A note from ME! Tired now, talk later. *Snores*

Chapter 12

Dresses and Ace and Voices, oh my.

Usopp stood in the crows nest, leaning against the wall as he stared out across the sea. He smiled gently as he watched the sun gradually set, sending bright stripes of orange, pink and purple across the glittering ocean. Sure, look-out wasn't the funnest job in the world – in fact, it could be pretty boring most of the time – but moments like this, when it seemed that the entire world was settling down to sleep, laying aside weapons and vengeful feelings, just for a little while… It really made it worth it.

He sighed, tapping his head with his fist. He was turning into a real romantic sap. Luffy and Zoro's rapidly improving relationship had reminded the whole crew of their decidedly single status, and the fact that romance could be found in the most unlikely places. Franky and Robin, who had been exchanging silent laughs and knowing looks ever since Franky had joined the crew, had finally decided to ponder the option of an actual relationship, although they weren't actually going out yet. Chopper wasn't interested, Brooke said that he'd had plenty of action in his day – Usopp shuddered at the thought – Nami was only interested in money, and Sanji seemed to be fine as long as he could serve 'his beautiful ladies'. Usopp shook his head, and chuckled.

"I wonder how Kaya is…" He thought out loud. "I should send a letter to her sometime…"

"Oi! Usopp!" The long-nosed teen was brought out of his revere abruptly, and he glanced down at the deck, far below the crows next, and blinked as he saw a familiar blonde head. Sanji held up a mug.

"Thought you'd might like some cocoa." The chef called up to him. Usopp smiled gratefully.

"Sure, I'll just climb down now!" He called back. Skilled and steady-footed, Usopp quickly descended, alighting next to Sanji and retrieving the warm mug with a blissful sigh, wrapping his cold hands around it in an attempt to grant them some feeling. Sanji shook his head.

"I don't get how you can climb up and down the rigging so easily…" He said, a bit envious. "I mean, I've lived on a ship all my life, and even now I'm not as fast as you…" Usopp shrugged as he took a sip of the cocoa.

"The village I used to live in," He started to explain as the two men walked to the side of the ship to lean against it. "Was near a large forest, and by the time I met Luffy, I'd climbed most of the trees there." He laughed. Sanji nodded in understanding.

"What was it like?" He asked. Usopp looked at him, not understanding the question.

"Living in a village." Sanji elaborated. "I spent most of my life in the restaurant, with people at least ten years older then me." Usopp smiled.

"It was… peaceful." He answered, looking in front of him as he took a sip from the mug. "Nothing ever happened until Luffy came. I decided then that I needed to get out if I wanted to get stronger…" He trailed off, looking out at the ocean. Sanji frowned at his sudden silence as he followed his gaze. There was nothing out in the sea, save the occasional dolphin, but it seemed Usopp was looking at something that wasn't even there. Maybe some long ago past, or the friend's he'd left back at his peaceful village.

"Do you know how Zoro and Luffy met?" Usopp asked suddenly. Sanji looked at him, shaking his head.

"I've never bothered asking Marimo-head, and Luffy never sits still long enough to tell anyone anything." He answered. "Besides, you know him. He doesn't bother living in the past." Usopp chuckled, nodding his head slightly.

"Me and Nami asked Zoro just before we met you." He said, looking at Sanji. "He said 'some insane kid almost got killed saving me.' and walked off." Sanji laughed.

"That sounds like Luffy." He said contemplatively. Usopp nodded.

"What about you then?" He asked. "What was a life with rowdy chefs like?" He asked, laughing. As the two talked, neither noticed the pair of large brown eyes watching them, or the camera recording their conversation. Nami smirked.

"I'm going to make so much money…" She whispered to herself with glee. "If it's not these two, then it's Zoro and Luffy…"

In the indoor crows nest, Luffy sneezed, and Zoro looked at him, putting down the dumbbell he was lifting.

"You 'kay?" He asked, grabbing a towel. "That's the third time you've sneezed in the last minute…" Luffy shook his head, and smiled broadly.

"I'm fine!" He exclaimed. "Someone must really like me, if they talk about me that much!" He laughed, and Zoro shook his head.

"Oi, pass me that weight." He instructed, pointing. Luffy looked around, spotted the large weight his green-haired friend meant, and picked it up. He staggered as he discovered just how heavy it was. Zoro's strength still amazed him sometimes, despite travelling together for so long. Luffy wasn't weak – the opposite, in fact – but in physical strength, Zoro beat him every time. He was still the better fighter though. After all, he was the captain! The captain had to be the best fighter to look after his family.

"Here you go!" He said, stumbling to where Zoro stood, sorting out his dumbbells. He nodded; taking the weight with one hand like it was nothing, he slipped it onto the dumbbell with the other weights. Luffy returned to the sofa, but, growing restless, left comfortable seat in favour of finding something more fun for him to do without leaving the room. He climbed nimbly up and over the rack holding some of Zoro's weights, slipped underneath a dumbbell being held up by thick wooden support, hung off the pole Zoro used for Pull-ups, crawled between the taller man's feet as he continued to pump weights, hung out of the window, looked through the telescope, spun round a few times, and sat down in the middle of the room, pouting.

He was so bored! And it didn't look like Zoro was going to relieve his boredom…

He looked out of the window. The sun had completely set now, but Luffy didn't feel tired enough to go to sleep, still pumped up from the party. He looked around again, but paused when he spotted something interesting. He pounced on the object, slipping through Zoro's feet again as he did so, but the man didn't even flinch. Luffy picked up the loosely tied package, looking at it thoughtfully as his brain tried to place it.

"Ah! Zoro! This is your present from Nami!" He cried as inspiration struck. Behind him, a clunk echoed through the room, and he turned. Zoro had dropped his weights, which had all decided to fall off of the dumbbell, and was now hurrying to collect them all up again, his face burning red. Luffy blinked at him, before turning back to the package.

"What did she get you, anyway?" He asked as he started to undo it. Zoro leapt into action, trying to retrieve the parcel before Luffy could open it.

"Nothing! It's nothing! It's…" He trailed off as Luffy finished unwrapping it, and blinked. He held the material up in front of his face, looking at the gift, as Zoro's blush deepened spectacularly. Luffy tilted his head, before looking at Zoro.

"Why are you embarrassed?" He asked, Zoro stared at him in shock, but before he could say anything, Luffy continued.

"It'll look great on you!"

"Idiot!" Zoro shot, whacking his captain upside the head, not putting any real force into it. Luffy laughed as his head bounced back, before pouting as Zoro started blushing again.

"It's not for me to wear…" The swordsman started to growl. "Nami's more perverted then that crap cook… It's meant to be for you to wear…" He looked away. "I didn't pick it, okay! I didn't even know she was going to-" He stopped as a red sleeveless shirt landed on his head, and started to pull it off.

"Don't look!" Luffy cried quickly, shoving the top back down over his first mates head. Zoro blinked in the reddish dark.

"Luffy, what are you doing?" He asked. There were a couple of crashes, each one making Zoro wince, before silence.

"Okay, you can look now…" Luffy said, wavering slightly. Sighing, Zoro took Luffy's shirt off of his face, shaking his head.

"Luffy, what were you…" He trailed off, staring at his younger lover, who stood in the centre of the room, the slightest hint of a blush dusting his face for the first time Zoro could remember, dressed in the maid outfit Nami had deviously bought Zoro.

"Lu- Luffy!" Zoro stuttered, turning his head in an attempt to protect Luffy's 'manly pride', his face burning red in embarrassment for his friend. Luffy pouted as Zoro looked away.

"Zoro…" He whined, elongating his vowels. He didn't put on the dress just for Zoro to look away from him, after all! "Zoro, look! Look! Look!" He cried, poking his first mate as he sat ungracefully on Zoro's lap. At this, if possible, Zoro's blush grew darker, but he still kept his head turned defiantly away.

"Zooooorooooo!"

Outside the room, Nami – who had reluctantly left the Sanji-and-Usopp scene to tell Zoro and Luffy to keep the noise down since everyone else was just about to go to sleep – smirked as she figured out what was happening. Why did she leave her camera on the deck?

Ace smiled as he put his hammer down, observing his boat. It wasn't finished, and even when it was, it wouldn't be perfect or hold permanently, and it would need a lick of paint above all, but it would last until he got back to the ship. Wiping a smudge of oil off of his cheek, he looked up at the horizon. The straw-hat ship was almost completely out of sight, and the fire-user wouldn't have known it was his little brother's ship if he hadn't been keeping half an eye on it ever since it had set sail. Ace sighed as he sat down next to the skeleton of his fire-powered boat, watching as the ship slid out of view. Snorting, he fell back to lie down, looping his arms under his head. He had been working in a lightly wooded area, blocked from the village and marines, but still able to observe his surroundings, so now he could see sprinkles of stars poking through the leaves of the trees. He smiled. In the morning he'd continue to work on his boat, but for the moment it was too late for him to continue. Sighing, Ace stood up and plucked his hat from the branch he'd hung it. Putting it on and stretching, Ace turned around, and walked straight into a muscled, bare chest, his hat falling back and hanging on his neck.

"Smokey!" The man greeted, smirking. Smoker looked down at the pirate.

"There you are." He muttered. "I thought you'd have gone with your brother." Ace grinned hopefully.

"Aw! Were you looking for me, Smokey?" Smoker snorted.

"No. I was making sure that Straw-hat had left the island." He bit. Ace's grin turned into a caring smile.

"Yeah. They left the island a few hour's ago." He explained, turning back to look at the horizon as if he could still see the ship on the line between sea and sun. Smoker nodded in acceptance, and turned away.

"Where you staying tonight?" He asked, not looking at Ace. The older D. brother stared at his older lover, stunned. If he didn't know better, he'd say the Marine sounded worried… He grinned.

"Can I stay with you?" He asked, jumping up and grabbing Smokers arm. Smoker scowled at the pirate.

"No."

"Please? I could cook for you!"

"I don't need you to cook; I'll eat at the Marine cafeteria."

"I could keep you warm in bed!"

"Even more reason not to let you stay."

"Smooooookey!"

"No!"

There was darkness, and cold. And pain. She mustn't forget the pain.

Helen wished she could say she'd been through worse, but as she scrabbled at the beefy hands around her throat, she couldn't think of ever being in this much pain.

"Where is it?" A distorted voice asked, and Helen turned her blindfolded eyes to the source. The hand dropped her, and the deep voice of her had-been captor spoke up.

"Answer our lord." It said. Helen gritted her teeth.

"You're too late." She gasped. "It's already heading out to South Blue on a merchant ship." Hoping they didn't realise she was lying through her teeth, Helen listened, praying they'd leave. She jumped when something soft and cool brushed her cheek, and the distorted voice spoke again.

"She's lying. It's with pirates heading to the next island. Come." Helen tried to sit up, to protest, protect Luffy and the others, but something collided with a sickening crack against the back of her head and, seeing colours flash behind her eyelids, she toppled over.