Author's Note: Okay first I want to apologize for all the typo's and mistakes in the last chapter. I completely forgot to proof read that chapter, so sorry for that. ; Also I made a mistake. The part just after Nami and Luffy's argument, I had Luffy jump down to the deck and walk to Sunny's front and jump on his head. Okay, well, I forgot…the sleeping quarters are at Sunny's front. So, instead of Luffy jumping down, he actually was supposed to go up. I sometimes get the ends confused, sorry. ; Second mistake, Zoro was supposed to have watch the night of the argument. However, I had Franky go up into the crow's nest. I had changed my mind during some point in the chapter. So if I had proof read it, I would have caught it, so sorry about that as well. XP Well, I hope you guys are happy that I fixed the tension between Luffy and Sanji! I told you all would be better, didn't I?! XD Anywho, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please review! Criticism and flames are welcome! (Although, I have yet to be flamed…Anyone wanna take up that challenge?…I dare ya! XD) So, Enjoy!! XD

The Ritual of Fire Phoenix Island

Chapter 10: Unforeseen Pain and the Unfriendly Pair

After Lunch, everyone went on deck to relax. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper had all decided to go fishing. Nami sat in her usual chair next to Robin, who already had her nose in a book. Zoro was sitting on deck leaning on the rail for an after lunch nap. Franky was next to the guys watching them fish. Sanji was in the kitchen cleaning up from lunch.

Nami was unabashedly watching Luffy from her chair. It wasn't that she didn't care if anyone noticed her watching their Captain. She actually didn't think they would. Everyone was busy doing their own thing. Not only that, but she found she couldn't help herself. Her face furrowed in concern at that thought. 'The feelings are becoming stronger…' she thought and as she did she flinched as she felt pain in her chest. She immediately leaned forward and grabbed her shirt and chest as she let out a small noise at the pain. Sweat beaded down her face as her expression turned pained. Although, it wasn't just pain, it was also accompanied by many different emotions, sadness, loneliness, and…something else…longing? 'But for what…?' she thought to herself.

"Navigator-san?" called Robin from beside her. "Are you okay?" she asked concerned.

Nami immediately turned toward her, "I…uh…I'm fine!" she replied as she laughed nervously.

"Perhaps Doctor-san should have a look…" Robin had started.

Nami interrupted her. "No!...I mean…no…It's okay. I'm fine…really…" she replied as she gave Robin a nervous smile.

Robin looked at her concerned for awhile. Then she shrugged, leaned back in her chair and brought her book back up to her face. Nami sighed in relief before turning back toward Luffy. He had turned around and was looking right at her with a blank expression. She felt the pain returning. She grabbed her shirt and chest tighter. She was looking back at him a little surprised with slightly parted lips. They stared at one another for awhile before Usopp catching a fish forced Luffy to turn away. 'Wh…what was that?' she thought to herself as she continued to stare at Luffy's back.

Robin smiled warmly behind her book. She had seen the exchange. 'Did this mean they felt the same?' she thought to herself as she glanced at Nami, who was still staring at their Captain's back in surprise. She had figure that's what it might have been. She hadn't been sure, but now she was beginning to think she was. When they had all had the talk in the aquarium room, she had been curious to know what the others had thought. They had been completely oblivious. So, she had decided to suggest they leave well enough alone. If there was something between the two, then they needed to figure it for themselves. Her warm smile widened before she brought her book back up to her face.

----

The time had finally come for Nami's second performance. She had left ahead of everyone to prepare for it. Luffy was getting anxious again. "I wonder what she is going to wear…? What kinda dance will she do…?" he whispered to himself as he waited for the others to be ready to leave. He was again squatting down next to the rail with his arms over the side and head out in between the openings in the rail. He turned around as he heard someone approach.

The others were coming up to where he was. "We ready to go see Nami-san?!" asked Sanji.

"Haai!" he exclaimed as he jumped off the side.

"Oi, matte Luffy!" yelled Zoro annoyed, but the rubber man was already running toward the place.

"Well, let's hurry and follow him!" exclaimed Chopper excitedly as he jumped down and began to run.

"Why is he in such a hurry…?" remarked Zoro annoyed.

"Who knows, let's go before we're left behind!" replied Usopp as they all began to jump down and run after Luffy.

----

They came up to the place the festival was being held at. They got in free again and were making their way inside. Luffy knew Nami was here somewhere he just wasn't sure where. "Her dressing room maybe…?" he whispered to himself. Suddenly, he felt pain in his chest. He made a pained noise and stopped walking. He leaned forward slightly and grabbed at his chest.

Everyone turned toward him at hearing him. Robin smiled to herself, 'So, I was right…' she thought.

"Luffy!! Are you alright?!" cried Chopper as he ran to his side. Then he began to panic, "Quick!! We need a doctor!!!" he screamed as he ran in a circle. "Ah! That's right! I am the doctor!" "he exclaimed as he stopped running in a circle and went back to Luffy.

"It's okay! I'm fine!" reassured Luffy as he stood up straighter. Then he grinned at the panicked reindeer. Whatever it was he was feeling it was getting stronger. He furrowed his brows and looked down at the hand on his chest. Then he made a noise of surprise. When he had been fishing earlier, he had gotten the overwhelming urge to look towards his Navigator. When he had finally given in to his urge, she had been talking with Robin. Robin had had a concerned expression and was leaning towards Nami. Nami had been holding her chest, just like he was doing now. He immediately looked up at Robin. She was smiling at him.

"Are you sure Luffy?" asked Chopper again still concerned for his Captain.

"A…aa…" he replied still looking at Robin. Then he turned and grinned at the reindeer again, "I'm fine." he reassured as he removed his hand from his chest. "Let's go before the festival starts without us." he said as he began walking ahead of everyone else. Everyone stared at his back with raised brows, but followed him in.

Luffy still felt weird, as if he were…empty inside. As if, he was missing something…but what? He furrowed his brows as he kept walking.

They finally made it inside the auditorium of the festival and began looking for seats. Luffy couldn't even think about eating. His stomach was in knots. They found a row of seats toward the middle. Luffy sat in the middle of the seats this time. He sat in between Chopper and Usopp.

Mogu came out to make the announcements. He introduced all the performance and announced when they would be performing. Then he mentioned about the scorings being announced at the end of all the performances.

"Has anyone noticed we have yet to see the judges…?" asked Sanji with furrowed brows.

"Ah, indeed. Perhaps they are anonymous." replied Robin calmly.

"Yeah…maybe…" remarked Zoro as he narrowed his eyes towards Mogu.

Luffy was only half paying attention to what his crew was saying. "So, Nami is to be sixth today…" he whispered to himself. He was anxious to see her.

"You say something Luffy?" asked Usopp.

"Nami's sixth today…" he repeated louder.

"Aa…I can't wait to see what Nami-san will do today! I'm sure she will be just as beautiful as she was yesterday!!" exclaimed Sanji in his love-love state.

Luffy narrowed his eyes and moved them in the direction Sanji was in, but never turned his head from the stage. Then he raised a brow at his own reaction. Finally, the first contestant was to perform. Luffy looked back to the stage.

----

Some of the performances had been pretty good. However, Luffy didn't really pay attention to any of them. He was just anxious to see his Navigator. He began to fidget in his seat and bobbed his leg up and down. Chopper looked up at Luffy with a look of concern. He could sense Luffy's anxiety.

After watching one more performance, it was finally Nami's turn. Luffy felt nervous, worried, and excited all at the same time. Mogu introduced Nami and then walked off stage. The lights dimmed and the curtains opened. Luffy could see Nami's silhouette in the middle of the stage. He leaned forward in his chair. Everyone turned to him with raised brows. He seemed the most excited out of all of them, even Sanji.

Nami tried her best to look through the crowd quickly without lifting her head. She scanned the audience toward the middle for the one item she was looking for. 'There!' she thought as she spotted it, a straw hat. She smiled and lowered her eyes to the floor in preparation for her performance. The lights came on and the music started.

Luffy felt happy that he could see her now. He also felt relieved. The void he had been feeling when they first walked in was slightly filled now, but not completely, which made it feel worse. He smiled at her attire. She wore a dark blue tank top that was slightly draped on one side over her belly. Not as much of her skin was visible this time. Only the middle portion of her stomach was revealed. She wore golden ringed bracelets with matching earrings and an anklet. She again wore no shoes. The bottoms of her attire were light blue, baggy clothed pants. They were slimmer on the top and bagged out toward the bottom and tight at the ankle.

Her dance was still exotic, but no where near as alluring as yesterday. She was just as graceful and agile. Luffy noticed she still focused most of her attention on him. He smiled wider in return. She would glance every now and then towards the others, but her gaze would always come back to him. One of the times she had looked away during her dance, he noticed some of the men in the crowd were disappointed. He scowled at them, "Jerks…They were probably hoping she would be wearing little again…" he said quietly to himself with a scoff.

"You say something again, Luffy?" asked Usopp as he kept his eyes on Nami.

"Nami's doing a great job!" he exclaimed as sweat beaded down his face.

"Oh…oh yeah!" replied Usopp as he smiled at Luffy. Luffy grinned back to Usopp. Even though there were a few disappointed perverts, the crowd was still cheering for Nami. Luffy looked back down at Nami. She was smiling at him.

"Nami-swaaan!! She does look as beautiful as I thought she would!!! Nami-swan!!" cheered Sanji in his love-love state.

Luffy looked over toward him and frowned. "Gooo, Nami!!!" cheered Usopp and Chopper.

"Give it your best Nami-onesan!!" yelled Franky.

"Do your best, Navigator-san!!" cheered Robin.

Luffy looked toward his crew with a blank expression. Then he looked back down at Nami. She was smiling wider from their cheers. Then she looked back at Luffy. He grinned, "Nami!!!! Don't you dare lose!!!!" he yelled. He grinned wider as he looked down at her. Her smile turned into a grin as she put more enthusiasm into her dance.

As Nami finished her dance, there was a loud cheer, her crew being the loudest. As the curtain closed, Luffy became anxious again. He felt like a caged animal. He wanted to go to her, so much, it was almost a need. He began to fidget and bob his leg again, but didn't move. Everyone looked over to their Captain with furrowed brows, but said nothing.

Hanako was the next after Nami. Luffy looked on with pursed lips and in disinterest. However, when the curtain opened and the lights were turned on, Luffy made a noise of disbelief, as did the rest of the crew. Her outfit was not as reserved as it had been yesterday. There was quite a bit of visible skin. "Hypocrite!" seethed Zoro as he glared down at the woman.

Luffy clenched his teeth in anger. This woman dared to dress like that after what she had said to Nami. Then she began her dance. It wasn't as alluring as Nami's was yesterday, but it was less than modest. Luffy clenched his teeth down harder even after it began to hurt. This woman was unbelievable. Everyone watched her entire dance, animosity seeping from their eyes. Except……for Sanji. "Mellorine!! Mellorine!!" he cheered in his love-love state. Everyone turned to him with glares and clenched teeth. "Ahou…" they all seethed. Robin only had furrowed brows and sweat beading down her face.

Nami couldn't believe her eyes. 'That…that…argh!!' she thought to herself. 'And yet I was the one who was insulted yesterday and by this…woman?!' she continued to think as she clenched down her teeth. Nami turned and stormed off in the direction of her dressing room.

The crowd had cheered fairly loudly for Hanako. All but seven, the Mugiwara crew only stared at the stage with scowls…except for Sanji. The next performer was announced and began her dance. Toward the middle of the dance, Usopp looked up and saw Nami. She made her way into the row, lifted Chopper from his chair, sat down next to Luffy, and sat Chopper on her lap. The little reindeer had giggled at being lifted. He was now smiling happily up at Nami, who smiled sweetly down at him. Then he turned back to the stage and continued watching. Luffy looked over at her and grinned. Then he brought up his hand. She grinned back and slapped her hand across his. Some of the crowed looked at them curiously, but then turned away.

The finally performances were done and the scoring was now being announced. The scores were given in order of the performances. Finally, Nami's card was flipped. It was a 9. Everyone made noises of disbelief as they saw the score. "I don't believe it!" exclaimed Nami in angered disbelief.

"Its okay, Nami, it's the highest score so far." replied Luffy to her outburst with a reassuring smile. She smiled back. Then the next card was flipped. It was Hanako's card. It was a 9.5.

"Nani?!" the crew yelled in disbelief.

"Unbelievable!! Why that dirty, no good…!!" Nami exclaimed in anger. So far, now Nami and Hanako were tied.

"That's alright!" Luffy interrupted Nami's tirade. "We just have to win tomorrow, right Nami?" he asked as he looked toward her with determination.

Nami looked back at him in surprise with slightly parted lips. Then her face broke into a confident smile, "That's right!" she exclaimed. Luffy grinned back at her. Luffy looked back down to the stage. Now he was determined to master that dance no matter how difficult it may be. They weren't going to lose to those people.

----

When they got back to the ship, Sanji had prepared another feast. The meal was another boisterous event. There was a great deal of drinking and noise. Franky had brought out his guitar and was playing sloppily. No one seemed to care. They were all laughing and goofing off anyway. Usopp and Luffy locked hands and began twirling each other around and laughing. Everyone watched them and laughed with them. Then Luffy grabbed Chopper and began spinning him around.

Usopp then grabbed Sanji and spun him around, "Oi, oi!" exclaimed Sanji but then found himself laughing. Everyone else laughed merrily at the four. Luffy put Chopper down and took a swig of his drink and then put it down. Chopper began wobbling around dizzily, but he was still laughing.

Then Luffy grabbed a hold of Nami's hands, "Oi, Luffy…matte!" she exclaimed with a bit of a nervous laugh.

"Everyone's gotta do it, even Zoro!!" he exclaimed.

Sanji gently offered for Robin's hands who gladly accepted. Chopper then grabbed Zoro's, who raised a brow, but obliged the little reindeer.

Luffy began to spin Nami, who eventually began to laugh as they spun. Luffy laughed loudly as they began to spin faster. "Oi, Luffy, you're going to fast!" protested Nami half heartedly who could barely breath from the exertion of laughing and spinning. Suddenly, Nami tripped on Luffy's feet, because of the speed and lost her balance.

She fell backwards bringing Luffy down with her, "Kyaa!!" she exclaimed. She landed on her back, the grassy deck being her cushion, still laughing. Luffy fell over her, but not on her. He landed on both hands beside her head and had one knee between her legs. The force of the fall had brought his face close to hers. Nami finally stopped laughing and looked up at Luffy. Luffy also stopped laughing and looked down at her.

Both smiles began to vanish slowly as the two just stared at one another for awhile. Everyone had stopped spinning at hearing Nami's half hearted scream and had looked toward them. They looked on at the two with curious expressions, smiles, or in Zoro's case smirks. Zoro's smirk widened and then he closed his eyes as he put a fist to his mouth. "Ahem!" he cleared his throat.

Luffy finally snapped out of his daze, "Ah…g…gomen!" he said as he got up and then offered a hand for Nami.

Nami blushed, "No, it's…fine…" she said quietly with a nervous smile as she accepted his offered hand. Nami dusted herself off, with the flush still in her cheeks she smiled. Luffy smiled in return.

Chopper oblivious to the strange atmosphere perked up, "Ah! I know! Let's play a game of poker!" he exclaimed happily, unknowingly saving the two from an awkward moment.

"Oh, I'll play!!" replied Luffy excitedly as he turned to the excited reindeer.

"Aa, me too!" exclaimed Usopp.

"Sure, I'll play poker, if money is involved." replied Nami with an impish grin.

"I'll play." replied Franky.

"Ee…I will as well…" replied Robin with a smile. She was interested in watching Luffy and Nami play.

Everyone turned to Zoro and Sanji, "Gomen, I gotta clean up, maybe next time." replied Sanji with a smile as he began gathering the dishes.

Then they turned to Zoro, "Gomen, going to take a nap. I've got watch." he replied with a yawn and walked away.

"Yosh! Six players is a good number!" exclaimed Usopp.

"Aa!!" replied Chopper excitedly. Everyone went inside the dining area to begin setting up the game. Then they started to play.

Nami won three games in a row. She smiled and stuck the tip of her tongue out as she collected her winnings. "Nami…it's no fun if you keep winning…" whined Luffy with a slight pout. Nami just giggled.

"How do you do it, Nami-onesan?" asked Franky with a raised brow.

"It's all in your skill!" she exclaimed with a large grin.

"Really…?" asked Luffy with a raised brow.

"Yes, really…" she replied with an impish smile.

"You throw off the other player's concentration by distracting them…" replied Robin.

"Robin!!" yelled Nami in disbelief. Robin only smiled gently at her.

"Oh, you distract them, eh?!" exclaimed Usopp with a smile.

Nami looked disheartened. "Ah, I see!" exclaimed Luffy as he grinned.

Sanji had finished cleaning up and came to watch the rest of the game. They started the next round.

"Ne, Nami…"

"Nani…?' replied Nami without looking up as she concentrated on her cards.

"You looked beautiful today…"

Nami made a noise that was half cough half choke, "Na…na…nan da tou?!" she sputtered as she looked over at Luffy. He was looking back at her with that same roguish grin from earlier that day. Nami's heart began to pound.

"You heard me…" he said in a low voice, and then he looked back down at his cards. Everyone was staring at him in disbelief. The cigarette fell out of Sanji's mouth. Nami blushed and then hid behind her cards. She could no longer concentrate.

Robin smiled toward Luffy knowingly. She was too interested in their behavior to pay attention to her cards. Everyone else couldn't concentrate either. Luffy won that round, "Yata! It really works! Arigato, Robin!" exclaimed Luffy excitedly as he gathered his winnings. Robin only smiled at the happy boy. Nami clenched her teeth and glared at the rubber boy. 'That's twice today he's caught me off guard…' she thought to herself. Then she smiled deviously. 'That's okay, the night is still young.' she thought.

The next round was started. "So, Luffy, you really thought I was beautiful?" asked Nami in a sultry voice as she leaned forward toward Luffy exposing a great deal of cleavage. She hooded her eyes and smiled seductively towards him.

Sweat beaded down Luffy's face as he had looked towards her. He broke his gaze from her cleavage and looked at her face. It was no better. The look on her face made his palms sweaty. Everyone else was distracted by cleavage, and Robin was too busy observing the two's provocative behavior. Nami won that round. Luffy scowled at her as she scraped up her winnings with a huge grin on her face.

It went back and forth through out the game. When it was down to Luffy and Nami everyone watched with wide eyes as the behavior past back in forth between the two. Sanji stuck a finger in his collar attempting to loosen it. Sweat beaded down everyone's face as the room's temperature rose about ten degrees. Finally the last game was played. Nami scooped up the last bit of Luffy's coins. Luffy stared at her with furrowed brows of disappointment.

"Too bad you were going up against a pro, Luffy!" teased Nami as she winked at him with a smile on her face.

"Aa…but I'm starting to catch on…" he replied with his roguish grin. Nami stopped collecting her coins and looked towards Luffy in surprise. What he said and how he said it as well as the look on his face made her shiver. Then she ripped her gaze from his and finished collecting up all the coins. Luffy's grin widened.

"Well, I'm going to bed. You should do the same, Luffy. We have to go back to Mora-sensei's tomorrow morning." she said quickly before leaving the dining area. Everyone watched her leave and then turned to Luffy. He was still smiling at the door. Then he got up and left.

Everyone sighed deep. "What the hell was that…?" asked Sanji as he shakily brought out a new cigarette.

"I have no idea…" replied Usopp as he sunk down and put a chin on the table.

"I wonder…" commented Robin quietly with a knowing smile.

"Well, we should all probably head to bed ourselves…" said Franky as he got up.

"Aa…" replied Sanji as everyone else go up to go to sleep.

----

Luffy walked into the men's quarters and fell face first into his bed. His heart was still pounding, "That was kinda fun…" he whispered to himself as he rolled over. He was still kind of confused by it. He had never done anything like that before. It had been…exhilarating. He had seen Sanji and Nami do things like that before, but he himself had never done it. Luffy closed his eyes, "I kinda like this game…" he whispered as he fell asleep.

----

Nami crawled into her bed and lay down. She stared at her ceiling and began thinking about Luffy. He had really gone all out during the game. She had to admit he had made her really nervous and work for her money. Her heart had pounded through out the entire game. It had been fun. She smiled to herself. It was definitely the most interesting and exciting game she had ever played. She smiled to herself, 'He really is a fast learner…' she thought as she rolled over for sleep.

----

Everyone shared a usual breakfast for the Mugiwara crew. Nami was just glad things were back to the way they normally are. After breakfast, Luffy and Nami left for Mora's class. "You missed an…interesting card game last night, Zoro-aniki…" said Franky as he grinned towards the Swordsman.

"Oh…?" Zoro asked as he raised a brow.

"Haha! Yeah, Luffy was right on par with Nami!" exclaimed Usopp with a laugh.

"Yeah! Although…it made me kind of uncomfortable…" added Chopper with an exasperated expression.

"I have to admit…it did get pretty warm after awhile…Anyone else notice…?" asked Sanji.

"Aa…" agreed Usopp, Chopper, and Franky.

"It was indeed…interesting…" replied Robin with a smile.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Zoro as his brow rose further.

"Well…seems Luffy learned how to flirt…He was using it to his advantage to try and win the game after Robin pointed out you had to distract the other players to win." explained Usopp.

"Although…he only used it against Nami-san…" added Sanji with a slight frown.

"Well, that's because she was winning all the games!" exclaimed Chopper with furrowed brows toward Sanji.

"Yeah, true…Nami got mad after losing a game to Luffy, and started fighting back…" replied Usopp as sweat beaded down his face.

"Yeah…except she distracted everyone else too…" added Sanji as he cleared his throat…"Nami-san really knows how to…use her body to…advantage…" he continued.

"Aa……." replied the guys while sweat beaded down their faces.

Zoro's eyebrow rose further as his eyes grew wider. "What the hell…?" he replied quietly.

----

Luffy and Nami made their way to Mora's class and then went inside. Bairon was there again. "Good morning, Nami-san, Luffy-san!" greeted Mora.

"Good morning." they greeted simultaneously.

"So far, you are doing magnificently, Nami-san! We must make the last dance something they will never forget!" she exclaimed excitedly. Nami smiled nervously and then nodded.

Mora began explaining and demonstrating the rest of the steps for the dance. There were twirls and dips……oh the dips…Nami became very nervous as sweat beaded down her face. Then she nervously looked over at Luffy. Sweat also beaded down his face. However, he was watching them with a look of determination on his face. Nami looked at him slightly surprised before turning back to Mora and Bairon.

It was now their turn. Luffy immediately got up and walked to the middle of the floor. He turned to Nami with the same look of determination. Nami looked at him in surprise with slightly parted lips. Mora smiled at Luffy. Nami finally got up and made her way to him. She stopped a few feet away. He offered her his hand. She slowly walked to him and accepted it. He pulled her to him and then whispered in her ear, "We have to do our best. We can't lose to those rude people. We have to show them how pirates do things." he had sounded determined.

Nami's eyes grew larger as he had whispered in her ear with slightly parted lips. Once he finished she pulled back and looked him in the face. He grinned roguishly at her. Her heart began to race at his smile. Then she smiled back, "Un!" she replied with a nod and then the music started.

Luffy got better and better, stepping on her toes less and less. Mora would interrupt now and then to give them instructions, "Remember, eye contact is a must! Your eyes are only to leave each other's during the dips and twirls. Nami-san, you will turn your head up towards his when he brings your back to his front!" she instructed.

"Hai, Mora-sensei." replied Nami as they tried again.

----

The lessons had finally ended. It had taken a lot longer than usual. Nami was exhausted both physically…and mentally. 'That dance was so…' she thought to herself. "Nami…hara heta na…" whined Luffy with a slight pout.

Nami looked towards him. Then she looked at a clock of a store they were passing. It was way past lunch time. However, they still had plenty of time before the last dance. "I'm pretty hungry myself…" she replied. "The others have probably eaten by now…" she continued. Luffy pouted at her in helplessness. She laughed at his expression, "Let's go and eat something then, okay?" she suggested as she smiled at him.

He grinned at her in return, "Yahoo!" he exclaimed as he pumped a fist into the air.

Nami looked away and ahead of them. There had been a restaurant she had been passing everyday to get the Mora's classes. The food had smelled wonderful each time. "Come on, I know just the place. I wouldn't mind trying it!" she said with a smile as she looked at Luffy.

"Yosh! Let's go!" he said excitedly.

They reached the restaurant and went inside. A man approached and greeted them, "Hello, welcome to our restaurant. Would you like a table for two?" he asked politely.

"Hai. Please." replied Nami.

"Okay, right this way." he said with a smile as he turned and lead them to a table.

As soon as they were seated he hand them each a menu, "A server will be with you shortly." he said with a smile and then walked off.

Luffy looked over at Nami with a blank expression. Nami looked over at him before looking at her menu. Then she smiled, "Get whatever you want." she said.

Luffy grinned and then nodded. Then he looked through his menu. She smiled warmly at him before looking through her menu as well. A server approached their table, "Hello, my name is Zen and I will be your waiter. Can I get you anything to drink?" he asked politely.

"Wine would be nice." replied Nami.

"Would you like to try our House Special?" he asked.

Nami's eye twitched slightly, "House…Special…Is it strong…?" she asked cautiously.

"It is a favorite among our customers. It's not as bitter tasting as most. However, no, I don't believe it is very stronger." he replied politely.

Nami laughed nervously, "Alright, we'll take that." she said with a nervous smile.

Zen nodded and then walked off to retrieve the wine. Once he returned with the wine and poured some for them, he took their order. After about fifteen minutes, their food was brought out to them. Luffy laughed happily and began to dig in. Nami smiled warmly at her Captain before beginning to eat. The way Luffy was eating drew quite a bit of attention. Nami didn't mind. As many places that they had stopped to eat during their journey, she found she had never been embarrassed of his eating habits. Luffy was Luffy, and everyone accepted that.

Two in particular were watching the pair with great interest and smirks on their faces. They got up from their table and approached Luffy and Nami. "Well, well, well, it looks like pirates don't have manners after all…"

Both Luffy and Nami looked up from their meal and to the voice that had spoken. "Oh…if it isn't the hypocrite?" Nami shot back as she smiled deviously at Hanako. Nami looked over and noticed Meji's bruised and bandaged nose. Her devious grinned widened, "How's the nose?" she asked in a less than caring voice.

"Just fine…arigato…" replied Meji less than pleased.

"Hypocrite you say? I have no idea as to what you are referring to…" replied Hanako innocently. Nami glared at the woman. Hanako looked over at Luffy. Luffy had a mouth full of food as he continued to eat. He was staring at her indifferently. His lack of expression upset her. It was as if they weren't worth caring about. "So, what was with the manners at the banquet? Were you just pretending to fit in…that you weren't filthy pirates…scum of this world?" she remarked spitefully. Luffy's face remained indifferent as he continued to eat and stare at Hanako.

Hanako was becoming more and more upset as she scowled at Luffy. Nami looked from Hanako to Luffy with furrowed brows. Then Hanako smiled menacingly, "Well, not only do you lack manners, but are you stupid too?!" she asked in a harsh voice.

Nami quickly looked back at Hanako anger on her face. "Wow, Nami…you got stuck with a real winner…Serves you both right. You are pirates after all. He's stuck with a tramp of a woman and your stuck with a retard…He probably doesn't know any better, and you're easy, so I guess it makes for a perfect pair." she said as she laughed maliciously.

Nami slammed her hands down on the table and stood up quickly, knocking her chair over. Her having slammed her hands down knocked over both wine glasses which spilled over the table cloth. One fell to the ground and shattered. "How dare you! You don't know him!" she yelled. Then she pointed at Meji, "He probably isn't even half the man Luffy is!! No one is like Luffy!!" she continued. She was furious with this woman. By now everyone in the restaurant was watching them.

"Nami!" Nami made a surprised noise and looked at Luffy. He was looking back at her with slightly furrowed brows, "That's enough." he said quietly.

"Luffy…" replied Nami as her face relaxed.

"You're right…They don't know us…So, whatever they say is meaningless and not worth getting upset over." he said calmly and then he turned to the rude pair.

"Don't know you?! You're pirates!! All pirates are the same!!" yelled Hanako angrily at Luffy's indifference.

Luffy's expression changed to a much harder looked as he furrowed his brows deeper, "Are they? What has my crew ever done to you? You presume to know us, but you don't know anything…You however, I know enough to say, I don't like you. You were rude to us even before you found out we were pirates. Yet, you say I lack manners…I'm the stupid one?" he said calmly with a scoff.

"How dare you call Hanako stupid!" yelled Meji in anger.

Luffy glanced over at him coldly, "You have no room to talk…" he said in a deathly quiet voice. Meji backed off immediately. "Besides…I never said she was stupid…" he stated in a bored tone.

"Su…sumimasen…" the two pairs turned to a nervous looking man. "I…I'm going to have to ask you to leave…" he said nervously.

"Gomen…we didn't mean to cause any trouble for you. We will pay for our food and be on our way." said Luffy politely as he smiled at the man. Luffy stood up and began to follow the man, Nami following Luffy.

"Pay?! Since when do pirates pay for anything?!" yelled Hanako angrily at their backs. "Are you just putting up an act?" she continued.

Luffy stopped and turned toward the woman with a hard expression, "Are you still pretending to know us?" he asked quietly as he narrowed his eyes.

"Why do you say such horrible things about this young man?" asked a man as he stood up from his table. "He came by my shop three times already. He has bought a great deal of meat from me. Actually, he bought so much that I decided to treat my wife today! I was having a bad week too before he came a long. He was very polite and cheerful. I found him to be very pleasant. He paid for everything." said the same ossan Luffy had purchased the meat from.

"Ah, ossan!! We told our crew about you! You were so nice for giving me free meat for buying so much. My cook wants to buy some more from you!" exclaimed Luffy with a grin.

The man grinned in return, "Ah, I welcome your business! These two called you pirates, is that true?" asked the ossan.

"Aa, that's right!! I'm going to be Pirate King one day!" proclaimed Luffy with a grin.

"That so?! Well, you aren't like any pirate I've ever met. I hope you do become Pirate King. I would actually prefer it!" he exclaimed with a hearty laugh.

"Arigato, ossan!!" laughed Luffy with a huge grin.

Hanako was angry and appalled by what she was hearing. Luffy and Nami turned back around and continued on to pay for their meal. They approached a man sitting behind a counter with the man that appeared to be the manager, standing next to him. It was the same man that had asked them to leave.

Luffy put his hands in his pockets intending on paying but Nami stopped him by putting a hand over his. "No, let me." she said with a smile as she pulled out a small pouch. Luffy looked at her surprised, but didn't say anything. Nami paid for the meal.

"Arigato." thanked the manager. Suddenly, Luffy dropped more money onto the counter. "Nani?" questioned the manager.

"Luffy…?" questioned Nami.

"For the trouble we caused you and for the damage." said Luffy. "Gomen." he continued. Nami looked down sheepishly.

"That won't be necessary." said the manager as he smiled. He picked up the bellis and put them back into Luffy's hand. Luffy made a throaty noise in surprise. "It wasn't you who caused the trouble." he said and then he turned to Nami, "You're anger was understandable." he said as he smiled at Nami who in turn blushed for having lost her temper. "Lou-san is a very good friend of mine. He had told me about you. I had no idea you were that young man." he explained with a smile.

"Lou-san?" asked both Luffy and Nami.

"Aa, the man you bought all the meat from." he explained with his smile.

"Oh, I see! I'm Monkey D. Luffy! Nice to meet you!" exclaimed Luffy with a grin.

"Nan da tou?!" yelled everyone in the restaurant.

"Are?" questioned Luffy confused.

"Y…you're the Monkey D. Luffy?!!" asked the manager in amazement.

"Aa, that's right." replied Luffy with a blank expression.

Then the manager looked at Nami, "And the Cat Burglar Nami?!" he exclaimed.

"U…un…" replied Nami nervously with a nod.

"I thought you two looked familiar! You don't seem evil…The papers said you were horrible…Is it true that you broke in and destroyed Enies Lobby?" asked the manager amazed.

Hanako couldn't believe what she was hearing. 'Were they really the famous Mugiwara Kaizoku?' she thought as she looked at them. Then she looked at the hat he wore. It was a straw hat.

"Aa, they took one of my precious Nakama. We went to get her back. We might have…made a mess or two." explained Luffy with a grin as he put a hand to the back of his head.

"Ah, I see…Well, I'm Simon. It's very nice to meet you in person, Luffy-san. You don't seem at all like they made you out to be. You are welcome back here anytime!" exclaimed the manager with a grin.

"Ah, Arigato, Motojime-ossan!" exclaimed Luffy with his grin.

"Arigato." said Nami as she bowed her head and smiled and then they both left the restaurant.

The manager turned toward Hanako and Meji. "Please pay then leave, and please don't ever cause trouble here again." he said with a frown.

'Unbelievable! 'They would treat that pirate trash so politely, yet treat us so horribly!' Hanako seethed to herself. They paid their bill and stormed out of the restaurant.

----

Luffy and Nami headed in the direction of the ship. "You were great back there…S…sorry for losing my temper…" apologized Nami quietly.

Luffy looked over to her with a blank expression and then he grinned, "Don't worry about it!" he exclaimed.

Nami smiled in return, "It's almost time for our performance. We will both be leaving early to prepare." she said as she looked straight ahead.

"Okay." he replied.

Nami yawned, "You know, I'm a little tired. I think I may take a nap after my shower." she said in a tired voice.

Luffy nodded, "Aa…I'm a little tried myself." he replied. The lessons from earlier had left them both exhausted.

To Be Continued…

Translation and Explanations Corner:

1: Kyaa is just a scream..:P

2: Hara heta basically translates to, "I'm hungry." Informal phrase which means "To be hungry" and literally translates as "My/your belly is in a bad condition". I have heard Luffy add the na at the end of saying this, so I added it to my story. ,

3: Mugiwara Kaizoku translates to Straw-hat Pirates! XP

4: Motojime is manager.

Author's Note: Yeah I know, sorry this was a shorter chapter than the last two. The two previous chapters were the longest ones I have. They will be shorter from now on. Their shortness permits me to post a chapter every week. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! XD The next chapter is my favorite one. I hope you all agree! So, until next time! Ja na! XD