Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

"Ow." Rat Trap paused in her hunt, large ears twitching towards the soft voice. The golden kitten was hurt again, Rat Trap did so wish her pet would ease up on him. Tough love was all well and good, but there were times one's claws needed to be retracted. Rat Trap nudged the door to the kitten's room open slightly, looking in to find the kitten sitting on his bed with a cold compress against his chest where Rat Trap's pet had kicked him away from the stove earlier. This was the kitten her pet had sacrificed his leg, and their lives as pirates, for. Honestly, though, the cream-and-chocolate peterbald kind of preferred life as a restaurant's cat. Visiting ships brought in plenty of pests to keep her busy and she even got to talk with the other ship's mousers on occasion. Ah, but she was getting distracted (awful habit that, she'd once lost track of a great big rat because she'd gotten distracted by a bit of odd-colored light reflecting off a jewel). Rat Trap shook her head free of her distracting thoughts and looked back to the kitten.
Sometime while she'd been distracted the kitten had apparently noticed her. He was staring at her, head tilted, as if he didn't quite know what to make of her. Rat Trap got that look a lot, mostly from customers who couldn't understand the beauty of a furless cat. Really, though, a furless cat was the only cat for a restaurant. One would think they wanted fur in their food the way they acted sometimes. "Hey, Kitty. Did you come to see me?" The kitten asked. Rat Trap's tail twitched, the kitten was gasping slightly when he talked. Rat Trap was no doctor, but even she knew that wasn't good. She hoped her pet hadn't kicked the kitten too hard this time. Wanting to make sure the kitten was okay, Rat Trap pushed past the door and trotted over to the kitten's bed, hopping up and nosing the kitten's side lightly, making the kitten laugh softly. The injury didn't seem to bad. "I don't get why that old geezer bothered to save me if all he was going to do is beat me up." Rat Trap mewed softly and rubbed her head against the kitten's chin comfortingly.
"Don't give up, Kitten. He does care. Tough love is just the only love he know." She purred.

9 YEARS LATER

Rat Trap smiled tiredly as she watched her kitten, though he was probably a bit to old to call a kitten anymore, pace around his room, gathering his belongings and putting them in a bag on his bed. Mouse Trap, Rat Traps little pure cream apprentice, was sitting beside the aging cat and watching in confusion. "I don't get it, Ratty. Why's Sanji have to go? Did he do something wrong?" The young male asked, looking up at his mentor. Rat Trap chuckled lightly, smiling as her kitten darted into the bathroom to get his toothbrush and toothpaste (and a few washcloths, know her kitten's grooming habits).
"No, he didn't do anything wrong. He's grown up now and it's time for him to set out and chase his dreams." Rat Trap explained. "All kittens leave their kitten-hood home when they grow up, just like you did. Humans just grow up slower than us cats, because it takes longer for them to figure out what they want."
"Do you think he'll be okay? I didn't see any mousers on the ship he's going after." Mouse Trap said, laying down and watching Sanji fish his brush out from under the bed where the younger cat had hidden it earlier, giving the trouble-making tom a playful glare as he did.
"He'll be fine. Sanji knows every ship needs a good cat, so I'm sure he'll find one when he can." Rat Trap said. Mouse Trap nodded as their shared pet walked in to have a last talk with the kitten he'd saved all those years ago. Rat Trap yawned and walked off, Sanji had already said his goodbyes to the cats so there was no need for her to stick around. It was time to let the kitten go.

SEVERAL MONTHS LATER

Sanji sighed as he read over the letter Zeff had sent him again. Old Rat Trap had lived far longer than most cats are expected to, but time had finally caught up with her. She'd gone to sleep one night and then never woke up. Sanji wiped away a tear before it could fall, idly scratching behind Mouse's ear with one hand. "You did good, Rat Trap. You've earned a rest." He muttered before carefully moving the sleeping fluff ball on his lap to her bed and getting up. He needed to clear the fur off his shirt before he could fix lunch. Things were so much easier with a furless cat.

TBC

CAT STATS:

Name: Rat Trap
Pet: Zeff
Gender: Female
"Human-ese": Fluent
Breed: Peterbald
Color(s): Chocolate and Cream Tortoiseshell
Hair Length: N/A (Furless)
Collar: Blue

Name: Mouse Trap
Pet: Zeff
Gender: Male
"Human-ese": Passable
Breed: Peterbald
Color(s): Cream
Hair Length: N/A (Furless)
Collar: Blue

The first chapter to show a human's perspective.