Gemini: Yo, to all you peoples that made it to this chapter! Glad you could make it!

Sagi: We would have been here sooner if you would actually update this like a normal fic!

Gemini: Stop your whining. I got it up here finally, didn't I?

Sagi: ...

Draco: This better be better than the first chapter. 'Cuz that one stunk.

Gemini: I hope its better. I'm also appreciative to those people who reviewed...including Draco...even though she was bashing me...oh well...I deserve it.

Draco: You got that right, imouto-chan.

Gemini: Well, anyways, I don't own One Piece, so don't sue me, please! Now go ahead and read the chapter!

Chapter 2

I Need Sleep

Nami sighed impatiently as she scanned the docks. She and Usopp had been waiting for a good fifteen minutes and still there was no sign of the stupid idiots that made up the rest of the pirate crew. If those boys didn't hurry up, she would probably board the ship tied next to their own and start looking for treasure.

Her fingers were just twitching to snatch up some beli, but she knew that it wouldn't be good to steal it from anyone but pirates; it was against her code.

Five minutes later the orange-top lost her resolve and dumped the shopping bags she was holding on Usopp. She slipped up the gang plank of the ship, marveling at the fancy carvings all along the railing. The bow of the ship held the shape of some sort of dragon, and that too caught Nami's wandering eyes.

Whoever owned this ship was rich. A smile gripped her face tightly and she swung herself onto the deck with ease. The sight that reached her eyes made her stop dead in her tracks.

Sure there were strange tales that circulated about the Grand Line, but she had never heard anything about something of this sort.

Covering the deck were random ice sculptures that had tints of color coming from the centers. It was as if something had been frozen and that's what was coming through. The ice shapes were just slightly larger than a grown man, and they showed no sign of melting in the hot sun.

Weapons cluttering the ship gave way to the fact that this ship obviously wasn't so friendly. Not only the arsenal, but the still air sent cold shivers cascading down her spine.

Nami folded her arms over her chest and let out a silent breath. This place seemed so surreal. She walked along the deck towards the entrance to the lower decks and hopefully to treasure. At one point she thought for sure that one of the ice clumps was a frozen man glaring at her.

When she finally reached the door, Nami was feeling a bit like she was in a graveyard and she felt like she was surrounded by death. She reached out a hesitant hand and opened the wooden door, almost afraid of what she would find inside.

A warm kitchen greeted her. All the way down to the heart-warming aroma of cooking food. By the stove stood a man with dark gray hair, whistling and stirring something.

"Is that you, Mouse?" The guy turned his head slightly, revealing a young and extremely handsome face. His wooden spoon and frying pan flew into the air and his face filled with surprise. "You're not Mouse! Intruder! Intruder!" Before his utensils and cooking fell on the floor, he caught them and rescued what must have been fried rice.

The guy's brown eyes were warm, even though he seemed to be hissing at her...and was his nose twitching? Nami stepped back slightly, surprise written very clearly on her face. She hadn't realized someone was still on board. Scolding herself silently for assuming that the ship was unoccupied, Nami turned and ran.

She didn't stop running until she was off of the ship and standing next to Usopp, breathing heavily. "Remind me...never to...get on strange...ships again..."

Usopp turned slightly to her, his eyes glistening in confusion. "What happened?"

"Scary." One word was all she could muster to describe her encounter with the ghost ship and its one inhabitant.

"Oi, Nami-san ♥!" Nami looked up and saw Sanji trying to run towards her. He was being held back by a curvy woman with white hair streaked with black. That's strange; almost beats the ghost ship.

She could see Luffy and Zoro following behind, and could see someone hanging off one of Luffy's arms. That person had a large straw hat on their head and soft gray hair. Another shiver raced down her back as she thought about the guy on the ghost ship again.

Next to Zoro and Luffy walked a little girl with her black hair in pigtails and wearing a skirt that came to about mid-thigh. Did the boys go to the local brothel or something? How disturbing. But you can't expect much better from pirates.

Luffy smiled his typical goofy grin and showed off his teeth to Nami and Usopp. The person clinging to him also smiled; although hers was just a little bit creepier.

When the two groups finally made contact, it was Zoro who spoke first. "Sorry about the creeps, Nami, they just kind of followed us here."

Nami realized that she must have had a horrified look on her face, and quickly corrected it.

"We did not follow you, pompous buffoon. Our ship is docked here." The short one with black hair glared up at Zoro, and Nami just stared at her. Were those cat ears on her head?

"Kitty, don't be silly! Of course we followed them! You said you never wanted to step foot on that ship a-"

The red-headed girl watched as the short girl gave the gray-haired one a meaningful glare and silenced the taller one instantly.

Luffy just shrugged, not really caring even though it was his arm being clung to. "Sanji, I'm hungry. When are we going to eat?"

Sanji stopped struggling to get to Nami long enough to look back at Luffy. "Didn't you get something at the tavern?"

Zoro shook his head. "We were about to when these weirdoes showed up. Then we just came here."

Usopp, who had been listening silently, just shook his head. "You guys. Let's sail before the marines catch up with us again."

"What's with that nose?"

Nami's eyes widened and she looked at the curvy woman with white hair streaked with black. So far no one had dared comment about Usopp's nose. Why was she so rude? A look back at Usopp gave Nami the impression that the curly-haired pirate was trying to keep himself calm.

"What did you say?" Usopp ground out the words, his face turned down and his eyes not visible.

"I asked what was with that nose." The woman swung her weight to one leg and jutted out her hip, her hand resting on it in a fist. She had a smug look on her face and Nami wanted to wipe it off. But this was Usopp's battle, not her own.

Nami caught a flash of the anger in Usopp's eyes before he whipped out his slingshot and fired at the woman. Before anyone could blink, the woman swept the projectile away with one hand and let it fall harmlessly to the side.

"That hurt my hand." The woman pouted, looking at her hand, which was now bright red where it had made contact with the object flung at her. "Fine, your nose may be long, but perhaps you should lengthen your patience a bit to match."

"Tigger, you shouldn't be so mean to the guy. He has pretty good aim with that thing." Nami turned and looked at the one clinging to Luffy again. This was getting really confusing. Who were these people?

The woman, called Tigger, sighed and pressed her bruised hand to her lips. "Yeah, don't want to have a second round with the slingshot."

An annoyed look on Usopp's face alerted Nami to the fact that he was still angry. She didn't blame him, really. These people were obnoxious!

The midget-sized girl walked right up to Usopp and looked at him in the eyes. "I apologize for my crews' vulgar behavior. You have to understand that we haven't been having a very mood-improving stay on this island and so may seem a bit...well, uncivilized."

Nami almost dropped her lower jaw. Now what kind of junk were they spewing from their mouths?

"As a proper apology, I'd like to invite you aboard my ship for supper." The little girl with the pigtails bowed slightly to Usopp and then beckoned him to follow her.

She was leading him straight to the creepy ghost ship. What scared her was that Usopp was following; along with the rest of the crew. There was no way she was going to get back on that ship. No way!

Everyone was aboard the boat and she was left alone on the dock, twiddling her thumbs and rocking back onto her heels nervously.

But what if those women turned Luffy and the others into ice-sculptures as well? Nami turned towards the ship and ran as fast as she could, jumping over the railing and onto the dreary deck. The door to the kitchen was open and light was pouring out. Talking carried to her as well, but she couldn't make out what was being said.

Clenching her teeth, Nami braved the path to the kitchen door and burst in, panting from her mad dash.

"Decided to join us?" Nami looked at everyone there in surprise. Her entire crew was still all there and accounted for. She let out a sigh of relief and walked fully into the room.

"That's the intruder Rat saw before, captain."

With horror she looked up and saw the man from before standing by the table and pointing an accusing finger at her. "N-no...I...I wasn't...eh." Nami grinned sheepishly, feeling awkward with how everything was turning out. She was definitely regretting coming aboard earlier without the invite.

The girl with cat ears cocked an eyebrow at her. "You gave Rat quite the scare there, you know. What were you doing aboard before?" Some hint of amusement in the girl's eyes relaxed Nami a bit, and she shrugged while sitting down at the table.

"What's with all the ice sculptures outside, anyway?" Nami looked curiously at the crew of this ghostly ship.

The one with soft gray hair leaned back in her chair, pulling off the overly-large straw hat and allowing her tresses to cascade down her back. "The crew had mutiny on their minds, so Kitty froze 'em all."

Nami froze figuratively. That girl had said that so calmly, like it was no big deal at all. Did these people not value human life or something? All those ice clumps out there...those had once been men. She glared coldly at the black-haired girl, since she was the one being referred to as Kitty.

"How?" Luffy seemed to have perked up; before he had just been slumped in a chair, waiting for the food to be set on the table.

"Kitty" smirked, her hand waving at "Rat." She must have given him some silent command, because a few seconds later he was setting out the food and plates for everyone. "How did I freeze them all, you ask?" The laughter in those cold eyes made Nami flinch.

It suddenly dawned on her: these people were pirates. Of course they wouldn't hold human life in very high regard!

Luffy seemed very intent on hearing whatever this Kitty had to say, because he hadn't yet dived into the like he normally did when it was put in front of him.

"Simple, a devil's fruit."

You

Can't

Escape

Death

Gemini: Yeah, Draco said I shouldn't put "I do not sleep" since that isn't my problem. Sleeping all the time is. So my little mantra has changed...though I just know Draco's going to dislike this one even more.

Draco: Duh! It's morbid! "You can't escape death." What's that all about? You seriously need to shape up, pathetic little Gemini.

Sagi: I think Gem's fine the way she is.

Draco: ::laughing:: Ha! You haven't a clue!

Gemini: Draco, are you coming home for Thanksgiving? Okay everyone, please review my story, and Dray, I really want an answer, since okaa-san hasn't a clue whether you're coming or not...I'm sure otou-san does though...ja ne, minna-san!