Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece
Author's Note: Thank you to those of you who have taken the time to give me reviews or feedback.
Apologies for the error regarding 'Dalton'…Why I put that and not 'Walpol' I don't know.
Anyway, as promised here is chapter 4:
First Impressions
Chapter 4
Zoro walked back over to where they had been sitting and rejoined the princess who appeared to be having a private lesson with their captain on how to put chopsticks in her nose. Deciding that the chopsticks he had were too small Luffy went to break off some larger pieces of wood that resembled giant splinters. Usopp was trying his best to encourage his captain not to do anything stupid, but his pleas went on deaf ears.
The swordsman watched his friends and sat in silence. He couldn't help but wonder at times why he was still with them but every now and then they would do something and make him realise once more that he had another reason to fight now. He couldn't help but grin as Sanji kicked their captain out of the way of the princess and scolded him for being a moron. The guy always did look out for the female species. Zoro didn't completely understand swirly brows logic or reasoning behind it. Every time he thought about it he assumed it was some perverse impulse. Yet having been near the females of the crew for so long he soon realised their fragility. He thought about their navigator, well, she was hardly the type to not be able to defend her self, besides she always managed to somehow talk her way out of a situation. Besides if she ever did get caught the enemy would never kill her, she was too precious for that. Her skill as a navigator was her saviour. No, Zoro didn't have to worry about Nami but he couldn't help but feel the need to protect her.
He glanced over at the red head as she sat and talked to Chopper, Robin and Franky at the table. It was strange to him but it was like watching parents with their children or an aunt and uncle with their niece and nephew. He suddenly wondered what that made him to them all. He watched as a smile spread across her face and thought about what he was to her.
Chopper gave a wiggle as a complement had been made to him otherwise he wouldn't act like that. Robin caught Nami's attention with a cough and nodded her head in the direction behind her. Nami turned her gaze and noticed Zoro glancing over at them. He turned away and swallowed more of his alcohol as she grinned at him mischievously.
"Well shall we continue where we left off?" Sanji asked the group. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper immediately gathered what they could and sat back in their little circle underneath the giant mermaid.
"Well I guess we should start first with our encounter with Mr 2 Bon Clay" Nami spoke up, choosing this time to sit next to the swordsman. Zoro suddenly realised how close she was and immediately felt uncomfortable. He suspected that she was doing this on purpose and told himself it was his own fault. If he had not reacted so badly before then she wouldn't have had a response to feed off. He had to control himself and not let her get to him. Folding his arms into a defensive position he sat back in his chair and breathed slowly, focussing his mind in the way he had trained himself to do so many times.
The mention of Mr 2 immediately caused Luffy, Usopp and Chopper to become sad. Their friend had helped them to escape after all, despite the fact he had been their enemy moments before.
"Mr 2 was a devil fruit user. We bumped into him on the way to Alabasta as we passed through a heat spot." Nami explained, "I don't fully know how but Usopp and Luffy somehow caught him on their fishing rods and for saving his life he showed us his powers of shape shifting"
"He had so many different faces he could use!" Usopp recalled laughing with Luffy as they both took it in turns to try to make impressions of their friends. They received a punch to their heads when Luffy started to sway around as if he was Nami and placed his hands on his chest to emphasise the delicate flesh Bon Clay had revealed to them all when he changed into Nami's form.
"Hey what was that for?" Luffy whined.
"I think the princess gets the picture without the need for a demonstration" Nami retorted. Luffy sat nursing a bumpy head muttering at how much of a party pooper Nami was at times.
"At the time we didn't know Bon Clay was Mr 2, but Vivi soon recognised her fathers face through all the images of people he showed from his past. After he left Zoro came up with the idea to place a mark on our left arms and wrap them with a ribbon. This way if we ever bumped into Mr 2 again we would be able to detect whether it was one of us or not" Nami continued.
"I have to admit, as much of a knuckle head as he can be it was a pretty good idea" Sanji acknowledged Zoro's plan. After all, he was also someone who had to give credit where it was due.
Nami looked to her right and smiled at Zoro, "He can be full of surprises at times" she teased. Zoro scoffed and chose to ignore them.
"It seems like you all were quite lucky to have encountered him before reaching Alabasta" Robin interjected. She knew the power that the shape shifting ability of Mr 2 had on others and was impressed that her friends had found a way to out wit the man.
"Yes we were" Nami agreed.
"He sounds like a fierce man" Shirahoshi spoke to herself, imagining some hulk of a guy who could change form and become a beast or something. The straw hats looked at the princess and then at each other, recalling what the guy actually looked like. They lifted their hands in unison and all said at the same time, "nah".
"He was an Okama!" Luffy explained. Shirahoshi looked at him with a blank face. She clearly had no idea what that meant.
"Don't worry, Sanji can explain it to you. After all he knows many of them" Zoro spoke up as he looked at the cook and grinned. Sanji was unimpressed and suddenly seemed a little deflated, like something had run over his grave. His face went pale and he felt the sudden need to be sick. He sent a strong glare over at their captain and the swordsman. If looks could kill his definitely would at that moment. He still could not forgive the fact that both men had been with stunning women for the past two years and barely batted an eyelid. They didn't understand true beauty at all. Life just was not fair.
Robin studied the blonde man for a minute and seeing as no one spoke, as well as being concerned for the sudden deathly atmosphere, she decided to explain it herself. "You see, Mr 2 was a man who liked to wear feminine things" the princess' eyes opened widely as it suddenly dawned on her. The others laughed at her reaction…well all except Sanji.
"Alabasta was so hot" Chopper suddenly thought out loud.
"Ah yes, I almost forgot that you suffered a lot while we were there" Nami acknowledged.
"What is it like?" Shirahoshi asked eagerly.
"Alabasta is a desert kingdom. There are some regions within it where there is water and this is where the towns and cities are built. It has a great trading community and there were plans to expand. But with Crocodile manipulating things behind the scene, with Mr 2's help he turned the people against Vivi's father, the king. He ensured the country suffered from extreme droughts by using his ability to control sand and create sand storms." Nami explained.
"That sounds horrendous!" the mermaid exclaimed, placing a hand over her mouth to emphasise her shock. She found it hard to visualise a place with little water. After all, she did live under the sea.
"Crocodile had control over all the Dance Powder in the kingdom" Nami continued.
"Dance Powder?" Shirahoshi had no idea what that was.
"It's powder that makes it rain when you expose it to the air" Zoro interjected, giving a simple explanation before Nami could go onto one of her spiels about how it all works.
Nami looked at him, "yeah that's more or less it" she agreed, "Crocodile used this powder to make it rain on the capital, resulting in droughts in other places. This made the people begin to suspect the king and a rebellion then took place. Hundreds of people died. Vivi desperately wanted to protect her kingdom and its people and bring the war to an end"
"I can understand how she felt" Shirahoshi spoke up. She knew what it was like for her people to side against each other and to even have someone try to kill her merely because of her birth right and nothing more. Nami smiled at the mermaid, she suspected she would become a strong leader one day like her mother before her.
"The women in Alabasta…" Sanji suddenly came out of his stupor. He then remembered something and turned to look at their navigator, "Nami-san, do you still have the dancers outfit I got for you?" he asked.
Nami looked at him as if he was up to no good and turned away from him. He looked crest fallen at her sudden cold nature.
"Idiot" Zoro muttered under his breathe. That guy never learned.
"That perfume you had was over whelming" Chopper recalled. Thinking back there were plenty of reasons for him not to want to live in that country permanently.
"Wasn't that when Luffy burst into that restaurant and ran straight into the marines?" Usopp recalled. They all nodded and sighed.
"He always has a way of finding trouble" Zoro spoke up.
"You are one to talk!" Nami exclaimed.
Usopp and Chopper nodded silently in agreement with their navigator. Zoro was very much like his captain. He may have moments of maturity and ideas but on the whole he loved danger and exploring like most of the others.
"That's when Ace helped us out" Usopp added. They all looked towards Luffy, knowing his brother was a touchy subject for him. Luffy did not appear to be sad. In fact he seemed to be smiling at Ace's memory. Luffy was glad his brother could meet his friends and gave his approval of them. That made him really happy.
They all took a moment to remember Luffy's brother in silence out of respect. Usopp was the first to speak up, "I still can't believe how different they are"
"Uh-huh" Sanji, Nami, Zoro and Chopper said at once.
"What was he like?" Shirahoshi asked, curious to know more about Luffy's family. Franky, Robin and Brook were all intrigued to hear more too.
"Well the complete opposite" Sanji spoke up.
"So sensible" Nami nodded.
"A caring older brother" Zoro recalled.
"I still can't believe how Luffy claimed to have always lost to him before he even ate a devil fruit" Nami admitted.
"His grandfather is fearsome, too" Zoro added.
Luffy laughed. He liked to hear his friends speak so kindly about his brother. When the mermaid princess asked to learn more about him he began to explain how he was raised as a child and his adventures and training with Sabo and Ace. When he was finished the others looked at him a little spell bound.
"Well that explains a lot" Zoro spoke up, finally understanding why Luffy was as persistent, fearless and stubborn as he was. The others seemed to agree.
Shirahoshi sniffed and tried to fight back more tears, rubbing her eyes.
"Hey you're not going to cry on me again are you?" Luffy shouted, moving to one side slightly in anticipation. Her tears were like salt water and made him almost feel weak to the knees. Besides he hated to see her cry like that.
Sanji lit another cigarette and sat back in his seat. Blowing out a puff of smoke he remained thoughtful for a moment, "I always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling" he said to no one in particular.
"It is nice" Nami spoke up, "Nojiko and I had our moments when we would argue. I even used to get jealous of her that I always got her hand me downs, but she stuck up for me and looked out for me like no one else. Having her as a sister is something I will always cherish"
"A sister would have been nice" Sanji muttered.
"Pervert" Usopp, Zoro and Luffy spoke up at once.
"Yoohoo I didn't have a relative but my crew were my family" Brook said, wanting to be part of the conversation again.
"I miss my brothers and sisters!" Franky started to cry in memory of his friends.
"I too wonder what it would be like" Robin spoke up, "Although meeting you all has given me an idea…" she looked over at Nami and then to Luffy. They smiled back at her. She saw them like her little brother and sister.
Zoro sat and thought for a minute. He couldn't help but agree with the archaeologist. He looked at his captain and that was exactly how he felt. Luffy was like a kid brother to him, always getting into trouble and needing saving. He caught Nami looking at the glass in her hands as she thought of her village and the people she left behind. Her expression was peaceful and yet sad at the same time. Glancing at the others they had a similar look about them. He guessed he missed his home town too and would like to meet his master once again one day, but he also knew he could not bring himself to do so without first seeing his dream through to the end.
It suddenly dawned on him that when he had completed his dream and returned home, what would he do next? He looked around the group and wondered the same about the rest of them. He had thought that they would all keep journeying together, but his logical head suddenly made him realise that this may not always be possible. Anything could happen, for a start they may not all make it out alive in the end. That was a factor he had come to accept a long time ago. Yet looking at his friends now he realised it was not something he wanted to give a lot of thought to at this moment. He glanced at the red head sitting next to him and she slowly lifted her head to return his gaze. Her expression was slightly sad and he suddenly realised she had been thinking the same thing. He wanted to tell her not to worry but he knew such sentiment was pointless. A voice disrupted their thoughts and Nami broke eye contact with him.
"um we kind of went off track a bit…" Usopp announced.
"Yeah where were we?" Sanji asked.
"Um…Luffy's brother came to help us escape from the marines in Nanohana" said Chopper.
"That's right…well after getting what supplies we could we set sail towards the town of Yuba." Sanji added.
"It was soo hot!" Luffy complained, "I hate deserts"
"It would have been better if you didn't get so easily conned by a bunch of stupid birds!" Sanji spat, recalling the occasion where Luffy lost 3 days worth of luggage and food and water he had slaved away to produce.
"Hey that wasn't my fault!" Luffy defended himself.
"Well it is a good job that pervert camel came when he did bringing that sand monster with him otherwise we would have starved!" Sanji bit back.
"You three together are monstrous" Usopp said, recalling how easily they took out the monster when they joined forces.
"We could have made it to Yuma without anything anyway. We weren't that far away anyway" Zoro cut in. Although he realised quickly that unless his captain was actually the type to listen to him and save his energy then it wouldn't have mattered.
"I wonder how they are doing now" Chopper spoke up, thinking of the old man in Yuma and his son. When they had left Alabasta the rebels had gone back to rebuild their cities and the weather was returning to normal. He could only hope that Yuma had finally become the oasis they had planned it to be all those years.
"I am sure they are fine. That geezer was quite determined. Even after years of digging holes in the sand he never once gave up or lost faith in his king" Sanji reassured the little doctor.
"He was quite a man" Zoro agreed.
"Hmm I suppose while this was happening it coincided with me arranging a meeting with the rest of Crocodile's forces" Robin interjected. They all turned and looked at her. She sat with a hand under her chin, her elbow resting on the table next to her and a drink in her spare hand. "Crocodile demanded I collect Mr 2, Mr 1 and Mr 4 along with their partners. He finally decided to reveal his true identity to them and his plan for a Utopia. It was during these discussions that Mr 3 confessed that you were all in fact alive. You can imagine how angry Crocodile was to hear this news." She looked at the cook and he grinned. It was good to know his deceit had worked out for them so long.
"Mr 2 then identified that he had in fact ran into you all. He seemed slightly upset that the very people he thought were his friends turned out to be his enemy. Crocodile forced him to pose as you all so we could send pictures out for your arrest" the raven haired female continued.
"Wow Robin-chan, I had no idea you were involved with such a dangerous crew" Brook interjected.
"Nothing you couldn't handle right?" Franky asked with a sideways smile. Robin nodded and returned his grin.
"Wasn't it when we left Yuba that Luffy suddenly decided not to fight anymore?" Chopper asked.
Usopp nodded, "Yep and that's when he hit Vivi"
"Why?" Shirahoshi was surprised by the fact Luffy would lay a hand on a woman that way.
Luffy seemed to be a little lost in thought for a moment and had a serious expression on his face, "after meeting the old man I realised just how much the people had suffered at the hands of Crocodile. I couldn't forgive him. I knew that no matter how hard Vivi tried, unless we defeated that guy it would never stop. Vivi's naïve way of thinking that everyone would live would only cause her pain. I couldn't let it go on like that. Vivi had to see things for the way they were. She was willing to risk so much and put her life on the line yet couldn't see how losing her would never solve anything and only cause more people pain." They others all sat there a little amazed at how mature their captain seemed at that moment.
"Huh, our captain always has a way of hitting the nail on the head when it is needed" Sanji muttered.
"He doesn't hold back any punches either" Usopp agreed.
"Was hitting Vivi really necessary though?" Nami asked, still concerned for her friends feelings at the time. She knew Luffy was right but his approach was just insane. It did the job, yet she couldn't help but feel there was a different way of saying it to her.
"We couldn't afford to waste time, Luffy knew that" Zoro cut in, they all turned to look at him, "Vivi needed a reality check…just because she is a woman doesn't change the fact that it was needed." Nami knew what he meant. Zoro was not the type to give excuses due to gender differences. Their friend needed to have some sense knocked into them the hard way. Due to the circumstances there were no other options. Luffy did the right thing and helped Vivi to open her eyes. If it had been anyone else it would never have worked. Only Luffy could make Vivi realise the truth and ask for his help.
"That seems like quite the noble thing you did there" Franky pitched in. It was definitely an unexpected response and perhaps a little brutal, but effective nevertheless. It was quite clear to the cyborg that Luffy cared a lot for this Vivi. She was another one of his precious friends and he didn't want to see her die or suffer anymore. He wanted nothing more than to destroy the man that had caused her so much pain. It was interesting looking at the young man now as he reflected on the past. Luffy was never someone that seemed to show any interest in a woman, yet here he was looking like a part of him was missing.
"I wonder if Kohza and Vivi are now…you know…" Usopp asked.
Nami slapped her friend around the back of the head for being a moron. Honestly, the guys really couldn't get the mood sometimes.
"What was that for?!" Usopp shouted, he seemed stunned when Nami gritted her teeth and gave a sideways nod to their captain. He glanced over and caught the thoughtful expression on Luffy's face.
"Who is Kohza?" Shirahoshi asked. Nami grimaced and glared at Usopp as if to say, look what you've just done! Usopp gulped a lump down his throat as if to apologise.
Nami sighed, "Kohza was a childhood friend of Vivi's and the leader of the rebellion against her father…unfortunately he too had been deceived by Crocodile and his goons."
"I see, they must have been close" the mermaid noted.
"He helped stop the rebellion when he realised what a fool he had been…Vivi said he had saved her life once when they were kids, but I don't think there was anything romantic in it" Nami added. She glanced over at their captain, after all she had said it for his benefit more than anything.
"Well I assume this was when you all came running into Crocodile's casino?" Robin asked, trying to move the subject on and distract her captain from his thoughts.
Nami turned her attention back to the raven haired woman, "Um, yes…we sent Usopp and Luffy to get some water once we reached the town, but they ended up bringing trouble our way again. Smoker and his marines chased us…then these morons led us straight into a trap"
"I don't recall you having any other bright ideas" Usopp pointed out. Nami stuck her nose up at him.
"That Smoker guy taught us something pretty handy though" Zoro recalled.
Nami glanced his way and nodded, "That's right, that's when we discovered what sea stone was and how weak it can make devil fruit users…"
"Then that Crocodile showed up all smug and full of himself. As if he ever had a chance against us!" Usopp shouted, on the verge of entering one of his long dialogues.
"Hmm Vivi was very brave" Robin cut the sharp shooter off. Luffy looked up at her. "Crocodile had sent me to fetch her while you were all locked up…she tried to fight me. She had some guts I have to give her that"
"What did you do to her?" Luffy asked, not realising Robin had fought the princess.
"I caught her and pretended to kill Pell…it was really interesting to see a human that could fly like a bird."
"You are quite the actress Robin-chan!" Sanji sung.
"It seems there is another side to you I don't know about" Franky spoke up as he glanced over to Robin who sat by his side. She smiled and raised a glass to her lips before continuing, "I believe that is when Vivi tried to attack Crocodile and he decided to leave you all to die"
"That arrogant bastard! The way he played with Vivi's feelings like that, I still can't forgive him!" Luffy snapped, forming fists with his hands.
"Those crocodiles were pretty huge" Usopp recalled.
"I still can't help but smile at the look on Crocodile's face when Sanji made the snail call" Robin said, slightly amused.
"That's right! I don't think I have ever been so happy to see Sanji at that point!" Usopp exclaimed. He remembered how they had all freaked out that the water level was getting higher and they couldn't break out of the cage. Even Zoro had been upset that he was not strong enough to be able to cut through the stone bars…Usopp looked over at the swordsman, curious to know if he could cut through them now…
"I must say Sanji-kun, you have a way of forming plans…unlike some of the idiots we are surrounded by" Nami stated. Sanji grinned and swooned at his princess's compliment. "Although if it was not for Mr 3 we may not have managed to find a way out of that cage"
"Ah yes, Crocodile had thrown a fake key into the Crocodile cage, he had kept the real one on himself" Robin spoke up.
"WHAT?!" Luffy, Usopp and Sanji shouted at the same time.
"Oh you didn't realise that?" Robin asked with a shrug.
"Like I said it was a good job Mr 3 was there" Nami repeated herself.
"I guess if we hadn't had saved Smoker back then either then we would have had even more problems with those marines" Zoro highlighted. His respect for that man had increased after that event.
"Yep he is a good guy" Luffy chirped up with a grin.
"Do you think we will come across him again?" Usopp asked the group.
"Most likely" Zoro replied.
"Well…I guess this takes us up to our escape on that huge crab" Nami cut in.
"Thanks to Nami's strong perfume I was able to find you guys easily!" Chopper was happy to be able to pitch in on the story again. He had been a decoy all that time while Sanji saved the others but this time was his moment. Having worked with Eyelash he was able to find some help.
"It was nice perfume" Nami sighed, she had ran out of it ages ago.
"Nami my sweet I can always buy you some more!" Sanji sung.
"Really?! That is so kind of you Sanji-kun!" Nami spoke in her obviously fake feminine voice…well it was obvious for anyone who knew her well enough, the fact that the idiotic cook feel for it every time never ceased to amaze Zoro. He couldn't help but get angry every time the guy opened his mouth. Couldn't he see that he was just being manipulated? Didn't he care? Then again, he couldn't help wonder if he was more angry at the cook or at the female sitting beside him. She knew perfectly well what she was doing when she teased the man. It was not playing fair and it just got his back up.
Yet thinking about it now made Zoro wonder why. Why did he care about what she or Sanji said or did together? They had been like this for years and the cook never seemed fazed, he was like it with every woman. Yet Zoro never got angry when Robin, Vivi or even Shirahoshi responded to him. Was it because they didn't treat him like a tool or was it something more than that? He looked at the red head as she leant forward in her seat and took hold of Sanji's hands to thank him in that flirtatious way she often did. She was like that any moment someone mentioned money and her not needing to spend any. Zoro gritted his teeth and suddenly acted on instinct.
Nami felt a strong hand grab her wrist and pull her back. She let go of the cook and turned to look at its owner. Zoro released her and spat a retorting remark at the blond man who gave an equally aggressive one back. This time it was Robin who separated the two men using her devil fruit powers. She picked them up in two large hands and sat them down in their seats. They continued to glare at each other. Nami looked down at her wrist and rubbed it slightly. Zoro had always retaliated with Sanji and snapped at him every time he said something to her, but she always put it down to him getting angry with the cook for being such an idiot and ruining any respect he had for the man. Never before had he acted physically like that. She was momentarily stunned.
"I wanted to ride on that crab!" Luffy suddenly remembered, becoming jealous that he missed his opportunity.
"You were a little busy at the time" Usopp reassured him, "If you hadn't of traded places with Vivi when you did who knows what Crocodile would have done"
"He was a tough opponent" Luffy agreed. He had acted on impulse in saving Vivi. He didn't want that filthy man's hands on her and was ready to kill the man if he had to for what he had done. He hated people who trod on people's lives like they were meaningless.
"These guys wouldn't admit it but they were pretty worried about you" Nami spoke up. Her statement caused Zoro and Sanji to stop their staring contest.
"I wasn't worried!" Zoro protested.
"Please, you continued to train throughout the rest of our trip" Nami recalled. She had to separate the two men after all. She smiled at the swordsman and his grimace turned into a frown. The damn woman was right. He didn't want to admit it but as brave as he tried to be for Vivi's sake, he didn't like the odds against their captain at the time.
"You were really worried about Vivi…if I recall you stated to Crocodile that you were fighting him to prevent Vivi from dying" Robin spoke up. Luffy nodded. "You also called him an idiot" Robin finished with a small chuckle.
"His power sure was scary for a moment back there. He sucked the water out of my arm and swallowed me whole into his quicksand" their captain recalled the events of their battle.
"You nearly died?" Usopp was surprised by his captain's tail of his fight with Crocodile. The others sat there in silence.
"Yep…he stabbed me through the chest with his hook" Luffy confirmed.
"How did you escape?" Shirahoshi asked.
Luffy looked over to Robin and they shared a smile, "If not for Robin I would have been buried alive"
"I was curious as to why you fought so hard to protect your friends and save a land that wasn't even yours to worry about" she admitted, "off course it wasn't until getting to know you all that I realised how crazy you all are"
Her statement caused everyone to smile and share a small laugh. They were not your usual bunch of average people that was for sure. This was only the partial truth however, as Robin's main drive to saving their captain had been to learn more about the men with the initial D. in their name. Little had she known then that Monkey D. Luffy was related to Portgas D. Ace, Monkey D. Garp and Monkey D. Dragon.
"You also have one other to thank" Robin continued, Luffy sat with his head tilted to one side and thought for a moment. When she realised the Beli was taking far too long to drop she helped him out, "the advisor to the king that could turn into a giant hawk…"
Realisation hit Luffy and he punched a fist into his hand, "Yosh! He got me meat!" The others smiled.
"So while Luffy was being rescued what happened to you guys?" Franky spoke up, turning his attention from the smiling archaeologist to look back at their navigator.
"Well, we realised that in order to get to Alubarna we had to cross over the small section of sea diving the land." Usopp explained.
"I have never seen a crab run so fast in my life" Chopper announced.
"If it wasn't for our beautiful Nami-san he wouldn't have had the motivation to run so fast" Sanji pointed out.
Zoro sat and scoffed. He couldn't believe how many small details they picked up on and wanted to talk about. There was so much going on and so many more important things to be concerned with but recalling Nami flashing herself to a crab was not something he wanted to remember again. Even if he had to admit the beast was fast.
"Luckily those kung fu seals that Luffy beat up came to our rescue" Usopp continued, recalling how the little guys defeated a huge monster and saved them from being eaten and having to swim an eternity to the other side. The stupid crab may have been fast but not fast enough to run on water.
"Let's not forget Karou and the duck squad" Nami pitched in.
"Yoohoohoo it seems like you all have formed many friends with animals" Brook sung, happy to know his friends were so caring and even impressed other living beings.
"Well thanks to them we managed to get to the city in time and divided into teams, forcing the enemy to split up" Zoro summarised, growing weary of the constant descriptions. The princess didn't need the detail of their fights, just the fact that they won. While Nami explained what their plan had been he sat and watched her.
He watched as her hair flowed down her back and remembered how it had been really short when they first met. By the time they had reached Alabasta it had grown a little longer and she was able to clip it back. He wasn't too sure why she had decided to grow it so long in the first place. Especially considering it was easier to fight with her hair out of the way. Yet as he noticed the slight shine and bounce to it he found himself wanting to touch it. He shook his head into reality again and resisted the temptation. He had no idea what had gotten into him lately but all this reminiscing just made it difficult to not think about the past and what was right in front of him.
As Sanji, Chopper and Usopp briefly explained their fights with the mole woman and Mr 2 he started to recall his own challenge against Mr 1. The man's body was unique and deadly. He had lost a lot of blood and was lucky that his instincts kicked in when they did, helping him to avoid any vital organs being damaged. He recalled the moment his thoughts suddenly became clear and how he was able to read the man's movements and feel the earth around him to every find grain. That was the day he learnt to cut through steel.
Nami looked sideways at the man sitting next to her and caught him glancing her way. She forced herself to look on and focus her attention on the others as they spoke, but couldn't help feel her skin tingle as eyes bore into her. She wondered what it was about and if Zoro was recalling the fact that she had run off and left him to it or forced him to give her a piggy back when he was wounded. She bit her lip at the memory. He may have thought badly of her back then, growing angry when he realised she could walk the whole time, but he had scared her. She had felt guilty for running off and leaving him to fight two opponents on his own, but running hadn't done any good. It forced the enemy to follow her instead and distracted the swordsman. She remembered how he grabbed her and slammed her to the floor, pushing his body in between her and Mr 1's blade. She had never been so grateful to him as she was at that moment.
When she managed to fight her way against Miss Double finger she had found a new sense of confidence and was so happy she could now help her friends to fight. She hated being weak and always being saved all the time. It had taken a lot of guts but she had succeeded. Off course it would have been easier if Usopp hadn't made her weapon so damn annoying and made better instructions, but she got there with minimal problems. Not to mention she defeated one of the top females from Baroque works. Yet when she went to find Zoro and saw him laying there like that…the memory caused her to hug herself. She tucked her feet up onto the chair and hugged her legs, resting her chin on her knees. There was so much blood. At first she thought the worst until she noticed Mr 1's body not too far away. She ran over to Zoro. He was on his front and his swords scattered to his sides.
Flashback:
She reached out hesitantly and with a trembling hand touched his shoulder. "Zoro" she shook him a little more, "Zoro"
There was no response and she felt herself panic a little. She put her weapon away and struggled to kneel beside him. Using what little strength she had left she rolled him over and gasped at the sight of his wounds. She placed a hand on his chest and felt it rise and fall. She let out a breathe she didn't even realise she had been holding. Looking at him more closely she examined his wounds. Luckily they weren't too deep, she just hoped this meant a lot of the blood on him was not his own. She lifted her head and looked in the direction of his opponent to reassure herself the man was still down. A sudden noise caught her attention.
Zoro was snoring.
"Wake up! Baka" she shouted, smacking him around the head.
Zoro sat upright and winced in pain, resting on one of his elbows. He looked at her for a second, his expression changed from dazed to concerned. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Nami was relieved he seemed okay. She swallowed the lump in her throat and forced any tears she had back. Nodding she replied, "Yes, no thanks to you" he scoffed in response. She knew damn well he had more than his fair share to contend with.
"We should check to see on the others" she said. He nodded and looked down at her hands that still rested on his chest. She was shaking. The adrenaline was finally leaving her body. A strong hand took hold of her weak one and helped her to stand up.
Zoro let go of her hand and scanned the area for his swords. He slowly bent down to pick each of them up and place them back at his waist.
"Ow!" she cried out in pain as she tried to put pressure on her foot. He turned around and looked at her. From the way he scanned her from head to toe she felt she must have looked a bit worse for wear. She suddenly felt a little exposed and embarrassed. Deciding to turn it to her advantage and test out whether he was actually fit enough to continue she thought up a ploy.
"I can't walk properly" she whined, pointing to her bloodied foot.
Zoro looked at her as she smiled at him, "what?"
"You are going to have to carry me" she said sweetly.
He raised an eyebrow and shook his head, "no way"
"But I can't walk. I will slow us down!" she protested. He stood there and stared at her for a moment, resisting the urge to walk away and leave her there most likely. "You wouldn't leave me alone in this strange place would you?" she asked in the most childlike innocent voice she could muster.
He stormed up to her and grunted, "Fine, but don't ever say I don't do anything for you!" he snapped. She grinned back at him. He turned around and lowered himself to one knee. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he slowly stood up. She couldn't help but notice that his breathing seemed a little laboured as he struggled although her guilt was momentary when he muttered something under his breathe about her weight. Bringing her legs up to his sides she felt strong hands cup her thighs and couldn't help but sink into his body.
She looked ahead of them and rested her head on his shoulder, "Zoro, where do you think you are taking me?" she asked in a sultry tone.
"To find the others" he answered.
"Honestly baka, you are going the wrong way. Go that way" she pointed out to a road to their left, he followed it begrudgingly.
"Zoro" she said his name softly.
"Yeah" he replied, his breathing eventually evening out.
"Thank you" she whispered. He grunted in response and tightened his hold on her. She squeezed him back slightly herself.
End Flashback
"Vivi tried really hard while you were all fighting to get through to her people, but no one could hear her" Robin's voice cut into the navigators thoughts. "Crocodile threw her from the top of the palace, then Luffy made a heroic entrance" she smiled at their captain. "He came flying in and swooped Vivi into his arms" she teased.
"Just how the hero should save the day" Franky spoke up in approval.
"While Luffy fought of Crocodile the rest of us searched the city for the bomb that was in place." Sanji explained.
"I have to admit I was impressed with Luffy's idea on how to defeat Crocodile with water" Robin chirped.
"I realised when I first fought him that when he broke the water bottle around my neck that it hardened his sand and I managed to release his hold on me" Luffy admitted.
"Nami-san's idea to jump up to the top of the bell tower was also intriguing" Sanji spoke up. Her quick thinking never ceased to amaze him.
"Speak for yourself, that fall nearly killed me" Usopp grumbled.
"That Falcon…he was a brave man" Zoro replied.
"Hmph, he was definitely a true hero" Sanji agreed.
"Poor Vivi, she tried so hard to shout for everyone to stop fighting, but no one was listening" Chopper spoke up.
The memory forced Nami to have tears in her eyes. Vivi was so brave and loved her country so much. She had wanted to help her friend keep that dream alive, yet she knew there was only so much they could do. They were all worn out and injured, yet watching her on that tower had forced her to not give up. It was at that moment she ordered everyone to try to help break up the fighting. No matter what the cost.
"Vivi's father was a pretty amazing king, too" Sanji announced through a puff of his cigarette.
"Yeah, to carry Luffy back to safety and getting his hands dirty. He was a good guy" Zoro agreed.
"So what happened to Crocodile?" Shirahoshi asked, looking at Luffy.
The captain grinned and answered, "I beat him"
"It was a pretty close call" Zoro warned, "You lost a lot of blood and he poisoned you to"
"Yeah but Robin helped me" Luffy chirped.
"I guess we are lucky Robin came on our side" Nami nodded and smiled at her friend.
"I didn't have much of a choice either way" the raven haired woman announced, "Luffy wouldn't leave me behind and let me die like I had wanted him to"
This comment caught the cyborg's attention, "Wishing for death is never a good thing" he spoke up. She turned to him and smiled as she recognised the concern on his face.
"Back then I had almost given up all hope. Luffy helped me to find it again" she replied. Luffy grinned.
"Yeah I guess he has a knack of knocking sense into people" Sanji muttered. With that they all laughed.
"So did Vivi eventually get through to the people?" Shirahoshi asked, aware that there seemed to be gaps in places and desperately trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
"Yes, she did" Nami smiled, the others followed suit.
"After that we all took a few days to recuperate and prepare for our next journey" Nami summed up.
"The celebrations and food were great!" Luffy rejoiced.
"I think you ate for the whole kingdom" Usopp exaggerated, but was pretty close.
"I missed out on 3 days worth of meals!" Luffy pointed this factor out.
"I guess it is because of that he developed later on the ability to eat while he slept" Sanji breathed some smoke out.
"Those baths were pretty cool too" Usopp suddenly spoke up, not realising he had said it out loud. Yet he wasn't the only one thinking the same way. Sanji, Luffy and Chopper all joined him in glancing over at their red headed navigator.
"Keep your perverted thoughts to yourselves" Zoro warned them, unimpressed with the fact that they would stoop so low as to spy on the girls in the bathroom anyway. Even Chopper had back then yet he was someone who claimed to be uninterested in human women.
"Hey just because you don't understand beauty when you see it doesn't mean we can't appreciate natures art!" Sanji snapped.
"You have a twisted view on art" Zoro spat back.
"That just reminded me…you all still owe me over 100,000 Beli for that experience…with 2 years interest of course" Nami winked.
They immediately started to protest, well all except for the cook who thought she was stunning as usual.
Zoro grinned, everything came with a price with that woman. He was just glad that for once it wasn't him being charged. He hadn't joined them back then for that very reason. He was no fool. If Nami caught you doing something like that she would definitely get her own back, tenfold.
"Have I missed something?" the musician spoke up.
"Nami flashed us" Luffy blurted out.
"EHHH?!" Brook suddenly became extremely jealous. He turned to their navigator and said, "Would you flash me Nami-san?" but got a kick in the face for his perverseness.
"Hey sis, looks like there is more to you than meets the eye" Franky winked.
"Don't put me in the same category as you!" Nami snapped, recalling the horrific moment when he flashed his parts to the world.
"Is there anyone who hasn't seen Nami naked?" Usopp suddenly asked out loud.
They all looked over to Robin who shrugged and said, "We bathe together".
"Robin!" Nami scolded her female companion. "You guys make me sound like some tramp!" she protested. She was going to increase their debts a thousand times for that insult.
"I haven't seen Nami-san completely naked" Brook pitched in. Nami was actually a little grateful for his honesty. "Though I would still like to see her p..a.." he was sent flying before he could finish his sentence. Nami was now standing and furious. Her dignity was being pulled out from beneath her by her own friends. She was burning with anger.
"Give it a rest Nami" Zoro placed a hand on her shoulder and she suddenly became aware of his presence behind her. She started to relax a little.
"Hey come to think of it, you didn't look that time" Luffy pointed a finger at the swordsman and he stepped next to Nami to face the rest of the idiots.
"So what?" he asked, wondering where his captain was going with this.
"Maybe Zoro doesn't like women?" Usopp whispered to Luffy. A vein throbbed in the moss head's temple.
"It wouldn't surprise me" Sanji spoke up, joining their little discussion.
"Yoohoo do you think he likes…men…" Brook asked. There was a momentary silence and Luffy popped his head up from the group. Zoro knew full well what was coming next.
"Zoro do you like men?" their captain asked out of the blue. Robin burst into laughter and Nami stood watching in amazement as the swordsman rapidly beat the crap out of his friends. Their heads were all that could be seen sticking out of the ground.
"Wooo dude, no need to get so uptight." Franky spoke up.
Zoro immediately spun on the man, "I do not like men!" he yelled with a deep and deadly tone of voice.
"So…why…didn't you…look?" Luffy asked through raspy breathes.
"Because unlike you morons I actually have respect for Nami!" Zoro bellowed. The area went silent.
…
A/N: Wow…Alabasta goes on forever! I am happy with the ZoNa content of this chapter though. Next up will be them talking about saying goodbye to Vivi, Robin joining their crew and the journey to Skypiea.
Please review!
P.S. it is nearly 2am but I have a busy day tomorrow and wanted to get something out to you all. So, I haven't proof read this and just did a quick spell check so please forgive me if there are errors. Hopefully I got people's names right this time round as I had to flick through most of the manga to make sure I remembered things properly.
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