Chapter 12: Hidden Treasure

"Caw! Caw!"

Immediately the two Straw Hats were forced to pull apart as Biri's frantic crying from the hall alerted them, followed by the angry yelling of more Marines.

"Crap! We need to leave! Here!" Usopp exclaimed as he pulled out a mock version of her Clima-Tact from inside his shirt and thrust it into Nami's surprised hands. She beamed upon seeing her familiar weapon.

"Wow! Thanks!" Feeling ecstatic at once more having a way to defend herself, she hurriedly followed Usopp and allowed him to pull her up onto Biri, where she was secured on his lap. "Let's go Biri!"

With a confirmed call the giant bird took off at a hectic speed, nearly knocking down a wall of armed Marines. As they flew by, the orange-haired Straw Hat made eye contact with the bearded man who had been standing in front of her cell only earlier that afternoon. He looked positively livid. Nami took advantage of the moment by sticking her tongue out, enjoying the way his teeth gritted as he once more called out for her capture.

They flew down the stairs and swerved up and down the hallways, feeling rather pleased at how many unconscious Marines lay across the stone floors. Unfortunately, even more soldiers seemed to appear from various rooms, so the battle wasn't over yet. Thrilled at being able to fight again, Nami swirled her Clima-Tact around like a baton.

"Cool ball! Heat ball!" Red and blue air balls floated through the air, shooting backwards towards the unsuspecting Marines. "Thunderbolt Tempo!"

Their pursuers let out cries of pain as a large thundercloud suddenly appeared above them and shot out bolts of lightning. Usopp and Biri both cheered, appreciating her contribution to the fight.

They finally exited through the front doors, yelling victoriously as the Marine base lay defeated behind them. The orange-bearded man ran outside, his knuckles tightened as he watched their captive get away.

She wasn't going to like this at all.

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They sped through the forest, avoiding the barricade of branches and smaller birds that were foolish enough to fly in their way. Usopp continued holding on to Nami with an iron grip while they both repeatedly ducked beneath branches and nestled against Biri's neck. The bird expertly skidded around trees as he lowered all of them closer to the ground, satisfied that they were now what was deemed a safe distance away from the Marine base.

With a sigh of relief at his plan's success, Usopp hopped off Biri and turned to assist Nami down, only for him to stagger backwards as he was once again engulfed by a surprise hug. He smirked and wrapped his arms around Nami's waist.

"Usopp, I can't believe you pulled that off!" the navigator exclaimed as she pulled away, her hands placed on his shoulders. "I mean, how did you even make all of this?" She gestured to his costume and their weapons.

He stuck his nose up in the air proudly. "Well, I used the rest of our money to buy the supplies, and took everything I purchased into the forest. I spent the entire afternoon working, and since I've already made these before it didn't take me as much time as it would when I first made them."

She stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest with an eyebrow raised. "You're just a little genius, aren't you? Now, let's take that ridiculous mask off so I feel like I'm actually talking to you." Nami reached forward, her hand only inches away from the yellow and blue mask.

Automatically he stiffened up and took a step backward. She looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. "I just want to savor feeling like a hero for a little bit longer." There was something about wearing the false face that made him feel stronger, and he wanted to enjoy that feeling as long as possible.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say."

Her fingers slid beneath his mask and lifted it swiftly off his face before she threw it to the side. Nami almost felt her heart break as he looked away and avoided her gaze, as if he was ashamed. She gently placed her hands on the sides of his face.

"Usopp, look at me."

He blinked in surprise and did as she said, his shy dark eyes meeting her auburn ones. "That thing you were wearing on your face is just useless material. It doesn't contain magic powers, and it sure as hell doesn't make you stronger. You know what gives you power?" She dropped one of her hands and placed it over his chest, his heart pounding into her palm. "This does. You have the heart of a brave warrior. That mask isn't what created our weapons or saved me. You, not Sogeking, did. You don't need a mask to be a hero because you were already one to begin with."

His entire life he'd been called a coward, and he'd always believed those words to be true, so he continued to act like one. There had never been a reason for him to fully have faith in himself or consider the fact that he could be a hero. Sogeking had seemed like a fresh start to him, to finally be seen as brave or strong, and for a while he'd been proud of being the masked sniper that the government had started to fear.

Until now.

Nami was the first person to make him, Usopp, feel brave. He felt ashamed of the fact that he had gone to such lengths to hide his identity and pretend to be somebody he wasn't. This woman was his best friend, and if she was looking him dead in the eyes and telling him that he was already a hero for his strong heart, then he knew he could never doubt himself again.

He rubbed the mist gathering in his eyes and gave a grateful smile. "Thank you Nami," he sincerely said, and she smiled.

"Well then, I suppose we're going to need to find a place to hide, aren't we? Let's go see what we come across." Nami suggested. She then turned to Biri and scratched him beneath his beak, earning a few happy cries from him. "And thank you for your help. You did great too."

Looking rather proud of himself, the yellow bird flew up and circled around them in joy, earning a few chuckles from the sharpshooter. "Yeah, that'll probably be a good idea. So Miss Navigator, where do you propose we head to?"

She smirked and turned away from him. "Well, the ocean seems to be this way, so that'll be our best bet. Let's go Mr. Sharpshooter."

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"I'm sorry, but they got away."

The bearded Marine sat at his desk with his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration while his other hand cupped a small den-den mushi.

Surprise flicked across his features when he heard a laugh on the other line. "Excellent. This is all going to according to plan," a female voice spoke. "I know exactly where they are heading to. You and your men were merely a stepping stool in my little plan, so now I no longer need your services."

Anger clenched his heart, pushing the small relief he'd felt far out of his system. "So you're saying I sacrificed a hundred men just to be pawns in your little game? This is outrageous!"

"No General; what's outrageous is the fact that you were taking this whole thing seriously and lost horribly to a bird, weather balls, and pellets. Consider yourself lucky that I'm not pulling strings to get you fired." The line went dead, and with a roar of anger the Marine grabbed his desk and flipped it over, scattering sheets of paper everywhere.

This wasn't over, not by a long shot.

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[The Hobbit- The Hidden Valley 0:00-1:34]

Night was almost upon the island. The last rays of sun barely stretched over the horizon line as it seemingly sank beneath the planet's surface. Stars had already started to dot the darkening sky, and the full moon glowed brightly above layers of indigo and violet. The island's temperature was steadily declining, and although it wasn't a level of cold that required extra layers of clothing, a slight chill in the air did send a couple shivers up one's spine.

"We need to find someplace fast, and some food would be good too," Nami advised as the trio made their way deeper into the forest.

"Food would be nice. Breakfast was such a long time ago," Usopp agreed, his stomach grumbling loudly to prove his point. Biri sighed sadly next to him.

Both were tired and hungry, and the idea of sleep and maybe even a small fire was a welcoming thought as they pushed themselves forward while avoiding hefty trees and plants.

"Wait, I hear something." Nami suddenly stopped and looked around. "It sounds like water."

"Another waterfall?"

"No, this sounds different from a waterfall." She faced her right and walked forward. "It sounds like it's coming from this way."

Biri and Usopp followed closely behind, their faces lighting up as they too heard the sound of running water. The three of them hastened their steps until they at last pushed past two thick bushes and were greeted with an unexpected sight.

A temple made of grey stone stood embedded in the side of a small mountain. Leading up to the structure was a wooden bridge hanging by a rope over a calm river, followed by a thick set of stairs that piled up to the temple's entrance two stories high. Even more hefty trees clumped together along both sides of the building, their branches donned with the light chirping of birds. Lush green grass surrounded the trees' roots while veins of emerald moss poked through the cracks of faded charcoal bricks, which were lined together to form a sort of walk way to the structure before them.

"Wow, a temple," Usopp breathed out in astonishment as they continued forward. They carefully walked across the bridge, which luckily didn't seem to sway very much.

"It's too bad Robin isn't here; she would love this," Nami added when they came to the foot of the steps. She tilted her head up to get a better look at the massive temple. "This is probably gonna be our best bet for shelter tonight. I doubt the Marines are going to come after us so quickly, considering we took out most of their force." She paused as she felt a growl in her stomach. "Before we do though, maybe we should eat first. Biri, can you get us some fish again?"

The yellow bird was only all too happy to prove himself useful once more as he flew down into the river below and zapped the liquid's surface. While he used his feet to pick up electrocuted fish, Nami and Usopp gathered sticks to make a fire. Usopp made short work of creating an ember amongst the thin pieces of wood, and soon enough a full-fledged flame was burning brightly through the darkness of night.

They beheaded and cooked the fish, eating until all three of them had full stomachs and a satisfied appetite. There wasn't really any discussion through the meal, as they were all feeling rather exhausted from the day's events. Soon the fire was put out, and Nami proceeded over to the stairs once more, suggesting that they try and get some sleep.

The sharpshooter took a deep breath and attempted to calm his nerves down. The idea of spending the night in a temple where unknown things lurked in the dark wasn't very appealing, but he had to remind himself that he had just invaded a Marine base so one night in a creepy temple was something he should be able to handle.

Nami gently nudged his arm, jerking her head towards the entrance above them. "Come on, Mr. Hero. You wouldn't let me stay in there by myself, would you?" She smirked sarcastically at him and began walking up the stairs. "Biri, would you mind sleeping out here tonight?"

The bird looked offended. "Caw!"

"Hey, that's not right!" Usopp argued. "He helped save you too, you know!"

With an eye roll the Navigator turned around and stared down at the pair. "Which is why I want him out here. If he sees anybody approaching he can call out from his hiding spot and give us a warning, just like he did at the Marine base, you idiot."

Suddenly looking proud, Biri gave a feathered salute and flew upwards into the nearest tree, where he concealed himself behind a wall of leaves. All Usopp could mutter was an "oh" before Nami impatiently huffed and quickly walked up the remainder of the steps until both of them entered into the unknown darkness.

[+]

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The inside of the temple was engulfed beneath a blanket of shadow, save for one large spot of moonlight that poured through a circular hole in the ceiling. Directly in the center of the moonlight was a stone pedestal containing a sword, which was jammed into the small pillar with its red and gold handle pointed upwards.

The two Strawhats walked across the large room and towards the lone object, their eyes narrowed in curiosity. It was as if the sword was beckoning to be pulled out.

"I wonder why this sword is here," Nami mused to herself out loud as she walked around the weapon. "It can't be too valuable if it's just lying out in the open like this."

"If it isn't important though, then why is it hidden in a place like this?" Usopp asked as he leaned closer to the blade. He wasn't going to dare touch it in case an alarm or something was triggered, but just watching it sit there was making him feel uneasy.

With a sigh the orange haired woman shrugged and walked over to one of the corners. She turned around and pressed her back against the wall before slowly sliding down to the ground and bringing her knees up to her chest. She rubbed her arms to put some warmth into them as her eye lids began to grow heavy. "I don't know why it's here, but I'm too tired to care right now." She yawned and tilted her head to the side. "I'm sure we'll find some answers in the morning."

The long nosed man stopped inspecting the sword and watched as Nami attempted to fall asleep. He decided to join her as well, as his body also felt rather exhausted and deserving of a rest. He made his way over to the corner and sat down beside her, his eyes watching the way her finger tips moved up and down on her arms to try and rid her skin of unwanted goose bumps. Feeling suddenly rather shy, he cleared his throat, drawing her attention to him.

"Do you, uh, need help?"

She raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Usopp avoided her gaze. "I mean, are you cold?"

Nami lowered her knees and tilted her head at him. "I suppose I am a little, but it's not a big deal..." Her words trailed off as he quickly pulled his scarlet cape off and scooted closer to her so he could cover both of them with the material before he wrapped his right arm around her and placed her head on his shoulder.

"Is that better?" His heart was pounding the entire time, and a part of him was expecting her to push him away. Much to his surprise though, she snuggled deeper into his side and closed her eyes, a smile evident on her face.

"Much. Thank you."

His shoulders sagged in relief, and before he knew it his eyes were also closed as sleep began to overtake both of them.

"This will cost you, you know," she murmured.

Usopp smiled. "Add it to my bill."