Alfredo was in charge of the ship while Luffy and the rest searched the island for a doctor who could help Nami who was sick.
When they trudged back, Nami back in reasonable health again, they had a visitor with them, what seemed to be a reindeer or perhaps a gopher with hooves and wearing a hat.
The winds had been bad but the ship had not been blown around too badly and it had not been attacked or damaged.
Chopper was amazed at the size of the ship but ducked behind Luffy upon seeing Alfredo's stern face in his parka.
"Don't be afraid, Chopper, it's only Alfredo, he's part of my crew!" said Luffy.
Alfredo's face took on a curious expression, he huffed and dipped his head. The crew thought he was snubbing Chopper, but Chopper was too astonished to react. Alfredo had given a reindeer greeting.
Instantly, Alfredo inspected all of them.
"Good to see you better, Nami. No incidents to report, Master Luffy, though Wapole's men were scouting the ship from far off."
"Let's get underway, then," said Luffy. "I hate this cold."
"Aye, sir," said Alfredo quietly and like a navy man jumped to set sail. Zolo, Usopp, and Sanji joined him.
"He's very formal with me," said Luffy to Chopper. "Come on, I'll show you to a room below deck."
"Okay," said Chopper in his little nasal voice.
They pulled anchor and in minutes were moving away from the winter island off to Alabaster, home of their ex-patriot Princess Vivi.
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They were soon hungry. Alfedo and Sanji served dinner in the dining room. Chopper, their newest addition, ate raw kelp.
Before sitting himself, Alfredo caught Chopper's attention and had another subtle expression on his face.
"Oh, I'm fine," said Chopper and continued chewing kelp. The others wondered why Chopper said that. Only Alfredo knew, because he had asked in Chopper's language.
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After cleanup, Nami retired early, and the rest went above deck to play games or just relax.
Zolo went to the crow's nest to scout. Sanji and the princess, tired after their activity on the winter island retired to their own thoughts while looking over the side, while Luffy and Usopp played tag.
Chopper was both intrigued and wary of Alfredo. He had never met any human who could speak reindeer. He thought Alfredo was lifting a weapon, but the latter was only sitting and set his guitar in place and played.
Chopper listened. He had never heard anything like it. Birds in chorus had a kind of pleasant charm, but this was something better, planned, it made more sense, but Chopper could not understand how. Finally, he realized that the doctors he knew had studied their art. Alfredo must have done the same to do this thing. Alfredo was a different kind of doctor. That must be it. Chopper certainly found it relaxing, but sometimes the sound was disturbing, made him sad, but he did not know why.
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As Usopp tired and went to bed, Luffy sat near Chopper to listen to Alfredo's playing.
The evening wore on, and at midnight, Alfredo played the intro to the Masonic song.
"Oh no, it's the sad song," said Luffy.
"Uh oh," said Chopper, not knowing why.
Alfredo sang it in German, his beautiful voice no louder than the guitar. Luffy remembered Shanks, and Chopper remembered Dr. Hiralock, the idealist doctor who befriended him and died of illness. And they cried.
Luffy shuffled tearfully for bed, and Chopper approached Alfredo. The latter leaned his guitar against the chair as Chopper climbed into his lap. The simply looked at each other. The others had retired for bed, all but Zolo.
Alfredo wearied and his head lowered and his eyes closed. Chopper also dropped off at virtually the same time.
Only Zolo from the crow's nest saw something stunning ten minutes later.
Chopper was no longer the foot tall gopher-like creature. His upper torso was human and muscular. His head was human with curly dark brown hair melding into a soft thick mane around the shoulders and back. Zolo even from his elevated position could see a snouty nose and small mouth. Chopper's legs were sleek with deer hide and hooved. With the guitar poised against the chair and both of them asleep, the image was solemn, like a still-life from one of the Renaissance painters: "Musician and Fawn". In less than a minute, Chopper's legs had become human, still covered with pants. He was young, around Luffy's age, a year younger, a year older? Who could tell?
Zolo did not move, but remained on watch.
Two hours later, Alfredo woke and strangely was not even startled by Chopper's human form.
Alfredo only stood slowly and carried Chopper below deck to his bedroom and laid him down, pulled back the covers, then re-laid Chopper under the covers and pulled them up.
Chopper woke and grunted, putting his arms out. Alfredo said nothing but sat and embraced him.
Chopper grunted again, a pleading, and Alfredo realized Chopper may not have been able to talk in this form. Ironically, the reality was: he could speak human speech clearest in his least human forms.
Chopper rubbed his face against Alfredo, flawless and delicate.
Alfredo accepted Chopper's affection and knew the precise moment Chopper would get aroused and want more. It was already beginning: Chopper's face getting flushed, his breathing longer and harder. But Alfredo did not wish to mate with Chopper lest the others become instinctive rivals. He only wished to be a companion, a "herd mate" in reindeer language. And he pressed his head to Chopper's head then smelled his hair, then began to pull away.
Chopper's eyes inquired.
But Alfredo only smiled and began backing away slowly, all animal language. Finally, he was gone.
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REINDEER GAMES
"Come on! Alfredo and Chopper are fighting!" said Usopp and they came running.
Alfredo was dressed in tough leather guard gauntlets to the shoulders, leg guards, and a compact steel-latticed face guard. He was in a typical judo stance facing Chopper, the latter a small but lean buck, four feet high at the shoulder with formidable antlers.
Chopper charged, trying to gore Alfredo in various spots, especially the face, but Alfredo would either pirouette out of the way like a bullfighter, or tumble away, or use his arms to swat the antlers away at the last moment, often engaging in drawn out defensive moves to keep the antlers away, hands moving almost faster than eyes could see.
Once, Alfredo grabbed the antlers from a charge and was locked in a tight struggle. Alfredo had handled cattle as a child and knew calves were far stronger than they appeared. With a horrific struggle, Alfredo twisted Chopper's neck by the antlers and forced him to the deck.
Letting go, Chopper hopped back to his feet instantly and charged again.
This bout lasted a good fifteen minutes. Chopper eventually caught Alfredo with his front hooves and pinned Alfredo to the deck flat on his back. Chopper licked Alfredo's face, making Alfredo laugh.
"All right, Chopper, you win!" said Alfredo between laughs.
Chopper was instantly in his boy form and he rubbed his face against Alfredo's chest with a big smile. Then instantly he was in his foot-high upright gopher form laughing and running away as fast as he could.
Alfredo, leaning up on one arm, said, "One of these days, Zolo, you're going to have to help me train with the swords. My defense is weak."
"You were doing fine," said Zolo with a hint of a smile.
"I studied a bit of judo and kung fu when I was younger, but my technique is mostly intuitive. How about it, Usopp? Try a round?"
"Not hand-to-hand," said Usopp. "You're too good, Alfredo. You're going to have to show me how you can speak to Chopper without saying a word."
"Speak to Chopper?" said Alfredo incredulously. "That's almost as absurd as understanding black dots on a page."
They understood and chuckled.
Alfredo continued. "Animals can't speak like us, but they definitely communicate. How do they do it? They use gestures, mostly based on dominance and submission stance. Their verbal cues are rudimentary but every grunt or call has different meaning based on volume, length, pitch. Their communication is simpler than ours, not clouded by agendas. More honest, because they never lie."
Luffy laughed. "Come on, Alfredo, that's crazy! Stop pulling my leg!"
Instantly, Alfredo lunged, grabbed one of Luffy's legs, making the latter fall to the deck ("Whaaohhhhhhhhhhh!!!") and raced halfway down the deck in seconds, stretching the leg with him like holding a football, charging for a touchdown.
"Too late, rubber boy!" Alfredo shouted.
Chopper bolted out of nowhere, grabbed Luffy's other leg and began running and stretching it in the opposite direction.
"Heyyyyyyyyyyyy!!! Stop pulling my leeeggggggggggssssssss!!!!" shouted Luffy.
The Holy Insurgent of Uncertainty
c2005
