So. We're back. It's been a while.

I don't really have any excuse other than the fact that I had a bit of writer's block here. Honestly, I'm still not completely sure of this either, but I think it'll do. What's more important is what happens from this chapter onwards. Sorry if that seems like nonsense, but that's the only way I could think to phrase my thoughts there.

So anyway, I'm so sorry about this. I think the lesson I've learned here is that I really need to stop making promises regarding chapters and just put them up when I'm ready. It may mean a short flurry of chapters at some points followed by a longer period without anything, but that's the way it comes to me, you know? Again, it sounds like excuses but that's the way it really is. But I am really sorry about promising regular chapters and then not updating for is it 3 months now? I really am sorry.

Usopp's eyes widened. "Wh- what?"

"You… You heard me. She's gone. Her, her mother and Vivi were… taken," Zoro's voice unsteadily came from the other end of the line.

"Usopp, what's going on?" Chopper asked, panicking due to Usopp's shocked expression.

Usopp ignored him. "Zoro, you should come over now. I'll tell everyone what's happened. If we put our heads together, we'll figure out some way to bring Robin and the others back. Just come here now."

Chopper gasped. "Did you say bring Robin back? What happened to her?"

"Has she gone missing?" Franky demanded.

"Is she OK?" Brook asked, more calmly than the others.

"One at a time guys, jeez!" Usopp shouted. "To answer your questions… She's been taken again."

There was a silence for a moment, as the news sunk in around the room.

"And Vivi?" Chopper nervously asked.

"Her too. And Robin's mom."

Franky gulped. "Damn… Say, where's Sanji?"

"He said he was going for a walk," Usopp grumbled. "And now of all times! He's gonna have a lot to catch up on when he gets back…"

######

Kohza sighed. The more he wandered around, the more he realised that Zoro was right. Just what was he doing out here? He really had no idea where Vivi was. It wasn't like he was just going to stumble across her.

So, admitting defeat, Kohza, with difficulty, mentally retraced the route back to Zoro's house. It was getting late by now, and the sun was beginning to go down. Luckily, Zoro's house wasn't too far from where Kohza was at that point, so it only took half an hour or so for him to reach the green haired teen's house.

However just as he was about to knock, the front door opened by itself, with Zoro seemingly just about to head out.

The two stood there in awkward silence for a moment, before Zoro spoke. "So… I take it you didn't find her?"

"Uh… No…."

"I thought so. So what are you doing here?"

Kohza was about to answer before pausing. What was he doing there? When he didn't reply, Zoro closed the door behind him and walked past Kohza before stopping.

"You should come with me. Stuff has… changed. I'm going to meet up with my friends so we can decide what to do. If you come, I'll explain everything on the way."

With that, Zoro continued on his way. Kohza eyed him for a moment, noticing how stiff he was, before nodding and following the green haired teen.

######

Usopp sighed, deciding to be the first to break the silence. "So… where do we begin?"

Zoro clenched his fists. "We need to find one of their members. Then we can smash their faces in, until they give in that bastard Crocodile's location. Then we can smash his face in unti-"

"Easy tiger," Usopp muttered. "But you do have a point. The only people who know where Crocodile is are his men themselves. But that raises the problem of how do we find them."

Franky crossed his arms. "Maybe Lucci and his guys might know something…"

Usopp shook his head. "I doubt it, those guys are in jail, aren't they? Besides, I thought Crocodile was only using them anyway…"

Franky sighed. "That's true…. Man, these guys are SUPER hard to find."

Chopper nudged Usopp. "Hey, don't you think we should call Nami and let her know what has happened."

Zoro immediately shook his head. "Don't bother. She needs some time to get her head straight."

Usopp sighed. "Hey, you know, the way she feels is kind of understandable. You shouldn't be so hard on her…"

"I'm not. All I'm saying is that we should wait for her to calm down, because only then will she be prepared to help Robin and Vivi."

"Besides," Brook added. "I think she should be with Luffy for now."

Usopp nodded. "Yeah, that's true. Say… where the hell is Sanji anyway?"

Zoro frowned. "I was thinking that. Where is Dartboard brow?"

"He said he was going for a walk," Chopper replied. "But that was a couple of hours ago. You'd think he'd be back by now…"

Usopp's eyes widened. "Say, you guys don't think… something happened to him?"

"No way," Franky shook his head. "Why would Baroque Works target him? The only ones they should know about, other than Robin and Vivi, are Zoro and Luffy."

"That's right, unless…"

"Unless… what?" Chopper, sensing what Usopp may be getting at, prompted.

"Unless either Robin or Vivi told them about us. All of us. That's the only way-"

"No way," Zoro firmly retorted, his tone showing exactly what he thought of that statement. "Robin would definitely never do that, and I'm pretty sure Vivi wouldn't either. Besides, for all we know, Dartboard may just be perving on some chicks at that crappy restaurant of his."

Usopp smirked slightly. "That's true. Actually, now that you say that, that's probably a more likely explanation… Typical Sanji."

Zoro looked over at Kohza, who had been staring at the floor the whole time. "Oi, you got anything to say?"

Kohza looked up at him, a little annoyed by how blunt Zoro was, before he blinked, noticing a particular absence for the first time. "Where is Monkey D Luffy? You mentioned him before, but where is he now?"

"Hospital."

Kohza's eyes widened slightly, before his gaze dropped to the ground again. "I see. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise…" Zoro muttered, feeling somewhat guilty now. "None of this is your, Vivi's, or Robin's fault."

"So what are going to do?" Usopp interrupted. "We need some way of finding Crocodile…"

"And the only ones who know Crocodile's location are the Baroque Work's members themselves…" Brook finished.

"Mr 1. Mr 2. Miss Doublefinger," Kohza listed. "The top three in Baroque Works. If we could find just one of them…"

Usopp crossed his arms. "Mr 2. He's the only one I've ever seen, and Luffy and Robin have seen him in public too. He seems like the one we'd be most likely to find. Plus he seems kind of goofy..."

Franky nodded. "He does seem like their weak link… "

Kohza shook his head. "Don't underestimate that guy. Regardless of his personality, he's every bit as deadly as Mr 1. And Mr 1 is a monster from what I've heard."

Usopp sighed. "Let's be honest, they're all monsters. It's not going to be easy to catch any one of them. Either way, if we want to set a trap, what we need is some kind of bait. And with Robin and Vivi gone… there's only one person I can think of who'd be of interest to them…."

Chopper's eyes widened. "Usopp, you can't be…."

Usopp looked grimly at Zoro, as if seeking permission. Zoro, whose eyes were fixed on the ground at this point, crossed his arms, as if thinking. Franky eyed the two.

"We can't seriously be thinking about using Luffy to lure out Baroque Works, can we?"

######

Luffy gulped, before flashing his trademark goofy grin. "Wow, this is so good! Thanks Sanji, you're the best!"

Sanji shook his head dismissively. "No problem. This didn't take me too long to make. I'll cook something better for you tomorrow."

Nami just watched Luffy with a relieved smile on her face, just glad that he was OK. "I'm glad to see you've got your appetite back."

Luffy grinned. "Yeah!"

Sanji smirked. "Did he ever lose it?"

Luffy laughed, before taking another of Sanji's cupcakes, and putting it whole into his mouth. As he was chewing it, he looked around the room. "Say," He began, his mouth full of half chewed food. "Where're the others?"

"Probably still back at my house," Sanji replied.

"Everyone's together? That's great, let's go home! I bet everyone's really worried about me, huh? I hope Robin and Vivi don't feel too bad…"

Both Nami and Sanji inwardly winced at the mention of the two girls, but Luffy obviously didn't notice. Saying that, even those two had no idea of the latest developments regarding that situation.

Nami, regaining her composure, shook her head. "You can't leave yet. You'll have to stay here for a few more days until the doctors are completely sure you'll be ok."

"But I'm fine!" Luffy whined, although Nami gave him a firm look, telling him that there'd be no point in arguing.

######

Franky continued to stare demandingly at Usopp and Zoro. "Well?"

"What… choice do we have?" Zoro mumbled, his voice barely audible.

"Zoro, if this plan fails, we won't just lose two friends. We'll lose three!"

"But if we don't try, we'll still lose two!"

"Zoro…" Brook carefully began. "I can't begin to imagine how you feel right now. But don't put Robin above Luffy."

Zoro's glared at Brook, furious that he would even suggest that. "What did you just say?!"

"Guys, stop!" Chopper wailed, jumping up from his seat, and standing in the middle of the room. "I don't know what we should do… But no matter what, I don't to lose Robin! And Vivi!"

"Stopping Baroque Works will require risks…" Kohza stated.

Franky glared at him. "What do you care about Luffy? All you want is to save Vivi. You couldn't care less what happens to Luffy!"

"Hey, I didn't say that-"

"Guys, guys…" Usopp interrupted. "Let's just calm down. We shouldn't be fighting between each other, we're all on the same side here. We all want to save Robin and Vivi."

There was a moment's pause before both Franky and Kohza reluctantly apologised to each other. Zoro looked at Usopp.

"So if we were to do this…"

Usopp paused, before answering. "We'd have to make it clear that Luffy's alive and give Baroque Works what seems like an opening to go after him. And then we have to stop them when they do."

Kohza sighed. "That sounds good, but it's not exactly a very specific plan."

Usopp nodded, before turning his attention to Franky, Brook and Chopper. "I know, but first…. You guys… are you really OK with this. If you think it's too risky, then we'll figure something else out."

Both Chopper and Brook looked to Franky, who exhaled slowly, as if still needing a second to make his decision on the whole plan. "If it's the only way to save Robin and the others… then I guess we'll have to do it. Besides, if we protect Luffy SUPER well, I guess everything will be alright."

"Should we not ask Luffy first though?" Brook asked.

"That's a good point," Usopp replied. "If he's not willing to do this, then we definitely shouldn't force him. That wouldn't be fair. Although, knowing Luffy, I would be really surprised if that was the case…"

Zoro was about to say something, when the door opened, and in came Sanji, followed by Nami.

There was silence in the room for a second, the tension between Sanji and Usopp, and then Zoro and Nami, making the atmosphere within the room very uncomfortable indeed.

Kohza, the only one oblivious to both situations, considered breaking the silence, but figured it would be smarter to not risk saying anything, in case it would spark something. Instead, he just nudged Zoro, who had half spaced out at that point. The green haired teen turned to Kohza, before nodding and standing up. "Anyway, I'll be heading home now. Nice talking to you guys."

Zoro was about to leave, when Nami stood in the doorway, blocking his exit. She looked him straight in the eyes, startling, and even slightly intimidating Zoro. He quickly regained his composure, and sighed.

"What is it?"

"Zoro…. I want you to promise me you won't get involved in this anymore."

Zoro continued to stare at Nami before, continuing on his way, expecting Nami to step aside. "I can't promise that."

Nami however, didn't budge, and just stood her ground. "I won't let you leave then."

"Oh? And how do you plan on stopping me?"

"Sanji…."

The blonde perked up and stood so he was standing next to Zoro. Zoro chuckled.

"So what… you're her bodyguard now?

"You need to listen to her…" Sanji muttered, not looking Zoro in the eyes.

Zoro gritted his teeth. "I don't have time for this crap. Step aside. Now."

"Hey guys…" Usopp said nervously, standing up too. "Just calm down…."

Suddenly, a sob was heard. Zoro's eyes widened. Nami, who had been standing in front of him, staring him down as fiercely as anyone ever had, had lowered her gaze. Sanji, sighed, and gently pulled the girl into a comforting hug.

Zoro turned to look at Usopp and the others, who looked equally shocked.

Sanji looked up Zoro, his expression completely different from the usual mocking/annoyed expression he had when addressing Zoro. It was… pleading? Zoro was literally left speechless just from Sanji's face.

"Listen… I understand how you feel about Robin… but you need to let this go. Can you imagine how we'd feel if you got hurt… worse than Luffy? And even worse, can you imagine how Robin would feel? She wouldn't be able to forgive herself. Do you really want to do that to her?"

There was silence in the room, before Zoro gulped, and turned around to face Usopp and the others. "Guys… Forget about the plan."

"Zoro?"

The teen didn't respond, and just walked past Sanji and Nami. "Sorry, but I still can't promise you, Nami. I understand what you're saying, but… If Robin got hurt, and I just sat by and didn't do anything, then I'd never be able to forgive myself either."

With that, he opened, the front door, pausing to allow Kohza to go out first. He was about to follow, when Chopper suddenly stood up. The short teen confidently strode across the living room, and stood at Zoro's side.

"I'd never forgive myself either. I want to save Robin too."

"No, just leave it to me. Robin means more to me than to any of you. That's why I need-"

"Do you really believe that?" Usopp smirked, standing up too and making his way over to Zoro and Chopper. "OK, we may not have such a close relationship as you two have, but that doesn't mean our bond with her is any weaker."

Franky grinned, also standing up and following Usopp. "Besides, you're always the one who saves the day. Maybe we want some of the glory this time too…"

Brook smiled, and joined the four, leaving the living room empty. "Who knows, maybe Robin and Vivi will let me see their panties as a reward for saving them…"

"Brook, that's a horrible reason!" Chopper gawked, appalled.

Usopp chuckled. "Are you really that surprised?"

"You guys…" Nami whispered, having pulled apart from Sanji at this point. However before she could finish, the blonde walked past her, and joined Zoro and the others.

"As if… Robin and Vivi's knight will be me, got it?"

Zoro smirked. "You changed your mind fast…."

Sanji shook his head. "I can't believe I needed you to remind me about chivalry… Well, it doesn't matter, I'll definitely make up for it by sweeping Robin off her feet and saving her from that evil Crocodile!"

"Oi, love-cook. Remember Hancock?"

"Ok seriously, that's like the third time you've used that! Come up with something new!"

Nami stared at her friends, shocked. "But, you guys… Luffy…."

######

"I don't know what you're talking about. But Robin is my friend, and I trust her. I don't care what you think or say, I'll always stand by her."

######

Always stand by her….

How could she have been so stupid? Nami bit her lip, and tilted her head upwards to face her friends, looking at Zoro in particular. "Guys… I'm sorry."

"Nami, you don't have to… Wait what?"

"I'm sorry. I thought I was doing this for Luffy's sake, but… He would never do something like this. I… I'm so…"

Zoro smirked, and put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It's all in the past now. Let's just agree to work together from now on."

Nami smiled, and nodded. "Yeah! We'll definitely save Robin and Vivi together!"

That wasn't too cheesy was it? Was it? Please go easy on me...