Nami and Robin rushed over with towels and warm blankets after the crew ushered everyone back inside to wait out the rest of the storm.
"Are you alright??" She wraps the blanket around Akito's trembling body.
He felt exhausted.
"Is Chopper okay?" He hadn't seen the reindeer since they got inside.
"He'll be alright, thanks to your bravery." Robin states as she rejoins the crew, "A little water-logged, but otherwise perfectly fine."
"That's good." Akito sits down on the floor, feeling his adrenaline returning to baseline.
"I can't believe you just dove right in!" Usopp pats his shoulder, "I can't believe you were able to stay above the water for so long!"
He shrugs as he wasn't sure what to tell them.
"Here, this should warm you right up." Brook kneels down to hand Akito another hot cup of tea, lowering his voice, "I would like to speak to you later."
Akito takes the tea but now he is worried. What could the skeleton possibly have to say?? Is he onto his secret already?? But he didn't have a choice or Chopper could have died!
He glances down at the liquid, sort of seeing his reflection. Shit! My eyes!
He closes them and tries to will away the glow. If they find out, it'll be the Red Maw all over again!!
"Hm, good job." The swordsman grunts, he looks slightly annoyed but not as stern as before. Akito looks up at him, wondering why he suddenly changed his tune.
"Just rest for a while." The robot smiles softly at him and he nods his head, placing his half empty cup on the floor before laying down; sleep greeting him.

"Good morning, feel better?"
Akito blinks his eyes as everything comes back into focus. He sits up slowly, "How long was I asleep?"
"Well according to my knowledge, you've slept for at least 16 hours."
"What?" He looks over at the little reindeer in shock.
"It's understandable, Usopp tells me that you jumped into the ocean to save me. That you not only found me but kept both of us afloat until the ship could turn around to get us. Thank you for rescuing me!"
"...it's no big deal," Akito gently pats Chopper's head, "I just hope the favor could be returned if ever needed."
"Absolutely!" Chopper grins.
"Akito! Good morning! I hope you slept well!" Luffy calls from the door leading into the library. He seemed to be keeping his distance but his infectious joy still radiated off of him.
"Um, yes, thank you." Akito smiles.
"I think we should hold a feast for your bravery! And your addition to the crew!!"
Luffy beams.
"My what?"
But the rubber man was already half way down the hallway, shouting for the whole crew to meet on the deck.
Akito looks over at Chopper, "Is...?"
"Unfortunately Luffy is serious. He takes his crew seriously." Chopper explains as they make their way to join the group.
On the deck, the crew gathered; awaiting their captain to explain.
Akito hurries up the steps, still a little groggy, but his pulse racing, "Luffy, sir, please reconsider. I c-can't be a part of your crew!"
"Nonsense!" Luffy giggles, "You're a perfect addition!"
"Sir, please," He pleads.
Luffy turns to his crew, ignoring Akito, "Think about it guys! We wouldn't have trouble with storms anymore with someone like him!"
Akito glances at the rest of the crew, trying to convey that he doesn't want to be a part of their group, "Please, I just want to make it to the next island. I don't want to be a part of another crew!" His voice cracks as the vived memories rush back to the front of his mind; instantly gaining a pounding headache.
"Another?" Luffy turns back to him, "I thought you said you were just a traveler??"
"I-..." Akito stammers, his lies swirling around in his head. He tries to think through the mess of memories.
"An enemy?" The swordsman questions, his hand lowers to his swords.
"No, I swear-!"
"If you're another pirate, which crew do you belong to??? Do we know them??" Luffy starts with a barrage of questions. "Did you belong to Law's crew? Ooh! Or maybe you belong to Kid's!"
"STOP IT!!!" Akito shouts, hands rushing to his ears. "Please stop it!!" He can't stand it any longer, "I wasn't a pirate! I wasn't a member!! Slaves aren't anything but toys!!!" He's gasping for air by the end of his sentence.
"A slave..." Chopper whispers, "That explains the marks on your wrists and neck."
Akito wraps his arms around himself, trying to soothe himself, "...I'm sorry I lied. I-I was just trying to escape." He stares down at the deck; he doesn't want to see their pity. Tears start to slip down his face, "I just want to go home."
He tries to wipe them away but with the rush of emotions, he begins to sob, "I miss my family!"
He is surprised when someone pulls him into a close hug. He hugs them back, trying to silence his sobs.
"Were you escaping the Celestial Dragons?" Brook asks softly.
Akito pulls out of the hug, wiping his eyes, "The who?? No, it was a ship called the Red Maw."
Brook makes a face, despite not having the skin to prorate it, "I've heard of them. They were pretty ruthless rookies many years ago."
"We won't let any harm come to you." Luffy states, his happy demeanor changes to one of seriousness.
"You'd help me?" Akito asks softly.
"Absolutely! You risked your life for Chopper!" Luffy replies.
"I appreciate it." Akito gives them a small smile.
Brook taps his chin, "Do you know where your home is??"
Akito looks at the skeleton as realization sets in, "I don't actually remember."
"Then that gives us our goal! We'll find out where you're from and take you home!" Luffy grins, his determination never wavering, "It'll be a grand adventure!!"

Later in the day, Akito had been wandering around the ship. He was trying to familiarize himself, but also to avoid the swordsman. The green haired man made him very nervous.
He made his way to the back of the upper deck, astonished to find a grove of orange trees. He makes his way over, "Wow, they are beautiful."
"Thank you!" Nami says, pride in her eyes as she walks over. She's wearing shorts and a light colored shirt as the sun was starting to get high in the sky. Her hair tied back out of her face. She has a small pair of shears in her hands, "They take a lot of hard work."
"I bet they do." He mumbles, avoiding eye contact.
"Would you like to lend a hand?" She asks him.
"You'd allow me to help with your prized possession??" He asks.
"Absolutely, these trees are a lot of work for one person." She hands him a bucket, "I already trimmed back the branches on this side," Nami gestures to the left of the grove, "Could you please pick off the ripest and take them to the kitchen for Sanji."
"But how do I know which to pick?" He looks at the oranges, they all look the same to him.
"There are a lot of different ways to tell." Nami places her shears in her back pocket and leads Akito over to the left side of the grove. She reaches for an orange, "Here are some ways to tell if they are ripe." She gestures to the orange, "See how bright the color is?"
"Yeah." He nods.
"The brighter the color, the better." She smiles, "But if color isn't enough to tell you could also give them a slight squeeze. Ripe oranges are firm but they also have just a little bit of give to them."
"What if I squeeze it too hard??" He looks concerned.
"Well you can also tell by the feel of their skin. Ripe oranges have smooth and thin skin, with a wonderful scent of sweet and citrusy at the stem." She gestures to him to come forward and smell. He leans forward and breathes in, "That does smell sweet."
"Perfect!" She smiles and picks the orange, "Okay, now that I gave you the run down, I'm going to finish trimming. Remember, Sanji needs those in the kitchen."
"Yes ma'am." Akito turns back to the tree as Nami wanders off to the other side of the grove. He feels a little nervous, hoping he doesn't pick the wrong ones.
He eyes the trees, feeling a sense of being overwhelmed. The pulse in his chest beats again, the steady rhythm comforting him.
"Right, here we go."
It took a couple of minutes before Akito had worked himself into a nice rhythm of picking the ripest oranges. He felt a bit more confident the further into the grove he went.
"Aren't you just a lovely bunch," He mumbles, "I've just come for the ripest. You are going to feed everyone and help them to stay healthy while we travel." He reaches for an orange, giving it a gentle squeeze, "Hm, I don't think you are ripe enough just yet, but keep growing." His hands move to a couple more, bringing the branches close to smell the stem, "Oh, both of you smell sweet. Thank you for contributing." He picks them, places the last two into the bucket, realizing it's full. Already? I'm pretty sure I had only been working for a few minutes. Well, better get these to the kitchen.
He grabs the bucket, "Miss Nami, I'm heading to the kitchen!"
"Alright, thanks for the help!" She calls from her side.
Akito makes his way back down to the main deck, and into the scullery that was connected to the gallery, "Excuse me, Miss Nami sends oranges to the kitchen."
"Wonderful." Sanji makes his way over to grab the bucket from Akito, "That's perfect, would you mind going to the supply room and making a list of what we have remaining??"
"Oh, uh, sure." He nodded, grabbing the pen and paper that Sanji had set down.
Sanji turns away with the bucket and Akito glances around before he makes his way towards where the supplies were kept. It's interesting how easily the crew warmed up to me after realizing that I wasn't an enemy. Do they pity me? Do they think that I'm weak?? He tries to brush away the negative thoughts, Just focus on the task at hand. So far this crew has been nothing like the Red Maw. Not once have I seen the captain raise a hand to his crew. Actually he seems to seek out their opinions on some things. They have such a strange relationship with one another. Almost like family.
At the word family, there's a familiar pang in his heart. He closes his eyes. I'm trying Youta, I'm just so off course, sometimes I fear I will never see you again.
There's a soft chuckle and Akito glances back to see Brook standing in the doorway for the supply room, "If you need rest, you can rest. No need to work yourself to the bone!"
Akito smiles slightly at the joke, "No sir, I was just thinking."
"Brook is just fine." Brook joins Akito in the room, "I guess Sanji sent you down to write a list."
"Yes sir- uh...? I mean, yes he did." He stumbles over his words.
"And you smell like citrus, Nami must've caught you in the grove. She'll exploit any and all helping hands." Brook glances over the top shelf, "We have exactly three boxes of baking soda left."
Akito quickly writes down the amount, "I did learn about oranges and I think it's smart to have a grove on your ship. Helps to deter scurvy."
"Yes, actually those trees are special to Nami. She grows them in remembrance of her home town." Brook turns to another shelf, "Seems like we are down to our last bag of flour."
Akito glances up at the shelf, "Oh, that's not too good." He writes down the amount, "Her home town?"
"Oh yes, it was long before I joined, but her mother grew the groves." Brook hums as he starts to count the next shelf.
"Her mother? Must be quite proud of her." Akito whispers, "The grove is absolutely stunning."
"It's a story I think would be worth sharing, maybe you should ask Nami about it sometime." Brook bends down to look at the bottom shelf, "Well the rest of our food supply is doing just fine. Sanji knows what's in the fridge because it's in the kitchen. Let us continue." The skeleton stands and turns to another door.
"There's another door?" Akito follows the skeleton to reveal more supplies such as extra sheets for sails, barrels full of cola, extra ropes. His eyes trail over the items, noticing the lack of chains, cages, and guns. He furrows his brows as he turns around to make sure he hasn't missed them, "Brook, I think you've been robbed."
"Hm? What do you mean?" Brook turns to look at the boy, not sure what he could possibly be talking about.
"The guns are missing." He turns back to the skeleton.
"Ah, I see." Brook places a gentle hand on Akito's shoulder, "We don't carry weapons like that in our supply room. The weapons we have are those that you've seen on the crew. This isn't your typical tyrant pirate ship. We don't take slaves." He can feel Akito tense slightly at his words and then Akito looks back around the room, "...strange..."
"Luffy is a captain that believes in freedom. That everyone should be capable of living and doing as they please. He believes everyone is equal to one another." Brook continues softly.
"...I'm not sure I believe you." Akito shifts a bit away, starting to shut down, "No pirate is good. No pirate believes that."
"Then give us a chance to convince you." Brook says, "Let us show you what life is supposed to be like."
Akito glances back at Brook; the years of pain evident on his face. His green eyes looked muted, like the light had been drained from them. The loneliness in his gaze could draw you in and swallow you whole. He turns away, unable to filter the mess in his mind into words. He quietly shuffles out of the supply room and back up to the kitchen.
"Ah, there you are. Have any trouble finding anything?" Sanji smiles warmly.
"No." He utters. He sets down the paper and pen, "Please excuse me." He walks away from the kitchen.
"Akito, is something wrong?"
Akito pauses, "I'm just tired." He continues until he makes his way back into the infirmary. He made sure that Chopper wasn't there before he lays down on the cot; Brook's words swarmed around his brain, clashing with his memories. He closes his eyes, reaching down deep to the steady pulse.
Just focus, let everything fade away.

A loud grumble from his stomach wakes Akito. He sighs softly as he rolls onto his back. Sleep wasn't an easy thing to hold onto anymore. Another dim candle lit the infirmary, but he was grateful for it. He swings his legs over the edge of the cot and stands. Hopefully it's late enough to be left alone. He rubs his face, feeling the tiredness wear down his bones. First things first, find something to snack on. He stops near Chopper's desk, recognizing the small pill for nausea sitting on a little piece of paper. He reaches over and grabs it, taking the pill with little effort.
He peeks into the hallway, noting some soft snoring coming from down the hallway. How long was I out? What time is it?? He shuffles out and heads up to the upper deck.
The moon was just touching the edge of the ocean. Stars littered the night like a million tiny diamonds glittering in the sky and the calm, reflection of the ocean mirrored the image. I forgot just how beautiful the sky could truly be. His stomach twists uncomfortably and he remembers that he came for food. He sighs and makes his way into the kitchen.
No one in sight. Whoever was on night watch must be in the crow's nest. Akito squints a bit as he waits for his eyes to adjust to the darker setting. He sniffs the air, smelling something familiar. He glances around before making his way over to the stove, where a large pot sat. It smelled of stew. 
It smells like something Grandma used to cook when she was feeling homesick. Akito glances behind himself before sneaking over to the cupboard, I'm sure Sanji won't mind if I taste test it. He reaches up and pulls out a little glass bowl.
The light flicks on, "What the hell-?"
CRASH!!
Akito stares at Sanji with wide eyes. The glass bowl decorating the kitchen floor.
Sanji takes in the scene before he steps closer. Akito feels his heart race and his blood freezes,"I-!" The words choke him.
"Are you alright?" Sanji asks, his tone now smooth but warm. Caring even.
Akito can't speak but nods slowly.
"Okay, now, sit on the counter."
Akito listens to Sanji's instructions and watches in awe as the cook swiftly cleans the mess.
"...I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-...you frightened me!" The words vomit out of his mouth, tears mist his eyes.
"It's alright, Akito, it's just a bowl. The kitchen is bound to lose a few things here and there. We can easily replace it. The only thing that matters is that no one got hurt." Sanji makes his way over and takes out a couple of bowls, gracefully moving to the stew and filling two bowls, "I figured you be hungry." He hands Akito a bowl, "We have rules on this ship you know."
"I didn't mean to break into-"
"No missing meals." Sanji interrupts him, "Healthy crew means a happy crew. We must take care of one another."
Akito looks surprised at his words before looking down at the stew, "...you made this for me?"
"You slept through lunch and dinner. Chopper is concerned for your health and I am determined to help you come back to a healthy weight." Sanji sits across from Akito at the large table.
"But why??" Confusion wrote on his face.
"Because I understand what it's like to go a long time without food. I learned to never take food for granted." Sanji explains briefly.
Akito looks back to the stew and then at the cook, taking in his words, mulling them through his tired brain.
He rubs his chest absentmindedly; eyes glossing as if remembering something.
"I hope this tastes better than the soup you had." Sanji's soft words break his train of thought and he looks at the stew. He brings the spoon to his lips, slurping the liquid. The taste dances across his taste buds in ways he had never dreamed of before. He sits up a bit; sleep leaves from the edge of his mind, "Wow! That's incredible!"
A prideful smirk crosses Sanji's face, "I'm glad you enjoy it."
"I'm not sure how you do it but this. This reminds me of home. Grandma would make it when her heart would ache for her home." Akito whispers, "She would tell so many stories from the ship she called home."
Sanji eats a bit more of the stew, leaving silence in the air for Akito to tell whatever is set on his heart. He figured that no one had ever given him an ear to talk to. It would be one reason why he doesn't speak up much.
"...the night sky is so beautiful. Have you ever wondered if the sky was like the ocean? Do you think if it was possible, we could swim among the stars??" Akito glances at Sanji and then out the window.
"We've been to the sky." Sanji replies, setting his bowl aside, "And it's just as amazing as you think it is. Of course, we didn't swim in the stars, but we swam in the clouds."
"You swam in the clouds??" Akito blinks, confused but very intrigued with the story.
"Yes we did." Sanji nods, taking out a cigarette and lighting it, "We also fought a god of Lightning."
"That's impossible." He utters and it makes Sanji smile as he takes a drag of the cigarette, "Would you like to hear the story?"
"Please." Akito nods.