Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting

Alright, here we go. So, this is a fic I tried to do three years ago or so, and unfortunately, I fell off of it. But, I wanted to actually finish it. Over the last year, I have written at least 70 stories, including the ones I did for requests in a series. So, I'm confident in finishing it this time. I did re-write most over it in the course of a few days, and I'm taking it in a different direction than I initially was. Mainly because at the time I had no earthly idea what the hell I was doing.

Anyway, I hope people are happy with the new version of this, and please enjoy. :D

And, for those that followed me after that news update, I want to thank you so very much for sticking around; I was honestly shocked that even a few were still here.

This chapter is shorter than the rest will be for the sake of setting up who will be stuck with who.

Nami

She trailed on, footprints ghosting behind her in the dampened sand in her wake. The initial ones were swept away by the creeping waves, but most were left untouched by the clutches of the ocean. Only a few measly minutes had passed, but with the worry dwelling and accumulating deep within stretched those into an illusion of hours. Light fingers brushed away a few wandering strands of bright, sun-kissed hair. 'They have to be around here somewhere,' she thought to herself, teeth digging into the inside of her lip in concern. She cupped her hands around her mouth like she had countless times already and took a deep breath. "Luffy! Ussop! Somebody!" she shouted, voice slightly hoarse from both dryness and over-use. "Please, someone answer me," he whispered to herself, lowering her hands to hang uselessly at her sides once more.

Nami let out a shuddering breath as she glanced once more around the place...there was no signs, no signs of anyone or anything. Only...only leftover debris sprinkling the shore. Still, she knew she had to press on, she couldn't be the only one that made it, she refused to believe that. Rounding a boulder protruding from the sand, her eyes instantly sought out a lone hat...a straw one, lying on the grainy surface. One of her brows raised in curiosity.

"Luffy?" she cautiously called out, taking a tentative step towards the iconic accessory.

"Mmmmmhmmmhmm ummmf," the muffle reply came, that accompanied with the slight pulsing of the ground beckoned her to leap back in utter surprise. A startled cry escaped her with that. Collecting her wits and calming herself down, she once again approached. Carefully, she plucked the hat off the ground, revealing a tuft of black hair sprouting from the ground. Despite her relief at such a sight, she couldn't help the exasperated huff that left her.

Without asking questions, she dropped to her knees and got to work with scooping handfuls of the substance away, grumbling to herself the whole time. Before too long, she had his face uncovered, and the first thing he did was flash her with that familiar goofy and charmed grin. It was almost as if he wasn't just at risk of suffocation.

"I thought I was going to be there forever!" he exclaimed, glancing around a moment later as he unveiled his arms, allowing him to do the rest. "Where is everyone?" he questioned, his tone switching on a dime from playful to serious as he began pulling his way out of his confinement.

Slowly, the navigator got to her own feet, one hand outstretched to hand him his hat back. "I dunno," she admitted, folding her arms and gazing off at the vast sea, her wavering stare practically searching its surface. "You're the first one I've come across."

"Huh?" his mouth hung partially open in disbelief, and he wasted no time in climbing his way to the top of the boulder where he planted his feet. Nami didn't get the chance to prepare herself before a bellowing "Ussop! Sanji! Zoro!" nearly knocked her off her feet with the sheer volume alone. "Where are you guuuys!?" he added for good measure, then waited, listening for even the slightest response. But, as expected, and to their disappointment, it was in vain. "What if they got lost in the ocean!?" he suddenly came to the conclusion, jumping down and fully intending to haul it back out there. He managed to take one step with a declaring, "We have to go after them," before his collar was grabbed, firmly yanking him back and causing him to fall backwards.

Sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose, Nami put forth the effort to physically drag him away from the creeping waves, inching closer and closer to her captain. "Luffy, I really don't think they're still out there. They probably got washed up as well, so that means they're around here somewhere. I'm sure of it," she assured, hoping that she was right about that. Truth be told, she had no idea, but she sure as hell wasn't about to allow the other to venture out to his death on a whim.

He quickly sat up, folding his arms in thought. He knew she had a point, and was probably right, but how could they be sure? For all they knew, they could be at the bottom of the ocean by now, or worse, eaten by something. The image of that swam through his head and he couldn't help but groan at the mental playout of that. Standing up, he brushed the remnants of sand from his body and straightened up. "Hey!" he yelled towards the ocean, "If you guys are out there, don't you think about dying on me!"

Setting his brows in a firm furrow, he nodded once with satisfaction. "Alright, we can start looking now," he promised, looking awfully proud of himself. Nami's face fell after that stunt, leave it to him to yell at the sea as if it would help a thing. Standing dumbfoundedly, she almost lost sight of her captain as he sauntered his way towards the brush, supposedly assuming she'd be able to keep up.

In a rush, she jogged after him. "Hey, wait up," she called after him, kicking up sand as she chased after him. In the back of her mind, she pleaded that the others were alright.

Ussop

He was completely and utterly lost, not to mention beyond terrified. But, what else was new? The sniper had no idea where he was, no idea where the others were, and no earthly idea where the hell he was even going. Perhaps he should have just stayed put, if he was lucky, someone would have stumbled upon him sooner or later. But alas, here he was, trudging on aimlessly without a hope in the world...alone. He dragged his feet, casually kicking splinters of wood as he went. With his mood souring with each step, he probably walked right by others without even noticing them. Then again, if that were the case, they most likely would have called out to him by now, so perhaps not.

What if he was the only one left? What if he was lucky...or unlucky enough to be the only survivor, forced by cruel fate to wander the emptiness of this plane alone forevermore? He groaned audibly to himself and raised both hands to ruffle through his hair to rid himself of such thoughts. That was ridiculous, if he was able to make it, then surely the others would have as well. But, then he remembered, what if Luffy fell in the ocean? All heat drained from his face at the idea of that. All he could do was pray and hope that he was wrong about all that.

Yeah, they were probably all together, awaiting his return with open arms. At that positive note, he straightened up with a new sense of determination. "They're fine," he told himself. "I'm going to be fine, and we're all going to be back together before the day is over." He kept repeating this to himself, imbedding it into the depths of his psyche.

Ussop picked up his pace, his steps falling one after another on their own with his newfound confidence. He glanced in all directions as he went, making sure there wasn't a corner he missed. So consumed in his own search, he no longer paid any mind to where his feet where going, or what may lie in his path. Not long into his walk, his foot connected with something cushioned, throwing off his rhythm and casting him forward with a small cry and a soft 'thud'. Muttering to himself nursing a now sore, chin, he tossed an annoyed look over his shoulder. His eyes immediately widened with the sight...a blue backpack. "Isn't that…?"

"Ussop!" the shrill call of his name elicited another startled yelp from the man, and he was back on his feet, head swiveling for the source. After finding nothing, he glanced down, his frightened expression transitioning into a more relaxed one. "You found it!" the small almost cheered, wasting no time in plucking his back-pack from the sand.

"Chopper?" the sniper sighed in relief, tears already welling in the corners of his eyes. He didn't care if he cried, he was just overwhelmed with joy at having found another.

Returning the gesture, the mini doctor turned to point off more towards inland. "Robin's here too," he informed, jabbing a hoof in the direction where she was perched against the trunk of a tree. Not one, but two of his comrades were accounted for; this was more than he could have hoped for. Did that man the others weren't that far away either? Two down, four to go, the other four being some of the most capable people he knew. Things were finally looking up.

Sanji

His head was throbbing and his entire body screamed with soreness and aches. Slowly, he pried his eyes partially open and squinted against the intense rays, waiting for the moment the brightness would let up. The moment he had his vision back to its full capacity, he carefully pushed himself up, wincing and hissing at the sharp pains that shot up his right leg with the movement. Swearing under his breath, he stilled while the pulsating pains subsided. Taking a deep and calming breath, he looked down, his blues trailed the length of the limb until the red-stained sand surrounding it caught his attention.

"Shit," he forced out, reaching down to inspect the wound. His fingers gingerly brushed the offended area, sending new waves of agony. Clamping down, he ignored the appendages protests and quickly yanked the pants leg up to reveal the damage underneath. "Well," he breathed out, voice tight, "that's just great." He couldn't tear his gaze from the gash that extended at least a good few inches. Fresh crimson liquid continued to seep, soaking into the ground around it. In a huff, he rolled the fabric back down and drew in a sharp inhale.

He was going to regret this, but he couldn't stay here, not on the ground at least. Carefully, he worked his way over to the closest tree, hissing and groaning the whole way, every time his leg was jostled in the slightest. Grabbing onto the trunk for dear life, he started hefting himself up, heavily relying on the tree for support. He was just thankful no one was around to witness this.

Eventually, and painstakingly, he was able to get upright; most of his weight was on his good leg and the tree, but he was up at least. Instinctively, his hand reached into his pocket, his fingers seeking the comfort and familiarity of a cigarette. His hand fished around, slowly flailing faster when nothing came into contact. Frustrated and already irritated, he retracted his hand, muttering a few choice words under his breath. "Damn ocean," he grumbled, placing his hand instead back on the tree before he lost his balance.

Half limping, and half dragging himself, he worked his way to the cover of more trees, to the shade of them. And, lucky him, one of them was downed, providing the perfect place to rest for a bit. Tediously, he lowered himself to sit upon it, keeping his injured leg outstretched so as not to irritate it further. It took some work and a bit of awkward maneuvering, but he got himself settled in. Sighing heavily, he let his body relax a bit, despising the fact that there wasn't much he could do in his condition at the moment. Best he could do was sit and wait, wait for someone else to come along, and hope that someone did.

Though, fortunately, he didn't have to sit for long before someone sauntered by, but his joy swiftly faded at the realization of who it was. The moment that green fuzz came into view, he scowled and groaned in exaggeration. "I was hoping for someone like Nami and Robin, not some shithead," he grumbled, tilting his head back.

"You wanna repeat that, ya shitty cook?" he challenged, turning on the spot to head towards the blond. His hand twitched, itching to grab for his hilt.

The other man offered him a sly grin. "I'll repeat as many times as it take for your small brain to understand," he teased, glaring sharpened daggers at the swordsman. "Unfortunately for you, I've lost my cigarettes, so I'll need something to take my anger out on." It had only been a few hours, but that was all it took for him to crave the calming effects of the nicotine. In the moment, he jumped up with the threat of a dispute, forgetting the whole reason he was sitting in the process. The sudden and unwelcomed weight on his bad leg was not well accepted. He stumbled as the limb protested highly, but he quickly regained his balance, trying to appear as though nothing had happened. But, of course, it didn't go unnoticed.

"Hey, something wrong?" Zoro asked, his tone shifting completely as he crouched down to take a closer look at the wound. He hardly got a chance to glance at it before the cook leaped back.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, a biting undertone to his words. "It's fine, just a cut," he brushed off, casually hiding the appendage behind the other.

Scoffing, the swordsman stood back up with a roll of his eyes. "Fine, have it your way, idiot," he mumbled as he walked by the other, pausing to say something else over his shoulder. "But, I wouldn't suggest leaving it like that. Could at least cover it up to stop the bleeding and keep the dirt out." Just as the other raised an eyebrow in question, he quickly added. "But whatever, it's your leg, do whatever the hell you want."

"Who are you, Chopper," Sanji muttered. "Like I said, it's just a small cut, nothing I can;t handle, now try minding your own business." After a few seconds of silence, he finally asked the question that was on both their minds. "By the way, have you seen any of the others?"

Shaking his head, Zoro uttered a quiet, "Just you," before heading off in the direction of the woods. "But, they're around here somewhere, they couldn't have gotten far."

"Hey, where are you going? Don't think I'm going to let you lead, we'll be lost within the minute."

"Well, if you can manage to get ahead of me, then I'll happily let you take the front." He flashed a knowing and sly grin at the blond, fully aware that he struck a nerve with that little comment. He glanced down at the man's wounded leg, "Yeah, didn't think so. Just try to keep up."

Behind him, the blond gritted his teeth, and it took everything he had not to land a kick at the back of the guys head. Best thing he could do was at least try to control himself until they found the others. But, the moment they were safe and together, it was free game. With that promise in mind, he followed after the other, making sure to keep his emotions in check, at least for the time being.