Last chapter I also started picking on Luffy. Well Zoro gets quite alot of stick from me already :3. I miss my good old simple plot TT^TT, but for some reason a really long complicated one seamed best. Please tell me if I start overcomplicating things, or if you would like me to stop writing Barnet's accent (he's meant to talk like a typical western idea of pirates)

Card Shuffle

After storming out of the galley, Nami had headed to her map room to cool down. Normally looking over her cartological books and reading up on recent weather phenomenon calmed her nicely. What she had not expected to find was a rather lost looking swordsman standing by one of the bookcases, holding a book in one hand. He turned to face her, blind grey eyes wandering lazily.

"Zoro, what are you doing in here?" she cried, marching over to him.

"Oh, Nami, why are there books in the fridge?" he asked nochantly, waving the offending object in her face. She paused. Books in the fridge? Had he been taking that odd stuff that Chopper uses for anesthetic to cope with his wounds?

"There's no fridge, Zoro. This is the library and map room. Not the galley." Zoro turned brick red. His lips made an "O" of embarrassment. Nami smacked her forehead. Why do I like this idiot again?Zoro felt for the handle to the glass fronted bookcase and returned the book to it's rightful place. Nami flopped down in one of the low sofas Robin normally read on when it was bad weather to read outside. They were due for a period of settled weather, so there weren't the navigation worries so long as Franky kept them clear of the bergs.

"I guess this is where you always disappear off to when we're being trying." She started. Zoro's voice sounded a little less gruff then usual. He was still standing by the bookcase, looking in her direction. She sighed.

"Sometimes. It's quieter here then the rest of the ship, unless Luffy's roped anyone available for a game of hide and seek." Zoro chuckled. One of the first things they had engaged in on christening the Sunny was play an accidental game of hide and seek. The man ran his hand through his hair. Nami watched him for a moment, before smiling.

"Come and sit down if you want. You look dafter then usual just standing there." Zoro blushed alittle again before nodding. Nami regretted her offer a few moments later. Zoro took a few steps before pitching head first over a lamp-leg, hitting a table, upsetting a gargantuine pile of books and breaking a coffee mug.

A quiet "Ouch." came from the carnage. Zoro sat up, rubbing the bump on his forehead.

"Zoro, you are a walking disaster sometimes," Nami said, pulling him to his feet. He scowled at her and made a "hmph" noise. She raised her hand and touched the swelling. He yelped and tried to push her off.

"Watch it, witch!"

"Guh, you're such a baby sometimes, it's only a little bump!" He was still glaring at her as she collected the scattered books. There were alot of them. Too many to hold. Yet somehow the floor was clearing. A large tanned hand landed on hers, ontop of the last book. She looked up blushing. Zoro had a bundle of books in his arms. His face turned so red she thought he may explode. I never thought I'd say this, but Roronoa Zoro is really really cute when he's flustered.

"S-sorry..." he mumbled and looked away. He removed his hand and placed the books on the table. Nami found herself missing the warmth of his hand on hers. His head was still bruised.

Helping him up she said, "You want ice for that bump?" Just then, the ship lurched to the right, almost knocking them both of balance. From outside came the call of:

"Marines to port! They're firing on us!"

What's with that light? It's almost alive... Luffy blinked slowly. His senses felt cloudy. What had he been doing? The map... he'd touched the map... Then there'd been bright light and music, and he'd felt so so tired. Light currents were swirling around him, making his hair and clothes sway. Backwards, forewards, almost like breathing. He felt weightless. The light before him pulsed a little. A deep sad sigh filtered the haze. It sounded watery. Am I underwater? Luffy raised his hand to his face. No, I can still move.

"Help me..." It came from his own mouth, but was not his own voice.

"Child of the Sea, chained beneath. Sea's guardian watching above. Endow power. Release the light. Revive the Star. " Luffy had a strong and sudden sense of being pulled backwards and upwards.

"Help me..."

The ship baring quickly down on them was at least twice the size of Sunny. Rushing from the map-room Nami let out a sharp gasp.

"How'd they follow us out here?" she hissed, before turning into Zoro's chest. Roughly she squawked something at him that he responded angrily to.

"Franky do we have fuel to fly out of here?" Sanji called, jumping onto the deck. The cyborg ran up from the engine room looking harassed.

"It's only half full. We're going to have to fight them!" he replied. Qwerk, Brooke and Usopp were already in auto-panic mode, running in circles around the mast and screaming.

"It's not a warship you know... we've taken down larger ships in east blue..." Sanji muttered, sweatdropping. The ship lurched again as more canon balls narrowly missed them. Sanji kicked a few away and Zoro cut a few. Robin and Chopper emerged from the galley moments later.

"Chopper, where's Luffy?" called Nami, turning to the pair.

"Something happened with the map and he won't wake up!" Nami frowned.

"Gees... talk about bad timing... Ok try and get him awake, I'm sure he's fine. We'll sort this out!"

Usopp cried, "WE WILL?" tears streaming from his eyes. Chopper nodded and darted back inside the galley. Robin followed, staring at a wet patch on her shirt.

"That lurch made me spill my coffee... I hope it doesn't stain..." Usopp wept something about priorities, and woefully drew his slingshot. Ace sat up slowly from his nap-spot and came towards the ships side.

"Oi you want me to handle these guys?" he asked nonchalantly. Nami sighed.

"That would be easiest." A small voice piped up from thigh-height.

"Actually I was wondering if I could handle this one?" Nami looked down. A pair of earnest gold eyes stared back up at her.

"Scritcher-chan... we can handle it..." The cat cut her off.

"No! I haven't done anything for you guys yet! I want to at least do this!" For a moment the guys went quiet. Eventually Nami smiled.

"If it pleases you, then show us what you can do, kiddo!" Scritcher beamed.

"Oi Qwerk! It's time for a card game!" The goateagle stopped squawking around and trotted obediently to her side. He bent his forelegs and she whispered something in his ear. Then she swung on board his back and they took off.

Luffy was still refusing to wake up. Robin stared thoughtfully at the young captain. The map reacted to him in particular. Is it because he is uncorrupt and therefore capable of conversing with the stars, or because it's specifically him? Chopper was trying all sorts of restoratives on him, none of which worked.

"His breathing's become erratic… His heart rate's dropped… Body temperature low…" he mumbled. Luffy's face was pale and blank. And growing steadily paler. Robin stood up and turned to the map.

She murmured under her breath,"How very, very strange..." The angular text was missing, and across the map certain points were glowing pale blue. Glancing back at Luffy, she began to wonder. Suddenly his body went ridged and his mouth and eyes snapped open. Eerie light poured from within him. He began to speak but not in a tongue they understood, and not in his voice. There were a thousand voices speaking at once, one moment angry, the next sad, then frightened. High pitched and low pitched, male and female, young and old. Eventually he spoke clearly.

"Child of the Sea, chained beneath.

Guardian of waves, watching above.

Endow us with Strength.

Release the Light.

Revive the Star."

Luffy's whole body trembled. He coughed loudly, Then rolled onto his side and retched. Robin heard the sound of something hitting the deck. The light faded and Luffy fell on his side, hyperventilating and eyes closed. Chopper held up something small and sparkling.

"Robin, he coughed up a star..."

On deck the crew watched as their two temporary members flew above the marine ship. It was close enough now to see the faces of the soldiers.

"Your warning has been given, surrender now and we will not fire upon your ship!" The captain of the marine ship stood at the prow with a megaphone. His men were rushing about behind him with swords and guns. Cannons were being loaded and grappling hooks prepared.

"I wonder why they keep saying that... They know pirates don't surrender to marines..." Ace sighed, scratching the back of his neck. Qwerk touched down lightly on the cabin roof of the ship. Scritcher was rummaging about in her hip bag. After a minute or two she produced her two curved fighting knives and a deck of cards. She drew the top card.

"It's a decent ship, a crew of about fifty... that means it's a feather!" she cheered. "Oi Seagull-bastards! Look up here!" The marines turned to look up at her. Qwerk took off again, flying straight up.

"What do you think it's going to be? A devil fruit power?" asked Sanji, watching from his seat on the railing. He flicked a leg to deflect a couple of cannonballs.

Usopp shot two more from the air and replied, "Don't think so, she's never shown anything before." Zoro yawned and stretched.

"Oi, Nami. What's going on?" She described briefly the situation. He nodded slowly.

"Do you think the kid can do it?"

"She seemed confident enough. I mean she has to have a bounty for something right?" She looked up at the swordsman. He was blank faced as usual, but his hand was on his katana incase they were needed.

Suddenly from above came a distinct yowl. Scritcher had backflipped from Qwerk's back and was holding her knives one in each hand. Before her, her deck of cards hung in the air, staying together as if unaffected by there position.

"CARD SHUFFLE!" bringing the two knives together, she stabbed the card facing her. The deck burst into bright light. One card slipped from the bottom and grew beneath her, large enough to stand on, as she completed her flip and landed upon her feet. Sweeping low across the sea she appeared to be surfing on an ace of spades. Her right knive had turned into a sort of lower arm gauntlet shaped like white flames. Rising in the air again she raised the left hand knife again.

"Joker Dance!" She threw a single card in the air and drove it into the center. The cards began to swirl around her in a tornado-like formation.

"Don't just stand there! Shoot her down!" the Marine commander was yelling. A firing squad turned their rifles to the sky.

"Deal!" The cards shot downwards towards the ship. Before they struck, it went quiet for a very brief moment, in which a few specks of blood landed on the Surfcard. Then the air was filled with the screams of Marines as ridiculously sharp cards gouged holes in the ship, sails, and crew. And when they cleared away towards the cabins, all that remained was a giant hole gouged in the ship's bowel.

Well what do you think of Card shuffle? Too complicated? Too powerful? Downright weird?

I brought in a majorly confusing part this chapter so please tell me if I'm getting too adventurous with the level of imagination!

And I apologise for taking a stupidly long time to update TT^TT