Author's Note: Why? BECAUSE I CAN!!! XD Actually, I'm almost done with this story. I'm working on the last chapter as we speak…So I decided to go ahead and submit another today. Also because I just couldn't help mnyself…XP All will be revealed! XD I'm really glad you all have stuck with me this far! I'm also glad you all enjoy my story! XD Please review each of my chapters not just this last one. I want to know what you think for each of my chapters! XD Criticism and flames are welcome! I actually use those to my advantage! Enjoy!! XD

The Ritual of Fire Phoenix Island

Chapter 14: Nami's Confession!...But Is It Real?

Luffy slowly walked inside. He made his way to one of the couches and plopped down hard. He leaned his elbows on his knees and leaned forward allowing his hands to hang down between his legs. His hat was concealing his eyes. Nami furrowed her eyes in a slight frown. He couldn't allow this to happen. He had to protect her. "Nami…you don't have to do this…" he said quietly. Nami furrowed her brows deeper. She walked over to him and sat down next to him. She could feel his body tense up, her lips quirked up in a slight smile. "Why won't you let me fight?" he asked.

Nami looked at him in surprise. Then she looked away and frowned. "I already told you why…" she replied quietly.

"I can't do this Nami…" he whispered.

Nami looked over at him in surprise. 'He…doesn't want me?' she thought as she frowned. "Why not?" she asked before she could think about what she was saying.

"I want to fight…" he said.

Nami's eyes went wide. 'He would rather fight…He would rather die…' she thought as her frown deepened. She felt her heart sink. Luffy lifted his head and looked her in the eyes. "You don't have to do this. No one is forcing you. I know this isn't what you want…I don't want you to suffer…and…I don't want to be the cause of your suffering…You're my Nakama…Nami. I want to fight…I want to protect you. I've gotten stronger. I can win!" he exclaimed.

Nami looked at Luffy with large eyes. Tears slowly began to descend down her cheeks. Luffy made a throaty noise at her tears. 'I know now…' she thought to herself. The hole in her chest had completely been filled by his words. She now understood what she had been feeling…She loved him…her Nakama…her Captain…her Husband. She slowly lifted both of her arms. "You're wrong…" she whispered as she placed her hands on each side of his face. Luffy made another surprised noise as his eyes grew wider. "I won't suffer…Luffy. No one has to be hurt this way…No one has to die…" she whispered as she slid her hands further cupping his face. Her fingers slid a little past his ears and into his hair. "I was wrong when I said what I did after the festival…" she continued to whisper.

Luffy furrowed his brows slightly at her words. Then she smiled. She pulled his face down to hers and placed her lips on his. Luffy's eyes went wide as he made a noise in the back of his throat in surprise. She pulled away from him and looked up into his face. Luffy stared down at her in confusion. She said she won't suffer, but yet she had been crying. "Nami…?" he questioned in his confusion.

She smiled again and then she removed her hands from his face. He watched as she brought them to her shoulders and then pulled the top half of her robe down, exposing her breasts to his view. Luffy pulled back and made a noise of disbelief at what she did. Then he blushed and turned away. He felt her softly cup his check with her hand and pull him back to face her. "Don't…" she whispered as she looked him in the eyes. He refused to break eye contact.

----

"We're getting closer! Their scent is getting stronger! I think it's just two more floors!" yelled Chopper as he continued to sniff the ground.

"Then they must be on the last floor! Yosh! Let's go!" replied Sanji as they continued up the stairs.

----

"Nami…please…" pleaded Luffy. She only smiled up at him. He made a surprised face. She pulled him down once again bringing his lips down to hers. Sweat beaded down his face as he stared down into her face. He was beginning to worry. Was there really nothing else he could do? He had tried talking to her and it didn't work. He felt as his will began to slip. This was a new feeling for him. His eyes became wider as he placed his hands on her bare shoulders and pushed her away.

"Luffy…?" she questioned as she looked at him in confusion.

"I can't…Nami…We can't…" he pleaded in a quiet voice. He heard the quiver in his voice. He clenched his teeth down hard.

Nami's expression turned to anger. "Why do you resist me?!" she almost yelled. Luffy looked at her in surprise. "Why do you want to fight? You don't have to protect me all the time! Why can't I protect you for once?!" she yelled at him. She felt tears once again sting her eyes. Luffy was taken aback by the force and passion in her outburst. "Or is it…that you don't want me…" she whispered as tears formed in her eyes.

"No! Of course not! Matte, that's not what I….meant…" he had started loudly and had gotten quieter as he continued to speak. He gripped her shoulders tighter. "You're important to me…Nami. I just can't let this happen…not to you…I want to help…but not like this…" he said softly.

'He really does care about me…I'm…important to him…' she thought to herself as she stared at his face. The fact that she was bare from the waist up didn't seem to bother her. She looked him in the eyes, and then smiled. Not just any smile, a smile so warm and full of all the love she felt for him. Luffy's eyes slowly widened as his lips slightly parted. Her smile made him feel warmer than any of her other smiles. He felt his face begin to relax as he looked down into her eyes. He never thought he would see her more beautiful, than she was at this moment. He could feel the whole being filled even further.

"Luffy…it's alright now. I do want this, because…Luffy…I…I love you…" she said softly as she smiled up at him. His eyes went huge again at her words. He had never expected for those words to ever come out of her mouth.

His face relaxed once again as he looked her in her eyes. "Nam, I…" he started to say.

Nami interrupted him by placing a fingertip to his lips. "It's okay, you don't have to…" she whispered. She removed her finger and leaned into him and kissed him again. This time he kissed her back clutching her shoulders tighter and bringing her closer to him. The hole had been completely filled. Nami wrapped her arms around his neck as she pulled him closer, pressing her chest to his.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Luffy's eyes flew open as he pushed Nami away and looked toward the door. Nami looked up at him in confusion and then turned to the door. "Who could that be?" she asked breathlessly. There was another furious knock at the door. Nami furrowed her brows. Luffy looked back down at Nami's state and blushed. He slid his hands down her arms and brought her robe back over her. Nami quickly turned and looked at him. "Luffy?" she questioned. Luffy got up from the couch and walked toward the door. Nami watched him.

Luffy reached down for the door knob and slowly opened the door just enough to see who it was. He came face to face with Sanji. "Sanji?" he questioned quietly.

Nami frowned. "Sanji?!" she exclaimed. Forgetting her state of dress she immediately stood up and stomped over to the door. She grabbed the door from Luffy and flung it open. Luffy looked over at her in surprise. "Sanji, what are you doing here?!" she demanded loudly. Luffy looked back at Sanji.

"It's not what you think Nami-san!" he exclaimed putting his hands up.

"Like hell it isn't! You had better have a really good excuse!!" she yelled at him.

"We do!"

Nami and Luffy made a surprised noise as they both looked down and to the left. Chopper was hiding in his usual back words manner with a hold on Sanji's leg. "Back wards…" both Luffy and Nami said quietly and simultaneously.

"Ah!" he yelled and changed positions. Sanji was staring at Nami. Her robe was slightly parted down the middle from cleavage to belly button. 'Had they been about to…' he didn't finish his thought. He continued to stare at Nami. He knew he should turn away, but he just didn't have the will.

"Chopper, what are you guys doing here?" asked Nami.

"We…we came to tell you…what we found out." he replied nervously.

"Found out?" she asked in confusion.

"Aa…a man came to us on the ship and told us everything…" he replied still hiding behind Sanji.

"Chopper…why are you hiding?" she finally asked.

"Y…you're scary when you're angry…" he replied nervously.

"Ah, gomen…" apologized Nami. Chopper stepped out from behind Sanji. "So what did this man say?" she asked.

"Ah, that's right!" exclaimed Chopper no longer afraid. "He told us about the festival!" he continued.

"What about the festival?" asked Luffy as he furrowed his brows.

"He said that we were tricked! He said that the festival was some kind of trap!" he exclaimed.

"Nani?!" both Luffy and Nami exclaimed.

"He told us about the deity. It uses the festival as a means to feed!" he explained.

"F…feed?" asked Nami unsure. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear the rest.

"Aa, that's right! The deity feeds off of certain…energies and auras. Basically…the kind emitted during the…co…consummation…" he explained. He had stuttered over the word consummation and had blushed. "It feeds off of the purest and most untainted of energies. We all had to admit…you don't get any more pure and untainted than Luffy…" he continued as he looked up at Luffy. Nami also looked over at Luffy.

Luffy's brows were furrowed. "So that's why you came…It's actually my fault…" replied Luffy as he looked from Chopper to Nami.

"No, Luffy!! It's not your fault! Your purity is not to blame…Besides, I had decided to do this before the deity found out about you." exclaimed Nami.

"Nami's right Luffy, it's not your fault. It's no one's fault." said Chopper as he looked at Nami. "We were tricked. It's no one's fault." he continued.

Luffy looked over at Nami. Then he noticed Sanji's silence and looked over at him. He was staring at Nami. He furrowed his brows as he looked back over at Nami. Then his eyes grew large. Her robe was slightly parted down the middle. Most of her cleavage and stomach were exposed. Luffy frowned as he placed himself between Sanji and Nami, facing towards Nami. Nami looked up at Luffy in surprise. "Luffy!" she exclaimed in her surprise. She looked into his eyes. He was frowning down at her.

"Nami, maybe you should go change…" he spoke in a low voice.

Nami furrowed her brows as she looked up at him in confusion. "Na…nani?" she questioned. Luffy's eyes trailed down her body and then he looked back up at her face. Nami furrowed her brows deeper and then followed his gaze. "KYAA!" she screamed as she grabbed her robe and pulled it shut.

She had been distracted by who was at the door and then by Chopper's explanations. She had completely forgotten about her state of dress and what she and Luffy had been about to do. She felt herself blush as she looked behind Luffy. 'Had Sanji-kun been looking at me?' she thought to herself. He had his head turned away and his hair shadowing his eyes. She looked back up at Luffy. He was still frowning. Then he nodded to her. She nodded in return and turned and walked into the bedroom. She went into the bathroom and hurriedly changed her clothes. She left the door slightly open so she could hear what was said.

Luffy had watched Nami walk into the bedroom. When she disappeared from sight, he slowly turned his upper body toward Sanji, a look of fury on his face. Sanji made a throaty noise in surprise at Luffy's expression. Then he turned away again. "Gomen…I didn't…mean to…" he apologized quietly.

Luffy's face immediately relaxed. Chopper was once again hiding. "No…gomen…" replied Luffy quietly. Sanji made another throaty noise as he turned back to Luffy with a look of surprise. Luffy turned completely around and faced them both. Chopper came out from his hiding place and stared up at Luffy in surprise.

"Did he say anything else?" asked Luffy quietly.

"A…aa…he said it has tricked others as well. Many come to this island, some who do know about the festival being a wedding ceremony and some who don't. However, after the ritual is completed, the deity some how makes them not want to leave and continues to feed off of their energies." he explained.

Nami finally came out of the room dressed in her blue dress from the festival. "Chotto matte, so after the co…consummation…it makes them believe they want to stay?! So then they aren't allowed to ever leave?!" she asked loudly. She had also had trouble with the word 'consummation'.

Luffy looked toward Nami with furrowed brows at her question. "Aa, he said there are many trapped here! They don't even realize it!" explained Chopper. Luffy looked back down at Chopper and narrowed his eyes. "Oh, that's not all! He also told us that sometimes a drug is used!" he exclaimed with a bit of a smile.

"A…a drug?" asked Both Luffy and Nami uncertain.

"That's right! It's been nicknamed 'Temptress' because it has a stronger affect on the female." he started to explain. Nami was staring at Chopper with wide eyes. 'A drug…' she thought to herself. "The drug is administered to the unwilling pair by mouth. It causes the pair to experience stronger feelings. Any emotion they feel for each other is amplified. He said any emotion, as long as it has something to do with the other, jealousy, anger, sadness, anxiety…love…It also causes certain emotions to develop if there wasn't some already. It also causes the male to be drawn to the female. It's kind of like a love potion so you see, you guys started acting weird just after the banquet. We think you guys might have been drugged! So none of it's real! Isn't that great! I know you might have been worried about this whole thing Nami, but its okay because it's not real! The drug should wear off in another day or so!" he explained.

Both Luffy and Nami were staring down at Chopper with wide eyes in disbelief and mouths slightly parted. Chopper's smile faded as he looked at Nami. She looked like she was in shock. "It…wasn't real…" she whispered.

"Aa, that's right!" replied Chopper as he smiled again. Luffy immediately looked over at Nami. "Aren't you glad?! It's a good thing you guys didn't get too far as far as feelings go. So you should both recover just fine!" he exclaimed happily as he grinned at Nami.

Luffy's eyes furrowed at Nami's expression. It wasn't real. Then everyone made throaty noises in surprise as tears slowly glided down Nami's face. "It wasn't real…" she whispered again. Luffy's face turned into a concerned expression.

"Aa, that's right! Aren't you glad!" exclaimed Chopper happily. He mistook Nami's tears for happy ones.

However, Luffy knew better. He immediately went to her placing his hands on her shoulders. "Nami, don't cry! None of that stuff matters!" he exclaimed with a concerned expression. She slowly looked up into his eyes as the tears continued to flow freely. Chopper and Sanji looked at them in surprise and confusion. She only stared into his eyes not saying anything. Luffy gave her a small shake. "Nami, you're still important to me! None of that stuff matters! You're still my Nakama. I will still care about you! Whether it's real or not….it doesn't matter!" he continued.

'Then why does it hurt so much?' she thought to herself as more tears flowed down her face and her face began to contort in her pain. "It wasn't real…" she repeated louder.

Luffy's expression turned pained at the sorrow in her voice. Then he pulled Nami into his arms in a tight embrace. Both Sanji and Chopper made throaty noises in surprise as they stared wide eyed at the two. They couldn't believe the display of affection Luffy was showing and at Nami's obvious aguish at hearing that none of it was real. 'What is Luffy talking about?' they both wondered.

'It wasn't real…right? I thought Nami would be happy…Why is she taking this so hard? I don't understand…' thought Chopper as he stared at the two with a concerned expression.

'What happened after the festival? I don't understand…' thought Sanji as he stared at the two in surprise.

Nami continued to quietly cry into Luffy's chest, "Nami…please don't cry…" whispered Luffy softly. Her tears continued. He clenched his teeth down hard in anger as his face turned into a scowl. He closed his eyes as he leaned his head against hers. "Nami…no matter what happens, when this drug wears off or whatever, just remember, you are always going to be my precious Nakama. It doesn't matter if right now is real or not." he said softly as he slid his arms up to her shoulders and gently pulled her away from him. She kept her head lowered. He brought up a hand and gently cupped her chin, gently lifting her to face him. She looked up into his eyes through her tears. "Everything will be alright…This deity is going to pay for making you cry. I will make sure of it." he said vehemently.

As she looked up into his eyes, he brought the hand he was using to cup her chin and gently began to wipe away her tears. "Don't cry anymore, okay?" he said softly and then he smiled down at her. It was a smile so gentle, it made her knees weak. She smiled in return and nodded. Chopper and Sanji's jaws had dropped at Luffy's words and actions. They had never seen this side of Luffy before. 'What the hell is going on? That must have been some drug!' thought Sanji as he stared at them.

Suddenly, Luffy turned toward them with a hard expression on his face. "Where are the others?" he asked in a low tone.

"D…downstairs…" stuttered Chopper.

"Let's go!" exclaimed Luffy as he grabbed Nami's hand and began to lead her out the door, walking past them. They stood for awhile gaping at the open doorway in astonishment, before following them out.

They quickly made their way down the six flights of stairs. "This way!" yelled Sanji as they reached the bottom. Sanji directed them to the others. There were bodies of unconscious enemies everywhere.

Zoro was sitting on the grass leaning against a tree with his eyes closed. Everyone else was standing around. They all turned at hearing them approach. "Luffy!" yelled Usopp grinning.

"I see you guys were successful at finding them." said Franky as he smiled.

"Aa…" replied Sanji quietly.

Everyone looked over at Luffy and Nami. Then they noticed their hands. They were holding hands. Luffy released her hand and approached Zoro. Zoro got up from his place as Luffy approached him. "I'm guessing we weren't too late?" he said as he dusted himself off.

"No…what took you guys so long!" exclaimed Luffy. Nami made a surprised noise. Luffy made a noise realizing what he just said. He quickly turned and looked at her. "I…it's not what you think!!...I mean…well…actually it kinda is, but…Nami I knew you were upset about this whole thing! So I asked that announcer-ossan how long we had until to find out if there was something different we could do! He said we had until sunrise. I knew the others would catch on. I also wanted time to see if I could just…convince…you…" he slowed his explanation at Nami's expression as his face drooped. She had only been staring at him in surprise, but then toward the end her expression had turned sad and then she had looked away from him. She looked betrayed. "Nami…gomen…" apologized Luffy quietly as he looked down.

"So you had never planned on letting me protect you…" she whispered. Luffy looked up at her quickly. Then his face fell.

"Sumimasen…Are you Luffy-san?" asked Jiro.

Luffy slowly turned to the man. Everyone had sweat beads on the sides of their faces at what had just happened. 'What the hell was that just now?' thought Zoro as he looked from Luffy to Nami.

"Aa…Who are you?" asked Luffy. He glanced at Nami sadly one last time before walking over to Jiro.

"Oh, of course, sumimasen, my name is Abe Jiro." he replied as he bowed to Luffy.

"Jiro…Nice to meet you." said Luffy as he reached him. "So you must be the guy who told my Nakama the truth." he continued.

"A…aa, that's right. I've heard about you…about some of your adventures…Are you really as strong as they say?" asked Jiro.

"Aa…" replied Luffy.

"Do you think you can win against this deity?" asked Jiro.

"Aa…I can win." replied Luffy confidently.

"I…I hope so…It would be great…if you could…" said Jiro slightly nervous as he looked down. Robin and Chopper approached Jiro and began asking him questions.

"So…you're really going to fight…?"

Luffy slowly turned and walked up to Nami. "Aa…I'm going to fight." he replied. Everyone looked over at Luffy wondering who he was talking to. Nami had whispered those words, and even though everyone else had not heard her, Luffy had.

She still had her head lowered. "What if…you can't win…?" she whispered. Even though she had whispered, everyone heard her that time. They all watched in silent curiosity and slight confusion.

Luffy looked down at her sadly. "I can win…" he replied quietly. Then they all watched in surprise as he slowly lifted a hand and cupped her chin. He raised her head to face him. She looked up into his eyes sadly. "Don't you believe in me…Nami?" he asked quietly.

Her eyes went wide as tears formed in her eyes. She blinked them away as her brows furrowed. "Of course I do!" she whispered loudly.

Luffy smiled warmly down at her. She looked at him in surprise. She could feel her knees growing weak. "That's all I ask…If you believe in me…I can win." he said softly. Then she smiled up at him warmly and nodded. Everyone watched with dropped jaws, except for Sanji, Chopper and Robin. Jiro looked on in confusion at everyone's shock.

Zoro finally recovered and turned to Chopper. "Oi, you did tell them about that drug, right?" he whispered loudly.

Sanji, Chopper, Luffy and Nami all made noises of disbelief at Zoro's careless question. Nami's expression turned sad again as she pulled away from Luffy and looked away. Luffy quickly whirled on Zoro. "Of course he told us!! It doesn't matter!! What matters is that this deity is going down!!" yelled Luffy in anger. Then he made a surprised noise by his own outburst. He took a deep breath and looked down. Everyone was staring at him wide eyed, except for Nami. "Gomen…Zoro…He did tell us…Look…none of that stuff matters…It's just…" he stopped mid-sentence and made a noise of frustration as he shook his head. "Look, I can't really explain it…so…please don't mention it again…" he finished quietly.

Zoro's brows were furrowed in concern. He closed his eyes and then nodded. Then Luffy turned to Jiro. "Now…where is this deity?" he asked in a hard tone.

"We…we really don't know…" replied Jiro nervously. Everyone fell over feet in the air.

Luffy recovered first. He sat up. "What do you mean you don't really know?!" he yelled.

"We…we were never able to figure out where the deity actually was…We were only able to get the information I have explained to you all. They were all very secretive about the deity." explained Jiro.

"By the way, you never did tell us how you came across all of this information." remarked Robin.

Jiro turned to her. "Well, you see…My wife and I were also winners of the festival…However, we kind of got into a fight on our wedding night…So the consummation didn't happen. When the deity sent people to find out what had happened, we ended up over hearing some things…So, we ran, however, we had to find out the truth. So we hid ourselves and have been living on the other side of the island. We would sneak into town and gather information. We learned others were trapped here and found documents on this drug. We knew we had to stop this some how and free these people. However, we weren't strong enough, but then you came along. I figured we might have a chance if I could get you to listen." he explained.

Luffy nodded. "So what the hell are we supposed to do now?" asked Zoro.

Jiro turned to him. "Well, we figured heading to the volcano was our best bet. Since the threat about the deity erupting it has come up more than once." he replied.

"Yosh! Then to the volcano it is!" exclaimed Luffy as he got up and then helped Nami up. Everyone else also got up dusting themselves off and then they all headed to the volcano.

"Someone make sure the Marimo doesn't get lost." yelled Sanji over his shoulder.

"What did you say?!" yelled Zoro from somewhere. He was already lost. Sweat beads formed on the side of everyone's face. Sanji burst out laughing.

Nami quickly walked up behind Sanji and popped him on the back of the head. "Ow! Why did you do that, Nami-san?" he asked looking betrayed with tears in his eyes.

"Go and look for him!!" she yelled angrily.

"Haaai, Nami-swan!!" he exclaimed in his love-love state as he ran off to look for Zoro. A few minutes later they both came walking back. They were both angry and were face to face with scowls.

Robin turned toward Luffy, "Shall we continue?" she asked with a warm smile.

"Aa." replied Luffy as he turned and continued to walk.

"Someone hold Zoro's hand so he doesn't get lost again…" remarked Usopp.

"What did you say?!" yelled Zoro angrily as he approached Usopp.

"Eeee!" screeched Usopp as he ran away.

Chopper ran up to Zoro with his cute smile and grabbed his hand with his hoof. "Eh?" questioned Zoro with a raised brow, but allowed the little reindeer to lead him.

They all continued the trek out of town towards the volcano and into the wilderness of the island. "Jiro!" called a female voice. Everyone stopped walking and turned to the voice. A woman came running up to them.

"Eeeeh?!" exclaimed Luffy and Nami in surprise. "It's you!" they continued.

The woman turned towards them and then grinned happily. "Jiro, you found them!" she exclaimed happily.

"Aa…their crew was very hospitable…for the most part…and allowed me to explain to them." replied Jiro nervously.

"Eh?" remarked Zoro as he rose up a brow at him. Jiro laughed nervously and brought up his hands defensively.

"You're the one from the hotel!!" both Luffy and Nami exclaimed.

"Un…I'm really sorry about that…" she replied as she blushed. Then she turned to Jiro. "I'm also sorry I failed…" she said quietly.

Jiro smiled warmly at her. "It's alright. All that matters is we succeeded in the end." he replied quietly. She looked up at him and smiled warmly. Then Jiro turned to the others. "Sumimasen, where are my manners again? This is my wife, Abe Yui." he said as she bowed to them.

Everyone nodded to her. "It's nice to meet you Yui-san." greeted Robin warmly.

"Arigato." said Yui as she smiled.

"We should hurry. We don't have much time." said Zoro.

"Aa." agreed Luffy as he continued to walk, everyone following him. They finally reached the wilderness at the end of town and made their way through the brush. After awhile they came to a clearing, and they walked to the middle of it.

Zoro stopped and pulled out his sword. "Zoro?" questioned Nami.

"We've got company…" he replied.

"Aa…" agreed Luffy and Sanji. Luffy pulled Nami behind him as they all took on the defensive.

A group of men walked out and greeted them. In the middle of them all were three familiar faces. "What the…?! It's that announcer guy from the festival!!" exclaimed Zoro as he clenched his teeth.

"Looks like he brought friends…" added Sanji.

Both Luffy and Nami stared at them all. "You're the registration ossan!!" yelled Luffy.

"Senshu…and Bairon!" exclaimed Nami.

"You know these guys?" asked Zoro as he turned to them.

Then suddenly, both Luffy and Nami's eyes went huge as they inhaled sharply. They both turned to each other. "Mora-sensei!" they both yelled to each other in realization.

"Cho…chotto matte!! You mean the beautiful Mora-san is…the deity!!!" yelled Sanji in disbelief.

"It makes sense now! I remember the first time we went there she struck me as odd! I remember the way she shook Luffy's hand. She didn't let go of him right away!" exclaimed Nami. "Ah! That also explains why she immediately took her hand away from Sanji-kun! I thought I saw a look of disgust on her face, so it wasn't my imagination!" she continued.

"Ah…Nami-san…you wound me…" said Sanji as tears waterfalled down his face.

"Gomen…Sanji-kun…" she apologized with a shrug.

Sanji bowed his head and continued to cry. "Ahou…" remarked Zoro as he glared at Sanji.

"What did you say, Baka Marimo!!" yelled Sanji as he approached Zoro.

"Now is not the time!!" yelled Usopp.

"Usopp is right…" said Luffy as he stared at the three. "So what do you guys want?" he asked in a threatening voice.

"We just want to talk is all…" replied Mogu in a less than serious tone.

"Talk? We're already talking…" replied Luffy not attempting to hide his anger.

Mogu only grinned menacingly at him. Suddenly, and without warning there was a huge gust of wind. Everyone went down to the ground covering their heads. Everyone was slightly blown away from each other. Luffy grabbed a hold of his hat so it wouldn't fly away as the strong wind continued. He looked over. Nami was a few feet away from him. She had her head covered with her arms. "NAMI!!" he yelled as he started crawling towards her. The wind was so strong and loud he wasn't sure she heard him. Then she slightly looked up towards him. He continued to crawl the few feet towards her.

However, before he could reach her a very large claw came down and grabbed her. She was gone. Luffy's eyes went large as he attempted to look up. An extremely large bird was flying away with his Navigator. "NA-MI!!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"LU-FFY!!!" he heard her scream in return.

Soon the wind and noise began to dissipate the further the bird flew away. Luffy stood up and ran toward where the bird had flown. "NA-MI!!" he screamed again.

However, a hand grabbed his shoulder. "You aren't really going to fight Mora-san, are you?" asked Sanji slightly concerned.

"I have to!! Let go of me!!" yelled Luffy as he pulled away from Sanji. "If you've got a problem with me fighting with a woman, we will deal with it later! I don't have time to argue with you right now!!" he yelled as he continued to run. Sanji looked toward him wide eyed. Mogu and the others stepped in his path. "MOVE!!" yelled Luffy in anger.

Suddenly, Zoro stepped in swiping his swords at the three. They jumped back to dodge the blow. "Go Luffy! We'll hold them off!" he said with Wadō Ichimonji in his mouth.

Luffy nodded and contiuned running. "Matte, Luffy…" started Sanji.

However, a sword blocked his path. "You heard our Captain. He said he would deal with you later. Is your chivalry really more important than a Nakama…more than Nami?" asked Zoro. Sanji made a pained expression as he let out a noise of frustration. Then he looked down and took a few deep breathes. "Good, now help me out with these guys already." he contiuned.

Sanji looked up and grinned. "Aa!" he exclaimed as he walked up next to Zoro. Zoro grinned in return and then faced their enemy.

To Be Contiuned…

Translations and Explanations Corner:

1: The – in between Luffy and Nami's name means that when they screamed each other's names they held it for a while. So instead of doing this: NAAAMMMIII!!! I did this NA-MI! Understand? X) Good!! XD Much easier and cleaner this way. XP

Author's Note: I took most of the Japanese out of this chapter. I decided to only use the very very basic Japanese that I know everyone should know. I think it was indeed to much trouble for readers. It was fun, but too much trouble! XP I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I know, I actually left it off on a bit of a cliff hanger, huh? I sowwie! XP From here on out, the rest of my story will be coming straight from my mind. So my chapters are going to be sporadic. They might take me awhile to post, or I might post them sooner than normal. We will see. Anyways, please review! XD