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“What will happen when you’re gone?”
A laugh. “Once we’re gone? Oh, we’re not going anywhere.”
“But-“
“The world would combust if that idiot was left to his own devices for too long. No-”
The Pirate King’s navigator smiles.
“We’re not going anywhere.”
-
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-
The day starts pretty normal, all things considered.
Well, Luffy’s already fallen in the sea twice, Usopp’s set himself on fire, and Franky’s writing a sonnet about a pigeon for whatever reason, but that’s pretty normal in the grand scheme of things. Sanji’s honestly surprised Brook hasn’t started serenading that same pigeon- that’s exactly on brand for the crew Sanji’s decided to dedicate his life to. Things take a real weird turn, though, when he hears Chopper yell out.
“What the heck?!”
Sanji pauses in his chopping, and there’s a moment of silence as everyone else stops what they’re doing. It’s not every day that Chopper, who once said that saying heck is as dirty as anything in one of Nami’s novels, exclaims said word loud enough to be heard across the ship.
“Damn, Chopper, where’s the fire?” Franky calls out. Sanji snorts as he places his knife down and makes his way to the infirmary.
There’s no response, and when Sanji pokes his head inside, it’s to see Luffy sitting on the bed and Chopper standing at his desk, peering into his microscope. Luffy has his head tilted to the side, question marks almost visible above him. Sanji raises an eyebrow at him. “What happened?” he asks, shifting to the side so Usopp can bound in and join Luffy on the bed.
“I dunno!” Luffy says, ever cheerful. “Chopper said he needed to look at my blood for some reason and then he yelled.”
“This doesn’t make sense!” Chopper wails. Concern knots briefly in Sanji’s stomach, but it just as quickly eases because Sanji knows what Chopper sounds like distressed, and this is not it. Still, though, Sanji can’t help his curiosity.
“What happened, Chopper?” He repeats. Chopper ignores him, his wide eyes scanning the room until his eyes latch onto Robin, just now making her way into the room. Sanji gracefully bows and offers her his hand to help her into a seat. Robin, the wonderful soul she is, smiles and declines, remaining standing.
“Robin,” Chopper says, “Come here.”
She raises her eyebrows but makes her way over. “Why me?”
“Because you’re the only one here who has at least rudimentary knowledge of science and biology and I need someone else to see this so I know I’m not going insane.”
“Well,” Robin says mildly, “That bodes well.”
At this point, pretty much the whole crew has arrived, varying levels of concern on their faces. “What’s wrong?” Zoro asks. Usopp shrugs.
“Dunno,” he says. “But I think we’re about to find out.”
“Okay, so I’m going to cut a cell in half,” Chopper is explaining. “I need you to watch through the microscope to see how the cell responds.” Robin does so without comment, her brows furrowing as she watches. Chopper makes a tiny motion with his scalpel – Sanji doesn’t really know what cells are, but they must be tiny – and after a moment, Robin actually gasps.
Chopper jumps up, jabbing his hoof at the microscope. “See?! You see what I mean?!”
“I do,” Robin says slowly. She looks at Luffy, and her eyes are wider than Sanji’s ever seen them.
“Robin-chan, are you okay?” He asks worriedly.
“I’m fine,” she waves off. She glances sharply at Chopper. “How many times have you seen that happen?”
“Ten times with myself, and then eleven now with you!”
Nami frowns from where she’s standing off to the side, looking as confused as Sanji feels. “What’s going on?” She asks.
“Okay, so. Cells are the building block of the human body,” Chopper starts. “I’m not going to get into details, but everything in all of our bodies is made up of them. I drew some of Luffy’s blood to check on his blood cells, because his gears have been causing some side effects that I wanted to keep an eye on. But-”
Chopper shakes his head in disbelief, and Robin takes over. “Cells die at a high rate, and are incredibly fragile. But, what Chopper did just then is- well, he cut a cell in half.” Robin pauses for a moment. “And it immediately knitted itself back together.”
Sanji blinks. He glances at the rest of the crew, and his confusion seems to be mirrored on everyone else’s faces as well. “Wait, wait, wait.” Nami shakes her head, pressing her fingers to her forehead for a moment. She raises her head and makes eye contact with Chopper. “What are you saying?”
“I don’t know, exactly.” Chopper seems to have shaken off his shock and is fully in doctor mode. “What I do know is that there are no known cases where cells regenerate like that. When they’re dead, they’re dead. And I know for a fact that Luffy’s cells haven’t done that in the past. But now-” Chopper stares at Luffy, and Luffy gazes back. His face betrays none of what he’s thinking.
“If Luffy’s cells don’t die,” Robin says, slowly. “Could that mean that-”
“Possibly, but there’s so many other factors to consider-”
“We could reach out to Torao, he might have an idea-”
“Good idea- I just don’t know!”
“Guys, slow down!” Usopp leans forward, eyes wide and bouncing between Chopper, Robin, and Luffy. “What are you talking about? What could this mean?”
“Cell death is the reason why we all die in the first place,” Chopper says. He’s peering back through the microscope, poking again and again at the dish holding Luffy’s blood. “If Luffy’s cells don’t die, that could mean-”
“That he won’t die,” Jinbe cuts in, voice full of wonder. A hush falls over the room, and everyone turns to stare at Luffy. Luffy stares back, face blank. For a moment, Sanji thinks he’s actually comprehended what’s happening. Luffy finally opens his mouth to speak, and-
“Oh, so mystery cells! Cool!”
There’s a resounding slapping sound as everyone facepalms. “I’m going to call Torao,” Chopper mumbles into his hooves.
“Yeah, good idea,” everyone mumbles.
-
“If you were anyone else,” Law says, “If you told me this I’d have thought you were on drugs and hung up on the spot.”
“I thought I was insane,” Chopper responds. “But you see what I mean, right?!”
Law frowns at the petri dish and doesn’t answer. Instead, he spins on his heel and brings out his sword. Chopper reflexively yelps when Law chops Luffy in half, straight down the middle.
“Hey!” Luffy whines. “Rude!”
“Deal with it,” Law says absently. He chops Luffy up a few more times, placing his decapitated head on Chopper’s desk and laying his legs out on the bed. Chopper pokes Luffy’s cheek, blown outwards as he pouts.
“Could’ve at least given me warning,” Luffy mumbles. Law responds by chopping Luffy’s head in half again. “Hey!”
Chopper giggles and pats Luffy on the head. Heads.
After examining Luffy’s chopped-up leg muscles for a few moments, Law says, “Hm.”
In Law-speak, that means that Law is shocked, so Chopper bounces off of his seat and to Law’s side. “What?” He asks. “What do you see?”
Law doesn’t answer, and instead chops open Luffy’s torso. Chopper watches in fascination as Law examines Luffy’s heart, spinning it around. His frown deepens, and- “Strawhat-ya,” Law says suddenly, “Have you been feeling less tired lately?”
Luffy hums. “Maybe?”
“Has it been easier to use your gears?”
“Huh. I guess! I dunno, I haven’t really been paying attention.”
“Huh.” Law turns to Chopper, then, and says, abrupt, “The damage from his gears is gone.”
“What?!” Chopper yelps. He hops up onto the bed, and stares into Luffy’s heart. He’s not as knowledgeable about muscle degradation as Law is, but he’s been learning as they’ve done combined examinations of Luffy’s body. His eyes widen, and he feels himself tear up as he notices the same things Law did. “You’re right! The tears that have been forming from his gears are gone!”
Chopper spins as Law waves his sword again, putting Luffy back together. Chopper crashes into Luffy’s arms an instant after, burying his tears in Luffy’s chest. Luffy laughs and wraps his arms around Chopper in turn. “I don’t really get it, but this is good, right?”
“Really good!” Chopper nods, beaming up at Luffy.
“I don’t know what is causing this,” Law says, and Chopper turns in Luffy’s arms to face him. Law’s voice is calm, but his eyes are wider than Chopper’s ever seen them. “But if this continues, I think it’s safe to say that Strawhat-ya will be living a lot longer than we originally thought.”
“Cool!” Luffy exclaims, and spins Chopper around.
And despite all the questions Chopper still has, all he can do is laugh along.
-
“So,” Jinbe says. “Immortality.”
“This is insane,” Nami says. Franky nods.
“Absolutely bonkers.”
“We don’t know it’s that!” Chopper chimes in. He hesitates. “But…it seems to be pointing that way.”
“He does seem to be more energetic than he used to be,” Sanji says, watching Luffy talking to himself on his special seat. He laughs, then, and adds on, “Didn’t think that was even possible.”
“Reminds me of when we first met,” Usopp says fondly.
Brook hums. “Forever is a long time,” he muses, plucking a random tune on his violin.
“At least we won’t have to see Luffy face a horribly brutal death!” Robin says, smiling.
“Ah! Robin, you’re scary!”
“Living forever, huh,” Zoro considers. He grins. “Gonna be a lot of swordsmen to fight.”
For a moment, the crew just stares at him. “You know,” Nami says slowly, “Somehow I still haven’t gotten used to the effortless confidence you have.”
“As much as I hate to agree with the mosshead,” Sanji says, “He’s got the right idea.”
Jinbe laughs heartily. “Agreed!” Franky grins, and pats the railing he’s leaning on.
“Eternity’s got nothin’ on Sunny! She’ll carry us forever!”
“I can’t even count the number of ruins I’d be able to study...”
“Plus,” Usopp says, and throws an arm around Chopper’s shoulders. “Spending eternity with friends?”
“Yohohoho! There couldn’t be a better gift!”
Chopper bounces and grins up at them. “I can’t wait!”
For a moment, they all just look at each other, their happiness almost palpable. Nami leans on Zoro’s shoulder. “Freest crew in the world, huh,” she says. Zoro shrugs, and gives her his own grin.
“No reason that shouldn’t mean being free to adventure forever,” he says, and Nami can’t help but laugh.
Luffy crashes into them, then, wrapping his arms around Zoro and Nami’s shoulders. “Whatcha laughing at?” He asks. Nami and Zoro share a look, and she sees her own fondness reflected in the quirk of his lips.
“Just thinking about how many adventures we’ll be able to have in the next thousand years,” Nami says.
Luffy grins at her, delighted.
“Shishishi! I can’t wait!”
-
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-
“Won't you get bored?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, living forever- won't you run out of things to do?”
“Hardly!”
“How?”
The Pirate King’s sniper laughs.
“The world’s full of stuff to see and do- I'm just glad we have the time to experience it all!”
-
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“So, heard you all are immortal now.”
Nami spins on her heel, knocking half the stuff on her desk over, and immediately gasps. Vivi can’t help but laugh, putting her hand on her hip and enjoying the rare sight of an absolutely flabbergasted Nami in front of her.
“And I obviously couldn’t let you do that without me. So.”
She stands shock-still for a moment, gaping. Vivi can’t blame her- in the latest letter she’d sent Nami, all Vivi had been talking about was how ruling Alabasta was going. She’d, of course, left out the small fact that she was in her last week of ruling when she’d sent that.
“VIVI!”
Vivi laughs as Nami shakes off her shock and launches herself at Vivi. She catches Nami easily, spinning her around in circles. “What are you doing here?!” Nami leans back, leaving her arms around Vivi’s neck. “Last thing I heard you were queen! How are you here?!”
“I married Kohza and then left the throne to him.” Nami stares. Vivi grins, and adds on, “The tax benefits of marriage are great, didn’t you know?”
Nami cackles, and fuck Vivi missed her. “You insane woman,” she says fondly, pulling Vivi back into a hug. “So you married him so he could become king and then ditched?”
“I made sure Alabasta was ready, of course,” Vivi defends herself. “But, yeah, basically.”
“You are incredible.” Nami holds Vivi against her for a moment. Then, her voice tentative: “Does that mean you’re staying?”
“Hell yeah it does,” Vivi responds without hesitation. “I mean, if the captain of this ship is willing to have me, of course,” she adds on cheekily.
“I think you’d be hard pressed to get him to let you go.” Nami pauses. “Wait, you snuck in here without letting anyone see you?”
Vivi smiles coyly. “I’ve been practicing.”
Nami throws her head back and laughs. “I love you so much.” Without another word, Nami tugs her out the door and onto the deck. “Hey, dumbasses, guess who’s here?”
A pause.
“VIVI?!”
And all Vivi can do is laugh, laugh, laugh.
-
“Thank you, Dr. Chopper!”
Chopper smiles, helping little Fabian off the table. “Of course,” he says warmly. Charles, Fabian’s dad, scoops him up, holding him tight to his chest and meeting Chopper’s eyes.
“We can’t thank you enough, Dr. Chopper,” he says, tears glistening in his eyes. “So many doctors said that this was incurable, and that all we could do was-” his voice chokes off, and Chopper just keeps his smile on his face as Charles swipes at his eyes. “Thank you,” he repeats.
“Of course,” Chopper says again, fighting the urge to refuse the praise. “He should be completely symptom free after this, but if he isn’t, just send a message to one of our allied islands and it’ll get to me!”
“Will do,” Charles agrees fervently. Fabian waves cheerfully over his dad’s shoulder as they leave the room. Chopper waits until he can hear their voices fade away, and then collapses on the bed.
Quiet footsteps come from behind him, and Chopper relaxes into the gentle fingers that card through his fur. “Good job,” Robin says quietly. Chopper turns over, and gives Robin a tired smile.
She smiles back, and holds out a plate. “Sanji saved you lunch,” she tells him. And then, gentle and firm: “Eat up, I know you haven’t eaten much the past few days.”
She sits with him as he eats, companionable silence falling between them. When he finishes, Robin takes the plate away and pulls him against her, gently brushing her fingers through his fur. “You should rest,” she murmurs.
Chopper leans into her side. Despite his best efforts, his eyes fall closed every few seconds. “I was scared,” he admits quietly. “That I wouldn’t be able to figure it out.”
Robin hums. “But you did,” she says. “And you’ll continue to do so.” She shakes him gently. “Best doctor in the world.”
Chopper can’t help but smile. “That doesn’t make me happy,” he mumbles, his eyes slipping closed. Robin chuckles.
“Sleep,” she says quietly.
And he does.
-
Nami dips her quill into the inkpot, making one final stroke before putting her quill to the side and throwing her hands up into the air. “Finally!” She cheers, holding the map up in front of her. She laughs delightedly, moving to the wall and pinning the final part of her masterpiece up onto the wall. She steps back, and takes it in.
Millions of islands. A number of them uninhabited, thousands of them in the sky, and oceans full of incredibly complex underwater cartography. Years upon years upon years of Nami’s life, and she’s finally done it. The whole world, mapped out. For the very first time.
Nami can’t help but laugh, bouncing on her toes. She hasn’t felt this giddy in years.
Look at me, Bellemere. She tilts her head up to the ceiling. Look at me.
She did it.
There’s a knock on the door, and Nami calls, “Come in!” Jinbe pushes the door open, his eyes immediately landing on the newly-completed map. A huge grin spreads across his face.
“You finished, it sounds like?” He asks needlessly. Nami laughs, her joy bubbling out from her.
“I did!” Nami bounds forward and launches herself at Jinbe, wrapping her arms around his neck. Jinbe laughs and spins her around.
“Congratulations!” He takes a closer look at the wall, and tells her, “I’ve told you this before, but these are incredible, Nami.”
His words are full of pride. A lifetime ago, a sentence like that would’ve sent dread curling through Nami’s stomach. Instead, all she can do is smile. “Thank you, Jinbe,” she says, pressing a kiss to his cheek. His grin, if possible, grows even wider.
“I think Sanji has a celebratory treat for you in the kitchen,” he tells her. He gestures toward the door, bowing slightly. “Ladies first?”
She curtsies dramatically, walking through the door as if she’s royalty, drawing another laugh from Jinbe as he walks beside her to the kitchen. “After you,” he says, opening the door for her.
“SURPRISE!”
Nami nearly jumps out of her skin, and can’t help but gape slightly as she takes in her crew, all crowded inside the kitchen. A banner hangs above them – CONGRATS, NAMI! – and she counts at least fifteen party poppers being fired at once, mainly by the dumbass trio. And Franky, of course, with a shit-eating grin on his face. Nami shakes her head. She can’t help the fond grin on her face, even as she crosses her arms and says, “You all are the most ridiculous people I know.”
“Takes one to know one,” Zoro tells her, and hands her a bottle of her favorite tequila.
“Shut up,” Nami says primly, and takes the bottle. A hand immediately sprouts from the wall beside her and grabs it from her as no fewer than five bodies collide with her, sending them all to the ground.
“NAMI!” Her captain is going to make her go deaf one of these days, Nami swears. “YOU DID IT!”
“NAMI! NAMI! NAMI!” Franky, Chopper, and Usopp are all chanting, and Vivi just smiles at her and gives her a peck on the cheek.
“You’re incredible,” she says. Nami laughs.
“Hell yeah, I am.” She bears with the pileup for a moment, but then says, “Alright, dumbasses, get off of me,” not even pretending to be annoyed. She climbs to her feet with Robin’s help, flashing her a smile, and then cuts a glance at Sanji. “I should’ve known something was up,” she says, placing a hand on her hip. “You always bring your treats to me instead of saying I should come here.”
Sanji grins shamelessly.
“Guilty as charged, Nami-swan.”
Brook is laughing, playing a lively tune, and Chopper, Usopp, Franky, and Luffy have started a kickline beside her, laughing and cheering. “NAMI DID IT! NAMI DID IT! NAMI DID IT!” Robin hands her back the bottle, a shot glass alongside it.
“You’ve earned it,” she tells Nami.
Nami loves this crew.
She pours a shot, and downs it easily, laughing breathlessly. Luffy whoops, grabbing everyone’s attention, and throws his hands into the air.
“PARTY TIME!”
“AYE-AYE, CAPTAIN!”
-
“Hey, Franky.”
Sanji places a cheese-and-cracker platter on the side of Franky’s desk, alongside a bottle of cola. Franky grins up at him. “Yow! Thanks, Sanji-bro!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Sanji waves off. He lingers, then, placing a hand on his hip. “I was hoping to ask you about something, if you have a minute?”
“‘Course!”
Franky places the circuit he’d been working on next to a little robot figurine off to the side. Sanji glances at it, his lips quirking upwards. “Is that the project Usopp was working on yesterday?”
“Yup! I’m gonna make it shoot lasers!”
Sanji snorts. “Of course you are.”
Franky grins unashamably. “What’s up, Sanji-bro?”
Sanji hesitates for a moment. “So, I’ve been thinking for a while now that…now that we’ve kinda finished our full-world exploration, and Nami-swan’s finished her map and everything, I was kinda considering following in my father’s footsteps and running a restaurant.” Sanji meets Franky’s eyes, then, and says, “And I was hoping you’d be the one to build it.”
“I thought you’d never ask!” Franky immediately jumps out of his seat. He opens a drawer and grabs the scroll of paper inside, brandishing it with a flourish as he makes his way back to his work table. Sanji laughs, his eyes wide with surprise.
“You already have blueprints?!”
“Bro, I’ve had them since the day after you told me about the restaurant you grew up in.” Franky unfurls them, laying them all out. Sanji leans forward, childlike wonder shining in his smile as his eyes dart around before landing on Franky again.
“How’d you know I’d wanna run a restaurant?” Franky shrugs.
“A guess. I know you, bro.”
Sanji laughs. “Yeah, I guess you do.” He nudges Franky in the side, and Franky can feel the affection in the gesture. “Thanks, Franky.”
“Anytime, bro!” Franky grins, and takes a seat. “How about I run you through this and we can work out anything you want added.”
“Sounds great. I’m going to tell you now, though- whatever lasers you have embedded in the design, we’re gonna be taking those out.”
“Spoilsport!”
-
“Hey, aren’t you Roronoa Zoro?”
Usopp raises an eyebrow as a kid- okay, she’s probably like 19, but everyone looks like kids to him now- calls out to them from the side of the road. She’s gripping tightly to her scabbard, hung at her side. Zoro glances over, disinterested. “Yeah,” he grunts.
Another kid pops up, pointing excitedly at Usopp. “And you’re the sniper king!” Usopp laughs and jabs a thumb at his chest.
“I sure am!”
The kids share an excited look. “I’m Grace,” the first kid says.
“And I’m Jackie!” The other says, and in unison they point towards Usopp and Zoro and say, “And we challenge you!”
The motion on the street seems to pause, the townspeople not even trying to hide their staring. Usopp glances at Zoro, who shrugs.
“Don’t have anything better to do today,” he says. Usopp considers his plans for the day- he was going to play hide-and-seek with Chopper and Luffy, but they’re always excited to see challenges so he’s sure they won’t be upset. Plus, it’s been a while since Usopp’s been challenged.
“Sure, why not,” Usopp tells the kids. Grace and Jackie share an excited look, and Usopp adds on, “Alright, Zoro, you wanna go first?”
“Sure-” Zoro starts, but Grace interrupts, stepping forward.
“No,” she says.
Zoro raises an eyebrow. “No?”
Jackie steps up as well, and says, “We challenge you together.”
“My swords-” Grace places a hand on her scabbard.
Jackie draws a pistol and flips it in the air, catching it easily. “And my sniping.”
Zoro and Usopp share a look. “At the same time?” Usopp asks doubtfully.
“Yeah!” Jackie looks at Usopp, something cutting in their grin. “After all, isn’t it the job of the sniper to protect the fighters during a battle?”
Usopp can’t help but laugh. “Oh, I like you.” He glances at Zoro. “You in?”
Zoro shrugs, but there’s a glint of excitement in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. “Sounds interesting,” he says, thumbing Wado by his side.
They relocate to a clearing in the forest for the battle. Luffy and Chopper, predictably, follow along- they’re both excited, and Chopper’s also there to keep an eye on any injuries that may happen. Usopp’s heard him saying at least once that Zoro being unable to get seriously injured anymore has made his life ten times less stressful- the memory makes Usopp snort even as they line up to begin the spar.
“Alright!” Usopp calls out. “Normal sparring rules- no kill shots, no aiming for onlookers, etcetera. Just don’t be a dick.” Zoro snorts. Jackie and Grace nod, seriousness set in their face. They give each other a high five, and Zoro gives Usopp a nod, Usopp clapping him on the back before he makes his way to his position.
“Three! Two! One!” Luffy cheers. “GO!”
The spar is probably the most fun Usopp’s had in a long time. Jackie and Grace are good. Grace is able to keep up with Zoro’s two-sword style onslaught, and though she hasn’t come close to forcing Zoro to bring out Wado, Usopp thinks Zoro may deem her worthy of the honor. Jackie tries to take Zoro out from where they’re perched in a tree, aiming for his hamstrings and calves. Usopp’s able to deflect their shots easily enough, but Jackie’s good, too, deflecting most of the shots that Usopp aims to take out Grace’s legs, and the ones that Usopp tries to slip in to take Jackie themself out. The only ones that get through are a couple that brush against Grace’s shins, which make her wince but barely affect her swordsmanship.
This spar is exhilarating in a way that most spars aren’t. It’s fun. The vicious smile on Zoro’s face as he increases the intensity of his onslaught betrays that he’s feeling the same way. Luffy, Chopper, and Franky are losing their mind cheering, and the rest of the crew’s made their way over too. Except Robin, who Usopp hasn’t seen in body, but he’s fairly sure he’s seen a disembodied eye dotting the trees around a few times. Sanji and Nami are having fun heckling Zoro every time his strike gets blocked- Vivi’s trying to stop them, but she’s laughing too much for her scolding to really have an effect. Usopp can’t help but smile wider, even as he shoots three bullets out of the air in the span of a second.
Some of the townspeople have even come to watch, too, getting sucked into the excitement of the spar even as they get pulled out of the way every two seconds so they don’t get hit by deflected bullets or pellets. They even seem to forget that they’re in the presence of the Pirate King’s crew.
It’s been a while, too, since he and Zoro have been able to work together like this. They have good teamwork – all of them do – but it’s fun to have a fight where it’s just the two of them and really see that their teamwork is as seamless as anyone’s on the crew.
The next time Zoro’s facing Usopp, they share a quick look. Usopp grins and brings out his bag of pop greens at the same moment Zoro steps back and considers Grace. The two youngers read the pause as what it is, catching their breath and watching the two warily. Zoro grins, and says, “You’re good.”
“Really good,” Usopp calls out, meeting Jackie’s eyes and grinning. Jackie’s serious mask slips for a second to let through an honest smile.
“That means a lot coming from you,” Grace responds. Zoro’s grin grows cutting, and Usopp can see Grace’s shoulders tense up more as he draws out Wado, slipping it between his teeth.
“I’m going to give you the honor, then, of taking you down with Wado Ichimonji.” Grace takes a deep breath and nods. She readies her stance, and the fight is on again.
After that, it’s quick. Grace admirably manages to deflect a couple of Zoro’s strikes, and Jackie does a good job with deflecting the pop greens that Usopp’s now rifling into the battleground. But it doesn’t take long until Usopp gets past Jackie’s guard, making them yelp as a pop green explodes next to them and pins their arms to their side. Grace stumbles after one particularly powerful strike, and as Zoro disarms her, Usopp capitalizes and shoots down a pop green that wraps up her legs and sends her crashing to the ground. Zoro presses a blade against her neck and Usopp trains Kabuto on Jackie, and for a moment, all that they can hear is heavy breathing.
And then, it’s like the forest around them erupts.
“WOOOHOOOO!!!” Luffy jumps into the air, beaming, Chopper and Franky quick to follow. The rest of their crew and townspeople are cheering, and Usopp can’t help but laugh.
Zoro sheathes his swords in three quick motions, and offers a hand to Grace. “Good fight,” he says, grinning.
“You too,” she says, and accepts the hand up. Usopp jumps down and meets Jackie in the middle, clapping his hand on their shoulder.
“You’ve got real skills,” he says. “This was a lot of fun.”
Jackie wipes some sweat off of their forehead and grins. “It was,” they say. Grace comes to stand by Jackie’s side, panting and covered in bruises and scrapes, and a couple deeper wounds. Usopp can already see Chopper waiting with bandages, ready to pounce the moment he has the chance. “Thank you both for sparring us!” Jackie says, bowing.
“Thank you!” Grace echoes, bowing as well.
“No prob,” Usopp says. He shares a look with Zoro, who steps forward. Usopp notices his crew’s gazes sharpen, the chatter falling quieter as they watch.
“Come find us,” he says, and Grace and Jackie both stand up straighter. Usopp watches, a heavy sense of deja vu settling over him. “When you’ve trained, and sailed, and become the best in your craft- come find us.”
He meets Grace’s eyes, and Usopp meets Jackie’s.
“We’ll be waiting for you.”
Usopp catches Luffy’s eyes briefly, then Sanji’s- and suddenly, just for a moment, Usopp’s back at the Baratie, watching Zoro make the vow that changed his life. And it’s not the same, Grace and Jackie aren’t on the brink of death, but somehow, Usopp knows-
These two are going to be the two to take their titles away from them.
The two kids, eyes blown wide and shining with something more than hope, something a little like belief, share a look, before meeting Usopp and Zoro’s eyes again.
“We will!”
Usopp is the best sniper in the world. He never seeked it out, it was never his dream, but he knows all the same. Zoro’s held the title of the greatest swordsman for almost as long as Usopp can remember. Yet, somehow, watching the kids walk away as he joins his crew and letting their excited chatter wash over him, Usopp knows that someday, Grace and Jackie are going to boast those titles.
He can’t wait to see it.
-
Brook has always loved the early-morning guard watch.
It’s peaceful, sitting in the crow’s nest, watching the pitch-black ocean slowly start to glow and stars slowly begin to fade as the sun peeks over the horizon. The birds start flying around, and the beautiful song that is nature and the sea cascades over him.
Typically, Brook will watch the sun come up and greet Sanji when he wakes before dawn to make their breakfast. Luffy, who wakes with the sun, will dash out on deck and shout a cheerful hello to Brook before barging into the kitchen and demanding food. Robin, sometimes, will wake early too and come sit with Brook, bringing a cup of tea and lovely conversation with her. More rarely, he’ll see Franky doing repairs, or Jinbe making some adjustments to their course, or Zoro doing early-morning training. He has his moments with all his crewmates on the days they rise early, and he loves every single one.
Forever used to seem intimidating, but now he can’t imagine living any other way.
Today, Brook watches the horizon, sees the clouds as they shift across the sky, dimly lit from underneath, and raises his violin to his chin.
Robin’s the first one to come out. “An early wake-up call, Brook?” She calls up.
“Yohohoho! It’s looking like a beautiful sunrise!” Brook hops down from the crow’s nest, continuing his playing of a light, jaunty tune to bring his crewmates into the new day. Robin smiles.
“Indeed.” Soon enough, Brook’s music draws his crew to the deck, yawning and rubbing their eyes. Robin brings a string of blankets and pillows along with them, piling them up on the lawn.
“Brook, I know you like waking us early, but come on,” Nami complains. Vivi pats her on the shoulder, and Brook laughs.
“We haven’t watched the sunrise together in a while,” he says. “And it’s looking like today is going to be a beautiful one!” Nami glances at the horizon, and her lips quirk into a soft smile.
“I guess you’re right,” she acquiesces.
Luffy whoops, grabbing Usopp and Chopper’s arms. “Let’s make a fort!”
Predictable chaos stems from that announcement, and soon, they finish building what Brook deems to be the finest blanket and pillow fort to ever have been created. And then, of course, Luffy wraps everyone in his arms and pulls them into the fort, sending it all crashing down around them. “Come on, Luffy-bro!” Franky complains, but he’s grinning. “That was a beautiful fort!”
“Shishishishi! Sorry!”
“Don’t know what you expected,” Usopp says dryly, then winces. “Hey, Sanji, get your foot out of my ribs!”
“You’re one to talk, Usopp, your head’s literally digging into my thigh!”
“I’m pretty sure we’re all burying Chopper, so maybe we should try to get him out?”
“Mmph!”
“I think that’s him saying he’s fine.”
“Shut up, Zoro.”
“Shishishishi!”
Brook smiles – though he doesn’t have lips! Skull joke! – and soon, his crew has settled into the fort, Sanji having gone and brought them some coffee and hot chocolate. It’s just in time, too, the sun has started lighting the clouds in their entirety, hues of red and purple alighting the sky above them.
“I can never get tired of these,” someone whispers, and there’s a chorus of agreement.
Jinbe, who Brook’s ended up half on top of, nudges Brook. “Thank you for waking us up, Brook,” he says, smiling.
“Yeah, thank you, Brook!”
“This is amazing!”
“Yohohoho! Of course!”
Smiles paint the faces of Brook’s crew, and he can’t help but smile, too, as they watch the sun rise.
-
.
.
.
-
“Hey, don’t you get worried?”
“Huh?”
“You know- don’t you worry you’ll get tired of this?”
“Why would I get tired of this?”
“Life’s kinda exhausting, isn’t it? I mean, your family will be all gone, won’t they?”
“But my friends won’t be!”
“...Yeah, but…”
The Pirate King laughs.
“How could I ever get tired of this if I’m with my friends?”