Chapter 2: Luffy you dolt!

The Merry Go floated on the wide open sea, her sails pulled taught in the wind.

"Where are we headed Nami?" Luffy asked from his usual position on the figurehead. He was sitting Indian style and the dangerous water below didn't seem to bother him in the slightest.

"Towards a place known as Blood Isle." Nami replied checking her map.

"B-b-b-b-blood Isle?" Usopp's stuttering voice asked. Luffy and Nami looked around at him.

"Yeah." Nami said.

"I've heard stories about that place! It's scary and it has a curse and if we set foot on it we'll all die!" Usopp cried running in a circle.

"We're all gonna die!" Chopper screamed and joined Usopp in running in a circle. They ran too close to where Zolo was taking a nap and fell over his legs and hit the deck. Zolo cracked an eye open, irritation very apparent. Usopp and Chopper went a vague shade of blue and then hurried away, Zolo's eye watching them until they were a good distance away. Zolo then gave a little smile and went back to sleep. Luffy chuckled and then went back to staring out at the sea. Nami watched him.

"Luffy, I have to ask, why do you stare out to sea all the time?" she asked after a few moments of silence. Luffy turned to her with a confused expression.

"I thought it was obvious." he said.

"Maybe to you, but not to me." Nami responded and waited for her captain to give an answer.

"Well, the sea reminds me to be careful"

"But, you're never careful." Nami chuckled. Luffy gazed at her and then looked back out as the Merry Go rocked gently.

"Think about it." Luffy replied and then hopped off of the figure head and walked away towards where Zolo was sleeping. Nami was stunned. Luffy had just brushed her off! Or had he? Hmm. So, she decided to take Luffy's advice and thought. She even sat down and leaned against the rail, her knees drawn up to her chest and biting her lip.

The sea? Reminding him to be careful, well, that could only mean that Luffy was supposed to be careful around it because he could die in it. But then, she had said Luffy was never careful. Well, she had kind of made a mistake there. Luffy was careful. Although when he acted like a haphazard little kid, he still didn't actually hurt anyone, or do anything critically damaging. Nami smiled and shook her head. Luffy was smarter than she gave him credit for.

Luffy wandered over to the swordsman and dropped down beside him. He leaned back against the mast and tilted his hat forward, feeling a heat inspired nap coming on. He yawned and let himself drift off. He was asleep within seconds and his head fell sideways and ended up on the swordsman's shoulder.

"Land ho!" Usopp cried from the crow's nest. Sanji walked out onto the deck and glanced over at where Luffy was laying across Zolo's lap, the swordsman's large hand resting on Luffy's shoulder as the two slept. Sanji shook his head and then went back into the kitchen where he brought out a bucket of water, fresh water. Nami watched him interestedly as he strolled across the deck, completely at ease as he walked up to the sleeping pair.

"What are you doing Sanji?" Nami called softly. Sanji stopped and looked at her and then grinned evilly.

Uh oh.

Zolo was having a lazy dream about finally beating Mihawk and for some reason dancing bottles of rum. Where the hell that came from, he didn't and nor did he want to know.

He vaguely heard footsteps approaching but didn't take any notice of them. The next thing he knew he was covered in cold water. He shouted and jumped up, knocking Luffy out of his lap.

The straw hat Captain shouted and jumped up, holding his hat as he blearily looked around, and then his eyes fell on Sanji.

"Saaaaanjiiiii!" Luffy and Zolo cried at the same time. Sanji was laughing his respective arse off. Now, unlike Usopp who usually ran and hid, Sanji fought back, but, a lonely Chef with awesome kicking skills, was no match for a rubber captain and a swordsman who didn't have an ounce of fat on any part of his body.

Sanji was soon sitting under Nami's tangerine trees mumbling something about poisoning their food. Luffy went back to the figure head and gazed out at the ocean again. Nami had retreated back to her cabin until they were due to land, and Zolo was wandering lazily around, wondering what he could do to relieve his boredom. He may be a sleepy guy, but, when woken by cold water, no one can get back to sleep. Zolo spotted his captain and decided he may as well go and visit him. He wandered over, unaware, and quite frankly not caring, about the glares he was getting from the grumpy chef. It was his own fault after all.

"Hey Luffy." Zolo said as he walked up. Luffy glanced around and grinned.

"Hey Zolo!" he replied and then went back to staring out at the sea. They stood in companionable silence for a while and Zolo wondered why the hell he had come up here anyway. Oh, because he was bored, that's right.

"So, what's happening?" Zolo asked.

"Not much. I'm bored, can't wait till we reach that island." Luffy replied and pointed at the island they were quickly approaching. Zolo nodded.

"Me too." he said. There was the sound of boots hitting the deck and everyone turned to see Trace standing there, a broad grin on his face.

"Howdy." he said and dropped his bag onto the deck. Luffy leaped off the figure head, unfortunately, to everyone's dismay, he slipped, whacked his head on the side of the ship and fell into the ocean.

Zolo didn't even glance around as he pulled off his swords and then dived into the water. Same old routine. He grabbed onto Luffy, who was unconscious, and pulled him back to the surface.

Zolo then grabbed the rope that was thrown down to him and pulled himself and the remarkably light captain up with him. Luffy groaned and opened his eyes as he was laid on the deck. He then laughed and sat up, taking back his hat that Sanji handed him, having grabbed it before it fell off the side of the ship as well.

"Thanks!" he said and then jumped up, perfectly normal again. Trace watched him a moment, a bit stunned and then smiled.

"Same old little brother." he said and walked over. Luffy grinned and then looked around as the ship approached the island.

"What are you doing here Trace?" Luffy asked, not really caring, but, he thought it would pass time.

"Still looking for Black beard. He's slippery. I tied my ship to yours and came on up. Thought I may as well pay my little bro' a visit." Trace replied slapping his brother on the shoulder. Luffy grinned.

"Nee hee." Luffy said making one of his weird little noises. "We're landing at the island!" he cried and ran over to lean against the rail.

"Thanks." Trace muttered to Zolo, who shook his head and grinned.

"Nothing new. Luffy'll do something nice for me soon, you'll see." Zolo replied.

Trace chuckled. "Bet that ends in a fiasco."

"Always does." Zolo said grinning and then he walked off. The ship landed in the port and Luffy was first off the ship. He bolted towards the town and was gone in a haze of dust.

Zolo leapt lightly off the ship and ran after him, shouting and cursing angrily. Trace laughed and followed.

Luffy stopped in the middle of the town, people giving him weird glares. A man approached, someone who seemed vaguely familiar.

"Hello there." he said, the tall man looking down at the small pirate. Luffy found himself being a little cautious but smiled. "Here, free sample." he said and handed Luffy a piece of pretty yummy looking meat.

"Thanks man!" Luffy cried and bit into the meat. He stopped a second as the man was still standing there, but, shrugged and continued. He ate the whole lot, licked his fingers and gave a sigh of contentment. "Tasted a little weird, but it was good. Thanks." Luffy said and then turned as Zolo gave a yell.

"Luffy!"

"Yeah?"

"That's Wapol! The guy who tried to take over Chopper's castle!" Zolo yelled. Luffy turned back to the guy and tilted his head. Wapol paused a moment, sweat beading on his brow.

"Gotta go, bye." he yelled and then bolted. Luffy shrugged and walked over to where his first mate and brother were.

"What did he try and do?" Zolo asked as he watched the King run away.

"He gave me a piece of meat." Luffy said and shrugged. Zolo stiffened.

"Are you sure that's all it was? You don't feel different? Sick? Anything?" Trace asked realising that the weird skinny dude must have been a foe of his brother's. Luffy shook his head and then spotted something shiny.

"SHINY!" he yelled and took off. Trace put a hand on his hat.

"I forgot how much trouble he was." he said and then the two men took after the captain as he ran after the shiny object.

Trace had a hold of Luffy's right arm and Zolo his left. They had gotten sick of chasing after the captain and decided it was just easier to hold onto him. They had eaten and Luffy still insisted he didn't feel any different.

"I guess Wapol wasn't really up to anything." Zolo said. Trace nodded as they held onto Luffy, who was looking increasingly tired.

"Come on, time to go back to the ship." Zolo muttered. Luffy was about to put up a fight and he opened his mouth before he collapsed on the ground. Zolo hurriedly bent down and found Luffy was out cold.

"Is he-" but Trace was cut off as a Narcoleptic fit overtook him and he fainted as well. Zolo looked at the two brothers.

"Oh that's just great." he said. He lifted Luffy easily and placed him over his shoulder and then he lifted Trace, with a little more difficulty, and began walking back towards the ship, Trace under his arm. When he reached the ship, Trace woke.

"Oh, now you wake up." Zolo muttered as he put the stirring pirate down. Trace smiled.

"Sorry." he apologised. Zolo shook his head and rubbed his cramped arm.

"It's okay. Luffy's still out cold though." Zolo said and climbed up the ladder onto the ship. Sanji walked over, obviously with the intent of kicking the swordsman's arse because he was late.

"Where the hell have you been? Nami has been worried." Sanji said. Zolo glared at Sanji and pointed to the unconscious Luffy.

"Something's wrong. Where's Chopper?" Zolo asked. Sanji pointed at the galley and Zolo walked over and in. The reindeer was sitting beside Usopp and laughing at one of the long nosed liar's stories.

"Chopper." Zolo said. The doctor looked up, and then his eyes widened as he saw Luffy and he ran over.

"What happened?" the blue nose asked. Zolo shrugged.

"I think it had something to do with Wapol." he said. Chopper's eyes narrowed.

"Wapol? What was he doing here?"

"I don't know, but, Luffy forgot who he was and ate some meat that he gave him." Zolo explained. Trace peeked up from behind Zolo and looked at his little brother, worry showing on his usually happy face. "

Well, let's get him downstairs, then I can check him over." Chopper said. Zolo nodded and they went down to the boy's cabin and Zolo laid Luffy on the squishy green couch. Chopper did a thorough check up and when he was finished he shook his head.

"He seems perfectly fine, in fact, he's pretty healthy. He's just asleep." Chopper said. Zolo nodded and sighed.

"He's never done this before though." he said and then looked towards Trace, "Has he?" Trace shook his head. "Didn't think so. Either he hasn't been sleeping, which I highly doubt because I can hear the snoring, or he was just really tired." Zolo said watching his Captain carefully. Trace sighed and Zolo looked at him.

"You can sleep in Luffy's hammock if you're staying the night." Zolo said. Trace nodded and then looked around. He spotted the hammock that was stretched across in the corner and smiled.

"Is that it?" Trace asked pointing at the red hammock. Zolo nodded. "Thought as much." and with that he walked over and lay down, laying his hat on the floor beside the bed and instantly dropping off to sleep.

"I'm going to go and get his bag for him, he may need it." Chopper said and then scuttled off. Zolo looked over at the cupboard and then walked over and pulled out another blanket and a pillow. He wandered back over to the couch and lay the blanket beside it and then crawled underneath it. He slept on the deck all day, so, sleeping on the floor wasn't exactly uncomfortable for him, except for when his hip bones hit the floor, that hurt. He was just drifting off when he heard Luffy mutter in his sleep. Zolo listened closely.

"Zolo…" Luffy said and turned slightly. "No…don't leave…please?" Luffy whimpered. Zolo's face fell sadly and he sat up and laid a hand in Luffy's hair, the straw hat having been taken off and lain on the table beside the couch.

"I'm right here Luffy, I'm not going to leave you." Zolo whispered. Luffy smiled and quietened and then snored softly, indicating he was at peace once more. Zolo lay back down, thought a moment about what Luffy said and then went to sleep.

Hmm, Wapol actually managed to get the potion into Luffy? Eep. Yeah, I really have got to stop talking like I don't know what's going to happen.