Hello Everyone! It's been a while, ne? :)

Thanks for putting up with the two week breaks, everyone! It's definitely helped with my schoolwork and whatnot. And guess what? YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! Love all the reviews I got from y'all, and hope that the next chapter is enjoyable!

Thanks to: ZabuzasGirl, Commando Fernando, Kaore Ryu, DorkyFox, Momochan77, CallmeEevee, amp183, seblackburn4, Serendipital, AwesomeGuest, and TheRealEvanSG for the reviews! So many!

To bring up some concerns from the last chapter: Guys, remember, this is a T-RATED FIC. I will not go above that, and I have no desire to turn this story into a M-rated story. There will be no mentions of anything explicit or inappropriate, and really, from now on there will not be anything too dirty or inappropriate. I know it made a few of you guys a little squeamish, but unfortunately, Hazel is a pirate, and not all of them are the happy-go-lucky kind like the Straw Hat Crew. There are lots of mentions of slavery and worse in the series (even nudity!), and while a lot of it is harmless fun, we need to keep in mind that usually, most people have darker intentions.

Anyways, on with the chapter!

Chapter 34

They dragged me into the a big room, stuffed to the brim with several different sets of clothes and a few changing stalls.

To my utmost surprise and relief, Zoro was there, looking extremely disgruntled and annoyed. He was missing his swords, and he was in a fancy-looking butler's suit.

…It seemed to suit him, actually. Made him look really dashing despite his horrendous scowl and ear piercings.

"Zoro?" I blurted. "What're you doing here?"

His head snapped over at the sound of my voice, and his gray eyes narrowed at the sight of me. I watched as his hand automatically flew to his hip, where he usually kept his blades, but when they clenched at air, he growled and dropped it.

"What're you doing to her?" he demanded, taking in my pale face and shivering limbs. He made to move to me, but a young, buck-toothed woman with lots and lots of freckles and a blotchy face clucked her tongue in annoyance and shoved him back to his original position. Awkwardly, he let her straighten and fuss with his suit, but his eyes never left me.

"Just giving her a category," the man with the cane said, giving it an absent twirl and leering disgustingly at me. I shuddered, and Zoro's eyes narrowed further.

"Let her go," he ordered, and the man with the cane paused and smirked in the teen's direction.

"And what if I don't?" he asked oily. He reached over, and stroked the side of my face. I flinched away from it, and Zoro growled low in his throat. "You don't have your blades anymore, and it'll be three on one. And I'd hate to damage merchandise. And not only that…"

Click.

My eyes widened, and I paled when the barrel of a gun pressed against my head. One of the thugs holding me had drawn it, and was holding it in an obvious attempt to threaten Zoro. And from the thunderstruck, then wildly frustrated look on my crewmate's face, it working.I steeled myself, gathering all the courage I had, and looked at Zoro levelly. "I'll be fine," I croaked, hoping Zoro would back down. Nami did say that they wouldn't do anything to us if we didn't retaliate. When Zoro looked skeptical, I quickly added, "I will."

Mollified, Zoro backed down and nodded, but I could tell that he was still itching for a reason to fight back.

"Good," the man with the cane said, teeth glinting in a greasy smile. "Now…" he grabbed my chin and tilted my face this way and that. He studied my features, my scars, and I trembled in fear, disgust, and fury as his eyes traveled downwards. "Not much of a figure, but that tail…" I saw Zoro twitch in anger, his eyes still fixed on us, and I sent him a pleading glance, begging for him to not try anything.

"And you seem to be a good way to keep Roronoa under control." He must have seen the look I had given Zoro. "The scars wouldn't work with the little sibling appeal, but the maid category would fit you well." He turned, and plucked a few outfits from a nearby set. "Put these on, and let me see," he ordered. He pushed the outfits into my arms, and the thugs pushed me into a nearby changing stall.

Hesitantly, I tried on the outfits, showing the disgusting man the different costumes for his approval. Finally, I stepped out in the latest (a short, ruffled, high-necked, black and white dress with a small apron, frilled sleeves, gloves, and cat ears), and his eyes lit up.

"Yes, that's perfect!" he crowed, fluttering around me and adjusting different parts of the skirt. "The perfect line between innocent and sultry! The tail, the eyes, and the ears add to the innocent aspect, while the style of the dress shows sophistication and appeals to those that enjoy the 'master' role!" I shuddered violently as his hands roamed across my back and hips, and he pulled away with a nod and a wave to the thugs.

"Bring them to the butler and maid quarters," he instructed. "Make sure that they're given all of the supplies they need."

"Yes, sir," they grunted in reply, and dragged me over to Zoro, who was still watching with a dangerous glare on his tanned face. One of the thugs shoved him towards a door on the other side of the room.

"Come with us," he ordered, and reluctantly, Zoro trailed ahead of him, the thug keeping a wary eye out for any suspicious movements. The other thug just clasped me tightly around the arm, and I let him pull me out. I felt defeated, lost, and violated. In fact, my face was just frozen in a neutral expression, like ice. I didn't like this, not one bit…

We were led down a few different hallways, before we reached a heavy iron door marked with a serving platter. The thug following Zoro opened it, and together, they shoved us inside. One of them deposited two small bundles, and quickly retreated back out.

"Stay here, don't cause trouble," the one that held me ordered, and the door slammed shut behind us.

Immediately, Zoro was at my side. "…Hazel?" he asked warily, and I turned blank green eyes onto him. He looked genuinely concerned. He reached out to touch my shoulder, and without meaning to, I flinched. He looked stricken for a moment, before he seized my shoulders. "Did he touch you?"

I looked down and away, and Zoro shook me. "Did he touch you?!" he demanded, and my shoulders slumped. Slowly, ever so slowly, I dragged my eyes back up to his.

"…Just my face and my waist," I whispered, my expression crumbling, and Zoro's forehead creased in sympathy as I felt tears begin to tread down my cheeks. "Zoro," I hiccuped, "I'm scared. I don't like them!"

Gently, he pulled me into a careful hug, his chin resting at the top of my head. My shoulders began to shake, and I began to sob into his chest. "I want Sanji! I want Sanji!" I began to chant, and I felt Zoro sigh.

"We'll just have to wait for that idiot cook to pull through and get Luffy to help us," he murmured. "Or maybe Nami and Usopp will realize that we're still gone -"

I interrupted him with a shake of my head, and scrubbed at my eyes in an attempt to dry my tears. "Nami and Robin are here too," I explained hoarsely, and Zoro cursed under his breath. "Both of them were wearing a swimsuit, and Robin had a kairoseki bracelet on her wrist."

"Then we'll have to bust our way out of here, then," Zoro promised fervently. "If there's just one or two guys to get us, we'll be able to fight our way out! You knew how to fight before you got that stupid axe, right?"

I bristled and shoved away from Zoro, my mood abruptly shifting from broken to angry. "It's as stupid as your swords!" I snapped, and Zoro's face flushed slightly, but he looked smug at the same time.

"My swords aren't stupid!"

I sniffed and looked away. "My point exactly!" He still looked a little smug, and it was then that I realized that he had said that on purpose, to bring my attention away from what the men were doing to me earlier.

I felt a rush of gratefulness course through me, and I opened my mouth to thank the first mate, but another voice spoke first.

"I apologize for interrupting this 'touching' moment, but were you just saying something about getting away?"

Startled, we looked up, and realized that it wasn't just us in the room. Two other figures resided there, one a short, pretty young woman with purple pigtails, big brown eyes, and a small freckled button nose. The speaker was a man next to her, with long dark hair pulled back into a single, low ponytail. He had arched brows, a sharp nose, and a smile playing at the edges of his lips. I actually found him to be pretty handsome.

Zoro and I both blushed at the same time, both in embarrassment and (in my case) attraction.

When we didn't answer, the man drawled, "Please, enlighten us. Exactly how are you planning on getting out? Because you, my good man, look like you could bulldoze through an entire building," he said with a nod towards Zoro, before adding, "but your companion looks like a breeze would knock her over."

I huffed and folded my arms, offended. "At least I'm not being a lazy bastard like you!"

"Oooh, she got you good!" the other girl chortled, and the man sniffed.

"I'd hardly say that," he disagreed. "She wasn't clever or witty in the slightest."

"Ignore him," the girl said, turning to me. "He likes to think that just he's automatically smarter than everyone else because he went to a university. But don't worry, all he does is flirt and make tumblers for the ugly bitches out there," she said, with a huff of annoyance from her companion.

She smiled and rose, striding over to where we were and holding out a hand. "I'm Kisa, what're your names?"

"I'm Hazel," I said quietly, taking her hand, and Zoro eyed her, his arms still folded.

"Zoro," he grunted, and Kisa eyed him approvingly.

"Well, aren't you good looking?" she purred, suddenly looking very seductive. She sidled over to him, and ran a finger down his chest. Blushing wildly, Zoro awkwardly and stubbornly looked away. "I could just eat you up."

"Please don't," said the other man with a dramatic roll of his eyes. "Nobody wants to see that."

With a shake of her head, Kisa went and sat back down with a fluff of her skirts.

"I'm Luca," the other man said with a half-bow, which looked very strange in his chair. "Now, you were saying something about getting out of here?"

Hesitantly, I made my way over to the table, taking one of the chairs and sitting on Kisa's other side. After the man with the cane, I didn't really feel comfortable with any men, save for Zoro and the rest of my crewmates.

Zoro sat down heavily next to me, stretching out into a sprawl. "Yeah," he said, his suspicious gaze fixed on the two strangers. "Think you can help?"

Luca shook his head. "I'm not a fighting baboon," he said, to which the both of us bristled. "No, I think I'll leave the fighting to you two, no matter how flimsy you may look," he added with a nod directed towards me.

I glared hotly, my fists clenched. "I'd like to see you take down a full-grown Fishman," I snarled in reply, and his eyebrows shot up towards his hairline.

"Did you really?" he asked in surprise, and when Zoro nodded in confirmation, he grinned. "Then it seems like the odds of our escape has significantly risen," he said with an impressed look on his face. "And you?"

"Wait!" Kisa flung a hand out, her eyes fixed hard on Zoro's face. "You're…aren't you famous? You look familiar."

Zoro lounged in his chair, a smirk playing across his face. In fact, he looked so smug, I wanted to beat it out of him. "Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro," he elaborated, and surprised smiles sprang onto their faces.

"I remember you!" Kisa was exclaiming. "You just got a bounty, didn't you?! Sixty million beli, right?!" Wait, what? What bounty?

"Maybe we do have a chance," Luca said with an awed look on his face. "That's no small bounty."

Zoro and I traded confused glances. "Bounty? What bounty?" Zoro asked eagerly, leaning forward in his seat, and Luca snorted.

"Please, don't pull the 'Humility' card," he snorted, but when we continued to stare blankly at him, his eyes widened. "Wait, you really don't know?"

"What're you talking about?" Zoro demanded, looking to Kisa, and she blushed, fiddling with her fingers.

"You have a bounty of sixty million," she explained, and we stared at her, before Zoro let out a satisfied grunt. I watched him lean back into his chair, looking supremely smug about the entire situation.

"Well, whaddya know," he said with an arrogant smirk, and I punched his shoulder.

"Your head's already big enough, marimo," I reminded him, and his smug attitude immediately disappeared, his smirk swiftly vanishing.

"What was that?!"

I ignored him, and looked at Luca and Kisa pleadingly. "Please tell me I got one too!" When they didn't reply, I sat back with a curse. "…Dammit."

"Well, in any case, you're skilled enough to get us out," Luca said, his eyes growing steely under his arched brows.

"You've got to help us," Kisa begged, her dark eyes darting frantically between the two of us. "This place is awful, it's almost as bad as prison!"

I stilled, feeling dread build up in my gut. "What do you mean, prison?"

Kisa and Luca both shivered, before Kisa announced, "This island…is filled with perverts!"

I didn't exactly know how to handle that last bit of information.

"I'm sorry…what?" I demanded, rubbing furiously at my ears, "I could've sworn you just said that this island was filled with perverts." Kisa and Luca both nodded, and I slumped down into my seat.

Zoro scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Your idiot brother would fit right in," he commented, and I found myself agreeing with a sigh. He was right on that point. Sanji would be right with everyone else here, if the Viewing Rings were what I thought they were.

"So," I said, licking my lips nervously, "the Viewing Rings are basically places that perverts can go to, so they can perv on the people featured there? Is that why I was forced to change into these and brought here?"

Luca nodded, and leaned forward, his earlier theatrics gone. "Yes," he answered gravely, his lips set in a hard, thin line. "Not just for men, but women too. Attractive men and women are abducted from around this area to act as animals in a zoo, to be gawped and stared at like we're pieces of meat featured at a full-course meal."

Zoro scoffed again, his arms folding against his chest. "That's idiotic," he said. "Wouldn't the marines notice?"

Kisa sighed, looking like someone that had lost all hope of escaping. "They have," she said morosely. "But they haven't doing anything about it, not with the King ruling here. He's technically not doing anything wrong, so they can't arrest him for anything criminal." Her lips twisted in an ugly expression. "Not to mention that they usually come here as guests. But normally, they just let the king do what he wants as long as he doesn't break any rules."

"Like Vivi," I murmured, remembering. "They didn't have any proof that she was friends with pirates, so they couldn't arrest her." Zoro nodded in agreement.

"How many people are here?" Zoro asked, and Luca thought for a moment.

"There are about a hundred people in the Viewing Rings," he replied slowly. "Each room holds four people, and there's quite a few…" He straightened, clasping his hands on the table and looking all the world like a lecturer. "In short, there are five categories, with about twenty people in each category. The Maid and Butler category, the Swimsuit category, the Little Sister or Brother category, the Formal category, and the Animal and Underwear category. As you can guess, we're in the Maid and Butler category. That means that we're required to serve food, drinks, and perform favors. The others aren't allowed to do anything…drastic, but it is probably one of the worst categories, because the participants really mingle with us."

I could feel my face growing paler and paler. That meant that what the man with the cane did was probably pretty tame compared to what was going to happen to me.

Kisa, noticing my distressed expression, clasped my hand in hers. "Don't worry," she assured me kindly. "You stick around with your friend; he'll be able to ward off most of the unwanted attention."

I swallowed heavily, and Zoro gave me a sharp nod of agreement, his hand moving to rest reassuringly on my shoulder.

Zoro, for the most part, was unforgiving and stern, a 'no mercy' kind of attitude. But he was a great friend, solidly loyal, and surprisingly kind. I couldn't have asked for anyone better as our crew's first mate.

I shook my head. "So that means that Nami and Robin are in the Swimsuit category." I turned to Zoro. "That shouldn't be so bad if we manage to get the kairoseki off of Robin's wrist. All we need to do is get lock picks to Nami."

Abruptly, the lights shut off, and I let out a cry of alarm while Zoro let out a startled oath.

"Relax," Kisa assured, and I heard the rustling of cloth before a small light flicked on. I realized that Kisa was holding a small flashlight, and she nodded at the door. "They always shut the lights off at eleven, so that way people would be able to get up early tomorrow for the activities we're required to do." She didn't look very happy as she said this, and I found myself agreeing. I wasn't looking forward to any of this either.

Soon enough, I found myself heading to a pair of cots at one end of the room with Zoro while Kisa and Luca moved to the other. A set of pajamas was set on the bed, but upon putting it on, I realized that it was much too large for me. In fact, the shirt was big enough to reach my knees.

I climbed into the bed, and I could hear Zoro settling down nearby.

Tentatively, I whispered, "Zoro?"

A rustle of blankets, then a grunt. "Yeah?"

I could feel myself flushing, even in the dark. "Thanks, for everything," I said hoarsely. I could feel my throat tightening as I recalled today's events. "I don't know what would've happened if you weren't there."

"'S no big deal," he replied back lazily. "I'd do the same for any crew mate. Even your stupid brother."

I smiled, and sniffed, wiping away at tears that threatened to trickle down my face. "But really, Zoro, thanks. I owe you one."

"If something like that happens again, you let us know," he said. "We'll beat the shit outta them. Even Nami and Usopp."

A smile spread across my face. A small one, but a smile nonetheless. "Thanks." The darkness seemed to encroach around me, and I could feel myself start to breathe heavily. I didn't like this. The pitch black room, the silence…My claustrophobia was reacting to the enclosed area, and I wasn't liking it one bit.

I heard a sigh, and the rustle of cloth before a hand clamped down on my shoulder. I let out a panicked squeak, almost too scared to scream, before realizing that it was Zoro. "God, don't scare me like that!"

"Calm down," he instructed seriously. "Take deep breaths. You've got plenty of room." Warm arms wrapped around me, and I felt myself being pulled up against a hard body. A familiar smell of metal, sake, and (oddly enough) pine invaded my nostrils, and I could feel my body relaxing at the hug. "You'll be fine. The others'll come and help us out."

I could feel myself nodding off, and decided that I was extremely lucky to have someone like Zoro in my crew. He was like Sanji-nii. He wasn't as vocal, and he wasn't as love-struck by women like the cook was, but he was still supportive and strong in his own way, like a brother. In fact, most of the crew members were like siblings to me. Nami was the annoying older sister that I loved dearly, Usopp, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper all older brothers (or younger, depending on who it was), and Robin was the distant relative that I didn't really care much for.

"…Thank you, Zoro," I mumbled, and I heard him grunt quietly, affirmatively in reply before I slipped off to sleep.

Luffy, upon arriving on this new island, did the first thing he could think of: find the biggest restaurant in town, and perform the biggest dine and dash the island had ever seen.

And true to his word, he was soon scarfing down everything within arm's reach (which really was everything in the restaurant).

His entire world revolved around three things: food, fighting, and his friends. And because of this, he was so engrossed in his food that he missed a large, rather ugly and sweaty man enter the restaurant.

The harassed waiter serving Luffy, however, had not. "Your highness!" he gasped, and rushed to attend to the man with a hasty bow. The rest of the restaurant had risen to their feet, and they were all bowing, everyone except Luffy. "I did not realize you were coming today!"

Said king waved him off, adjusting a crown made of candy on his large, balding head. "Just give me the usual," he said, waddling over and plopping down at the seat of honor, at the head of the restaurant.

"O-of course," said the waiter, and moved to the kitchens to get the King's usual order of a triple-chocolate cake.

Soon enough, the desert was placed in front of the king, and the man went to take a bite…

…Only to find it gone, and some annoying stretching teen at the counter finishing off the remains of his cake.

"Oh no," gasped a patron.

"He's dead," moaned another.

The king stared blankly at Luffy before his face reddened. "You!" he hissed, and he rose to his feet, stomping over to the still-eating teen.

Luffy paused briefly in his chewing when a shadow loomed over him, before shrugging and resuming. "You want something, Ossan?" he asked carelessly, and the entire restaurant gasped at the blatant disrespect.

The king's face reddened further. "You dare address me with such terms?" he demanded haughtily. "I am Amo Candy King! This is my kingdom!"

"Oh!" Luffy stopped chewing for a moment to bow at the man. "Sorry for my rudeness." And then he kept eating.

Everyone gaped at the rubber teen in horror and disbelief, which worsened when one of the plates Luffy was eating off was accidentally thrown into the monarch's face.

"Your majesty!"

"How dare he do such a thing?!"

The king furiously wiped the food from his face, practically hopping with rage. "That's it!" he snarled, his pimpled face steadily turning bright red in anger. "Take this! Ero ero no beam!"

A bright, rainbow-colored beam shot from his pudgy hand, and struck Luffy in the chest.

Luffy did nothing, and continued to eat.

Everyone's jaw dropped, and they all stared at Luffy for a moment before exploding into noise.

"WHAT?!"

"It didn't work?!"

The king himself was gawping stupidly at the teen, and Luffy patted his stuffed belly.

"Ahh, that was good!" he laughed, before waving cheerfully at the waiter, completely ignoring the king. "Thanks for the meal, it was delicious!"

And without another word, he ran out, his lanky form quickly disappearing through the door.

"…Ah…" the waiter realized belatedly, everyone still in shock. "…He didn't pay."

"Is it just me, or are there a lot of guys?" Usopp asked Chopper as they wandered the town, and Chopper shrugged.

"They all smell like sweat," he mumbled quietly. "And the girls…they're scaring me."

"Yeah," Usopp agreed, eyeing a giggling group with trepidation as they walked by. "They look like they would belong better in a haunted house than here."

"Then you should go to the Viewing Rings!" suggested a man passing by. They paused, and the man that overheard them grinned. He was moderately good-looking, but his mouth was a little too wide, his eyes a little too small behind round glasses. He waggled his eyebrows and hefted an expensive-looking camera. "I'm going there myself; I always like to take pictures of the girls they have there, they always look exquisite!"

"Viewing Rings?" Usopp asked curiously. "What're those?"

"Oh, it's a place that others can go to look at beautiful people," the man explained eagerly. "It's one of the most popular places on S'agapo Island, and it's a great place for inspiration for anything, or just to have some fun."

"Fun?" Chopper and Usopp's eyes lit up at that, and they nearly wriggled in delight. "Where's it at?"

The man smiled brightly and gestured for them to follow him. "Come with me, and I'll show you! The name's Picha*, by the way. I'm one of the main photographers on the island, so I know all the ins and outs for the Viewing Rings."

"Great!" the two enthused, and without a second thought, followed after the man.

Sanji couldn't have been more excited. He had been looking for supplies when he heard talk of the Viewing Rings. To him, it sounded like a dream come true.

So he followed the men to a large arena-like area, and was greeted by a bored attendant.

"Which way?" he asked, flipping through a magazine and hardly looking up.

"What do you mean?" asked Sanji roughly, gazing at the young man, who jerked his head up in confusion.

"You don't know?" he then studied Sanji. "Actually, I've never seen you before."

Sanji rolled his eyes, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a cigarette. "Our ship docked here just this afternoon," he answered, lighting the tip and inhaling the fragrant smoke.

The attendant brightened. "Oh!" He then proceeded to explain to the chef about the different categories, and Sanji was nearly drooling by the end of it.

"Take me to the swimsuit category, the swimsuit one!" he exclaimed eagerly, and soon enough, he found himself swooning and staring at one gorgeous woman after another, admiring their figures and the way their swimsuits suited their bodies. One in particular, a beautiful, green-haired lady with stunning blue eyes absorbed the attention. She was lounging in one display with a large snake, which only seemed to add to her sexuality.

However, a bad feeling seemed to be building in the pit of his stomach. Something wasn't right, and he knew it had to do with this place, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was.

Another lady walked out into another display area, and the bad feeling was quickly shoved into the corner of his mind. He could worry about that later. "MELLORINE! BEAUTIFUL, SEXY LADIES EVERRRYYYWHEEERRREEE!"

"Hey, Sanji!" He looked over, and saw Usopp and Chopper nearby, both with uncomfortable looks on their faces as they and another man moved over to him through the crowd.

"Isn't this great?!" Sanji swooned, nearly twirling in delight. "All of these pretty women, here just to model for us!"

"Sanji…" Usopp said with a shake of his head, and Chopper broke in quietly, "None of them look happy."

"Huh?" Sanji did a double-take, and was surprised to realize that their doctor was right. None of the women were smiling, and most of them looked…upset. Like they didn't want to be here. The only one that remained remotely calm was the green-haired woman with the snake, and even then, her expression was a frozen mask of apathy.

But that wasn't what was bothering him, Sanji realized as he stared at the women. There was something else, something that didn't involve any of these women at all…

…What was it?

The photographer that was with them sighed with disappointment. "Yes, unfortunately. They're the paragons of beauty, but none of them really shine. They're all muted, despite their poses, their outfits, their appearances…"

"This is Picha," Usopp introduced when he saw Sanji's confused expression. "He's one of the island's main photographers."

Sanji nodded politely at the man, and let out an exhalation of smoke. "So, what do we do?" he asked Usopp, and the sharpshooter thought.

"Why don't we just head back to the ship?" he suggested, seeing as how Chopper was still staring sadly at the women in the glass showcases. "The others are probably waiting for us. I think Nami was just planning on stopping by until the Log Pose sets, whenever that is."

"Ship?" Picha asked in interest. "Are you travelers?"

"Nope!" Usopp bragged, always happy to steal the limelight. "We're pirates! I'm the great Captain Usopp, and I command a legion of a thousand men!"

"He's not," Sanji interrupted before Usopp could go on any further. "Our captain is Monkey D. Luffy; Usopp's just our sharpshooter, and Chopper's our doctor."

"Really?" the man asked, intrigued. "Wait, did you say Monkey D. Luffy?"

Sanji nodded, a grin spreading across his face. "Yeah. You've seen his wanted poster?"

Picha nodded, smiling brightly. "Yeah! News got out pretty fast after he defeated Crocodile! Pretty amazing, what he was able to do! A hundred million's pretty great for a rookie pirate!"

Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper froze. "A…hundred million?" Chopper squeaked, and Sanji and Usopp gawked.

The photographer just stared at them in confusion. "Yeah. Didn't you know? He is your captain, and your first mate too."

"First mate?!" Sanji demanded, outraged. "That stupid marimo got a bounty too?!"

"Yes, sixty million. How do you not know?" Picha asked, looking exasperated.

Usopp shook his head in disbelief. "Monsters, the both of them," he declared fervently. Sanji nodded in agreement, finishing with his cigarette and smashing it out.

"Sanji…" Chopper tugged on the cook's sleeve. "We should get back. It's getting late."

Sanji nodded, and gave the photographer a wave. "Sure thing."

Hours passed, and soon enough, Sanji was starting to get worried. He, Usopp, and Chopper got back to the ship just fine, and half an hour later, Luffy showed up as well, laughing about a good meal and demanding another from Sanji. But the hours ticked by, and soon enough, Sanji started to realize what the bad feeling was.

Something must've happened to Hazel and the others. There was no other way around it. Hazel was a (mostly) responsible girl, and Nami and Robin would've been back by now. He didn't really care where the Marimo went (he probably just got lost), but he was worried about the girls.

"Still not back?" He jolted out of his thoughts, and turned his attention to Luffy, who looked solemn. Startled, he nodded, and Luffy thought.

"If they're not back tonight, we're going to go looking for them," he declared, and Sanji nodded, hoping that his worries would be unfounded, and they'd be back sometime during the night.

But in his heart, he knew that it wouldn't happen.

And sure enough, when the sun rose, the four pirates headed out to the city.

And that's a wrap! Don't worry guys, this is probably the worst it'll get (other than a little bit of bullying in the next chapter). A little humor here and there, with most of the funny stuff not happening until the next chapter.

*Picha means "photography" in Swahili.

Out of all the things in the chapter that seemed to bother others, I really enjoyed writing the interaction between Hazel and Zoro. She gets along relatively well with everyone else, but she doesn't really have a chance to bond with Zoro. The only thing she really does with him is spar against him, and there's usually not that much time to talk. So this is really the first time that she and Zoro have a chance to just sit down and talk.

Oh, and cookies to whoever can guess who Luca is based off of! It's a fairy popular book series, and he's one of my favorite characters :)

Please, review and leave a comment! Let's keep the trend going!

Posted and Edited: 9/7/2014, 11:11 AM