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Strawhat Chronicles: The Untold Voyages, Ch. 13

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LOG ENTRY #035





Ahoy, faithful readers one and all! This is your beloved Captain Usopp speaking! Or, well, writing to be more precise. It sure has been way too long since I last sat down to address all of my adoring fans, and for that I apologize. I kept you all waiting but here I am now, so consider this my triumphant return! I will be sure to recount all of my glorious adventures that have made me infamous! In fact, just the other day while taking a break between vanquishing my enemies and adding to my army of eight million men, I read in the newspaper that there's going to be a gigantic bronze statue erected in my honor! Can you believe it? Well, of course you can. I mean, I AM the legendary sniper and warrior of the sea, after all!

Anyway, Nami is usually in charge of writing down all of our epic adventures, but she said lately she hasn't had any time. You should see this place; the desk was so covered with her map-making papers that there was just no room for me to sit there. Not to mention the big ink stain on the chair. Guess who's going to be stuck cleaning that thing? If you guessed me, you'd be right! Sheesh...what am I to these people, anyway? Ship's bitch?

So maybe I should mention that a few days ago, we got a new crew member. His name is Toshi, and in order to get him to join, we had to go up against his tyrant grandfather (whom I was instrumental in defeating, by the way! The others would probably deny this but it's the truth!) and a whole mess of subordinates. I wonder what things have been like on Soba since then? That man Orzo had said he'd call the marines to come and get Fettuccine and Penne, the man who'd murdered Toshi's favorite uncle. They've probably come and gone by now. I just hope everyone is adjusting well to the change. I can't imagine having to live my entire life under some jerk's thumb. After such a long time, I bet a lot of those Rigatoni don't have any idea how to go about living their lives. They must feel pretty lost.

I know Toshi misses his dad a lot, and he's still sad about his uncle, but he seems pretty happy in general. Maybe a little TOO happy. Yesterday when I was helping him build his new bar in the kitchen, he thanked me and punched my arm so hard it went numb! Well...I mean, it's not as if it hurt, I'm the Great Usopp! But still, how the hell is that any way to thank a person?! His manners are better than Luffy's at least, but that's not saying a lot.

Ah, crap, I just heard a noise from the deck that can only be the sound of Luffy putting another hole in our precious Going Merry!! My apologies, friends, but the Epic Adventures of the Amazing Captain Usopp will have to wait for another time!





CHAPTER #13: The Pirate Life




“AHHH LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THIS FISH USOPP! SHISHISHISHI.” The Captain grinned proudly as the sniper appeared from the depths of Merry upon hearing the loud noise the fish hitting the deck had created.

Luffy gestured down to a huge blue fish with rather sharp fins as it flopped around, still on the end of his hook. The grin on the rubber man's face widened as he yelled for everyone else to come get a look at his prize. “OI, EVERYONE, COME SEE THIS! Sanji!!! Cook this for me!”

The lecture immediately died on Usopp's lips when the brilliantly-colored fish caught his eye. "WHOA!! Luffy, that's amazing! We should definitely eat him for dinner!" He rushed over to join the small crowd now gathered around the catch of the day, unable to help examining the sea creature further, barely giving the broken railing a second glance.

Nami, however, was not amused.

“LUFFY!!!” The navigator’s teeth turned to daggers for a split second. “Do you think I have a spare ship tucked in my back pocket?! Be more careful, will you?!” She shook her head slightly as she walked forward to get a better look at the fish herself.

“Nami, your pants don’t even have pockets…” Toshi came up behind her holding a bottle of whiskey which he immediately threw back, chugging the entire thing down in seconds.

“Yes, they do, look!” She pointed to the faux pockets that adorned her capris.

Toshi looked unimpressed as he reached out and tried to put his hand in her pocket. “Not even an inch, where are you supposed to put your flasks?”

Nami gave him a withering glare. “Not everyone carries around 50 flasks.”

Toshi pulled one of the said flasks from out of his jacket, “It’s only 24, and their loss.” He smirked and then guzzled it down.

There was a sudden loud gasp and then the cook immediately appeared, placing himself in between Nami and Toshi. "YOU SHITTY BARTENDER! How dare you grope Nami-swan!! I ought to kick your ass!" He growled, not having missed the exchange between the two.

Toshi appeared perplexed as he pulled out another flask. “What the hell are you talking about, Sanji?”

Nami rolled her eyes, in no mood for the blond man’s ridiculous rants. “Sanji-kun, shush. Toshi wasn’ t groping me. Maybe if you had your hair styled to where you could use both your eyes, you could see that.” She chuckled as she turned and walked away from him.

Toshi nodded his head in agreement. “That’s what I’VE been telling him. It’s like it’s GLUED in position or something. Even when he sleeps…” The bartender turned a critical eye on the chef. “What is it, magic or something?” Toshi reached up towards Sanji’s hair only to have his hand batted away instantly.

"Keep your hands to yourself," the cook grunted, still sour over the apparent mistreatment of Nami, though he wasn't going to argue with the woman about it. He turned back toward the small crowd around the fish. "Well, let's get this thing into the kitchen. I'll cook it up in time for dinner."

Luffy was practically salivating already as he and Usopp bent to pick up the fish, following Sanji up to the kitchen with it.

Toshi scratched his head as he put the now empty flask away and went to help Usopp and Luffy with their heavy burden. Sanji’s behavior often perplexed him. It wasn’t as if they'd known each other long, being that he’d just recently joined the crew, but it often seemed like the man was two different people at times, depending on whom Sanji was talking to. Toshi could say a few things for certain about the chef; he loved to smoke, he loved to cook, he loved to kick Luffy in the head, he adored Nami and Robin, and he seemed to hate Zoro.

Toshi almost tripped over said swordsman on the way to the kitchen as the green haired man was sleeping almost directly in their path.

“ZORO!” Luffy yelled, hoping to wake the man up to see their prize. “GET UP! LOOK AT THIS!”

Zoro grunted and cracked one eye open, his arms still tightly folded against his chest, swords resting neatly in his lap. “Nice work, Luffy...” Then he immediately fell back to sleep.

Toshi didn’t have a problem with Zoro at all, but he'd noticed how irritated Sanji got by basically anything Zoro did. It kind of amused him.

The three men plopped the fish onto the counter in the kitchen per Sanji's direction. It was so large that it took up more counter space than the Merry actually had.

Sanji’s demeanor changed as he rubbed his hands together, running his eyes over the fish and imagining all the ways he could cook it. "This will be exciting! I can cook half up for dinner tonight, and the rest can be saved for tomorrow afternoon's snack!"

Usopp reached over and whapped Luffy on the back of the head. "That's my arm you're drooling all over!"

Sanji made a shooing motion. "Alright, that's all the help I need. Now get out of my kitchen, I'll call you back when it's done!" Usopp and Luffy reluctantly trudged outside, Luffy whining that he was the one who caught the fish to begin with and should therefore be allowed to stay. Sanji gave a pointed look to the remaining pirate in the room before realizing that this was actually Toshi's base of operations now. "Ah...right. I'm not used to sharing this space."

Toshi grinned at Sanji. “I noticed. Hey, if you need help, I’m your man.” Toshi leaned against the bar Usopp had put together for him earlier that week, located on the other side of the Going Merry’s kitchen area.  The table that all the Strawhats ate at separated the cooking space and the bar space.

The wood on the counter still needed a little sanding and it was a far cry from what he was used to in regards to size and space, but all and all it was a good bar. Toshi had enough room for a keg, a wine rack, two shelves of hard liquor and all the other bartending essentials in his new space. He was still trying to figure out how to keep the glasses from clinking together so much when the ship rocked, though.

“I’m serious,” Toshi said, rolling up his sleeves a bit further as he walked forward. “I’ve been working in this kind of setting my whole life, you know. I’m thinking you should maybe try cooking that fish in some wine…mmm that’d be amazing…”

Sanji's visible eye rolled upward in thought. "Now that you mention it, I've been trying to coax Nami-san into buying a quality cooking wine, but...well, the bottles I'd like to work with are all too expensive." He met Toshi's eyes, his lips curling a bit. "I don't suppose you'd be in possession of something so sought-after?"

A huge grin spread across Toshi’s face. “Who do you think you’re talking to here? You saw what I brought on board with me, right? I think Merry actually sank a few inches further down into the water from all of it! Come on, I’ll let you have your pick of what I got stashed in the hold.”

oOo

The clinking of silverware against ceramic plates filled the air around the dining area that evening as the crew happily filled their stomachs with their seafood dinner, laughing amongst one another and enjoying the peaceful day to its fullest. After all, such days were rare when you were labeled as wanted criminals.

Usopp sighed as he leaned back in his chair, unable to eat another bite. "That was amazing, Sanji!" He laughed as he patted his stomach, not even protesting when Luffy swiped the remaining portion from his plate.

Sanji chuckled over his own empty plate. "Well, I can't take all the credit. It was largely thanks to our resident alcoholic, really," he said as he gave Toshi a wink.

Toshi grinned, giving him a thumbs up. “Hell, I just lent him a bottle of my Pinot Grigio, it really adds something to the fish I think. Of course, I like to eat most everything drenched in alcohol.” He washed down his last  bite of fish with a large gulp from a pitcher of margaritas he had sitting next to his plate.

Zoro smirked at that. "We might have picked up on that."

Toshi continued, “What do you guys want for your after dinner drinks? No shots this time, Luffy, you wasted WAY too much of my good booze last time.” The bartender wagged a finger at the Captain teasingly. “…Hmm, how about some daiquiris? Mudslides and pina coladas were always a favorite on hot days back on Soba. Not that it’s particularly hot right now, but who cares?!”

Nami looked up after wiping her mouth with a napkin. “That sounds pretty good! Don’t know how much these lightweights can handle, though.”

“Hah. Tell me about it.” Toshi nudged the woman with his elbow. “I noticed you ain’t too bad though, Nami.”

Robin chuckled from nearby. “I’ll just have tea, thanks.”

“Long island iced tea, got it.” Toshi mentally noted as he pushed away from the table and started picking up everyone’s empty plates, silverware and cups and bringing them to the sink before turning on the hot water. It was merely the force of habit, as Toshi was more than used to bussing tables and the cleaning bars. He was kind of a neat freak about it and he returned to the table quickly with a large damp cloth, wiping the surface until it sparkled as if nothing had ever been on it.

Nami gave an appreciative nod, not used to having someone on the ship who actually cleaned up after themselves. The majority of the boys, even Chopper, tended to be complete slobs. Even Sanji was pleasantly surprised by Toshi's initiative, as the clean-up pretty much always fell to him after every meal.

Robin held up her hand. “I actually meant hot tea, bartender-san…no alcohol.”

“Whaaaaaat?” Toshi was aghast; as if it were unthinkable to drink a beverage that didn’t contain alcohol. “Well, I’ll leave that to Sanji, then. Look forward to your drinks while I do the dishes!. You guys just relax a bit.” Toshi rolled up his sleeves and returned to the now full sink.

Sanji shrugged, having nothing to do all of a sudden and he leaned back in his chair, pulling out a half-full pack of cigarettes. He had to admit, it was nice to have someone else take care of the dirty dishes for once.

"Toshi, I'm starting to understand why your dad wanted you to take over the Jade Bangle," Usopp commented with a grin. "You really know your stuff! Although I have to say, I'm glad you--OW!!" Suddenly the sniper was gripping his nose, glaring at the laughing Captain who had just hit him in the face with a leftover fishbone. "LUFFY!!"

Luffy put the fishbone back in his mouth, stretching his cheeks out and then smiled at Usopp “HEY LOOK AT ME!!! SHISHISHISHI!” His laughter was garbled around the fishbone.

Nami slapped her forehead as Chopper and Usopp decided to stuff bones in their mouths too and jump up on top of the table with their Captain, doing ridiculous poses.

Toshi looked over his shoulder with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yeah…I did have a lot of fun in that place. I just couldn’t stay there forever, you know? Being the bartender for the pirate king though, that’s going to look great on my resume.”

“Hey!” Luffy spoke around the bone in his mouth. “I didn’t forget my promise, Toshi. We’ll find your sister for sure!”

Toshi nodded as he turned back to the sink, thinking just how lucky he was to have run into such good-hearted pirates. They really cared about him. That was something so rare in Toshi’s life that he almost couldn’t believe it was true.

Luffy began humming loudly and rather off key as he started to dance with Chopper. “WE NEED A MUSICAN NEXT, YOU GUYS!” He announced, twirling around on the table with Chopper and holding the reindeer’s hooves as he swung him through the air.

“WHEEEEEEE! FASTER, LUFFY!”

Zoro looked unimpressed, and then impatient; he was really looking forward to some booze. He usually liked to drink sake straight from the bottle, but he’d already tasted several of Toshi’s mixed drinks and found he really enjoyed them, even though a good many of them were what you might call ‘fruity.’ Toshi himself preferred straight liquor too, it seemed, or margaritas. Zoro swore to himself that he’d seen the bartender brushing his teeth using a bottle of Jack Daniels the other day.

Finished with his after-dinner smoke, Sanji pushed himself out of his chair and made his way toward the kitchen sink where Toshi was working on the dishes. He grabbed a clean towel from one of the drawers and began to work on drying and putting away each dish. After all, the sooner the job was completed, the sooner everyone could sit down again and enjoy a round of drinks.

After several more minutes, to the tune of their crewmates' cheerful banter in the background, the chore was finished and the last dish put away.

Toshi looked over at Sanji and smiled. “Thanks. “ He pulled out a flask and took a sip from it after he finished washing off the last dish and wiped his hands dry on his shorts.

"Don' t mention it," the chef replied as he tossed the damp towel over the faucet to dry.

“Does that mean you forgive me for when you were all pissed over me pretty much just talking to Nami earlier?” Toshi snorted, wondering if Sanji would go from calm and collected to ready to conquer the world with fire in his eyes at the mere mention of Nami. He was weird like that.

"Talking?!" Sanji looked incredulous at that. "Is that what you call groping someone in Soba? You had your hands all over Nami-san!"

And there it was.

“Are you stupid? She insisted her pants have pockets, those are obviously fake pockets! You didn’t see Nami complaining, did you?” Toshi looked over his shoulder, calling out to the navigator, “OI, NAMI! DID I GROPE YOU EARLIER?”

“WHAT?” Nami shook her head. “Sanji-kun’s just being ridiculous! Ignore him, we’re ready for all those great drinks now.” She smiled pointedly at Toshi, which only seemed to piss Sanji off more.

“Coming right up, miss!” Toshi made his way across the kitchen over to his bar, shooting a smug smile at Sanji on the way. He wiped the bar down quickly and began juggling cups and bottles of alcohol as he quickly prepared daiquiris and poured them out expertly, adding crazy straws, pineapple rings and cherries to the pina coladas, and shaved some chocolate over the mudslides.

“Here you go Nami, Zoro, Usopp, Chopper, Captain…and I guess maybe there’s a little bit leftover for the cook.” Toshi grinned over at Sanji. “Don’t forget Robin’s tea!”

Sanji grumbled under his breath that he didn't need reminding and especially not from a pervert bartender as he filled the kettle with fresh water and set it on top of the stove. At the table, the crew eagerly snatched up their drinks and sipped from them through the wildly colorful straws.

"This is great!" Usopp exclaimed and everyone else agreed. "Come sit down, Toshi, you don't need to work so hard!"

"Yeah!!" Chopper concurred, looking as cute as can be while he happily slurped up his virgin daiquiri. "It's time to party!"

“Hahaha, don’t you guys worry about that any. I feel bad for sleeping in today, so, you know. I’m used to staying up late after running the Jade Bangle with my Pops for so long.” Toshi grinned as he mixed up two additional pitchers of daiquiris, one of each flavor and added extra rum to both.

He continued between alternating sips from each pitcher, wiping his mouth on his sleeve after the last one. “Yeah we usually stayed open ‘til about 2am and then it took us a whole other hour to clean the place up. Sometimes we closed at midnight, on Sunday and Monday usually. Don’t you guys get too rowdy now…I’ll have you know I’m an expert at breaking up bar fights.”  Toshi leaned over the top of the bar after wiping it down again and gave Zoro a pointed look. “You look like a first class troublemaker to me…” Toshi grinned and brought out a full bottle of sake and set it before the swordsman “And that’s why I’m gonna give you this!”

Zoro smirked as he accepted.”Cheers.” He said, clinking the bottle against Toshi’s half full pitcher as the two of them threw back their drinks.

“Heyyyy no fair!” Luffy pouted as he banged his now empty glass against the bar. “Are you giving Zoro special treatment?! I’m a HUUUUUUGE TROUBLE MAKER YOU KNOW, SHISHISHISHI!”

"Oh? It's a good thing you reminded us." Sanji's voice came from behind the captain as he approached the table with Robin's hot tea. He set the cup down beside Robin and smiled sweetly at her. "Here you are, Robin-chwan! Please let me know if there's anything else you need from me."

Robin nodded her appreciation. "Thank you, cook-san."

Toshi’s eyes widened momentarily as he grabbed the bottle of sake back from Zoro while the other man was still drinking it. “IDIOT! Did I say you could drink the whole thing?! You better not waste any that you spilled from being so careless, either.” Toshi clucked his tongue.

Zoro frowned. “What the hell?! You just gave me that bottle!”

“Don’t be stupid You can’t drink that whole bottle. You’re too much of a lightweight!”

The swordsman growled. “Wanna bet?! I’ll drink your ass under the table!”

Toshi smiled sinisterly as he began pulling out bottle after bottle of hard liquor and plunking it on top of his bar. “You’re on, Marimo.”

Sanji quirked his visible eyebrow and exchanged glances with Nami; both of them having noticed the abrupt change in Toshi's behavior toward Zoro. Finally Nami simply shrugged, letting the matter drop. Sanji followed suit, figuring something must have happened while he wasn't looking. Perhaps people from Soba really did have strange customs.

Meanwhile the drinking contest was well under way; Zoro and Toshi gulped down alcoholic beverages one after another  with great enthusiasm as the rest of the crew looked on. Chopper, Usopp and Luffy were cheering and pounding their fists against the table, alternating which crewmate they cheered for and laughing each time one of the participants let out a loud belch.

You’re looking a little green there, Marimo,” Toshi noted as he casually sipped out the side of his mouth from a large glass pitcher. He’d honestly lost count of how much he’d drank since the start of the competition but that was nothing new. Toshi had probably already drank half his weight in alcohol prior to dinner. No big deal.  

Zoro slumped over the bar, his hand shaking as he reached for another bottle. “Very…funny…” He hiccupped loudly. “GIMME ANOTHER.”

“Ohohoho, I’m sorry sir, I’m afraid I’m going to have to cut you off for the night. You don’t look like you can handle any more.”

Nami was impressed. She’d never seen anyone drink quite so much in one sitting before without appearing to be the slightest bit tipsy. Toshi’s behavior hadn’t changed one bit and Nami realized that the bartender wasn’t even drunk, despite the large amount of alcohol he’d consumed in his contest with Zoro. Not only that but she remembered seeing him casually drinking throughout the entire day.

Zoro reached over again for the bottle, which Toshi kept moving just an inch out of his grasp with glee. The swordsman began to see double as he grappled for two bottles at once and kept missing.

“Wha's goin’ on here? I’m tryin’ ta drink these two more…” He hiccupped again as his eyes slid shut and the green head hit the bar with a loud thud.

Toshi finished off the bottle of booze that Zoro had been unable to even pick up and held both of his hands up in the air, whooping in triumph. “Let that be a lesson to all you lightweights.“ He grinned and thumbed his chest. “Not even the great Captain Usopp-sama would stand a chance against Koshi Toshi! I’m the world’s greatest alcoholic!”

“WHOO HOO!!!” Luffy jumped up from his barstool and ran around the other side, slinging his arm around Toshi, with Usopp coming around on the other side and Chopper jumping on top of the bartender’s head. They all began doing a line dance with Luffy singing one of his songs about islands in the south being full of idiots while Nami and Robin clapped along.

“Looks like that shitty Marimo really is down for the count…” Sanji nudged the swordsman’s shoulder rather roughly to no response. “That’s fine with me, he can just sleep here! Good one, Toshi.” Sanji lit up another cigarette as he exited the kitchen to get some fresh air.

“Hey!” Nami tried to get the other boys’ attention. “One of you needs to go on watch now, you know. Usopp?”

The dancing immediately stopped. “Of course you’d choose the great Captain Usopp-sama for the job! Hey why don’t you guys come with me? I heard there’s supposed to be some shooting stars tonight!!!”

“YEAH!” Luffy and Chopper immediately agreed but Toshi shrank back a big, pulling out one of his customary rags to start wiping down the bar again.

“You guys go on ahead, I still need to clean up here.”

Luffy paused for a second, about to whine that Toshi should definitely come with them but Nami, sensing there a deeper reason that Toshi didn’t immediately agree to go along, shooed the three other boys out the door. “Hurry up or you’ll miss the meteor shower!”

“EH? Don’t you wanna come too, Nami?”

“I’ll come with you, Captain-san.” Robin smiled, sprouting an arm around Luffy’s shoulders.

“OKAY!!!”

The door slammed shut moments later. There was finally peace and quiet in the kitchen and bar area. Nami drummed her fingers lightly across the top of the bar while Toshi cleaned up and Zoro, dead to the world, emitted small snores every now and then.

Toshi finished his task and collapsed at the table across from Nami, laying his head on the wood surface with his arms forming a little barrier around him.

“Are you alright?” Nami reached out her hand then pulled it back as Toshi lifted his head a bit so Nami could see his eyes.

“Yeah…just a little exhausted, I guess you could say.”

Nami nodded, inclining her head as she sipped on the last drink Toshi had made her.  She remembered him calling it a ‘mai tai.’ It was really fruity and delicious with quite a bit of orange juice in it.

Toshi emitted a long sigh and glanced at the door that the others had exited through.

“They’re a lot to take in all at once, I know.” The navigator smiled.

Toshi looked over, a bit stunned that Nami seemed able to read his mood. He sat up, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. This was the first time he’d been alone, well technically anyway, with Nami, let alone a girl of any sort. Toshi had to admit that Nami still made him a little nervous, but she looked at him in a kind way that made him feel it was okay to speak freely in front of her.

“Yeah…I’m…really not used to this sort of life. I’ve been around people plenty, sure, but those people drink and then go home. They’re customers…not friends. I mean…you guys are the first real friends I’ve made since I was just a kid.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah…I had some childhood friends once upon a time. Jerrad and Igny. We had some good times, catching frogs, fishing, playing on the docks…”

“But I take it you’re not friends anymore?”

“Not even close. I don’t even know where they are anymore.”

“Did something happen? You don’t think this had to do with your grandpa, do you?” Nami’s brow wrinkled, thinking that the old man had done enough to Toshi as a kid, what with keeping him under near 24/7 surveillance...but to take away his only friends as well?

“Well, when we all turned 13, something just seemed to change between us…I can’t really explain what it was, but all of a sudden they didn’t want to hang out with me anymore. Then my Pops pulled me out of school and taught me at home from then on. I never really saw them again.”

Nami nodded. “I’m sorry to hear that, it does sound strange…you really don’t know why your father did that?”

Toshi paused, biting his lip for a second and averting his eyes. "No...I…”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to talk about it if it makes you upset.” She’d seen the strain that all the lies had put on the relationship between father and son, and she didn’t want to push the subject anymore than it already had been due to recent events. Nami finished off her mai tai with a small slurp. “Thanks for this drink by the way, it was delicious as always.”

“Of course.” Toshi reached for the glass and went to go wash it quickly, still having some nervous energy despite being so drained. He went back behind the bar and mixed himself a large pitcher of margaritas. He’d finished the entire thing before he realized he probably should’ve offered Nami some as well. “Oh, hey…did you want some? Sorry…hahaha…just kind of used to drinking whatever I want whenever I want.”

Nami smiled in amusement. “I noticed. No, no, I’m good. You know, Usopp had a point earlier when he said you don’t have to work so hard, Toshi. You’re here because we want you here, and because YOU want to be here. It’s just that easy.”

"Really? ...Huh."

Toshi had a hard time believing everything that had happened recently. He still had to pinch himself when he woke up on the Merry every morning and wasn’t back in Soba in the tavern. It all still seemed like some wild outlandish dream come true. He wanted to make sure the Strawhats didn’t regret taking him on as a crew member. He wanted their acceptance and friendship so badly...

“You don’t think Sanji’s still mad at me, do you?”

Nami laughed. “Is that still bothering you? He’d be mad at a fly if it dared to land on my shoulder for a quick rest. Sanji-kun’s odd about women. I don’t think he ever really had a woman in his life at all, so he sees them as some sort of angelic creatures or something, I don’t even know. He gets irritating at times for certain, but I can’t complain about all the delicious treats he makes.”

Toshi nodded slowly. “Well, I never had any women in my life either, but you and Robin seem normal enough. I mean, I honestly don’t think I know what’s normal most times.” Toshi laughed awkwardly.

Nami smirked. “If you’re really looking for normal, you’ve come to the wrong place!”

“No kidding!” Toshi glanced over his shoulder as he heard his captain’s excited yells upon spotting a number of shooting stars, as promised by Usopp.

Nami rolled her eyes good-naturedly and Toshi laughed, picking himself up and going back behind the bar. “You know, I don’t think Sanji got a drink after dinner. I think I’ll bring him one.” The bartender quickly and skillfully made up a drink for the chef. Thinking that Sanji would probably prefer something less fruity, he whipped up a martini with extra olives.

“Thanks, Nami.” Toshi smiled, and this time it did reach his eyes.

“Anytime.” The navigator stretched her hands out over and behind her head. “I think I’m going to get some rest. See you tomorrow, Toshi!”

“You got it.”

The bartender found the chef exactly where he expected; on the lower deck, smoking and trying to pretend he wasn’t all that interested in the shooting stars, though Toshi could tell otherwise from the way his head whipped up at each of Luffy's and Usopp’s shouts when they’d spotted a new one.

Toshi cleared his throat. "Hey…you looked thirsty.”

Sanji had heard him approaching, though he only looked up when he was spoken to. He exhaled a chuckle, a puff of wispy cigarette smoke escaping his lips as he did so. "Well, you would know, wouldn't you?"

“Yeah…I kind of skipped over you at drinks tonight. That was my bad.” Toshi handed him the martini. “Seemed like something you might like. But if you don’t, I can make you something else.”

Sanji accepted the drink, nodding his appreciation. "If your others are anything to go by, I'm not worried." He glanced back up toward the sky once more as another whoop from Luffy signaled the appearance of yet another shooting star, turning the glance in his hands before raising it to his lips and taking a generous sip.

There was a long moment of silence as Sanji continued to take intermittent sips of the martini, both of them idly watching the show above them. He wasn't quite sure what to talk about, so he just went with the first thing that came to mind, recalling the loss that Toshi had suffered almost immediately before joining the crew. "So...how are you holding up? After, well...you know..."

It took Toshi a second to figure out what Sanji was referring to...until the heavy weight hit him like a punch to the gut. Of course, it could only be one thing. He was pretty good at hiding it or pushing it to the back of his mind most of the time, but the death of his uncle, even if the man had turned out to be working for his grandfather the whole time, had been so, so difficult.

Toshi had never thought that he would have to say goodbye to him. Now, he’d lost both his uncles. One to death and another to the law. Finding out how Penne had really felt, and how he had chosen duty over friendship had been a sharp barb to Toshi as well. These were the men that he’d seen almost every day of his life, the ones who had taught him half of what he knew. In the end, they both showed their true colors and Toshi wished with everything in him that things had ended differently. No one had to die…if only…

But there could be no looking back. Toshi was only looking forward now. He would keep the promise of finding his sister and helping Luffy become the pirate king.

“I’m…okay,” he finally answered, pulling out a flask and downing it. His thirst for alcohol was still not sated. Sometimes the other Strawhats wondered if he drank in his sleep, too. Toshi’s face lit up as several shooting stars fell down at once, reminding him a little of the yearly fireworks show that was held every summer during the Port of Soba’s Noodle Festival.

“I don’t think the pain will ever fully go away, but…you know, I don’t think I want it to. As long as I can still feel, I know that my uncle is never really gone, you know?”

Sanji nodded before draining the last of the martini from the glass and then popping one of the olives into his mouth. "Sounds like a good outlook to have," he said thoughtfully. He tipped the empty glass in the bartender's direction. "You were right. Hit the spot!"

Toshi took the glass back from him with a grin. “Of course. I do know a thing or two about alcohol, you know.” Sanji smirked back and Toshi’s grin widened. “I also wouldn’t mind sharing some more of my cooking alcohols with you, since I do like my food the way I like my alcohol….full of alcohol! Oh and curry, for some reason I really love curry.”

"Then I look forward to working with you, shitty bartender," Sanji said in obvious jest. "Just as long as you keep your filthy hands off of Nami-san." He gave the other man a wink at that.

Toshi laughed, slugging Sanji in the arm as hard as he could. “Well, I can’t make any promises! I’ll just wash them next time, how about that?” Toshi laughed again as he dodged a playful kick to his head from the cook.

Luffy spotted the two of them from his vantage point on the upper deck near Merry's head and waved his arms over his head. “HEY!!! THE VIEW’S WAY BETTER FROM UP HERE! COME ON YOU GUYS!”

Toshi ran on ahead, Sanji not far behind. “COMING CAPTAIN!”
SUMMARY: How is Toshi adapting to daily life as a Strawhat pirate? That's what this chapter is all about!

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After a slightly longer than anticipated hiatus, WE ARE BACK IN BLACK EVERYONE! After this transitional chapter we are super excited to begin the highly anticipated Arc 2 of Strawhat Chronicles: The Untold Voyages. RUMBLE CAY!!! :iconimhappyplz:
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KingdomHearts530's avatar
Woooo! You guys updated and I'm finally caught up! This was really awesome and I can't wait to meet Mara