Angel's True Face (One Piece)

The Old Man's Dream!

After eating and cleaning, the crew had moved to the cliff where the ship was. They decided to complete the work, or more like the guys would. Zoro was chopping wood with axes, to create the lumber for the ship. The goats were also helping as they passed the planks Zoro had chopped up to Chopper. "Hey, Hey, is this the fastest you can work?" While the old guy was sitting down on deck with Nami, Iris and Robin beside him watching. "I don't care if it's hot! Put some more back into it!" Chopper placed the planks beside Usopp that was hammering.
"Old man, just chill out! We'll do everything for you." It seemed that Chopper was losing his patience with then man.
"Why don't you take a seat?" Iris had put a chair for him behind.
"Take a load off." Where Nami had shoved him onto.
"Shall I massage your shoulders?" Robin asked him kindly before her arms sprouted out from behind, scaring him before they started massaging him.
"W-what's this?" He asked eyeing the hands.
"By the way, why'd you build this ship on top of the mountain, old man?" The question has finally been asked.
"Ahh, it's not a ship." He seemed to have gotten relaxed.
"It's not a ship?" Luffy had looked around the thing that clearly was a ship.
"Gimme a break! If this isn't a ship, what is it!?" Usopp had started yelling.
"It's my...coffin!" He had answered smiling.
"Coffin!?" They all ended up imagining it, that was one large coffin.
"Yeah, it's my grave." He was still smiling as he said it.
"I see, so it's the old goat guy's grave." Luffy had started paying respect to the old man, even though he wasn't dead yet.
"Don't pray for him now! That's bad luck!" Usopp had started panicking as Luffy began to pray.
"It's still too early!" Sanji had hissed at Luffy.
"It's too early to have one of these!" Chopper looked like her was about to cry. Nami was looking at him a bit pitifully until she was looked at, startling her.
"What are you so jumpy about?" She had been asked. "Living alone on an island, there's nothing wrong with building your own coffin! Since I'm going to die eventually..." hie eyes were closed with smiling.
"I guess a coffin on top of a mountain isn't that strange." Luffy replied to him.
"If that is the case, why did you make a pirate ship your coffin?" Iris had come to ask, as this didn't make sense. However, suddenly the old man's head dropped.
"Ol-old man!?" Which had Luffy, Usopp and Chopper all starting to panic as they ran over to him.
"Wait, Old man!" And Sanji was right behind them.
"Coffin, grave or whatever it is... it's almost complete! Don't rush it!" Usopp came to shout.
"Don't die yet!" As did Chopper.
"Shhh, he's just sleeping." Nami told them, after getting close to the man. The trio sighed in relief listening to him softly snoring.

Before anyone knew it, a few days had come to pass and the crew was still on the island looking after the old man. At such time, Nami was playing chess with him. "So that's your move." While he was eating some cheese.
"Here you cuties are." Iris was giving feed to the goats with Robin.
"De... licious!" The old man had suddenly shouted after taking a bite of cheese. "How did him make this cheese?" He had asked Sanji, who had been the one to make it.
"From the island goats' milk. It'll boost your strength." He had come to explain this to him.
"It's your turn, sir." Nami pulled his attention back to the game.
"Well then... there's checkmate. With the king on definition."
"Wait!" But out of nowhere she began to panic while grabbing the old man's hand.
"There is no waiting, Nami!" He smiled at her evilly.
"I lost..." She gave up way to easy. "But one more time, please!" However, she then begged for one more game.
"Alright. Nothing beats playing chest white eating cheese and getting my shoulders massaged." He agreed playing chess while eating cheese and having his shoulders massaged.
"Great catch today!" That was when Luffy, Usopp and Zoro returning with food. "Sanji, make some great dishes for the Old Goat Guy again!" The Captain had ordered as he and Usopp placed three giant fishes in front of him, and Zoro placing a basket of fruit as well.
"Yeah, Leave it to me!" Sanji had told him.
"Old man, if there's anything you want to eat or need us to do, don't hesitate to ask." Usopp had told him, wiping his sweat away and throwing the thumb up. "We'll do anything we can!"
"No matter when I die, I'll be happy. It's like paradise. Paradise." He just replied which had Luffy, Usopp and Sanji had tears in their eyes looking at the old man.
"Don't say that!" Luffy cried.
"Even if it's short..." Sanji had also cried out.
"...don't give up on your life!" As did Usopp.
"As long as you have your life!" And now the three of them were hugging each other crying. Zoro seemed a bit uncomfortable looking at them.
"Oi, isn't something funny here?" That was then when the swordsman bent down to the three asking them this.
"What is?" Usopp seemed to have stopped crying for a second , looking up at him.
"He was only supposed to live three more days, right?" Zoro had asked making sure they remembered.
"Yeah, only three more days!" Which had Sanji still crying.
"Only three days to live!" Luffy cried with snot coming out of his nose.
"That's too soon..." they all burst into tears again.
"Yeah, but three days already passed a few days ago." Zoro had come to inform them of this and it had them all stop.
"Oh yeah..." it seemed that they finally realised this as they were looking at the man.
"Then how can he be over there looking perfectly healthy?" Usopp had asked the others.
"He seems even better then before."
"Sir, here's today's medicine." That had been when Chopper came running out of the hu, in his hooves was a glass jar. "Be sure to take it."
"I don't need that. It spoils the taste of my meal." This had been said back before turning back to his game. "Here, checkmate!"
"Ahhh, Not again!" Which only had Nami shouting again. Chopper began walking over towards the guys that were crouching together.
"You said he was only gonna life three more days." The swordsman was whispering to him.
"From the looks of him, he's gonna be fine for another thirty years. Maybe you were wrong." Sanji had been the one to say this.
"No, I don't think so." But Chopper said this, although he did seem to be sweating a bit. "But if it's a generous mistake, that's fine, isn't it?"
"That's not the problem!" Which only had Usopp shouting at him before standing up. "If that's the case, I'm getting off this island no matter what anyone says!"
"Yeah, we don't have time to stay here forever comforting an old man!" And Sanji was in complete agreement before standing up.
"I want to continue have adventures at sea." And as did Luffy.
"Then it's settled! Nami, we're setting sail!" Zoro had been the last one to stand up before shouting over at the navigator.
"Can you wait a little more?" But she had come to ask them of them.
"How long are you going to keep playing?" Usopp asked her angry. "Enough with the chess!"
"Well, I can't quit. I've lost every game and now the ships his." She had turned and explained to them.
"WHAT!?" The guys had all snapped at her, and that even included Sanji as they were all in shock.
"What kind of pirate gives up their ship!?" Usopp came to shout, as this was completely unheard of.
"I'll get it back! Just wait!" But Nami was crying now.
"Checkmate." However, the old guy came to say this.
"Stop already!" The guys ran to Nami's side to grab her, so she couldn't lose anymore.
"It's an earthquake!" While Chopper was underneath the table shaking it.
"Ahh, with this going on, we don't know what'll happen!" Usopp was kicking the leg of the table, however, it was all pointless as the old man had grabbed the broad.
"If you want your ship back, you'll have to earn it back by working on this island." So that was his plan. "It'll probably take you about ten years to work it off. How's that for profit?" He leaned over to the guys, who learn back away from him.
"Nami..." the five of them walked over with Nami.
"I'm sorry..." she had come to fall to the ground in tears. "I thought if I beat him, I could ask him where his treasure is."
"You're still talking about that?" Usopp couldn't believe her. "If it comes to this, let's leave that old man here and bolt. It's the only way" He came to say in a low voice so those in the group could only here him.
"I'm not going." However, Luffy didn't seem to agree with this.
"What are you talking about, Luffy?!" Which only caused the long nose to shout at him asking. "Good thing Zoro figured it out. We would've been working for that old coot for the rest of our lives!"
"You guys should've figured it out too!" This had been said by Zoro, since he had come to notice this a while ago.
"We won't have any adventures in a place like this, Luffy. Let's get outta here." Sanji thought by saying this that the Captain would be all in.
"No." However, that wasn't the case.
"Luffy!?"
"A bet is sort of like a promise, right?" That had been his reasoning behind this. "Then I don't want to break our promise."
"This is no time to be showing off!" But Usopp was thinking of things differently. "Zoro, what about you?" He then turned to the green hair swordsman.
"The Captain is the one who decides." However, it appeared that he was a lost caused now.
"Luffy!"
"No means no." But it didn't seem that he was going to change his mind.
"Checkmate." However, all attention turned to Robin, who had spoken. The crew turned back to the table to see a hand that she sprouted on the table was playing with the old man while they were arguing with one another.
"This is..." the old man was looking at it closely.
"Wow Robin! You're amazing!" Iris was standing beside her clapping as she was impressed. This had the others walking back to the table smiling as they were excited.
"Well, gramps?" Nami came to ask.
"I lost!" He finally gave up bowing his head.
"Yeah!" And they all began to cheer.
"I knew I could count on you, big sis!" The navigator had gone up to the archaeologist all excited.
"How's that for profit?" Now the three idiots were throwing it in the old man's face.
"Not bad I guess..." which had him back way from them, but then started laughing. "I've lived a long life, but I've never met such delightful pirates! You guys are the best! It's time for a party!" He cheered, and now they had forgotten why I just won a ship back, as the agreed with him. Like they said, we started cooking, or more like Sanji did.
"Gramps, you must be a great pirate." Nami was pouring the old guy a drink. "You sure know how to drink."
"Nami, calling me a pirate?" He had drank.
"If you weren't, you wouldn't have these fabulous cups." Nami still hasn't given up.
"They certainly seem like treasure." Robin had said.
"Yeah, they are pretty impressive." Iris had poured some more wine into the woman's cup, along with her own.
"Nami, you're trying to get him drunk so he'll tell you where the treasure is." The one that was drunk was Usopp.
"Don't blurt blunder it out!" Which had Nami hissing at him.
"Old Goat Guy, do you really have a treasure?" Luffy just out right asked him.
"I said not to blurt it out! There's a procedure to this." Now he was being hissed at.
"My treasure is..." the old man started saying. "Those who have kept me company since the day I washed ashore here. The island goats." It was unsure to the others if he was lying or telling the truth but the goats seemed to be in agreement with him.
"What a noble sentiment!" And it only had Luffy crying.
"Just kidding!" The old man was drunk.
"Don't joke around and just blurt it out!" Nami really starting to sound desperate.
"Then here goes, blunt as can be. I was a man who sailed the Grand Line with the greatest of pirates...and lent them money." He finally explains.
"Lent them money?" Luffy asked confused.
"Yeah, Money Lender Zenny they called me. Not a pirate." He answered and it was causing Nami to be disappointed.
"Too bad for you, Nami." Usopp laughed at her.
"But you had some guts to go lending money to pirates, old man." Sanji was impressed by this.
"Why?" But Luffy didn't seem to know why that was the case.
"Well duh. Do you think normal pirates are gonna pay back what they borrow?" Usopp asked Luffy rhetorically question. "You'd be putting your life in danger."
"That's right." Zenny agreed. "They tried to shirk their loans time after time. Those shitty pirates broke promises as easily as skipping breakfast."
"So you really do hate pirates." Nami finally understood.
"If I didn't stand up to them, I'd have never made any profit!" The old man started telling them. "And every time, retrieving my money meant confronting the pirates, face-to-face. Putting my life on the line."
"Isn't that a business where you need to be stronger than pirates?" Zoro had asked him, which he did have a good point.
"You must have been a lot stronger then you look!" Iris said all impressed by this.
"Old Goat Guy, were you strong?" Luffy had asked Zenny.
"All pride aside, I was weak. But I had a dream." He answered honestly.
"A dream?" He explained that he would get on a ship and first ask for his money back or else he would sink the ship by bombing it. In the end he would blow it up anyway to prove a point. "Although I was weak, I had a dream that helped me fight. No, that's why I fought."
"And what dream was that?" This had been the question asked next.
"Since I was young, I had wanted to become a pirate. A real pirate, the Pirate King." He answered the crew as they were all drinking and eating. "For that, I started my money lending business. But then one of those shitty pirates destroyed my ship... and I barely made it to this island alive. It's been 20 years since them."
"But then why make a ship to be your grave for 20 years?" Iris came to ask this, since there would have been a much easier way to make a grave.
"At first, I wanted to build my ship near the sea and escape, but... I couldn't bring the wood down from the mountain. But I didn't give up, and I made it on the mountain instead." Which explained why they found it in the mountains. "I kept going... for my great dream! For my great adventure! But then my great dream slipped away. By the time I was ready, I was too old to embark onto the Grand Line." Although Zenny was smiling, they all knew he was upset about the whole thing. "What dream? What pirate? In the end, my dream was just a dream." He continued while soon laughing.
"Why'd you give up, Old Goat Guy?" However, Luffy was asking him while stuffing his own stuffed. "It doesn't matter how old you are. You can become a pirate whenever you want." He was determined on this fact.
"Oi, Oi, Luffy. What if he takes you seriously?" But Usopp on the other hand didn't seem to think that way. "He'll also need a flag and his ship just isn't ready yet."
"Sanji, more meat!" Although, it seemed that he was completely ignored. "He just has to bring it down!" Then had come to say that.
"That should be interesting." Iris came to say while taking a drink of her booze.
"Don't make it sound so easy!" Usopp told him.
"I see, so it's not too late." Luna looked back to Zenny who had spoken.
"See, look! Now he's taking you seriously." The sniper came to shout.
"No, you're just drunk. Right, gramps?" Nami asked grinning wildly.
"Yeah, I'm drunk. Real drunk!" This had caused Usopp to sigh in relief. "Straw Hat boy here has helped me open up!" Zenny throw his cup in the air. "Yosha! A toast to the Zenny Pirates' maiden voyage!" Everyone had cheered together with a goal in mind.
"CHEER!"