The World Will Burn

Chapter 4

Nakama

Disclaimer; I own nothing within this story, it goes to its original owner and creator Eiichiro Oda Sensei.

A/n; Omg you guys, thank you all so much for the support so far. And yes, Robin is a thing, and what you are all waiting for, so, without further adeu, enjoy 3

.:TWWB:.

They were all bundled up on top of Robin, where they had pushed her to the ground in a dogpile. Crying, hugging and overall happiness to see the woman okay.

It took them maybe thirty minutes to right themselves and allow for the woman to stand up and let her hug each of them in her own time.

After a while her gaze was drawn over all of them. "It is so good to see you all again." Tears in her eyes. Luffy simply places a hand to her shoulder. "It's good to see you as well."

Usopp sniffles and walks over to her bag and points to it. "A bit much to be lugging around for your line of work isn't it?" A beat of realization shimmers into Robin's eyes." Ah, actually, that's for all of you."

"For us?" Zoro says with narrowed eyes. Robin simply nods. "Yes, a few gifts from me and the rest of the crew."

Nami beams, and clasps her hands together in joy. "So you have been in contact with the others?"

Robin nods. "Yes, I have. We are all doing fine and are living our life the best we can without you, but are all ready to go sailing once you're ready."

Luffy's form wisibly sags in his relief. "That's good to hear, Robin. And you, how are you holding up on the run?"

Robin's smile saddens a little. "I will not lie to you, it's been a bit difficult. But I know soon, we will be sailing together once more. Anyways, with that all out of the way, let's take this somewhere more private shall we?"

.:TWWB:.

Off in the safety of the clearing, Robin pulls the bag open and hands first to Zoro, two long items, packed in cloth, one tighter tied than the other. And once Zoro opens them, he is met with two very familiar swords.

"How?" Is all that is able to be pulled from his throat. For in his hands, is the Shusui and the Sandai Kitetsu.

Robin simply smiles in that secretive way she does when she knows something you don't. "Brook got his shadow back on his own, and pulled the sword with him, as he didn't want Moria to keep it."

"And Kitetsu?" He asks warily holding onto the cursed blade that rattles in the bound sheath, screaming for blood.

Smile ever present, and a bit more of a mischievous glint in her eye. "I stole it." She says simply.

Zoro simply huffs, a fond smile on his face. He had figured as much, Nami simply whoops in glee jumping to her feet to hug the elder woman.

"Navigator-San." Robin says fondly, the nickname that was once there first to try and keep them at arm length, now filled with nothing but fondness and joy.

"For you I have a few things. First, is this." And she pulls out a Log Pose. "I remember you having the devil's luck in even getting one as you set out for the Grand Line, so I got one for you."

The hug Nami had around the woman grew tighter. "Thank you Robin."

"The other, I remember you telling me once the chemical conduits from your time at Wetheria. the ones you use to grow your little clouds and storms." And she pulls out some small bags, with what appears to have some sort of powder in them, and Nami is in glee once more.

"The third I have for you, is one you probably wont like, but one Franky needs for the Upgrades he is planning for Sunny."

And hands Nami a rolled up long ass piece of paper. On it, a list of items. Books, chemicals, materials and a whole lot more that is for the upgrade of their home, all with a cost next to it. And Nami all but faints on the spot.

"Oh dear, this is… this is a lot, hmm, if we want to deal with this, we definitely have to grab the gold from Skypiea. So we can't change our route, and even with that we won't really be having enough for this… It seems I need to make more rounds around here and pilfer some more treasure from people. Luffy I'm sorry, I'm gone enough as is and this will take up even more of it."

Luffy smiles. "Don't you worry about it Nami, you do what you can to get us the money for this. I trust Franky, if he says this is the amount he needs, then that's the amount he gets. Sunny is his creation, it's our home, and if he says he can improve on an already amazing ship, then I say we go for it."

Nami smiles and wipes at her eyes. "I'll get to it once we're done here. Sunny deserves the best after all the things she has been through."

Luffy nods and returns his gaze to Robin, who walks over to Sanji with a bag the size of a bowling ball. "From Franky." She says simply, almost exasperated and hands the chef the package. Sanji's visible eye scrunched up as he opened the bag to get a look at its content. And immediately His eyes widen, wetting the tip of a finger and taking it to the powder that's within, and bringing it to his mouth.

"Holy, this is salt! Salt from the Aqua Laguna! How!?" He looks to Robin, eye wide in confusion. "I never told him!"

Robin hums. "I did, actually, and I'm starting to regret it." Sanji freezes. "What. Did. He. Do?" His voice is almost venom. Robin winces, eyes scrunched up in worry. "He is on a mission to obtain every grain of salt he can get his hands on and store it for you when you get to Water 7. I'm not going to explain how exactly that is going but… You'll see when you get there I suppose."

Sanji was about to blow a gasket before Robin handed him something else. A book. "What's this?" Shifting so the bag of salt is more secure around his shoulder and taking the book from the archeologist. "Something from Chopper." She says as she hands him two more.

Zoro walks up to the chef and pulls the bag off him so he can better hold the books being handed to him. A gratifying nod to the swordsman and Sanji looks at what he's got. Two books on anatomy, and one on herbs with medical properties that can be added to food. Holding off on the herbs one, more curious as to why their little Doctor had wanted for him to have Anatomical books. He has a hunch, but he wants to make sure.

He opens the first that was handed to him. And in Chopper's neat script on the back of the cover. "I know you are more accurate in your fighting than use of raw strength like certain others. So here, have some books I've memorised on the subject to help you improve that accuracy." - Tony Tony Chopper.

Sanji felt his heart swell, a fond smile on his face as he read it. Happy that Chopper was thinking about him like this. And it has been a thing that Sanji had wanted to talk to the Doctor about once they met up. Seems like someone had a similar idea and sent him these things for him to gain that information without the fluffball there.

Robin then turns to Usopp. And hands him five books. "Also from Chopper." She simply says. Usopp smiles and pulls them to his chest, they were heavy tomes, some about as thick as Zoro's bicep. And the excitement on his face as he realises the books are about poisonous plants and how to extract their poisons, along with how to combat them. Has him squealing like a schoolgirl. With another note from Chopper stating he better study these books hard, for he wont allow for him to work with these things unless he knows what he is doing.

The sniper grinning like a mad man, hugs Robin tight and goes to work and reads them with a grin to his face. That's a thing they have all noticed over the four years they've grown together. Usopp has been oddly quiet, not saying much, keeping to himself and only rarely speaks up unless spoken too, only speaks up when he has some crazy idea he's got in that big brain of his that is too strong to not be shared. His thing Luffy and the others have been speculating from their time there.

They all have one of those things they've been noting about one another. Nami has a constant need where she simply has to touch, be held, a need to know that they are okay. Sanji clicks his feet more, and a lot of involuntary twitches in his legs. Zoro rubs his shoulders a lot, his eyes glossing over too and zones out the stuff around him, can be found sitting like that for hours. Stuffed into a nightmare that was his and Sanji's shared torment. And Luffy. He has his moments where he simply disappears for hours on end, sitting in a tree watching the waves like he's never seen them before. They have to keep close track of him, so that he doesn't stay up there for an entire day.

They have yet to actually speak about it, speak about their imprisonment. But they know, it really isn't necessary. They will talk about it when they feel strong enough and ready for it, that time, just isn't there yet.

"And that leaves. Captain-San." Robin looks at Luffy, who's enjoying seeing his Nakama enjoying the gifts given to them. He meets her eyes and shrugs. "I don't need anything Robin, you've already given me what I want, to know you are all safe." A beaming smile on his face.

"I know, but Franky was still pretty insistent I give this to you nonetheless." And hands him a closed box. It was black, with gold streaks at the corners. Luffy plucks it out of the woman's hands and turns it over in his own. It was heavy, or the thing inside it was. Luffy opens the lid, and is met with two fist long pieces of metal. Unsure what it was he was given he takes one of them out and grins.

Zoro was the first to say anything when it was pulled out. A whistle from his lips. "Well now, isn't that neat." In Luffy's hand is a knuckle duster. Thick heavy steel, with large ridges over the knuckle parts with a bit of a point to them. Sanji walks over to inspect the thing over Luffy's shoulder. "Ouch. Those things can seriously mess someone up." Luffy grins at Sanji, and pulls it over his fingers, testing the feel of it in his hand. "Don't I know it! Did I ever tell you guys I was hit with one of these as a kid?" Sanji shrugs and walks back to Zoro who was Wincing slightly at the image of their Captain getting hit like that.

"You WHAT!" Usopp screeches from where he is draped over one of the books given to him. Nami looks a bit faint where she is seated up next to him, knees brushing while doing some calculations for Sunny's budget.

"Shishishi, yeah hurt like hell. But I got through it alright. Hey Robin, be sure to thank Franky for me! These are awesome, and not something I knew I wanted."

Robin smiles, with that soft laughter of hers. "I'll be sure to do so." She says in an easy smile

Luffy looks back into the container and notes there's a clip and some chain in there as well, designed for him to have easy access by hanging them onto the belt strap of his shorts. "Neat." Is all he says as he places the Duster back in its place closing the lid and putting it aside. Beaming up at the woman.

"I'm sure he'll be happy you like them, I think I heard the man talk about maybe getting you a pair that is partially coated in seaprism."

"Now that's an idea." Zoro pipes up where he's lounging next to Sanji going over the herb book. Kitetsu in his grasp. "We keep running into the stuff, but we've never utilised it much ourselves. I'm sure if we get Sanji something like that for his shoes as an example, his kicks will get some more weight and power to them."

Sanji almost looks like he's about to argue with the guy, before he stills for a moment. And then suddenly he flushes from his ears down to his shoulders, visible due only to the fact he's wearing a singlet.

"Sanji, please keep it PG." Usopp whimpers from where he is seated all but hidden behind his books, trying and failing to not be part of the conversation. The flush darkens, creeping up Sanji's face some more. "Shut up you asshole. It's not anything like that."

"Then why are you flushing like that?" Luffy pipes up, a smile to his face. Almost clueless as to what is going through their snipers mind.

An indignant groan, and the chef buries his face in his hands and mumbles something nobody could pick up on. Zoro smirks, laying some more of his weight onto him. "Couldn't quite catch that Swirly."

Another grumble, and hands ripping from his face. "Iva is a bastard and I both hate him for it and despise him for it, but part of me likes it. There I said it!"

"Iva-Chan! Oh man, I haven't thought of that guy in forever, he was so cool." Luffy beams at the memory of the guy.

Sanji groans again. "You would say that, you didn't spend two years with the guy in that horrid place."

"You're the one that brought the guy up Sanji-Kun~." Nami sings, where she is still going through the mental banking of the list that was given to her.

"I know." The guy groans into his hands again. And stays like that for a while.

"Sooo. Sanji?" Luffy pipes up after about twenty minutes pass, having lost his patience after the chef having stayed stubbornly quiet. Which is impressive in and of its own with their Captain tendencies of the patience of a bee. "Why bring Iva-Chan up?"

Another groan muffled into the chef's hands. And Sanji sits up, irritation clear in his face. "Because he has a horrible sense of practical joke, and has irritated me to high heaven that it stuck!"

"Context idiot." Zoro says in a mumble as he's cleaning Shusui's dirty edge.

The chef's shoulders slump in defeat. And with a weary breath he begins his talk. "Back when we were training those two hellish years. It was fine the first few weeks I was there, but by the sixth, I had worn out my shoes."

Sanji could feel Zoro tense behind him, and Luffy settled in closer. Robin was seated next to Usopp and reading over his shoulder interested in the book he was currently reading, but he still felt her eyes on him. Nami looked from Sanji's feet to his face and back again, and Usopp stayed silent, simply listening in.

"I went to Iva about my problem, and the bastard had this grin on his face, told me to hang on a second, asked for my size and returned with a pair of heels."

There was no laughter, no indignant puff of air or any of the sort. "And?" Luffy was mere feet away from him, that hard look in his face when he was Captain, that switch had been triggered. And Sanji didn't know what to say or think about that. So he continued.

"Iva informed me they didn't have anything of my preference, but he'd see about maybe acquiring it, but it would take some time. So heels it were, for the longest time. Iva never approached me about the shoes to switch them. I think he expected me to go to him when I was tired of the heels thing… But… I got used to it. Used to the strain, used to the ache, and used to the edge I felt in my kicks."

"So?" A tilt of Luffy's head. That gaze still, hard and holding him in place. "Why weren't you in heels when you returned to us?" Asked as if the mere thought of Sanji in heels wasn't anything strange, that it was okay for him to wear what he wanted, and how he wanted.

A scoff was all that fell from Sanji's throat, fond. Leaning into Zoro's form in a way to ground himself. "Because. I told you, he has a poor sense of jokes. The day before we are to head out to Sabaody. Iva presents me with dress shoes with a grin on his face. With a 'See, i didn't forget my promise.' And handed the things to me with a glint in his stupid eye. How was I supposed to tell the dude no, I could do nothing but take the shoes and go on with them."

Luffy simply smiles, that knowing smile he has when he pushes that final piece of a puzzle into place when he has figured something out about a person.

"I get it, so you want to get into heels again to get a feel for that edge you had when you were training, shouldn't be too hard to handle. Nami." He exclaims, turning to the navigator. "Since you are about Sanji's size, no offence Robin." "None taken Captain-San." "And the one with the money. Why don't you two go into town and get some for him now!"

Nami eyes Sanji up, a soft smile on her face. "Sure, I think that can be done. Sanji, off we go. Goa has some good shops and they should still be open, I'm sure we can find something for you there."

She practically pulls the chef after her by his arms, his face flush and confused, not sure what's going on anymore.

Luffy simply waves after them, a smile to his face and turns his attention to Zoro like he had forgotten something. "Hey Zoro!"

The swordsman looks up from where he's still cleaning Shusui, seriously, this sword is filthy. "Yeah? What?"

"When are you going to be getting your ears pierced again?" A shrug of the swordsman broad shoulders. "Haven't decided yet." He simply said, Luffy grins. "Alright, let me know when you do!" And simply walks off with the Dusters gifted to him. Probably to try them out on some wild animal or something. Zoro didn't care. Just shrugged some more and went back to cleaning, probably had to go over Kitetsu as well, but it was being a brat at the moment, so he'd wait a bit longer for the thing to calm down on the blood lust.

Robin stood up, giving Usopp a hug as she went. And walked off. Zoro watched for a moment. "Are you leaving already?"

Robin stops, a soft smile on her features. "I'm afraid so, I wish I could stay. Really I do, but right now for me, I have things to do, that and Brook is giving me a lift to Water 7."

"Ah!" Usopp stamers out, reaching for something in his pocket. "I almost forgot, I made everyone something!" And runs off up to Robin to hand her something, it looks like… String? Zoro isn't quite sure from where he is seated. "This one is for you." And hands Robin one of the things piled in his hand, and now that Zoro gets a better look. 'Bracelet' Usopp has woven all of them bracelets. The sniper plucks some more through the mess of woven string in his hands. "This one is for Brook, this Chopper, and this for Franky!" He chatters on. Looking the woman in the eyes as she gingerly takes the precious gifts.

She smiles. Pulls the one she was first given. A deep purple one with a crisscross of letterings in soft blue. And ties it around her wrist with the help of a sprouting limb.

"Chopper's are elastic so the thing won't snap if he shifts with it, I have also woven some small magnets into Franky's so they stick to him better. Brook I wasn't sure of what to do with at first so I made it longer for him to wrap it as he pleases around his bony wrist." Usopp goes on to explain. Eyeing the archeologist with a timid smile on his lips.

Another smile from the woman, and a warm hug to the sniper. "I'll make sure these get to where they are needed. Don't you worry. And again, I'm sorry I have to cut this visit short, but I have places to be I'm afraid."

Zoro simply grunts as he's eyeing Kitetsu, contemplating if it was worth the hassle yet to deal with the brat or not. "It's fine. Luffy and the others will understand, we will see you in three years."

"Three years. Yes, I'll see you all then." And walks off. Leaving Zoro and Usopp to themselves. With the sniper walking up to Zoro and handing him his own bracelet. A deep green one with shimmers of silvers and gold. The swordsman's grin is wicked. And holds his arm out for the guy to tie it around his wrist. To which the sniper does.

.:TWWB:.

Two hours later and Luffy returns with a beast he's killed for Sanji to cook up later. Usopp approaches the Captain and hands him his bracelet. A yellow one with red going through the center. Not even thirty minutes later and Nami and Sanji return to the clearing. Nobody says anything about Sanji's new footwear. Usopp handed them their bracelets too. Nami's a swirl of orange and blue, with Sanji's a mixture of blues and white. Usopp's own was a dark green one with black and hints of yellow.

Just as Sanji was about to look over Luffy's catch, said male pulled him and Zoro in for an impromptu battle. Dusters in hand, the chain to hold them already fastened to his shorts, shining in the setting sun.

Zoro grabbed his swords with a wicked gleam in his eyes, weras Sanji simply sighs and taps his foot against the dirt.

The first punch Luffy throws into Zoro is crackling with energy, as their Captain's will is flung into Zoro's midsection. Conquerors. Zoro skids a few meters, feet digging into the earth keeping himself upright. Eyes wide as the realization of what their training will entail now that Ace has left for his freedom. A quick glance with the cook, whose visible eye is just as wide, cigarette limp in his lips. Luffy simply smirks, fists raised waiting for them to get at him.

The chef and swordsman share a glance, a nod of their head, and rush their Captain. Sanji managed to get a haki coated heel right into one of Luffy's ribs, where he was unable to block in time. Zoro comes up behind Luffy, Kitetsu in his hand and slices it into the Captains arm. Luffy only just managing to get his armament going to protect himself against the cursed blade, leaving with his arm nicked, over being sliced. Disengaging from them with a good bounce away, Luffy shakes out his shoulder while a hand goes to his rib to rub at the sore spot he got kicked in that is already blooming into a deep purple. His grin never once leaving his face.

Zoro and Sanji feel rather than see the energy building into Luffy's leg as it comes almost out of nowhere and slams into them, another crackle of will being shot through them. This back and forth continues for another hour, only stopped when Zoro is hurled into Sanji where the guy was unable to right himself in time and twists his ankle going down with a groan. Still getting used to the new footwear again.

Since they don't got, Chopper around to patch them up, and they still got plenty of training to do later, they leave it at that. Making sure their cheff is fine while he limps around making their evening food.

Halfway into the meal Usopp speaks up with a fidget. "So, Luffy? About earlier?"

"Earlier what?" Luffy says through a mouthful of meat. Usopp fidgets again. "You know… When you asked Zoro when he was getting his ears pierced?"

Luffy beams, swallowing his food. "Oh that! Nothing much, I was thinking of getting mine pierced, but I've no idea how. So I was thinking of just asking Zoro to take me when he's decided to get his done, so I can get mine done at the same time!"

Nami ooo's at this. Leaning forward towards Luffy a smile on her face. "I never thought I'd see the day you'd be interested in jewelry Captain. Does this newfound interest have something to do with, oh. I dunno… A certain surgeon we all know and love?"

What was expected at Luffy's allie, friend and fellow Captain's mention. Was perhaps a smile or something else. Not what actually happened, their Captain blushing down his neck, and face hiding into his beverage.

Usopp chokes on his drink, Zoro and Sanji only giving one another a confused look while Nami's Cheshire grin simply widens in a knowing way. "You know, Robin and I had this interesting conversation before we left Wano you know."

Luffy's blush is burning almost glowing.

"Sometime the night before we left you and he were suspiciously absent. I approached Robin asking if she knew where you were, and would you imagine my surprise when she told me that you were… how to say this. Busy."

Her smile widening a tad, a glint in her eyes. While Luffy simply groaned and his face flush in a color approaching maroon.

Zoro and Sanji were blushing now understanding where Nami was going with this, Usopp having decided to hide himself behind the nearest tree not wanting to be listening in on Nami explaining their Captain's sex life.

"Aren't you…. Asexual?" Zoro asks Luffy through gritted breath.

Luffy is unable to respond, too busy on the whole not dying of embarrassment thing.

Sanji is flushed in red. Looking over at Nami that was sliding up to their Captains side. "Nami-san! Why bring this up!?"

Nami's smile disappeared suddenly, like she had just remembered something, an ache in her eyes, heavy and gaze long. Walking over so she's seated next to Luffy, an arm clenched around his shoulder. A shake in her body as if trapped in a blizzard "Did you guys know that there was an attempt at breaking us out of Impel Down?"

Usopp has returned to them now, and the air was heavy. Usopp was struggling with his words when Nami just shook her head, eyes downcast and glazed over. No longer seeing any of them, lost in her memories. "I know you know Usopp. I was more asking the rest, they were… pretty out of it when we found them." Her voice, barely above a whisper.

Luffy stiffens next to her, where Zoro and Sanji just inhale sharply in a hiss. All embarrassment and blushing gone from all of them, the mere mention of that place is sobering.

Nami continues, voice void of emotion as her mind goes back into that space. "I was the second to be found by our allies who stormed into the place. Law at the center of it all, I don't know exactly where it was that I was. All I knew was that it was cold. So very cold, lifeless and biting.

"Next thing I know, Chopper is in front of me, Law at his side and a literal army behind them. I don't remember much when they pulled me from my cell, don't remember much until after I got some proper liquids into me and I could think straight again. Do… Do you guys know how… long we had been in there?"

A shake of heads, Luffy still and hardly breathing next to Nami.

"Fifteen years." Nami says simply, a shadow in her breath. Letting the implications of the lengths their holders would go for the torment of a Captain and his crew that a certain man had a grudge against. It hangs in the air like acid. "We found Franky, arms ripped from his shoulders, legs crushed under heavy metal. He told us to go on, he would be fine… He said. Usopp…"

The sniper flinch, eyes heavy and gaze long. But not saying anything, allowing Nami to tell the rest what state he'd been in when he had been found.

"Blinded, and throat sliced, vocal chords destroyed. Brook we never did find, lost in a sea of skeletons, it was hard to discern him from the rest and we never did locate him, no matter how we tried."

Nami met with Zoro and Sanji's gaze. "You two… you were barely alive when we found you, Chopper was a mass of whirlwinds trying to help, but… We couldn't do anything. We… Lost you."

Sanji and Zoro couldn't meet her gaze, simply allowing for it to fall to the ground. Fully aware of the state they had been in. Strapped to walls with sharp metal, crushed bones and pierced limbs. Fifteen years of that, it's a miracle they even held out for as long as they did.

Nami's voice was raw, shaky and surprised that she could even speak at all. "Law found a hole in the floor with his powers trying to find something else about the place and lead those few of us that had made it down there into it… What we found."

Tears in her eyes now. "What we found…. tall cylinders made of seastone, doors sealed shut. Like whatever was to go in there was to never be taken out again. We found… Robin, first. It was too late for her, gone days before we even got there. And then… Luffy. You were alive, breathing haphazard and Law was at your side the moment we got that horrid door open."

Nami was crying, tears flooding down her face a shake in her body. Luffy was the one who held her now. Not saying anything, eyes vacant and distant. Lost in the darkness that had held him cradled and hurting for fifteen years.

"Law barely got his hands to your cheek and you were smiling, soft and so forgiving, a murmerd… Torao. A tear and, and… You were gone."

Silence. For what felt like hours, days and weeks.

"Nami." Luffy's voice filters through. A bit rasp and deep. "Why are you telling us this?"

Nami huddles into Luffy's side more allowing for her Captain to hold her like a vice. "Because i'm scared." She begins, voice tiny like that of a lost child. "I don't want to lose any of you like that again, seeing you so broken, so destroyed. It will haunt me for the rest of my life, and I don't know what I will do if something like that happens again."

Luffy tightens his arms more around her, grabbing for her wrist and placing her palm to his chest. "We are never going to have that happen again, I swear it on my life. We are back, all of us. and we will make the world pay for what they've done. Our freedom is our own, thank you Nami. I do remember that, but I thought it to have been some fevered dream. But knowing that Torao came for us, it fills my heart. Thank you Nami. For giving me that."

Nami only sobs into Luffy's shoulder, clutching at his chest desperate to feel that strong beat of her captain's heart.

.:TWWB:.

Their original conversation was picked back up again a few days later, yes part of Luffy's new enthrallment with ear accessory has come from Law. And no he will not explain his reasons as to why that is. Denying his crew this information with a flush face.

Zoro simply grabs the guy by the scruff of his shirt and hauls him away. Returning hours later with the familiar ear rings they all know and love hanging from Zoro's ear. And Luffy, wow. Sitting now at Luffy's left ear at the back most part of the helix is a golden band, much like the ones Law has hanging at his lobes if a bit thicker. Also at his left side, a large hoop that circles down to Luffy's chin, hanging from his lobe. While at his right ear, is a simple silver band that encircles halfway up the ear.

Zoro, it turns out, has returned with more than just the golden droops he had gotten back. It wasn't much obvious until the next makeout session between him and the chef. Where said chef all but melts into Zoro's mouth after being startled by something as the kiss got heated. That something turns out to be a tongue piercing. A simple bar with a ball tip, but apparently enough for some… extra excitement between the two lovers.

Excitement of new looks and… lovemaking out of the way. Nami brings them all together to make sure they have a plan for what it is they are actually going to be doing once Luffy is ready to set out and take on the world.

"Nami?" Luffy starts, making eye contact with the navigator. "Yes, Luffy?" Without missing a beat, Luffy crosses his arms and eyes the list Robin had given them at the behest of Franky for Sunny's upgrades. "How much do we actually need for that?"

Nami looks faint, white as a sheet. "Let me put it like this." She begins. "If we take our combined bounties that we had before taking on Kaido and Big Mom. Double it… We would roughly have half of what we need."

The air around them grew thick. All eyes on their Captain, for his bounty alone, would be over two billion. Sanji speaks up, after almost swallowing his cigarette. "Nami-san… What exactly does Franky need that amount of money for?"

"The short list. Let's see. Chopper's getting a big upgrade in receiving an operating room along with his normal check up area. The library is being doubled up in size and a lot of the books that are to be filled into it are expensive. Your kitchen, Sanji-kun. Is also being heavily upgraded. Sleeping rooms are extended, by the looks of it. He's planning a Captains cabin for you Luffy."

Luffy's face scrunches up. "I've had this argument with him before, I don't need one. I sleep with you guys."

Nami nods. "I know, I was there, for now, we should still grab the money for it as well just in case. Franky may have something in mind."

Luffy gives a reluctant nod and slumps into Usopp's side. Not quite sure what Franky wants with him sleeping separate from the rest of his crew when they've been separated long enough as is.

"Bigger storage space, bigger training room, and improved weapons for Sunny. Chart room is getting upgraded. Basically, everything is getting an upgrade, Sunny will by the looks of this, be at the least double her original size."

"That's the short list?" Zoro asks. Nami simply nods. "Yeah, pretty much. I could go more into it, but it's mostly just materials and more books and upgraded stuff elsewhere. Say what you want about that pervert, he's thorough in what he makes."

Luffy smiles, still with a bit of a frown at the thought of getting his own room. But Franky can explain himself once they all reach Water 7. "So, what do we need to do to get this money?" He asks.

Nami sighs, bringing up a hand to pinch at her brow. "We definitely need the gold from Skypiea. That's going to be most of the money we will make for this. I also want to rob Buggy again, he has a lot of gold that we can use. Anything any of you can think of?"

Luffy looks into the air trying to remember if he had seen anything of worth the first time around. "Alvida… maybe? I think she had just finished a raid on a ship when I woke up in that barrel, we need to go there to get Koby out of there anyway."

Zoro nods. "I'm all up for dealing with Morgan as well, he needs to be put in his place."

Sanji took a drag of his death stick, speaking through the exhale. "That Crieg had some stuff on him that could be of use as well."

"I-I'm sure the Black cats had some as well, they were an active pirate group while Kuro was at Syrup."

"How is that going?" Luffy perks up, looking at Usopp with that look in his eyes.

Usopp shrugs. "I've been friends with Kya for a while now, as i've told you. Pulled her out of that place as much as I can. Brought her along for a few pranks and running around the island for some exercise."

"As for Kuro…" Usopp continues. "I'm keeping her away from him as much as I can, sure he only just appeared, and is more of a half drowned cat right now, he's… gaining favors. But nothing I can't deal with."

They've all agreed, the less they mess with the timeline before Luffy sets out the better. Who knows what kind of trouble they will gather themselves if they start beating people up before it's needed. Arlong was the moment people started to notice him and regard him with wariness. Best not grab that sort of attention before it's necessary and they are fully ready to deal with it for themselves.

Duh. Nami wants nothing more than for Arlong to get off her home, but nobody has died, nobody has brought the wrath of the fishmen to themselves. So she leaves it at that. And well, she has made a point to try and be more open with Hachi. He had become a good friend after they had met the guy again at Sabaody. But only Hachi, the others can go die where the sun doesn't shine.

Nami nods. "Alright, so we basically do this like we first did, a bit boring but doable if we want the funds for this."

Luffy nods as well, a smile on his face. "Adventure is always something to look out for, but we can't really change the route, as we have to pick Chopper and Robin up, and we can't very well leave Vivi hanging, she may not know us yet, but she's still our friend."

Everybody nodded at that. Enjoying the prospect of seeing their friend again, they hadn't physically seen her since their farewell at the borders of her Kingdom that she loves so much.

Three years to go, three years and they would be ready. Ready to take the world by storm. A glint in their Captains eye as he turns towards his chef, something whispered in his ear, an askance of assistance. Pulling Zoro over for his opinion, the three started plans for some new sets of skills.

To Be Continued.

A/n: I will just say. I should have mentioned this in the last update that I am Asexual, and writing romance and kissing scenes is both terrifying, difficult and no idea how to handle it. Just letting you all know going forward, I will try my darndest but… its not going to be pretty -.-