Well, I've been having fun with this story. Let's see if I can get in an update before I leave! :D (tomorrow morning 7am! I started this the afternoon before)

-PD


"What is it Luffy?" Nami called from beneath the crow's nest. This had better be quick; Chopper had been soooo close to spilling the beans on the whole Sanji and Zoro situation. Unless it was just a group of passing sea kings that Luffy had spotted, she'd probably have to wait for hours before she could get a taste of that deliciously, juicy gossip. Nami was not a girl you wanted to keep waiting, but she had her ways of getting what she wanted in the end.

"It's the Marines, right?" Usopp's psychic predictions never failed. He shinnied up the mast and joined Luffy in the crow's nest to confirm his guess. "Ah! Shit, I was right!" Usopp called, almost dropping the binoculars while he violently gesticulated to emphasize the apparent importance of what was going on.

Luffy took the binoculars just in time and took a look for himself. "It looks like they've got only about 5 or so ships! Heh, this'll be no trouble." He cracked his knuckles as he grinned with excitement as he lowered the binoculars.

"How far are they?" It was then that, even though she was speaking with Luffy, Nami also couldn't help but notice the slight shift in the wind currents. Splendid, they'd get to fight in a storm. But then again, bad weather was Nami's 'fighting forte'. But before Luffy could answer her question, a cannonball saved him the trouble.

"Within shooting range apparently." Usopp commented, fairly levelheaded. He was getting better about dealing with these scary situations. Usopp hopped back down on deck in the most ungracious way possible, as only Usopp could, and began to get ready to use the canon if need be, but he'd prefer if he could just stay out of it all together. Fighting wasn't really his strong point.

"Yaro domo! Prepare to fight!"

"Aye!" Chopper and, yes, even Usopp, responded with incredible enthusiasm to their captain's order while Nami and Robin went over to the port-side railing to survey the approaching danger.

"Lu-Luffy~" Nami cried, "That's more than 5 ships!" She crumpled to the floor, gripping at her tangerine locks. She was in such a state of panic mode that she almost didn't notice that the world around them was growing darker with thick storm clouds. But what kind of world class navigator would she be if she couldn't even sense a few monstrous storm clouds she hadn't seen yet.

"Ara?" Luffy looked down at the binoculars. "Oh! I was holding them the wrong way. How funny~ No wonder everything seemed so tiny." Nami face-palmed; she hadn't expected anything less from her captain. Luffy turned the binoculars around to get another look at the approaching fleet. "Oooh, they've made more! How cool is that, Nami?" The little group of 5 or so ships had fanned out into fleet of over 20 ships. This was going to take a little while, and a huge storm was approaching rapidly. Nami predicted that a cyclone was undoubtedly on its way.

"You idiot," Nami shook her fist as she yelled up at Luffy, "you're supposed to be more thorough when you're surveying! Jeeze, what I have to deal with...I don't need this kind of stress..."

Sanji stepped out of the galley with Zoro sitting comfortably on his shoulder. Zoro was gently batting at Sanji's bangs. He was pulling the locks he managed to catch with his claws between his teeth to chew on them until the strands of golden silk slipped out of his grasp, only to go back and try again—persistence was key. "What's going on? Are there enemies on our tail or something?" Even as Sanji was saying this, his attention was totally on the kitten that was 'nomming' on his hair. He lifted his finger and distracted the kit-cat with a tickle under the chin. Zoro, who seemed to be in a mildly feisty mood, grabbed onto the finger with outstretched paws and pulled Sanji's long, pale finger closer till he could start mouthing it with his tiny, white fangs. He would stop for a moment to lick the little red indents he'd made before going back to biting reddening appendage. Zoro eventually stopped biting and just hugged the appendage with his front legs and gently rubbed his face against it. How could Sanji's not smile at him.

Everyone was momentarily distracted by the scene in front of them. Perfectly synchronized, the girls and Chopper tilted their heads to the side ever so slightly and shared the same thought. 'That's so cute~' They couldn't help but smile alond with Sanji; Chopper's smile was a little more silly looking and Nami's was a bit more scheming, but still, they all shared that same sentiment. It was a precious moment, and they all wondered if there had been more like it. Now if only it could've gone uninterrupted, but a stupid barrage of cannonballs had to go and ruin it for everyone.

"O-Oi! Guys! They're getting closer!" A flash of lightening illuminated Luffy's face in such a way that it gave the crew shivers. It's rare that they saw him look so creepy. A crack of thunder blocked out whatever Luffy had said next.

"What was that?" Nami called up.

Luffy bungeed and swung down next to Nami. "Nami! What should we do?"

Nami looked up at the clouds and the rapidly approaching ships. 'Shit...' She bit her lip before she began to bark orders. "Sanji-kun, first put Marimo-chan somewhere safe! Luffy, I want you over there destroying as many ships as you can before we get too close. Usopp, take out as many as you can with the canon. Chopper, take the helm! Sanji, you help him once you've found a spot for Marimo-chan! We're gonna have to charge through their blockade!"

Everyone looked at her as if she was insane.

"JUST DO IT! It's either that or run face first into a cyclone! Robin, secure the items on deck! It's easier for you to fight at a closer range, but we're not close enough for you yet." Luffy launched himself over and not 10 seconds later there was a fiery explosion that brought down a ship and a half. Chopper used all his humanoid strength to steer in the direction Nami demanded, and had to receive help from Sanji to convince Merry that turning really was the best option at the moment.

The ship bobbed in the rising waves and turned towards the oncoming...attack...not that it could really be called that anymore. Luffy had taken out about 4 ships, but that still left a good number. Luckily they were becoming more focused on defense than offense. The Going Merry was getting much closer to the front line of ships, close enough for Sanji to jump from deck to deck and for Robin to swing over on a rope of her own arms. Sanji lit a cigarette as he danced his way through the enemy Marines, bringing them down as he went. Zoro had been tucked, perhaps not so safely, into the pocket inside Sanji's jacket that was normally used for cigarette storage. He could feel the shock from every kick Sanji delivered throughout his entire body and it hurt like fricken hell. Zoro wanted to shout out at Sanji about how displeased he was when he felt his gravity start to shift. Or rather, the world around him was being turned upside down. And for Zoro, at that moment, Sanji was his world. Sanji had gone into a handstand to defeat a surrounding group of Marines, and Zoro had been there to see everything. He'd been tipped out of Sanji's pocket and was now sliding across the rain-slicked deck when the boat started to tip at a nasty angle.

"MREW!" He called out. His voice couldn't even make it to his own highly sensitive ears. "ME-YEW~"

'SANJI!' But naturally, who could've possibly heard that wee, little kitten's tiny voice on a panic stricken ship. Not even Sanji noticed the absence of his favorite little kitten. Immediately that is. He knew something was wrong when he couldn't feel the little claws dig into him when he started moving about, and that warmth was gone as well. Sanji patted down his chest as he would normally do for cigarettes, but this time his search was much more frantic. He'd lost the kitten. He'd lost the crew's new pet!

'Ahhh, and Nami-swan even told me to keep him somewhere safe! Shit! Where the hell is that little bugger?' Sanji kicked Marine after Marine overboard to their watery grave, desperately searching for the small, green, and probably miserably wet bundle of fur he'd barely let out of his sight for the past 2 weeks. 'C'mon, Neko-Marimo! Where the hell are you!' Sanji wanted so badly to pick up that pathetic looking bundle (Zoro'd always looked cutely pathetic when he was wet) and dry him off and never let him out of his sight again. Nor would he do something as stupid as bring him into battle. If only that sword wielding idiot had been there thing's would've been a lot easier.

Zoro.

'I wonder where that bastard is...'

Sanji's attention was taken away from the very important task at hand when he saw a pillar of man-made smoke twirl and twist through a door way. It really should've been obvious who it was, especially the way it angrily called out Luffy's epithet. But before he could even blink, he was grabbed by a rubbery hand and taken sailing through the air. He quickly scanned the deck. Hoping, praying, that his dear kitten was safe. Sanji cursed himself for letting the stupid cat have such an effect on him...but he still prayed that his Neko-chan would be safe. Sanji knew it was unfair to play for both teams, but that's how he felt about the brat. 'C'mon, please be ok...so I can kill you when I find you...'

Zoro was hanging on desperately onto the grains of wood that composed one of the ship's smaller, seemingly less significant masts. He looked up only to see Sanji's back as it flew through the air and away towards the ship.

'Shit, I'm going to be left behind! Argh, dammit, what do I do?' But at that moment, Zoro didn't have any time to think about what it was he should be doing, because there was only one thing he could do: hold on for dear life. Or at least, that's how it was until what seemed like some sort of rag was thrown over him and he was carried up and away. Zoro only hoped it was friend and not foe. But the gentle way in which his fur was rubbed was not in the way a hated foe would act. For now, Zoro figured he'd be safe. BUt what was that smell? And why was it so familiar...

o()o()o

"YOU LOST HIM!" Nami screamed from the other side of the table as Luffy and Usopp held her back. Sanji was up against the wall with a cut and several bruises on his face. Disclaimer: the wounds were not my doing, and were, in fact, the work of a Miss Nami's clima tact. I hold no rights to the growing lumps on Sanji's head.

"Sanji, how could you be so careless? I told you to put him somewhere safe! Being in your pocket does not qualify as being 'somewhere SAFE!'" Nami swung out viciously at Sanji until Usopp pressed a secret deactivation button he'd installed for such purposes. Nami threw aside her weapon and began to struggle more seriously against her captors. The galley door swung open, briefly letting in the crazy rain that was outside, and Robin and Chopper both walked in, quite soaked from the rain and looking a little worse for wear. The sea water that had splashed them was probably draining them a bit.

Nami noticed that Robin held a small bundle wrapped in cloth and she was practically kissing Robin's feet the second the lady walked in the door.

"Oh Robin! I knew I could always count on you!" Nami reached out towards the bundle. "I'm so glad you're safe~"

"Ah y-yes. Of course. I just hope it's to your liking." Robin answered, not quite sure what was wrong with Nami.

"Huh?"

"I managed to confiscate something valuable. I thought that Nami-chan might like what I've selected...Nami-chan?"

Nami had dropped to her knees and was gripping at her hair again. "Shit, why now...what the hell are we going to do..."

"Nami-swan, I understand that this entire scenario is my fault, and I wish to do whatever it takes to retrieve Neko-Marimo."

"Eh? Neko-san's missing?" Robin cried, quite a bit more startled than the crew expected her to be. "You don't suppose he fell overboard? He would've definitely drowned by now if he was not eaten by some sort of fish first."

"Robin! Not helping!" Nami barked. She swiveled her head to look at Sanji, but only felt herself grow more and more angry the longer she looked at his remorseful face "Dammit, Sanji! If you're gonna get so upset about losing him, don't lose him in the first place!" Nami got up and stomped off to her room where she could brood about their next step in a somewhat peaceful environment.

Robin glared down at Sanji, who hadn't moved from when he'd knelt down to comfort Nami. "So, losing Neko-san was your fault, Cook-san." She said. Her volume was no different, but the tone was icier than he'd ever heard it.

"Robin-chan, I know I made a mistake, but—" Robin lifted one of her arms from where she'd had it crossed. "R-Robin-chan?"

"...Slap."


Author's Note

Woot woot! I finished another chapter! Only a couple hours before I leave too! And I decided to leave who Zoro got captured by as a cliff hanger cause it's now 3:20 and I wanna get to bed. Plus I updated really recently too...soo...yeah... Am I good or what =.=

I'm tired that's what...

Anyways~ hugs and kisses~

+PSW

...

wait...who's this PSW bastard? And why the hell is he taking credit for PD's work? You'll have to find out in my next update = u =