#HAPPY BIRTHDAY USOPP!!! 🎂🎉🎁

[brainyxbat]

UsoVe- Birthday Disaster

Summary: Venus' special surprise for her beloved boyfriend doesn't go as planned. Happy Birthday, Usopp!

A soft, angelic humming floated from the kitchen, alongside a hint of a wafting, chocolatey scent. Tempeste G. Venus, the spellcaster of the Straw Hat Crew, was busy at work in the Thousand Sunny's downstairs kitchen. The calendar read April 1st. A very special day; specifically, her boyfriend Usopp's birthday! And she had a surprise planned for him; one that involved the risk of sneaking into the kitchen, without the crew's chef, Sanji, knowing about it. But it was a risk she was willing to take.

He was too busy celebrating with the others anyway to notice her. She was surprised he didn't have anything already; then again, he always prioritized the girls over the boys anyway. Even her, despite the fact that she was in a relationship with one of said boys.

"Done!" She beamed after pouring the chocolate cake mix into the cupcake liners in the pan. "Now for the moment of truth!" Once the oven was ready, she slid the pan inside, and eagerly shut the door. "And now, I wait."

"Hey, Venus-san~!" Brook called out. "The birthday boy's looking for you~!"

"Coming!" She called back, and glanced at the oven on her way to the stairs. 'I should only be a few minutes,' She thought, as she emerged out on the deck. An excuse could come later.

She spotted the man of the hour, smoothed out her skirt, and ran straight over, her gogo boots padding through the soft grass. He looked so handsome in his grey puffy pants, and black, red, green, and yellow tank top. His bee-striped cap was adorable under his goggles. "Heeey~!" She practically sang out, as her adorably messy, wrapped ponytail flew behind her.

Usopp turned, and brightened up at seeing his girlfriend joining them. "Hey, V! I was getting worried!"

She quickly pulled him into a firm hug of ecstasy. "Happy birthday!" She giggled.

"Thanks!" He held her close, and kissed the top of her head. "What held you up? Is everything okay?"

"Um... I couldn't decide what to wear," She replied with her pre-planned excuse.

"Ah. Well, you look perfect in everything."

"Thanks," She blushed, as he tucked her short, loose hair strands behind her ears. "So uh, what're we doing right now?"

As she joined in the festivities with the crew, things began to happen.

Bad things. Her "few minutes" turned into a few hours.

And had it not been for Chopper's keen nose, as they were sitting around chatting, she would have never known. "Hey, you guys smell something?" He asked around, and they all began sniffing the air.

"Hm?" Venus perked up with them. "Yeah, it's..." It smelled like something... burning. Her eye widened. Wait, burning?! The cupcakes! "Oh my God!" She scrambled to her feet, tore herself out of her boyfriend's arms, and made a hasty beeline, not noticing the others reacting.

"Venus?" Usopp ran after her with concern, his worry only increasing with her frantically muttering "No!" a hundred miles a minute. "Is everything okay?" She almost flew down into the kitchen, obliviously slamming the door shut behind her; before he could try following her down, he lunged back to avoid getting smacked in his long nose. "Venus?!"

Robin turned to Sanji, as the sniper disappeared after the young witch. "Did you start on something?"

"No I haven't, Robin-chwan. Not yet, anyway; it's a little too early for lunch."

"Whoa, it's smoking!" Luffy's eyes widened at the smoke billowing out of the open door, and the crew gathered outside, after Zoro whipped it away with a few slashes of his swords.

In the kitchen, Venus threw the oven open, coughing at the thick smoke, and thrusted the pan out of the heat. Panting heavily, she slammed it down on the table, and investigated her attempted creations. They were burnt to a crisp; hard as rocks, stuck in the now indistinctive liners, and far beyond edible. Tears welled up, and spilled out of her eye, turning into full-on sobs, as she dropped to her knees on the floor, and buried her face in her hands. Her plan had fallen into shambles; because she got distracted, her special surprise was completely ruined.

"Venus?" Shit! He knows! She heard him gasp, and quickly kneel down in front of her. "Venus! Oh my God, are you hurt?! Did you burn yourself?!"

"N-no," She choked out, "I..."

"What's that smell, V?" Usopp looked to the table, and saw the pan. "What are these?" After prodding at one of the burnt mounds, he looked down at his sobbing girlfriend in curiosity, and concern. "Venus? What were you doing in here?" He knelt down again, and held her shoulders. "What are those?"

"I..." She tried to respond, but her sobs overpowered her words, "I-I-I was... I-"

"Come here, V, come here." Usopp hugged her firmly, and rubbed her back. "Just calm down, and tell me what happened, okay? I got you, baby." As she cried in his shoulder, he gently shushed in her ear, and soothingly stroked her hair.

After almost a minute, Venus was calm enough to clearly explain. "Well," She sniffled, and wiped her eye. Thank goodness she had no makeup on. "I... I wanted to d-do something special f-for your birthday, so I, I wanted to bake some ch-chocolate cupcakes. I thought I would only b-be a few minutes, but... I lost track of the time, and it had b-been a few hours." More tears fell, and Usopp wiped them away, listening intently, as her cries started to worsen again. "I, I had something great planned, and I wrecked it!"

"Sweetie, it's-"

"I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!!!" She almost screamed.

"Venus, stop, please!" A heartbroken Usopp held her hands down from her face, as she sobbed harshly. If there was one thing he hated, it was his girlfriend putting herself down. "You're not an idiot, darling. Please don't talk about yourself like that. I-"

"Usopp!" Sanji raged, now fast-stomping down the stairs with Nami trying to hold him back. "What did you do?! How dare you make Venus-chwan cry!"

"Sanji, I didn't-"

"It was me!" Venus shouted through her tears. "He didn't do anything; it was me!"

Franky squeezed himself in. "What happened, little sis?"

"I, I was trying to make cupcakes for Usopp's b-birthday, and... th-they got burned, b-because I accidentally left them for hours!"

"What?! You used the kitchen by yourself?!" Nami exclaimed in shock. "Sanji-kun, did you know about this?"

"No."

The navigator turned back to the young witch, towering over her, and put her hands on her hips. "What were you thinking?!" She scolded, oblivious to Venus sobbing her heart out all over again. "Why would you use the kitchen alone, when you clearly weren't ready?! Now the kitchen's gonna smell like burnt chocolate for-!"

"NAMI, STOP!!!" Usopp screamed furiously, holding his girlfriend tightly. "JUST STOP IT!!!" His outburst turned the room completely silent, aside from Venus' heart-wrenching sobs, before he took a deep breath. "She gets it! It went wrong! She doesn't need you, or anyone yelling at her for it! Just back off, and leave her alone already!"

"Why don't we all wait outside?" Robin suggested, as Sanji escorted Nami to the stairs. "Let them talk alone." They all filed outside, with Robin helping Franky out in particular.

Usopp sighed, and cupped her head as she cried. "Don't let Nami get to you, baby. It's alright."

"B-but I-"

"Sweetheart, just the fact that you worked this hard to do something special for me..." His hand moved to her damp cheek. "I appreciate it so much. I appreciate you, always." She sniffled, though to his relief, she was more calm. "You're the best girlfriend anyone can ask for. It's okay to mess up; we all do it. But V..." He stayed as gentle as he could to avoid more sobs. "You should've asked Sanji to help you, if you wanted to do this. It could've been much worse; you could've hurt yourself."

"I know," She almost whispered, "I just wanted to do something myself."

"I understand, but there's nothing wrong with getting help. We're all a team, no matter what. If you want to try this again, ask Sanji for help; I know he'll be happy to do it. Maybe a little too happy." He smiled when she giggled at his last statement. That was what he hoped for. "There's that smile."

She blushed when he swept her long bangs back and kissed her cheek, where her old scar marked her skin. "I won't get swept up," She added on to his joke, making him chuckle. "But yeah, I'll ask Sanji for help."

"Good." He leaned in for a short kiss, his hand rested over her soft hair. "I look forward to it; take your time with it, V."

"Will do," She promised, and stood up with him, "Let's go back outside."

"Okay." Hand-in-hand, they exited the pungent kitchen, and emerged to the deck, where the others waited.

Venus noticed that Nami had a guilty look on her face, and shyly approached her. "Sorry I snapped at you."

"It's okay," She assured with a smile, then turned to the chef. "Hey, Sanji? I was, uh... hoping to try that again. Will you help me, please?"

"Of course, Venus-chwan~!" He practically glided over. "It would be my pleasure!" Usopp rolled his eyes with a smirk; he trusted him to not steal his girlfriend, but he still went a little overboard.

"Thanks." She turned to Usopp, pivoted on her toes, and they shared another kiss. "We'll just be 20 minutes, half hour tops."

"Okay, V. Like I said, take your time with it."

"Yep," She nodded.

"And thanks again; you really are the best." He kissed her forehead over her bangs.

She blushed bashfully, as her gaze fell to her shoes. "O-only the best for you." She looked back up when he stroked her cheek for a moment, wiping the last of her tears away, before joining the rest of the crew. "Just you wait, Soppi; it'll be the best treat ever!" She giggled, and eagerly bounded back to the kitchen. "Come on, Sanji!"

"Yes, Venus-chwan~!"

Usopp laughed, as the chef floated after her. "She really is the best. Now, where were we?"

"So what do we do about the smell?" Venus asked, waving her hand by her nose after catching the scent again.

"No worries; we'll keep the door open today, so it airs out. Would you like to make a cake this time around?"

"That'd be great," She replied, "The cupcake liners are totaled now."

"That's alright," He beamed, "Sit down, I'll clean off the spoon and mixing bowl."

"Oh, I'll clean one of-"

"Nonsense, Venus-chwan~! A lady shouldn't have to clean up! Here, look for my recipe while I clean them. I'll make our lunches while you frost later."

"Okay," She giggled, then sat at the table, and flipped through his cookbook, as he started scrubbing. She gingerly nudged the cupcake pan away out of embarrassment; she decided it'd be best to not cry anymore, or this redo would take even longer.

-

A little over a half hour later, they were waiting for the chef, and the witch to come out. "I hope everything's okay," Usopp remarked worriedly, "You guys don't think she's upset again, do you?"

"I doubt it," Zoro replied, "If she was, that idiot would be flipping out more than her. That can be spotted a mile away."

"True."

A few minutes later, he perked up at some footsteps leaving the kitchen. "Hey, birthday boy~!" Venus called out cheerfully. "It's done!"

He rushed over, and smiled brightly; as the crew readied the picnic blanket, she proudly held a flawless, sweet-smelling chocolate cake topped with chocolate frosting, and "Happy Birthday Usopp!" was written on the center in yellow icing. The writing was a bit sloppy, but he loved it that way a lot more than if it was like typewritten work. "Venus, it's perfect! Thank you!" After Sanji took the pan for her, carrying it and their lunches simultaneously, he pulled her into a firm hug. "I absolutely love it!"

"I'm glad you like it!" She happily returned the gesture. "I couldn't have done it without Sanji!"

"Always happy to help a sweet, lovely lady like you, Venus-chwan~."

"Chill out, Perv Cook," Zoro snarked.

"Huh?!"

"Don't start anything!" Nami ordered.

"Yes, Nami-swan~!"

Venus took the cake back, so the crew brought out plates, drinks, and silverware. "Sorry the first thing didn't work out."

"It's okay, baby. This looks amazing; you both did great."

"Thanks," She blushed, as he kissed her temple.

After a few minutes, everyone sat around the cake, as Sanji used his lighter on the two number candles. "There we go, birthday boy."

"Thanks!" Usopp leaned in, everyone watching in participation; when he blew them out, they all cheered enthusiastically, Venus hugging him from the side and kissing his cheek. "Let's eat!" Once the candles were out, Zoro cut the cake into perfectly even pieces. Before Sanji could prioritize the girls over the birthday boy, Venus quickly took over, and handed her boyfriend the first piece. "Thanks, V." She took a plate next, and while the rest were handed out, she snuggled up to him. She smiled wider when he moaned in delight. "Venus, it's so amazing."

"I'm glad," She giggled, and started on her own, "Sanji took care of getting it in the oven, but I did everything else myself."

"I'm very proud of you." He nuzzled his temple on hers, as Sanji argued with Zoro over whose piece was bigger. "You did great."

"Thanks, babe." She sipped her cola, and had another bite, "I think it turned out really good. Though the writing-"

"No nitpicking," He playfully scolded, "It's perfect. Also, I like the little bit of crunch inside there."

"Oh, it's chocolate chips. That was my idea; Sanji said he hadn't tried that before, but was willing to give it a go."

"You're a genius, V."

"Thanks," She blushed again. Feeling mischievous, she smothered frosting on her lips, and planted a large, chocolatey kiss on his cheek. "Mwah~!"

"Hey!" He laughed, with the others joining in. "Venus!"

"You got a little something there!" Luffy pointed to his own cheek with a wide grin.

Usopp's eyes widened when the captain's head was leering towards him, tongue out. "No-no-no-no-no!" He covered the spot, and shoved him away.

"I'll get it!" His girlfriend leaned in next.

"Venus! V! No!" Usopp tipped over on his side from her playful advancement, and held onto her waist. He laughed even harder when she began sucking on his cheek, and licking the frosting off. "Th-that tickles!" His laughter turned into cackles when she tickled his neck, back, and armpits with both hands.

Everyone was besides themselves by now at her silly attack, as she soon let him breathe. "Tickle the birthday boy!" Luffy shouted, and at his command, they all began clamoring.

"NOOOOO!!!"

-

Later on, Usopp was on night watch, as appointed. Great way to end his birthday... sorta. He yawned, as he fought off his fatigue from the exciting day. He smiled at the memories; Venus actually had another gift for him, in the form of a ram figurine with a face strongly resembling the prow of the Going Merry. He almost cried, but kept it together, as everyone admired it.

He vaguely heard the sound of whispered arguing, but paid no mind. Following it was footsteps; he looked over, and perked up at Venus approaching, now in shorts and a crop top, along with her robe and slippers. Her hair was down, and flowing to her waist. "Hey, you."

"Hey yourself," She flirted, and sat next to him.

"I didn't know you were set to go on night watch tonight."

"I'm not," She shook her head, "I just decided to join you."

"Oh, you don't have to-"

"I want to," She insisted, and snuggled up to him, "I want to keep you company."

"Thanks, sweetheart." He held her close, and kissed her forehead, before nestling his cheek on her scalp.

"So um, did you have a good birthday?"

"Absolutely. It was really great."

"I'm glad. Um, again, I'm sorry about-"

"No apologies, V," He cut her off, "There's nothing to be sorry about. You didn't mean to lose track of time; it happens to all of us. Besides, the cake was amazing."

"Thanks. Sanji was a good help. I didn't let him flirt with me, though."

"Good," He snickered.

She smiled, and kissed his cheek, then snuggled her head in his shoulder. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you." He smiled warmly, and brushed her bangs from her face when she yawned largely. "Um, you can sleep if you want."

"No, no. I'm doing night watch with you; gotta stay awake for that."

A few, short minutes later, she was out like a log on his shoulder. Usopp chuckled under his breath, and kept her close. "No need to apologize for this, sweetheart," He whispered, "You being here is enough. Goodnight, darling; I love you." He kissed her hair, and continued his night-watching duties, as she slept peacefully.

Good way to end his birthday.

[blackwolfmanx2]

Happy Birthday, Usopp! 🎉🎂🎁

[cozage]

🎉🎁🎈🎊🎂🎉HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!! 😘🎉🥳🎂🎁🎈🎊

I wanna be mean 😈 Fuck, Marry, Kill

shanks , ussop and rosinante ~

THANK YOU!!!! BUT THIS WAS A VERY DIFFICULT BIRTHDAY GIFT FOR YOU TO GIVE.

Fuck Rosinante, marry Shanks, kill Usopp 😭😭 forgive me

[brainyxbat]

Chapter 7: Blue-Nosed Reindeer! Chopper's Secret

(episode 84)

"Who are you?"

-

Nami stared on in confusion at the small, wary creature. "Isn't that... backwards?" All that was hidden was his right eye; everything else was clearly exposed. Being cautious, he switched himself around, and peeked back out at her. "You're too slow," She pointed out, "And you're not completely hiding either. Just what are you?"

He glared at her through his nervousness. "Sh-shut up, human!" She was silent with surprise. He talked, like a person! "And how's your fever?"

"It talked!!" She screamed. Horribly startled, he fell back in the room, which was followed by a series of concerning clatters.

"Be quiet, Chopper!" A woman's voice scolded. Nami turned to see a tall, slender, old woman dressed for a tropical island, rather than one of winter. "Your fever seems to have come down a little, girl. Are you happy?"

Nami was silent, as the woman put her finger on her forehead, chugging a beverage at the same time. "Who are you?"

"38.2 degrees. Hmm, you're doing more or less all right. I'm a doctor; Dr. Kureha. Call me Doctorine."

"Doctor..." Nami whispered, and turned to face forward, "Then I'm in the-"

"My secret to staying young?"

"No, I didn't ask that."

Kureha chugged down another drink. "You're right. You're in the castle on top of the mountain."

"Then there were three others besides me, right?"

"Yeah, the boys are sleeping in the next room, very deeply. What tough guys. The little girl's right there." Nami heard Venus' light breathing behind the head of the bed. What happened to her? Before she could ask, Kureha sat by her, and pulled her shirt up, surprising her. "This was the cause."

"What is this?" There was a blotchy, purple spot on her stomach.

"You were bitten by a bug called Kestia. It's a poisonous tick that lives in jungles with high temperature and humidity. Once you were bitten by it, bacteria came in, and keep you in pain by lying dormant inside your body for 5 days. It causes high fever of above 40 degrees, coinfection, myocarditis, arteritis, cerebritis! Given the infection's progression from the bitten area, I'd say you've been infected for three days. The suffering must've been unusually harsh, but it would've eased up in 2 more days, even without any treatment."

"In 2 more days?"

Kureha smiled darkly. "Yeah, because you would've died in two days."

"What?!" Nami's breath shuddered.

Kureha stood on the floor. "It's called the "5-day disease." I heard that Kestia died out 100 years ago, but it was useful that I kept the antibiotic, just in case. Where did you guys come from? Were you out walking around with your belly exposed in a jungle, or an ancient island, or something?" She laughed like a classic witch. "Well, that's just silly."

"Ah-" A disgruntled Nami began to explain, but was cut off.

"That ring a bell? What a crazy girl. Now," She pushed her back down on the slightly bouncy mattress, "Stay in bed. Your treatment hasn't completely finished yet."

Nami smiled gratefully from the bed. "Thank you so much. So long as my fever comes down, I'll be fine. My body will take care of itself after that, right?"

"You're too optimistic. This disease normally takes at least 10 days to fully treat. Of course, if you want to suffer some more, and die; even with my medicine, you'll have to rest at least 3 days."

"What?" Nami urgently sat up. "I can't stay here for 3 days! We have to take Vivi to Alabasta soon!"

To her shock, Kureha pinned her back down effortlessly, with a scalpel pointed at her neck. "When a patient of mine leaves me, she's either cured, or dead. I won't let you get away."

-

In the other room, the small reindeer, Chopper, was changing Luffy's bandages as he, Sanji, and Venus slept. Luffy's limbs and torso, were covered, plus his hands and feet, as was Sanji's torso and biceps, while Venus mainly had them on her hands. Chopper watched Luffy in awe, as he remembered rescuing the four of them.

-

"He climbed this mountain with his bare hands?!" Kureha exclaimed in shock. "This 5000m high Drum Rock?!" Luffy and Venus shivered in place, though were barely awake. "His entire body is nearly frostbitten. What was he thinking, dressing like this? Heat water immediately, and throw him in it."

Chopper opened an unconscious Sanji's coat and shirt, taking note of his lacerations. "This guy's bleeding badly." He carefully felt his chest. "6 broken ribs, and a spinal fissure. Can I operate on him?"

Kureha scooped Nami up from the snow. "Apparently, the most critical one is this girl. She's dying. Chopper! Have phenicol, cardiotonic, and tialcillin ready!"

"Does she have an infection?"

"Yeah. The pathogen isn't from this island."

"What about her?" Chopper asked, looking over Venus, before pressing on her back. "Her spine feels intact."

"Yes, it seems she was the luckiest," Kureha remarked, but noticed the reddening snow at her hands, where her gloves were ripped. She picked them up to investigate, and noticed the battered ends. "Her fingertips however, are in rough shape." A hand suddenly grabbed her arm, catching hers and Chopper's attention. "Hm?" It was Luffy. He tried to speak, but he was shivering too much. "Don't worry. I'll make both the bleeding kid, and these girls all better. So rest assured."

Luffy glared through his shivering. "They're my friends!"

He was stunned at that. This guy had just gone through hell and back, for his friends' sake. "I get the picture. I'll save them. Chopper! Let's begin treatment!"

-

Chopper continued watching him, as his words rang through his mind. 'They're my friends!'

"I'm," Luffy muttered, "I'm hungry." His eyes blinked open groggily, and he turned around; after his vision cleared, he saw the reindeer standing by the bed. "Meat."

Chopper panicked when he started drooling, and crashed into Sanji's bed, knocking the tray of surgical tools to the floor. "Venison stew needs to be cooked in a pot for 3 hours," Sanji mumbled, "Then the meat becomes properly tender." At his smirk, Chopper backed away even further.

Luffy sat up deliriously, and turned to him hungrily. "Meat," He continued drooling.

Chopper looked for a way out, but Sanji, still mostly out, grabbed his arm. "Venison."

As the famished stares burned through his soul, he let out a scream. "Ahhhh! Help!" Just when Nami turned around, he burst into the room, the boys dragging behind him.

"Wait, meat!" Luffy repeatedly tried to take a bite out of his limbs.

"Wait, Luffy! I'll cook this guy!"

As Nami watched, the scuffle was taken outside the room... then right back in. "Hm?" Luffy stopped in realization, and eagerly backtracked at seeing the navigator awake. "Nami..."

"Nami-san!" Sanji skipped over gleefully.

"You got better?" Luffy beamed.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Okay, then!" Sanji held his bicep. "I'll make a nutritious venison dish for Nami-san! And Venus-chan! Where is she?"

"There," Nami pointed behind her back.

Chopper tried to sneak out while they were distracted, but their gazes immediately landed back on him, so he stopped dead. "Wait!"

Kureha listened in amusement, as clattering rang from the other room. "I'm surprised! They can already move around?"

"What's that talking stuffed deer with a blue nose?" Nami asked.

"You asking me what he is? His name is Chopper. He's just a reindeer with a blue nose."

"Reindeers don't speak."

"If he's different from ordinary reindeers in some way..."

"If he's different?"

"It's just because he ate a Human-Human Fruit. That's all."

"A Human-Human Fruit... one of the Devil Fruits."

"Yeah. He's a reindeer, who gained the humans' abilities. And I taught him everything I know about medicine."

-

"Don't run away, meat!" Luffy ordered through the chase.

"Wait, Luffy! I'm telling you not to eat it yet!"

"Stop it, humans!" Chopper tried to push them away, but to no avail. "S-stop it, you jerks!" Finally, to their shock, he turned into a humanoid, hulking beast. "I'm not food!" He punched them both into the ground, before returning to his small form, and retreating outside. "Rats! Rats!"

-

Back in the village, the search for an ailed comrade was still commencing. "Dalton-san!"

"Dalton-san!"

"Did you find him?!"

"Dalton-san!" Vivi dug with a shovel. "Don't die!"

Usopp dug with both hands, glaring in determination. "We'll find him in time, for sure! Be alive, Dalton-san!"

Zoro only looked on in confusion. "Who's that?"

"Don't just stand there!" Usopp commanded. "Help- gotta bow." He bowed before a Hiking Bear, until it left. "Like I said, don't just stand there, and help us!" With that, he went back to digging.

Zoro watched the bear walk away. "What the heck is that thing?!"

"We found him!" One resident found frozen arrows sticking out of a snow mound. "We found Dalton-san!"

"What?!" Usopp turned in his direction. "They found him?!"

"Great!" Vivi smiled in relief, and ran after him.

"Dalton-san!"

"Dalton-san!"

Zoro stayed put, still out of the loop. "So, who is that?!"

The man looked in horror, as his hands were on Dalton's chest. "This is terrible. There's no heartbeat."

-

"Become one of my crew!" Luffy requested after a hearty meal, without venison. "Please, old lady! We need a doctor on our ship!"

"Luffy," She held her finger up to stop him, "You said that's your name, right?"

"Yeah."

"Did you just say "old lady"?"

"Yeah, I did, old la-" A kick to the face cut him off.

"Watch what you say!" Kureha's attack sent him crashing into the wall above the door. "I'm still in my youthful 130's."

"Whoa," Sanji remarked, sitting across from her at a small table, "What an incredible old hag."

He was kicked into the wall. "Are you asking me to be a pirate?" Sanji slid down to the floor. "Don't be ridiculous! It'll be a waste of my glorious time. I'm not interested in the sea."

Luffy pushed himself up, and beamed brightly. "Who cares? Let's go on an adventure, old lady!"

"Hey, hey," She scolded, "I just told you to watch what you say, didn't I?"

Chopper watched from the other room, ineffectively hiding at the doorway again. 'So they're pirates.'

"Hm?" Sanji looked up deliriously.

"Hm?" Luffy turned to the doorway.

After a second of silence, the boys' jaws dropped. "Ah!"

"Wait, meat!" The chase restarted yet again.

"Wait!" Sanji ran after him, as did Luffy.

"Wait, meat!"

"Hold it, brats!" Kureha began pursuing after them throughout the castle.

"Wait!" They ran back through the room.

"Hold on, Nami-san!" Sanji ran in place by her bed. "I'll cook a nutritious, reindeer dish!"

"Before that, I'll eat you guys!" Kureha suddenly blocked their path, startling them.

"Old hag!" They gaped in horror.

"Where the heck did she come from?" Sanji exclaimed.

"She's coming! She's coming!" Luffy rambled. "She's coming!"

Nami stayed nonchalant, as they ran out of the room. "I don't care about the food. I just want some peace and quiet." Just then, strangely, snow blew in. "Snow? Even though this is inside the castle? Cold!" She shivered, and began to slide out of bed. "I should close the door."

"Stay in bed!" Chopper ordered, suddenly back in the room. "You still have a fever!"

"I don't. It seems like it's pretty much gone."

As she spoke, Chopper glanced around cautiously. "Looks like I lost them. Even so, no!" He ran to the open door. "Since Doctorine's medicine works well, the fever goes away quickly. But Kestia's bacteria still remain in your body." He closed the door. "Have the antibiotic shot, and stay in bed, or you'll..." He trailed off.

"Thank you."

"Hm?"

"You've been attending me, right?"

"Sh... shut up!" Nami's smile disappeared. "I don't wanna be thanked by a human!" Immediately after, he laughed modestly, before reverting back to defensive mode. "Don't mock me! You jerk!" He waved his arms in a little dance, and kicked his foot. "Don't be silly, you dummy! Seriously, don't be so..."

Nami looked behind her back with a smirk. "He's the type that can't hide their emotions," She remarked.

Chopper cautiously reached one hoof to Nami's hand. "Are you guys pirates?"

"Yes," She replied.

He tapped her hand. "R-real ones?"

"Real ones."

"You have a flag with a skull?"

"It's attached to our ship. Are you interested in pirates?"

"No!" He jumped back in a panic. "You idiot! No!" Books fell from the bookcase he crashed into, and some dropped on his head. "You idiot!"

Nami smiled sheepishly, sensing she hit a nerve. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Chopper panted, still wary. "But... then... wanna come too?"

"What?!" He shouted.

"To the sea!" She clarified, now smiling more genuinely. "Why don't you come with us? Hm? If you do, that'll help me a lot! If we have a doctor on our ship, I won't have to stay here for 3 days, right? On top of that, on our ship, we-"

"D-don't be ridiculous! I'm a reindeer! There's no way I can stay with humans!" He regained his composure. "To start with, don't you get scared when you see me? I'm a reindeer, but I stand on two legs, and I even speak."

"What? Are you trying to scare me?"

Chopper was suddenly melancholic, his eyes on his lap. "My nose is blue, too." The room was silent for several seconds.

Just then, Venus yawned and moaned sleepily, as she sat up. "Mm, what'd I miss?" Her eye blinked to clear her blurry vision. "Huh? W-where am I?" She glanced around the room, noticing her coat was now draped at the foot of the bed.

"Finally awake, huh?" Nami snarked.

"Yeah, whatever. Hm?" Venus noticed the small creature, before smiling widely. "So cuuuute~!!"

"There you are!" Luffy burst in, followed by Sanji. "Reindeer!"

"Come here!" She pulled her coat on, and joined the chase. But when they were outside, she suddenly shoved them down, stopping them. "Wait, little guy! I wanna squeeze you!" She sprinted after him, holding her hands out. "You look so cuddly!"

"No! I'm not a stuffed animal! Go away, small human!"

"Small?" She quirked her brow, before giggling. "You're one to talk!" She teased.

Just then, as a bemused Nami watched on again, Kureha entered the room. "Those brats sure are quick." She sat back at the table. "I don't like it; and the little one sleeps like a damn corpse. Girl."

"What?"

"Are you tempting the reindeer without my permission, while I'm not here?"

"Oh?" Nami smirked. "Do I need permission to make a move on a man?"

Kureha laughed. "No, you don't. If you wanna take him, go right ahead. But it won't be easy. He has a scar in his heart; it's a big scar, that even I can't cure. The moment he was born into this world, his group and even his parents abandoned him."

"What?" Nami frowned sympathetically.

"Because he had a blue nose. He always walked at the very back of the group all by himself, even though he was a newborn child. And one day, he ate a Devil Fruit, and was treated as a monster even more. The reindeers fiercely pressured him to leave. He was no longer an ordinary reindeer in any way. Still, he wanted friends; so, he went down to a village, as a human this time."

"Hey, what's that creature?"

"But his figure wasn't exactly human either. For some reason, his nose stayed blue too."

"It must be a yeti!"

"It's dangerous! Get the children inside, quickly!"

"A gun! Bring me a gun!"

"Shoot him to death!"

"You damn monster!"

"Go away!"

A rock was thrown at Chopper, cutting his forehead, followed by a gunshot. He finally ran away, dodging many shots. "He didn't know what was wrong. Nor did he know what to blame."

"You damn monster!"

"He just wanted friends, yet he was called a monster. He was no longer a reindeer; he wasn't a human, either." His arm got pierced by a bullet; he held the fresh wound, as he staggered away. "He's lived all alone like that. Can you guys heal the scar in his heart?"

-

Meanwhile, after the boys caught up with Venus, they lost their target. "Hey, look at that door at the front entrance," Sanji pointed out, "It's wide open."

"Hm?" Snow was blown inside by a freezing wind. "No wonder it's cold," He shivered.

"In any case, let's close this door," Sanji suggested, "With it open like this, there's no difference between outside, and inside the castle."

"Hey!" Chopper stopped the trio from coming closer. "Stop it! Don't touch that door!"

"Huh?" Luffy hummed, following by silent seconds of gawking up at him.

"Never mind what he says," Sanji dismissed him, "Let's close it, or we'll freeze to death."

"True," Venus agreed.

"Hey!" An angry Chopper began changing form. "Didn't I tell you to..." Now huge again, he threw his fists in the air. "Stop it?!"

Luffy frantically jumped away from the fence, broken off by Chopper's wrath. "What's with him? Why is he angry?"

"Hey, guys," Sanji called, "Come over here."

"Hm?" Luffy peeked around the corner, as the chef lit a cigarette.

"Look up there."

Luffy gazed upward, alongside Venus, and perked up. "Ah!"

"Oh!" Venus beamed.

"They're baby snowbirds," Sanji explained, as Chopper walked away, reverting back to his small form, "Well, if we close the door, they'll fall."

"That's why they can't close it," Luffy remarked.

"Yeah, keep it open!" Venus added. "We can't let them fall!"

After a blissful moment of hearing them chirp, they started shivering. "It's cold!" They made a mad dash inside.

"Hold on a sec," Luffy stayed behind Sanji and Venus.

"What is it?" He stopped behind Luffy with her, startling him.

"Wasn't he speaking earlier?!"

"The reindeer?" Venus asked, before perking up. "Yeah! He was!"

"Well, come to think of it, I sort of remember him standing on two legs," Sanji recalled.

"He's a monster!" They both shouted together.

"Wh-what the heck is that?" Luffy wondered aloud. "He's walking on two legs..."

"He's a reindeer," Sanji added.

"He's fluffy-"

"He's short-"

"He becomes big-"

"And he's a monster!" They concluded simultaneously, as Venus frowned throughout the exchange. The three were oblivious to the fact that Chopper heard all of what they were saying, walking away sadly.

"Guys, you're being rude!" She scolded, before noticing their ecstasy. "Hm?"

"What a cool guy! He's interesting!" Luffy praised, after the reindeer was out of earshot. "Sanji! Let's have him join us!"