beneath the water, Luffy floated, hands clasped over his mouth. blinking rapidly, he saw Chopper just below him, also floating in the cold, dark depth of the River. but Chopper was in his monster form - the old one, the one where he was like he was caught in a nightmare and Luffy couldn't wake him up. he was roaring. Luffy grabbed one of his hard, hoof-like fingers as he waved it through the water, and they sank together. he opened his mouth and, despite the icy chill of the River on his teeth and creeping down his throat, he called to his friend.

"don't be scared, Chopper," and he fought back the idea that Chopper couldn't hear him; he could never hear him like this, even when he screamed with all his heart to reach him, "don't be scared, because I'm here and I'm not leaving until you wake up and you always wake up, even if it takes hours and you sleep through eight meals and make Sanji worry that you aren't getting enough meat."

Chopper roared some more, and then coughed at the end, like he could taste the Riverwater. bubbles escaped his snout and drifted in multiple directions, not like normal bubbles. wrapping his legs around Chopper's wrist, Luffy reached out and grabbed an antler, then crept downward until he was right beside Chopper's eye. the feeling of sinking into the ocean didn't go away, but Luffy pushed at it. it was annoying. the roaring stopped, and the eye he hung beside tried to focus on him.

"we'll go back," he stated calmly. are they slowing down? "we'll go back and Robin and Nami will give you hugs and Franky will cry and say he wasn't scared at all and Usopp will tell us everything that happened while we were gone and Zoro and Sanji will fight again and Brook…"

he looked approximately up. "Brook… will be there too… I promise, he'll have the perfect fur-drying song already picked out and then we'll all be together, we'll all be safe."

"euurrruuuooo," said Chopper, looking sad, and suddenly he wasn't big anymore, he was normal tanuki-sized, and they definitely weren't sinking anymore, but Chopper was crying. "oooooooh," he wailed, gripping Luffy's shirt front.

"you're out of it, you're back!" Luffy exclaimed, ecstatic, and pulled him close. he nuzzled the fur on his head.

"I w-was s-so s-s-scared! L-l-l-luffy!" he sobbed. "I w-was d-d-d-drowning!"

"not anymore," Luffy said.

"I w-was al-l-lone!"

"never." Luffy shook him a little. the sound of running water reached their ears from a distance. the cold of the River receded a little. "you have to remember this, Chopper," he said. "we love you. we love you. you are never alone. never. okay?"

Chopper hiccuped, and the water fell away from them, leaving them sitting on the dry planks of a ship. Chopper looked into Luffy's eyes and Luffy thought, this is what it means. being captain.

he pulled him close again. captains get the best hugs, he thought, immensely pleased with himself. he whispered into the velvet ear, "we love you, Chopper. let's go home."