Yea! I'm so glad I'm done with this chapter. It was easier to write than most, I just had to find the time.
Anyway, enough of my whining. Enjoy the surprises Ace has in store for the two crossed lovers next.

Dis: One Piece is mine! All Mine! (insert evil laugh)

Chapter 8
Conflicts Arise

An owl hooted somewhere off in the distance. Crickets and cicadas chirped noisily in the moonlight. A blonde nobleman dozed lightly in the shadow of the great forest. Sanji was understandably tired. His mind and body worn out from the long day and trek after his love and the one that stole her away. All the while, unbeknownst to the mortal, a certain mischievous fairy was about to get his butt kicked.

Zoro loomed over his confused messenger. The freckled fairy could only gape at the scene that had just played out before them. "What did you do?" Ace flinched away from his king. "You've made a huge mistake and put the love juice on someone else. Because of this, someone's true love must have turned bad, instead of changing this man's false infatuation into true love."

Backing away out of easy reach Ace, in his laid back nature, tried to laugh it off. "In that case, it must be fate. That's the way of the world anyway. For every man whose faithful to his heart's love, a million end up running after a different lover." He shrugged his shoulders carelessly, sneakily trying to back away.

As quick as the trickster was, however, he wasn't fast enough to avoid Zoro's next move. With lightning speed the fairy king whipped out and snatched the freckled servant back to his side. Ace wouldn't escape that easily. "You are going to fix this, my friend." The king growled low into his messenger's ear. "Go, search around the forest, moving faster than the wind, and find Vivi of Athens. She's love sick and her face is pale as the moon. Bring her here with one of your tricks and I'll put the charm on this man's eyes for when she comes." With only a slight tightening of his grip Zoro let his subordinate know how serious he was.

Ace nervously backed away, nodding intently as he did so. "Yeah, you got it. I'll do exactly as you say and go as quickly as a Spartan arrow." With a flash of wind through the dark leaves, the trickster was gone on his errand. Knowing he had screwed up, there was no way he'd fool around with the King's orders now.

With the swift exit of Ace, the fairy king moved with the power and grace of a stalking tiger, up to the snoozing Athenian. Zoro knelt down and brought out his half of the small flower. A scowl of disgust crossed his features as he stared down at the pathetic excuse for a man. "Sink into this man's eyes, pretty flower, struck by cupid's arrow. When he looks upon the girl he should love, make her seem as bright to him as the evening stars." Zoro passed his finger over Sanji's closed lids, spreading the love juice over his sight in the process. A slight noise of Ace's voice alerted the king that his servant had done at least one thing right and the ill-fated young woman was on her way.

Then suddenly Ace was by the king's side again. There was a distinctly sly smile on the spirit's face, one that spoke of future mischief to be had, even in spite of his earlier reprimand. "The other woman is nearby, Lord Zoro. The young man I mistook for that one is there too, begging her to love him. We should really stay and watch this ridiculous scene play out? What fools these mortals be!"

The fairy king rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. 'Sometimes I just don't know about him.' Zoro shook his head and waved the trickster off. Seeing the way Ace immediately did as told made the magical monarch smirk. He knew his servant was wary of him now. "Step aside, the noise those two are making will wake him up soon enough. They're being loud enough to be heard in the underworld."

"Then the two of them will be pursuing that one poor girl." Ace chuckled. His impish nature often overriding his inner warning voice. "That'll be so funny to watch. And, as you know, my Lord. Preposterous situations are my favorite thing." Zoro merely rolled his eyes.

"Why do you think I keep making fun of you?" Luffy's voice could be heard in the darkness, preceding the young man and the hurt and confused Vivi. "When I say that I love you, it feels like my heart is so full. I want you to have anything you want even if it's the moon itself. And, who would say something like that? Someone who's truly in love, that's who." The pair of young travelers stepped into the fairy's sight and out of the deep shadows of the old trees. Vivi was leading, trying to get away from Luffy, and he was pleading after her. Looking all the part of a lost little puppy.

Zoro and Ace continued to watch in silence. The trickster barely concealing his laughter behind his hand and the King merely waiting for Sanji to wake and see the girl. He would make sure things would be set right this time. The fairy ruler wasn't so cruel as to leave the pair of lovers in this situation, especially since it was partially his fault.

Finally it seemed the fair tempered Vivi had gone through enough. She whirled on the unsuspecting raven haired man with a glare. "You get trickier and trickier. You've made the same promises to both me and Nami and they can't both be true! So, they must both be false then. These promises you're making belong to Nami. Will you suddenly abandon her? If you weighed the promise you made to me against the ones you've offered her, they'd come out the same, they weigh nothing. They're nothing but lies."

"I wasn't thinking clearly when I made those promises to her." Luffy explained. He didn't think Vivi would strike out at him but he was careful to back up and out of her reach anyway.

"And, I don't believe you're thinking clearly now, as you are breaking those promises." Though the blue haired young woman didn't move to hit her suddenly infatuated friend, she did ball up her fists and place them securely on her hips. At the moment she looked very much like an irritated Nami.

Luffy scowled at his unsuccessful attempts to pursued Vivi of his pure intentions. 'This has to be Sanji's fault. He's treated her so badly that my beautiful Vivi doesn't trust me anymore.' He just had to make her see that he had learned the error of his ways and his heart had spoken. "Sanji loves Nami; he can have her, because he doesn't love you."

The two were so into their argument they didn't even notice the blonde sleeping on the other side of the giant tree, however, the noise both Luffy and Vivi were making was enough to wake Sanji. Yawning, Sanji's eyes cracked open, and he heard the two familiar voices. 'Is that Luffy? Hey, that means Nami is with him. I finally found her!' He sat up quickly and leaned around the tree. It just so happened that Vivi was the one his eyes caught on first, her light blue hair flashed in the pale moonlight, and he was drawn to it before anything else.

"Oh, Vivi," the nobleman exclaimed. Instantly he forgot all about his true target in Nami and the only one on his mind now was the blue haired girl. "You are such a divine and perfect goddess! What can I compare your eyes to? Crystal isn't as clear they are. Your lips are as ripe as a pair of tempting cherries. Oh, let me kiss your beautiful hand. It'll make me so happy!" Sanji leapt from his position half hidden in the shadows and grabbed hold of Vivi's hand in order to kiss it gently.

The girl gasped in surprise, not expecting the sudden appearance of the one that had left her alone. Though now she'd had just about enough. Sanji's words slowly sunk into her shocked brain. However, instead of blushing and stuttering around like she normally did, Vivi snapped. The combination of being hungry, tired, and teased (in her mind) by Luffy did her in. "Dammit! I see you're all determined to gang up on me for a few laughs." The blue haired young woman jerked her hand out of Sanji's and glared heatedly around at the two men who were now staring at her. "If you had any manners at all, you wouldn't treat me like this. Can't you just hate me, as I know you do, does this humiliation have to continue?" The girl stamped her foot angrily and hot tears threatened to overflow her cheeks.

Both boys glared at each other, each blaming the other for making poor Vivi so upset.

Vivi continued, now so upset she couldn't stop her rant if she wanted to. "You're competing for Nami's love and now you are both competing to see which one can make fun of me the most. Whoever said competing is a good thing, is a fool. Such a great idea, a really manly thing to do, making a poor girl cry! No respectable person would offend an innocent girl just to have some fun."

Luffy scowled over at Sanji and when he saw that Vivi was about to cry he got even angrier. Stepping past the upset woman he grabbed hold of Sanji's collar but the blonde didn't budge. "Don't be so cruel, Sanji. I know you love Nami and you know I know." Sanji scoffed and swatted Luffy's hand away. The raven haired man didn't back down but didn't move to grab the other again. "Right here and now I swear I'm giving up my claims to her and handing her over to you. In exchange, give up your claim to love Vivi, since I love her and will love her 'til I die."

"Nobody has ever gone to so much trouble just to make fun of one person." Vivi murmured, more to herself, as the two boys were busy challenging each other. She looked back and forth between them, somewhat lost in their manly exchange.

"Luffy, you can keep Nami. I don't want her. If I ever loved her, all that love is gone now. My love for her was only a temporary thing. Now Vivi is the one I crave for." Sanji waved off any thoughts of finding out where Nami was and taking her back to the city. At this moment all he wanted was the beautiful Vivi.

"That's not true, Vivi, you should know it by now." Luffy turned to the girl and finally paid her attention. He gazed at her intently, trying without words to pursued her of his truth. His dark eyes shifted only when Sanji stepped up beside him.

"Don't dare insult a deep love like ours. You couldn't possibly understand. You'll be sorry if you do." The nobleman threatened Luffy. A deadly glare passed between them, more than words could say. Then there came a slight interruption in the form of another person blundering through the bushes and undergrowth. Blacked by nightly shadows it wasn't until Nami entered the small gap in the trees where everyone was gathered that anyone realized she was there. Sanji was the one to spot her first. "Look, here comes Nami, the woman you truly love." As the orange haired woman walked into a patch of moonlight, that had illuminated the area in a silvery light, Vivi and Luffy turned to the new arrival.

Nami looked around the group. She glared at Sanji. Her eyes widened at seeing her best friend, Vivi. Then they found the object of her worried search. Luffy was there beside Sanji, in one piece, and safe. She heaved a visible sigh of relief and closed her eyes in silent thanks to the gods.

Frowning uncharacteristically, Luffy didn't move to greet the woman he supposedly loved. Instead he glanced rather coldly at her barging in on his attempts to win Vivi's heart.

Not seeming to notice the unwelcome atmosphere she had walked into, due to her happiness at finding Luffy alive, Nami stepped past Sanji and Vivi. Naturally heading right toward her love. "You know it's hard to see in this dark part of the forest but it's way easier to hear. I couldn't see you, Luffy, but I heard you a ways back. That's how I was finally able to find you again. Why on Earth did you wander off anyway?" Nami asked comfortingly. She thought maybe he'd had a nightmare, like what woke her, and had taken a walk to clear his head. Then subsequently gotten lost.

Luffy looked down on the girl with bored eyes and rolled his shoulders in an uncaring shrug. "Why stay when Love is telling me to go?" His voice was distant and not at all like it usually sounded. If he noticed her confusion at his words at all, he didn't show it.

Brows furrowing in a mix of confusion and beginning worry Nami tried to understand what Luffy could mean with that statement. Now that she thought about it, he was acting differently than before. 'When we went to sleep I know he was the same loving man I had always known. Now though,' Nami took another deeper look into her lover's eyes, 'I can't put my finger on it but he seems colder.'

In hope this was some misunderstanding, Nami smiled nervously, and waved her thoughts away. "But, Luffy, what love could make you leave me alone?"

A dreamy look entered his eyes as he turned toward the other girl standing with them. Luffy held a hand out to Vivi, bringing Nami's attention to the previously forgotten pair. "I had to hurry after my lovely, beautiful, Vivi. She lights up the night better that all the stars in the sky." The raven haired man lost his glazed expression when he shifted his gaze to scowl at the woman he left behind. "Why were you looking for me anyway? Didn't you figure out that I left you because I hate you?"

Vivi twitched when she heard Luffy say that he hated Nami. She knew it couldn't be true, but then, Luffy always was a bad liar. 'How could anyone switch his heart like that? I have to be right. It is nothing but a joke to them.'

Nami's eyes widened when Luffy said that to her, there's no way it was true. "Stop joking like that, idiot. It's not in the least bit funny. I know you can't possibly mean that." She chuckled uneasily, thinking it must be some ill-timed joke on Luffy's part.

"So, you're in on this too?!" Vivi accused angrily, mistaking Nami's laugh to be at her expense. The blue haired woman glared at her once close friend, a deep frown etched on her face. "Now I see that all three of you have gotten together to play this cruel trick on me. You're such a hurtful girl, Nami. Have you been planning with these two on this elaborate plan to tease me? Have you forgotten the close friendship we had?" Vivi fought against her tears again, this was no time to be weak. She would just give these people satisfaction if she cried now. It still hurt though, that Nami didn't care about the friendship they used to have. "Don't you remember our promises to be like sisters to each other? We used to sit together, in our childhood, and sew on one piece of cloth. We would talk of our future and the men we would each marry. Do you really want to destroy all that by joining with these men to insult your close friend? It's not very friendly or ladylike. All women would be angry with you for doing it, even though I'm the only one who's hurt by it."

"What the hell are you saying, Vivi? Have you gone moon-mad? I'm not insulting you. It sounds more like you're insulting me." Nami's confusion quickly turned to anger. It was easy enough now to understand just how Sanji found her and Luffy in these woods tonight. 'And, what the hell is Vivi talking about a trick for? If anyone is tricked it's me, thinking she was someone I could confide in.'

Stamping her foot in anger and pointing a trembling finger in the other girl's direction Vivi forgot that she was the one who had broken Nami's confidence. "Come on and confess, Nami. Didn't you send Luffy, as an insult, to follow me around? Praising and complimenting me?" She ignored Luffy's vehement head shaking in denial.

It was something of a struggle for Nami to keep her composure as Vivi laid down accusation after accusation. Her nerves were already frayed by the experiences of the night, and now her temper was starting to flare, thanks to her moon-mad former friend.

Now turning an angry glare to the two boys, who had been silently watching the drama unfold, the blue haired female motioned to them with a harsh movement. "Haven't you made your other love, Sanji, call me a goddess? Also a divine, rare, beautiful, creature? Why does he talk like that to a girl he can't stand? And why does Luffy deny his love for you, when he truly does? Why would he show me any affection, unless you told him to? Why should it matter that I'm not as lucky or as lovable as you are and that the love I feel is unrequited? You should pity me for that reason, not hate me."

"You're starting to sound crazy. I have no clue what you're talking about." Nami scoffed. It was true, no matter what Vivi said, Nami didn't have any idea what trick she was supposedly playing on the opposite girl. Though she was beginning to think Vivi deserved it.

Vivi sneered and turned away from the group, not believing a word they said. "Oh, fine then. Go ahead and keep up your game. Pretend to be sympathetic and then laugh at me behind my back." She scoffed nastily and crossed her arms over her chest. Why was everyone against her? It just wasn't fair. "I know you must want to laugh right now. You're doing such a good job on this trick, someone should write a play about it."

Sanji and Luffy moved at the same time. Both stepping forward to try and comfort the distraught woman. They growled low in their throat in each other's direction, like territorial dogs, and dared the other to back down.

"If you had any sense of pity, or kindness, you wouldn't pretend to fight over me like this. But, I suppose it's partially my own fault, since I did follow you out here. Leaving, or dying, will take care of everything." Vivi made to leave, taking a few steps away from the gathered group, a cloud of depression forming over her.

Seeing his angel about to disappear in the shadows, Luffy broke his glaring contest with Sanji, and he desperately leapt after her. "No wait!" He was able to grab her hand and pull her back a few steps. "Stay here with me, Vivi. You are my life, my love, and my soul."

Vivi's eyes remained on the ground. She refused to look at any of them, knowing she would probably break down in tears if she did. Though she laughed weakly at Luffy's words it was cold and unfeeling. "Yeah, that's a good one."

Nami, taking in this scene, frowned deeply. However, it wasn't at Vivi. "Luffy, that's enough, stop jerking her around. A person's feelings aren't something to play with."

Sanji scowled at his rival but didn't try to take Vivi away by force for fear of upsetting her even more. "If Nami's begging can't get you to stop insulting Vivi, I can force you to." He stepped forward threateningly and Luffy, sensing a building fight, let go of Vivi's hand to meet him.

For a moment the moon was blocked by clouds being blown across the heavens by the mild summer wind. Luffy smirked up at Sanji in defiance as the area was darkened. "You can't force me anymore than Nami can beg me. Your threats are no stronger than her whining." The raven haired nobleman turned his gaze on the blue haired woman who had backed away while Luffy was talking. "Vivi, I love you. I swear I do. I'll give my very life for you, just to prove this worthless guy wrong when he says I'm lying."

"I tell you, Vivi, I love you more than he does." Sanji argued.

"If you're gonna say that, then prove it. Fight me, Sanji." Luffy turned and glared challengingly at the blonde. His muscles tightened under his silk clothes. Luffy was always stronger than Sanji due to being more the outdoors type. Sanji was the truly pampered noble he portrayed himself to be.

"You're on, I won't back down." Sanji growled, even though he knew he wasn't the fighting type.

Confused beyond measure was Nami. The poor girl stared between Sanji, Vivi, and Luffy as if the three had gone stark raving mad in the night. The one thing that managed to break through her mind though was the idea of a fight. She didn't want Luffy to fight Sanji, no matter how much the blonde gave them trouble. Nami didn't want blood on Luffy's hands right when they were starting a new life together. Or, she thought they were, anyway.

Taking a cautious step forward, next to the tense Luffy, Nami grabbed hold of his arm. "What are you doing, Luffy? Where are you going with this?"

It was a gentle hold, only to get Luffy's attention, but the way he reacted was like she had walked up and slapped him. Twisting his head around the dark eyed man scowled down at the girl at his arm. He shook the limb she clung to, as if she were no more than a pesky cat. "Get away from me! Don't get involved."

Laughing sarcastically Sanji waved his hand in Nami's direction. "No, no. He'll act like he's going to break free from you, Nami. Go ahead, Luffy," he switched his attention back to the black haired man. "Pretend like you're going to follow me but then don't come. You're nothing but a coward!"

Visibly grinding his teeth, and barely restraining himself from lunging at the cocky curly-browed noble, Luffy still tried to get Nami to release him. She was determined not to let him go. "Won't you stop hanging on me, you're nothing but a trashy alley cat! Let me go or do I have to shake you off like an annoying thorn?" He saw that she was getting more upset but didn't care, being more concerned with teaching Sanji a lesson.

"What's going on all of a sudden?" Nami pleaded, sounding like she was at her wit's end with the whole situation. "What's happened to you, my love?"

"Your love?" Luffy sneered in a nasty tone, finally succeeding in pulling away from the orange haired woman. "Beat it, woman, I have no further interest in you. Leave me alone finally."

Nami couldn't hold back the tears in her voice any longer. She fought to keep her voice steady but failed miserably. Water threatened to leak down her cheeks and the one man who should care only seemed to be interested in causing these horrible feelings. "This joke isn't funny anymore, Luffy. It is a joke, isn't it?" She sounded desperately hopeful that this was all one big extended joke at her expense. However, the look she got from Luffy dashed all those ideas.

"Of course it is." Vivi sounded confident as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Alright, Sanji, I'm ready to go whenever you are." Luffy balled his fists and rolled his shoulders. He grinned readily, itching to get this started.

Sanji looked mockingly thoughtful as he brought a fist up to his mouth. "I wish we had signed a contract. I can see you don't keep your promises very well and I don't trust you." He smirked as Luffy fumed. Nami was still standing beside him even though she was sure to keep to herself and Vivi was standing alone a few feet to the side.

Cocking his head to the blonde, Luffy furrowed his brows. For the first time he looked confused. "What? Do you want me to hit Nami, hurt her, or even kill her? It's true I hate her but I don't want to hurt her."

Shaking her head slightly, disbelief nearly radiating around her, Nami couldn't stop the water breaking from her closed lids. "Can you hurt me anymore than by saying that you hate me so casually? What's happened to you tonight? I'm still Nami and you're surely still Luffy. You still loved me when we fell asleep but when you woke up you had left me." Lips trembling so much that her voice shook, Nami seemed to lose all strength as she realized what she said, and sank to the ground. Her eyes widened as shock set in. "You've left me? Oh, god! Is this for real?"

Luffy nodded, clearly glad that it was sinking in for Nami, and he wouldn't have to keep telling her. "Yeah, I did and I never want to see you again. So you can stop hoping and wondering what I mean. I've spelled it out as clearly as I can for you. This is no joke." His mind was obviously set but his expression wasn't as dark as before.

'I can't believe this! Luffy isn't really leaving me for Vivi, is he? He's not really going to fight Sanji for her hand.' Nami stared up at the two boys from her position, kneeling on the ground, but they both looked dead serious. 'And am I going to just sit back and let her steal him from me?' She asked herself. Nami knew she was no delicate flower, no matter her proper upbringing, and a burning energy suddenly filled her blood. "No!" She jumped to her feet and sent a heated glare to the blue haired girl a few feet away. "You tricky little snake! You lowly thief! What did you do, sneak in at night and steal my lover's heart?" She pointed an accusing finger at Vivi, not yet ready to roll over and give up on Luffy.

Vivi was already upset to start with. First being treated so badly by Sanji after she told him about Nami's escape plan, then being abandoned by him, not to mention this horrible joke everyone was playing on her, and now Nami had gone too far. "Yeah, that's nice. You ought to be ashamed of yourself! You're going to make me mad enough to really answer you back. Damn you, faker, you puppet." The blue haired young woman balled her fists at her sides and growled in a very unlady-like way.

"Puppet? Why a puppet?" Nami asked, tilting her head in confusion. She furrowed her brows in thought but then seemed to get an idea. "Oh, I see where this is going now. You're talking about our difference in height, aren't you? You must've paraded around in front of Luffy, showing off how much taller you are than me." Though in truth Vivi was only an inch or two taller, at the time it sounded like a viable option in Nami's mind. "Does he really have such a good opinion of you because I'm shorter than you? Is that it? So then, how short am I, you painted maypole?"

Luffy's lips twitched a fraction of a second. Something deep inside him said Nami just dealt out a good insult, and funny at that. However, the magic working on him that night clouded his heart and mind, making the feeling last only a split moment.

"Tell me to my face, you have no problem saying it behind my back. I'll tell you, I'm not so short that I can't take you down a notch or two with my own hands." Nami raised a threatening hand in Vivi's direction and stepped forward. She had no reservation about beating the daylights out of the girl.

In fear Vivi backtracked and slid closer to the nearest body of protection. Which happened to be Luffy, probably not the best idea, considering the situation. 'I'm no fighter. What does Nami expect me to do? There's no way I can stand against her.' There was no fooling herself, Vivi knew Nami would win any fight. She only had the boys to protect her. "Please, don't let her hurt me, however much you tease me. I never was good with handing out insults. I'm not mean and catty, like her. I'm a nice quiet girl. Please don't let her hit me. Maybe you think I can take her because she's shorter than me but it isn't true."

Nami's face reddened in anger. She was quickly losing her already heated temper. "Gah! You see, she's doing it again. Shorter! It's always Shorter."

Speaking out from behind Luffy's shoulder, Vivi tried to calm the irate young woman, realizing she may have gotten in over her head. "Nami, please don't hate me. I've always loved you and given you advice, like a sister. I've never done anything to hurt you, except once, and that is only this time when I told Sanji your plan to sneak off. I did that only because I love him so much and I also followed him because I love him. But then he threatened to hit me and leave me in this dark place. Now I just want to go back to Athens, I'll go quietly, and won't follow you anymore. I'll carry my mistakes back home with me. Please let me go."

"Well, go on then. What's stopping you?" Nami asked harshly. She waved her arm in a random direction, herself not even sure where the city lay, but wanting Vivi out of her sight.

Eye's wet with unshed tears and sighing, depressed. Vivi seemed to wilt in the darkness. "It's my stupid heart, which I'm leaving here."

Nami glared. "Leaving it with Luffy?"

Vivi instantly shook her head in protest. "No! With Sanji," she squeaked.

Hearing that Vivi was about to leave so dejectedly made Luffy scowl in Nami's direction, the moment of coming to himself now buried in a daze of magic. The young nobleman held out his arm to protectively shield Vivi against whatever Nami might have in mind. "Don't be afraid, Vivi. She can't hurt you when I'm here."

Not to be outdone by anyone, Sanji also stepped up, placing himself between the two girls. "Yes, that's right. Nami won't hurt Vivi, even if you try to help her." He glared at Luffy, not counting him out as a threat.

"I don't know about that." Vivi muttered, looking back and forth between her two protectors, and then at Nami fuming a few feet away. "When she gets angry, she's a good fighter. She's vicious too. She was a little hellcat when we were in school. Despite her small stature."

"Little again? Nothing but 'short' and 'small'! Why are you letting her insult me like this? That does it. Let me at her!" Nami yelled and made a sudden lunge at Vivi, however, there were still two men standing in the way. The orange haired woman didn't make it far in her attack. Luffy, knowing something about Nami, moved before anyone else and grabbed hold of her.

Holding Nami back in a tight grip as the woman struggled in his arms Luffy had to pick her up off the ground in order to keep her from getting free. 'Vivi was right, she is vicious when she's angry.' Luffy thought as Nami scratched at his arms. "Leave Vivi alone, and me as well. What love could I give a shrimp like you?" With a shove he pushed Nami aside, making her stumble away from Vivi's direction. The girl managed to keep her balance and not fall but she didn't try to go for the protected Vivi again.

Sanji smirked and casually crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't like any woman to be pushed around but Nami had been trying to attack Vivi after all. "You know, Luffy, you're doing way too much to defend a woman who wants nothing to do with you. Besides, if you continue treating Nami so badly, you'll pay for it."

Scoffing deeply Luffy turned to face the blonde. "Guess what, Sanji? Nami's not hanging on me anymore." He showed the free arm that Nami was holding earlier. "If you have the courage you can follow me and we can fight over who gets Vivi's heart."

A deep chuckle came from Sanji and he shook his head. "Yeah right, like I'd follow you. I'll walk right beside you, Luffy." The curly-browed noble didn't want to follow Luffy like someone who came in second. He would walk next to him and that way also keep a close eye on his rival. It was also symbolic to say he wasn't going to be second to Luffy in anything, especially when a lady was at stake.

=0=0=

Another day, another chapter...

There aren't too many more to go.

Luffy and Sanji are really out for blood aren't they? And poor Vivi has a ticked Nami after her.