NUUUUUUUUUU! I'M SORRY! IT'S BEEN SO LONG!

I'm really sorry for the late update! I had a MASSIVE writer's block about this chapter! (Since I write a chapter with no clue what I'm going to write next) and I'm thinking of writing some One Shots/Stories due to overwelming asks from PM and reviews alike!

HOPEFULLY I did an OK job with this chapter...There's little to NO romance but...THERE'S ACTION! THERE'S SOMETHING! *sweatdrop*

"Alright, Usopp. Why are you covered with burns?"

After all the anxiety about everything died down, Franky got straight to the point. Nami was literally on fire about her Clima-Tact and Chopper was avoiding her, trying to hide behind Robin.

"We fought with some sort of Lizard-man." Replied Usopp. "But it was different..It could breathe fire! Zoro was down instantly and I'M the one who brought him down! He was running away before it could even-"

"USOPP!" Nami and Franky shouted. Usopp fell over backward and starting trembling in terror.

"Fine...But the Fire Lizard was truth. And it was surprisingly tough. Even Zoro was having a bit of trouble."

Nami raised her eyebrows and starting thinking out loud.

"But...all the animals me and Luffy fought were stupid weaklings..." Suddenly it came to her and she screamed in comedic fear.

"T-THOSE ONES WERE JUST THE WEAKEST ONES?!" She fainted on the ground and the crew sweatdropped.

"Oi...What happened!? Did Zoro and Sanji come back!?" Luffy was running toward them with surprisingly, a straight face. Everyone looked at each other.

"No...But Luffy, are you alright?"

"Of course I am!" Replied Luffy defensively. "So...what happened?"

Once Usopp explained it to him, as you can expect, Luffy's eyes sparkled with joy.

"A-a FIRE-LIZARD!? AWESOME!"

"YOU IDIOT!" Yelled Usopp and Chopper as they hit him over the head.

Nami was on the ground holding her knees. Luffy got really beat up even with the weakest ones! What is with these animals? Nami swallowed and stood up.

"But...you and Zoro got really banged up by just ONE enemy! How are we going to be able to fight them?"

Luffy suddenly got serious and narrowed his eyes angerly at Nami.

"Who's saying that they're stronger than us? We've fought people TWENTY times stronger than these bastards!"

Nami winced at his seriousness, then added.

"But Luffy..."

"But nothing. We will beat them. Stop doubting our strength Nami."

Everyone watched this episode rather cautiously. Luffy turned toward them and everyone was taken aback by how furious he looked. He cracked his knuckles and muttered,

"Let's go."

XXXXXXXXXX

"THOSE BASTARDS WENT ON WITHOUT US!" Shouted Sanji. Zoro crossed his arms.

"Well, we have been fighting for five hours..."

"WE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN OUT HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE IF YOUR DIRECTION SKILLS WERE SO FREAKING SHITTY!"

An irk mark appeared over Zoro's head.

"WELL YOU WOU-"

Just then, a large bush opened up and out appeared the Strawhats, walking in unison in a very bad-ass way. Sanji and Zoro raised their eyebrows oddly. As they passed Zoro and Sanji were just looking at them, until they were grabbed by their collars by Robin and Usopp and pulled to the edge of the march. They looked very awesome and a dramatic explosion appeared behind them. Nami facepalmed and started yelling at everyone.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE WE EVEN DOING!?"

"Aw! Nami! You ruined it!" Pouted Luffy.

"RUINED WHAT?!" She yelled back.

"We were trying to march awesomely to battle!"

"IS THIS REALLY THE TIME?!"

"WHEN ELSE ARE WE SUPPOSED TO MARCH INTO BATTLE?!"

"WHENEVER! JUST NOT INTO BATTLE!"

"AND YOU SAY THAT I DON'T MAKE SENSE!"

Daggers shot through Luffy's and Nami's eyes while everyone sweatdropped. They waved their hands.

"Oi oi..What are you two even arguing about?"

"SHUT UP!" Shouted Luffy and Nami harshly. Usopp and Brook fell over while Chopper hid behind Robin.

"Can you two hurry up? I want to kill something." Remarked Zoro. '

Nami sighed and crossed her arms.

"Whatever, let's just go already..."

"Can we march?"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU MORON?!"

After about ten more minutes, they continued walking, Nami and Luffy huffing along staring at each other with funny angered expressions. Sanji and Zoro were walking side by side, as if they WEREN'T just fighting for five hours straight. Chopper and Robin looked at each other smiling.

"OI! I SEE SOMETHING!"

Everyone whirled around at Usopp's shout and they did, indeed, see something. Many things. Animals of different species and some of similar walked toward them in such great number that they couldn't even estimate. Everyone gawked at the sheer number of them all.

"So...many..."

Everyone looked at Luffy, who was trying to use a conqueror's haki on them. No go. He glared at the animals.

"Looks like I'll have to fight you all the hard way, eh?"

Nami was about to stop the monster trio as they charged, but then she remembered.

"We will beat them. Stop doubting our strength Nami."

Nami swallowed and started yelling at the other to join them.

"WHY AREN'T YOU COMING?!" Shouted Usopp angerly.

Nami crossed her arms and stuck her chin in the air.

"Because...My weapon was stolen.."

Nami may have seen snooty by the way she said that, but on the inside, she was feeling horrible. She watched the others fight all the animals and wished she could fight alongside them. She was so caught up in thinking about this, she didn't realize that her crew was starting to wear out.

"They...*pant pant* are getting harder!" Breathed out Franky.

"How many of these shitty animals are there?!" Added Sanji.

Luffy and Zoro were the only ones who hadn't stopped for a breather. Every few seconds you heard "Pistol!" or "Oni Giri" or something else of that nature. Luffy and Zoro smirked at each other before whipping out a double-team on a quite tough enemy. Everyone watched in awe, until they heard Nami.

"YOU BUMS! JOIN THEM OR ELSE I'LL REALLY HURT YOU!"

The others yipped in fright and began fighting once more.

Luffy's mind was turned off, as it mostly was when he was fighting. All he thought about was winning, and that was all. Suddenly, something caught him off guard and turned his mind back on. An alligator-man had spun it's massive tail straight into his back, sending him flying into a boulder. Everyone saw this and was momentarily distracted.

"LUFFY!"

Luffy was fine, but this split-second of distraction was all the animals needed. Nami watched in horror as, in the span of a single second., every one of her crew was striked with immense power. Chopper and Usopp were knocked out instantly. By some sheer luck, a pig-man had accidentally hit Franky straight in the back. Robin and Brook were on the ground, trying to pull the others out, while Zoro and Sanji were trying to get back on their feet.

"Hello-neko, Cutie-neko..."

Nami's pupils grew smaller and she slowly turned around, seeing the cat-man with several other cat-men. The one who had spoken had Nami's Clima-Tact slung on his shoulder. They all had dangerous smiles on their whiskered faces.

Nami stood there frozen for a moment, until she heard Luffy's demanding voice.

"NAMI! GET OVER HERE NOW! RUN!"

Luffy coughed harshly, then stood up from the rubble and started sprinting toward her. Without any hesitation, Nami starting running as fast as her legs could carry her. Their hands were about three inches apart when, almost as if in slow motion, the collar of her shirt was grabbed and she was thrown backwards. Luffy tripped at the sudden motion and cried out desperately.

"NAMI!"

Nami was caught by a cheetah-man, who tucked her under his arm and ran into the forest at an exceptional speed. Luffy picked himself up and shouted, his voice cracking a little.

"THEY'VE GOT NAMI!"

Every single one of the crew members, (including the now-awakened Usopp and Chopper) jolted their head up. The cat with the Clima-Tact grinned and announced to the other animals.

"Our task is done. Let's return to Teddy-Sama!"

"AYE!" The animals all sprinted into the forest also, the cat-man following behind. None of them even glancing back at the petty-looking pirates.

Luffy stood panting, staring at the forest with a frighting expression. Then he bolted into it without warning. Everyone called after him nervously. They all looked at each other with pained expressions, then ran after him.

XXXXXXXXXX

"It's hopeless! We won't catch up to him!" Choked an out-of-breath Usopp, who was running alongside the others. "He's fast! And he got a head-start!"

"So what? What kind of crew would we be if we just let our Captain die?!" Replied Zoro harshly. Usopp flinched, then shut up.

Suddenly, some sort of speeding object barreled into the Strawhats from the side, causing everyone to be knocked over.

"Luffy!?"

It was, indeed, a Luffy who had barreled into them. They all lay panting on the ground, except for Chopper.

"I thought you were chasing after them?!"

"I WAS!" Snapped Luffy, who was weezing with exhaustion. "I lost them! I dunno where I am!"

"You went in a circle..." Muttered Zoro. "How idiotic..."

"SAYS YOU!" Shouted Chopper.

Luffy sat up, and they all decided to sit there for a bit to try to figure out what to do.

"We should hurry up. Nami might get hurt by those animals." Remarked Franky.

"But where would they be?!"

"Somewhere in the forest!"

"I know that!"

"It took us almost two days to find them, and that was when they were TRYING to be found." Added Robin. "Now that they're hiding, who knows how long it will take to find them?"

"And she doesn't even have a weapon to defend hers-"

"SHUT UP!" Shouted Luffy, who was sitting by himself by a tree. Everyone looked toward him alertly.

"I KNOW that this is a bad situation! I already feel like I let everyone down! I don't need to be reminded on what horrible things could happen or are happening to my navigator! So just SHUT UP already!"

"Luffy-San..." whispered Brook to himself. Everyone nodded and stood up.

"You're right..." Was all they said. They started to walk when Luffy stood up and blocked them with his arm.

"I'll go by myself. So no one else is hurt."

Sanji furrowed his eyebrows and stepped around his arm.

"Well, I'm going to help Nami-San too." He announced. Zoro crossed his arms and sighed.

"Well, If Love Cook here is going, I don't want him to have all the fun."

Luffy's angry demeanor turned to an expressionless one. Zoro and Sanji smiled and grabbed Usopp from behind a tree he was hiding.

"O-OI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" He squirmed as Zoro plopped Usopp beside them. Usopp stopped resisting and realized what was going on. He sighed. Were they really so nostalgic NOW?

"The rest of you...wait for us back at camp." Said Zoro.

"Aye."

Usopp, Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy turned around, smirking at each other.

"Here we are again."

"This brings back memories."

"I get to save Nami-Swan again.."

"Really. You three are morons..."

The four men started walking deeper into the forest, side-by-side, just like they did two years ago at Arlong Park.

XXXXXXXXXX

Nami was thrown into a cell. She didn't know where. She didn't know how. She scuttled over to the corner of the cell, feeling utter helplessness. She was scared. Tears dripped from her eyes, and she whispered desperately,

"Save me...Luffy..."

Ok doke! Finally!

Don't fret! I promise that there will be PLENTY of romance for everyone starting next chapter! I was just in an action-y mood this week.

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