Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. Oda does.

A/N: God. Finally! I got two more votes for Luffy than for Zoro, so Luffy wins! This fanfic will stay LuffyxOC. Sorry to anyone that voted for Zoro! Thanks for voting!

Uhhhhhhhhmmmmmm...how long has it been since my last update? PLEASE FORGIVE MEEEEEEE! This chapter has been halfway done and waiting to be finished for forever! I guess I lost my inspiration for a while there... But it's back! It'll still be slow, though, especially because next week is midterms for me. I hope you guys can find some other amazing fanfiction to read!

Choose a Side

Chapter 7: Boodle and Nami Love~!

I felt a strong hand push on my head.

"Hey, you ok?" I looked up to see Luffy. By now, I had cried my heart out and I was done with crying, so I only smiled and nodded.

Stepping away from ShuShu, I watched Luffy give the dog the last box of dog food from the store.

Nami had been silent up to this point, and I felt her hand on my shoulder as she asked me, "Are you sure you're ok? It seems like..." She paused, and I took that moment to turn towards her and say, "I'm ok. I've cried myself out, now. I guess I was just hoping for things to turn out...different."

I caught her look of confusion, and realized she didn't know... "Ah, I guess I didn't tell you. I'm a psychic."

"What?!" She screamed. I only smiled back at her. She stared at me for a little bit before muttering, "I swear, everyone here is crazy..."

I grinned wider and glomped her, making her give a cross between a scream and a squeak. "But you know you love me~~" I told her. I was totally feeling the sisterly love right now. I have a feeling I could get really close to Nami if she'd let me.

She only glared at me and bonked me over the head, making me fall of of her and onto the ground. "Don't touch me!" She said loudly. Touchy, I see. We will fix that.

"Awwww~" I whined at her, pouting and reaching my arms back up towards her, clenching my hands over and over again. "But I want hugs! It's too weird when there're only guys around... I can't hug them!"

She sweatdropped, and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well you're not hugging me either." I flopped onto the ground, crying rivers of tears. "I'm hug deprived..." I mumbled sadly.

I turned over to see ShuShu leaving. I smiled as I saw him bark at Luffy, and then Luffy answered, "Yeah! you be strong too!"

Nami looked in on the scene as well. "Haha..." She murmured, amazed.

I grinned a cheeky grin at her from my spot laying on the ground. She noticed, stepping back a little. "What is it?" She asked cautiously.

"Changed your mind yet?" I asked, raising my eyebrow and glancing at Luffy, before glancing back at her. She looked away, embarrassed. "He's certainly... different." She whispered. "But that still doesn't change my opinion about pirates!"

"Doesn't have to. All I wanted was for you to realize that Luffy is a good person that may end up saving you."

She gave a side glance at me, and then looked away, deep in thought. Looking up towards Luffy, she walked to him and apologized.

"Sorry for doubting you!"

Luffy only smirked and stood up. "Don't worry about it. You lost someone important to you because of pirates...you've been through a lot, haven't you? You don't need to say anything..."

Nami smiled gratefully.

It was at this point that Boodle the poodle mayor decided to get fed up with everything. He growled loudly, crying to the sky, "I can't stand it anymore!"

They turned towards him in confusion.

"It's just so miserable, so miserable! ShuShu and these youngsters fighting like this... But why is it that I, the village chief, can only watch our village get trampled!"

"Wait! Chief! Calm down!" Nami attempted to dissuade him from fighting.

Boodle turned to Luffy. "As a man, there are some fights that just can't be avoided! Isn't that right kid?!"

Luffy only grinned and answered, "Right!"

Nami turned on him. "Don't encourage him!" Then she turned on me as well. "And why aren't you helping!?" I grinned and shrugged.

In the background, Boodle continued, not caring if we were arguing or not. "40 years ago!"

I merely smiled and watched as he talked, tuning the entire thing out. I knew the town's story already. At least it wasn't as long as ShuShu's story, that one was really long. I was only startled out of my thoughts when Boodle said "I'm gonna fight!" and almost immediately after, a large explosion came from right behind where I was sitting, making me fly forward into the group, or more specifically, Luffy, knocking him over.

We skidded across the ground a couple meters, debris flying everywhere. Boodle shouted curses about his house being destroyed, and that prompted Luffy to flip up, with me still clinging to him, and shout about Zoro.

I noticed that he didn't even attempt to shove me off, just stood back up and left me there attached to his shirt like an ornament. I chose that moment to stand on my own two feet as well, letting go of his now slightly bunched up shirt as he attempted to get Zoro to answer if he was dead or not.

The dust decided to clear then, revealing Zoro, who was sitting clutching his head, mumbling about a really bad wakeup call...

He's definitely ok.

While Luffy was shouting cries of relief, I turned to the chief as Nami did also.

"It feels as if my chest is being ripped out..."

"Chief!" Nami exclaimed, surprised at his outburst.

Boodle then began his rant about his objection to the actions of Buggy. I like him and all, but him going on and on about things was just beginning to scrape at my nerves.

As Nami tried to stop him from leaving, I sighed with a frown on my face as I thought, 'It's no use...'

Somehow, it still managed to startle me just as much as the rest of them when he shouted, "I know it's reckless!"

Then as we all stood there, stunned, he ran off, yelling, "Just you wait, Buggy the Clown!"

Nami quietly commented, surprised, "He was crying..."

Luffy acted like he didn't see anything. "Really? I didn't notice. Did you guys?"

Zoro shook his head with a grin, while I cocked my head and said, "Not a thing." with a grin as well.

"I feel like this is getting a lot more exciting." Zoro said with a grin. Luffy and I laughed and agreed.

"How can you still laugh!?" Nami screamed at us angrily. Luffy merely gave a confident grin and answered, "Don't worry. I like that old man. I won't let him die."

"Seriously!? How can you still laugh in this kind of situation?! Where the hell does your confidence come from!?" Nami questioned us furiously.

Luffy looked up at her intensely. "Our destination is the Grand Line! We're going to have to steal that map back!" He held up a hand in offering. "Why don't you join us? You need that map, don't you? And the treasure!"

Nami looked startled for a moment at the offer, then became quiet. After a moment, she responded, "I don't want to become a pirate."

Then she looked at him intensely as well, slapping Luffy's offered hand. "Rather than 'partners', let's just say we're cooperating. Helping each other achieve our goals!"

I squealed in delight and tackle hugged her. Nami squeaked in surprise. "Atta girl! Now all we have to do is save you from imminent doom to force you to actually join!"

Nami stared at me while sweatdropping, as I stared back with wide sparkly eyes and a smile. "You know I'm your best friend, right?" I told her.

She then proceeded to punch me into the dirt.

I got up immediately as she ignored me and started getting at Zoro about his wound. I popped over next to Luffy and started bouncing around. Zoro then asked, "Should we go now, Luffy?"

"Yeah, let's go." he responded.

"You heard him, let's go!" I said loudly while punching the air, talking over Nami's mumbling in the background.

XxXxXONExPIECEXxXxX

We walked in on Boodle screaming at Buggy, "YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO THIS VILLAGE!"

I frowned, but was given a bit of satisfaction at the surprise on Buggy's face when Luffy popped in and saved the chief from being strangled to death. "You, Strawhat—!"

"I've kept my promise...!" He said with a smirk, staring up at him. "I've come to beat you!"

Buggy pulled back, angered. "So you come here of your own will, without any trace of fear...!" He snarled. "You morons...!"

"You're all so dead!" He screamed at us all, as Nami turned to us both and told us, "Look, I don't care what you all do. I'm only here for the treasure!"

Zoro merely replied with a nonchalant "Yeah," while I replied with, "We already knew that, Nami! No need to remind us!"

Our attention was then stolen by the chief, as he struggled to get up from his position on the ground. "All of you..." He started, "What did you come back for? You guys just stay out of this..."

He got up suddenly and pointed his spear. "This is my war!" He said, before he proceeded to be slammed into a wall head first courtesy of Luffy.

Everyone froze in shock at Luffy's actions. I merely laughed before saying, "Good choice." Nami was screaming in the background, "What was that for!?"

Zoro agreed with me. "It's safer for him to be unconscious."

"Yeah! He just would've gotten in the way!" Luffy confirmed. Buggy was staring at us incredulously by now, and Nami was screaming at Luffy for making unnecessary actions.

He then proceeded to completely ignore Nami's sagely advice in favor of insulting Buggy as best he could.

"HEY, YOU HUGE, RED, UGLY, BIG NOSE!"

Everyone continued to freak out about his idiocy, while I facepalmed with a sigh.

In his anger, Buggy ordered, "FIRE THE SPECIAL BUGGY CANNON BALL! FIRE!"

As his lackeys did as he asked, Zoro and Nami were yelling at Luffy and running away. When Zoro noticed I wasn't moving as well, he turned around and yelled at me to run as well. I only grinned and gave him a peace sign, taking a few steps back.

"Do you think that just because of a cannonball I'd move an inch?" Luffy asked Buggy menacingly while the cannonball was still sailing towards him. He then began to suck in air quickly, saying, "Gomu Gomu no...!"

"Balloon!"

The cannonball was bounced back towards Buggy's crew, who freaked out immediately. Zoro hung his head in shame and embarrassment as he mumbled, "They could've said something sooner..."

The entire building they were on was demolished. "What the hell are you!?" Nami demanded, as Zoro commented, "So much for blowing us up... and Levy!? What the hell! I can understand Luffy, but you...?!"

I winked at him and stuck out my tongue. "Sorry, too short of a notice!" Zoro growled back.

Luffy grinned at the situation. "Well then! Their forces have been weakened! Shall we start!?"

XxXxXONExPIECEXxXxX

Three people sat together in the living room, staring into their cups of tea, unable to talk about the current situation. Suddenly, the older woman burst into tears, uncontrollably sobbing. The man, presumably her husband, reached over and pulled her into a hug. The last occupant in the room continued to stare into her teacup as she said,

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Simon."

Mrs. Simon looked up at the young girl with tearful eyes, and said, "Don't be sorry, there was nothing you could have done. No one saw what happened."

"Yeah, but—!" The girl suddenly stood up, angered. "I'm her best friend! I should've been there, seen what happened, been waiting at her bedside when she fainted! But no! I wasn't there, and now finding her is all up to the—"

There was a knock at the door, and she paused for a moment before finishing her sentence.

"—police."

She turned towards the pair.

"I'll get it."

She walked quickly over to the door, then twisted the doorknob. She took a deep breath before opening the door the rest of the way. She came face-to-face with a female officer, who immediately started talking as soon as the door was opened far enough.

"Hello, Amelia, I hope you're doing well today. There is no news today about the whereabouts of Cornelea Simon today, either."

"Levy." She corrected the officer. "Levy Simon."

"Right. Levy." The officer amended. "Well then, good day." She said, before heading back to her police car that was parked just outside the driveway.

Amy turned around and went back to where Mr. and Mrs. Simon were still waiting.

"Nothing today, either."

Chapter END

A/N: Reviews are reeeeeally appreciated!

-Koneko