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The Island of Angels: Chapter One






"I'm hungry."

Nami glanced at the rubber-human, who was lying down flat-out next to Zoro and Usopp.

After another frantic weather-changing mania, save for the napping Zoro, the crew was exhausted. Nami hadn't been pulling any ropes, however, and thus still had enough energy to draw out the rough outlines of some of the Grand Line's mappings. She was seated comfortably into a lawn-chair, the others were sprawled on the wooden planks of the deck.

"Stand the pain for a while."
Nami muttered, turning back to her compass and quill.

"...I want to eat meat."

"Shut up, will you?"
Zoro growled, finally haven had woken up, whapping the back of his wrist onto Luffy's nose.

"Too... hungry... to--, to retaliate..."
Luffy said with difficulty, turning to use Usopp's stomach as a pillow.

"Please!!"
Usopp exclaimed as Luffy's head landed on him heavily. Nami glanced at the lockpost, ensuring that their course was correct, and after dipping her quill in ink, she pressed the nib down onto the parchment once more.

"Get off me, Luffy!!"

"Meeeeaaaaatttt....."

"You're not the only one hungry, Luffy."
Zoro muttered, laying his head onto his hands as he gazed up into the greying skies.

"Yeah, I'm hungry too,"
Usopp added, using a hand to try to push Luffy off him,
"so try to bear the hunger while Sanji-- are you gnawing my sash?"

"Eh?"
Luffy asked, the white cloth between his teeth.

"AARRRGGGHHH!! Luffy, this sash is not food!!"

Nami was drawing a circle around a particular co-ordinate when the point snapped and the lead-holder broke, causing Nami to sigh as she turned to Usopp, calling out,

"Usopp! The compass broke."

"I'll--fix--it--for--you--later,"
Said Usopp as he struggled to pull the cloth out of Luffy's mouth. Luffy, half-concious thanks to his hunger, was stubbornly chewing the sash, and soon he and Usopp were tumbling around the deck.

"Naa-miii--saaaan!"

The love-cook burst out of the cabin door with a grin as he balanced a silver platter in one hand, and several glasses of orange juice on his head.

"Sanji!!"
Luffy tried to cry, but his mouth was so filled with fabric all he could do was give a muffled mumble as Usopp tugged ferociously at his sash. The white cloth was now so lodged inbetween Luffy's jaw, however, that the pre-occupied Usopp threatened to pull out his jaw with the sash.

"Why, thank you, Sanji."
Nami said sweetly as he handed her the platter, which held a steaming plate of sliced beef, along with a glass of orange juice.

"MEEAAATTT!!!"
Luffy cried, finally free of the cloth, tears of happiness blurring his vision as he happily reached for the plate-- only to be intercepted by Usopp, who pounded his head onto the deck.

"Look at what you did to my sash!!"
Usopp cried, holding up the chewed up piece of white cloth. Luffy ignored him as he jerked his head up again, led by the delicious aroma of the beef, his eyes shining as his hand eagerly began to stretch towards the meat-- and this time, he was kicked back by a familiar black, polished shoe.

"That's for Nami-san."
Sanji said firmly,
"It's the last of our food-stock, and it's always ladies first."

"Meat!!"
Luffy cried, rushing forward, but Sanji's foot planted itself into his jaw and he was sent flying into Usopp, slamming them both onto the side of the ship.

"Leave Nami-san alone!"
Sanji yelled, and Luffy stood up, leaving Usopp twirly-eyed and winded behind him.

"No! I'm hungry!"

"Just wait until the next island--"
Sanji began, but he was soon busy holding Luffy back as Nami chewed the food, busily sketching a few more lines into her map.

"Hey, is that food?"
Zoro asked with interest, scooting into a lawn-chair next to Nami. She nodded, handing him her fork.

"You can have some if you like."
She replied lightly, working out a calculation in her head as to where the third of the chain of islands near Little Garden was.

"Hey, thanks,"
Zoro said as he took a slice of beef into his mouth.

"Hey!!! Zoro's taking some!!"
Luffy cried indignantly, pointing at the swordsman munching on the meat he wanted so much.

"What?!"
Sanji cried, spinning around. Luffy took advantage of the moment of Sanji's diverted attention by running forward, but Sanji grabbed him round the legs, growling,
"Oh, no you don't!"

"Mm, this tastes good,"
Zoro commented on the fifth forkful as Nami sipped her orange juice with a nod.

"Hey, can I have some too?"
Asked the recovered Usopp, who had somehow made it past Sanji without him noticing, and was now behind Zoro's chair with a hopeful look at the beef.

"Yeah, here,"
Zoro agreed, passing him the fork, and drank out of his glass of orange juice as Usopp ate several mouthfuls of the meat.

"Nooooooo------!!!!!"
Luffy wailed, watching his so-called 'pals' eat up his beloved meat without even a glance at him.

"Just--wait--'till--the next---island--!!"
Sanji said with difficulty, now sitting on Luffy's back to restrain the rubber-boy as Nami took up the fork again.

"Meat..."
Luffy said defeatedly, tears streaming down his cheeks as Nami speared the last, luscious slice of beef onto the fork. Then, Nami stood up, the fork in her hand, and as Usopp and Zoro drained their glasses of juice, Nami walked towards Luffy slowly... with the meat...!

"Nami!"
Luffy cried out gratefully, tears of pure joy springing to his eyes at the nearing sight of meat-- when Nami bent over and pushed the meat into Sanji's mouth.

Blinking in surprise, Sanji obediently chewed and swallowed, Luffy's eyes wide and his jaw dropped in horror.

"Thank you,"
Nami said with a smile. Sanji nodded slowly, his eyes still wide in surprise, a faint dusting of pink at a cheek, when he quickly switched himself back to lady's-man-mode.

"Of course, anything for Nami-san."
He said with a wide grin. Luffy's forehead hit the deck with a loud 'thunk', tears spilling onto the wooden planks.

"You're all mean!!"
Luffy cried into the floor as visions of sliced-beef danced around his head.

"I don't know... who ate up the whole of yesterday's dinner?"
Sanji asked, glaring at Luffy.
"Uhm... we all did?"

Luffy suggested in a small voice.

"Yes... each of us a bite each, and you, Luffy, ate all eleven dishes!!"

Luffy seemed to be thinking hard on his reply.

"I was hungry." He finally explained. The rest of the crew sighed, when Zoro asked,

"Hey, is that the next island?"

Everyone scrambled over to take a closer look at the darkening rocky outlines of the island as Nami checked the lock-post.

"Yep, that's the one."

Luffy, who had looked completely drained before, was now wide-eyed and ecstatic.

"Wow!! Maybe they'll have meat!!"
He cried, his eyes shining brightly.

"Yeah, hopefully. They need a good convenience store, too. I need more tabasco and gunpowder,"
Usopp gave a couple of tugs on the elastic sling of his slingshot as Zoro stood up, collecting his swords with a hand.

"I need to buy a couple more weights."
Zoro said, flexing an arm.

"We can restock on all the food supplies."
Sanji mused enthusiastically, slinging a tie around his neck.

"I could use a few more bottles of ink... and Usopp, you still need to fix my compass,"
Nami added as she left the compass out on the lawn-chair.

"I will,"
Usopp replied as Luffy stood up, dusting his pant legs before leaping excitedly onto the head of the Going Merry Ho.

"Let's dock!"
He cried, and his crew members let out an enthusiastic cheer in response as they ran to the sails, the ropes and the anchor.

Nami shoved Luffy off the lamb-head and towards the sails, and took a look through her binoculars at the upcoming island.

"...Huh?"

She adjusted the sharpness of the focus, and stared hard through the lenses. Then she let out a groan.

"Guys..."

"What?"
Zoro asked, throwing the anchor overboard with a swift movement.

"We've got company."
Nami replied grimly.