Nami flinched at the sound of meat hitting meat. The battle was fierce, neither one giving an inch of ground. Luffy was surrounded by a vortex of limbs, all attempting to bombard him.

Something that normally wouldn't be very effective, not against Luffy's rubber body. But somehow, he was dealing damage to him. Nami could see the bruises accumulating with every blow that got past Luffy's defenses.

The rubber man was doing well in Nami's opinion. He punched and kicked against Buggy's oncoming body parts, sending them soaring away. The ones he couldn't, he dodged.

But unfortunately, some of them slipped through. Luffy was good, but there were just too many fleshy projectiles being thrown at him. If only there were a few less, Luffy could get the upper hand.

Both of them were slowing down, it was clear they were exhausted, but Luffy was slowing faster. It was only a matter of time before the accumulated damage became too much to bear.

Something needed to be done. But what? What could she do to help in this situation? She could feel every blow they exchanged like a shockwave. She couldn't go near that.

But maybe… she didn't have to. Watching closely, it was obvious that they couldn't keep going much longer. Luffy's arms took longer to extend and snap back, and the same was true for Buggy as well.

She could see that when Luffy knocked something away it would take Buggy longer and longer to return them to battle. Not enough to give Luffy an edge, but enough for Nami to notice. And that gave her an idea.

All she had to do was sneak by them, and get something from the ship. How hard could that be?

***Line Break***

Luffy was breathing heavily. Heavier than he had in a long time. The fight took a turn he didn't expect. Buggy was stronger than he thought, and was able to hurt him for some reason. Being made of rubber, he was used to not feeling blunt blows. But this almost felt like getting hit by his grandpa.

Sure, Buggy wasn't nearly as strong as Garp, but like him, he was able to bypass his Devil Fruit power somehow. Was it that red glow that was surrounding him?

Luffy saw a piece of Buggy's torso flying at him and got an idea. He jumped on top of it, using it as a surfboard. "Hey, this is kind of fun!" Luffy shouted as he flew through the air.

"What do you think you're doing!? Get off of there!" Buggy shouted, sending his parts after his other part. Luffy knocked away any that got too close.

"Nuh uh," Luffy responded by sticking his tongue out at him. Buggy growled, and launched more of himself at the rubber bastard.

Luffy grinned as he began using Buggy's parts as a spring board, bouncing around between them like a pinball machine. This caused several of the pieces to slam into each other, causing Buggy to give off a painful wince each time.

He needed a new strategy, and he had just the one. As Luffy landed on another of Buggy's parts, he suddenly found himself in an empty sky. There was no where else he could jump to. He looked around confused for a moment, before laughing caught his attention.

"Gyahaha! I have you now, Straw Hat! There's nowhere left to run!" Buggy said, surrounded by all his body parts. However, he wouldn't need all of them, just his hands. He connected them both at the wrist, each holding three knives between their fingers facing away from each other.

Then it began to spin, much like his Nightmare Wheel, only much smaller, and much faster. With a savage grin, he launched at Luffy.

"Chop Chop: Buzzsaw!"

With panicked eyes, Luffy searched for an escape. Luckily, he just so happened to find one. The mast of the ship. He jumped away, just as the attack reached him, stretching his arms and grabbing hold of the mast, withdrawing his arms and pulling himself toward it.

He looked back, only to see the spinning blades almost on him. With a yelp, he jumped over them, the blades passing by harmlessly underneath. He wiped the sweat from his brow, releasing a relieved sigh. That was too close.

"Don't think you're out of the woods yet, Straw Hat!"

"Hm?" Luffy turned to the voice, only to see Buggy's head, all alone. That's weird, wasn't he just surrounded by a bunch of creepy limbs? Where are they?

Luffy's thoughts would be answered in the form of a leg piece hitting his own. He fell over, desperately grabbing onto the mast. Looking around, he could see parts of Buggy all around him. He was surrounded.

A buzzing sound reached his ears, and Luffy jumped to his feet and began running down the horizontal part of the mast, barely avoiding the spinning blade. But that was only the beginning of his problems. All of the Buggy parts began hurling themselves at him.

He twisted and dodged as best he could, but it was a struggle doing so and keeping his balance, and eventually, he lost it. His foot came down at an awkward angle, and he tumbled off the edge, Buggy's body parts rushing after him.

He fell with ever increasing speed, and to his right, a buzzing was approaching him again. He was getting really sick of that move. So when it got near him, he twisted his body, barely managed to not get skewered, and used his momentum to throw a punch upwards, right in the center, where Buggy's hands were connected.

It connected, and the hands split apart, flying in different directions, with Buggy screaming from down below.

"That hurt you bastard!"

"It was supposed to!"

But the floor was approaching fast, and Luffy didn't want to know how that would feel. So he began to draw in air, expanding himself more and more.

"Gum Gum: Balloon!"

Now filled with air he hit the ground and bounced, some of Buggy's sections slamming into the ground after him. He bounced and rolled, evading more of them. But when his air ran out, Luffy bounced one more time and landed on his feet running.

More and more of Buggy rained down toward him, but Luffy was able to dodge them all. Or he would have been, if it weren't for Buggy hands grabbing onto his legs and tripping him.

"I've got you now!" Buggy yelled in triumph.

"What the-aw, damn it!" he cursed, as the remaining body parts crashed into him. He screamed in pain as he was mercilessly pummeled, Buggy laughing the whole time.

"Gyahahaha! That's what you get for challenging me Straw Hat!"

He looked on with glee as Luffy lay there, coughing and spitting blood. It was a good look for him, one that Buggy would be more than happy to dress him in again and again.

He recalled his segments to him, grinning as they all floated around him. It was about time the rubber bastard went down. He hadn't used Haki in a long time, he didn't need to. The East Blue was filled with weaklings. Afterall, you don't use a cannon to kill an ant.

But Straw Hat was no ant. He was a ferocious and hungry beast attempting to claw and bite its way to the top. But he would never reach that summit, Buggy would make sure of that.

"You did good, for a newborn baby pirate that is. But this is as far as you go. It's time to end this farce."

Luffy's fingers twitched at that. He coughed up more blood, and grit his teeth. He forced himself to stand, inch by inch, until he was on his feet. He swayed a bit before finding his ground again, and leveled Buggy with a glare.

"I will be… King of the Pirates! There's no way I'd lose to you! Gum Gum…"

He threw both of his arms back, stretching them past the deck of the ship. Buggy cursed and drew his segment into a wall in front of his head. That was his only weak spot. "Just try it! I'll show you the difference between us!"

"Chop Chop: Barricade!"

"...Bazooka!"

Luffy thrust his arms forward with more force than any previous attack. It slammed into Buggy's wall and the two clashed for a minute, sparks of power shooting off of them. They both screamed as they attempted to overpower the other.

It would end in a draw. Luffy couldn't push through, but Buggy couldn't stop his limbs from flying everywhere. They both glared at each other, breathing heavily, covered in sweat and dirt and blood.

"You're a real… pain in the ass… you know that… Straw Hat…" Buggy gasped out.

"Right… back at ya…" Luffy wheezed.

Neither one was willing to back down, but neither one could continue much longer. Both of them were pulling out all the stops to beat the other.

Buggy floated his parts into the sky once more, only there was something off. Looking around confused, he didn't notice anything amiss. Maybe he was just being paranoid.

Whatever, it was time to end this. He began to rotate his floating parts, spinning them faster and faster.

"Are you ready Straw Hat?" he questioned.

"That's my line," Luffy responded, pulling his arms back.

"Then let's finish this! Chop Chop: Festival!"

"Gum Gum: Gatling!"

Buggy sent all of his pieces at Luffy, who began to throw punches so fast it looked like he had a dozen arms. The two met in the middle with a thunderous bang, meeting each other blow for blow.

Neither one could get past the other. Buggy had too many parts and Luffy threw too many punches. It was a war of attrition. One that each was determined to win.

Luffy winced from every punch. Whatever strange technique Buggy was using hurt like hell. If his bones weren't made of rubber, his hands would be in pieces by now. As it were, they were merely a bloody mess. But he wasn't afraid of pain, no matter how bad it got. He would push through it all. How else would he become King?

Buggy growled in a combination of pain and frustration. No matter how many times he thrust himself at that little twerp, he responded with equal force. He wouldn't last much longer, but as long as he outlasted him, he could live with that.

The boat rocked and churned up the water below from the force of the exchange. To the people on the island it sounded like an endless drumming of thunder.

"W-what the hell is that?" asked Michi, as everything around her seemed to shake.

"I don't know!" screamed Boodle, as he tried to hold the patients down. He didn't want them to exacerbate their injuries by falling on the ground.

Back with the fight, Luffy and Buggy continue to throw everything they had into this exchange. Neither one gave an inch. Both refusing to take a single step back. But it wouldn't last for long. Sooner or later, one of them would slip up.

One of them…

"Ah! Damn it!" yelled Buggy, after getting punched in the face. Blood trickled down his nose from the blow. What was going on? How was he getting through? It shouldn't be possible!

Then, over the sound of battle, he heard a voice. It sounded like a woman. A woman complaining about something. God he hated that sound. But where was it coming from?

He turned his floating head this way and that, until he spotted her. That orange haired woman that thought she could steal from him. But what was she up to?

She was bent over something, which allowed Buggy to appreciate the view, and looked like she was trying to stuff something into a… box? No, a chest? She was trying to stuff something into a chest! That was it.

She was trying to rob him again! As if he would allow that!

"Get your hands off my treasure you tramp!"

Nami jumped up and turned around, face paling as Buggy finally noticed her. "What do you want now? Why can't you just leave me alone!" she shouted.

"Maybe I would if you kept your grubby little off of my… booty?"

His confusion was understandable once you realized she wasn't stealing his treasure. There was no gold in her chest even though her chest was pure gold. No, the thing she was stealing was Buggy himself. His body parts stuffed into a chest making it look more like a casket.

And the thing she was trying to force inside, but was refusing to go, just so happened to be his lower half. She wasn't using the front, that was something she refused to touch. No she was pushing on his…

"Get your hands off my ass!"

"Like I want to touch it!"

He growled, hatred coursing through his veins. So that's why Straw Hat was able to punch him in the nose. She was stealing parts of him that flew off, and stuffing them inside that box. Making it so that he had less ammunition to work with.

Well he couldn't have that. Time to show her where she belongs. In the trash!

His hand flew off, grabbing a knife as it did so, and went straight toward Nami. Luffy called out her name in panic. Caught up in her own fright, Nami looked for a way to escape. But there wasn't one. If she ran she would just get stabbed in the back.

As the knife drew closer, Nami did the only thing she could think of. She used a shield. A human shield. A Buggy shield. She grabbed hold of Buggy's lower extremity and placed it between her and impending impalement.

"No!" Buggy screamed in alarm. He tried to stop his hand, but it was too late. It soared fast and true, right into his ass.

"Ahh! My ass!" he shrieked. His attack against Luffy started to slow, allowing more and more of Luffy's punches to get through. Just one final push, and he would be able to claim victory.

A push that Nami was more than happy to provide, even if she didn't know it.

Nmai dropped his lower half onto the floor, huffing in fright, letting her nerves finally calm. That was close. Too close.

Then her fear turned into anger. With a growl Nami raised her foot in the air, and stomped down hard on Buggy's Buggy Balls. "Take that you jerk!"

Buggy let out a sound that was part scream, part sob, and part gag. He was in more pain than he could ever remember being in. Getting headbutt by that rubber asshole paled by comparison.

This was the worst day in Buggy's life. And it wasn't over yet. With the sheer agony he was experiencing, the violent red aura that had been surrounding him finally dissipated. He also halted his attack against Luffy, which allowed him to pummel Buggy completely unimpeded.

Buggy felt the blows fall upon him like he was in a rainstorm, and he was getting soaking wet. And without his Haki, he was unable to defend himself even a little. They drove him back further and further, until one final punch, one last Gum Gum: Pistol, sent him hurtling into the wall.

He spit out a gob of blood, head slowly falling to the ground, as the rest of his body landed next to him. He was done. Buggy had been defeated.

"We… we did it!" shouted Nami, throwing her hands in the air in celebration, cheering loudly. Luffy stared at the beaten form of Buggy, his face looking like someone put it through a meat grinder.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

That someone was Luffy.

Nami approached the rubber man, taking note of his own bruised and bloody form. His left eye was swollen shut, his lip was split open, and wet blood dripped down his face. His hands looked like someone took sandpaper to them, bits and pieces of flesh dangling uselessly.

He looked almost as bad as Buggy, the battle having taken its toll. She stopped next to Luffy, asking if he was alright. He was silent for a moment, before telling her he would be fine with some meat. She wasn't so sure about that, but decided against arguing.

"So, what should we do with him?" she asked, staring down at Buggy. He was unconscious and unresponsive. Considering he was just a head surrounded by the rest of his dismembered body, it was a rather gruesome scene.

"I don't know," he said, taking a thinking pose. Their gaze swept across the ship before it landed on the treasure chest holding the rest of his body. They gave each other a look before identical grins erupted on their faces.

That would work.

After stuffing Buggy with the rest of him, and locking him up tight, Nami proceeded to do two things. One, she robbed them. She took all of his treasure that wasn't nailed down, filling up a whole big bag of it. While she was doing that, Luffy helped himself to their pantry, leaving it completely barren.

And two, she set the ship to sail adrift, away from the town. With any luck it would crash and sink to the bottom of the ocean, taking Buggy and what little crew he had left with it. They could have just thrown him overboard and been done with it, but that would leave a bad taste in both of their mouths.

Luffy didn't mind it if he killed someone in battle, but ending a helpless person just felt wrong. Nami agreed. That was a line she wasn't ready to cross just yet.

Well, she would cross it for one person...

With that done it was time to return to the island. Unfortunately for her, there were no lifeboats, so there was no way back to shore. No way except for a rocket ride. With reluctant tears in her eyes, she accepted her fate.

***Line Break***

A mob of villagers descended on the town, each of them carrying a weapon of some sort. Or something that could be used as a weapon, like shovels and pitchforks. After they heard the massive explosions ring out across the island, they decided enough was enough. They would take back their island or die trying.

They know Boodle said it would be ok, that he found some help, but they just couldn't sit back and wait any longer. They had to do something.

So here they were in the center of town, searching for the pirates. Only to find nothing but destruction. Piles and piles of rubble lined the streets, bringing many to tears as they recognized their homes.

"Damn it! Where are those bastards?" yelled one, a sentiment they all shared. They all started screaming for them to come out. Screams that would soon be answered as they heard footsteps approaching.

Turning to the sound, and readying their makeshift weapons, the townsfolk prepared for battle. They charged toward the noise, shouting like there was no tomorrow, only to stop short when they met a familiar face.

Boodle fell on his ass in surprise when he turned the corner only to see a mob rushing toward him, a loud yelp leaving his mouth. When he saw who it was, he shouted at them angrily, "Just what the hell do you think you're doing!? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

The villagers looked sheepish, lowering their weapons. "Sorry mayor. We just thought…"

"Thought I was just some pirate, no doubt. Well, lucky for you I'm not. I thought I told you all I found some people who were going to help. What are you doing here?" he asked them, giving them a stern look. It was the look of a disappointed grandpa.

"We couldn't just sit back and do nothing while they wrecked our town!" yelled someone in the crowd as the rest voiced their support.

Boodle shook with rage, "You idiots!"

His angry shout shut them up. They watched in confusion as he trembled, "Mayor…"

"Now you listen here and you listen good! A town isn't made of brick and stone, it's made of people. Without all of you, it's no different than a pile of dirt. An empty house can't be called a home, so don't be so ready to throw your lives away! Do you understand me!"

The townsfolk all dropped their weapons as tears flowed down their faces. The mayor's speech and concern touched them deeply. He was right. They were the town, not the buildings. They could replace anything they lost except for their own lives.

Boodle smiled warmly at his people as they seemed to understand. That young lady, Nami, was absolutely correct when she expressed a similar sentiment to Michi. A sentiment he nearly forgot. He would hold that lesson close to his chest until the day he died. And now it was passed onto all of them as well.

After they all calmed down, they had some questions for the Mayor. Ones that were asked rapid fire without giving him the chance to answer.

"One at a time!" he shouted, fed up. They returned to giving him sheepish looks again. Boodle sighed, these darn kids.

"Where are the pirates?" was the first question asked, the one foremost on their minds.

"Two of Buggy's commanders have been defeated along with most of his crew. The only one remaining is Buggy himself."

"Who's fighting him?"

"A young man with a straw hat named Luffy. He has powers like Buggy, so he's our best bet of beating him."

"What about Michi? Is she alright?"

"Michi's just fine, she's treating two young men who were seriously injured by Buggy's men. They were also the ones who took down his commanders."

It went like that until they ran out of questions, and Boodle led them back toward the pet store, where Chouchou was still guarding his store, much to everyone's relief. Chouchou was a big part of the town, everyone loved him, and were glad to see him alive.

Said dog wagged his tail as the rest of the village approached, happily receiving head pats and belly rubs. But as this was happening, Boodle noticed someone missing. Mohji. He must have recovered enough to slink away when no one was looking. As long as he didn't cause any more trouble, Boodle was happy enough to leave it at that.

Then they heard a rock skid across the ground, and everything stopped. The talking, the crying, and even the belly rubs. They all watched the direction the rock came from, expecting an attack. They held their weapons up and Chouchou growled.

"I really don't understand your stomach. You ate everything on that ship, how can you possibly want more food?"

"I can't help it, they had a lot of vegetables for some reason. And I need meat to recover. Meat!"

"Ugh, you're impossible, you know that?"

"No, I'm Luffy."

The whole village looked on bewildered as a beautiful young woman carrying a large sack over her shoulder and a young man in a straw hat walked into view. The boy looked worse for wear, with numerous injuries all over his body, and even the girl looked like she had a rough time.

"It's you!" shouted Boodle with glee. The throng of people parted, making way for him. He reached the front of the crowd and stopped, looking immensely relieved. "I feared the worst had happened when those shockwaves hit the town. I'm glad to see you're both safe."

The rest of them looked confused, until they remembered him mentioning a boy in a straw hat. This had to be him, the one that fought Buggy. And if he was here, then that means…

"So, what happened? Is Buggy…" Boodle started, but couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. Couldn't bring himself to hope. Could the nightmare truly be over?

Luffy gave him a big grin, pumping his fist, "Don't worry old guy. I kicked his ass."

The whole area was silent for a moment, before cheers erupted. Tears of joy ran down their faces, as they hugged their loved ones. The relief was palpable, and Nami and Luffy were happy to see it.

"That reminds me, is Michi around? I have something for her," Nami said, placing the massive sack on the ground.

"I'm right here dear. Had to see what all the commotion was about. Now what's this you say you have for me?" asked the old woman as she made her way out of the building. Nami's eyes lit up when she saw her and moved the bag in front of her.

"Just a little gift," she said. Michi raised an eyebrow at that. Little? The sack was almost as big as her. How had she carried it? Well, she wasn't one to refuse a gift, so she slowly opened the bag as everyone watched on.

Nami had a big grin on her face as Michi got the bag open, revealing a horde of shimmering, golden treasure, sparkling in the sun. Michi's eyes widened, along with the whole town who were hovering around her.

"Wha… but I… it's just…" Michi didn't have the words to express her shock at what she was seeing. Nami's smile turned soft and gentle as she watched the flabbergasted old woman.

"That should help you rebuild the town. I'm sure you'll make it better than ever."

The town was quiet before they started cheering louder than ever. Michi waddled over to Nami and gave her a bone crushing hug, thanking her repeatedly. It made the sacrifice all worth it to Nami. Sure she could have used it to help with her own problems, but seeing the look on the old woman's face as she hugged her…

Yeah, she made the right decision.

"Thank you so much dear. Now you really must meet my grandson."

"That's not necessary!"

***Line Break***

Nick slowly opened his eyes, and almost immediately wished he hadn't. Everything was in pain. His entire body seemed to protest its existence. And this is why he didn't want to fight the furry. He knew it would only cause him pain.

Although he couldn't put the entire blame on Mohji. Buggy had a pretty big part to play as well, with the whole torture thing. But even that wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the bear.

That's where all his problems started. The bear. If he ever saw Beary again, he would make sure to shave him bald. Let the world experience that nightmare fuel.

But the pain in his body wasn't what woke him up. That was just the icing on the cake. No, what roused him from the blissful, painless realm of Morpheus, was the sound of someone else in pain.

Misery does love company.

The sound was coming from a door to the right. Someone, a man by the sound of it, was having the worst day of his life. It sounded like he's been constipated his whole life and now everything was shooting out of him at once.

Nick would take his injuries any day of the week. Because that sound…

"Hrgh, ahh. Damn it!"

No, just no.

"Don't worry about him, he's fine," said a voice to his left. Turning his head, which was far more difficult and painful then it had any right to be, Nick was greeted to the visage that kept him up at night

And gave him wood in the morning.

It was Nami, sporting a low cut, light blue shirt, (Which made Nick thank Jesus) and a pair of shorts that barely qualified as such. (Which made him thank Jesus again)

She was standing there with her hand on her hip. Seeing that she had his attention, she sauntered into the room and sat down in the chair next to him. This allowed him to see her state of injury.

It wasn't too bad, thankfully, mostly just some scrapes and bruises. She was in much better shape than him.

"Gah! Somebody kill me!"

Or him.

Both of them turned to the voice in what Nick was certain was the bathroom. At least he hoped it was, or someone was going to have a horrible time cleaning that up.

"You sure he's fine?" Nick asked, before launching into a coughing fit. Damn his throat was parched. And sore. Probably from the fetish play Mohji tried to get him into. Nami grabbed a glass of water off the nightstand and helped him drink it.

Turns out, Nami made a pretty good nurse. Now if only she had the outfit…

"Yeah. He got himself poisoned by one of Buggy's men named Cabaji. But as it turns out, the poison was just a really potent laxative," she explained with a sigh. That made Nick wince, suddenly glad he had to throw down with a furry instead. And that was something he never thought he'd say.

"How are you feeling?" she asked in a surprisingly caring tone.

"Like I was stabbed by a psychotic clown. What about you? Seems like you had some trouble yourself," Nick responded, giving a once over to indicate her injuries. And then giving her another one for the hell of it.

"I'm fine. Just a few bumps and bruises. No biggie. Besides, I'm not the one who's been in bed for a day," she said.

"What can I say? I need my beauty sleep," he responded. She rolled her eyes, but he could see the smile on her face. She couldn't hide it from him.

"So, mind telling me what happened? Seems like I missed a few things," he asked. She nodded and tried to make herself more comfortable.

"Well let's see. After you and I parted ways…"

Her story took awhile, long enough that an old woman named Michi came in to change his bandages. He much preferred nurse Nami, but the evil old crow wouldn't let her help.

Nami then asked about what happened to him, and he explained his heroism in great detail. He may have embellished a thing or two, but who cares. It was close enough.

It was just past midday when the stories were over. Nick was irritated about everything he missed. It sounded like an awesome fight. It also sounded nothing like the original.

Seems like he didn't have to wait long to see the ripple effects of him being there. Now he just had to ride the wave.

It was about that time Nick would meet the protagonist of the story. None other than Monkey D. Luffy. He ran inside with a big smile on his face, holding his hat to his head. He looked around the room, before his eyes landed on Nick.

"You're awake!" he shouted and bounded up to them. Nami rolled her eyes at his antics and chastised him for being so loud. Not that it mattered with what was going on in the bathroom.

"Hey, I'm Luffy! Want to join my crew?" he asked. Nick just stared at him, eyes wide. Did he really just ask that? Or was he hearing things. But Luffy seemed serious, waiting for his answer.

"Hey, don't you try to poach my lackey! He belongs to me," said Nami, giving Luffy a glare. Nick felt like he was shot with cupid's arrow. The pain in his body began to leave him, ascending into the heavens above…

"And he's not going anywhere until he pays me back everything he owes!"

…And came crashing right back down, sending him spiraling into the depth of the underworld. Damn it, he should have known. Of course she was more interested in collecting her debt. Why would he think otherwise?

Nick rolled over and covered his head with the blanket, a cloud of depression casting a deep dark shadow over him. Nami and Luffy looked confused at this, with Nami tentatively reaching out a hand.

"Um, Nick?"

But he refused to respond.

Luffy watched with a confused look as Nami continued to try and get Nick to respond. What was wrong? Did he need some meat? That always cheered him up. Maybe he should go and find some?

He originally came here to check up on Zoro, but he seemed fine.

"Ahh! When will it end!?"

…Sort of.

"Come on Nick, answer me!"

He continued to watch his crew for a minute, because they were his crew. After all, if Nick belonged to Nami, and Nami was part of his crew, that made Nick part of his crew as well. Nodding his head at the logic, he proceeded to leave the room. Beginning an epic quest to find some meat.

***Line Break***

Nick stared up at the ceiling, alone with his thoughts. Which was something he should never be alone with. His mind was a dark and mysterious place, with terrible monsters lurking around every corner.

Nami left just a little while ago to help with the party preparations, claiming she would come and get him before it started. Apparently, the town was so thankful they wanted to show them their appreciation. Which was nice, but it wasn't like he could enjoy it to its fullest, not with his injuries. But he could at least partake in some delectable delicacies.

He was hungry, so what?

But that was still a few hours away, and left him some time to think about things. Namely, what he wanted to do going forward. This experience really opened his eyes to the reality of the situation.

He was in another world. And he almost died.

Before all this he was just going with the flow, enjoying the sights and sounds of Nami. But then everything changed when a clown stabbed him a few times. Technically it was his crew that stabbed him, but it was on his orders.

The point is, he almost died. On the second island in the show to an IT reject. What would happen the next time? Will he be able to make it out alive a second time?

It wasn't like he needed to go with Luffy on his adventure. Chances are, he would just make things worse anyway. From what Nami told him, it sounded like Buggy might have used Haki. That was way too early for that to make an appearance. That was timeskip level shit.

And what reason did he have to join? Everyone else had a goal to strive for, something that pushed them forward.

Luffy wanted to be King of the Pirates.

Zoro wanted to be the world's greatest swordsman.

Nami wanted to draw a map of the whole world.

Usopp wanted to stop being such a pussy.

Sanji wanted to find the All Blue.

Each of them had something that gave them purpose. Gave their journey meaning. But what did he have? What reason could Nick give to wanting to join?

Besides putting a baby in Nami.

And while that was a goal worth dying for, he wasn't sure it was enough to challenge the whole world. He saw clips of that Nico Robin shit. Usopp set a flag on fire and they declared war on the world.

What reason could he give to stand up to the world? He could just as easily fuck off to a random island, like the one he was on right now, and live happily ever after. He could do that…

Couldn't he?

The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. It tasted like failure and the sweat of a beta male. He has the chance to go on the greatest adventure ever told, could he really walk away from that?

No, no he couldn't. He's watched anime almost his entire life, at least until daddy dearest told him to grow up. But he could still remember the journeys. The adventures!

Dragon Ball Z.

Inuyasha.

Bleach.

Naruto.

Hell, even Pokémon!

Those stories and those characters shaped his view on the world. Made him into the person he is now. The ones to blame for his personality. And it wasn't just them either.

Lord of the Rings.

Star Wars.

Harry Potter.

All moments in history etched into his very soul. And with it, a burning desire for adventure. He could hear it calling, and it was up to him whether to answer it or not. He could pick up that phone, or let it ring. The choice was his and his alone.

But that wasn't all. His longing for adventure was only part of the reason. A big part admittedly, but still only one. The other part was to find the reason why.

Why was he here? Who or what brought him here? All he could remember through his drunken haze was a swirling black vortex filled with vomit. The answers had to be out there somewhere, he just needed to be brave enough to find them. Even if it took him to the ends of the world, or a new one entirely.

Third time's the charm after all.

There was also the conundrum of him knowing the future and whether he should reveal it or not. He doubted Luffy would want to know, as it would spoil the journey, but the others might feel differently.

But if he does say something, and that causes a worse result… For example, telling them about Crocodile's weakness to water. If Luffy goes into that first battle knowing that, Crocodile might not be so cocky and just kill him outright to prevent the secret from spreading.

Or Luffy could beat him early. There was no way of knowing. Hell, he didn't even know if there would be a first battle, or any battle at all. Things weren't exactly the same after all.

Once Nick found out it was Zoro in the other room, he quickly found the man's swords leaning against the wall. There were three, like he suspected, but there was something different as well. Zoro had three black swords. He was missing the Waddle Itchy Monkey…

Ok, Nick couldn't remember the name exactly, and he was pretty sure that wasn't it, but he did remember one of his swords was white. That means he didn't have that sword.

Something had changed. Maybe his sensei didn't give it to him, or maybe he lost it, there was no way of knowing without asking, and that would bring up even more questions.

Like how did he know about that sword in the first place? Nick had no good answer for that. Maybe he could play up being a clairvoyant? Doubtful, but it could work.

No, it was best to discover the reason naturally. But it did emphasize that this story wasn't the same one he knew, and any future knowledge he might have could prove false. Bad information was worse than no information.

At the same time, what about Ace? Nick may not have seen the whole arc, but he did know about the man's death. It was pretty big news at the time, so it wasn't hard to stumble upon.

And then there was Luffy's other brother, Socko. Wait, that didn't sound right either. Whatever, the point is, he was supposed to have another one. One who supposedly died years ago, but turned out to have amnesia or something.

That was pretty big news as well.

For all Nick knew, Ace was already dead, and Socko was the pirate. He just didn't know. He wouldn't find out until Alabasta.

Perhaps he should put it on hold until then. Until he knew if Ace was alive and Sabo was dead. He didn't want to give them false hope, but still…

Could Luffy forgive him if he knew one brother was still alive and the other was going to die, and did nothing about either? No, he likely wouldn't. Luffy might be pretty carefree, but something like that would shatter any and all trust.

Alabasta, that was the time. Until then, he would gather as much information as he could.

Well, guess that means he was planning to go with them. He may not know what the world had in store for him, but he would face it head on.

His goals were as follows:

-Go on the world's biggest adventure and conquer everything the world throws at him.

-Find out why he was brought here.

-Put a baby in Nami.

-Don't fuck up!

Yeah, that was a pretty good list, though not necessarily in the right order. He would almost certainly add to it as time continued, but for now, he had a clear motive moving forward.

Looking out the window at the setting sun, Nick heard cheering and saw flickering lights coming from a bonfire. Seems like the party is in full swing. Wasn't Nami supposed to come and get him? Maybe she forgot?

Well, he was just a bank to her. Nothing more than a walking ATM, spewing Beris out of his ass. He shouldn't have expected her to actually come for him.

Before he could delve deeper into his depression, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. After a moment, the door opened to reveal the stunning visage of none other than Nami walking into the room.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. Michi caught me and she just had to introduce me to her grandson. Took me a little while to escape. Anyway, you ready to go?" she asked, holding out her hand.

Nick stared at her for a second before a grin split his face. Maybe he wasn't just a bank to her after all. He wasn't sure what exactly he was, and for the time being it didn't matter. What mattered right now was just enjoying the moment for what it was.

He grabbed her hand and together, they partied and danced the night away.