The whistle was blown for the back up team to take charge. Ace skated forward, but screamed in fear for he was going faster than what he had attempted. Sanji walked back to the crew with pure confidence.
"Nice job," said Vivi.
"Aww! It was nothing!" Sanji said bashfully.
"Did you tell him how to stop?" asked Franky.
"Of course. I'm not an idiot."
"Wait.. why isn't he turning?" asked Vivi. Sanji looked up and saw Ace nearing the curve. Sanji slapped the side of his head when he forgot a something completely important, especially for this event.
"Shit, I forgot to teach him how to turn."
Ace screamed as he was approaching the wall at fast speed. He looked behind him and saw Chiki Cheetah nearing him. Ace grabbed onto his shirt in attempt to slow himself down, but he was going at a fast rate. Chiki Cheetah squirmed to get free, but the both of them ended up crashing into the wall.
"Huh?" Usopp looked at the other side of the arena and saw smoke coming from the wall followed by a huge hole in the wall. "Wha.."
"KEEP GOING, USSOP-SAN! HURRY!" yelled Vivi.
"Yosh," Usopp pressed a button on a remote inside his pants. The back of his skates fired up making him skate at fast speed. Usopp practically sprinted around the arena. Nami placed a hand on her head to stop her hair from blowing all over because of Usopp.
Ace coughed as he tried to get back on his feet. He looked up and saw his opponent unconscious on the ground. Ace completely ignored him and walked back to the hole they created. He squinted his eyes when something fast speeded by.
The bell rang, ending the third round. The crew looked up at the score board and saw that Usopp had overlapped his opponent eighteen times. The Straw Hats sweatdropped when their respective representative skated back to the bench.
"Good job!" Franky patted his back quite harshly. Usopp tipped forward but Robin and Nami caught his arms before he could fall.
"That's one point down. We need to win the rest of the rounds if we want to win," said Nami.
"Robin-chan, you're up next."
"Ee," Robin dropped Usopp and skated towards the starting line. Ace skated back towards the bench to be greeted by Sanji.
"I forgot to teach you how to tur-"
"Don't worry. I did what you told me."
Sanji cocked an eyebrow.
The gun was shot and the competitors skated ahead. Robin's eyes widened when she felt hands touching her body. She turned around and saw that her competitor was touching her all over. Robin skated as fast as she could to get away from him, but he would catch up no matter what her pace was.
"What is that bastard doing!" yelled Sanji.
Ace skated ahead when the whistle was blown. Nami and Usopp watched from the sidelines.
"Is he going to be alright?" asked Nami. Ace was nearing the curve and it caused the crew move to the edge of their seats. When Ace reached the curve, he moved swiftly around it perfectly and caught up to Robin. When he got close enough, he punched Robin's opponent, sending him crashing into the wall. Unsure how to stop, Ace leaned down and slowed himself with his hands. He eyed the competitor then stood back up.
"YOU GO AHEAD, ROBIN! I'LL HANDLE HIM!" yelled Ace.
"Ee! Thank you!"
The Straw Hats cheered as Robin speeded by. Foxy's back up team didn't even plan on supporting their representative. Sanji gave Vivi a high five for their accomplishment when the bell rang. They were tied with Foxy now. Robin and Ace returned to the bench with their hypes all the way up.
"Are you ready, Ace?" asked Sanji.
"Ah!"
-x-x-x-
"345.. 346.. 347," Luffy counted every time he lifted his dumbbells. Zoro was right next to him doing the exact same thing.
"Is it just me, or is this training camp going by too slow," said Zoro.
"I know, 348, it's going, 349, by way too, 350, slow." Luffy set the dumbbells down and grabbed his water bottle, pouring it all over himself. "Its only the third day and it feels like its been a year. We've still got over a month left, wanna hit up the cafeteria with me?"
"As tempting as that sounds," Zoro said sarcastically, "I'll pass. I'll meet up with you at the room later."
"More for me then," Luffy dashed out of the room. Zoro set his current dumbbells down and wiped his head with a towel. There was currently no one in the training room which gives him the time to meditate in peace. He sat down in front of the window and closed his eyes.
He felt at peace when a breeze would constantly blow through the window and hit him. It cooled him down, and made him feel stress free. But all of that was disturbed when he heard the sound of footsteps enter the room. Zoro opened an eye and turned around. He saw someone, dressed in black, walk towards a sword. He wore a black baseball cap to hide his face. Zoro couldn't tell who it was, but when he saw a hint of orange hair and the tip of his long, rectangular nose, he immediately knew.
This mystery man has been on his case ever since he set foot in the dome. All Zoro knew about him was that he was a Marine puppet and that he's a yontoryu user, which definitely caught his attention. Counting the both of them, there are very few swordsmen in the competition. The competition starts off with each candidate competing with a person using the same techniques. In other words, swordsman vs. swordsman, martial artist vs. martial artist. Although Zoro wants to get rid of him in the first match, he wants to see how strong his yontoryu really is.
-x-
Luffy entered the large cafeteria, but immediately stopped when he saw Garp and Dragon sitting at a table while having a meal. Luffy was about to make a quick exit when Garp had spotted him. He waved for him to have a seat with them. Now Luffy can run away and suffer the consequences later or be polite. Luffy resulted to obeying his grandfather's command. He stood at the table in front of them.
"Luffy..."
"I want to thank you for giving me permission to enter the arcade. But I won't be needing the arcade for any reason."
"Luffy! You-" Garp started, but Luffy immediately cut him off.
"I'm dead set on winning this tournament and if all you're going to do is distract me with games, then it would be best if you keep your distance. Goodbye."
Luffy turned around and walked back to the entrance. When Luffy left the cafeteria, Garp sighed. He rubbed his head.
"That Luffy," Garp looked down and saw that his whole plate was missing. "THAT LUFFY!"
Dragon stared at the entrance from where Luffy had just disappeared into. Outside, Luffy punched the wall, resulting to his knuckles bleeding. He certainly had mixed feelings about Dargon. He wasn't sure whether to be happy or mad whenever he's around him.
-x-
The gun was shot. Ace gripped his fists as he skated forward. The girls in the Straw Hat crew cheered him on as he was doing a great job so far. But when they heard the sound of the whistle was when their hypes died down. Everyone from Foxy's support team skated for Ace. Sanji immediately saw through their plan.
"Usopp! Nami-san! Go!" Sanji commanded.
"Understood," Robin skated ahead when she saw through the plan the same time Sanji figured it out. Nami felt uneasy while Usopp skated next to her. They were completely bewildered with the situation. Robin skated faster to catch up to their 'captain'. They didn't understand what was so wrong. Ace was strong and can handle himself.
They were startled at the sound of a scream. They looked towards Ace and saw him getting beaten by Foxy's support team. Foxy's representative passed by Usopp and Nami with a smug look on his face. Ace was still a beginner in skating, he still wasn't used to distraction or obstacles. Nami and Usopp skated faster to catch up to him and Robin.
"Hang on, Ace!"
Ace tried his best to defend all the blows and jabs he received without slipping up. He was completely surrounded. So Foxy used his weakness to his advantage. Coward. He can't win like this, especially when his opponent is about to overlap him. He felt a sense of relief when his own support team caught up to him. Robin tried her best to remove one of the arms that were clung onto him. Nami kicked one of them sending them crashing into the wall.
"Take that! And that!" Usopp was sending weak punches to one of them. He, of course, wasn't a fighter, for his blows weren't as strong as Luffy's. The man Usopp was hitting bumped his waist in order to send him away, but that bump triggered a certain remote inside his pocket. Usopp's eyes gaped open when he felt his speed start to increase without his doing.
Next thing he knew, all of them were going faster than usual. Usopp was in the back of course, so he pushed everyone along with him. Nami and Robin clung onto Ace tightly. Sanji squinted his eyes to get a better look at them.
"Wha.."
"We're doomed," commented Franky.
"No, we could win," said Sanji. "NAMI-SAN! ROBIN-CHAN! GET THOSE GUYS OFF OF YOU!"
Robin nodded. Nami looked at him as if he were crazy, but obeyed his command. Nami leaned down and bit the nearest guy next to her. He let go from the pain. Nami let go as well, but lost her balance when she started to slow down. She sat on the sideline due to exhaustion.
It was Robin's turn. She grabbed the arms of the two guys that were left and twisted them at a wrong angle. They screamed in pain and lost their grip onto Ace. Robin held onto them until they were at a good distance from them. She dropped them on the ground and stopped skating to relax. She then felt a figure pass by her at fast speed. They weren't done yet.
"Usopp! Let go! I'll handle the rest!" said Ace.
"Are you sure?"
Ace nodded. Usopp let go of him. He felt his skates slowing down. Another great invention put through success. But his glory was cut short when he felt someone crash onto him from behind. He turned around and saw that it was Foxy's representative for this round. It was time to be the hero of the day. Usopp turned around and jumped on to him, blocking his view of the track.
"WH- WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GET OFF ME!"
"GOD, PLEASE HELP ME!" yelled Usopp.
Usopp felt their speed slowing down. Instead of focusing on the race, he was more focused on getting Usopp off of him. Usopp smirked with confidence. His plan was going through perfectly. While the support team was down, the competitor was completely out of it.
"IKEE! ACE!"
There was ten seconds on the clock and Ace had barely passed Robin. He increased his speed as he passed by Usopp. He had a feeling he wasn't going to make it. But as soon as his toe reached the starting line, the bell was rung.
The Straw Hats threw through fists in the air in victory. Chopper was crying in his seat. He was on the edge of his seat the whole time. His damn crew. They were complete idiots for making him worry so much.
"CHOPPER!"
Chopper looked up and saw his crew waving for him to come over. The widest grin grew on his face. He wiped away his tears as he ran for the exit. It was finally over. All his crying, all his fears were gone. He ran across the field and ran into Ace's arms.
"BAKA! Why did you have to make me worry, dumbass!"
Ace laughed along with the rest of the crew.
"Sorry for making you wait, Chopper," said Nami.
"Let's get out of here," said Sanji.
The Straw Hats headed for the exit, completely ignoring Foxy who was on all four, crying in defeat. Porche was right next to him, comforting her captain.
-x-x-
Makino gasped when everyone came back all bruised and beaten. The bar was closed and it was getting late.
"What happened to you?"
"Had a rough game," said Franky.
"Did you have fun?" Nojiko asked with a smirk as she wiped the tables.
"Ah!" yelled Chopper and Ace. Nami and Usopp fell to the ground due to exhaustion. Makino ran back into the kitchen to give them some refreshments.
"We're never doing that again," murmured Nami.
"Ditto," Usopp agreed.
"Aw, come on. That was fun wasn't it?" asked Ace.
"Ah!" agreed Chopper.
"Let's do it again."
"NOO!" yelled the Straw Hats in unison.
-x-x-
"Sounds like you went through a harsh time. Everything turned out okay, right?" Luffy asked through the phone. While everyone was asleep, Nami had sneaked out of the bar and called Luffy. She never did got to explain their last call. She hated keeping secrets, especially to Luffy.
"Yea. We got Chopper back, and not everyone's in that much pain."
"What about you? Are you okay?"
"I'm perfectly fine. Although, I wouldn't be if Ace were to go up for another game."
"Remind me to beat him up later."
Nami giggled. She heard Luffy sigh through the other line.
"Three days down. Thirty-five looong days to go."
"Aw, come one. It's not that bad."
"Are you saying you don't miss me?" Luffy teased.
"I'm saying, 'thirty-five looong days' will go by faster than you think."
"Maybe for you. At least you don't have to suffer through Zoro's snoring all night."
"You snore too, and at least you don't have the whole crew with you, snoring all over you.
She heard Luffy's booming laugh and she couldn't help but smile.
"Touche... What are you doing now? Where are you right now?"
"I'm talking to you, silly. And I'm outside of the bar, watching the ocean. Now, what are you doing right now? Where are you right now?"
"I'm on the roof, staring at the stars, wishing you were here with me right now. Which reminds me, it's almost your birthday."
"You knew?"
"Of course I knew. So, what do you want?"
Nami shrugged. "Nothing."
"There must be something you want."
"Instead of giving me something, why don't I give you something?"
"Eh? Why me?"
"You're working so hard. You deserve a present more than I do."
"But thats not fair."
"It doesn't have to be. What do you want?"
Luffy remained silent. He sat up.
"Luffy?"
"Give me a kiss."
"Eh? H.. How?"
"How? You should know, Nami. Use your imagination."
"O.. Okay. Close you eyes."
"Kay," Luffy closed his eyes. He then opened them with small disappointment. "Nami, a kiss on the cheek won't do."
"Eh?"
"Kiss me on the lips."
"But I did!"
"Give me a real kiss, not the kiddy one."
"Okay, then let me try again."
...Muah!...
"Ah! Our teeth clung together!" said Luffy.
"Ah! No way!"
"You're not a good kisser, Nami. Try again!"
"...Luffy?"
"What is it?"
"You're very perverted today."
Luffy chuckled.
"..You know, lately, I keep remembering the time we met. Do you remember? You were the new girl in class and it was really awkward."
"Awkward?"
"But everyone warmed up to you instantly. Except for Hancock, of course."
"I remember you being really protective and clingy back then. Why did you let me join your group anyway?"
"I don't normally talk to girls I don't like. I guess you just caught my attention."
"'You guess'?"
"The thing I remember most was after the fight with Arlong."
"I walked up to you and you just kissed me out of no where."
"I was really nervous at the time. I thought you were going to push me away and reject me."
"Eh? Really? But you looked really confident."
"Can you blame me? I just beat up a guy that could've turned me into a pretzel."
"Is that so? Hm.. I see, so thats how it was. But I guess, all is well that ends well."
Luffy smiled.
"Nami?"
"Hm?"
"You know, lately I've been having this dream. I grab a change of clothes, put them in my bag and take a plane. When I open my eyes, I find myself in the other side of Tokyo. I get out of the airport and take the local bus. Thirty minutes of constant buildings passing by me. I would get off the front of the red crossing building, pass the traffic light and run by the Alabasta Inn. Dash to my house, leave my stuff there, grab my bike, cut through the park, pass by Grand Line Academy, very quickly on my bike. Quickly, as fast as I can, and into Nami's arms."
Luffy closed his eyes. He could see everything playing out perfectly in his mind. It was all so clear. The town, the restaurant, the school, her. Her arms were held out just for him and she had the biggest grin on her face.
"Luffy.. stay with your eyes closed for a while."
Luffy saw Nami open her eyes. He watched as she walked closer to him and kneel down in front of him. She placed her hand on his knee. Her touch felt so sincere and real. Luffy moved the hand holding his phone down to his lap. He closed his eyes as she leaned closer. She felt her moist lips touch his. Everything. Everything felt real. But then he felt her presence disappear into thin air.
Luffy opened his eyes and found himself back on the roof of the dome. The night was warm and the sounds of moving cars beneath him filled his ears. His perfect moment was ruined.
"Good night," Nami talked through the phone. "I hope you have good dreams tonight."
Luffy couldn't leave his spot. He missed her. He missed holding her in his arms. He missed the feeling of her snuggling up to him every time they cuddled. He missed her scent of mikans radiating his nose.
I get out of the airport.. and take the local bus..
He had to see her.
Luffy and Nami's moment was actually inspired by this one manga I just recently finished reading. Bokura Ga Ita. Its so sad, but so heartwarming. Yano Motoharu: cutest boy in anime/manga ever! Yano&Nana: cutest couple ever!