As I stood on my favorite spot on the Black Pearl, her bow, I sighed as I turned around to gaze at Drum Island's shrinking figure. Leaving without saying goodbye like this hurts my soul, but it's for the better.
I don't think I'd have it in me to say no to Chopper if he asked to join, especially if he hit me with those puppy eyes of his. Those things are a friggen deadly weapon, I tell you.
Don't get me wrong; I would have loved to have Chopper along for the ride. He'd be convenient as an emergency food supply, if nothing else. I'm just kidding. Put down the pitchforks, and let's talk, will you?
Mu lame joke aside, Chopper is a great doctor, and he'll be a shit ton fun to have around, but he's still a kid at this point, and I already have two of the best doctors, not to mention Chopper's naive and kind nature, which wouldn't fit within my crew.
We weren't cutthroats or cold-blooded murderers, but I trust every single one of my companions to do what's necessary when the need arises.
So Chopper would be a bad fit with us, and even if he could adapt and step on his heart to ruthlessly do what's needed, he wouldn't be the same Chopper.
Just thinking of the cute little critter killing someone feels wrong, and I can't live on the rest of my life with that on my conscience.
At any rate, we're currently heading back into the Twin Capes to drop off Crocus before making our way to Alabasta. Though Chinjao offered to give the old doctor a ride on his way back to west blue, once Kureha let him leave, I had to refuse.
The old pirate was fickle, and I didn't trust his temper enough to leave him and Crocus alone for an hour, not to mention an entire voyage.
I'm even going to risk meeting Shanks and his crew, whom I wanted nothing to do with, but oh well, you get the idea.
"Snowstorm incoming!" Laffite exclaimed for the side as he stood behind the Black Pearl's wheel, causing everyone to stop lazing around as they moved to their stations.
"Never a dull moment, eh?" I murmured with a smirk. "The grand line sure is a nice place," I added with a chuckle, spreading my arms apart as if to hug the chaotic, crazy sea covering my gaze.
...
Somewhere in Alabasta, a tall man with broad shoulders and black, slicked-back hair is sitting on a throne-like chair, holding a stack of papers with his one hand.
The man had many scars, making it obvious for anyone looking at him to conclude he had seen many battles in the past.
The most notable of his battle scars is a long stitched scar at the bridge of his nose that stretches across his face and a large hook made from a tough gold alloy in place of his left hand.
And despite the many scars covering the man, they didn't make him ugly, adding to his good looks along with his fancy wear attire, creating an elegant yet fierce image.
"And yet another two troublesome rookies..." the man flatly muttered while reading a detailed report about what happened on Drum Island, perhaps even more accurate than the one the marine received.
"It looks they might even make a stop in Alabasta," said a tall, dark-skinned woman wearing a cowboy hat as she leaned on a wall not far away, with a hard-to-read expression.
"It doesn't matter," the man replied, activating his devil fruit powers and disintegrating the report into fine sand. "I'll just have to put them in their place if they decide to make trouble in my territory..."
...
I smile as I finally see the silhouette of the twin capes in the distance. The trip back here, though shorter than the trip towards Drum Island, was still plenty long.
Luckily, the weather was much nicer this time around, so that saved us a couple of days, but I digress.
I had used that time to read through the observation Haki manual Chinjao gave me and tried to apply it through my meditation. Although the results were hard to notice, they were still there, and I am closer to unlocking my observation Haki now than I ever was.
"I don't see any ship docked anywhere..." I said as I made my way towards Crocus, raising an eyebrow. "Did your friend already leave?" I asked, feeling confused at where Crocus' friend that's supposed to watch over Laboon was.
"Something came up in the New World, and he had to leave a couple of days ago," Crocus said, as if suddenly remembering. "He called me back then, but it must have slipped my mind to tell you about it," he added with a shrug.
"But he left one of his crewmates behind to watch over Laboon," Crocus concluded, gesturing towards the water as Laboon emerged from beneath its surface, glaring at the red line.
I just nodded, dropping the subject as I didn't really care. I wanted nothing to do with shanks. So that works just fine for me.
...
We quickly reached the twin peaks, and I left the ship with Crocus as my crewmates went to work, unfurling the sails, taking stock of our inventory, and inspecting the Black Pearl for any damage.
"We'll spend the night here to rest up and do some fishing to replenish our food supply," I remarked as we walked towards the lighthouse. "You don't mind, do you?" I asked out of politeness, even though I knew Crocus wouldn't mind, regardless.
"Of course not. Take your time," Crocus replied with a smile, dismissively waving his hand to the side.
"I'll take you up on that," I said, nodding with a smile. "Still, I don't see anyone here..." I added, looking around as I saw no sign of whomever Shanks left behind here, making Crocus mischievous smirk as he looked behind me.
My eyes went wide as I heard faint breathing behind me and immediately drew my revolver in a panic as I turned around, pointing it at the person standing behind me.
My eyes met the goggles-covered eyes of a comically round man, holding a rack of meat as he happily smirked at me, seemingly unphased by the gun I was pointing at his face.
He wore a green t-shirt with white vertical stripes, a matching bandanna on his head, and a pair of white shorts.
"Hey, Crocus! Who's your new friend?" The man asked as he turned to look at Crocus, carelessly pointing at me as the gun in my hand didn't exist.
Say what you will about Lucky Roux's comical, round figure and his weird voice, but a two-and-a-half-meter tall man suddenly sneaking up on you like that while casually chewing on a piece of meat was definitely a blood-pumping experience.
I took a deep breath, my eyes twitching as I lowered my revolver, putting it back into the holster, intending to introduce myself, but Crocus beat me to it.
"This is Johnny, a pirate captain," Crocus replied with a smile. "I've been sailing with him while I was away," he added while gesturing towards the Black Pearl.
"Thank Shanks for me again for taking care of Laboon while I was away when you get back, will you?" Crocus concluded, moving towards his garden chair and immediately slumping into it while stretching his limbs.
"Sure thing," Lucky Roux agreed with a nod, still happily smiling. "Still, I think the chief would be more interested to hear about Johnny here," he added, making Crocus chuckle and me to raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"It can't be helped, since the chief has been trying to get you to sail with us for so many years now, but you never agreed... I'm sure he'd like to hear about the man who was able to convince you to go back to sea, even for one voyage..."