Chapter 15: The Would-Be King

The Straw Hats took in the oddity that was King Wapol. Here was a man that literally turned himself into a house. Steven could not believe the absurdity of the situation. THIS was a common occurrence in this world?

Then again, Onion existed in his world, so it was roughly on the same level of weirdness.

"That was so cool!" Luffy admitted.

"You are too easily impressed!" Sanji admonished him.

Wapol, however, merely laughed. "Impressed? You haven't seen ANYTHING yet. It is time for you to see what I can really do!"

The hippo-house then did something that made Steven's blood boil: he ate his two companions. Slowly and slowly, he chewed them without care. Looking to his companions, it appeared that they were just as mortified as he was.

"This...this is just wrong!" Luffy yelled. "Stop eating your men!"

"'Eating?' Mahahahaha!" Wapol started to laugh. "Please! I am creating the ultimate warrior of Drum Kingdom! This is FUSION! MUNCH-MUNCH FACTORY!"

"'Fusion?!'" Luffy and Steven spoke at the same time.

Steam rose out of the smoke stack on Wapol's head and the door on Wapol's stomach opened up revealing a brand new warrior. He had both of the heads of Chess and Kuromarimo and wore a similarly revealing outfit.

"BEHOLD: CHESSMARIMO!" Wapol announced, clearly proud of his warrior.

"That's not fusion," Steven crossed his arms. "Fusion is something deeper than just eating two people and spitting them out!"

"Aren't they just standing on each other's shoulders?" Sanji asked.

"STOP MOCKING MY ULTIMATE WARRIOR!" Wapol screamed like a whining child. "What do you know about my powers?!"

The half-Gem looked serious as he stepped forward. "Fusion is the most personal thing two people can do! It takes serious trust, commitment, and purpose to share a bond like that! You can't just force fusion!"

"I can do what I want! I am the king!"

"King of fools!" Luffy stuck his tongue out at him.

The comment only made the king angrier. With that, he pointed his cannon arm at the pirate flag flying on top of the castle. "You mock me?! WHEN THAT FLAG BURNS, THEN YOU WILL KNOW ME AS THE TRUE KING!"

The cannonball shot out faster than lightning. It headed up in the sky toward its target. Steven summoned his shield immediately and threw it toward the flying object. Unfortunately, he missed it by mere inches and the flag started to fall.

Watching the Jolly Roger collapse onto the roof, Chopper started to twitch. He looked like he wanted to scream out and cry, but instead he turned into his giant humanoid form. He lunged toward Wapol but merely grabbed him. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" he yelled at him. "DOCTOR WANTED TO HELP YOU AND YOUR PEOPLE!"

"Chopper?! What are you doing?!" Kureha yelled to him.

"You dare touch ME, monster?!" Wapol growled. Then he did the stupidest thing he could possible do: he shot the reindeer.

"CHOPPER!" Steven and Luffy both yelled at once. It was then that they knew what needed to be done. Incised with anger, the two joined arms and started to run around in a circle. Both of them kept the same serious expression and they were soon enveloped in the same glowing light as before. Damian, Sanji, and Kureha stared in awe at the sight of the two beings becoming one. Wapol and his men, however, looked bored and disinterested at the sight.

"What is this?! Some kind of weird dance?" Wapol started to laugh. Then he realized exactly what was happening and his eyes widened. "Wait...what?"

The light faded and revealed the combined form of Luffy and Steven once more. Using his Devil Fruit and Gem powers, he jumped to the top if the castle and held the fallen flag up back where it stood.

The fallen form of Chopper forced himself to get up from the snow and look at the new combatant. "...it's him: the Fusion!"

"...holy shit," Sanji ran his hands through his hair. "They actually did it."

"Where do you come off shooting this flag?!" Lufven yelled down from the top of the castle. "Do you even understand what it means?!"

"What are you even talking about?!" Wapol asked. "It's just the stupid symbol of a dead idiot! Why do you even care?!"

The fury in Lufven's eyes intensified. "First you insult fusion and now you insult the legacy of a dead man?! What kind of a person are you?!" Lufven pointed to himself as tears filled his eyes. These were not tears of sadness but of pure passion. "YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND THE TRUE MEANING OF THIS FLAG BECAUSE YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN A PIRATE!"

Angered by the way he was being spoken to, Wapol fired his cannon once more directly at the Fusion. Still holding onto the flag with one hand, Lufven closed his eyes and allowed his stomach to glow. The light went down into his left foot and kicked it forward. "GUM-GUM QUARTZ KICKBALL!"

The cannonball connected with Lufven's foot, but was immediately encased in one of Steven's famous bubbles. The now-glowing pink cannonball was sent back at the would-be king. Panicking, Wapol pushed his ultimate warrior in front of the oncoming projectile weapon.

"PROTECT YOUR KING!" he cried.

With a giant bang, the fake Fusion was struck. It hit the giant white hippo that they had apparently used to climb up the mountain and flew off the side of it into the distance. The single "being" separated back into two as they flew away. Sanji (whose eyes were locked on the incredible sight of his captain merging with the new kid) was too engrossed in the moment to note that his theory about the "Fusion" was correct.

*AGITR*

Inside of the trolley up the side of the mountain, Usopp started to squirm around. "Hey! Move your arm, Zoro! It's jamming my ribs!"

"That's not my arm, you idiot!"

"Then move whatever that is!" Usopp swatted a sword away. "How much longer until we reach the top?"

Dalton looked out and gauged the distance between their current position and the top of the mountain. "Not long. A few minutes perhaps. We would have been there if we didn't pack this trolly to the brim!"

It was true. All of the Straw Hats (save Karoo, who was apparently back on the ship alone), Dalton, several citizens, and a bunch of doctors formally under Wapol's employ that rejoined the people after Wapol returned to his former self had all managed to squeeze into a single compartment. There was little room to move at all, but they tried to make the best of the situation.

After a moment, a gunshot was heard and the people descended into a frenzy. "Wapol has gotten into the armory! We are doomed!"

"If he ate all of the weapons there, he would be unstoppable!"

"...did you just say 'ate all of the weapons?'" Usopp and Genevieve asked at the same time. Unfortunately for them, so many people were talking at once that it was impossible to hear anything.

Nami, who had the benefit of being squished right up to a window, tried desperately to get some idea of what was going on. "Hey, I think someone is yelling up there!" She tried to get everyone's attention, but the mob mentality was strong. Finally, she had enough. "HEY! KNOCK IT OFF!"

The people immediately stopped talking and regarded her with fear, including her companions. It was clear that Nami was not a person to be trifled with. "Now that I have your attention, listen closely! People are yelling up there!"

The silence in the car was something to behold. Nobody, not even Dalton, wanted to make Nami angrier than she already was. But amazingly, this allowed them to hear Lufven's passionate comments about faith.

"Who is that?" Zoro asked. "One of that Wapol-guy's men?"

Dalton shook his head. "It doesn't sound like Chess or Kuromarimo..."

"Look!" Nami pointed as best as she could. "What is that? A cannonball?"

The villagers screamed in excitement. "It's Wapol's men!" Dalton tried to explain. "But...but how...who...?"

Zoro smirked. "Guess they made it up without a problem after all."

*AGITR*

The Luffy-Steven hybrid shot a terrible look down at Wapol. It was clear he felt nothing but disgust at this man. Wapol, for his part, started to back away. He looked for his hippo in a panic, and it was then that he comprehended just how alone he really was.

"A true Fusion wouldn't come apart so easily! A true king would not have sacrificed his people! He would have faith in them!" Lufven cried. "FUSION IS A SIGN OF UNITY AND THIS FLAG IS A SIGN OF FAITH, NEITHER OF WHICH YOU KNOW!"

The Fusion jammed the flag back into place and formed a pink bubble around it, keeping it in place. Lufven jumped down from the top of the castle and marched toward the man. He looked scared beyond belief.

"WHAT ARE YOU?!" he freaked out. "PLEASE! TAKE THE KEY TO MY WEAPONS! RULE ALONGSIDE ME! JUST LET ME GO!" Wapol begged. He threw a key to the Fusion, who swatted it aside and hit Damian in the face.

"I AM AN EXPERIENCE!" Lufven roared. He stretched his arms all the way back and threw them forward with all of his might. "GUM-GUM QUARTZ CANNON!"

As with his underlings, Wapol was sent flying out into the sky. Screaming all the way, he somehow managed to fly completely out of sight. It seemed like he was sent off of the island completely. Lufven had done it, but he took little pride in his victory.

He went to Chopper, who had reverted back to his original form, and offered him his hand. "Are you okay, Chopper? I was worried about you."

"You...you defended the flag..." Chopper was too amazed to answer the question. "You took out Wapol! Wha...what do I call you?!" Chopper asked in pained voice.

The serious-looking Fusion suddenly adopted a grin that looked like a combination of Luffy's and Steven's signature smiles. "Just call me Lufven...nakama!"

"'Nakama?'" Chopper repeated.

"It means friend...or crewmate!" Lufven then spied the bullet hole on Chopper's body and his smile faltered a bit. "Hmmm...I wonder..."

He spit on his hand and rubbed it on the wound. The reindeer jumped back, turned into his human mode, and hit the Fusion in the head. "What was that for?! Why did you spit on me?!"

"Checking something," Lufven smiled. "How's your wound?"

"'My...wound?'" Chopper patted the bullet hole and was surprised to see that it had healed. "HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?!"

"It worked! Shihashihashiha! My spit worked again!" Lufven jumped high up in the air like an excited child. "This is great! I did it! I did it!"

"You!" Doctor Kureha and the others ran up to him. "Are my eyes deceiving me or did your spit just heal my reindeer?"

The Fusion continued to laugh and dance around. "Nope! I have healing spit! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't! I think it has to do with my confidence or something...but who cares?! But it worked! It worked!" As he was jumping up and down, he noticed the trolley docking at the edge of the cliff. While there were several people that neither Luffy nor Steven knew, he was able to pick out his crewmates very easily. "Hey! Usopp! Zoro! Nami! Vivi! Genevieve! Um..." he stopped jumping as he tried to remember Dalton's name. "That guy!"

The Straw Hats stared in shock at the being who stood before them. "Wait...who are you?" Usopp asked. "You kind of look like Luffy, but you sound different..."

"Wait...his stomach!" Vivi pointed and screamed. "It's Steven's gem!"

"WHAAAA?!" the Straw Hats (save Sanji and Damian) yelled.

Nami's eyes widened. "Does this mean...are you...?"

"Call me Lufven!" he smiled.

Just then, Kureha went and hit him in the back of the head. "HEY! I WAS TALKING TO YOU!" The punch was strong enough to knock the Fusion to the ground. The second he hit the floor, the being separated back into both Steven and Luffy. Both of them rubbed their heads at the same time.

"Ouch! What was that for?!" they both yelled in unison.

"GAH!" Usopp screamed. "How is that possible?!"

Vivi shook her head in disbelief. "Were...were...did you two fuse...like that Lapis Gem you told us about?!"

The two nodded in unison. "Stop doing that!" Zoro yelled. "You are freaking me out!"

"Interesting," the old doctor looked over the two black-haired youths. "I saw you unfuse before, but it was quite a sight to see you both come together like that. Tell me, how did you do it?"

"The bad guy shot Chopper," Steven said immediately.

"He pissed me off," Luffy said at the same time.

They looked to each other and started to laugh again. "We were awesome!"

"That didn't answer the question!" Kureha yelled.

"I think it was because we both were feeling intense protectiveness over Chopper," Steven scratched his head. "We both were on the same funky wave length!"

"What does that even mean?" Nami asked.

"I don't know, but I agree with him!" Luffy laughed. The he stopped and noticed Genevieve. She had not moved or blinked, but had her mouth open in shock. "Yo! Genevieve? What are you doing? You look funny."

"That...that was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen," Genevieve said in an unnaturally awed tone. "I'm engraving that moment into my mind so I can paint it later."

"Oh, man," Steven added. "You should have seen that Wapol-guy. He turned into a giant house with arm cannons and ate his friends. That would have made a great painting!"

"...I instantly regret not joining you."

"Also, who is this 'Chopper' you keep talking about?" Usopp asked.

Luffy pointed to the reindeer who was trying to hide. "Him. He's our new nakama!"

"Oh, is that all?" the liar nodded. Then he opened his eyes wide. "LUFFY! IT'S A MONSTER!"

The captain knocked him on the back of the head. "Don't call our doctor a monster!"

"...wait, did you just say 'doctor?!'" Nami said in shock. "You're a doctor?"

The reindeer nodded and started to back away from the large group of unfamiliar people. Nami, however, moved right to him.

"You are so adorable!"

Chopper immediately started to blush and tried to play it off. "Stop it, you bastard! What do you know about being adorable?"

"Say," Vivi scanned the mountain top. "Where's Petrea? Is she okay?"

"Oh, the girl?" Kureha laughed. "I have her inside tied down for a rest! Might as well go check on her."

Meanwhile, Zoro looked Sanji and Damian over. He tried to fight back laughter at their heavily bandaged chests. "The hell happened to you two?"

"Killer rabbits. Very dangerous," Damian folded his arms and tried to look cool.

"I see. Shame the fusion of the kid and the captain couldn't try healing you before he became two again," Zoro smirked.

The two injured men have each other looks and then looked to Steven and Luffy. "...well, shit."

*AGITR*

"GET ME OFF OF THIS BED!" Petrea bellowed at the top of her lungs.

When Chopper rushed into the room to tell Kureha about Wapol's return, Petrea requested to join and help defend the castle. The doctor had declined to allow her to do so and told her to stay in bed like a "good girl." When Petrea made a fuss about it, Kureha immediately tied her back to the bed with the Seastone ropes.

"Warned you about the ropes, didn't I?" Doctorine had laughed.

"Damn witch!" Petrea grumbled. "It sounded intense out there! I missed everything!"

She tried to look from her bed out the window but it was no use. All she had to go on was the yelling and the cannon fire. It was more than the blonde was expecting from this excitement and it caused her mind to race.

Just what had happened out there?

"That voice...who was that?" she asked herself. Again she struggled to move out of the bed, but the ropes just made her weak. "WHAT IS GOING ON OUT THERE?! I DEMAND TO BE RELEASED!"

"You aren't in a position to be demanding anything, hun," the familiar voice of Doctor Kureha laughed. She walked through the door and gave off an air of confidence.

Petrea frowned. "Oh, joy. It's you."

"Jealous of my good looks?" she winked. The woman moved to her and felt her head. "Hmm, much better. It seems like you are practically back to normal. Since all the fuss is done out there, I might as well untie you...if you ask me nicely."

The former Miss Valentine twitched her eyebrow and sighed. "Please untie me..."

"What was that? I'm a little deaf in this ear."

"YOU HEARD WHAT I SAID! LET ME GO!" she yelled.

The doctor smirked. "Feisty, aren't you? You know, I don't think the kid is the only one who needs etiquette lessons."

Petrea merely hung her head, seemingly defeated. "That's it? You're giving up already? God, I was hoping for more of a reaction!" Kureha shook her head in disappointment. "Fine, I'll untie you."

The old woman did so and the second the ropes were off of her, Petrea jumped high in the air and stretched her muscles out. "God, I needed that! Ahhhhh!"

"Mind coming down from the ceiling before you damage it again?"

The blonde floated back down again and stood up, continuing to stretch herself. "So, are you going to tell me what happened out there or what?"

"Presumptuous brat!" Kureha went to hit her, but Petrea jumped away. "Hmmm...reflexes are pretty good. Nice to see."

The doctor started to make the bed and took a moment to look out the window. "The two kids fused again."

"What?! I missed that?!" Petrea pouted. She ran her hands through her hair and frowned. "Damn it! How..."

"About as interesting as you'd expect."

Petrea merely continued to pout. "That interesting?"

"You know it," Kureha laughed. "Anyway, regardless of me untying you, I still need you to stay in bed for a few more days just to recuperate."

"Unacceptable!" the chocolatier folded her arms. "We can't stay on this island any longer than we need to!"

"Listen, girlie, you need..." Kureha started before Petrea stamped her foot into the ground so hard she cracked it.

"No! You listen to me! I refuse to be the reason that we stay here! Every day that we stay is another day the princess' people get slaughtered because of my actions! We NEED to get to Alabasta! I NEED to get to Alabasta! I owe it to that girl!"

"I already said I'm not interested in any backstory," Kureha told her, keeping her cool.

"I don't give a damn what you are interested in!" Petrea howled in anger. She picked the woman up by her collar. "I appreciate you helping me, really I do, but this is it! I refuse to be held prisoner here any longer! I was an Officer Agent in Baroque Works and I will NOT be lectured by an old woman who has no sense of morals! I have crushed the bones of people who dared to talk to me how you are doing so and I will be damned if I let you continue to treat me with such disrespect, healing me be damned!"

Kureha allowed the woman to pant for a moment, curious to see where this would play out. As expected, Petrea blinked and stared at her hands and put the woman down in shock. "I'm...I'm sorry! I'm unaccustomed to being spoken to like that and... I've really been trying to put the..."

"Not. Interested."

"But..." Petrea started to insist before the old woman put her finger to her lips.

"Look, you are lucky that I waved my fee when that idiot with the sunglasses gave me Wapol's key to his treasure or else it would have been a hell of a lot larger thanks to the crap you just pulled." She adjusted herself. "Now, you will stay in that bed if you know what's good for you! I'm going to go over some things with Dalton. Disregard the open door and the jacket by your bed. If you even think of touching them, I will make your life hell. Understand, you brat?"

Kureha shook her head. "Kids these days. No respect." With that, she left the room, leaving Petrea all to herself.

"I...wait, what?" she said, trying to take in everything she said. Then she forced herself to smile. "...stupid old witch."

Putting on the jacket and making her way outside to find her companions, Petrea reflected on her behavior from a few moments ago. 'I can't believe I did that. I thought I was past this kind of...no. I can't start the pity party again. I'll learn from this, try to control my anger, and never act that way again. I'll show everyone that I'm more than just Miss Valentine. I'll...'

She stopped her thought when she came across the giant open door. Looking up, she noticed a small bird nest that was hidden away. Smiling, she adjusted her weight and jumped up to it. "Hello, little guys. I don't think a door is the best place for you to be. Hmmm..." She scanned the room and found a secure rafter near a window. She jumped up again, bringing the nest with her. She placed it there gently and nodded. "Much better."

*AGITR*

All good things must come to an end and with Petrea healed enough to sneak out on Kureha's watch, the Straw Hat crew returned to the Going Merry with a new member of the crew in hand: Tony Tony Chopper. To send the reindeer off, Kureha had managed to use a formula designed by the late Dr. Hiriluk to turn the snow a light shade of pink: the color of cherry blossoms and (coincidentally) Steven's shield and gem. Steven learned the significance of it from Chopper, who was in tears at the beautiful sight. After hearing his story, Steven was crying just as hard too.

As when they departed Little Garden, the Straw Hats threw another party. This time, the guests of honor were both Petrea (for her return to health...despite not wanting to be thrust into the spotlight), and Chopper (for joining the crew). Zoro busted out some of his expensive liquor and passed it out to everyone. The only people not drinking it were Steven (who declined to taste it) and Genevieve (who was busy painting). A good time was had by all.

Petrea, (still insisting that the party was for Chopper and Chopper alone) brought out a tray full of chocolate treats she had whipped up in an hour much to the reindeer's delight. The only person who didn't seem to care for them was Zoro (whom Petrea learned hated chocolate). As she passed out pieces of cake, Vivi pulled her aside.

"You know, I heard what you did to the old doctor back there," she admitted. "Did you really grab her by the collar and threaten her?"

The blonde's smile instantly disappeared as she started to fumble for an explanation. "I...well...look, I'm not happy about what I did. I'm working on it."

The princess put her hand on her shoulder. "I know. I heard exactly WHY you threatened her too."

"Princess, I did a lot of terrible and unforgivable things to you and your people. I have no reason nor do I ever expect your forgiveness. But I want you to know that I will do what I have to do to atone for what I did as Miss Valentine," Petrea poured her heart out. It was clear that this was a sore topic for her, but also one she was feeling passionate about.

"Well, you have one thing right: you did do a lot of terrible things," Vivi frowned. The chocolate maker hung her head in shame. "But you were wrong about it being unforgivable. You really DO want to make it up to my people, don't you?"

The woman nodded, her eyes still glued to the floor in shame.

"I forgive you," the teenage princess smiled. "Besides, it's hard to stay mad at someone who can make such great chocolate."

Petrea started at the princess in shock. "...are you...are you serious?" she whispered. After Vivi nodded, Petrea embraced her and started to cry. "Thank you! Thank you!"

"Ack!" Vivi started to choke. "Too tight! Too tight!"

The night continued with increased celebration and joy. The pirates, princess, and guests even started to dance, though it soon became clear that it was an attempt for Steven to try to fuse with several of them. Though he was hesitant when he first realized it, he started to enjoy the night when it became less about fusion and more about having a good time.

"Steven!" Genevieve caught up with him after the boy finished dancing with a clearly drunk Usopp for the fifth time that night. "Got a minute?"

"Is it about Lufven again?" Steven sighed. "I know, I know. You want to paint him. I don't think fusion is happening tonight."

"No, it's not that," she shook her head. "I'll do that later. But I have something for you."

"For me?!" Steven asked in shock. "Is it an instrument?!"

"...no. Actually, apparently 'Straw Hat' did ask Dalton before we left if anyone had any instruments for sale, but I'm guessing that didn't pan out."

"Oh well! We will make it work!" the boy smiled. "So...what's up?"

She pointed over to the corner next to her where her canvas was resting. "Can you get that? It's too far away."

The boy blinked. "But...but you are right there!"

Her eyes darted from Steven to the canvas multiple times until Steven just grabbed it. He took a look at it and his eyes widened. "...Garnet..."

"Your snowman died in the avalanche. You seemed attached to it," Genevieve explained. "I...are you okay?"

The boy was staring intently at the image. Tears filled his eyes and he began to sob. Steven began to hug the painting and started to gently cradle it as he rocked back and forth.

"What did I do?" Genevieve started to panic. "What DO I do?!"

"Garnet! Garnet!" he kept repeating. The painter had expected an emotional response, but not to this extent. She looked at the party where everyone was having a great time in a drunken revelry. "Um...hey. Guys? A little help?"

The only person near enough to notice the action was Nami, who rushed over. "What happened?! Why is Steven crying?"

"I gave him the painting and he just lost it!" Genevieve said, surprisingly worried. "He just keeps repeating the word 'Garnet' over and over again."

"'Garnet?' Isn't that one of those Crystal Gems from his world?" Nami thought about it. Then it clicked. "Ah. I get it."

The navigator put her arm around the crying boy and patted his back. "You okay, buddy? It's not right for a pirate to be sad at a party."

Steven sniffed and tried to wipe away his tears. "This...this just...I miss them!"

"We know you do, Steven," Nami tried to console him. "We will help you get home. I promise you. Hopefully your rock will work in Alabasta."

"But what if it doesn't?" Steven asked, looking back at the Garnet made of snow that Genevieve captured for him. "What if it never works? What if I'm stuck here? What if I never see the Gems again? Or Connie or dad or Peedee or Lars or Lion or Sadie...?"

"Then we will keep trying until it works," Nami said assertively. "We aren't the kind of people to give up lightly."

"Do...?" Genevieve piped up. "I mean...this is one of the Crystal Gems, right?"

Steven nodded, his eyes never leaving his gift. The young painter, with considerable effort, walked away and grabbed her painting supplies and brought them back. She sat down and picked up her brush. "What do the others look like?"

"What?" Steven asked.

"You said there were three Gems. What was it? 'Garnet...something...and something...and Steven?'" Genevieve tried to remember exactly what the lyrics were, despite it being a few days since Steven sang the song when explaining everything to the Straw Hats. She bit her lip and gave up on it. "What do the other ones look like? I...I don't think we can get you back to them by ourselves, but I can give you something to help you think of them until you do."

The boy took in her words and Nami started to smile. The boy started to cry again but stopped himself after a moment. "Well..." Steven started to talk before blowing his nose on his sleeve. "Pearl is kind of...kind of tall with orange-blonde hair and a big nose like this!" Steven emulated the rather large pointed nose of the Gem in question. He was starting to get excited again. "Her gem is in her forehead right here!"

The painted started to draw. "Like this?" she pointed to the nose she started to draw.

"No, that's too big!"

The navigator got up and left the two younger members of the crew to their work. She spied Damian going drink for drink with Sanji and Zoro, Chopper dancing with Usopp and Luffy, and Vivi and Petrea laughing over chocolate. 'Guess I was right after all,' she thought to herself. 'They really are trying.'