Chopper started to get really worried. Brandon's wounds had been anything but getting better. The gash on his back looked like it had been infected. As for Brandon in general, he hadn't spoken much, except for "Sure", "Thanks", "Yes", "No", and "Go away". Chopper was getting really worried.

Occasionally, Usopp came in to cheer him up by acting like a moron. Brandon laughed, but one time he laughed too hard and started to cough up blood.

It had been four days since the battle. And Brandon kept getting worse.

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Brandon lay back, motionless, as Chopper and another doctor helped clean him up. Chopper wiped his head as he flipped Brandon on his back.

"Okay, doctor. Thank you." Chopper said, motioning for the doctor to go. And the doctor left. "So, good news, Brandon. And bad news."

Brandon smiled, his eyes in horrible shape, like he hadn't slept in ages. "It always is, ain't it..."

Chopper flipped through the charts he had set on a table. "Okay, so...good news, your back injury is healed up. So you don't have to worry about a huge gash on your back anymore."

Brandon felt his back, and sighed with relief. "Thank god. And the bad news?"

Vivi just happened to come in the minute Chopper said the bad news. "Bad news is...your body isn't getting better. It's not that you haven't worn it out (I'm surprised you haven't, honestly!) but...it seems it's slowly killing your systems. I have no idea what it is."

Brandon noticed Vivi. "Interesting. Uh, Chopper, can you give me and Vivi a minute?"

Chopper nodded. "For now, I'll mix up something so you can try to get better from what I know." He left.

Vivi sat next to Brandon. Brandon sat up. "Hey."

Vivi started to cry. "Don't tell me you're going to die...please..."

Brandon rubbed his eyes, then shrugged. "I wouldn't know that. You'll have to ask Chopper. He knows more than I do. Besides, I never even graduated high school yet..."

Vivi hugged Brandon. "You've done more than I expected you to. For a while...I thought you'd never come back."

Brandon gently put his arms around her back. "Really? I knew I'd come back. I had a feeling I would..."

Vivi let go of him, and looked at his face. His eyes seemed to be perking back to their normal condition. "Hey, you're getting better. That's all I care about."

Brandon thought for a minute. "I had a dream about you."

Vivi giggled. "Really? Tell me!" She seemed interested all of a sudden.

Brandon knew now was a good as a time as any to tell her. "Okay, we'll start here: you see...when I was 12, I had a dream about us on the Going Merry (Merry Go). And...we were talking, and I eventually asked you out...well...I asked you to be my girlfriend...and you said yes."

Vivi smiled. "Really now?"

Brandon nodded. "Yeah. That was the dream I had about you the day I came to your kingdom for the second time."

"To save me...right?"

"Uh-huh." Brandon was silent for a minute. "I wanted to tell you...figured you'd like to hear at least a bit of good news."

Vivi smiled. "I actually had an idea that you liked me...when you fought that guy who came to the castle, you called me "your girl"...was that an accident?" Vivi giggled.

Brandon started to sweat a bit. He wanted to say it was, but it wasn't, really. "Hah...um...well...I guess not really."

Vivi took a hold of Brandon's hand. "You're too sweet. You know...I thought something was...sparkling...about you when I met you. You seem like someone who could be a leader. But now...it's clear to me...you're like a man."

Brandon was kind of shocked. "Odd, Troy says I resemble a whining kid."

Vivi laughed. "You're full of life, aren't you?"

Brandon shrugged. "Hey, that's me. 'Mister Brandon, full if life, and yet he can still get called a kid'. Odd, they haven't given me a medal yet with that."

Then Brandon realized she was holding his hand. Brandon gulped. "Um..." Brandon didn't know what to do.

Vivi and Brandon locked eyes. Brandon saw flowers in Vivi's eyes. Really pretty blue flowers that were blooming in the sun. He looked down at her rosy, red lips. They seemed to have in some sort of trance.

"Brandon..."

Brandon decided now was as good as a time as ever to do it. He moved forward, Vivi moved closer to him...

"HEY!!!" A yell rang through the palace. Brandon, in shock, fell onto the floor. Vivi snapped back into reality and looked to see what was going on.

Luffy was racing Troy across the palace, both had ran into Sanji, who had some food in his hand. Well...he did...and now it was all over Luffy and Troy.

"You rotten little-" Sanji glared at the two.

Luffy and Troy ran off, scared that Sanji would follow them. Indeed he did, he came after them with a frying pan.

Chopper ran into Brandon's room, helping him back onto the bed, and taking his temperature. Chopper got a look of shock in his eyes, and shoved something in Brandon's mouth.

"Chopper...?" Vivi asked.

Brandon was conscious...just started to cough up blood again, but more severely this time.

Chopper led Vivi out of the room. "We better gather the entire crew. Now."

Vivi was confused. "Why?"

Chopper had a tear roll down his eye. "Brandon's condition has gotten worse to a point that his body can't handle it. Vivi...he's dying."

Vivi was shocked. "Can't you do anything about it?"

Chopper shook his head. "I've tried everything I could. Nothing I do has worked. Now...Brandon has got about three hours until he's dead."

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Brook, Nami, and Robin burst into Brandon's room two hours later. They had just gotten back from checking on the Going Merry. The whole crew had gathered in the room. Vivi was sitting by Brandon, watching Brandon wheeze as he clutched his stomach.

"Brandon...I would tell you what's going on...but I think you already know..." Chopper said.

Brandon managed to pop a grin. "I know, Chopper. I can feel it. I'm dying."

Troy wasn't here yet. Everyone looked around frantically for Troy.

"Where the hell is that doofus?" Sanji complained.

Troy burst into the room, kicking open the door. "Where?! Where is he?!" Troy looked at Brandon. "Oh god..." Troy walked up to Brandon.

"Troy...I'm so sorry...it looks like I'm not going to live to be going home. I'm sorry." Brandon started to cry. "I'm really sorry! If I had changed something I did...I probably wouldn't be here...I mean..."

Luffy moved toward the bed. "Brandon. You did all you could. You got me and you here quicker than anyone I know could. You fought as hard as you could to save Vivi and stop Vladimar. You did more than enough."

Brandon shook his head. "No I didn't. I won't get to go home. I...wanna go home."

Everyone fell silent. Brandon clutched his stomach in pain.

"I...want to say something...before I pass on. I know it's coming, so I want to say it before I die." Brandon said, blood starting to drip from his mouth.

Everyone listened to what Brandon would have to say.

"*Cough* Luffy...when I met you...you and your crew accepted me and healed my wounds. You guys took care of us and helped us out in our time of need. I'm very grateful for that." Brandon turned to Sanji. "I'm sorry I messed with you, Sanji. I really didn't mean to. I mean...you're a wonderful cook. I know that back home, you'd be like...a millionaire if you opened a restaurant."

Sanji smiled.

"Zoro. You trained me as much as you could, and I learned so much. I'm truly grateful for all that you taught me all you know. Nami. You were like a big sister to me on the ship. I always wondered what it'd be like to have a sister...you certainly did a gret job."

Nami wiped tears from her eyes. "Ahh...shut it, will ya?"

Brandon turned to Usopp, Brook, Franky, and Robin. "Usopp, you really knew how to make me laugh. Robin, you were really nice to me, and like my greatest friend on the ship. Brook, you were like a really awesome musician. And Franky...you're pretty super."

Franky smiled. "Did you hear that?! He called me super! SUUUPPPPPEEEERRRR!!!" Tears came down his face.

Brandon patted Chopper on the back. "Chopper...you're an exceptional doctor. You're the best I've ever seen."

Brandon gulped. Two more to go.

"Vivi. You helped me and Troy the first time we entered this world. Not only that...but...I seriously like you. You're an amazing person. You're...a great princess."

Brandon looked at Troy. "Troy...I've got a heap of things I want to say to you. So here goes...you're my best friend. You're a great guy. I'm so lucky to have you at my side. If I never had you in my life, god knows where I'd be...well, I'd be friendless. But you're a truely exceptional person. I can't believe I have to say goodbye to you."

Troy tried to keep his tears back. "Brandon...you're such a damn great good guy. If only everybody saw what I did...they wouldn't treat you like an outsider. To me...you're one heck of a great guy. Nice, smart, funny...you're all of those."

Brandon smiled. "I'd never thought I'd hear anybody say that...that makes me so happy."

Brandon lay back, and closed his eyes. "Now...I don't feel so afraid of dying anymore..."

Troy started to cry.

"Troy...please...get home...that's my last wish." Brandon said. "As for now...I can rest happy."

Brandon fully closed his eyes, and he didn't move after that.

"Brandon..?" Troy started shaking Brandon. "Brandon!"

Luffy started to cry, tears streaming down his face. Actually, that was an understatement. Everyone started to cry. Sanji howled out in horror at this sight. Vivi started to scream. Chopper started to crumble on the inside.

Troy screeched as loud as he could, tears decorating his face with a shiny clear colour. He looked at the tiny smile on his friend's face.

Nobody dared enter the room. They knew exactly what was happening.

As of now...Brandon had died. His hollow body lay on the bed, bandaged, bruised, but eyes closed with a tiny smile on his face.

He had came into this world a warrior, and he died a hero.