AN: Sorry it took so long to get another chapter up...school work and stuff. Hem hem. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

OGS does not own OnePiece!

Chapter Ten

In the Labyrinth
- In which Nami hates squirrels and Sanji wears red -

"I'm hungry, Nami," Luffy groaned as he watched Nami scramble up the dark vine covered wall. "You know," he said, "that's cheating Nami."

The once-navigator grunted. "Like this is cheating."

Luffy shrugged. "I just thought people weren't allowed to climb the walls of labyrinths." He clutched his stomach. "I need something to eat."

Nami ran a hand over the rough surface of the wall. "Shut-up Luffy, I'll lose my concentration…eek!" She lost her footing and plummeted to the ground.

The captain burst into laugher. "Nami!" He grinned as she dusted her skirt. "You're so funny!"

She sighed and slapped a hand to her forehead. "I give up. We're trapped in this god-forsaken maze thing forever." She felt the light spray of water on her skin. "And it's raining…how depressing."

Luffy looked up to the darkened sky that shrouded the dark labyrinth. Suddenly, he heard a light scratching sound as an orange chipmunk clambered down the wall. It cautiously made its way, brave way to Nami.

Nami felt something fluffy touched her arm and looked down. "What the…?"

The chipmunk held out an acorn. "Ninnum munnin?" It squeaked with big, bright, innocent eyes, made more innocent by the rain as it dripped down its orange fur.

"Awe, for me?" Nami said as she accepted the acorn. "Why, I don't know what to say."

The chipmunk started making bashful gestures. "Ninimi muinim muin."

Nami hurled the acorn at the rodent's head. "HIT THE ROAD BUCKY!"

The chipmunk screamed and bolted to Luffy.

"It's alright," Luffy assured it. "Nami's not in a good mood right now."

The rodent pointed to itself.

"No, no it's not you," said Luffy. "Nami's not the easiest person to get close to…there's a wall there. Trust me."

Nami rolled her eyes. "Don't tell your talking to the thing?"

Luffy shook his head. "No, I'm not. We've both been affected by trauma, so we can understand one another. Isn't that right?" He tickled the chipmunk's wet tummy.

"What trauma?"

The chipmunk began making violent gestures towards the navigator. Luffy hurriedly stopped it and whispered. "Don't do that if you value your life." The chipmunk handed Luffy a mysterious object, gave him the acorn and with one last loathing look at Nami, climbed back up the wet wall of the dark labyrinth and was gone.

Luffy shoved the acorn in his mouth and swallowed. "What a funny little creature!" He said cheerfully, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Luffy," said Nami. "What did the thing give you?"

"Oh yeah," Luffy opened the mysterious object and unrolled the piece of paper. "IT'S A MAP!"

Nami squealed. "IT'S A MAP OUT OF THIS MAZE! WE'RE SAVED! THANKYOU CHIPMUNK THING!"

Luffy grinned widely in the rain. "Tell me how to read maps Nami and I'll lead us," he declared passing the soggy parchment to his once-navigator.

"Okay," she said excitedly, "here goes…what!" Her hands began shaking violently. "Eh? What's wrong with me?" She felt her clenched fists tearing at the map.

Luffy gave a startled shout as Nami ripped the map into two wet pieces. "NAMI!"

Nami's tears mingled with the pouring rain. "I…I can't stop it Luffy!" She tore the map into four.

The Straw-Hat captain tried to force the map from his friend's iron grip and she ripped it again and again, until the tiny wet fibers that were once the map dropped to the dark ground and drowned in the murky puddles.

Nami cried out in the sheer horror of it all. "WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? I TORE A MAP UP, LUFFY! I NEVER DO THAT KIND OF THING."

Luffy instinctively made to lower his hat when he remembered his was cursed from doing such an act. "You know, Nami," he said to the sobbing navigator, "maybe if we went his way…?"

Nami stood up defiantly. "I'm not giving in! If that rodent can find its way around this place, then I can too."

The rubber captain pointed at a large hole that had appeared at his feet. "Let's go down here!"

"ARE YOU CRAZY, LUFFY?" Nami howled. "WE'D GET LOST AGAIN, PROBABLY DIE!" She turned left. "We're going this way!" She strode angrily forward.

"Uh Nami…watch out for the…"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGH"

Luffy grinned. "Hole," and jumped after her with a childish 'wee'.

"No no no," said Sanji. "Red. Red's more my colour, don't you think?"

Zolo rolled his eyes. "When did 'what I think' become so important?" He grumbled. "All I know is that whether in red, blue, black or pink you still look like a…WHAT THE…!?"

The two crewmates from the Straw-Hat crew watched as the green coated servants came charging back into the glamorous clothes store.

Sanji gave them all his winning smile. "I have decided on red."

The short green servants ignored him as they ushered another two in. "You two," squeaked a plump man, "will stay here with the others and get clothes, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," he turned to Nami. "ISN'T THIS GREAT?"

Sanji's jaw dropped. "NAMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" He turned to Luffy. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HER?"

Nami wiped a cake of mud from her forehead. "It wasn't his fault Sanji," she said.

Zolo snorted. "I find that hard to believe," he backed away as Luffy bounded up to him. "Go away, you're all muddy!"

Luffy grinned. "Wow Zolo, you look nice and clean. C'mon puppy!" He whistled to his first mate.

Just as Sanji relocated his jaw, there came a call from inside the change room.

"I'M READY!" And a wisened Robin twirled out from behind the curtains. Sanji fainted; Luffy blinked; Nami looked on with a blank face and Zolo felt a sudden urge to use the bathroom.

Robin twirled around again. "I'll take your stunned silence as a silent awe," she croaked.

The captain's face broke into a huge toothy grin. "Hee hee. Something like that!"

AN// Yep, Emerald City!!!! WHOOHOO! I've almost done this story...phew!

R&R