Note: Finally! The third chapter! Oh, this chapter is inspired by a really humorous Filipino story. Please leave comments and tell me what you think.

Disclaimer: I don’t owned One Piece and the characters.

D Brothers

Hen or Rooster?

Luffy had a very peculiar chicken. It was so peculiar no one could tell whether it was a rooster or a hen. Luffy claimed it was a rooster, and Ace claimed it was a hen. They almost got lynched trying to settle the argument.

The whole question began early one morning while the D brothers were coming home for lunch from morning chores through a farm field. Suddenly, they heard a rapid flapping of wings. They turned in the direction of the sound and saw two chickens fighting in the far end of the field. They could not see the birds clearly, as they were lunging at each other in a whirlwind of feathers and dust.

“Check it out! A rooster fight!” Luffy said, pointing excitedly at the fighting chickens. “I wish I had a rooster can fight like that.”

“If you can catch it,” Ace grinned.

“Yeaah!” Luffy then slowly approached the battling chickens. They were so busy fighting that they did not notice him as he approached. When he got near them, Luffy dived and caught one of them by the legs. It struggled and squawked. Luffy held it by both wings and it stood still. Ace ran over to where his brother was and took a good look at the chicken.

“Aw, it’s a hen,” he said. “Look at its head. It has no comb or wattles.”

“A hen?! Didn’t you see it fight?” Luffy asked, frowning.

“Sure, I saw it fight, but I still say it’s a hen.”

“Is there something wrong with your head, niichan? Does a hen have spurs like these? Or a tail like this?”

“I don’t care about its spurs or tail. I’m telling you this is a hen.”

Ace and Luffy could not agree on what determines the sex of the chicken. The chicken flapped its wings in Luffy’s arms – and then crowed.

“There! Did you see that?” Luffy exclaimed triumphantly. “I suppose you’re gonna tell me now that reindeers talk.”

“I don’t care if it crows or not,” Ace said stubbornly. “That chicken is a hen.”

“It’s not a hen, it’s a rooster!”

“It’s a hen.”

“It’s not.”

“It is.”

“Not!”

“Is.”

“Not!”

“Is.”

“Not!”

“Oh, that’s enough… I know who can settle this question.” Ace said. “Shanks.”

*-*-*

Ace and Luffy hurried to the bar where Shanks and his crew are after arriving from a journey recently. They both took the chicken the red-haired man.

“Shanks, is this chicken a male or female?” Luffy asked.

Shanks looked at the bird curiously and then said with an amused tone: “Hmm, I don’t know. I couldn’t tell at one look. I never run across a biddy like this before.”

“Well, is there any way you can tell?”

“Why, sure. Look at the feathers on its back. If the ends are round, it’s a she. If they are pointed, it is a he.”

The three of them examined its feathers closely. It had both!

“Well, I’ll be a seamonkey’s uncle,” Shanks laughed.

“What do you think, Makino?” Ace asked the barmaid. “Is it a hen or rooster?”

Makino had been observing them while wiping a glass with a clean rag. She shrugged her shoulders. “That is a question that could concern only another chicken.”

Both brothers were taken aback by this reply. But Luffy was stubborn, so he tried another approach.

“Look, we’re really interested in this chicken. Is there any other way we could tell?” He asked Shanks again.

“I could kill it and examine its insides. Just kidding!” Shanks laughed again after seeing Luffy and Ace’s faces.

“I don’t want it killed!” Luffy said.

Ace took the plumed creature in his arms and he and Luffy left the bar. Luffy was silent for a moment. Then he suddenly snapped his fingers and said: “I know how I can prove to you that this is a rooster.”

“How?” Ace asked.

“Let’s put this rooster in a cockfight and see if it wins,” he replied.

Ace was surprised by his little brother’s brilliant suggestion. “If this hen of yours can beat a gamecock, I would believe anything,” he grinned.

“Alright!” Luffy smiled.

“We’ll take the chicken to cockpit to the next town. I don’t think Mayor would like it if sees a cockfighting under his nose.”

*-*-*

That afternoon, Luffy and Ace took the chicken to the next town to settle their argument. Luffy looked around for a suitable opponent and finally decided on a red rooster. Raising its serpent-like head, the chanticleer eyed the chicken arrogantly and jiggled its sickle feathers. This scared Ace. This rooster is ferocious.

“Don’t pit your hen against the rooster,” a passerby told Luffy. “That red rooster is not a local chicken. It was brought over from the South Blue.”

“That doesn't mean anything to me,” Luffy said “My rooster will kick its ass.”

“Don’t be reckless, kid. That rooster is a killer. It has killed more chickens than disease. Pick on a weaker opponent.”

Luffy would not listen. The match was made and the birds were headed for the killing. Sharp steel gaffs were tied to their legs. Luffy bet eight beri on his chicken, and Ace bet two; both brothers hoped their chicken would win because they don’t really have beri in their pockets.

Then the fight began. Both birds were released at the center of the arena. The South Blue bird scratched the ground as if it was digging a grave for its opponent. Moments later, the two fighters confronted each other. Ace expected their chicken to die of fright. Instead, a strange thing happened.

A lovesick expression came into the red rooster’s eyes. Then it did a love dance.

“What the HELL?!” the audience cried with surprise, particularly to those who had stakes on the South Blue rooster.

It was evident that the red rooster was infatuated with the chicken and before anyone could collect his wits, Luffy and Ace’s fowl rushed at the red rooster with its hackle feathers flaring. In one lunge, it buried its spur in its adversary’s breast. The fight was over.

The sentencer raised the chicken in token victory but the crowd was booing.

“Fixed fight! It’s a fixed fight!” they shouted.

Then a riot broke out. People tore the wooden benches apart and used them as clubs. Luffy and Ace had to leave quickly. Ace had the chicken under his arm and both brothers ran from the cockpit and they kept running until they lost the mob.

As soon they felt safe, the D brothers sat on the ground and rested. They were panting so hard.

“Now are you convinced it’s a rooster?” Luffy muttered between breaths.

“Yes,” Ace answered. “I’m glad the whole thing’s over.”

But the chicken began to quiver, and then something round and warm dropped on to Ace’s hand. The chicken cackled with laughter. Ace and Luffy looked down and saw – an egg!

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