Wow. How long has it been since I've posted anything? 6 months? More? Too long is all I have to say. Anyway, I'm going to try and do better but still probably not as fast as I used to type. I promise though, that no matter how long it takes, I will see this story through. Oh. What is this story you ask? It's the sequel to Pirate Queen. I know alot of you have been waiting for this so here it is And of course, the wonderful disclaimer:I don't own One Piece or any of the characters in this story except for one original character that will show up later. I guess that's it. I'm going to try and stay closer to their personalities in this story so tell me what you think.

Chapter 1

"Come on Nathan!" Nami said impatiently. "I told you I would buy you something but this is ridiculous! You've been around Luffy way too long! Three months and you're already catching his enormous appetite!"

"But mom, you said I could have anything!" Nathan whined.

"I said I would buy you something! Not anything! Especially this giant...thing!" she cried.

"Please!!" he begged.

"No! I can't spend that much!" Nami yelled.

"It's not fair!!" Nathan screamed. By now, they had managed to attract a small audience.

Nami sighed and then squatted until she was looking Nathan in the eyes. When she spoke this time, it was in a softer, more gentle voice. "Nathan look, there are some things I can't afford and this is one of them. I told you when we left Baratie that things were going to be different. We have to do without things since we live with others now. We all have an equal share of money and I can't spend all of mine on things you want. There are more important things. How about this. I'll give you twenty beli to spend on whatever you want. Is that oaky?"

He smiled and nodded. "Sure." he said.

She took out her coin purse and handed him the money. He happily ran off to browse the candy store some more.

"Meet me at the fountain outside in twenty minutes!" Nami called after him. She wasn't sure he had heard what she had said. That meant she would wait at the fountain and when he didn't show up, she would have to come drag him out of one of the stores.

As she exited the candy shop, she looked around and finally thought about the town she was in. Lougetown. How long had it been? It had changed so much. Since the world had a Pirate King, the balance of the world had shifted. The government and pirates were no longer equals. The pirates were finally gaining the upper hand and it was all thanks to Monkey D. Luffy. That part itself still amazed her. And since Smoker had long given up pursuing them and had retired from the marines, Lougetown belonged to the pirates. It was great. Suddenly shops had sprung up and since the execution scaffold had been rebuilt, the town might as well have been a tourist spot. There were enough of them. Civilians and pirates alike flocked here every day to see the spot of Gold Roger's last stand and where the current Pirate King had nearly met the same fate.

When she reached the square where the fountain was, she stopped and pulled something out of her purse. It was the map she had made of Lougetown from their last visit. Although several things had changed, the map, for the most part, was still good. Smiling, she put it back and checked the clock. She still had fifteen minutes. "Might as well spoil myself a little too." she thought and took off for the nearest clothing store.

Ten minutes later, Nami emerged with a bag and a large grin. "To bad Sanji isn't around to carry my stuff for me. Oh well. It feels good to spoil myself!" she thought. Checking the clock, she quickly made her way to the fountain with minutes to spare. She quickly took a seat on it's edge, setting her bags down beside her, and watched the area around her.

"Hmmm...we better be getting back to the ship. The sun will begin setting in another hour and I would like to have set sail by then. I hope everyone else remembers when to come back to the ship. Otherwise, we might as well stay here all night," she thought.

Another look at the clock sent a chill down her spine. Ten minutes had passed since she had told Nathan to meet her. "Calm down." she thought, shoving back the rising since of panic. "He probably didn't hear me or lost track of time. Or maybe there was a long line. Still, maybe I should go look for him. But wait, if I leave the fountain and he comes looking for me, I'll be gone." Frustrated, Nami groaned. "Fine," she thought, "I'll wait another ten minutes then I'll go look for him. That's all the time I have to spare."

About that time, Luffy and Vivi made their way toward the fountain. They were holding hands and giggling like two kids in love, not like two adults soon to be married.

"Luffy! Vivi!" Nami called out, waving frantically.

"Oi! Nami!" Luffy called, grinning and waving. He and Vivi made there way over to the fountain where Nami was sitting.

Vivi immediately saw the worried look on Nami's face and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Eh, there's something wrong?" Luffy asked, puzzled.

Ignoring Luffy, Nami said, "It's nothing. I just wondered of you could do me a favor."

"Sure Nami-san. What is it?" Vivi asked.

"Well, me and Nathan were shopping and he wanted to go look around and buy something. I gave him twenty beli and told him to meet me here in twenty minutes. That was over half-an-hour ago. I don't know if he heard me so I think I should go looking for him. The problem is, what if he's just running late and I'm not here if he comes. So, would you mind sitting here while I go look for him? If he comes here just stay here and I'll be back to check. If I find him, we'll come back here and then we can all get back to the ship. We need to set sail by sunset." Nami said.

"Sure. Do you think he's alright? Do you want my help? Luffy could stay here and I could come with you." Vivi suggested.

"No. We don't need to leave him alone." Nami said, pointing at Luffy.

"Hm?" Luffy said as he cocked his head to the side. Then, "So what's wrong?"

Nami's eye twitched and a second later, Luffy found himself in the fountain with Vivi laughing and trying to pull him out as Nami stomped off.

"A lot of good he would have done." she muttered through clenched teeth. She sighed as the feeling of anger left her and anxiety took over. "Where could he be?" she thought. "Okay, think logically. He's probably at either the candy store or the toy store. Where else would a five year old kid go?"

She pushed her way through the crowd until she reached the candy store she had left him in. It was slowly clearing out as people made their way either to the docks or their hotel. Nami made her way to the counter after not finding Nathan anywhere. "Excuse me, but have you seen a little boy around her? He has blonde hair and blue eyes." Nami said to the cashier.

The bored old woman looked at her. "I see a million people a day. Am I supposed to remember one face?" she said, only slightly exaggerating on the amount of people she saw each day.

"Well it would help." Nami said through tightly clenched teeth that she had to force to stay in a smile.

The cashier stared blankly at her. "Well, if you think you could do better-"

"I don't have time for this! I'm looking for my son!" Nami screamed, causing a slight scene with a few spectators that were left in the shop.

The cashier continued with her same bored stare. "Look, I don't remember him so if you don't mind to move along. I've got other customers."

Nami glared at the woman but did as she asked. There was no time for this senseless arguing. She stepped back outside and looked in the direction of the sun. Judging by it's position, she only had about fifteen more minutes if she wanted to set sail and that was if she hurried.

At that moment, a shriek was heard from the alley behind one of the shops. While others ignored it (It was a pirate's town after all. Things like this were not unusual.), it made Nami's blood run cold and caused her to freeze in place, her eyes wide with panic.

"Nathan." she said in barely a whisper. In a second she was flying through the crowd in the direction of the shriek. "Please be okay." her thoughts pleaded. She quickly left the crowd behind as she dashed down the alleyway and around back of the store. What she saw when she arrived made her freeze with fear.

About ten men, most likely pirates, stood in front of her but that wasn't the worst part. For in the hands of one of them was Nathan.

When he saw Nami, the man quickly drew his sword and held it to Nathan's neck. "Don't say a word. Don't scream or call for help and don't move. If you do, you know the consequence."

Nami nodded, fearing for her son's life if she spoke.

"Now, you will do exactly as I say. If you do, we will let the boy go." the man said.

Once again, Nami nodded. "Luffy, Vivi, Sanji, anybody!" her brain screamed. "No! They're not here. I have to save us before things get worse!"

"Okay, when I count to three, you will walk toward us. At the same time, I will let the boy go. If you try to make a run for it, we will find you and kill the boy. Got that?" he asked.

Nami shook her head. A plan had already formed in her mind. If they were fast enough, it would work.

"One...two...three." he said. At that time, he let Nathan go and Nami began walking toward them.

When she passed by Nathan she said quietly, "We're going to run. Stay in front of me and don't stop. Ready...now!" she cried.

As he began running, she quickly turned and fell in behind him. Now, if they hit anyone, it would be her.

Nathan started to look back but Nami hissed, "Don't look back! Keep running no matter what happens!"

He fearfully shook his head.

When they rounded the corner Nami spun around, pulling out the pieces to her perfect climatact as she turned. "I've only got one shot at this." she thought as she assembled the weapon.

But the men didn't come. Instead, silence engulfed the entire alley.

"What the..." Nami thought, her eyes darting wildly, looking for any sign of the group.

What happened next happened so fast that Nami only realized what was going on when it was already over. Her climatact was sent flying out of her hands where it landed in pieces a good ten feet away. Then, she was lifted off the ground by two strong hands as Nathan gave an outcry from suffering the same fate. Now, the two of them were completely surrounded.

As Nami slowly realized what had happened, a look of fear flashed in her eyes. "He...he knew what I would do. Impossible!"

The man smirked. "I told you not to try anything. Now, you and your son will pay the price." he said. He leaned closer until his face was practically touching hers. When he spoke, it was only so that she could hear. "You shouldn't try to pull anything on a man who knows the governments secret techniques. Especially not one who also has the instinct to use Mantra."

Nami's eyes went wide. "That secret technique from Skypiea...but...how?! And the government? Who is this guy?!"

He held his sword up to her throat. "Goodbye girly." he said.

At that moment, a foot slammed on top of the man's head, causing him to release his grip on Nami. He fell face forward, his sword clattering to the ground as it fell from his hand.

Nami, still in shock, sunk to her knees as her savior landed in front of her.

"Leave Nami-san alone." he said.

"Why you! How dare you do that to our captain!" one of the other men yelled, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Sanji-kun." Nami whispered.

Sanji turned toward the one who, now fearfully, held Nathan. "You're next." he said.

The man held his sword close to Nathan's throat in a trembling hand. "D-Don't t-try anything or I-I'll kill him!" he stuttered.

"Want to bet?" Sanji asked.

The man let out what sounded like a small squeek. Before he knew what had happened, he was thrown off his feet by a powerful kick to his chest. He slammed into the building behind him and slumped to the ground.

Nathan ran to Nami who immediately wrapped him in her arms as he sobbed out of fear and happiness.

"Who's next?" Sanji asked, turning to the others.

"That's it. We've got a job to do and if we don't finish it, it's our lives we sacrifice. We need to get this guy out of the way so we can get the girl. Somebody just restrain him!" one of the other men cried.

The others let out a cry of agreement and surged forward.

"If that's how it's going to be..." Sanji said as he toed the ground with his right foot, preparing to rush forward.

Meanwhile, Nami reached for the scattered pieces of her climatact around her while still shielding Nathan. "Sanji-kun can't do this alone." she thought. "Even if he wants to try!" She turned to Nathan. "Stay behind me." she commanded.

He nodded, still to terrified to speak.

As Sanji kicked off another one of his attackers, he saw Nami run toward him. "Nami-san! Stay out of this!" he cried as he dodged the swing of another man's sword.

Nami, although reluctant, obeyed. He would only be distracted if she put herself in more danger. She quickly scooted Nathan and herself to the side and out of harms way.

Suddenly, Nami heard a faint groan. She quickly looked behind her and saw the leader of the group slowly raise up slightly. Suddenly unsure of what to do, she pushed herself between Nathan and her would be attacker and clutched her completed climatact in front of her.

With another groan, the man came around. He sat up the rest of the way, slowly taking a moment to get his bearings. It was during that moment that Nami swung at him with all her might. Unfortunately, it was in vain. Even if he had just returned to consciousness, he was still fast and apparently could still use Mantra. He caught the climatact when it was inches from his head. Nami cried out as she pushed with all her strength in a last desperate attempt to save herself. It was no use. The climatact wouldn't budge.

"Your games were cute at first. Now, they're just annoying. I think it's time I finished my job here. I've already taken too much time." the man said through clenched teeth. At the last part, he flashed Nami and evil grin. "That savior of yours may seem like a saint to you, but I'll show you that he is no immortal." With that the man swung the climatact over his head, sending Nami, who still clung to it, crashing to the ground. Then he quickly and gracefully jumped to his feet, pulling something out of the belt at his waist in the process. He extended his arm to full length out in front of him, and, only too late, did Nami see what he held.

"NO!!" she screamed as she lunged for him. Trying in vain to stop him.

The next moment seemed like an eternity to Nami and it would seem even longer when she looked back on it. The man's right finger curled around the trigger of the gun. The bullet flew from the barrel and hit it's mark dead on.

Nami screamed but to her, her own voice sounded very distant. All that was there was a rushing sound. The other men froze as their attacker fell to the ground in front of them.

Time stood still until Nami's piercing scream broke the silence, "SANJI-KUN!!"

As she rushed forward, the men looked to their leader who looked very smug. That is, until one of the men hissed, "Nice going. You were not supposed to kill any one of the Strawhats, remember? Direct orders. You have forfeited all our lives. I hope you're happy." He sheathed his sword and pushed past the leader, turning the corner and soon disappearing from sight. The rest of the men soon follwed suit.

"Where are you going cowards?! Do you think by walking away and leaving our job unfinished that your lives are any safer?! Ha!! There will be no pity on you and I will not help you out of this one!!" the leader yelled to his crew but they didn't turn around. "Hmph. Now, to finish what I started..."

"Just what are you going to finish?" a voice called angrily from the rooftop above the left side of the alley.

The man turned quickly with a smug grin on his face until he saw the outline of the shadow on the rooftop. Fearfully, he unsheathed his sword and tensed for battle.

"Not so fast." another voice said from behind him. A string shot out and wrapped itself around the sword, pulling it from the man's hands.

Grinding his teeth in frustration and fear, the man turned to flee, calling back as he ran, "This isn't over Strawhat." Then he was gone.

Luffy jumped from the roof and landed in front of Vivi just as she finished pulling her peacock string back. He looked over to where Nami was leaning over Sanji. He could hear her choked sobs and they ripped his heart in two. From the look on Vivi's face, she felt the same way.

Slowly, Luffy walked over to where Sanji lay, a pool of red aready spreading around him. Luffy stopped when he was a couple paces behind Nami. His hat shadowed his entire face except for his mouth which was set in a tight, tense line. "Nami..." he said softly.

When she turned around, her eyes seemed to be drowning in her own tears. "Luffy...Sanji...and there were so many...I couldn't..." she whispered in between sobs.

"It's okay. I understand. I'm sorry we couldn't be here sooner." Luffy said calmly.

"Let's get him back to the ship. There may still be something Tony-kun can do." Vivi pointed out as she came to stand by Luffy.

Nami bit her lip and nodded. She knew that if she opened her mouth, the sobs would only become worse.

Luffy kneeled down and carefully wrapped his arms underneath Sanji. One under his torso and one behind his knees. He then gently lifted him off the ground, careful to keep his hand over the bullet's exit hole so as to stop excess bleeding.

Vivi helped Nami up and then turned around to find Nathan standing silently against the wall. "Come on Nathan." Vivi said gently. "It's okay." She walked over to him and smiled, despite the fear raging inside her. She crouched down until they were eye level. She slowly wrapped her fingers through his and stood back up. Then, with a gentle tug, she urged him to come along and they followed behind Luffy and Nami.

"Vivi-sama...I'm scared." Nathan finally said as he chewed nervously on one finger.

"Don't be. Tony-kun is an excellent doctor. I have faith in him." Vivi replied warmly.

Nathan's reply was to squeeze her hand tighter.

The sun was sinking fast behind the horizon when the small procession reached the town square. The streets were practically empty of civilians and all that was left was the night crowd. Mostly drunken pirates who didn't even notice the limp figure in Luffy's arms as they passed by, let alone that the Pirate King himself was the one they were passing by.

By the time they reached the the ship, the sun had set and two anxious faces peered over the railing.

"I see them!!" Chopper cried as Luffy's shadow-like outline came into view.

"It's about time." Usopp muttered from beside him.

"Hey, what's Luffy carrying?" Chopper asked, finally noticing the lump in his captain's arms.

"I'm not sure." Usopp replied. "Hold on." He reached up and pulled his goggles over his eyes. After a second, he turned to Chopper with a now solemn expression. "I think you better get down there."

"Usopp..." Chopper said, trying to find any hint in the marksman's eyes. He could see nothing in the black night. "Okay. I'll go." With that, the reindeer quickly ran to the rope ladder and threw it over the side of the boat. Shifting to heavy point, he climbed down the ladder onto the dock where he turned around to find himself face to face with Luffy. One look at what Usopp had seen from the deck made Chopper's heart stop beating. For a moment, the world was silent and the only noise was the crash of ocean waves against the dock. Finally, Chopper spoke. "Take him to the sick bay. Hurry but be gentle." he ordered.

Without a sound, Luffy began to follow his orders. He gently layed Sanji over one shoulder and held him with one arm, using the other to climb the rope ladder. Chopper was right behind him with Nami close behind.

Vivi, however, turned to Nathan. "Do you want to go take a walk? Or are you hungry? I'm sure there's something in the galley if you want."

Nathan just shook his head, his eyes fixed on the ground. "I want to see daddy." he said softly.

Vivi bit her lip to keep from crying. She didn't want to think about what would happen to Nathan if Sanji...she refused to finish the thought. Instead, she focused on the present time. "Let's go to your room then. I'm sure you need some rest. We will see daddy in the morning, okay?"

"Okay." Nathan replied, still looking at the ground. He chewed at the knuckle of one finger nervously.

Vivi turned away and let a single tear roll down her cheek. Without another word, she began climbing the ladder and, as she had hoped, Nathan follwed. She reached the top and helped him onto the deck before pulling up the ladder and storing it for later. Then, turning to Nathan, "Now, let's get you to bed. It's late." She took his hand and they both went bellow deck where she guided him to the room he, Nami, and Sanji shared. "Do you want me to stay with you?"

Nathan nodded. "Don't leave." he whispered.

"Don't worry. I promise I won't. I'll stay right here." Viv reassured him.

Satisfied with that, Nathan quickly removed his shoes and climbed into bed. Vivi pulled his blanket over him and then shut the door so that no light would bother him. She settled herself into a chair where she waited until she heard the slow, paced sound of his breathing that told her he had gone to sleep. It was only then that she allowed herself to cry.

Meanwhile, down in the sick bay, Chopper was working frantically. He had asked that Nami and Luffy leave and let him do his work. Now, they sat in the galley along with Robin, Franky, Zoro, and Usopp who was the reason the other three were even there.

Nami had stopped crying but she was still shaking. Luffy held a comforting arm around her but otherwise just stared off into the distance. Robin's normally passive face held a few lines of worry and even Zoro seemed slightly worried. Franky was still bawling like a baby. Usopp sniffed every now and then but was otherwise silent.

"That's it!" Usopp finally cried, standing up. "I'm going down there to see what's going on!"

"Sit down Usopp. You'll only make things worse." Zoro said.

Usopp muttered something but sat down anyway.

"It's been too long." Nami whispered, on the verge of tears with every word. Luffy wrapped his arm tighter around her. "This is my fault."

"No it's not." Luffy said, turning to face her. His words were colder than he meant for them to be and his expression wasn't much better. Nami flinched. "No one here is to blame. Got that?"

Nami nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

A heavy silence followed Luffy's strong words until the door of the galley swung open. In the doorway, a very tired looking reindeer, now back in brain point form, stood with a downcast look on his face.

Nami felt her heart drop.

"I think everyone should come down to the sick bay." Chopper said quietly, refusing to look at anyone.

"It was too late wasn't it?" Nami asked. The question was barely heard.

"Follow me." was Chopper's only reply.

Tears started flowing down Nami's face all over again. Luffy held her firmly with one arm as he helped her up.

"It's okay. No matter what happens, remember, none of this is your fault." Luffy whispered in Nami's ear as they followed behind Chopper.

Nami took a shaky breath. "I know." she replied uncertainly.

Luffy came to a dead hault. He turned Nami around to face him and held both her shoulders firmly until she would look him in the eye. "It's. Not. Your. Fault." he said slowly and firmly, seperating each word to give each one more meaning.

Nami nodded, her supressed tears keeping her from speaking.

Satisfied, Luffy wrapped his arm around her again and they followed Chopper the rest of the way to the sick bay.

Chopper paused at the door and finally turned to look at the rest of the crew members. "Before we go in here, I guess I should tell you what's going on. Sanji...is in a very critical condition. As of right now, his chances of survival are one to ten. In other words, not good at all. I brought all of you down here just in case I fail. I thought you should be here." Without waiting for a reply, he opened the door and walked in.

Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Franky, Usopp, and Robin followed. They all gathered around the small cot on which Sanji now lay. His chest was covered in white bandages now stained crimson. His breathing came in short gasps that you could hear rattle in his chest. His skin was so pale from loss of blood that it was nearly transparent.

Slowly, Nami moved forward and reached out a shaky hand. She ran her fingers softly along Sanji's cheek down to the base of his neck. "Don't leave me." she pleaded in barely a whisper. "Please. I need you. We all do."

"She's right dartboard. You know anything Luffy cooks tastes like cardboard." Zoro said, a forced smirk on his face.

"Cook-san..." Robin whispered.

"Sanji's going to DIE!!" Usopp wailed, tears flowing freely.

"Shut up!" Luffy yelled at him.

Franky was on his hands and knees bawling. He muttered between sobs so low that no one heard him, "This...is not...supa..."

Nami sunk to her knees and dug her fingers into the edge of the cot. She layed her head on the edge and cried harder. "Sanji...please..." she begged in a whisper.

Suddenly, Sanji's breathing quickened and tremors shook his body. Nami looked up, eyes wide. Chopper rushed to the cot.

"Hold him down. He will only cause more damage to himself if he keeps moving!!" Chopper ordered.

Nami was still in slight shock so Franky, Usopp, and Zoro ran to assist Chopper. They stopped short when several arms popped up around Sanji on the cot and held him firmly in place.

"Thanks Robin." Chopper said. He was already listening to Sanji's breathing and checking his pulse. He rushed aound to the other side of the cot and switced to heavy point. He carefully removed Sanji's bandages to check underneath. "The stitches have come loose." he muttered with a frown. The rest of the crew watched silently as Chopper quickly dug through his medical bag until he came up with the proper materials he needed to redo the stitches.

Nami silently slid her hand into Sanji's and stroked the top of his hand with her free one.

As Chopper turned back to begin the stitches, Sanji suddenly stopped straining against Robin's arms. His breathing grew shallow and came in short gasps.

Everyone seemed to grow very still, even Chopper.

Then suddenly, there was no movement at all and everyone moved at once.

"Sanji!!" Nami screamed. "His hand...it's so cold..." she thought.

Chopper dropped everything and rushed forward.

Robin removed her hands.

Usopp gritted his teeth while tears formed in the corners of his eyes.

Franky sniffed, threatening to burst into tears at any moment.

Zoro rushed forward to help Chopper.

Luffy went and knelt down beside Nami, gently patting her shoulder. Tears were in his eyes but he didn't let her see that.

Then just as suddenly as it had started, it was over.

Chopper dropped Sanji's wrist and looked down at the floor, already starting to cry. He was now back in brain point form.

Robin stared hard at the floor, trying not to cry. "Cook-san..." she murmered.

Usopp clenched his hands into fists and lowered his head as tears rolled down his cheeks.

Franky started bawling and went down on all fours.

Zoro didn't cry. He just stood there, face hard, jaw tense.

Nami clutched at the sheets, screaming Sanji's name over and over.

Luffy was crying but he was trying not to let Nami see.

"He's...he's...dead." Chopper managed to say in quiet shock.

The room grew very quiet except for a couple of sniffs and Nami's screaming.

"Take her out of here Luffy." Zoro instructed.

Luffy nodded in agreement. Silently he put his arm around her waist and lifted her into his arms. He managed to pull her away from the cot although she clawed at it and it took him a moment. When she let go, she clutched his shirt and buried her head in his chest.

When they were gone, Chopper looked at the rest of the crew and said, "You may want to get some rest now. There is nothing more that can be done."

Although everyone knew sleep would be impossible, they filed out of the room, not wanting to have to look at the dead body of their friend any longer.

Chopper stayed behind to take care of the body. It was a job he did not look forward to at all.

Meanwhile, Luffy took Nami to the room shared by her, Nathan, and Sanji. He balanced Nami in one arm and turned the knob with the other.

The light from the hallway shone in and a small beam hit Vivi's face. She woke up and heard Nami's sobs and saw the outline of Luffy standing in the door. "Luffy-kun...Nami-san..." she mumbled, still half asleep.

"Vivi..." Luffy said flattly. It wasn't a question.

Vivi immediately caught the tone in his voice and said in barely a whisper, "Sanji-kun...did he..."

Luffy nodded and even in the dim light, Vivi could see him.

For a moment, the only sounds came from Nami who was still buried in Luffy's chest, crying softly.

Then Vivi stood up, moving from the chair and into a standing postion, wanting to help but not knowing how. Luffy nodded for her to wait and then walked over and carefully layed Nami down on her bed. Atleast, that's what he tried to do. She refused to let go of him, holding on to him with all her strength and burying her head even deeper. Luffy gave up and sat down on the bed, still holding her in his arms.

Vivi came over and sat down beside him. No one spoke for what seemed like an eternity.

Finally, there was a sound from the small bed on the other side of the room. "Mommy?" Nathan's small voice whispered sleepily.

Nami immediately became more alert at the sound of her child's voice. She lifted her head, tears still in the corners of her eyes and replied, "I'm right here honey."

"Mommy!!" Nathan cried and ran to her.

Luffy set her down beside him on the bed and a second later, she was holding Nathan in her arms.

Luffy turned to his other side and silently took Vivi's hand. He stood and they both walked out of the room, Vivi shutting the door softly behind her. Luffy held tightly to her hand.

Vivi noticed this and the tight set of his jaw but what bothered her most was his troubled eyes. "Luffy-san..." she said quietly, trailing off when she couldn't think of anything to say.

He stared at her, a mix of anger and sadness in his eyes.

"What...happened?" she asked hesitantly.

A flash of pain flickered in his eyes but disappeared quickly. Still, she regreted bringing it up. He shrugged and in a low voice said, "I don't know but whoever did this will pay." He let go of her hand and walked down the hall, hands clenched into tight fists.

"Luffy-san..." Vivi whispered, staring as he walked away.

Okay! Okay! I know what you are thinking: "What?! You killed Sanji!!" Please. No flames with any kind of message like this. Honestly, I hated to do it but it had to happen. I'm sorry but you will see why as the story moves along. Really, I am sorry!! Sanji is one of my favorite characters and this wasn't easy to do so please forgive me!!