Finally got this chapter up! Sorry for the wait! Writer's block is not fun... I suddenly got inspiration back halfway through this chapter so the beginning might suck a little, sorry for that. Anyway, not much to say, please enjoy! Sorry for any errors!

Chapter X

Another World!?

Luffy frowned at the girl sitting across from him.

"You shouldn't think too much about it. You'll get a headache." Asa said to her captain not taking her eyes off of Chopper as he patched up her shoulder. Luffy huffed childishly but he couldn't disagree, his head was starting to hurt a little. He also watched as his crew's doctor finished with the last of the stitch's and put a patch over Asa's injury. The brunette also had bandages wrapped around her ribs.

Asa had already explained what had happened, about that weirdo, Look? Whatever, he didn't care what his name was. What he did care about was that he hurt Asa. Twice. That pissed him off. Asa kept insisting that she was okay but it didn't really make him feel any better.

Chopper looked Asa over and was just about to pack up his stuff when he noticed a scratch on her temple. He frowned and pulled out another bandage and cotton swab. After soaking the swab in disinfectant he tried to reach up and apply it. This became a problem when he was just a little too short and he couldn't get Asa to bend over without disturbing her bruised ribs.

Chopper was just about to transform when Luffy noticed the little reindeer's trouble and stood up. He took the supplies from Chopper and plopped down in front of Asa. "It's okay Chopper I'll do it."

Thankful for the assistance Chopper went to go see to Sanji's injuries.

Luffy fumbled with the cotton and looked at the scratch on her forehead with concentration. He had no medical knowledge whatsoever but he could handle a little scratch. While he carefully cleaned the cut he could feel Asa staring at him. The small smile on her face made him curious and he couldn't help but ask. "What?"

Her smile grew. "You're cute when you're grumpy." She giggled. Luffy broke his gaze from the cut and looked her in the eye, pouting (which only served to prove her point).

"I'm not cute! I'm a man!" He exclaimed. Because in no way could a real man be called cute. Asa laughed and nodded.

"Yes, a very childish man."

"Oi!"

Asa leaned forward and rested her forehead on his shoulder despite wincing from the pain in her ribs. "But I'll tell you a secret. We wouldn't have you any other way, captain." Her voice was soft and sincere.

Luffy smiled for the first time since they got back. It was impossible not to smile around Asa, she was just one of those special people.

The brunette sat up again, grinning now. Luffy returned with his own signature smile and put the bandage on her cut. Asa moved to get up but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. She blinked questioningly at him, tilting her head in a way that reminded him of a puppy. Gently, Luffy leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on the bandage, being careful not to hurt her.

When he pulled away, Asa's cheeks had a tinge of pink across them and her smiled seemed even brighter than before. Luffy stood and helped her up, they wandered back to the crew in a comfortable silence.

"With the ship in this condition and night approaching, we won't be able to get back to Angel Island until tomorrow." Sanji said taking a drag of his cigarette and inspecting the place where the mast once stood.

I sighed. If that stupid Locke hadn't 'kidnapped' me then maybe I could have prevented the Merry from going through this. Maybe she would've lasted a little longer… I mentally slapped myself. Merry was damaged inside and out. Her keel was breaking. There was nothing I could do to prevent the inevitable.

Nami nodded also taking in the poor ship. "We'll make camp on land for the night, we should be okay as long as we don't wander off."

Chopper sniffled from beside me. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect Merry Ussop." He sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

Ussop just hummed. He was obviously not happy with the damage and I could practically see the gears in his head turning as he thought of a way to try and fix them. But it was also obvious that the sniper held no ill feelings towards the doctor. "You're alive, Chopper. That's all that matters."

The words opened the flood gate and Chopper started crying. I smiled fondly down at him and leaned slightly closer to Luffy who was on my other side.

The captain noticed this and moved close enough for me to lean my shoulder against his. My ribs were aching with a dull pain each time I breathed and I found that I could practically draw strength from Luffy. What surprised me is that he had moved so discretely (whether it was purposely or not) that his action managed to escape the notice of a particular cook.

As I watched the crew talk about what we should do next, I thought about the boy beside me. I wasn't sure what to make of our relationship at this point. We were best friends and nakama and crewmates. But… those moments when the crew wasn't around or, like now, weren't paying attention… it felt like so much more than that. Between the kisses and the closeness that we shared in those special moments, it made me think that we could be more than just friends.

I had been wondering what was going through Luffy's head during these moments… but it was kind of pointless to try and guess what the unpredictable boy was thinking. If I wanted to know then I would just have to ask, so I made a mental note to talk to Luffy the next time we had some alone time. Maybe then I could figure out all these old and new emotions that were rising to the surface.

Slowly but surely the crew migrated to the land and we started setting up camp. We sat in a circle around a large bonfire using the large tree roots as seats.

Ussop tapped a stick against a chalkboard loudly. "Alright, quiet down!" He said in his 'Captain Ussop' voice. I blinked at the board… Where did that come from? "We're getting ready to hear everyone's reports."

Sanji was the first to volunteer. "We went to the Lost Forest, where we met a Priest named Satori who used these Surprise Balls. It was bad enough with all those Surprise Balls floating around with who knows what inside them, but what got us the most was this Mantra technique he used to predict our movements."

Chopper was next to go. "A Priest named Shura appeared out of nowhere using this lance that would burn anything! Asa showed up and with that strange man and they beat Shura and his bird. But Shura looked like he was predicting the strange man's movements."

I hummed at this tidbit of information, not having seen Locke's fight myself. I tipped my head to the side. "Hey Chopper, did you blow the whistle that Gan Fall gave us?" I asked.

He shook his head "I was just about to when you showed up." I nodded hoping that this fact wouldn't change anything for the worse.

Nami shook her head. "You guys sure had a rough time. But, we discovered that this island is actually a piece of Jaya. The City of Gold didn't sink into the ocean. It was shot into the sky!"

This fact surprised everyone.

Zoro, being the level headed one that he is, decided to focus on a different topic. "So, what's that Mantra thing?"

Sanji shrugged. "No idea. Maybe something like an instinct."

I nodded, drawing the crew's attention. "It's similar but a little more complicated than that." I rested my chin on my hand before wincing and sitting up straight again. My back is getting sore.

Robin, who was sitting beside me, helped me sit down on the ground and lean against the tree root. I gave her a grateful smile. "Do you know something about Mantra, Asa?" Nami asked.

I thought for a moment about how much I could share and came to the conclusion that it was an okay subject. It wasn't future related if I didn't mention who in the crew had Haki, it was just general knowledge.

"Well, on the Blue Sea it's called Observation Haki, not Mantra but it's the same thing."

"Haki?" Zoro repeated.

"Yeah… how should I explain this… There are three types of Haki. Observation Haki gives the user the ability to see a person's attack before they make it but it can also sense the presence of others who are far away or hidden. The strength of it depends on the user." I explained, watching the flames of the bonfire.

Sanji let out a low whistle. "That could be troublesome." He said, pulling out another cigarette. I gave him a disapproving look. He's been having those way to much lately. But I couldn't really blame him. Thing were starting to get serious.

"Well, is there a way to counter it?"

I had to think for a second, trying to remember how Luffy fought Enel. When I remembered I had to fight to keep myself from laughing. "There are two ways that I can think of. One is to basically stop thinking or make your attacks random. If you don't think about you're attacks then the enemy can't predict them but that can be dangerous for you. The other way is to attack fast enough that the enemy can't react in time. Being able to see a peoples attacks is useless if you can't avoid them."

"Still, those don't seem very reliable." Zoro said, folding his arms behind his head.

Zoro had a point but it was the best they had.

Ussop looked to be in deep thought for a moment before he spoke up. "You said there were three types, so then, what are the other two?"

"There's Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki but I'll explain them another time, when it matters." I told him, not wanting to get into it. Besides they would only need to know about Observation Haki for now.

Luffy, apparently not having listened to a word that was said, jumped up and threw his hands in the air. "So the city of Gold is up here!? I've been waiting for an adventure like this!"

Nami grinned and winked at her captain. "That's the spirit! Then everything's settled!" She was positively glowing at the fact that her captain was all for going to find gold.

Ussop's face darkened considerably. "Hey, hey, Luffy. Did you forget what those guerillas said?"

I blinked at the sniper. What did they say?

"God's gonna get mad." Chopper said, sweeting nervously. "And he's scary."

Robin giggled. "Sounds interesting, doesn't it?"

"Well, pirates can't pass up a chance to steal some treasure." Sanji smirked around his smoke.

Zoro also wore his own smirk, probably looking forward to the fights we were sure to get in. "And there's plenty of enemies out there. This is gonna be about survival. Sounds like fun!"

I laughed, wincing slightly, but my smile never faltered. "Yosh! This is gonna be awesome!"

Ussop started crying "We can be a little afraid of God! Don't blame me if you all get damned!"

"GOLD, HERE WE COME!"

A while later the crew had dispersed, everyone off doing their own thing. Sanji had started cooking a delicious looking stew, Zoro and Chopper went to go collect ingredients, Robin was near the lake I believe and Nami and Luffy were sitting at the camp. Luffy was staring at a pot of boiling water for some reason and Nami was writing something.

I checked off all the people in my head when Zoro and Chopper came back and Robin returned with a big salt crystal. I frowned slightly. Aren't we missing someone? Suddenly it clicked and I scanned the area for a head of red hair. "Oi, has anyone seen Alex?" I asked the crew.

They all shook their heads. "Nope, the last time I saw her was when we returned from exploring, just before we say you and that Locke guy." Nami said. That's right… I can't remember seeing her after that point.

I was starting to get worried. Where could she have gone?

Zoro noticed my unease. "She's probably fine. She looks like she can handle herself."

This got me to relax a little. He was right, Alex could take care of herself. Sanji called Zoro over to help him put a hot rock in the stew and he explained to Chopper that it keep all the nutrients from going to waste.

I walked over to Ussop, who was sitting near the edge of the lake, taking off his shoes which he promptly tossed behind him. "Whatcha doing Ussop?" I asked plopping myself down beside him. "Dinner's almost ready."

"Yeah, I was just going to bring this wood over to the ship so I can repair it tomorrow."

I raised a brow at him. "And you're planning to swim across?"

"Huh? Yeah."

"Wow… You are brave…" I said watching a sky shark jump out of the cloud and disappear again. Ussop turned to look at the numerous amount of fins that swam about. I didn't even blink before he was already halfway back to camp.

"Repairs can wait 'til morning! Let's go eat dinner, Asa!"

I rolled my eyes and smirked before getting up and following him, grabbing the idiot's shoes on the way. "Hai!"

When we returned, Chopper was handing out dinner. I couldn't help but drool at the aroma of the stew. The little reindeer walked up to me and handed me a bowl with a heart shaped carrot in it. "Here you go Asa!"

"Thanks Chopper!" I said, taking the bowl and sitting down against a tree root. Everyone slowly came to get the food and settle down.

"Okay, guys! I'm gonna explain how we should plan to move tomorrow!" Nami said as she took a seat. When she noticed a few people still chatting she called again, only to be interrupted by Ussop handing her a bowl of stew. "Everyone – Oh, thanks. You can keep eating but listen up!"

I looked up from blowing on the hot food and paid attention to Nami.

"First off, let's review Norland's picture book. Norland first discovered the City of Gold about 400 years ago. But, a few years later, when he visited Jaya again, the golden ruins had disappeared."

"This stew's really good!" Luffy said from where he sat beside the large pot of stew, already on his tenth bowl. Sanji bashed him in the head with the pot lid.

"Hey, are you listening?" Nami called irritably.

"But, Nami-san, he started it~!"

I shook my head fondly at the two.

"Let's move on. That means, at some point during those few years, Jaya broke apart, and this island was shot into the sky."

"It was brought up here by the Knock-Up stream?" Chopper asked handing Robin a bowl.

Nami nodded. "Yes, that's the only plausible explanation. Cricket-san said that the explosions occur at different places on the ocean floor every time. That thing was pretty big. Even an island would get blasted up."

Zoro stirred his stew idly, probably making sure the cook didn't drug it or something. "But from the looks of it, this forest is completely different from the one we went through on Jaya."

"That's probably due to the composition of Sea Cloud and Island Cloud here. The environment seems to abnormally affect the rate and degree of growth of the plants and animals. If that's that case, it would explain how the forest had overtaken that civilization."

Only half listening to the crew's conversation, I took a spoon full of stew and brought it to my mouth. I loved Sanji's food! Sadly, I didn't get the chance to try the mouth-watering cuisine. I was just about to put the spoon in my mouth when two hands clasped tightly onto my shoulders. I jumped and squealed in shock causing my (still very hot) stew to spill onto my lap.

There was a pregnant pause as the crew looked over at me.

"Hmm! Is that stew! It smells delicious!" Alex exclaimed from behind me. I opened my mouth to yell at the girl for scaring me like that when the boiling hot stew finally soaked through to my skin. Instead of a reprimand, it came out a gasp and a screech of "HOT, HOT, HOT, HOT, HOT!" I got up and ran around, trying to wipe the stuff off my thighs and stomach.

The crew and Alex laughed when I tripped and face-planted into the ground. I groaned and pouted when the stew finally cooled down and left me feeling chilly. My ribs burned lightly but it didn't hurt as much as before. I was either getting used to the pain or I was healing quicker then I thought. Probably the first one. I rolled over and pouted at Alex. "That was mean!" I really liked these pants…

She laughed good naturedly and waved her hand to the side, brushing it off. "Sorry, sorry."

Nami crossed her arms and looked at Alex suspiciously. "Where have you been?"

I got up and gratefully received another bowl of stew from Sanji, making sure to sit far away from Alex so I didn't have another incident.

"I followed Locke." I snapped my head up at her answer. The crew looked intrigued as well, except Luffy who instantly frowned at the archer's name.

"You followed him? Why?" I asked curiously.

She shrugged and was given a bowl of stew. She took it with a smile. "I figured he would have some information about the Cradle. He also told me what he told you earlier."

I looked down at my food and stirred it quietly, not really wanting to bring that up. The crew however was not going to give up.

"You never did tell us what Locke said to you on the stairs back then." Zoro said not liking how I suddenly became closed off. I hadn't told them why Locke was yelling at me, or what he was saying. If they knew then it would lead to too many questions. But apparently Alex didn't care.

"He said that there are only four of us left." She answered for me.

Ussop furrowed his brow in confusion. "What do you mean 'us'?"

I tensed, not liking where the conversation was going, but Alex didn't stop and she explained further.

"Asa, Locke and I are… different. We're not from here. We–"

"Stop it Alex." I said sharply, cutting off what I didn't want her to say. By now the crew had finished eating and I had abandoned my stew, not feeling hungry anymore. They all looked at me with concern but curiosity also shone in their eyes. I didn't blame them but it also didn't mean I wanted them to know.

Alex looked at me with sympathy, understanding better than anyone how I felt. "Listen, Asa. You'll have to tell them eventually. They need to know." Alex waited for me to protest but I stayed silent. She was right. The crew needed to know this if it could have something to do with the Cradle. I wasn't worried that they would treat me any differently it's just that this was supposed to be a new start. I wanted to forget the past, this was my life now.

Alex took my silence as a sign to continue. "Asa and I are from another place… Um… another dimension, I guess?" The red head looked at me for help, not sure how to explain. I let out a sigh. Well, if you couldn't beat 'um, join 'um!

"I thought of it more like a different world."

Luffy jumped up and pointed an accusing finger at me. "So you're an alien!? Sugoi!" The captain was kicked in the head by his cook.

"How could lovely Asa-chwan and Alex-swan be aliens, BAKA!"

Ussop waved his hands in front of him, sweating nervously. "W-Wait a minute… another dimension? That's not even possible!"

Alex only shrugged. "Well it's true. And if what Locke said was also true then there's one other person that we have yet to find that's from our world."

Robin rested her chin in her hand, intrigued greatly by this new information. "But how did the two of you end up here?"

Alex and I traded a nervous look. We knew this question was coming but it didn't make it any less difficult to say.

"W-We um…" I started trying to get the words out. "We sort of… died."

The crew blink.

"ZOMBIE ALIENS!" Ussop and Chopper cried hugging each other tightly. The rest of the crew wasn't in any better shape. Zoro had fallen backwards off the root he was sitting on, Luffy had stars in his eyes and was running around me in awe, Sanji had dropped the dishes he was carrying and Nami was frozen to her spot, eyes wide and sweating nervously. Robin was the most composed but even she seemed taken aback.

I waved my hands quickly, trying to gain their attention. "We're not zombies! Or aliens! I swear!" The crew calmed down considerably but Luffy looked a little disheartened.

I almost rolled my eyes at that. He'd have to wait until he found Brook if he wanted an undead crew member.

"We don't really know how it works but we died, and Death gave us a second chance. Said something about us being needed here." I tried to explain but even to me it sounded crazy.

"How did you die?" Choppers little voice asked from behind Ussop's leg.

"Suffocated in a mud slide."

"Drowned in the ocean."

Ussop looked at me sadly. "So that picture of the wave you showed us when we first met…"

I nodded. "I didn't survive it."

There was a morbid silence until Luffy grinned and changed the topic. "What's your world like?"

Alex and I grinned. We spent the rest of the evening answering the crew's questions about our world. They were particularly shocked to learn that we haven't had pirates, well at least not the kind they had here, for a very long time. Nami was curious to know about the geography of our world and we explained the countries and seas and told her that the world had already been mapped. She was excited to hear that and I think it gave her a little hope to know her dream was not impossible.

Sanji asked us a lot about the food and women, which were pretty much the same here. Luffy, Ussop and Chopper were excited to know that people had invented flying machines that traveled around the world and metal boxes that could speed across land.

It took a long time to satisfy the crew with information and by the time we finished, the sun was already below the horizon. Everyone decided they should get some sleep and they pulled out their sleeping backs. I watched them all settle in and frowned when I realized that I was still wearing my stew stained clothes.

I made sure to tell Nami that I was just going back to the ship to change before I walked back towards the lake.

Yay! Made it to chapter 10! This book will probably end up being longer then the last one, just because there is so much going on. I hoped you liked it! Let me know what you think, I try to include things people like in my chapters. A lot of you seemed to enjoy the Luffy POV so I'll include that a little more often if you guys want.

Until Next Time ~