[voice, mostly] and always action to Straw Hats

[yourotherleft]

Out of curiosity, has anybody figured out a...I don't know, an antidote or something to protect people from losing their damn minds every other month? By now I've seen enough bizarre behavior, it'd be nice to find some kind of immunity to that.

...not that we can predict when it happens.

Which reminds me. Ace, you ever send Luffy something like that again and I'll come over there next. You don't want me to come over there.

[some time later, he adds, scrawled on the bottom of the page as if he forgot that he can't write notes to himself on this journal...]

Needs more treasure. I need those weights.

Comments

[Voice]

[yourotherleft]

Good.

'Course, we gotta get out of this place and back into the real New World, first. [details...]

[Voice]

[fierybluebird]

I'd rather stay here if it's all the same.

[Thatch, Ace, people from other worlds. YEAH HE IS GOOD HERE.]

[Voice]

[yourotherleft]

Really? Not me. We have shit to do and it won't get done here.

[Voice]

[fierybluebird]

So long as I have brothers here, I don't want to leave them.

[Voice]

[yourotherleft]

[knowing what he knows...]

I can understand that. Sort of.

[Voice]

[fierybluebird]

Aye. You're young yet. Give it a few decades and you probably won't be in much of a hurry either, eh?

Besides, it's not like One Piece was ever my goal.

[Voice]

[yourotherleft]

I can't say, I don't know what the future will hold.

But...really? You're not going after it?

[Voice]

[fierybluebird]

[Laughs softly.] Never was.

Pops and Roger were more friends than enemies. The only reason we stayed in the New World was to protect the islands.

Once... some years ago, I thought Ace might go for it, and I would have backed him every step of the way. [A soft wry grin to himself.] But he already made his decision about that. And even my Pops saw something special in your captain.

Pops and Ace had roughly the same dream. [Family, to be loved.] My dream is just to protect that.

[Voice]

[yourotherleft]

Mm.

[he understands, now. Not everyone dreams of the One Piece, not even himself - but his dream is tied to Luffy's, now, so it's part of his own.]

Then you gotta do what you gotta do, to keep their dreams and yours.

[Voice]

[fierybluebird]

Aye. And I'll trust you to do likewise, eh?

[Voice]

[yourotherleft]

Damn right. If Luffy's going to reach his, I have to reach mine at the same time.

[Voice]

[fierybluebird]

We'll see you at the top then.