something more to this, then they'd deal with it. Just like they always had.

A dark shape moving on Sunny's deck caught his eye, and he reached automatically for a sword before he realized who it was. _What's Chopper doing back up here so soon?_ Slipping through the wall, Zoro watched as the reindeer took up a position on the deck and went still. He seemed to be concentrating on something. A moment later, the small shape grew as he switched to Heavy Point.

"No!" came a muffled shout. Chopper froze again, then shrunk back to Brain Point. "Why can't I do it?"

For the next several minutes, Zoro watched in silence as Chopper continued switching between his three forms, muttering and whining after each change. Finally, he decided to announce himself. Not wanting to scare Chopper too badly by appearing right in front of him, Zoro teleported behind the stairs, then stepped forward. "Hey." He had tried to be quiet, but Chopper instantly jumped and spun around in panic.

"Zoro!" Chopper was doing a terrific impression of a deer in headlights—a _rein_deer in headlights, Zoro supposed. "S-sorry, I…I didn't think you'd hear…"

"Don't worry about it." Zoro raised an eyebrow. "You're up late."

"I know." Chopper looked down guiltily, tugging at his hat. "I just…I needed to try…but I can't do it! Why can't I do it?"

"Do what?" Zoro was pretty sure he knew, but he wanted to hear Chopper say it for himself.

"I can't use my other forms!" Chopper wailed. "Just my first three. I mean, maybe I could do it with a Rumble Ball, but it's not the same as being able to use them whenever I want! I thought…I thought once I got my powers back, I'd be strong again, like I used to be. I thought I could help protect everyone. But…"

Zoro laid a hand on the reindeer's head. "Chopper. You are strong. And you'll be able to fight, now. You'll get stronger. But you can't expect to be back at your old level immediately just because you have your powers again."

"I…I know. It's just…"

"You were able to use those forms before. You remember what it was like, right?"

"Of course I do!" Chopper looked up, his overly-bright eyes meeting Zoro's serious one. "That's—that's why I—"

"Then it probably won't take too long to get them back if you keep practicing." Zoro gave what he hoped was an encouraging look. "Just don't give up. I didn't, and it was worth it."

"You mean… waiting for us to come back?"

"Well, yeah, that too, but…" Zoro turned to lean against Sunny's rail, looking up at the night sky. He let the silence stretch for a minute before continuing. "Did you know it took ten years for me to learn to touch things as a spirit?"

"It took you that long?" Chopper's eyes were wide.

"Yeah. And even then, I wasn't much good at it for a while." Zoro raised a translucent hand and stared at it. "Actually, when I first became like this, it took all my willpower just to keep existing. I couldn't do anything. Could barely move. I had to relearn everything." He grinned at Chopper. "And I did. I kept working at it, and every day things got just a little easier."

"That's amazing, Zoro," Chopper said softly.

"So don't you give up, either. Keep practicing, and you'll have those forms back before you know it."

"Okay, I won't! I mean, I will! I mean…um…I'll keep practicing." They stood in silence for a moment before Chopper spoke up hesitantly. "…Zoro?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you…"

"…What?"

"Do you…miss being alive?"

Zoro stared up at the night sky. "What makes you think I'm not alive?"

Chopper stared, confused. "Zoro…you're a ghost. You…" He sniffled a little. "You died."

"So?" Zoro met his eyes with a challenging look. "What does that matter? I died, sure. I don't have the same kind of life I had before, maybe. But just because it's different doesn't mean it doesn't exist." He raised an eyebrow. "We've been sailing together again for half a year now. Do I seem dead to you?"

"Well…" Chopper considered for a moment. "No…not really, I guess. I mean, you still laugh, and get angry, and protect us and everything, just like you used to…"

"Right." The corner of Zoro's mouth quirked upward. "I've never thought of myself as dead," he said. "So you're gonna need to rephrase that question if you want an answer."

"Okay. Sorry." Chopper was quiet as he tried to find words. "I meant…do you ever miss the way you were before? Having a…a physical body, and everything?"

Zoro took a deep breath. "…Sure, sometimes. Things are different now. My place in the world isn't the same as it used to be. It's a little like those bubbles back on Fishman Island—I can see everything, hear everything, but there's something separating me from all the stuff on the other side." He looked up at the sky again. "I've been like this for a long time, but I still remember what it was like before, when I try. And sure, I miss it. Even when I'm solid, I can't really feel the wind in my hair or smell the salty air. I can't feel the sweat and aching muscles of a good workout. I can't drink anymore—hell, I can't even eat the shitty cook's food."

A smile slipped onto his face as his gaze returned to Chopper. "But I'm here. What kind of body I have doesn't matter. I'm still here, I can still fight, and I've finally got you all back. I can live with the rest of it." He pushed off the rail, stretching. "I'm gonna head back up. You should get some sleep."

"Okay." Chopper turned to leave. "Goodnight, Zoro. And, um…thanks."

Zoro dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Night, Chopper."

* * *

_There was something familiar about this, he decided as he swiveled his head, trying to catch a glimpse of something. He was entirely unsuccessful; there was nothing around him but darkness. Luffy wasn't sure how you were supposed to tell one place of total darkness apart from another, or why he was so sure he knew this particular patch of it, but he did. He had been here before._

"_So, you finally got one, eh?" a voice said._

_Luffy spun around, eyes searching frantically through the blackness. Nothing…nothing…noth—there! Light sprang up to one side, uncomfortably bright after so much darkness, and Luffy instinctively raised a hand, eyes blinking as they adjusted to the glare._

_A man sat in front of him, perched comfortably on thin air—or maybe it was a seat formed from the darkness that surrounded them. The man's freckled face wore a grin, and Luffy choked back a gasp when he saw him. The last time they'd met, Luffy hadn't known him, and he'd been worried that he'd never get another chance._

"_Ace…" he whispered. And then he flung himself at his brother. Warm arms caught him as his momentum knocked both of them over. For a minute, there were no more words as the darkness filled with laughter and tears._

"_All right, all right," Ace said at last, pushing Luffy back enough for him to sit upright again. "It's good to see you too, Luffy."_

"_Ace…" Luffy swiped at his eyes, still half in his brother's lap. "What are you doing here?"_

_Ace reached out, ruffling Luffy's hair. "Just wanted to check in. You look good, Luffy."_

_Luffy gave him a lopsided smile. "I have a lot more to do before I'm as strong as I was."_

"_The last time we talked like this, you were all flushed and sweaty and shaking," Ace said. "Trust me, you're looking good." He raised his eyebrows. "And you did something important today, didn't you?"_

"_Yeah." Luffy's smile grew wider. "Chopper's back to himself now. Next we have to find Brook's fruit, and Robin's…oh, and mine."_

"_Of course, yours too." Ace lifted a hand, tugging at Luffy's cheek and chuckling a little when it failed to stretch any farther than an ordinary person's would. "It would be way too weird to leave you like this."_

_Luffy sent his brother an annoyed look. He pulled free and rubbed his red cheek with one hand. "Ow, Ace, that hurt!"_

"_Sorry." Ace laughed. "Guess I'm too used to having a little brother made of rubber."_

_Still rubbing his cheek, Luffy looked around. There was light where he and Ace were, but beyond their small circle everything was still dark, and he couldn't make out any details of their surroundings—if there _were_ any details to make out. "Where are we?" he asked._

_Ace shrugged. "Call it a dream, I guess. Though someone like you should really be able to come up with something more imaginative for a dream world."_

_Luffy looked down, the smile __on his face_ wavering at Ace's words. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that," he said. "I don't want this to be a dream."

"_How come?"_

"_Because that means it's not real. You're not real."_

_A moment later there was a cracking thud, and pain bloomed from the top of Luffy's head as Ace's fist slammed into it. "OW!" Luffy howled, clutching his head. "What did you do that for?"_

"_Oh, so that hurt?" Ace sounded politely interested. "Huh. I figured since this was a dream, it wouldn't. Sorry about that. Strange sort of dream, isn't it?"_

_Luffy glared at Ace, but slowly, a small smile began to grow. "Maybe…maybe it's not just a dream. Not a normal one, anyway."_

"_Hmm, could be." The light around them noticeably dimmed, and Ace looked up. "Ah, damn, I was hoping we'd have more time. Listen, Luffy, I don't know when you'll see me again, but I promise this won't be the last time, okay?"_

_Luffy looked stricken. "What? No, Ace, you can't go yet!"_

"_I'm not going anywhere, silly." Ace grinned at him. "But all dreams end eventually, one way or another. Sometimes it's because you lose them. Sometimes it's because you make them come true. And sometimes, it's because you're waking up." He poked a finger at Luffy in mock sternness. "The next time we meet, I'll be testing you to see if you really are getting stronger, so no slacking."_

"_I promise." Luffy wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh, cry, or glare. His face twisted as he tried to fit them all in, and his last image before waking was of Ace, howling with laughter as his shaking finger pointed at Luffy's expression._

* * *

Morning found the Straw Hats enjoying a day off. High from their success the day before, and still needing to stock up on supplies, Luffy had declared that they weren't finished celebrating and would leave the next day. They had docked the Sunny away from the town this time, and Luffy took advantage of the nice weather by roping his crew into a swimming lesson.

Even though he no longer had a devil fruit user's weakness to water, he had never learned to swim in this life due to his poor health. Now that he was stronger, he fully intended to enjoy the benefits of not having a devil fruit while he could. Improvement was slow, but he had, at least, progressed to the point where he wasn't in danger of drowning if the others took their eyes off him for more than a second. The crew rotated teaching duty; today it was Franky and Sanji's turn to play lifeguard/swim instructor. The rest of the Straw Hats were watching from the beach, with the exception of Usopp, who had decided to join in, and Zoro, who was sitting in the air a few inches above the water where Luffy was swimming.

"Can't you go be spooky somewhere else, damn it?" Sanji asked, after accidentally swimming through Zoro's feet for the third time.

"Don't feel like it." Zoro leaned back in the air, a picture of contentment.

Sanji growled in frustration but offered no further retort, as Luffy chose that moment to give a particularly enthusiastic stroke that carried him right into the cook, knocking him back into the water. A spluttering Sanji surfaced moments later; he glared at his grinning captain—who had managed to stabilize himself—and at Zoro, whose loud laughter echoed across the water.

"Damn it, Luffy, watch where you're going!"

"Sorry, Sanji!" Luffy said. "But I'm doing better, aren't I?"

"Aside from nearly drowning people? Sure, you're doing great." Sanji rolled his eyes. "Come on, time for a break."

Luffy pouted. "But I don't want to stop yet."

"That's too bad, Bro." Franky grinned at him. "Because you promised to listen to us when we agreed to teach you, and right now we're saying you need a break. You might not feel it yet, but you're probably starting to get tired."

Luffy heaved a sigh but reluctantly began heading for shore. They had just reached standing depth when the sound of rustling leaves drew their attention toward the trees at the edge of the beach.

"Hey, someone's coming!" Franky said. Immediately, Zoro faded from sight. Luffy scrambled from the water along with Sanji and Franky, and the Straw Hats clustered together to face the intruder.

A moment later, the leaves parted, and Olin stepped onto the beach. He was still using the staff to walk, and the bruises that showed around his bandages looked even uglier than the day before. He seemed to be recovering well, however, and greeted them with a cry of relief as he limped towards them.

"Hey, old man!" Luffy called, waving to him. "You look awful."

"Don't be rude, Luffy!" Chopper said. "Are you doing okay, Olin?"

"What? Oh, yes, I'm doing much better," the man said. "You did a fine job with me, doctor."

"Shut up, you bastard!" Chopper blushed as he danced back and forth. "Hearing that doesn't make me happy at all!"

Olin stared for a moment, but then he turned to Luffy, a desperate light in his eyes. "Thank goodness you haven't left yet! May I ask where your ship is headed?"

"Dunno." Luffy glanced at Nami. "We're looking for something, and we're just gonna keep sailing until we find it."

"Then…then, please, will you take me to the island where my daughter is?"

"She doesn't live here?" Brook asked.

"No. She lives on Shirubaki Island." Olin's gaze dropped, one hand tightening on his staff. "It's perhaps a week away from this island, but the course you have to take to get there is dangerous, and none of the ships here will go out of their way to sail those waters." He looked back up at the Straw Hats. "I'll pay you. I'll return as much of the money to you as I can, though I'm afraid I need most of it to help her." He bowed as low as he was able without falling, clutching the staff like a lifeline. "Please, will you help me?"

The Straw Hats looked at each other. "Um, could you excuse us?" Nami said, shepherding the others toward the far end of the beach. "We need to discuss this for a minute."

"We shouldn't go!" Usopp said, the moment they had huddled together out of earshot. "Didn't you hear him? He said it was dangerous! We shouldn't be rushing into stuff like that yet!"

"He's trying to help his daughter, Usopp-san," Brook said. "And he was almost killed doing it. For him to go that far, she may be in serious trouble."

"And if a lady's in trouble, we have to help," Sanji said.

"I-It's not like I don't want to help her!" Usopp protested. "But if this route is so dangerous…"

"The old man thought that gang was dangerous, too," Franky reminded him, "and we took care of them pretty quickly."

Usopp wilted slightly. "Yeah, I know, but…"

"I want to help them." Luffy said. "We didn't know where to go next anyway, right? Maybe we'll find something if we take him."

"There is one more thing to consider," Robin said. "If we bring this man with us, it would be difficult to hide Zoro's presence from him."

"O-oh yeah…" Chopper said. "That might be a problem, huh?"

"Damn it, why does the shitty marimo always have to complicate things?" Sanji said. He had grabbed his cigarettes from his pile of clothes as he passed, and now he pulled one out and lit it, squashing the nearly-empty package in his free hand.

"If you wanted a simple life, cook, you're on the wrong ship," a voice said from behind him. Sanji whipped around, but empty air greeted him; with Olin nearby, Zoro remained invisible.

Muttering under his breath about shitty invisible voices, Sanji deliberately turned his back on the patch of air and faced the others again. "So? What do we do? Are we just going to leave the guy stuck here with no help?"

"Of course not," Nami said. "He seems to be trying to do a good thing, and he's going to pay us, too. We just have to figure out how to deal with Zoro."

"Assuming we don't wish to tell Olin the truth," Robin said, "we have two options. First, Zoro stays hidden during the trip. He remains invisible, and we do not speak to or about him while our guest is nearby."

Nami shuddered. "I don't want him floating around the ship for days with no idea where he is or whether he's watching us! I'd like to at least _try_ to pretend I don't live on a haunted pirate ship."

"Who knows what that bastard might get up to," Sanji agreed. "He could violate the ladies' privacy whenever he wanted and none of us would have a clue! It's not fai—not right!"

"You're confusing me with our other swordsman, Love-cook," Zoro sounded irritated. "And I'm not you, either. Why would I want to look at something like that?"

Nami seemed unsure whether to be offended or relieved by the comment. "In any case, it doesn't work for him to stay hidden. We don't know why this route is so dangerous, but if there are monsters, pirates, or any kind of military along the way, we may need him in a fight."

Robin nodded. "The second option is for him to stay covered whenever he is near Olin. It would still be best for them to have as little interaction as possible—both to lessen the chance of accidents and because Zoro cannot remain tangible for days on end—but he could show himself enough that his presence would cause no alarm if he was needed in battle."

A loud groan came from the air. "You seriously expect me to put those damn things on every day?"

"It's clearly the best option," Nami said. "Why is it such a problem, anyway? Your entire body has to be solid for you to touch anything; what's the difference between holding a sword in your hand and wearing clothes on your body?"

"The _difference_ is there's a lot more cloth than sword!" Zoro snapped. "The more stuff that's touching me, the harder it is to stay solid."

"Well then, all the more reason to wear them," Nami said. "Maybe if you had more practice, it wouldn't bother you so much! I thought you liked difficult stuff. Isn't it supposed to be good training or something?"

There followed several muttered curses, most of which were directed at a certain orange-haired navigator; all of which Nami pretended not to hear.

"What about his wound?" Chopper asked. "If it's still there—"

"It's fine," Zoro said. "Check it later if you want, but it's almost gone now. It will be by tomorrow."

"Then it seems the second option would be best," Brook said, and there were several nods of agreement.

"Easy for you to say," Zoro grumbled, but he knew they were right.

With no further objections, Luffy went running back to tell Olin to meet them at the beach the next morning. Once Olin had left, Sanji headed into town with Franky and Brook to pick up the rest of the needed supplies. Luffy, deprived of his swimming teachers, instead set off to explore the surrounding jungle, Usopp, Chopper, and Zoro in tow. Nami and Robin decided to go back to town as well. It hadn't looked like much, but you never knew when you might run across something interesting, even in the most humble of shops.

Before they went to sleep that night, Nami gave them all an additional warning. "It's not just Zoro. We need to be careful what we say to this man about the rest of us, too. It's too late to give him fake names—not that Luffy would be able to stick to them anyway—but we can't go letting things slip that could help him figure out who we are. If he asks about our names or the ship or anything, just say it's because we're all really big fans of the second pirate king and his crew, got it?"

* * *

**Yes, so. Chapter 4. And for those of you who read my tumblr, you now know who I meant when I said a non-Straw Hat canon character was going to be showing up soon. ;)**

**Next chapter won't be for at least two weeks, and probably not until May, but I'm looking forward to writing chapter 13 just as much as I was chapter 12, so who knows? c:**

**Thanks for reading!**


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One Piece, Adventure, Supernatural