Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.

Notes: This started as a NxZ centered drabble, but it began to expand. I have a a lot of love for Nami/Zoro, so there will be plenty of that sprinkled through, but this is now mostly an all crew general One Piece fic. All C&C appreciated.

Chapter 2 – From where it all begins

3 weeks earlier…

Water drops played a discordant harmony against the slick granite floor. The only glimmers of light came from cracks in the solid rock walls. Through this a lone figure stumbled blindly against the damp confines of the tunnel. His feet scraping against the rock pathetically. His strength almost completely gone. The only avenue left to express his frustration was to arch back his head and let forth a mighty shout.

"I'M HUNNNNGRY! MEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAT!" Silence. A few more seconds and, "aaaaurgh! Where is that old man? He told me I could find One Piece down here. He told me there would be FOOD!" Luffy threw himself against the wall, slumping on the cold, wet floor.

"I'm soooooo hungry. Fooooood. I wonder if anyone found my note yet? I bet Sanji is making something really good to eat right now." Drool began to trickle down the cheerful captain's chin and his happy food thoughts carried him off to sleep. If Luffy was a light sleeper, which was one of the farthest things from the truth, he might have noticed the thin panels sliding open in the rock. Light rays shot into the dank cave. Two pairs of eyes; one yellow, the edges flecked with sleep dust debris and red pus, the other a lively blue, framed by long black lashes, stared at the snoring rubber man.

"He's an idiot," pronounced ugly eyes.

"I like him! He has style!" retorted the man with the pretty blues.

"I correct my statement, you're the idiot!"

"Okay so he seems a bit on the thick-headed side, but this rubbery fellow would make a great new member to the crew. Have I ever chosen badly before? Unlike some people in this room." The taller man's spine stiffened at the slight and he swung his gaze into a tight glare at the slighter man. His partner didn't flinch.

"Aye, so you have had a run of luck picking new members. I'll leave rubber boy to you then. I'm more interested in what will happen with the ship he left behind."

"Deal, we'll meet back here in a month. We'll see who picked the better hand then."

"As usual Phaous, I'll take the boys. Do you need anyone?"

"hmm, don't think I will Braus. Good luck!" Braus' grunt indicated he didn't need no stinking luck, and with a meaty shake of Phaous' shoulder he walked off toward the docks. Phaous turned back to his new prize. This captain would be the best addition yet. He could feel it!

Present time

Only a twitch at the corner of her lips betrayed Robin's stony expression. She gazed with a mildly curious and happy eye at the pair sleeping against each other in the slanted morning sunshine. She had begun to question her own sense of perception when it came to those two, but it looked as if she was accurate after all. On the surface everything looked so peaceful. Like just another day on the Going Merry. In fact it looked even better than a normal day.

Robin's ears detected a sudden breaking of the silence. Hands snaked out of the kitchen door's framework and whipped around a surprised Sanji.

"mmmrgh," he struggled against the delicate hands that now held him silent and captive. Robin walked back and smiled reassuringly at Sanji. Despite his recent dejected state his heart melted at her glance and little hearts danced in his eyes. From below the upper deck he heard a delicate yawn, like a cat stretching. It had to be Nami.

"Did I really sleep like this with Zoro all night?" she blanched.

"Oh Nami-saaan!" Maybe it was the sunlight, or Robin's smile, but Sanji felt more like himself than he had in the past few weeks.

"Sanji-kun! Good morning! What's for breakfast? I have a good feeling about today," and the thing was Nami did have a good feeling about today.

"Would you two shut up," Zoro growled snapping both Sanji and Nami out of their smiles. Sanji leapt to the deck railing, preparing to deliver swift justice from above when he stopped cold. Casually discarded next to Zoro's legs were Nami's sandals.

"No." It couldn't possibly be true. He was jumping to conclusions. Just because he heard Nami yawning down there and her sandals were next to Zoro and Robin had tried to stop him from looking at the lower deck, none of that meant what he thought it might. Anger banged in his temples, blood rushed to his head, but just as quickly it diffused again. This was just another in a long line of disappointments and wasted energy that had been culminating the past few weeks. Without a word he slammed the kitchen door and disappeared to make breakfast. The happy mood destroyed, Robin, Nami, and Zoro broke away and wandered in separate directions.

"Something big almost happened, eh Captain Braus," a waspish, tanned sailor remarked. They were squeezed around the viewing scope on Braus custom-built submarine, The Lusty Ebi. They could see and hear perfectly all that went on at the Going Merry using the mirrors and sound bugs they had set up on board 3 weeks earlier.

"That was an interesting development indeed Worthem. Call the other boys. We will start boarding preparations tonight!" Worthem scurried down the narrow corridor leaving Braus to survey the now empty Going Merry deck. He only had a week left before he had to present to Phaous, but he knew he would be ready. This ship and its crew were a premium catch. There was no doubt about it. Of course rubber boy's crew had their problems, but it was exactly those problems that would net Braus an easy victory. The last three weeks spent on research would help ensure that he wouldn't be embarrassing himself in front of Phaous anytime soon. The salt-and-pepper whiskers on his chin wriggled in anticipation as he smiled. Oh yes, he would show Phaous a thing or two indeed.