As you can all guess, the end of the story is... not near. I don't have any idea what to do yet, but I don't want to end it yet. If you have any ideas what our lovely couple could be doing next, review or send me a message!

Also, I don't have people beta reading, so there are always stupid mistakes. I hope you can forgive me!

Author-san out!

Rebecca

Chapter 12, You Can't Have Them!

Zoro's eyes opened slowly, and he squinted against the light. Beside him lay a black cat, snuggled up to him. Zoro smiled and gently ran his hand through the fur on Sanji's back. The cat purred softly. It was a pleasant sound, and it lulled Zoro back to sleep.

o-o-o

"What?" Nami screeched. "You forgot to pronounce them married? But you said-" Nami feel quiet as she realized what Luffy had done.

"You may now kiss the groom."

The idiot, he hadn't pronounced them officially married. How stupid could he be. Nami sighed loudly and pressed her fingers to her palm. And he'd only realized it four days after he said that he forgot something, what an idiot.

"Well," Robin mused from behind her. "Now we can have a real wedding, with dresses and suits and a party afterwards."

Nami rolled her eyes, but the thought of Sanji in a wedding dress was quite attractive. She didn't really care if he chose to be a girl in the dress, that would be fine too. Zoro loved him either way.

"We have to go get them. Luffy, go beat that guy's ass so we can retrieve them from Smoker," Nami said to their idiot Captain.

Luffy nodded silently. Behind him, Nami saw Law smile a little. She was glad the Surgeon had decided to come along. He was a silent pillar of support for their irrational Captain. She wouldn't bet against them having their own wedding somewhere in the future. But it would be a whole lot different than what she had in mind. Luffy would of course just do what he pleased, and Law would have his plans ruined, but he'd love the Straw Hat anyway.

Nami breathed deeply for a moment and looked at the log pose. Nothing had happened to it since the last island, which was good. They were also still on course. Which was great. If this was the way the jewels led, then they'd be at the next island quickly.

"I see a ship!" Usopp's cry from the side of the ship was a slight relief for the crew.

Nami surged towards him, weapon at the ready. She snatched the telescope from his hands and peered through it. There was indeed a ship, and it was lying still. No men aboard it seemed.

"That's it," Nami told the others.

"Let me at him!" Luffy was screaming.

Nami looked at him to see Law holding him back. "Luffy-ya, wait!" he said. Then he grunted and let go, falling off the lawn chair.

Luffy stopped struggling immediately and knelt next to the Surgeon. "Torao?" he exclaimed.

Nami watched Chopper fuzz over Law's health, then turned back to see them closing in on the ship. It looked abandoned. Perhaps they had all gone with Smoker and left the Captain behind. That could be it, he was a cruel person after all. Nami wondered if he had been cruel to his own crew.

"I'm gonna kick his ass for hurting Torao," Luffy muttered behind her.

Nami turned to watch as he stood from beside the Surgeon. Law was growling and clawing at the deck, breaths heavy and ragged. He didn't look good.

"Where is he?" Luffy seethed.

"On the ship, dumbass," Nami murmured.

She lifted her telescope again and watched as the door to the hold opened, and a lone figure stumbled out. He looked defeated, depressed. Then, he seemed to notice them and he grew visibly angry.

"I think he's seen us," Nami told the others.

"Fuck!"

Law's voice was loud and Nami turned to look. She cringed as he coughed up blood, wondering how it was possible for him to hurt so much. If Shoda had done all this, then Luffy was not gonna show him any mercy. She looked at her Captain, seeing that his hat was shielding his eyes and she sighed. He was livid. She had expected no less from him. Shoda had hurt their Nakama and the person Luffy loved most.

"Let me at him!" Luffy said, cracking his fists.

Franky grinned from behind him and Brook laughed quietly. Nami shook her head, they were hyped for a fight. Luffy would hog it though. Perhaps they could destroy the ship afterwards.

"Sure, Straw Hat, go get him," Franky said.

"Is this a good idea?" Usopp wondered as he helped Law sit back on the lawn chair.

"Of course not," the Surgeon muttered. "But whose gonna stop him, mmh?" he questioned.

Usopp rolled his eyes, but his lips quirked in a smile. "Yeah, you got a point there. Hey Luffy! Kick his ass!" he hollered.

Luffy grew a scary grin on his face and took his hat from his head, placing it on Law's head, over his own beanie. "I will, don't worry," he said, perhaps more to Law than to any of them.

Nami smiled. This would be over in a jiffy. Shoda had no chance to defeat Luffy when he was protecting his family.

o-o-o

Luffy stepped onto the ship, cracking his knuckles. He eyed Shoda with disgust. That man had hurt his precious Nakama, whom he'd vowed he would never lose. But he did, he lost two of them. Both Sanji and Zoro had been lost to him. And now he was going to get his revenge.

"This is your fault," Shoda began, as he stepped out of the shadows, a maniacal look on his face.

"My fault?" Luffy growled in confusion.

Shoda nodded. "If only you had not gone to see this wouldn't have happened! I'll kill you!" he shouted.

Shoda shot from his place with surprising speed and Luffy lifted his arm to block a punch, then coated it in Haki as he felt how strong that punch was.

"You'll pay for what you did. Then I'll take back my Annabeth and kill that ungrateful mongrel she calls her lover!" Shoda screamed, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Luffy was put off by this and he snarled. "You can't have them!" he yelled back, whipping out his leg for a stamp and destroying half the deck in doing so.

Shoda jumped back, arm coated with Haki, and danced around the cracking wood. He advanced again, throwing punch after punch towards Luffy. The straw hat dodged, used a pistol move and backflipped out of Shoda's reach.

Luffy could hear his crew shouting in encouragement and he was determined to win this fight. He would protect his friends no matter what! Luffy stretched his arms behind him and prepared for a bazooka move when Shoda moved a hand in the air and clenched his fist.

Luffy's eyes widened and he yelped out as pain flared in his side. He looked at it and saw the scratch he'd gotten earlier in the fight had grown several times larger. He looked back at Shoda and saw that the man was grinning wickedly. So he had a Devil Fruit as well.

"Yes, Straw Hat. You realized it, didn't you. I can beat you easily! Now give up and die!" the Captain screamed.

Shoda charged at him, bare hands ready to choke the young Pirate to death. Luffy brought back his arms and smashed into Shoda with his bazooka, making the man yelp out as he smashed into the railing. Then another shout caught his attention.

"Luffy! Don't let him win! Whatever he's doing, it's hurting Law!" Chopper screamed.

His screaming was lost as Luffy could only hear the sudden curse that floated to his ears from the Sunny. He looked over his shoulder, glaring at the crew. Law was once again collapsed on the deck, holding his side in pain. Luffy realized, with his simple mind, that any injury Shoda made worse on him, was felt by Law as well.

Luffy turned back to the Marine with murder in his eyes. "I'll kill you for hurting Torao," he snarled, cracking his fists as Haki flared from him in waves.

Shoda grinned. "Let's see you try, Straw Hat!" he shouted and leapt towards Luffy.

Luffy dodged him, he had to try and avoid injury if he could. That would help Torao and his friends. He hardened his fist and shot a pistol at Shoda, ignoring to shout his attack. He was past that, he had to fight even more serious and he had no time to shout out his moves.

Shoda moved again and whipped up his leg, trying to catch Luffy as he turned. Luffy blocked the blow, using his own leg to swipe Shoda's feet out from under him. Shoda yelped and fell to the deck, rolling to avoid Luffy's axe kick.

The next attack came to fast for the Marine to dodge and he was knocked off his feet and into the railing of his ship. He glared at Luffy, but as he saw that murderous look, he realized this was his end. Maybe it was better this way, then he got to see the real Annabeth.

"This is the end," Luffy growled.

Shoda grinned wickedly, he had to provoke the Pirate to make him kill him. "You can't possibly think you can win. I'll get that blonde bimbo and make her mine. And you won't be able to do jack shit!" he laughed loudly.

Perhaps he really was deranged. He wasn't right in the head. But he'd known this from the very beginning. When Annabeth had died, he knew he wouldn't be able to keep up with the rest of them. He was slowly loosing it. His love for his wife had been deep, and his hatred for the one who killed her even deeper. But if he got to see her and beg for her forgiveness, he could be happy. Or so he hoped.

What a sad, pathetic man he was.

Luffy readied a fist, swung it a few times, and launched it at Shoda. He connected with the mans temple, sending him flying out over the waters. It was the end.

I'm sorry, can you ever forgive me, my dear…? Shoda wondered, in his last moment of consciousness.

A bright light appeared before him, and the figure of a smiling woman took its place inside it. She had blonde hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a white dress and white flats. She looked like an angel. Her arms were spread and her mouth formed one sentence. Shoda smiled. He was happy.

Of course, now come home.