Grizz: Y'all can thank a friend of mine who I will just call Sam at this point in time for the idea. We were talking headcanons at the time and one of mine so happens to be that Garp is on really good terms with the older era pirates. Like well you're here so sit down for a drink and lets shoot the bull kind of good terms. That lead to the fact that Luffy and Zoro have the same kind of weird and insane friendship that I like to think Roger and Rayleigh had so of course this leads to a sequel I truthfully didn't know I was gonna write.

Deadpool: *eyeroll* Are you done yet?

Grizz: *scowls* I have to explain my reasoning for there being a second chapter.

DP: Whatever. Continue onto the story already!

Grizz: *growls* *picks up baseball bat* I'll see y'all at the end. For now it's batting practice on Anti-heroes.

Chapter 2

Today, Dog, just ain't yours

"Rumors have abounded stating the Straw Hat Pirates are keeping a rabid wolf aboard their ship. Are the Marine witnesses overstating their reactions? Or has Straw Hat Luffy truly become as deranged as they say?" The swordsman smirks, a mischievous glint coming to his remaining eye.

If the news people and the Marines want to make those claims then let them. He'll be more than happy to announce he and his Captain's feelings on such annoying and moronic rumors. If it involves wearing puppy ears and barking at the Marines, then at the least he'll be rid of debt to the sea witch.

"Zoro." Are you ready? The First Mate jerks his head in a stiff nod. The surprise of his Captain appearing beside him suddenly has worn off long before they ever left the East Blue.

"Captain." You should be asking the shit-cook that.

Their silent conversations? Even more so. So much said, so much explained with little more than the slightest of gestures. It is a language of which few understand, much less know how to speak. The people he's had the honor of meeting who are truly fluent in it? He can count those on one hand and still have fingers left over.

Sandai Kitetsu clicks in its sheath, his thumb hovering above the inch of showing blade in silent preparation for the battle—slaughter—that is about to take place. Watching the Marine ship pull into cannon distance, Zoro tilts his head to Luffy. Three spars they run from me before you hit them.

"Shishishi," His Captain cackles, cracking his knuckles even as Usopp's plants spring up on the opposite deck. Three spars and a seaking. When the ships are within jumping distance, Zoro leaps off the railing, grinning darkly at the soldiers who yelp at the sight of him. Now if only he can get them to run before Luffy plants his feet on the deck. It'll be one less seaking to haul in if he does.

XxX

Feral Mutt Roronoa Zoro, worth two-hundred million beri, wanted dead or alive! The former Pirate Hunter seems have changed his tune since the Straw Hat Pirates reached the New World. It is not the first time in the last nine months that eyewitnesses have reported Roronoa wearing a dog costume and 'playing' with Marines on Captain Straw Hat Luffy's orders.

The former Vice-Admiral roars with laughter, the paper in his hands crumpling under the tight grip. Still chuckling, he returns to the article, his eyes roaming over several pictures of what he recognizes to be his grandson's First Mate either in mid-battle or standing on their ship preparing for battle. But it's the last picture that catches his attention.

A lucky shot of both his grandson and the swordsman, standing side by side in front of the ship's mast. While Garp is happy to see his grandson grinning like the damn fool he is, he doesn't miss the slight tilt of the boy's shoulders, the gleam in determined eyes or the responding bloody grin and incline of the swordsman's head.

Every small gesture, every strange angle in their expressions brings up an odd nostalgia in the retired Marine's bones. It's only after he finally notices the strange dog ears and fluffy tail poking out from behind the First Mate's haramaki that he realizes why. A bubble of amusement forms in his gut and with a throaty chuckle he rolls up the newspaper, throwing a handful of bills onto the bar counter before leaving the rundown building.

XxX

The bar door opens, a shadow overtaking the ground in front of the looming figure. The bartender isn't worried though. Instead, she tilts her head, a dusting of ash falling from her cigarette as her lips pull into a knowing smile. "Well, I'll be. Vice-Admiral Garp, to what do I owe the visit?"

Garp settles onto a bar stool with a soft grunt, arching an eyebrow when the bartender sets a bottle of sake in front of the man. "It's not Vice-Admiral anymore, Shakky, just Garp. I came by to see if I could find that old bastard. There are some things I wanted to discuss with him."

Shakky continues to smile, leaning on the bar with her cigarette in one hand. More than used to her odd ways, Garp settles for enjoying the sake, surprised to find the ex-Pirate serving him something so fine. At least until he hears a familiar voice behind him.

"Since when did I become an old bastard, ya old bastard?" Garp chuckles, turning in his seat to find the man he'd been looking for staring at him with that same easy grin that'd pissed him off nearly thirty years before. He slides the gray-haired man a glass of sake when he joins him at the bar. "I hadn't thought you'd be back to Sabaody since the war, Garp. What brings ya here?"

Inwardly he's struggling between strangling his old friend for corrupting his grandson and commending him for corrupting the Pirate Captain. "Just something my damn grandson has been doing these past few months. It seemed oddly familiar but I just couldn't put my finger on it." He sips on his sake, "Then I saw something in the paper that gave me my answer."

Rayleigh arches an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

"The First Mate's language. It's pretty easy to recognize if you know where to look." He says is so casually that he knows it'll throw the Dark King for a loop. After all, Garp himself may never have had the bond with a First Mate to learn the language but chasing the same Pirate Captain for three years sure as hell gave him the insight to know what it is. The retired Pirate pauses, the action lasting no longer then a fraction of a second and Garp's eyes may be old but he still catches it. He smirks, glancing at the man out the corner of his eye. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"

Rayleigh grins—if it's tinged with pain Garp won't earn a shiner for bringing it up—setting his cup on the counter. "It may be but you know as well as I do I couldn't tell you what they're saying. If those boys want to mess with the Marines I say let them. If they're using the same joke Roger used, then I'd say it's time for the world to be reminded what happens when a King sails."

"Hmph," Garp huffs, setting his cup down. "You really think that grandson of mine will do it?"

"Aye, I do." The retired Marine nods, rising from his seat to leave when Rayleigh continues on, his eyes pinned on the poster mounted on the wall. "That boy has the makings of a King and one hell of a crew to back him up. If you can't believe in that, Garp, then have faith in his First Mate to get him there. My friendship with Roger was strong and I would have gladly traded my life for his but their's," His grins softens. "Their's is a hundred times stronger than even that. Luffy will become Pirate King and Zoro will be by his side until the end of time."

When the door shuts behind him with a soft click uncharacteristic for the retired Marine, Rayleigh gets up, snatching the partially full bottle from the counter and walking through a door at the back of the bar. The talk, while brief, has stirred memories he'd honestly forgotten until his drinking buddy had brought them up. Smiling to himself, he shuts the door to his personal room and walks over to a small dusty chest he keeps stored in a corner.

He sits in front of it, brushing the dust off with one hand while the other sets the bottle of sake down at his side. With slow, steady movements he removes a key from his cloak, inserting it into the lock and turning it. The lock clicks with a soft pop dropping open.

"First one here, eh?"

He smirks, gauging the young swordsman at a glance. "You'd be right. Though I'm curious as to how you got here. Last I heard you had one of the worst senses of direction out of the lot of ya."

Roronoa snorts, muttering something of ghosts and witches before his remaining eye locks onto the ex-First Mate's with a fierce determination. "How's Luffy?"

"Your Captain?" Rayleigh arches an eyebrow when the swordsman nods. "Last I saw, he was doing pretty well with his training. If he survived he'll be here in two week's time. Why do you ask?"

When Shakky sets an extra bottle on the bar, Roronoa sits down beside the Dark King, his expression pinched in an expression he himself would recognize anywhere. One of exasperation, joy, worry, and anger mixed in equal proportions. What draws his attention though, is the body language he reads off the younger man. Though any other person wouldn't be able to see it, Rayleigh does and is intrigued by it.

"Because my Captain is an idiot but he's our idiot and it's my job to make sure he doesn't throw himself into another dump of trouble without at least jumping in after him." Rayleigh grins at the explanation, a sense of nostalgia washing over him in the form of a kinship no one else would be able to lay claim to.

He chuckles, sipping his sake. "You wouldn't be the first to feel like that but from one First Mate to another, you learn to live with it." He knows he has the younger's attention when the moss-head arches an eyebrow. He grins. "You didn't think I'd notice?"

Roronoa scowls, crossing his arms over his chest. "What the hell are you talking about?"

That has the Dark King sighing. Setting his glass down he turns to the swordsman. "It's rare for a Captain and First Mate to click so well so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you don't know but the kind of bond you two have is rare. When a First Mate and a Captain work together like a well-oiled team, a second language develops between them where no words need to be exchanged to understand what the other wants or thinks." He sees the understanding grow in the younger's eye and continues, "as First Mate, he'll expect you to be able to protect the crew when he can't and have his back when he decides to jump headfirst into trouble."

The swordsman takes on a thoughtful look, his eye landing on his Captain's Bounty poster hanging on the wall behind the bar. "This language, what's it about?"

Rayleigh rolls his shoulders, deciding on what to tell the younger man and what to let him find out on his own. After about a minute he decides on, "It's rare, that's for sure. I, myself, have only met a handful of other First Mates who share the language with their Captain. That and the language differs from pair to pair. There are some similarities in body language but if you were to have a full conversation with your Captain right beside me I'd only be able to understand maybe a fraction of it. The same goes for the other First Mates and their Captains, they'd be able to know you're speaking but wouldn't be able to know what you're discussing besides a few broad words or phrases."

"Sounds complicated," Roronoa hums. "What makes this secondary language so important?"

Here, the retired Pirate pins the man with a serious look, a streak of grief and happiness flaring to life in it. "Your Captain will ask you to do the impossible, things the rest of the crew couldn't possibly understand the reasoning of, or be able to achieve it themselves, and trust you to get it done. For Captains like ours, the language is a way to avoid panic among the crew and let you know when the order is serious."

The Ex-First Mate pauses in his perusal of the contents of the trunk, his chest tightening in buried grief over the newspaper clipping in his hand. He falls back to lean against the wall and grabs the bottle, taking a large swig. And he laughs, a low throated sound that shakes his chest and reverberates through his head. When he calms he shakes his head, the clipping in his hand obscuring the bold words The Roger Pirates have gone to the dogs.

"Roger, our time may be gone but there are two kids ready and willing to show the Marines what Sea Dogs are made of."

"Marine sail ho!" He rolls his eyes when he hears the cackle accompanying the announcement. If the First Mate had known this was how things would turn out he would've turned away from the drinking contest. Now, he just scratches at the collar around his neck.

He turns when bickering reaches his ears to find the young gangly cabin boys approaching, Buggy apparently trying to prove that Roger's an idiot for coming up with the consequence in the first place while Shanks appears to be arguing the opposite. He chuckles, grabbing both boys by their shoulders. "Alright, you two, arguing over that won't change nothing."

Buggy huffs, turning his nose the other way. "Making someone wear a costume to fight Marines is stupid. Why would Captain do it anyway?"

"Because, Buggy," Rayleigh starts, an eye being drawn to the approaching figure of his best friend and their Captain. "If someone makes an agreement, even if they're drunk, then they stick to it."

You just don't want to admit you lost fair and square. He wants to growl at his Captain for the smug look but he'll be damned if he looks the fool in front of the cabin boys who he's not afraid to admit he sees as his sons.

Instead, he turns his attention to Shanks when he sticks his tongue out at Buggy. "I told you. Master Rayleigh entered the contest, got his ass handed to him, and will stick by his honor and where the costume." With that, the boys are gone in another flurry of fists and feet. Just this once he decides to let them go in favor of turning to his best friend.

He arches an eyebrow, tugging on the tail tied around his waist. Why a dog? He questions Roger, intent on getting an answer. Roger grins, tilting his head in the direction of the approaching Marine battleships.

We're Sea Dogs after all, He tells the First Mate, why not prove it to the bastards that have been chasing our tail for the last week?

Rayleigh sighs, fixing the ears on his head so they sit straight and chuckles. "Aye, aye, Captain."

With that, there's no time left. A battleship pulls alongside the Oro Jackson and Rayleigh's drawn into playing his part as First Mate. "Roger!" Speaking of which, he looks up, finding their rival and friend standing on the figurehead of his own ship grinning that maniacal grin. "Turn yourself in and I'll make sure you'll get a nice cell in Impel Down!"

"I don't think so, Garp!" Roger grins, tilting his head to Rayleigh. "The only way you'll be taking me and my crew is if we're dead! I think it's time for you to learn not to mess with sea dogs like us. Rayleigh!" Sic 'em.

Biting back a groan at the silent order—He'll murder his Captain the next time the idiot comes up with an idea like this—he leaps over the railing, slashing first at the cannons then at the men who come at him. When he sees Garp charging with that blood-curdling grin of his, he doesn't shake in fear like a lesser Pirate. Instead, he matches the grin with his own, turning away from the Marine to allow his Captain his own fight.

DP: Stop! *flies up*

Grizz: *cackles* *swings*

DP: You! *flies up again*

Grizz: *smirks*

DP: Damn! *attempts to glare*

Grizz: Time for the home run! *swings harder*

DP: Woman! *smacks into tree* *hits ground* I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.

Grizz: You love me when you want something. Anyway, *turns to readers* So weird, strange, odd, ridiculous things happened that I'm still trying to figure out myself. *scratches head* I guess the first thing would be the headcanons. This entire story is mostly wrote on those. That and I wanted Zoro to dress up like a dog damnit. The first, like I said earlier, was about the Garp/Older era Pirate/Friends headcanon. The second was somewhat of a surprise for me. That being the Zoro/Luffy/nonverbal language. *coughs* Couldn't really pass it up. I do something of the same with my best friend only with a range of animals noises added to the expressions to get my point across. Anyway, I like it, it's adorable, and it stays. Now, normally I don't reply to reviews on oneshots but since this has officially turned into a two shot, I'd say y'all deserve it.

Guest, Thank you, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it.

Wordlet, LMAO, that is one of my favorite parts is when people underestimate Luffy just because of his looks, or maybe overestimate him in this situation. Either way, the Marines were in for a shock, Luffy and the crew got a laugh, and I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it. To me, it doesn't matter what part you enjoyed as long as you enjoyed it.

Sam, yup, just yup. That's about the entire running joke behind the story. Besides Luffy's tricks that is. Anyway, I hope I gave Roger and Rayleigh justice with this one and I hope you get a kick out of the title of the chapters. *grins*

Sakuras41, *bows* Thank you. Glad to hear it.

Ataecina, Thank you for the compliment. That...is most definitely one possibility. I can just see Zoro getting aggravated about it and keeping the suitcase up in the observation room for easy access after the third time Sanji teases him for it.

Alright guys, I hope y'all enjoyed the wrap up to Captain's Feral Puppy and I—WE!—wish you a Spooky Halloween!

Grizzly out for the night.