One Piece Fan Fiction / Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ The Ultimate Cruise ❯ Celebration!—Soothing the Scars of Battle ( Chapter 29 )

DISCLAIMER: I do not own One Piece, Teen Titans, or any characters or elements contained within. I believe these can be credited to the geniuses Eiichiro Oda [author and artist of OP], Marv Wolfman and George Perez [respective author and artist of The New Teen Titans comic of the eighties], and Glen Murakami and his talented crew [the staff of the Teen Titans animated series, the Titans version which this story is based off.] Thanks for developing these wonderful characters I have the pleasure of using in this story!

 

Any original characters, however, belong to Pivitor. Remember it!

 

 

The Ultimate Cruise:
One Piece meets Teen Titans

 

Chapter 29: Celebration!—Soothing the Scars of Battle

 

Cots were scattered throughout the overcrowded sick-bay of Titans Tower; however, in the days since the battle with the Iso-jin they had—one-by-one—become empty. Now only two unconscious figures remained, and two more figures loomed over them

 

“Are you sure she's okay?” Zoro asked as he stared down at Tashigi, who laid peacefully despite her wounds having been healed. “Shouldn't she be awake by now?”

 

Raven sighed. “I've been keeping up with the sedatives the Iso-jin were giving her.” Zoro's eyes started to bulge from his head, but the Titan continued before he could voice his objection. “What do you think would happen if she woke up in a tower full of pirates?”

 

“Oh yeah…hadn't thought about that,” Zoro smirked. “I guess she doesn't like me much, does she?” He craned his head towards the only other person in the sick-bay who was actually still sick. “What about Ian?”

 

Pulling back the sheets over the boy, Raven revealed a relatively healed body. “He's getting well physically, but it'll still be a while until he's back on his feet. The fights put a lot of strain on his mind, perhaps even more than his body.”

 

“Plus you went inside his head,” Zoro interjected.

 

Barely noticing at first, Raven continued, “Plus, I went ins—” An anxious look crossed the Titan's face; she frowned and raised her hood as she realized what he was saying. “I better go make sure that celebration hasn't gotten out of hand.” The witch disappeared through the floor in a puddle of black.

 

Raising an eyebrow, Zoro was genuinely confused. “Touchy.”

 

 

 

The tower's living room—in stark contrast to the sick-bay—was full of movement and life, and had been for days as the heroes progressively recovered and joined in the festivities.

 

“Gah! Noooooo!” Beast Boy threw his Gamestation controller to the floor in frustration as he simultaneously curled into fetal position. “How can I be beaten at Super Ninja Fury III?!”

 

“Yeah, by a girl nonetheless,” Cyborg smiled as he elbowed his friend in the ribs. Nami sat beside the changeling, controller held expertly and a grin covering her face.

 

She promptly started counting on her fingers. “Let's see…you lost, so, that's ten dollars you owe me!”

 

Sweat drops rolled down Beast Boy's face as he pulled himself up, shaking. “Um, Cyborg, ol' buddy ol' pal—”

 

“You're not getting any money from me, BB—go break open your piggy bank.” The green boy voiced his objections of animal cruelty, but the half-robot paid it little attention as usual as he pushed his friend aside. “Let me show'er how it's done.”

 

Nami's eyes lit up. “You're challenging me? Maybe we should up the ante here!”

 

“You're on!” Cyborg exclaimed as he grabbed the discarded controller. “Don't think that just cause you played our games the whole time we were recovering means you're better'n us now!”

 

“Well, I beat Beast Boy!” the navigator rebutted, sticking out her tongue playfully.

 

A smile crossed the Titan's face. “Yeah, well, I'm a whole different story!”

 

“Hey,” Beast Boy objected with a growl, still laying sprawled on the floor from where Cyborg had pushed him. However, the two were already deep into the trance of video-game world.

 

Meanwhile, the electronic doors to the room slid open as Zoro walked through—and was promptly struck in the face with a flying pie. The swordsman reeled backwards into a wall, and as he wiped icing from his face he was greeted with the sight of Luffy, Usopp and Chopper all collapsed over each other, laughing so hard they had gone into convulsions.

 

“What the hell do you guys think you're doing?!” Zoro exclaimed, the room shaking as he stomped his foot. Each of his three pirate companions moved to answer him, but only fractured syllables could escape their lips between the convulsions—certainly nothing coherent.

 

“Oh, I see you too have participated in the fun!” Starfire exclaimed, rounding the corner with a pie in each hand. “On the television we all saw how the throwing of pies leads to much joy and fun at any party! Do you care to join us in the merriment?”

 

“Actually,” Zoro raised an eyebrow as one corner of his mouth curled into a smile, “I think I will.”

 

Instantly the fits of laughter ended and the three leapt to their feet—and pies suddenly flew through the room like hail, or missiles from opposing sides. In all truthfulness, it was war.

 

And then—unusually for a war—a cry of love pierced the battle. “Staaaaaar-kun!” Sanji exclaimed, his voice sounding from the kitchen. “Come heeere!”

 

Floating into the room, the Tamaranian answered with a “Yes, Sanji-kun?”—and was answered with several more piles of pies. “Glorious! These will be quite useful in our war of pies!”

 

The troop of pirates rushed by, and in an instant most of the new pie `ammunition' was gone—however, with Sanji's chef skills they were quickly being replaced. Hearts floated from his head as he pulled even more food, not pies this time, from the oven as well—quickly crowding the kitchen.

 

“Try these Star-kun!” Sanji insisted as he shoved several culinary masterpieces towards his love. “This food conveys my love for you!”

 

Now hearts likewise flew from Starfire as she inhaled the new dishes. “These are fantastic! I did not even need my favorite tangy yellow beverage mustard to find enjoyment in them!”

 

Sanji's heart nearly exploded from his chest.

 

“Tell me Sanji-kun,” Star continued, “Why are you doing all these wonderful things for me?”

 

“Oh,” the chef exclaimed in a sing-song voice, his entire body wiggling as hearts leaked from him, “Just because I love you!” The object of his affection blushed, but then gasped as Sanji's body suddenly froze, his face going serious.

 

“But there is one catch,” the chef added. “Have you told him yet?”

 

A giant question mark grew from the alien girl's head. “Told who what?”

 

“Have you told Robin how you feel?” Sanji sighed. “Remember, we talked about it at the cave back in my world before we fought Tank and Swifty?”

 

Starfire's mood seemed to drop. “Oh, yes, I remember. No, I have not, but—”

 

“Then do it.” Sanji insisted. “When I leave here…I can't take you with me. And if I can't have you…then he's the next best guy.” He lowered his head. “Though I hate to admit it.”

 

“Oh Sanji-kun!” Suddenly Starfire was on the pirate, her arms latched around his back. “You are such a gentleman!”

 

And, like that, Sanji fainted.

 

 

 

“WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!”

 

Robin's jaw hit the floor and rolled through the room as the Titan entered the living area; he was in total shock at the sight before him. Pie covered the walls, tins rolling down and onto the floor, and Luffy, Zoro, Beast Boy, Usopp and Chopper were still throwing the mess everywhere. Starfire had Sanji leaned over the couch, trying to revive him, and Cyborg and Nami were still playing video games—oblivious to the chaos around them.

 

“Killer Move…PIE STAR!” A pie flew from Usopp's slingshot and straight towards Beast Boy, who quickly became a green frog and leapt above it. Luffy's rubber arm stretched as he span—and elastic snapped as the `Rubber Pie' soared towards Zoro's face. It was instantly rendered in two and both halves soared past both the swordsman and Robin.

 

Steam flew from Robin's ears as his face turned red. “Everybody FREEZE!”

 

Everybody in the room stopped in their tracks, except for those playing video games who still pressed buttons eagerly.

 

“Robin!” Starfire exclaimed. “Now that you are done your rigorous exercises do you wish to join us in the throwing of the pies?

 

The red in the boy wonder's cheeks was still there, but its cause had changed from anger to embarrassment. He couldn't be this mad—this was their last hurrah, after all. He sighed.

 

“No thanks,” he said, “but mayb—”

 

“AH COME ON!”

 

The floor shook as Cyborg slammed his foot. “I demand a rematch!” he exclaimed as he grinded his teeth.

 

“Enough already Cyborg,” Nami sighed, “It would be the tenth one—and you haven't even paid me for my first ten wins yet!”

 

Suddenly Robin's face was between the two. “Hey guys, I was about to suggest a game of volleyball up on the roof. Wanna play?”

 

“You bet!” Cyborg enthusiastically declared, the force throwing the Titan's leader across the room. “Nami, double or nothing!”

 

“Bring it on!” the navigator taunted. “You better have your wallet handy!”

 

The two scrambled upstairs, their friends on their tail. As they reached the door, however, Usopp froze in his tracks. “Hey, where's Terra at?”

 

“She's been in her room all day,” Robin said. “I think she needs some alone time.”

 

“Come on!” Starfire exclaimed, grabbing both boys and pulling them through the door. “It is time to volley the ball!”

 

 

 

“Serve…UP!” With a boot the volleyball flew over the net on the roof of Titan's tower, and the server Nami landed gracefully and with a smile full of confidence. However, some of those playing the game weren't paying as much attention to the serve—

 

—as they were the server.

 

“NAMI-SAAAAN!” Sanji's tongue fell from his mouth and covered the ground like a red carpet as he noticed something other than the volleyball bounce. Hearts shot from his eye, but they weren't enough to stop what was coming next—blood flew as the ball careened straight into the cook's nose, and he was again down for the count.

 

“Sanji-kun!” Starfire exclaimed, rushing to her teammate's side.

 

“Well,” sighed Zoro, “considering where the love-chef was looking he'd have gotten a nosebleed anyway.”

 

Nami pulled her eyelid down. “Oh no, you've lost a member of your team already!” she mocked.

 

“We'll be fine,” Cyborg growled. “We've got more than what it takes to win, even minus a player.”

 

As she picked up the ball the navigator smiled. “Fine. Then let's see—” Instantly the ball was in the air and another world-class serve sent it soaring over the net. “—Whether you've got the skills to back your words!”

 

“I've got it!” Beast Boy cried as he punted the ball with both hands over the net.

 

“Rubber…” On the other side, Luffy's arm soared backwards as he rampaged forward. “…PISTOL!”

 

A sweat drop rolled down the changeling's head. “Wait a second—we can use our powers?!”

 

With a boom the ball soared into the stratosphere, only to be intercepted by Starfire and a tremendous display of her natural Tamaranian strength. The poor, battered ball soared like a falling meteor towards Usopp, who instantly dropped to his knees.

 

This shifted the slack to Robin, who was already spinning towards his target. Unleashing a scream and glare far beyond a simple game of volleyball, the Boy Wonder delivered a punch that again rocketed the unfortunate projectile back to Cyborg's side.

 

“No you don't!” The robot cried; he was more than ready. The boosters in his feet had flared, propelling him straight into the ball's path. Windows shattered as he attempted to spike back to the other side.

 

An unfortunate Tony Tony Chopper was in line to volley this time, and like a game of “Hot Potato” he didn't want to handle the now-dangerous sphere any longer than he had to. The reindeer blindly thrusted his massive Human Point arms above his head, sending the ball hurling horizontally into the air.

 

One of the theif's feet planted itself atop the doctor's head as Nami lunged for the volleyball, and the effort proved successful as she sent it again towards Cyborg's side—finally without superhuman speed this time.

 

“Dude, Zoro, this one's headed right towards you!” Beast Boy exclaimed before his green jaw literally unhinged and collapsed at the sight that greeted him.

 

The ball fell to the ground—if it was animate it'd be praising the swordsman for its respite—next to a sleeping Zoro. Cyborg's jaw twitched a bit.

 

“I do not understand,” Starfire sighed, “Was he not awake only a moment ago?”

 

“Too bad,” smiled Nami as she again retrieved the ball. “Should have picked your team more carefully! Zoro and Sanji have power, but it's obvious that Zoro couldn't pay attention to the game—and that Sanji couldn't overlook me long enough to be useful!”

 

Cyborg clenched his teeth together angrily. “Just serve the ball already.”

Meanwhile, Chopper had been amazed at Robin's ability.

 

“You have no powers!” the reindeer exclaimed. “How can you hit the ball so hard?!”

 

The Titan's leader shrugged. “For me it just comes…naturally. Why don't you try picturing the face of your worst enemy on the ball—you'll be hitting him instead of the ball!”

 

Chopper's face lit up. “Nami! Nami!” he exclaimed, pulling at her skirt. “Can I serve this time?! Please!”

 

“Come on Nami,” Cyborg taunted, “Let'em! It's all in good fun, right?!”

 

Nami growled as she dropped the ball into her teammate's hands and moved forward.

 

“All right!” Chopper exclaimed as he tossed the volleyball. “Let's go!”

 

As his fist hurled towards the ball, Tony Tony Chopper couldn't see a small, white volleyball; instead he saw Wapol, the cruel, irredeemable ruler who'd cost him the life of his Dr. Hiliruk!

 

In an explosion of unadulterated rage the ball soared over the net, across the roof and off the edge of Titan's Tower.

 

“I got it!” Beast Boy exclaimed, shifting into a green bird as he soared over the side.

 

“No, let me!” Chopper cried, blushing as he took his reindeer form and charged for the edge.

 

Robin sighed. “Maybe my advice wasn't the best for him.”

 

“Yeah,” Luffy laughed, “I guess thinking about the mask guy was too much for Chopper!”

 

The Titan's smile dropped. `Slade!' “I don't think Chopper was thinking about Slade.”

 

“Oh.” Luffy didn't seem fazed by his wrong assumption. “But you were, right? Why else would you be hitting the ball so hard?”

 

“Well…” Now it was Robin who was blushing. “Don't you want to fight him just one more time?”

 

The rubberman shrugged. “Why? He's not hurting anybody anymore.”

 

Thoughts raced through Robin's head. `But he could still! Every time we thought Slade was gone he just came back worse than before!'

 

“The guy got blown to bits,” Luffy continued. “Could we ever beat him up that much?”

 

`Yes!' Robin thought. `He could never receive as much pain as he's inflicted on the world! He needs more, he—' Suddenly his head slumped. `—is dead. Wow, Slade's actually dead. The city's free of his terror. That's what matters.

 

`Heck, maybe now that he's finally gone I can finally get some peace.'

 

“Yeah, I guess not,” the boy said with a smile. “Tell me, Luffy, who's face do you see when you hit the ball?”

 

“Sanji's!” Monkey D. Luffy exclaimed. “He wouldn't make me any meat for breakfast cause he was too busy making pie!” The bleeding chef twitched at the mention of his name.

 

A smile spread across Robin's face. `And maybe with some peace, maybe someday I can be that carefree…'

 

“I thought as much.”

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Tony Tony Chopper had lunged for the ball he'd sent soaring off the roof—only to remember as he was tumbling into a free-fall that he couldn't fly! Just in the nick of time a green falcon descended upon him, transforming into a Pterodactyl as it grabbed the reindeer in its giant talons, landing with both heroes safely intact.

 

“What were you thinking?!” Beast Boy exclaimed as he shifted to his human form—Chopper shrank to his usual half-human half-reindeer appearance and scratched his head sadly.

 

“I just wanted to help out,” the doctor said timidly. “It was my fault, after all.”

 

Beast Boy smiled. “Well, next time you make a mistake don't go jumping off a building! C'mon, let's find this thing.” The changeling's body rippled as he became a bloodhound, sniffing the ground for hints of the lost volleyball.

 

However, it was the first sign of peace Chopper had seen all day, and he decided it was the perfect time to speak freely. “Beast Boy?” The dog lifted an ear and shifted back into the spindly young boy. “Was what Iso said true? Did Ivan really die?”

 

The changeling's pointy green ears drooped. “Yeah.” He lowered his head, and even Chopper knew that this wasn't the time to say anything. “I killed him.”

 

“I KILLED HIM!

 

“I'm a hero! I'm supposed to protect life, to be able to stop killers, but—” Beast Boy was shaking. “—but I have an animal inside of me. Once when I fought Adonis chemicals made it come out, but even if I don't transform into it it's still there. With your Rumble Ball scrambling my body I couldn't fight the instinct!

 

“I couldn't resist the animals within me and I killed him!”

 

Chopper's head was cocked, his eyes wavering as tears filled them; the tiny reindeer hopped on a rock beside his friend. “I have an animal inside of me too.” Beast Boy pulled his face out of his hands and looked at the pirate incredulously.

 

“Once I overdosed on Rumble Balls—I used three at once, something I should never do. I blacked up and when I woke up, I was told that I had become a rampaging monster that destroyed an entire town!

 

“I felt horrible, but there was nothing else I could do. It was in the past. I just became determined to never allow myself to become that monster again, and to do everything possible to help even more people through my doctor skills to make up for the lives I've lost!”

 

Silence passed between the two shapeshifters.

 

“Y'know,” Beast Boy grinned, “you're a lot smarter than you look.”

 

Tony's eyes lit up. “Really?!” Suddenly his smile shifted into a frown. “Wait, are you saying I look stupid?”

 

“See?” the Titan smiled. “You are smart.” He patted Chopper on the head and smooshed his hat around. “But you're right. I can't do anything now—I just have to make sure it never happens again!”

 

“Yeah!” Chopper exclaimed. “And it's not as if you murdered him…It was self defense, right? You saved my life in exchange for his.”

 

Sighing, Beast Boy admitted, “I guess so. But it's a stupid trade. Darn lose-lose situations.”

 

Leaning backwards, Chopper noticed the volleyball and tumbled off the rock to get it. “Yeah, but don't beat yourself up about it. Just make sure it never happens again!”

 

The smile returned to Beast Boy's face. “Since when did our roles reverse? I'm the one supposed to be helping you out!”

 

“Really?” Chopper asked innocently. “Should we switch then?”

 

Chuckling, the changeling took the fellow shapeshifter by the shoulders and looked towards the air. “Nah. We'd just better get back to the game!”

 

 

 

A green pterodactyl swooped down from the sky, dropping its reindeer passenger into position before transforming into a green boy on the other side of the net. As he landed he noticed that Zoro was back on his feet, his purple bruises indicating that Cyborg had told him exactly how he felt about falling asleep during a game.

 

“'Kay,” he grinned, “Since Chopper sent it over the edge it's our serve now!”

 

Suddenly, though, the ball was no longer in his gloved hands. It now rested in the metallic palm of Cyborg, intent on beating Nami and doubling his money back.

 

“Y'ALL GOING DOWN!” he declared as he mercilessly served the ball over the net, where it zoomed past the opposing team like a rocket—and again targeted Usopp.

 

However, this time the sniper had mustered up the fortitude to defend himself, and twisted with all his might, until mighty hammer connected with a weary volleyball.

 

“USOPP HAMMER!” he cried, his voice warbling uncontrollably as the ball was beaten like a nail—a nail that flew over the net.

 

Remembering the beating the half-robot had given him only moments before for his sleeping-on-the-job, Zoro dashed for the ball—all the while drawing his three swords and slicing in for an attack!

 

“ONI GIRI!”

 

Roronoa Zoro looked on into the horizon, expecting to see the ball hurtling into space like a shooting star in reverse. Instead, the poor thing had finally met its end, flittering to the ground around the swordsman in pieces.

 

“Oops,” he sighed. “I thought I was using the blunt edges of the sword.”

 

“Well, that's the end of that then I guess,” Nami said, brushing her hands together before pulling a calculator from her pocket. “Zoro lost your team that point, putting us ahead three to one at the end—I'm afraid, Cy, that you owe me—”

 

“Triple or nothing!” Cyborg exclaimed.

 

The navigator sighed and shrugged. “You're persistent, aren't you? On what?!”

 

Not wanting to see his best friend—and personal ATM when he was short of money—go broke, Beast Boy shot up beside his mechanical companion with a handful of socks so filthy they had seemingly become one organism. It gurgled as stink so severe it had become visible in sickly green waves wafted from the ball of laundry.

 

“How about a game of Extreme Stankball to settle the score?”

 

 

 

“Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos…” Raven sat alone in the sanctuary of her room, a circle of candles flickering lightly around her as she levitated above her floor, eyes closed as she repeated her mantra diligently. “Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos.”

 

With a tremendous boom the tranquility of her meditation was broken as the walls shook. As Raven quickly lashed out with both of her hands fields of black overtook the candles, stopping them from toppling before they had even begun.

 

“Stupid Stankball,” she grumbled as she pressed her fingers together and again closed her eyes—only to be presented with a knock at her door.

 

Sighing, Raven replied by saying, “No, Beast Boy, for the last time I don't want to play Stankball.”

 

“No,” responded a voice that was far too deep to belong to the changeling. “It's Zoro.”

 

Raven's eyes snapped open and she dropped to the floor, flustered. It was hard enough to handle her emotions without bringing him into the equation. No doubt he was angry with her invasion of his mind—and it was something she didn't want to face.

 

“C'mon,” Zoro insisted. “Why are you avoiding me?”

 

As the empath grimaced one of the candles before her flew into the air, propelled by a black explosion.

 

`Then again,' she thought, `it's not doing me any good to ignore him either.'

 

The door slid open a tad as the Titan peeked out with one eye, covered in the shadows of her hood. “I'm not avoiding you; I'm avoiding this entire celebration.”

 

Zoro peered through the tiny opening in the doorway; as if it was nothing he reached in and pulled the door open, sauntering in lazily as he stretched his arms behind his head. The door slid shut behind them as Raven looked on irately.

 

“Nami said you wanted to celebrate,” the swordsman yawned.

 

“I did,” Raven insisted. “As soon as we got back I made some herbal tea and read my favorite book. What they're doing isn't celebrating: it's idiocy.”

 

The green-haired warrior nodded. “Yeah, all those games are stupid—they're no fun.”

 

The Titan's empathic powers told her otherwise. “No they're not; you're just angry because they wouldn't let you play anymore.”

 

“I didn't want to anyway,” Zoro said, “But being told no suddenly made me want to instead.” He paused for a moment, pondering how she knew just how he was feeling. “That's creepy.”

 

Raven swallowed a lump in her throat.

 

“It's like you know everything I feel and think,” he continued. “But I guess you should, since you've been in my mind an' all.”

 

She couldn't take it anymore.

 

“Look, I'm sorry, okay?” Raven sighed as weight started to life from her overwhelmed emotions. “It was just so frustrating! You were so stubborn and it was stopping us from finishing our mission—” Sweat trickled down her gray skin as she paused for a moment. “—But I think the worst part was that, in the end, I was just as curious about you.

 

“I'm so sorry for invading your privacy.”

 

“Oh,” Zoro replied, looking a bit overwhelmed. “Thanks, but, I didn't really care about that.”

 

The Titan was stunned. “But…you've been dropping hints ever since! You kept trying to talk to me about it…I thought you were angry at me…”

 

“Oh yeah,” the pirate suddenly said, his memory jogged. “All I wanted to tell you was that…well—what you saw in my head. It stays between you and me, okay?”

 

An unexpected smile crawled across Raven's face. “Absolutely.”

 

“Y'know,” Zoro continued as he looked through the dreary room, “You literally know everything about me, but I know nothing about you.”

 

Chuckling, Raven admitted, “I guess that's true.” She got back onto her feet and locked her door before finally pulling down her hood. It was time—she trusted him.

 

“Have you ever heard of a being called Trigon the Terrible?”

 

Zoro shook his head no.

 

“He is the physical incarnate of evil—the source of all darkness.

 

“He's also my father.”

 

 

 

The halls of Titans Tower continued to be filled with a horrid stench as the young heroes within competed to see who could go the longest without getting hit with the putrid ball of almost living filth.

 

“I got `im!” Beast Boy exclaimed as he swerved around a corner, his target in sight and with nowhere to run in the narrow hallway. “This is for the win!” he cried as the stankball flew from his tiny hands and soared towards Usopp.

 

The sniper's lips quivered as he screamed—however, seeing the hallway dead-end in front of him he turned to the only option he knew. One swing of his trusty hammer on the closest door in the hallway provided the only possible escape.

 

Meanwhile, the young Terra gazed out the giant window in her room with a look of sadness. Slung across her tiny shoulders was a sack—within it was everything she possessed.

 

She was once a wanderer, and a wanderer she would again become.

 

It wasn't that she didn't love the Teen Titans—on the contrary; she had risked her very life for them. While once she had found Beast Boy's `betrayal' enough to try to take down the team from the inside, now she doubted it could be anything more than more of Slade's manipulation. She had grown to love the heroes. She had grown to love Titan's Tower—of all the places she had visited, it was the only one that had ever felt like home.

 

She'd give anything to stay here, to remain a Titan.

 

Yet she knew it couldn't be.

 

Perhaps Terra had fought back against Slade and even assisted in the fight against Iso, but she had still betrayed the Titans and the Straw Hats. Perhaps they had tentatively trusted her to assist, but she knew it wouldn't last. Heck, she couldn't even trust herself. She couldn't stay here. She couldn't even run away with the Straw Hats. She didn't deserve them.

 

And as the earth-mover continued to pile on the self-doubt her door was blown open by a hurling body. Usopp skidded across her floor, the hammer falling from his hands. The boy's trip finally came to a stop and he was motionless for a few moments before he rose to his feet, on the lookout for Beast Boy and the Stankball.

 

Then he saw… “T—Terra?!”

 

All traces of a smile, even one from panicked fervor, vanished from his face. “Why do you have that sack? Are you—”

 

“Yeah,” Terra sighed. “I can't stay here. I don't belong.”

 

“Of course you do,” Usopp countered. “Everybody wants you back!”

 

Terra didn't believe it. “You want me back, Beast Boy wants me back—maybe one or two of the others, but I can guarantee you Raven and Robin won't want me back. C'mon, can you blame them? Look what I did to you guys! Man, if Slade hadn't discovered the Stone of Iso Toa and become so obsessed with it, who knows what might I might have done!”

 

Usopp clenched his teeth. “Why are you putting yourself down?! What happened to saving yourself?! You came back to defeat Slade and redeem yourself and now you give up?!”

 

“I was stronger than Slade but…he was still right. There's no way I can come back now! I did what I did to help save people I cared about…even though I knew I could never be forgiven.”

 

“Stop saying that!” Usopp commanded, shaking with intensity. “Why should Slade get to decide that? You and the Titans should be the ones to make the decision! You're just assuming they'll turn you down without even seeing for yourself!”

 

Terra let herself show a tiny smile as she started to walk past the sniper. “You want me to stay here? You're not asking me to come back with you if I'm going to leave anyway?”

 

Sighing, Usopp admitted, “You know you can't live at sea. You belong here. You're a Teen Titan. At least give them another chance to give you another chance.”

 

“You're sweet when you tell the truth,” the earth-mover said before she planted a quick kiss on the liar's cheek. “Like I said, you need to do it more often.”

 

“EWWWW!” squealed a high pitched voice. Standing at the base of the battered door was Tony Tony Chopper, attempting to hide but not understanding the concept as nearly his entire body was left uncovered save for the one eye behind the door.

 

Pulling the stick off of her shoulder, Terra knew there was more. “Come on BB, you can't hide from me.”

 

A tiny green speck on the wall suddenly enlarged into the Titan's human form. “So you're still leaving?” She nodded. “C'mon, I hate to admit it but the guy's definitely right. Give yourself a chance!”

 

Another kiss landed on the changeling's furry cheek. “Thanks, but I don't deserve one.”

 

“Sure you do.”

 

Robin, followed by the other heroes and pirates, entered her room—Stankball left behind for a friend.

 

“No I don't!” Terra insisted, tears bursting from her eyes. “No matter where I've gone all I've done is bring destruction to those I've loved, and it's no different with you! Why should you let trouble like me stay here?!”

 

“Because this is where you belong,” Beast Boy simply said, laying a hand on her shoulder.

 

Usopp took the other. “We're family!” The others—Titan and pirate alike—nodded in agreement. “We stick up for each other in the good times and the bad!”

 

“Definitely,” Robin agreed. “And you've done your fair share of good too. I'm not saying things can be exactly the same—we've all been through a lot, and we're going to have to rebuild our trust from scratch. But Terra, we talked it over and we all decided: we want to. And we will.

 

“Stay.”

 

Wiping the tears from her eyes, the tiny girl stared at her friends incredulously. `They…they want me back?! They really are family. This really is home!'

 

“C'mon,” Luffy grinned, “Y'know you want to!”

 

“Yeah,” she smiled. “Yeah, I do!”

 

“Ooh,” Starfire squealed with delight, “This calls for the group hug!”

 

Hearts bulged from Sanji's eyes as she pulled the heroes together, and for once none of the others could even complain. It was right.

 

Terra, Usopp, and the others fell into an embrace that again united them as one family. The Iso-jin may have inconvenienced them, but that was all they did. The bond between the Straw Hat Pirates and the Teen Titans was stronger than ever—it was truly a relationship that could never be severed.

 

However, one final threat loomed on the horizon, threatening to challenge that title. It was no surprise, no final twist waiting to jump the friends—it had been there from the beginning, the inevitable outcome that all had ignored in hopes that they'd in turn not have to face it.

 

Yet, despite that it all came down to returning home. The Straw Hat Pirates and the Teen Titans had separate lives in separate universes—and a rift like that tends to kill friendships.

 

They had all known this, and they had all put it off, but there was no more time to waste. It had to happen, whether they liked it or not. This omnipresent fact revealed itself in the form of a final figure entering the room.

 

The heroes' group hug was interrupted as they all looked up to see Ian stagger through the doorway, still injured but finally conscious.

 

“Yo,” he grunted, leaning on his sword for support. “When am I going home?!”

 

 

 

Nami stood with several wads of green around her feet, happily sifting through bills held between her fingers. “What a treasure!”

 

“Don't rub it in,” Cyborg growled. “And I still don't see how that group hug counted as a forfeit of the Stankball game.”

 

“Starfire called the hug, and she was on your team,” Nami explained, sticking out her tongue. “Stop being such a sore loser!”

 

Cyborg could only sigh and hang his head.

 

Next time: Epilogue—A Friendship That Spans All