Chapter 14: Promise of Strength

Sooooo many people curious about Chopper! XD Patience my young grasshoppers, answers shall be revealed soon... (I have BIG PLANS for Drum, just you wait X3 )

The one thing I didn't expect on a pirate ship was comfy beds, or hammocks in Sanji's case. Nami has her own separate room with a real bed which I can understand, but the hammocks really aren't that bad. They're bouncy and sturdy, and since they're hammocks, it helps me keep warm by leaning against Sanji since his weight forces me to lie on him. Luckily he's so used to sleeping with me that he pretty much knows unconsciously where I am so he doesn't accidentally turn over and crush me.

Tonight I'm sleeping on his chest when my ears twitch. I hear rustling, like blankets, and it's not Sanji. I open my eyes and glance around the dark room. Usopp and Luffy are dead to the world so that just leaves…

I look at Zoro's hammock and sure enough, he's tossing and turning. I can't help but gape at the sight; I thought Sanji having a nightmare was weird, this is just...other-worldly. I can barely make out a serious but pained look on Zoro's face and pick up some muttering.

Okay, curiosity has been piqued. I carefully climb off Sanji and leap from the hammock, landing quietly on the ground. I make my way over to Zoro cautiously, wary of the moving hammock. With the way Zoro is moving, I'm afraid the whole thing is gonna come crashing down.

I frown slightly and jump up onto the hammock, landing on Zoro's chest. Surprisingly, my presence doesn't wake him up, but it does stop him from turning so much. I crawl closer to his face and start tapping him, "Pika, pika pi." 'Zoro, wake up.' I whisper.

He doesn't respond, he just keeps muttering. I can hear the names Arlong, Mihawk, and...Kuina? Who's that? I tap him again and again, getting a bit louder each time. "Pika. Pika. Pika pi." 'C'mon Zoro, wake up.' No response.

'Wake up.'

No response.

'Wake up!' I finally whisper harshly, giving his chest a small pounce with both my front paws. Zoro's eyes fly open and he sits up abruptly, throwing me off him. I let out a soft squeak and manage to grab onto the edge of the hammock. I peek over with a scowl, ready to give him a piece of my mind for throwing me but my scowl softens when I see his face. Sweat is beading his forehead and he's shaking pretty badly. That must've been one intense dream.

I watch as he gets out of the hammock and climbs out of the porthole quietly, without disturbing anyone. I frown at the closed porthole and head up there myself; my curiosity still has to be sated. I climb the ladder and after many attempts, manage to open the porthole, climb out and close it quietly. Man, that thing is heavy! Being small really sucks sometimes.

I rub the sleep out of my eyes and wander out to the deck where my ears pick up grunts and the sound of swords swinging. I climb the stairs to the upper deck on the back of the ship and peek out to see Zoro. It looks like he's training; is that really a good idea with those injuries he got from Arlong?

It feels weird, feeling concerned for him. I already established that I wasn't a big fan of his rough standoffish attitude. I still have that feeling of trust around him, but it's just a speck compared to Sanji, Nami and Luffy. Even Usopp's was bigger than his (though only by a slight amount). I sigh and walk towards him. He's technically my crewmate now so it's my job to look out for him, right? "Pika pi?" 'You okay?' I ask.

Zoro glances at me, but doesn't stop swinging. "What do you want?" he asks sharply.

I frown uneasily and step a little closer to him. "Pikachu-" I suddenly leap back to avoid a narrow swing from his swords.

"I don't have time for you, damn rodent." Zoro says irritably. "So beat it."

I frown; this was going to be difficult. Talking obviously wasn't going to get him to open up to me, so what would? I watch as he puts down two of his swords and keeps the white hilted one in his grasp. My ears twitch as I hear the sound of the metal cutting the air as he gives it a swing and my eyes fall on my tail. A grin grows on my face and I make my way towards Zoro as he picks up another sword. He begins a series of swings and I watch carefully for an opening.

The minute I see one, I jump in. There's a loud clang and Zoro stares at me as I block one of his swords with my now iron tail. I smirk at him as our weapons come apart, and he swings at me again, this time with both his swords. They're easy to block; I can tell he's holding back on me. He's testing me.

Keeping my tail iron we both grin. "Alright rodent." Zoro says, putting his third sword in his mouth. "Show me what you can do."

"Pika." I respond and I leap towards him. Clanging fills the air as we spar under the moonlight. I flip and jump every which way, my tail clashing with his swords at every opportunity. I have to keep my instincts on high to keep up with his three swords; it certainly isn't easy. I guess all that dodging and flipping I had to do during fights in the Baratie really paid off.

After a while, we come to a stop, both of us breathing heavily. Zoro takes the sword out of his mouth, "Being matched by a puny rodent...I really must be losing it." he comments.

I frown. "Pika pika." 'I can understand you, you know.'

Zoro sheaths his two swords, ignoring me. "If I can't beat a rodent, how can I keep my promise?" he mutters. My ears perk up; promise?

Zoro sits on the deck and just stares out at the ocean. I slowly walk over and sit down next to him, not saying a word. "I promised her I would become the world's greatest swordsman." he says. I can't tell if he's talking to himself or to me. "I have to get stronger," He glances at his chest, at his injuries. "Or everything Kuina worked for...will be for nothing."

I stare at Zoro. So this Kuina was a friend he made a promise to? It sounds like a promise he made a long time ago, judging by his skills now. I look at his eyes and see how distant they look. I can feel sadness and regret coming off of him; man these guys can really have intense emotions.

But now his nightmare makes sense. Kuina...she's dead isn't she? Or something happened to her; whatever it is, Zoro can never see her again, and that promise he made is the only thing he has left of her. That must be why he was so anxious to fight Mihawk, even though he knew how strong that guy was compared to him.

I wonder if I made any promises like that, before I lost my memory… A few of the smaller figures in my mind flash with barely any more clarity. Geez brain, would you just remember already?!

I look up at Zoro again and still feel the regret lingering; I guess sparring with him wasn't the best idea. He's one of the strongest fighters here, yet he still wants to prove himself. How can I prove that he's strong?

I stand up and face Zoro, but he doesn't look at me. My tail lights up and I swing it right towards him as hard as I can. He holds up his hand and catches my tail, completely stopping my attack. I give him a knowing smile; I guess he won that round.

Zoro holds my tail as it turns back to normal, and holds me upside down. "If you're not gonna take this seriously, then go to bed." he says before dropping me. I land on my feet and start heading back to the stairs. I have to admit, that sparring thing was pretty fun; I could really power up if I could train like that more often.

"Hey rodent." I stop and turn back to Zoro. "Next time, I won't hold back." he says, all traces of regret gone from his being.

I grin and give a firm nod. "Pikachu." 'I look forward to it.' I can't help but beam inwardly with pride as the feeling of trust grows bigger; mission accomplished!

I make my way back to bed and glance up at Sanji. He's still sleeping, but his expression seems a bit troubled. I gently leap into the hammock and curl up next to him, making his expression calm again. Wow, he's more used to sleeping with me than I thought. I close my eyes and fall asleep quickly, Sanji's arm curling around me.

I stretch lazily as the sun beats down on the Merry the next morning. It felt so good to just relax. I close my eyes and feel the gentle sea breeze wash over me; that combined with the sun made me feel so loose and carefree. I spy Zoro leaning against the railing; he's enjoying this peaceful atmosphere as much as me.

I trot over and climb onto his stomach, making him open his eyes. He looks down at me questionably. "What are you doing?"

I simply curl up and close my eyes in response; I just want to join in on the fun. I can feel him still glaring at me but me makes no move to get rid of me. Guess our little talk last night changed his outlook on me. "Damn rat..."

I give him a smile, let out a content sigh and we both relax...until the peace is disrupted by Usopp. I glance over and see that his eyes are just about on fire. Sanji had also kicked Luffy to the ground for trying to steal one of Nami's tangerines. "Nami~!" he exclaims happily. "Did you see how I protected your trees?"

"Yes, you're doing very well." she responds. I can practically feel the smirk on her face.

Zoro glances over with me. "Cook's getting used again; poor bastard."

I let out a sigh. 'You got that right...'

I almost toppled off of Zoro when the rest of the crew let out a scream of joy/horror (I couldn't tell which). Apparently, there was now a wanted poster with Luffy's name and face, asking for 30 million berries for his capture.

To Nami, this wasn't the greatest thing, but Luffy was ecstatic. I guess if you're a pirate, a bounty on your head means you're going a step in the right direction. And 30 million berries? That was a lot of money for the capture of one guy! Then again, this was Luffy we were talking about; if someone actually managed to capture him and bring him all the way to the Marines, I think that someone would want a lot of money for their trouble.

Sanji looks pretty excited about maybe getting a bounty one day; I should have known the guy was a pirate at heart. Maybe that means I can get one too; though I have no idea how. I can hear Nami complaining about how we were going to be hunted for the rest of our lives, but it doesn't bug me. Sure, it was gonna be a pain, but knowing that I was with people like Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji made me feel a lot...safer, I guess.

I look at Zoro who is staring into space, but with a thoughtful look in his eye. He glances at me and returns his gaze to the sky. "With a bounty like this, we're gonna have to deal with a lot, Rodent." he says to me. "Top Marine soldiers and bounty hunters will be after us, and they're gonna be tough."

Ah, so he was thinking about all the future battles we may have. The way he said it put me a bit on edge though. Maybe this wouldn't be as safe as I thought it was gonna be. I frown slightly and look out to sea.

Sanji had taught me that the sea was a very unpredictable place; just what was out there waiting for us?

It doesn't take long for Zoro and I to get back to our nap. We managed to get some shut-eye for a few good hours until my ears twitched ever so slightly. I open one eye and spy a ship sailing right next to ours, or, at least what was left of a ship. The thing was practically a train wreck! I haven't seen a boat that banged up since Kreig came to the Baratie!

Some guy is yelling at Luffy, something about him being under arrest, and his voice sounds...very familiar. I lift my head a little higher and recognition sets in; it's Wine guy! That jerk from way back when whose terrible behavior forced Sanji's hand, or leg. I notice that Zoro has woken up too as Wine guy orders his men to aim the cannons.

I jump off of Zoro so he can get up and get his swords. Luffy readies his fist, "Don't worry, I got this." he says, but Zoro steps up. "Let me handle this, Luffy."

"Huh? Why?"

Usopp pulls him back. "Trust me, just stand over here."

Wine guy fires the cannon right at Zoro, but one slash of his sword cuts the cannonball clean in half. I watch in awe as the two halves of the cannonball fly into the ocean; the perks of having the greatest swordsman on your crew!

"Well, there's more where that came from! Fire!" Wine guy yells. The cannon takes aim again, but the thing is so old and cracked that it just explodes right there on the spot. I snicker at the sight of Wine guy and his crew (if you can even call them that) covered in smoke and gunpowder.

Wine guy's boat then hits ours, making a clear path for them to jump on and board our ship. "Follow me men! Attack!" Wine guy yells and he and his crew jump onto the Merry. Wine guy goes straight for Luffy, raising his iron knuckles. "Your head is mine!" His fist strikes Luffy's cheek, but his neck stretches quite a ways back. Now that guy was asking for it.

"Gum Gum…" Luffy's head starts to whip back towards Wine guy. "...Bell!" I wince as his head conks Wine guy's with an audible dong. Wine guy falls back against the railing, a red mark on his forehead.

While Luffy takes care of the rest of the Marines, I spy Sanji coming up towards us, a frying pan in his hand. I trot over to him and he looks down at me. "What's all the commotion?" I simply point to Wine guy and his gaze darkens; he definitely recognizes the bastard.

Wine guy lets out a scream of terror as Sanji's glare bares into him. "You've got a lot of balls to pick a fight during lunch; I oughta kill you for that." Sanji growls. "Unless you have a reservation, I'll have to ask you to leave." He looks down at me. "Pika-chan, show our guest out."

I grin toothily next to him, sparks flying from my cheeks; I've been wanting to have a shot at this guy for the longest time. I leap back a few feet and take aim. Words cannot describe the excitement I'm feeling right now.

Wine guy stares at me, waving his hands in front of him, "N-No, wait!" Too late for mercy. In the blink of an eye, I zoom towards him at top speed. White energy surrounds me for an instant and my head makes contact with Wine guy's stomach. Wine guy gasps before he crashes right through the railing and through the hull of his own ship.

I smile proudly and let out a laugh as Wine guy and his pathetic Marines all abandon ship and start swimming anywhere but where we are. That was certainly fun; I needed to let loose! "That guy's still nothing but a wimp." Sanji mutters.

"Pika." I agree.

Sanji then turns to Nami. "Nami~! I finished preparing you a delicious meal~!"

Luffy grins widely with a bit of drool on his lip. "Alright! Let's eat!" he yells.

I light up; lunch definitely sounds good right about now.

Once lunch is done, Nami calls us all together and lays a map out on the deck. "We're getting close to the Grand Line, and the only way to get to it is through Reverse Mountain." she points to a spot on the map.

Oh yeah, Reverse Mountain. I remember Sanji told me about it once; he said that Zeff told him that it's the only way into the Grand Line. Sanji voices my thoughts (I swear, we think the exact same things so often, it's almost scary) but Usopp questions why.

"Because it's dangerous." Sanji answers simply.

Usopp's still not satisfied. "Yeah, but how come?"

"That's all I know!" Sanji bites back. Nami's about to explain why when Luffy buts in and says we should just sail right into the Grand Line. Nami doesn't even bother reprimanding him, it's not worth the headache.

However, Luffy does suggest stopping at an island so we can get supplies aka meat. Not a bad idea since we were heading to the most dangerous parts of the sea. Nami points to another location on the map. "There's a famous city on this island called Loguetown." she says.

"Why's it famous?" Luffy asks. Nami's gaze hardens.

"It's the town where the old Pirate King Gold Rogers was both born and killed." she answered.

I tense up ever so slightly. So this was the home and grave of the guy who Luffy wanted to inherit the title King of the Pirates from. No wonder the place was famous. One look at Luffy's face and I can already tell that our next destination was planned out.

We're off to Loguetown.

Just the image of Zoro napping with a Pikachu makes me melt X3 And yes, Pika-chan will be having moments like this hopefully with all the Straw Hats.

Yaaaaaaaaay character development!