Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting

Haven't had any complaints yet, so I'll take that as a sign that I'm doing a decent job of this. lol


Nami

After the creature had time to cook over the open flames, Luffy took the first bite, not that his navigator had any complaints, better him than her. After all, if anything was wrong with it, he'd be able to tolerate it. To put it lightly, he was the best tester. Then again, he also wasn't very picky, so it could very well be godawful and she would never know. She sighed at that. Oh well, beggars couldn't be choosers, and it had been a while since they'd last eaten. At this point, she was about willing to try anything.

"Hey, it's not that bad," the captain announced in between mouthfuls. "Hey, you should really try this," he said, holding a piece of it out for her to take. At first, she was hesitant, eyeing the scrap skeptically.

She watched it carefully for a few moments, and heaving a heavy breath, finally accepted the offer. "Well," she whispered, "here goes nothing." And, with that, she carefully took a small nibble, chewing slowly as she waited for the gamey taste to hit, or for the foulness of it to sink in. But, much to her surprise, it never did; in fact, Luffy was right, it wasn't bad at all. "I...suppose it passes," she shrugged, trying to sound casual about it. Nothing like what we usually have, but I guess it's alright.

At that, Luffy beamed. "I say, when we get everyone together, and before we leave this place, we gather a few more of these. I bet Sanji could do something amazing with it." He practically drooled with the idea of it, the possibilities. She just took a few more bites, letting the other have the rest, he needed more anyway.

For a while after that, they just sat idly by the fire, relishing in its warmth and comfort for some time, watching as it cast shadows all around. It was relaxing in a sense, if you didn't think about the potential danger the rest of the crew was in, that is. There was no telling what they were going through, and here they were...relaxing and having a nice meal of all things. It was almost enough to make her sick to her stomach, but not quite. She inhaled deeply and leaned back, opening her mouth to say something, but a light snore caught her ear and instantly made her pause.

"Nevermind," she whispered, making herself comfortable for a long night. With Luffy already asleep, she guessed that left her to keep watch for the night. Taking her new duty seriously, she prepared herself, sitting up straighter and making sure she wasn't at risk of falling asleep, regardless of how tired she was.

For the majority of the night, she remained like that, unmoving and uncomfortable. Boy, what she wouldn't give to be back on the Sunny right about now. Even sleeping on the deck sounded like heaven compared to this. At least the two of them were together, so they had that going for them. She watched as the captain's chest rose and fell, and somehow, it managed to set her mind at ease. With him, she at least knew that they'd be alright.


It was so bright, rays of sunlight pierced through her eyelids, rudely disturbing her from her peaceful slumber. Groaning from the intrusion, the navigator rolled over, trying to rid herself of the unwelcomed nuisance. One of her arms automatically draped itself over her eyes in an automatic attempt to shield them from the onslaught. Just as she was about to drift off again, something in her mind urged her against, and in one fluid movement, she snapped into an upright position.

Panting heavy breaths, Nami glanced around, the lighting completely different from what she remembered it being last. "Oh no…" she uttered, putting two and two together, and she had to fight the temptation to slap herself. She had one job...keep watch, and she somehow managed to screw that up.

She quickly looked around, as if something could have happened while her guard was down. Luckily, everything was in place. Everything except for…"Luffy?" she called out, seeing no signs of the irresponsible captain. There was no reply, only the morning greetings of the local wildlife replied to her voice. "Luffy!?" she called louder, getting to her feet. Her hands fell to her sides as she continued to scan the area...but there was nothing...no sign of him anywhere. Where could he have disappeared to. Surely he wouldn't have left her there alone, would he?

No, that was ridiculous, he would never do a thing like that, not unless he was sure she'd be alright there by herself like that. The fire was burned out, and there were no clear signs of struggle as far as she could see, so that took a scuffle out of the equation. Besides, that would have woken her up anyway.

With no idea of what else to do, she sat back down. If he left of his own volition, then he'd return as well, all she had to do was wait. But, she really hoped he knew how much he was setting them back with this little disappearing act, they had to get a move o- "AH!" she cried out, something landed a few feet away, rather loudly at that. The force of it sent a mini shock wave up her spine and shuffled the trees around her.

"Oh, you're awake," she recognized that voice, and...that wide grin beaming at her in pure innocence.

"Well, if I wasn't I sure am now!" she snapped back, her pulse still thrumming through her veins. Her heart was beating a thousand times a minute, putting her a little bit on edge. "Where were you?" she demanded, her patience gone the moment he nearly gave her a heart attack.

Without a word, the captain pointed upward, as if that answer her question. Raising an eyebrow, she followed the gesture, right to the tree tops. "I was up there," he said with a sense of nonchalance, like it was obvious. "I figured I'd get somewhere up high and get a good view of the place," he shrugged. "And, I think I saw something," he informed ecstatically. "I saw civilization...and the others could be there."

"What!?" she exclaimed, forgetting all about everything else; it could wait, this was far more important. "Well, go on! Tell me where it is?" He wasted no time in waving her along, ready to show the way.

"I think it was this way," he said deep in thought, "but, it was pretty far off," he warned. She didn't care, they could walk for days for all she cared. As long it was a chance to meet up with the others, then it would have been worth all the trouble.


Ussop

"What do you mean blood?" the sniper asked, voice an octave higher than normal. "You mean...like, real blood?" he questioned further, a sense of unease accompanying his tone. He looked to Chopper for answers, really not liking the way he was hesitating with his replies.

There was something he wasn't telling them, he could see it in the doctor's features, something important. "Chopper?" Robin pressed, having the same inquiries on her own mind. "What else is there?"

The reindeer swallowed thickly, his unwavering gaze never leaving the forest. "I think...I think I smell faint smoke as well. Like cigarette smoke," he clarified, knowing that it had to mean it was Sanji. But, picking up his scent, as well as the aroma of fresh blood was enough to make his skin crawl with unease. "I...I think Sanji's hurt," he said, that news tasting bitter as it rolled off his tongue.

"Are you sure?" Ussop asked, hoping there was some sort of misunderstanding, there had to be. "You sure it's not animal blood?"

"I don't know, I can't tell, it's too faint, too far away," he said, but it didn't help calm the others any. It still meant there was a possibility that one of their own was wounded and in need of help. "We have to go help though," he said with determination. "I'm the doctor, and I have to make sure everything is alright," he declared, leaving no room for discussion.

The historian had to laugh in amusement at that. "I was about to say the same thing," she agreed. "We better hurry then, don't want to leave him waiting do we?" she questioned, looking down to Chopper with a soft expression. "Let's go, Mr. Doctor," she said with a warm smile.

"Yeah," he nodded, taking the lead and taking off, knowing the others would easily be able to keep up with him. He consistently sniffed the air, following the scent as closely as possible and made sure to keep them on the right trail. The scent soon grew stronger, more clear...and it definitely wasn't animal blood, it was human. His mind raced as it started overwhelming his sensitive nose until it was about the only thing he could make out anymore.

They were getting close, it was unmistakable. The copper mixed unmistakably with the smoke; the two were nearly indistinguishable from one another. He couldn't tell where one scent ended and the other began. "We're close," he told them, unwittingly increasing his speed to the point where he may as well have been running. 'Please be safe,' he prayed to himself, his body now moving on its own accord closer and closer to the source. There was no telling what he was about to come across, and he feared the worse. But, whatever it was, he had to keep a level head, and he absolutely could not, under any circumstances, let them know how panicked he was on the inside.

They were almost on top of it now, he could smell it, and he slowed down, descending into an almost creep as a stone structure came within view. Upon close inspection, he figured out it was a cave, and his blood ran cold. It was coming from inside, he knew it. Different thoughts filled his imagination...like, what if something dragged him in there? What if some animal had gotten a hold of him?

He shook his head, he couldn't think like that, he couldn't allow himself to get distracted when they were right there. "It's coming from inside," he told the others, his voice barely above a whisper.

He sauntered on, his pace a ghost of what it was before; to be honest, he was utterly terrified of what they'd find. Creeping to the entrance, Chopper was the first to peer inside. "Sanji?" he called out, the name echoed eerily off the stone walls, his own voice bounced back, being the only reply he received. "Hello?" he called out again, the lack of a response not boding well at all.

Tentatively, he stepped inside, the other two close behind. "Are you sure he's here?" the sharpshooter questioned. Though, to be honest, the fact that they were seeing no one was kind of good news. It meant that wherever he was, there was a chance he was still able to walk around and move on his own.

"Y-Yeah, I'm completely sure. He was here...at some point," he added, scratching the back of his head in confusion. The scent was so strong, he was sur- "Wait," he breathed out, slowly walking farther in. He gradually stepped over to something lying on the stone floor, it was familiar in a sense. "Zoro?" he mouthed, now remembering who the green garment belonged to. He was here as well? "Guys, Sanji isn't alone, Zoro's with him," he informed, earning a small sigh of relief from the others. Even of the chef was hurt, he wasn't alone.

But, as he crouched, the stench of metal became unbearable, and there was something else, another foul smell mixed in with the blood. Taking it in, his heart sank. This was bad.

"Everything alright?" Robin asked, strolling up behind him, then her eyes found what he was looking at, and it was absolutely soaked in blood.

"Guys," he breathed out, "something's really wrong." Both of them simultaneously felt their chests constrict with worry and fear. "I-I think the wound is infected...I can smell it, it reeks of bacteria." He turned to face them, his eyes wide in terror bright within them. "We have to find them, as quickly as possible."


Zoro

His skull was filled to the brim with cotton, so stuffed it somehow managed to leak into his mouth as well. He groaned with the effort it took to process what was going on, what happened, or even where the hell he was. The first thing that really registered was the surface he was lying on, it was rough...and grainy, like dirt. He was on the ground, which was odd. Last thing he remembered was… His eyes snapped open, the festering light hardly bothering him in his frantic awakening.

Zoro took in deep breaths, his gaze flicking from side to side, trying to figure out where he was, but his attention landed on something, or someone, else instead. "Psst," he stretched his leg out to nudge the other with his toe. "Hey, sanji, wake up ya shithead," he hissed between clenched teeth. The other hardly moved, just whimpered in protest and shuffled lightly in his sleep.

Curiously, his gaze trailed down his still form, searching its way down to his leg. His eyes narrowed as he stared down at it, worry really starting to grip him now. But, he didn't get much chance to dwell on it before the chef finally showed signs of waking. His first reaction was to draw in a sharp gasp, one hand automatically reached down for his wound, clearly causing him a deal of pain.

"Sanji," he called out again, this time getting the other man to pry one unfocused eye open. "Wake up already," he demanded, giving him another prod with his toes.

"M'awake," he mumbled, lifting a hand to rub at his eyes. "What d'ya want?" he slurred, forcing his other eye open to glare at the other man.

Zoro took another look around, noticing for the first time the bars that surrounded them. "I hate to disturb your slumber, but I think we have a problem here," he muttered, the tone enticing the blond to take a look around for himself. To say they had a problem was the understatement of the century.

"What th'hell?" he groaned, propping himself up on his elbow. He winced as his leg was jostled, sending waves of searing agony up the limb, and he couldn't stifle the gasp that leaked out. The chef had to bite down to avoid making further noise, he still had a little pride left that he wished to hold on to for at least a little bit longer.

The swordsman narrowed his eyes at the uncharacteristic yelp. "You good?" he asked, trying to come across as indifferent, but the floodgates were crumbling, and a bit of the pent up concern was drizzling through the cracks. "Is it, you know, any worse?"

"It's fine," Sanji ground out, a light sheen of sweat sprouting across his forehead. "Stop asking about it, I said it a thousand times already, it will be fine, alright?" he snapped, maneuvering his way into a sitting position. "Damn, this sucks, I need a fucking smoke right about now," he whispered in annoyance.

"Why, so you can kill yourself faster?" the other scoffed.

Sanji shot him an irritated glare. "No, this shitty gash is doing that fine job on it's ow-. Just...just shut your mouth already." He took a deep breath to calm himself. "It's the withdrawals, I'm sure," he brushed off. Zoro figured that was supposed to be his way of apologizing, but it fell a little short in the sincere department.

Rolling his eyes, the swordsman glanced him over one more time, really not too keen on the way his cheeks had a pinkish hue to them. "You feeling alright?"

"No, I'm not 'feeling alright,'" he replied immediately. "Feel like shit and my leg hurts like hell," he admitted, all dignity out the window; he was quickly losing his ability to care anymore though. He took a shuddering breath and scooted close enough to the bars to lean against them. Now, it was his turn to take in their surroundings, and he couldn't figure out what was going on either. They were clearly in a cage and still outside. But, looking a little closer, he could make out structures, just through the trees...like a village of sorts.

He was about to ask more questions, but something press against his forehead, the unexpectedness of it cause his reaction time to suffer. "Hey!" he cried out, jerking away from the touch. "The hell you think you're doing?"

"You're sick," Zoro stated flatly, ignoring the other man's obvious displeasure with the intrusion of space.

"I said I'm fine," he stubbornly repeated, he was just like a broken record. "It's hot out here, alright?"

"You have a fever, you idiot. It's not that hot, not enough to feel that warm," he pressed on, refusing to back down on this.

Sanji, stared back at him. "And even if I do, what do you plan on doing? In case you haven't noticed, we've been locked up in a cage like a couple of animals. I think a little fever is the least of our worries right now." Just that short and heated rant was enough to wear him out, his breathing became labored and he had to stop to catch it. "Let's...focus on getting out of here," he suggested, tone lighter.

The green-haired man breathed out a heavy exhale; he didn't know what he expected, the guy was too stubborn. "Yeah, I can get behind that," he agreed, glancing over to see the other with his eyes closed again, his chest heaving with his mouth slightly parted. He just hoped that when they did get out of here, he'd be able to carry himself. The last thing he wanted to do was have to haul his half-dead ass out of this place.