A/N - I hadn't realised you were all such big fans of Usopp. Either that or you aren't fans, you just really think it's him. Either or. Anyway, this is being posted like two hours late. And do you know what else is going to be late? Next chapter. I'm skipping a week because I'm visiting my grandparents, who don't even have a computer, let alone wifi. On the other hand, I'll have plenty of time to write without distraction. Right. Thanks to Key, Yaoifan124, Aceisawesome, CrisStarTina, Neko11, xAlreadyOverx, and Starzzu (And by the way, I got that last review on my birthday. It was a fantastic gift) for your awesome reviews. I love you. 7 whole reviews for a chapter. Record.

Ancient Secrets

Chapter 10

Luffy was surely going to die if he sunk any further. It was a shame. He could even see his life flashing before his eyes. Ace…Sabo…Shanks…he'd known a lot of great people once. And Zoro. But now he'd die and would never be able to meet anyone knew. But before he could finish that thought, something solid closed around his wrist and started pulling against the suction of the sand. Luffy was going upwards. Hope, then? But who was it and how?

As his head emerged from the sand and the rest of him quickly followed, he heard someone new yell, "Nnngghhh…SUUUUPERRRRR!" And then he went flying. Sand clung to everything. It was in his hair and down his clothes and in his mouth. Luffy lay on the rock where he'd landed, coughing and gagging, trying to get the sand out of this mouth and throat. His eyes burned, his ears felt clogged, and he spluttered uselessly.

"LUFFY!" Zoro yelled, for once ignoring his urge to investigate this suspicious new individual in favour of throwing himself down by Luffy's side and pulling him against his chest. Luffy gagged and spat sand onto the ground. Zoro rubbed his back and tried to get rid of the sand sticking to his skin.

Sanji, once he was certain that Luffy was okay, turned to the person who had rescued him. "Who are you?!" He asked. The man jumped down from the rock and they could get a better view of him. Whoever he was, he was insane enough to walk around with only an open shirt and a pair of speedos for coverage against the sun. He also had blue hair which looked rather like an ocean wave.

Very much a strange person.

"OW!" The man exclaimed, which may have been a noise of excitement, and pulled a pose which involved throwing his arms above his head and smashing his massively swollen fore-arms together so that the star-shaped tattoos came together. To top everything off, he included a pelvic thrust. In all, they could conclude that he was a very eccentric guy. "My name is Franky! I was just passing through when I saw your predicament and thought I'd come to your aid."

"Thank you…" Luffy rasped, slowly recovering from his dip in the sandpit of death. Franky waved a hand as if to say 'Don't mention it' and went up to shake hands with them. Sanji took up his offer, introducing himself as the chef. Chopper, when Franky attempted to pet him, ran and hid behind Zoro and quivered. Zoro rolled his eyes.

"Hey, ah, Franky, I'm thankful that you came to save us…" He said 'Us' because if Luffy had died, as would their quest and motivation along with him. "But what was that device you used to pull him out?"

"Oh? That was my hand."

"…Come again?" Zoro deadpanned.

"I'm a self-modified human. A cyborg!" Franky grinned, looking like he was ready to burst with information, as though he'd been waiting for the question to come up. "You see, my hand…" He twisted his wrist off to demonstrate, "is connected to the inside of my forearm through a chain on a reel which I can manipulate at will." Nami, as she watched, let out a yelp of horror at the detached appendage.

"A…" Luffy gasped, "A-A… AMAZING!" Making a quick and springy recovery, he leapt towards Franky, eyes alight with excitement. "You're a cyborg?! Like a mecha or something? That's so cool! What else can you do?!" He demanded as he ran around Franky in excitement. Franky looked pleased to have such an excited audience. Chopper popped out from behind Zoro to watch, clearly fascinated.

"What else? Only…THIS!" Franky grabbed a small, barely noticeable groove in his torso, throwing it open like it was a door, to reveal a portable cooler, which was packed with as many bottle of cola as he could fit.

"WOW!" Luffy shrieked in delight. His more sensible companions winced at the noise.

"IF YOU LIKE THAT," Franky said loudly, encouraged by Luffy's excitement, "THEN YOU'LL LOVE THESE!" And suddenly, he revealed gun barrels in his other wrist, which he pointed and fired into the direction no one stood in. Chopper was startled by the loud noise. Luffy started babbling in excitement, running around Franky.

"I bet you can do all sorts of things!" He enthused, "Like transform, or shoot cannonballs, or- or- Or shoot beams, can you shoot beams?!" He demanded. Franky scratched his head.

"Er- No, but I do have…" He pushed his shirt back, "…NIPPLE LIGHTS!" As the name promised, his nipples lit up. Luffy cheered and laughed. Zoro smacked his forehead and muttered "Why there?" while Sanji couldn't help but laugh, though he tried to supress it when Nami gave him a stern look. Franky switched his nipples off, looking pleased with himself. "In any case," He addressed them as a group, "Why are you five travelling by foot in this desert? And for that matter, why a reindeer?"

Zoro suspected that they would be asked that by everyone they met from now on.

"That's Chopper!" Luffy supplied unhelpfully, "And we're travelling by foot because we have feet and not… I dunno… Camels."

"Actually," Sanji interjected, "Giant crabs are new popular form of travel now. But we don't have one of those," He added.

"Crabs?" Luffy asked in disbelief, looking over at Sanji, who nodded.

"Oh yeah, they're these giant crabs which can hold a group of people, no problem. You just need one, instead of a whole bunch of them, like you would with camels." Franky nodded in agreement.

"Got that right. Mine's just behind that rock over there. It's empty now, but I was using it to transport some machinery to a village across the way." He jerked his thumb to the rock they first saw him stand on. Luffy lit up with excitement and dashed around the rock to take a look.

"OOH, check this out guys, he's right!" He informed them, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Zoro, curious, followed him to take a look too. Sure enough, there was a very large crab staring demurely at the ground, with a harness attached to him…somehow. He was massive, just like Franky said he would be, and the shiny shell reflected the sun almost blindingly. Zoro wondered how many people happened to slip off by accident while riding it.

"Oi, Franky," Luffy called, "Which village are you going to?"

"Ah, Alubarna. It's the only place on the island which even makes ships," He explained. "I'm a relative of the princess' – distantly, mind you, but it does mean I get to make the most of it and live in a comfortably large house and not have to worry about fees too much."

"P-Princess?!" Sanji interrupted. "You're related to the beauty of Alabaster, the gorgeous princess Vivi?!" He demanded. Franky shrugged, looking slightly unnerved.

"Er…yeah. Second cousin, or something like that. I don't know, I just call her sis."

"If we go with you, could I – well, we – meet her?!" He demanded, and they could practically see the hearts spewing from his ears.

"I can't promise you that, but if you're going the same way, I can give you a lift," He offered with a grin. Luffy lit up and nodded vigorously.

"I want to ride on the crab!"

"Alright then! Everybody, get on!" Franky cried, pointing a finger dramatically at the crab. Luffy whooped and clambered on, getting a good look at the view from a few feet higher than when he stood on the ground. Naturally, it was all just more sand, but Luffy seemed to be amused by it. Zoro looked around for Chopper and spotted him… Well, it looked like he was talking to the crab, but he couldn't be sure. Either way, Zoro cut off their conversation by picking Chopper up and hauling them both onto the crab's back to join Luffy. Sanji climbed on and suavely offered Nami a hand up, which she gratefully accepted.

Once everyone was on, Franky hopped up to the front and grabbed the reins. "Right, let's GO!" He flicked them and the crab started speeding off in the direction they needed to go. Luffy cheered, arms in the air. The fast movement caused wind on their faces which was a refreshing change from sweltering heat and nothing else.

Sanji and Nami, though they hid it well, sometimes clenched their fists or trembled in excitement. Luffy recognised the signs of impromptu adventure and leaving the home you've known most of your life. After all, he'd just experienced it himself.

While they travelled, Franky and Luffy chatted excitedly. Sometimes about robots and cyborgs, sometimes about ships and sailing, and sometimes about Luffy's strange goal. They bonded immediately, throwing their arms around each other's shoulders and laughing jovially. The others would sometimes join in, and Zoro sometimes noticed Chopper listening intently and looking like he wanted to contribute to the conversation. Sadly, as a reindeer, he couldn't, so instead he lay on his side and panted while everyone else chatted.

Nami, it turned out, had a passion for maps and navigation, and had skills to predict the weather just through…instinct, or something. Luffy and Zoro weren't sure how she did it. Sanji, as they already knew, was passionate about food, but he was also very intent on the fact that he would never let anyone starve to death ever. Luffy liked his conviction, because he couldn't stand the thought of being without food (specifically meat) for long periods of time. He almost had to go without food while he, Zoro, and Chopper alone were travelling through the desert. But now that Sanji was with them, that wouldn't happen! He was glad for that.

They all got along well with Franky, it turned out. Luffy more than any of them, Chopper as well. Sanji and Zoro were quite jovial towards him, and Nami rather disapproved of his eccentric nature and occasional pervertedness, but she could look past that and befriend the man himself (and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was related to filthy rich royalty at all. She swore).

In fact, they were getting along so well that nobody noticed the strange disturbance in the sand. It shifted and lumped up as something seemed to burrow underneath it. The first person to spot anything was Chopper, who stood upright and started sniffing the air in confusion. Zoro, who had noticed the reindeer acting strange, was immediately on alert.

Before anyone could react, however, a large worm-like creature burst from the sand. It looked like a cross between a worm and a scorpion's tail, and its end was pointed and no doubt poisonous. The crab skidded to a halt and each of the riders toppled off. Zoro, Luffy, Sanji and Franky immediately sprung into defensive positions. Nami and Chopper landed ungracefully on the sand, blinking in confusion and fear.

"I'd forgotten about those!" Nami said, voice wavering. She backed away and held out her (broken) wooden pole in defence. The worm, a fierce desert king, opened its mouth to reveal two fangs, around ten centimetres long. It gave an almighty roar and Zoro whipped out his swords, running at it. He didn't get far before its tail swung out of nowhere, flinging him backwards thirty feet, where he landed violently, bouncing off the ground a few times.

Luffy readied his fists, not quite sure how he was supposed to fight something that high up, and Sanji raised one leg in defence. Chopper hid behind Franky, his newly found human shield, since Zoro had been whipped away. The worm dived, instead of for any of the fighters, right at Nami. She shrieked and backed away quickly.

Sanji was there in an instant. "Like hell I would stand around and watch a lady be attacked!" He yelled to nobody in particular, and kicked at the monster's jaw. "Nami, get behind Franky! I'll handle this piece of shit worm."

Enraged, the worm dived for Sanji instead. He used his fancy footwork to smack it about, but when it started using its tail as well, he found himself on the defensive, dodging and avoiding the deadly sword-tipped tail and fang attacks as they came. Luffy wanted to help, but he couldn't get close enough. Similarly, Franky was having trouble aiming his gun (Which was in his arm, Luffy had paused to get excited about), because he couldn't risk hitting Sanji too.

Just as Sanji saw an opening, he aimed a kick at the monstrosity's neck. However, instead of feeling the satisfying crunch of flesh under his toes, he felt a searing pain in his thigh. The monster had whipped its head around at lightning speed and embedded its fangs into his leg as deep as they could go.

Sanji let out a strangled cry of pain as drops of blood splattered the ground like morbid rain. Those watching screamed, and distantly, Zoro had picked himself up and located his swords in the sand, and was now running back hurriedly.

"SHIT!" He yelled.

"SANJI!" Luffy shrieked.

"BRO!" Franky cried, readying his hand-grappling-hook in the hopes of pulling him to safety. Hopefully he wouldn't take off Sanji's leg in the process.

"Let me go, shitty worm!" Sanji yelled, smacking a fist on its nose. The worm tossed its head about in anger. Sanji was waved around with it like a rag doll, and his mouth hung open in a silent scream of pain.

Luffy saw red. He wasn't sure what he could do, but his head told him that it didn't matter. His chest burned, but who knew why. What did matter was Sanji. Because Sanji was his new friend and companion. He had just set out on his journey. Didn't the worm know this? So he yelled.

"STOP IT! STOP IT, WORM! LET. HIM. GO!" His yell was so powerful that it knocked those around him to their knees. Zoro froze in his mad dash, and Chopper toppled over. Nami was knocked to the ground, hands on her ears. Franky was forced back too. The crab they had been riding fainted. And the worm, following the same reaction as the others, froze. Its mouth dropped open in surprise, and with a wet squelch, Sanji slid off its fangs and fell heavily onto Luffy, who had stretched out his arms.

The sudden weight in Luffy's waiting arms was a surprise and he was nearly knocked over too, but he held strong, and didn't let Sanji hit the sand. The worm, however, roared in what sounded like pain, thrashing its head madly before it crashed to the ground, unconscious.

There was silence for a few moments. Everyone slowly rose and looked around. Zoro was the first to come back to his senses, jogging the rest of the way there and looking at Luffy in confusion.

"What was that?" He demanded. Luffy looked at him in confusion.

"What was what?"

"That. That thing you just pulled. It was like a wave of energy, I don't know how you could miss it," Zoro tried to explain, using his hands to try to demonstrate. Luffy just blinked cluelessly at him.

"Never mind that," Nami groaned, standing up and brushing sand out of her hair, "How's Sanji? Is he okay?!"

Luffy blinked in remembrance and looked down at the dazed man in his arms. "…Wow, he's heavy!" He remarked and looked for somewhere to put him down. Turning around in a full circle, he spotted Chopper a little way away lying out three of the towels they owned. Walking over, he deduced by Chopper's expression that he should lie Sanji down on them, so he did.

Everyone flocked around him as he groaned and regained his senses.

"Bro?" Franky verbally nudged.

"…Sanji?" Nami prompted, "How do you feel?"

Sanji took a deep breath and pushed himself up, releasing his breath in a heavy sigh. He pulled his pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one, taking a long, soothing drag on it before responding.

"Like shit. But don't mind me," He waved a hand, "At least the sweetest angel that is Nami Swan is safe!"

Zoro rolled his eye. "Oh, he's fine if he's acting like a love-sick idiot," He snorted.

"What was that?!" Sanji demanded, "Rich coming from you!"

"What the hell do you mean by that?!" Zoro demanded, raising a sword. "I'll cut you up, spaghetti hair!"

"Bring it on, Seaweed wrap!" Sanji countered, lifting his one uninjured leg dangerously.

"Are they running out of insults?" Nami asked mildly, relieved that Sanji seemed to be fine enough to argue.

Chopper shook his head in exasperation. Franky ignored the bickering and opened one of his thick forearms, pulling out a roll of bandages before getting to work, fixing up the nasty injury. Luffy had gone off, ignoring the conversation completely in favour of scratching his name into a pebble with another, sharper pebble.

"Franky," Nami turned to him, "how do you know about first aid?"

"Oh, it was learn or die," Franky said in way of explanation. That caught everyone's attention and their necks snapped towards him curiously. Franky explained, somewhat awkwardly, "See this?" He rapped his chest, creating a slight clanging sound, "I didn't do this because it was cool – well, I sort of did, but that's not the point – I gained a massive injury which would have killed me. Lost several important bits too. But I fixed me up and replaced the bits with scrap metal, staunched the bleeding, sewed myself up… You get the drift," He finished, rubbing the back of his neck. Luffy stared at him in awe.

"Amazing!"

"Hardcore," Zoro muttered, looking approving. Nami looked like she was going to provide sympathy, but when Franky started preening from the compliments, she just shook her head in exasperation.

Once Sanji was fixed up, he tried to start making something for everyone to eat, but Franky's large hands clamped down on him and eased him to stop despite his protests. He, along with Nami and Chopper, proceeded to fuss over him unnecessarily, insisting that he lie down and take a nap. It was starting to get dark anyway, and the crab had been knocked out by the…mysterious force from earlier. Franky decided to set up a tent, and they all huddled inside it.

"This is a little…cosy," Nami pulled a face as she curled into a corner.

"Namiiii!" Sanji called, "If it weren't for my leg, I would let you have all the space in the tent. But I can't, so instead, how about you lay your precious, delicate head on me for comfort and space!" He suggested – as though, as Zoro put it, he was spewing hearts from his mouth. And it was sickening.

Nami politely declined, looking displeased at the suggestion that she was delicate. "However, I do agree that we all need some rest," She said, "Since it's been a pretty exciting day. We've only just set out and already Luffy was nearly sucked up by quick sand, and Sanji's been injured by a desert king…"

"We should rest now so we can keep our wits about us for tomorrow," Zoro summarised. Nami nodded. "Fine, but someone should keep watch. We dunno if someone else will cross our path during the night, or worse yet, another damn creature like that."

"I'll do it!" Luffy suggested, "I'll keep a look out!"

"If you're sure…"

"Yup!"

So that was that. They had some food and some drink and settled down for the night. Luffy situated himself at the opening of the tent and had a good view of the crab, and stretches of desert. Of course, it only lasted an hour after the sun set before he keeled over asleep.

Zoro shook his head in exasperation before dragging Luffy into the tent making sure he was comfortable before taking his place. He wasn't sure what that earlier blast had been, but whatever it was, it had wiped Luffy out more than he probably realised. From inside, he could hear Sanji laughing under his breath. So he was still awake and had seen Luffy's failure to stay awake.

"You've bagged yourself an idiot there," He chortled.

"Whatever that means," Zoro snapped back, rolling his eye. Sanji didn't respond to that, just kept on laughing. Zoro shushed him in case he woke anyone up. After a few moments of silence, though, Sanji piped up again.

"Still, you two go well together."

"What do you mean?" Zoro asked apprehensively.

"Well…Red and green. You're Christmas decorations!" And he dissolved into quiet fits of laughter again. Zoro smacked his forehead.

"That's it, the bloodloss has gone to your head. Get some sleep and stop bothering me," He shooed, unimpressed. Sanji chuckled sporadically for a few more minutes, before heaving a deep sigh and finally getting to sleep. Zoro sighed in relief and turned to face outwards again. For some stupid reason, Sanji's words kept reverberating around his skull.

"You go well together." Yes, they did. Couldn't deny that. When the going gets tough they don't have to say much to understand each other. That had been established years ago.

"You go well together." Aesthetically too, they did match pretty well. Though they don't look much alike, with himself being muscly and large, and Luffy being shrimpy and skinny, they either clashed with each other, or complimented each other. Not that it mattered to Zoro.

"You go well—" Yes, they'd established that already. The words wouldn't leave Zoro's head though, and he continued to think about them and the deeper meaning they could hold for the rest of the night. When morning came Zoro was about ready to fall asleep, and that was what he did, on top of the large crab while the rest of them packed away and climbed aboard as well. No one questioned why Luffy was asleep and Zoro wasn't, they just let it be.

And that was how it was as they slowly resumed their journey to Alubarna. Sanji's leg was feeling a little better and Luffy was full of energy again, and he and Franky talked animatedly for the whole journey. Zoro did his best to tune them out, but Luffy's voice always seemed to penetrate his brain no matter what he was saying or to whom he was saying it. Nami was tracing a map with her finger thoughtfully and Sanji was obediently lying on his back so as to give his leg a rest, despite his insistence that he was perfectly fine (and chopper played the part of his pillow).

This stayed that way until the afternoon was upon them, and suddenly Luffy was leaping up in excitement, pointing towards something in the distance. "Look! I see it! I see it!" He cheered. Zoro cracked open an eye, squinting in the direction.

"Yeah, it's about time we reached it," Franky noted, nodding.

"Ugh, finally!" Nami huffed. "I really look forward to having a cool bath." In response to that, Sanji made an odd high-pitched noise. Nami rolled her eyes, used to his behaviour.

"Me too. I'm sick of this desert. At least a desert town has sufficient shelter," Zoro grumbled.

"And shops!" Nami pointed out delightedly. "A market place for bartering so you can get the best prices on cute clothes!"

"And meat!" Luffy added on.

"Anyway, speaking of shelter," Zoro said loudly, "Where are we going to stay?"

"Aw, don't worry about that. You guys sure have grown on me in a short time," Franky said, waving a hand dismissively, "so I would be happy to let you stay at my place for the time being."

"You mean it?!" Luffy asked excitedly. Franky nodded.

"Indeed. Your story has reached my heart!" He whipped out a handkerchief and dabbed at his suddenly moist eyes, "A tale of determination and family. Of love and loss! Of goals, and the very fate of the world!" He shook his head, taking a moment to sigh dramatically. "Of course…It makes me want to sing about its beauty! Ah-…" He paused in the midst of getting out a guitar from his luggage. "But that's not the point. What I mean to say is that, given the magnitude of your quest, I'd be happy to assist you in any way I can, including sharing my lodgings with you for the duration of your stay."

"That's a relief," Sanji said seriously, "We'll be staying in the house of one of the Princess' relatives." Nami bashed him on the head.

"That's all you care about?!"

"A-Ah…I've been punished by an angel…" Sanji muttered. Nami shook her head and sighed. Zoro snorted. Sanji shot up and glared at him. "Got something to say, Moss head?!"

"Nah, nothing I could say would help you now," Zoro smirked. "You're beyond all help."

"Eeh?! Say that to my face, asshole!"

"What, you didn't hear?! Something wrong with your ears, cheese ball?!" Zoro retorted, sitting upright and glaring challengingly at Sanji.

"You two…" Nami growled, "Knock it off!" Suddenly both of them had been knocked clean off the crab and lay sprawled on the sand.

"WITCH!" Zoro yelled after her, but the crab continued on into the distance, and left Sanji and Zoro to walk the rest of the way in silence, glaring at each other. Thankfully, though, Luffy and Chopper were waiting on the border for them so that they could go to Franky's house together.

TBC

A/N - I bet some of you can see where this is going now. I'm sorry I'm so cliched.