A/N: Thank you both ( xXSanji-kunXx, and Imjuzakyd) for the first reviews on my story... spread the word, share the goodness. Oh, Btw... those first two reviews are also the first two reviews I've ever gotten that weren't by my sister out of pity...

You know the drill! Read and review!

...and I Do own one piece... If only in my dreams!

The Silence of the Singing Isle

Chapter II: Damn...

Two weeks later there was still no relief in sight for the now starving pirates. Listless and despondent from lack of food and hope, each of the Mugiwaras grappled with their own personal demons, and their rapidly fading mortality in their own fashion.

Luffy was perhaps the hardest hit by the ship-wide famine. Slumped in a boneless manner so exaggerated that only a rubber-man could achieve the posture over the simple lamb shaped figurehead, his stomach rumbled so loudly that it could be heard easily from anywhere on the ship. "Oi, Sanji… I'm hungry."

"Sorry Luffy, I'm fresh out of meat." Sanji replied in a tired tone. The truth is that he would have loved to cook something, but there wasn't a scrap of food left on the entire vessel. Besides which he was far too tired and far too comfortable with his Nami-chwan here by his side, her head resting on his shoulder, to even lift up his own as he addressed the captain, much less get up and walk to check in the fridge he already knew was completely empty.

"Damn…" muttered Luffy.

Had the situation been any different Sanji would have been in heaven, with Nami pressed up against his side as she was. He wanted to swoon over her, to love her as she deserved to be loved, and perhaps be loved by her in return. But as the all too familiar pangs of hunger steadily got worse and worse over the long days, he knew that such a romance between the two of them was never to be. It just wasn't fair!

"Damn…" muttered Sanji.

In a normal day of sailing Zoro slept anywhere from four to six hours in addition to the normal eight the crew got nightly. Ever since the food had run out the only things he awoke for were bedtime, and the occasional chance to hurl an insult at Sanji. The dreams were pleasant enough. He got to eat his fill from dishes so exquisite that some of them couldn't even be described. When he awoke however, he was still hungry.

If nothing changed he would be the last one to succumb to death's cold embrace. All the sleeping he did served to give him a bit more time in the here and now, but that wouldn't make it any easier for him to watch his friends die one by one from starvation. Why did it have to be starvation… it was a stupid way to die.

"Damn…" muttered Zoro in his sleep.

Starvation is a severe reduction in vitamin, nutrient, and energy intake, and is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation (in excess of 1-2 months) causes permanent organ damage and may eventually result in death. For some reason Chopper's mind couldn't help but dwell on the topic. Being a doctor was hard enough when you didn't know the disease or the cure. But when it was something as simple as starvation, where you knew the cure, but couldn't do anything, being a doctor was as hellish an occupation as there was. Starved individuals lose substantial fat and muscle mass as the body turns to these tissues for energy. The skin's pale and dry appearance accompanies this emaciation.

Unwelcome as the thoughts of slowly being eaten by your own body were, there seemed to be no way to rid himself of them. The only thing that could possibly be worse than the thoughts of the symptoms was the knowledge of the cure. And true to a sadistic and twisted form that information readily leapt into the poor reindeer's mind. Starvation is usually treated by slowly increasing food intake until no nutrient deficiencies remain. By this time, the diet of a recovering individual should consist of 5,000 calories and twice the Recommended Dietary Allowance of nutrients. It was almost too much to take.

"Damn…" muttered Chopper.

Visions of beli and tangerines floated through Nami's fever dream. What she wouldn't give for one sweet, succulent tangerine… but no, every single piece of fruithad been eaten weeks ago. Even the leaves of her precious trees had been consumed for the small nutritional value they held. With Sanji-kun cooking they hadn't even tasted that bad. They weren't anything she would eat willing if given the choice, but her cook had made a passable meal from them.

Huh… her cook. Nami hated to admit it, but she did think of Sanji as hers. Sure, he was a letch, and would do just about anything for a pretty woman, but that didn't really seem to matter right now. All that mattered was he was so very comfortable to lean against right now.

Maybe when… if… they got something to eat there would be something between them, maybe she could finally start returning the feelings he so obviously had for her. But no, she knew better. If they didn't die here she'd probably just go back to using him for all he was worth. A part of her hated herself for that, but such manipulation had long become habit for her, and she knew in her heart she wouldn't change.

It just wasn't fair! She'd either die loving this baka, or go on living, never even giving him the affection he so desperately craved, and possibly even deserved.

"Damn…" muttered Nami.

There just had to be an island… Or was Usopp just lying to himself like he did to everyone else? It was kind of funny, he'd always assumed that it would be a raging battle that would take his life. He would die a hero defending his nakama. There would be feasts and celebrations about his great adventures, and fearless nature. Or, there would have been, if not for the whole stupid dying of hunger thing… if not for Nami's abilities to make rain with the Clima-Tact he was sure that there was no way that the crew would even still be alive from dehydration. He would of course have stayed alive long after the rest of the crew, for he was the great Captain Usopp! Or was he just lying to himself again?

His only regret is that he would never see Kaya again. Kaya his lady love, the woman he would marry one day… Or was he just lying to himself again?

"Damn…" muttered Usopp.

She was living on borrowed time, and what's more she knew it. She should have died in the royal crypt in Arabasta kingdom, but she hadn't. In many ways death by crushing would have been preferable. At least it wouldn't have been as long and drawn out. Robin had gone without before, and was no stranger to hardship, but this was almost beyond her ability to bear!

Who was she fooling? She was dying just like the rest of the crew, and it wouldn't do her any good to try to pretend otherwise. Now she would never get to read the true history, and never get the chance to see her new found nakama accomplish their own dreams, no matter how far fetched or crazy they might sound. The unfairness of it all brought a smile to her lips. It wasn't right, but somehow it seemed appropriate.

"Damn…" muttered Robin.

"No! It can't end like this! I'm gonna be the king of the pirates, just you wait and see!" Luffy cried. With a glance around at his crew he gave perhaps his last command as captain. "I order you all to not die!"

But this was an order he wasn't sure they could follow. Could he follow it himself? He wasn't sure.

"Damn…" muttered Luffy one last time, before unconsciousness took him.

A/N: Arrrgh! so what'd you think me hearties? did the Mugiwara crew die? I guess you'll have to read on to continue... flame me, baste me, marinate me... do what you will! I'm a tough guy. I can take it! but let me know what you think... it's the least you can do... because that icy box of loneliness is so cold... shudders

P.S. before I forget, all of chopper's information on starvation was lifted straight out of Wikipedia I don't want to be a plagiarist!