The morning had proceeded a bit quieter than normal, as Luffy had spent the greater portion of it atop the ship's bow, staring off into the vast ocean. Zoro and Sanji, he had decided, weren't ever going to finish their argument, although he sincerely hoped that they'd be wrapping it up by lunch time.

At the thought of lunch, his stomach suddenly rumbled and he hopped onto the deck, soon making his way up to the kitchen. Upon entering, he noticed Sanji skillfully slicing some carrots at the counter. Judging by his narrowed eyes, however, the rubber pirate figured that his chef was having a difficult time cutting them.

He was just about to open his mouth, when Sanji curtly said, "Don't ask about lunch. It'll be ready when it's ready."

Suddenly, it occurred to Luffy that Sanji's eyes weren't narrowed out of concentration, but out of irritation. Which, he decided as the cogs in his brain tried to work, was probably because Zoro called him a princess. Or something.

Realizing that there was no food to be had with the kitchen under Sanji's constant guard, the captain of the Going Merry was about to make his way back onto the deck, when Nami suddenly entered.

"Oh, Sanji-kun," she called sweetly, "do you think you could fix me a drink? It's awfully hot out there, you know."

All malice disappearing from his face, the chef abruptly turned around, knife and carrots left forgotten on the counter. "Yes, Nami-san! Right away!" And with that, he quickly went about making "the finest drink for Nami-san's beautiful lips to sip upon". Before Luffy could barely blink, it seemed, there was a petite glass sitting before Nami at the table, filled to the rim with an icy blue drink, equipped with a dainty little straw, and garnished with a tiny, yellow flower.

"Thank you, Sanji-kun!" She clapped her hands together with delight at the quick service, and sipped at the beverage, closing her eyes for a brief moment. "It's simply delicious."

Sanji looked absolutely thrilled.

"I want a drink," Luffy stated suddenly, looking over at the blond man. His statement fell upon deaf ears, however.

"I came in here for something else, too," said Nami before taking another sip from her drink.

"Really, Nami-san?" inquired the chef hopefully, a large smile on his face. "And what would that something else be?"

"My shirt," answered the orange haired girl, looking straight at Sanji. "I'm sure you remember the shirt Luffy spit on last night. I was going to give it to you to wash for me, since you were so kind to agree to do that, but you wouldn't believe how surprised I was this morning when I discovered that it was missing." She rested her chin into her own palm as she presented an even more sugary smile. "Sanji-kun, do you know what happened to it?"

"I thought I would spare you the trouble, Nami-san, seeing that you're so busy with plotting our course every day," answered Sanji. He looked up at the ceiling wistfully and sighed, "Nami-san is so talented."

"You mean you looked for it?" She tilted her head slightly. "You went out of your way to go into my quarters -- just for me?" By now, her voice sounded a tad sweeter than before, although Luffy thought he saw a glimmer of something in her eyes that was far more sinister than the tone her voice carried.

"Of course, Nami-san!" Sanji exclaimed eagerly. "I would do anything for you!"

Nami's eyebrows suddenly furrowed.

Outside, Zoro couldn't help but crack an eye open from where he was napping upon the deck, as a gigantic crash sounded from the kitchen. It was soon followed by Nami stepping out of the kitchen, a satisfied smile on her face. "Don't go into my quarters ever again. And next time you wash my clothes, I want to supervise." She stirred the straw in her drink. "Oh, and thanks for the wonderful drink, Sanji-kun. It's my favorite so far." And with that, she passed Zoro, drink still in hand and her head held high.

"It's Nami-san's favorite," Sanji sighed. "I'm so glad."

"Oi." Luffy suddenly poked his chef in the shoulder. "I don't think you'll be able to cook lunch if you keep that pot stuck on your head like that."

"…shut up."

Suddenly, a massive explosion sounded from the other side of the ship, momentarily shaking everyone off balance. There was a stunned silence, before a distant squeal greeted their ears. It grew louder for a few seconds before Chopper came running frantically up the deck.

"Wahhhgh! Usopp blew something up again!"

Well, at least it wasn't so quiet anymore. Things were definitely normal aboard the Going Merry for now; that much was for certain.

In fact, everything proceeded as usual, even after Usopp assured everyone that there was no extensive damage done to the ship. Aided by the same, long nosed sniper, Sanji was able to get the pot off his head and finished preparing lunch.

***

Luffy seemed to practically bounce in his seat as he ate his own meal, occasionally having something to add to the conversation while stuffing food into his mouth. After his plate was cleared, he went on to pillage from Zoro's, sneaking pieces of meat into his own mouth. When the green haired swordsman finally looked down at his own plate, most of his food was all ready missing. Naturally, his eyes immediately went to Luffy. Nami looked like she was caught between being amused and irritated at the two, while Usopp and Chopper conversed animatedly about their coming adventure, unaware of what the others were doing. Sanji merely finished his own plate as he stared at their navigator.

Riddled with excitement at the coming island (or perhaps he had noticed Zoro's knowing glare), Luffy suddenly announced that he was going to the crow's nest.

"Don't bother thinking you'll be able to spot the island as soon as you get up there," warned Nami as her captain padded out of the kitchen. He said nothing in response, however, which made her wonder if he'd even heard.

In actuality, Luffy had heard Nami say something, although he wasn't entirely sure what it had been, nor did he care to ask her to repeat herself.

It was only a matter of minutes before he found himself overlooking everything, both ship and sea, within the crow's nest. He felt as though he could see everything for miles around; it was absolutely amazing! The ocean seemed to glitter beneath the glowing light of the sun. It made him happy to feel the wind blowing furiously through his bangs, although he had to place a hand over his favorite straw hat to keep it in its place.

Suddenly, however, something in the distance caught his eye. He peered forward, curious, trying to make out what it was. The wind seemed to match his exhilaration, as it seemed to rush past him faster than before. His mouth split into a large smile, and his hands tightly gripped the side of the crow's nest. He felt someone behind him, but he didn't need to turn around to see who it was.

"Look, Zoro! See that?" He pointed forward with enthusiasm. "I'll bet it's an--" But the words never left his mouth as he abruptly looked up when fierce winds suddenly brought dark, heavy clouds over them. His mouth hung slightly open, his eyes unblinking. "Ah?"

"Nami never said anything about expecting a storm," muttered the swordsman from behind Luffy. There was a beat of silence, before he turned and began to descend from the perch and to the deck. "Well, better go tell everyone. They're still inside eating." Luffy only mutely nodded as he stared upward, the sky now a dark color, the clouds beginning to swirl. Zoro stopped momentarily, his hair furiously ruffled from the speeding winds, and looked up at the boy from where he climbed. "Hey."

"Yeah, okay." Luffy turned from where he stood and proceeded to descend the same way as Zoro, one hand clutched tightly at his hat to prevent it from blowing away.

By the time they reached the kitchen, however, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper were all ready standing out on deck, beholding the drastic change of weather.

"It got so dark so fast," said Chopper softly, his eyes glued to the sky.

"Well, this isn't exactly the first time we've seen something like this," Usopp stated as he, too, looked towards the heavens. There was a brief pause before he looked down at Chopper and added cheerfully, "I mean, we have seen stranger things, right?"

Chopper managed a nervous smile. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

Nami remained silent as she surveyed the clouds, her eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"I saw something when I was in the crow's nest," blurted Luffy suddenly.

"Is that so?" Nami answered vaguely, her mind apparently elsewhere.

"Yeah -- I think it was an island!" The dark haired boy grinned suddenly, leaning toward everyone enthusiastically. "Isn't that cool?"

Nami was quiet for a moment before blinking, and sharply looking over at Luffy. "Don't be ridiculous! There's no way we'd be reaching an island so early."

"But I saw--" The ship gave a sudden lurch as thunder crackled in the sky. Chopper squeaked, stumbling closer to Zoro all the while. Sanji easily made his way onto the deck with them, hand in pocket, not the least bit unnerved by the forming torrent.

"You know," he said casually to no one in particular, "I'd say we should probably be making preparations for bad weather, unless we want a table for six at the bottom of the sea."

"Right you are, Sanji-kun!" Nami said firmly, to which the blond chef seemed to lose most of his composure, a huge smile breaking into his face, his eyes sparkling.

"Ahhh, Nami-saaan…"

Rain suddenly began to beat harshly upon the deck, creating a massive racket, the ship giving another violent lurch at the same time.

"Don't just stand there!" exclaimed Nami, an authoritative tone in her voice. "Someone lower the back sails! We might be blown off course -- or worse, tip over!" Everyone scattered in a heart beat. "We have to keep facing the wind!" And then, as a sudden after thought, "And don't let anything happen to the orange trees!"

"YES, Nami-san!"

It was sheer pandemonium.

While the lightning tore through the cloud laden sky, the thunder seemed to rip through everyone's ears, and the ocean roared with an unexplained madness no one could understand. The waves crashed into the sides of the ship, sending it rocking heavily from side to side. It wasn't long before waves began to occasionally overtake the deck, their giant masses rolling over the deck in hopes of claiming some unlucky crewmember.

Despite the odd circumstances, everyone tended to their jobs properly; Usopp and Zoro had lowered the back sails, while Sanji and Nami tended to covering the orange trees as quickly as possible. Luffy handled the helm in an attempt to keep the ship straight, at Nami's severe insistence, since most of the crew were all ready occupied. Chopper, on the other hand, hovered close to Luffy, anxious to help if needed, although extremely frightened, jumping at every lurch and roar.

"This is fun!" Luffy exclaimed, pressing the steering stick forward. "It's kinda like a game!"

"A game?!" cried Chopper, barely able to stand on his two feet. "Games aren't supposed to be scary like this!"

Luffy laughed, his hands gripped tightly onto the stick, which caused Chopper to fret even more.

"Ohhh, just watching you makes it worse!"

"Then go outside," Luffy suggested cheerfully.

"Mff…" Slowly, with uncertainty, Chopper inched his way out of the kitchen, stumbling here and there as the ship lurched worse than before. He opened the door, which suddenly flew open in response to the ruthless wind. Jumping with fright, the reindeer stepped outside, reaching back towards the door to pull it shut. Gritting his teeth, he heaved and he tugged with all of his might, but to no avail.

Just as he was about to give up, another pair of hands grasped onto the handle and pulled with him, suddenly flinging it to a close.

"Zoro!" Chopper looked behind himself, only to see none other than the green haired man himself. "Thanks." He simply nodded in response, his hair weighted down by the copious amounts of water that splashed mercilessly onto them all, his clothes soaking wet. Turning, he swiftly made his way across the deck, apparently looking for something else to attend to, not at all unnerved by the violent weather. Chopper followed after him, out of breath. "I should've brought ponchos out for everyone!"

"No, it's fine. Getting wet's not gonna kill us."

"But--!" The ship tilted to the side sharply, and a wave cascaded viciously over the deck and into them both. Instinctively, Zoro snatched the reindeer against himself with one arm, the other hand gripping onto the railing. Chopper barely had any time to brace himself, and gratitude shined in his eyes when he was finally able looked up at his friend, for both of them knew that the reindeer couldn't swim. "Th-thanks!"

Zoro nodded, and gruffly said, "You're all right?"

"Y-yeah, thanks."

Suddenly, a new voice rang out from behind them. "Oi! Do we have another stick thing?"

Still tightly gripping onto both the rail and Chopper, Zoro sharply looked over at Luffy, who was just as wet as they were. "What do you mean 'another stick thing'? What happened to the other one?!"

Luffy grinned sheepishly, one hand pressed on top of his hat. "It broke!"

Both deer and man gaped at their captain.

Zoro's voice, rivaling even the thunder, tore from his throat. "It broke?!"

"Yes. It broke." Luffy nodded his affirmative.

Suddenly, another wave charged its way over the deck, throwing itself on top of everyone completely with all of its might. Chopper squealed with fright, pressing himself against Zoro's chest for protection, as the swordsman's muscles tightened in an attempt to keep himself from losing his balance, as well as to keep Chopper in his strong grasp.

It only took a few seconds for the wave to haul past them, but to Chopper, it seemed to take an eternity. When he finally was able to open his eyes, however, he could just begin to feel heavy amounts of water dripping from his fur.

He looked around momentarily, his breath all but gone, and he realized something with a horrible jolt to his stomach.

"Luffy's gone." Zoro's statement was immediate, voicing Chopper's exact thoughts.

"You mean he's--?!" Chopper found himself abruptly, yet gently, set back onto the swaying deck as Zoro's shoes landed beside him. At seeing the shoes, the doctor's eyes widened. "You're not going to--"

"Stick with one of the others -- they'll make sure you're safe."

"But, Zoro!" His cry was ignored as the swordsman placed one bare foot onto the rail before completely diving into the raging waters. Terrified for him, Chopper ran over to the edge of the deck, suddenly not caring how dangerous it was. He could vaguely see where Zoro had entered the tossing ocean, but he had no idea where he was! After several anxious moments, however, he thought he saw him emerge, a distinct, scrawny figure in his hold. Heaving a heavy sigh of relief, the deer suddenly yelled out, "I'll get something for you!"

Glad he could be of some service, Chopper abruptly dashed across the deck, careful not to slip, and made his way into the storage room.

I can save them!

His eyes swiftly scanned over its contents; several crates, a spare anchor, some dried food, more crates, and--yes! There they were; rope and a lifesaver.

They'll be okay…

He quickly snatched both items and began to race back towards where he had been, before a pair of shaking legs suddenly got in his way. Bumping into them unexpectedly, he stumbled back and blinked, looking up to behold a completely drenched Usopp, who was peering over him.

"Wh-what's going on?!" inquired the long nosed man anxiously, his teeth chattering with a mixture of fear and cold.

"Luffy and Zoro are overboard! There's no time!" And with that, Chopper made his way around him, and ran over to the rail.

"What?! Overboard?!" Usopp hurried after the deer, his own dark curls clinging to the back of his neck, laden with rain. "Wait! I'll help you!"

Chopper, rope and lifesaver in hand, peered over into the aggressive water. "Zoro! Catch this--" But the words died in his throat when he saw no one there to catch anything. Frantically, his eyes searched for them -- for any sign of them -- but to no success. His mind began to race.

Where are they?!

Suddenly, he took off in a run along the railing, keeping his eyes glued to the ocean. Surely they were there! Zoro had just drifted down further along with Luffy, that's all! The doctor gritted his teeth.

I'm just not looking hard enough!

"Say, I don't see them anywhere!" Usopp, who was speedily following, sounded as anxious as Chopper felt. "That can't be right…where are they?" He peered beside the deer, squinting against the rain. "They're…well, they're…" Usopp's words trailed off, but Chopper's broken voice finished the sentence for him.

"Th-they're…gone."

- End Chapter 2 -

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