A/N: Hey everyone! I know it has been forever, but I promise I am still writing! Thanks so much for sticking with me!
"Okay, so I'll choose…"
"Hold on a second!" Nami interrupted.
"What's up Nami?" Luffy asked.
"Think about it Luffy," she answered. "Their captain is probably going to participate in the next round, right?"
"Yeah…" he answered.
"Well, knowing that they'll cheat, and the fact that we can't do much against his slow-slow beam, if we take Chopper, they'll just take him back in round three and we'll lose him for good! But, if we take Foxy, we'll have the advantage, and their crew will be dumbstruck without their precious boss, so we'll take Chopper in round three and keep him for good, get it?"
"WHAAAAAT?! NO! SAY IT ISN'T SO! THEY'RE REALLY GOING TO TAKE OUR BOSS?"
The foxy pirates were thunderstruck and started booing Nami, and she looked around in surprise.
"ALTHOUGH THERE IS NO RULE AGAINST SUCH A TATIC, IT DOES SEEM RATHER UNDERHANDED. A LITTLE CHEATING IS EXPECTED IN THESE GAMES, BUT SUDDENLY TAKING A TEAM'S CAPTAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF A GAME IS NO DIFFERENT THAN RUNNING FROM A FIGHT! SHAME…. SHAME ON YOU STRAW HATS! AND SHAME ON THE HEARTLESS DEVIL OF A WOMAN WHO CAME UP WITH THIS PLAN!"
Kia glanced up at the announcer, his obvious strategy to get his team riled up was plain as day. Nami however, started crying on Robin about how mean they all were.
The foxy pirates were chanting, "Peanuts! Peanuts!" and Sanji looked like he was ready to take them all on for upsetting Nami.
Kia looked over at Zoro next to her and said, "don't say it."
He glanced back at her. "Don't say what? They're right, and Nami should grow a backbone."
The next moment, everyone was silent as Nami punched Zoro, laying him out on the ground. "You're just making a fuss because you lost! How about you shut up and deal with it?!" she yelled at the pirates.
"Yes ma'am, we're sorry!" Foxy called out, the rest of his crew silent.
"UNDERHANDED TACTICS ASIDE, IT IS THE STRAW HAT CAPTAIN THAT DECIDES WHO TO TAKE, AND HE CAN CHOOSE ANYONE HE LIKES, INCLUDING FOXY HIMSELF!"
"I'm with Nami on this one," Usopp said, even as he hid behind Sanji, and Kia snickered.
"Sorry, but while it is a good strategy, I don't think it's a good idea," Kia spoke up.
"It's not?" Luffy asked her.
"Kiana is correct," Robin spoke up. "You do realize, Miss Navigator, that choosing him would make Foxy a part of our crew?"
"I'll pass!" the boys said at once.
Kia turned with a laugh. "I can't believe the four of you all said that at the same time," she said to them, as she chuckled.
The straw hats turned when they heard a yell, seeing Foxy practically sinking into the ground. "Our poor boss' heart is crushed by their cruel words!" Porche cried.
"Don't worry boss, we still want you!" another cried.
"And remember, that Kia girl wants you too!"
"Hey!" Kia yelled angrily. "No I don't!"
The foxy pirates spent another few minutes buoying up their captain, to get him back to normal. Finally Sanji muttered, "Cut the crap, will ya?" and Foxy fell back down in despair.
"NOW THAT THE STRAW HATS ARE DONE EMOTIONALLY ABUSING OUR BOSS, IT IS TIME FOR THEM TO MAKE THEIR DECISION! DON'T LEAVE US IN SUSPENSE ANY LONGER!"
"SHELLY!" Luffy called. "I CHOOSE YOU!"
Kia just laughed, as the rest of the crew looked at Luffy in shock. Usopp and Nami started pulling on Luffy's face, yelling at him. They stopped as Tonjit brought the horse over to thank Luffy.
"Are you sure about this?" Tonjit asked.
"Of course!" Luffy said happily. "Now you don't have to worry any more about the pirates taking your friend!"
"I want to do something to repay you," Tonjit said. "Your friends from the last match don't look so good, maybe I can get something for them?"
"I blame it all on the loser with the fancy eyebrows," Zoro replied, as Kia stepped away with a sigh, knowing what was coming.
"What?!" Sanji exploded, and the two jumped back to fight it out, and Luffy laughed.
"Really, thank you so much!" Tonjit repeated.
"It's fine, don't worry about it," Luffy replied.
"But… what about your reindeer friend?" Tonjit asked.
"Yeah Luffy, how do you think Chopper feels?" Nami asked harshly. "You left him with those weirdos!"
Luffy turned to look at the stage, and the rest of the crew followed him. Chopper was standing on the seat on the stage, looking back at them with tears in his eyes.
"Chopper, I'm sorry, but I need you to hang on a little longer," Luffy said with a smile. "I promise, we'll win the next round and get you back. I know you can take it, because after all, you're a man, right?"
Chopper wiped his face and sat back down with his arms crossed. "You bet I am!"
"That's our Chopper!" Kia yelled as she put her hands on either side of her mouth, then gave Chopper a wink, as he did a happy dance.
"Don't worry little pal, just leave it to me!" Usopp called.
"If you're Chopper's last hope, he's screwed."
Kia turned to give Sanji a glare at his muttered words.
Robin chuckled. "I wonder what the next game will be."
"IT'S TIME FOR ROUND THREE! THE ROUND-AND- ROUND ROLLER RACE! SAY THAT THREE TIMES FAST… ANY WAY, IT'S A HEAD TO HEAD RACE ON AN OUTDOOR TRACK! AS ALWAYS, THE RULES ARE SIMPLE!"
Kia ignored the announcement, since the foxy pirates were still building the track and field where the third round would take place. She simply sat on the grass, enjoying listening to Luffy talk to the others as Usopp bound up her ankle.
"It isn't as good as Chopper could do," he said to her once he was done.
Kia tried to flex and rotate her ankle, and smiled at Usopp. "Actually, it's perfect," she replied. "Thank you Usopp, it already feels better."
Usopp sat down and started fiddling with his skates, since one of the wheels wasn't turning as well as the other three.
"You'd think with all the cheating those foxy pirates do, they could come up with something better than this," he grumbled.
"I doubt that is on purpose," Kia replied, looking around for Luffy's skates. "They are probably just not well taken care of, since they loan them out."
"Maybe…" Usopp said, lowering his left goggle to inspect the wheel more closely.
"Hey Luffy, where are your skates?" Kia asked. "Don't you think you should try them on at least?"
"I'm sure they are fine," Luffy said, with his mouth full.
Kia gave him a skeptical look. "Oh really?" she asked, just as her stomach gave a loud grumbling noise. "Then how about you share some of that kiwi with me?" she asked with a smile.
He didn't really want to share, since he didn't have money to get more food. But, being a good brother meant he should offer, so he reached over to let her take a bite of the kiwi.
He was happily surprised when she took a very small bite. I guess she only wanted to try it? he thought, and gave her a grin.
"Hey, Zoro?" Kia asked, and he grunted at her, though he looked asleep. "Any way I can convince you to get me one of those kiwis?" she asked, and he opened one eye a moment to glare at her.
"No."
"Well…" she replied, pulling some beri out of her bag. "I thought you could just get it on the way back from buying yourself a drink or two…"
Zoro's eye popped open again, looking from her face, to her hand, and back to her face- scrutinizing. He tried to view it from every angle, seeing if there was a downside. With a shrug, he stood up, grabbed the money from her hand and started walking away.
"Just tear off a branch, don't worry about finding a good one!" Kia called after him.
"Hey Zoro, get me some meat!" Luffy added, thinking that Zoro may be feeling generous. He took another bite of his kiwi, and looked at his friends. "Man, I can't wait to get Chopper back," he said. "It feels weird without him with us."
"Agreed, Captain," Kia replied, looking at him with her eyebrow up. "Now, hurry and finish that so you can try out your skates."
"What are you so worked up about Kia?" Luffy asked her. "We'll win, don't worry!"
"I'm sorry, I guess I just want to make sure everyone is ready. If we don't win, we'll lose Chopper and someone else to those Foxy pirates!"
Nami and Robin had changed and now joined them with their numbered tank tops and skates on.
"What are you eating now?" Nami asked Luffy sarcastically.
"It's a long kiwi!" Luffy said as he showed it to her. Then, thinking of how Kia asked for a bite after he showed her, he pulled the kiwi back to his chest and said, "you can't have it."
"Like I want any!" Nami yelled, sounding annoyed, but really she was just worried. Kia took in her expression, and decided to do all she could to help the Straw Hats win, and quickly.
Before Zoro even made it back, the track and field were completed and ready for the next event. The bleachers filled quickly with the foxy pirates, and Kia noticed that they carried Chopper in on a dais, like a trophy, or spoils of war. Her determination to teach the other pirates a lesson grew.
"What an angry face! Feh-feh-feh!" Foxy laughed as he came up to them, sneering at Kia.
"What do you want, split head?" Luffy asked.
"He called me split head!" Foxy moaned, and Porche was quick to run to his side, yelling at Luffy to stop harassing her boss.
"He's not doing it to be mean," Kia tried to explain, but Porche just growled at her. "Fine, whatever," she muttered. "But his hair IS split down the middle you know."
"Ha!" Foxy crowed as he stood again. "You think you are so great, but we haven't even started, and you've already lost!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Luffy said hotly.
"It means that you don't have enough people to play in each round, and you should just give up now!" Foxy retorted, only to see Luffy's back as he went back to his crew. "Grrr! Hey! Don't ignore me!" he yelled.
"Seriously, he's not trying to make you angry, he just has a short attention span," Kia said, trying to make nice, and hopefully keep Foxy calm. She didn't want him going crazy with his slow slow beam from the get go.
"I don't care what you say!" Foxy yelled at her, and she stepped back.
"Hey!" Luffy called, coming back quickly. "You okay Kia?" he asked her, and she nodded. Luffy turned to Foxy, "Are you being mean to my sister?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Your sister?" Foxy said, shocked.
"Your sister?" Porche and the rest of the Foxy Pirates repeated.
"Yeah, that's right. So?" Luffy responded, looking around and stepping in front of Kia.
"Oh, then I apologize," Foxy said with a sly smile. "I did not mean to be rude."
"Okay then, good!" Luffy said, turning away yet again, pulling Kia along this time. She looked back, only to see the Silver Fox smiling at their backs, which didn't reassure her.
Kia didn't have to try to talk Sanji out of letting Luffy go twice, because Foxy didn't offer to let them. In fact, she had to try to argue that they could still play the round even without a point collector, since they could get the other point collector disqualified, but to no avail. The straw hats would automatically lose the first round.
She wondered what had happened to make Foxy not as happy-go-lucky, but let it go as she could see the worry on each of her friends' faces, and she moved over to where Usopp and Nami stood.
"Hey Usopp, Nami," she said as she saw they two of them together. "Any idea how we can combat that ridiculous slow slow beam?"
"We've been trying to come up with a plan also," Nami said despairingly. "The only thing I can think of, is how depressed he gets when someone insults him."
"Maybe Kia here can just pretend to actually be in love with him," Usopp suggested.
"No way," Kia replied. "Do you want me to vomit?"
"Can't we just get Zoro to intimidate him?" Usopp asked. "As your, you know, boyfriend?"
Kia made a face. "I doubt he would. Not if Foxy isn't threatening us directly anyway. Besides, Sanji and Zoro are the manager and coach, so I don't think they can interfere."
"Not that that will stop Foxy," Usopp muttered.
"Okay, here's the lineup!" Sanji called, and they came in closer to hear. "Nami will go first, then Usopp, then Robin, then Luffy."
"Yeah!" Luffy called, getting pumped up for the game. "This is our chance to get Chopper back!"
"Hey!" they heard, and turned to see Zoro entering the field, carrying a long kiwi. He strode towards them, practically shoving the kiwi at Kia. "Why are you making big decisions without asking me? I'm the manager!"
"The coach comes up with the lineup, not the manager," Sanji said, annoyed. "Everyone knows that."
"And why do you have the awesome job, while I get stuck following your orders?!" Zoro sneered.
"Obviously because I'm a genius, whereas your brain is so rotten, you're growing mold on your head," Sanji said with a giant smirk.
"Oh yeah?" Zoro replied. "If you think you're a genius, your head is as twisted as your eyebrows!"
"HUH?!" Sanji shouted, and the two of them started exchanging blows.
Kia took a few bites of her kiwi, and handed the rest to Luffy telling him to sit so she could strap on his skates. She rolled her eyes at the two other men, while Luffy just laughed at their escapades.
Then, finished, she stood and offered Luffy a hand. "Be careful, it's harder than it looks at first," she warned.
She wasn't surprised that he was wobbly, and she had him hold on to her shoulders in an attempt to steady himself. But he fell anyway, and the entire crowd laughed.
"He can't skate?!" Nami shouted.
"What are we going to do?!" Usopp yelped. "I'm scared!"
"You okay?" Kia asked, reaching down to help him up. She put one of his arms over her shoulder, giving him time to adjust. "You got this Luffy, just keep your feet apart, and square your hips. Bend your knees a little to give yourself balance."
"You've got to be kidding me!" Sanji exploded. "Weren't you the one that said this would be no problem?!" he shouted to Luffy.
"It's not my fault!" Luffy complained. "That was before I knew skating was the the hardest thing in the world! Whoa!"
His feet shot out from under him, and he toppled over, taking Kia down with him.
Zoro moved over to pull Kia away, and helped Luffy up. "Well, now what are we going to do?" he grumbled.
"We're going to get Luffy skating, that's what," Kia replied, wincing as she made it to her feet. She watched as Porche stood at the starting line, waiting for the whistle, Nami joining her reluctantly.
"Robin," Kia called, moving over tot he brunette. "Hey… remember in the boat race, Porche used that baton she's carrying to try to sink you guys?" she asked quietly. "Just be careful, since she's got it out, she'll probably try something."
"You have a good eye," Robin replied, and moved over to the track. "We'll see what we can do."
"Good Luck Nami!" Kia called out as she moved back to Zoro. "You can do this!"
She moved over to help Luffy up, as Zoro gave him some pointers. "Like this?" Luffy asked, then fell.
"No," Zoro said.
"Like this?" Luffy asked as he tried again, and fell again.
"Not even close," Zoro replied.
That was when Kia felt something touch her, and she whirled around giving a yelp. Chiqicheetah was next to her, and sniffing her.
Letting her heartbeat calm down after the scare, she wondered why he was sniffing her instead of Luffy. After all, she had eaten maybe three bites of kiwi, whereas Luffy had eaten the rest of both pieces of fruit.
"Sorry, you startled me," Kia said, as she backed up a step, and Chiqicheetah moved in again, sniffing at her neck and hair. "Hey, personal space!" she said, backing up more. He followed her, his head bent down to sniff at her, even as they both left the track.
"AND WHAT IS HAPPENING DOWN ON THE FIELD? IS EVEN CHIQICHEETAH BEING BEGUILED BY THE LOVELY MISS COOPER'S CHARMS?"
"Back off, Cheetah-man," Zoro said, as he put himself in between them, Luffy laughing at Kia's facial expressions. Chiqicheetah gave a shrug, and turned to start giving Luffy the same attention, his laughter dying off immediately.
"What is wrong with this guy?" Luffy asked as he pushed him away. "Get away! Shoo!" he said, waving his hand away in gesture.
"You must have a pungent odor about you," Foxy said as he smiled at them. "Chiqicheetah is not only the fastest of the crew, but he has the greatest nose as well!"
Even knowing better, Kia leaned her nose down to sniff herself. "Am I really pungent?" she murmured to Zoro. She chuckled at his smirk, knowing he was going to use it as a chance to get back at her for the boyfriend thing. "Yeah, never mind," she said before he could respond.
"WELL, NOW THAT THAT IS OVERWITH, WE CONTINUE WITH THE RACE! THE FIRST ROUND BEING A WIN FOR THE FOXY PIRATES SINCE THE STRAW HATS WERE SHORT A PLAYER, WE CONTINUE WITH ROUND TWO! OUR VERY OWN PORCHE, AGAINST THE NEFARIOUS NAVIGATOR… NAMI!"
"Who's nefarious?!" Nami shouted at Itomimizu.
The whistle blew, and Nami and Porche took off. Porche was in the lead, though Nami was only a few paces behind. After twenty seconds, another whistle blew, and Usopp and Robin moved to start, only to be stopped by a wall of the Foxy team's defenders.
Porche came around to the starting line, followed by Nami, who was confused as to why they were all stopping.
"What's going on?" Nami asked.
"I don't know, but they're stopping us from going forward I think?" Usopp answered.
"If you guys don't move than I will!" Luffy shouted, as he tried to stand, only to fall over again.
"Is that what you think?" Porche replied with a wicked smile. "I guess you're right!" She moved her baton to point at the Straw Hats, and created a bouquet of red flowers at the tip. "Flower hypnosis!" she called, and Kia quickly shut her eyes.
Opening them again, she felt a little dizzy, and looked around to see all the Straw Hats lying on the ground.
"Get up! Nami, Usopp! Robin! Get up you guys!" she called, moving over to shake Sanji and Zoro. She could see that Porche was still skating, while the defenders simply waited at the start line to stop the Straw Hats when they woke up.
"Crap!" Kia yelled her frustrations out. "COME ON YOU GUYS! GET UP!"
This wasn't supposed to happen, she thought. She was supposed to use the bouquet on another round, and I hoped to get it away from her before she could! Crap! That's two losses!
Kia was finally successful in waking the others, and Nami tried to catch up, but Porche had lapped them a few times when they were out, and the Straw Hats lost round two.
Kia looked up in the stands, seeing Chopper crying, but trying not to show it. She let Nami prep Usopp for his round, even as he tried to claim he was allergic, and she marched up to where Luffy and Zoro were back to trying to get Luffy skating.
"All right Luffy, there is officially no time left. You have to skate, and you have to skate right now."
"I'm trying Kia, I promise!" he said, and she had to admit, he was no quitter. "I believe in you," she said with a nod, and turned to Zoro.
"I'm sorry, but is there any chance you brought more than just that one kiwi back with you? I'm seriously hungry."
Zoro looked at her, the confusion and disappointment warring on his face. "Yeah, I brought the whole branch, just like you said," he replied, turning back to Luffy. "I left it in the locker room."
"Okay, thanks," she answered, her eyes narrowed in anticipation. We'll get them this round, guys. Don't worry, she thought. That cheetah is as good as disqualified. Hearing the whistle, she moved quickly towards the locker room, as Usopp took off skating.
As she opened the door, Kia could hear the crowd go quiet, with a loud gasp, and then the cheering and rooting for Luffy.
He must be up on his skates, she thought with a grin. Now we just need to get Chiqicheetah to leave the track! Kia's spirits were up as she looked around for the branch that Zoro had brought her. The locker room wasn't large, but she couldn't see anything, and moved her arm over to the wall to find the light switch.
Finally locating it, she found that it was already in the on position. Flipping it the other way, the room became even darker. Flipping it again, but getting barely any light, she stepped forward wondering what was going on. Her second step forward had her tripping over something at her feet, and she fell, throwing out her arms to catch herself.
Kia was surprised when she didn't hit the ground, and feeling the leaves and twigs around her, her mind finally put the pieces together. She was enfolded in the branches of a tree, which was filling the entire locker room.
"Zoro! You idiot!" she yelled.
"Oh crap," Zoro said as he slapped his own head. "I taught him how to stand and skate, but not how to turn!"
"STRAW HAT LUFFY HAS LEFT THE COURSE! HE IS NOW DISQUALIFIED FROM ROUND THREE!" came the announcement after Luffy crashed through the wall surrounding the track.
"I knew it, he's hopeless!" Usopp cried as he skated past the Luffy shaped hole.
Robin created a whip from her arm, grabbing onto Usopp and flinging him forward at a tremendous speed, but even with her help, Chiqicheetah had a five lap lead.
"Oh no, Robin!" Nami called, as Foxy started laughing.
"Feh, feh, feh! Nice one, Jube!" he called to one of his skaters, who had lifted Robin up in the air so that he could use his slow slow beam. "She won't be any more help!"
"They took out Robin!" Sanji moaned.
"Hey, Coach lame-brain!" Zoro called to Sanji. "If we don't do something about that cheetah guy, and quick, we're going to lose this race!"
"You don't have to remind me," Sanji snapped at him. "Wait… Chiqicheetah… cheetah?!" He thought it over for a minute, and decided it was worth a shot. "Shrub head! Quick! Go get a branch from that tree with the kiwis!"
"What?!" Zoro snarled. "Don't order me around!"
"You heard me! It might be our only chance to stop this guy!"
"With a tree branch?!" Zoro sneered. "First Kia, now you! I'm not your errand boy!"
"What do you mean?" Sanji questioned. "Kia has a branch?"
"Yeah, in the locker room," Zoro snapped back.
"FOUR MINTUES HAVE GONE BY, AND CHIQICHEETAH HAS A WHOPPING THIRTEEN LAP LEAD! IN JUST ONE MORE MINUTE, THE FOXY DEVILS WILL CLAIM VICTORY OVER THE STRAW HAT DANGERS, AND CAPTAIN FOXY WILL ADD ANOTHER MEMBER TO HIS CREW!"
Sanji and Zoro heard the announcement, and started running for the locker room, just as the door slammed open, and something… unnatural had them stopping in their tracks. Kia stood there, the anger radiating out from her in waves that they could practically see.
"Is that… Kia?" Zoro asked, and she snarled.
"ZORO…" she growled, and he took a step back, even as Sanji beamed. "A branch… I asked for a simple, little branch. That's it. And what did you do?!" she continued to speak, as she stalked towards Zoro, and he gulped even as he stepped back.
Her appearance surely didn't help, as she had several chunks of hair that had been ripped out of her braid, with small bits of tree and leaves holding it out from her head. She was dirty and scratched from the bark and had leaves stuck to her skin and clothes. That, combined with the look on her face and the large piece of tree that she was dragging behind her, had most of the crowd more interested in what was happening on the side lines than the actual race.
"WHAT IS THAT ON THE COURSE?" the announcer squeaked.
Kia didn't have a chance to answer, she was suddenly pounced on by a cheetah, and she toppled over. Instead of trying to maul her however, Chiqicheetah was trying to get every bit of the tree's smell by rubbing himself all over her.
"Hey! Get off! AHH!" she called out, feeling as if she was being pummeled.
Sanji glanced at Zoro, seeing that he wasn't moving, and he rushed to be her hero. He grabbed the branch she had drug out, and kicked the cheetah off her, tossing the branch after him. The kick didn't faze him, and he continued to roll around on the ground with the branch.
He looked down, giving his most debonair smile. "Kia, my heart… are you all right?" he asked.
She looked up at him, feeling like she must be dreaming, it was all so surreal. "Uh… I've been better, but I think I'll live."
Luffy walked over, looking down at her as she lay there. She looked at him, seeing that he had a long kiwi in each hand, and was chowing down.
"Kyuh? Oo okah?" he asked with his mouth full.
"Yeah," she said with a sigh, and then a reluctant smile. Did I really expect anything else? she thought.
"Kia, my darling, that was great thinking," Sanji praised her. "This tree is like catnip, and I didn't know if it would work, but it looks like it did the job."
"It did?" she asked, plastering a confused look on her face. "I just wanted a kiwi, but the locker room was stuffed full with a tree, and I swear it attacked me!" she added, as she glared over at Zoro. He obviously was feeling braver, since he just smirked at her.
"You sure are lucky!" Luffy cheered with a laugh, and he put his hand out to help her up.
"You look like you're getting the hang of those skates," Kia said, as Sanji picked her up and placed her on her feet before she could grab Luffy's hand. "Uh, thanks," she told him, and he did a little happy dance.
"My pleasure, Kia sweet!" he cooed at her, and she stepped back a step, noticing that Zoro was smirking at her still, so she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Big deal!" a shout came from near them, and they turned to see Foxy and his team were glaring at them. "We could lose another round, and still win the race! But you must win, or you will end up losing everything!"
"What?" Luffy asked, confused.
No one explained, since it wasn't worth it to try to have Luffy understand.
"We will win, split head!" Usopp yelled. "We'll get Chopper back!"
"Split head…" Foxy cried, depressed.
"Boss!" Porche called, and she ran to his side.
He recovered quickly, and stood back up. "You can't beat the Foxy pirates!" he called to Luffy, who was talking to Kia, and laughing, completely ignoring him, and his face went red as he steamed.
"CONTINUING ON… OUR NEXT ROUND HAS THE FISHMAN JUBE, AGAINST THE STRAW HAT'S ARCHEOLOGIST, NICO ROBIN!"
"Come sit down Kia, you look like you need a rest," Nami said with a calculating smile, and Kia raised a questioning eyebrow, even as she followed Nami over to their bench.
"What's the deal?" Kia asked as they separated from the others.
"You've seen how Foxy gets when someone of insults him?" Nami asked quietly, and Kia nodded. "Here, sit down and take it easy Kia!" she said loudly, to keep anyone from suspecting their true conversation.
Kia sat on the bench, and waited, as Nami sat beside her, and let her know the plan. They were going to keep him bouncing back and forth from elated to depressed so often that he wouldn't have a chance to use his slow slow beam. Luffy and Usopp would keep the skaters from getting to Robin, and she would skate to a victory.
Kia nodded along, she was more than happy to get back at Foxy. That was, until Nami said that she would be the one insulting Foxy, and Kia… would be praising him.
"Nami, no way," Kia said quietly. "They already think I'm some sort of man eater, I can't actually have Foxy thinking I'm in love with him."
"But, it'll be more believable from you," Nami said with a wicked smile. "They would know I'm up to something, since I'm so nefarious and everything."
Kia rolled her eyes, even as Nami grabbed the tie from her hair, and started removing leaves and twigs from her hair, leaving it down when she finished. "Now… WE all know it isn't real," Nami told her. "That's all that matters, right?"
"I feel like I am never going to live this down…" Kia grumbled, even as she stood to follow Nami to their places, and thought, this is for you, Chopper.
"What, are you blind?" Kia called. "He's such a strong and dashing leader! Look at all the people that follow him!"
"They just like to be entertained!" Nami retorted.
"No way, he's gallant!" Kia yelled.
"Smaller words, he's not understanding you!" Nami hissed at her, and then called, "he's not gallant, he's a clown!"
"ugh.." Kia groaned, then lifted her face and smiled. "Well, I think he's manly!" she shouted, watching as Luffy punched the fishman, and stood over him on the track, Robin and Usopp skating by them without any trouble.
"Stupid!" Nami called back.
"Powerful!" Kia replied. "Just think of his amazing slow slow beam!"
"You mean that dodo beam?!"
Kia didn't look too closely at Foxy, as he would fall and rise with their words. She knew he deserved it, and they needed to do it in order to win, but she still felt slightly bad. A teeny bit.
But then the whistle blew, and Robin was declared the winner, and she forgot all about it as she cheered with her crew.
The last round, happened just as she remembered, for which she was very glad, though she had taken Usopp's place, and had been slowed twice by Foxy's slow slow beam. It was such a strange feeling, basically losing time, as if she had blinked too long.
But, Robin being so smart, figured out how to take care of Foxy's power by using her own devil fruit to adjust Foxy's aim back onto himself, and Luffy was able to skate ahead in time for the final whistle.
Luffy cheered with his arms punched upward at the sky, and the crew were all beaming as Luffy called for Chopper to come back to them.
"ALL IN ALL, IT LOOKS LIKE WE END WITH EACH CREW INTACT, SO WE'LL HAVE TO CALL THIS DAVY BACK FIGHT… A DRAW!" Itomimizu called out.
"No way, Straw Hat!" Foxy shouted, as he stormed up to Luffy. "You and I both know, that in the world of pirates, there can be no draws! Someone must come out the winner!"
"What are you saying?" Luffy asked.
"We need another Davy Back Fight!" Foxy said triumphantly. "To see who the real winners are!"
"You're on!" Luffy said with a grin.
"No!" Usopp and Nami yelled.
"Uh, Captain?" Kia said, and Luffy stopped and turned to look at her.
"What's up Kia?" he asked.
"Maybe just one round, instead of three?" she suggested. "We don't want to wear ourselves out when we still have adventuring to get back to."
"But Kia," Usopp spoke up. "If we lose, we won't have a chance to get our crew member back!"
"That's true, but we already tied… so this would be like, a tie-breaker match, not a another three coin game," she reasoned. "And since we've tied, it just makes sense to me to have the tie breaker be captain versus captain."
"MISS COOPER SUGGESTS THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED CAPTAIN'S DUEL! WILL OUR BELOVED CAPTAIN GO FOR IT?!"
Kia looked over at Itomimizu, wondering where that came from. Wasn't the captain duel one of the original davy back rounds? she thought in confusion.
Foxy looked over at Kia, seeming to take her measure, and then looking back to Luffy. "Well, what do you say Straw Hat? Though I have to warn you… there's no way you can beat me!" he bragged.
"Bring it on, Split Head!" Luffy said with a grin. "I'll kick your butt!"
"AND SO, THE CAPTAINS AGREE TO HAVE A DUEL AS A WAY TO BREAK THE TIE. ONLY ONE CAN CLAIM VICTORY, AND PLUNDER THE MOST VALUABLE MEMBER OF THEIR OPPONENT'S CREW!"
The huge group of foxy pirates cheered, and most moved over to start the work to change the track and field into stadium seats that would rise in the air, in order for everyone to have excellent seats for the captain's duel.
"You have great faith in your captain," Foxy said to Kia, and she looked unnerved at his calculating look.
"Of course," she answered.
"And when I win, you'll have to swear the same loyalty to me," he replied with a smile, even as he turned away.
"What?!" Kia gaped. "You would pick me?" she asked, stunned. "But why?"
"Why?" he replied, even as the other Straw Hats moved closer to find out what had Kia upset. He grinned as he took in each member of the crew that he felt would sooner or later be a part of his. "Because a captain may leave one person behind in order to save the rest, but wouldn't leave his family. He'll beg for more Davy Back fights, and eventually the Straw Hats will be part of the Foxy pirates."
Kia's face became thunderous. "You don't know Luffy. He wouldn't be willing to leave any of his friends behind. That's why he'll win. He won't let himself lose any of his crew, because to Luffy, we're ALL family."
Kia turned and stalked away, hearing Foxy's grating laugh behind her. She didn't get far before she was stopped by Chopper, giving her a hug around her legs.
"That was just the right thing to say Kia!" he said to her with tears in his eyes.
"Well, I meant every word!" she looked down with a smile. "I'm not more important to Luffy than anyone else, even if he does call me his sister. Foxy doesn't get that, and that's his mistake."
She looked around, seeing them smile, or smirk at her. She turned to Usopp, and gave him a nudge towards Luffy. "Will you help Luffy get ready Usopp? You give the best pep talks."
"Of course, Captain Usopp is the one everyone relies on!" he replied with a booming laugh. "Let's go Luffy!" he said, pulling their captain towards the stage.
"I won't let anyone go!" Luffy called back to them. "Just leave it to me!"
The captain versus captain round was almost exactly as Kia thought it would be. Foxy pulled out all of his tricks, but no matter how much he beat Luffy down, the straw hat captain kept on rising once again to fight. Kia thought the difference of having Chopper and Robin still with their crew and cheering with them was one of the best parts.
After the fight, Luffy chose to take their Jolly Roger, which had the other crew incensed. They weren't the only ones, since Sanji had been trying to convince Luffy to take one of their shipwrights- a sexy looking woman named Gina. But Luffy insisted that if he got what he wanted then he would forget why he accepted the challenge in the first place.
Luffy left their sail, because he didn't want them to not be able to sail, and even painted it for them, since the sail displayed their jolly roger too. He thought he did such a nice thing that his crew didn't say anything, just winced at the horrible picture of what possibly was a fox that now decorated their sail.
"That's awful!" Foxy screeched.
"No need to thank me!" Luffy said happily.
The huge crew of pirates boarded their ship, looking downright pissed, and as they sailed, Foxy yelled, "Hey Straw Hat!"
Luffy turned to look back.
"We won't forget this!" Foxy shouted angrily. His crew all hollered in agreement, even as they left Long Ring Long Land.
"That had to be the weirdest group of pirates I've ever seen…" Zoro muttered.
"I'm just glad they're gone," Kia replied, Nami and Chopper nodding with her.
Luffy turned, the large flag over his shoulder, and his crew turned to follow him. He led them over the fields and back to the small single house, where Tonjit and Sherry were waiting.
Luffy held the flag out to Tonjit and announced, "We kicked their butts!"
Tonjit looked up, his face impassive. "You're injured," he observed, seeing the bandages Luffy was sporting, along with Sanji, Zoro and Kia.
"We're used to it," Luffy said as he snickered, his grin huge.
Tonjit returned the large smile. "Thank you!" he said, and Sherry gave a happy neigh.
"So that's why Luffy accepted the challenge," Nami said thoughtfully. "Although, he probably would have done it anyway…"
"Hey, show some respect!" Luffy said as he turned to her.
Nami ignored his comment, looking to Tonjit. "If only we could take you to where your village has moved."
"But since the ten small islands actually form one big ring, the log pose won't be able to pinpoint it," Usopp said.
"Don't worry about us," Tonjit said thankfully. "We'll be fine, as we're very patient."
"You'd have to be, to be on stilts for so long," Usopp muttered.
"Why don't you all come in?" Tonjit asked. "These are all your comrades? Please, you are most welcome!"
"As long as you don't try to give us any cheese!" Usopp replied hastily.
Tonjit turned the corner, and smacked into something, falling back but steadying himself. He looked up at an extremely tall man. "Oh! What is this?" he asked.
"Is that a person?" Nami asked nervously. "Has he been here the whole time?"
The man's soft snoring stopped, his hand coming up to lift the mask that was covering his eyes so he could peek out at them. Kia's heart was beating fast, knowing exactly who he was. She was more excited than scared, but she knew she had every reason to be afraid if he decided they needed to be eliminated. She decided immediately to do all she could to keep tensions low.
"Who are you guys?" he asked.
"Who are you?!" Luffy demanded.
"I thought you were a tree," Tonjit said politely.
Next to Kia, Robin started hyperventilating, and she turned to the older woman. "Robin?" she asked, putting her hand out to ease her.
Robin fell as her knees gave out, and the crew looked at her, puzzled.
"Robin?!" Luffy demanded, as he, Zoro and Sanji all went on the defensive.
"What's wrong Robin?" Nami asked.
"Oh my…" they all turned as the tall man spoke again, seeing that he was gazing directly at Robin. "You're turned into a pretty woman, Nico Robin."
"Robin, what's the matter?" Luffy asked, glancing back at his friend, even as he stood between the two. "Do you know this guy?"
Usopp joined the other three, pulling out his slingshot, and taking aim, waiting for the word to attack.
"Don't look so murderous my friends," the man said calmly. "We go way back. Besides, I'm not here on orders. The weather was nice, so I went for a ride."
"Orders?!" Zoro said. "What organization do you belong to?"
"The navy," Robin finally spoke. "He's Admiral Aokiji from Navy Headquarters."
"Admiral?!" Several of the crew asked, though Kia only heard Nami, since she had screeched it in her ear, clinging to her.
"He's an admiral?" Sanji asked, looking at Robin. "Just how high up is that?"
"One of the highest," Kia replied.
Robin glanced at her and nodded. "There are only three that hold the rank of admiral. Akainu. Aokiji. Kizaru. And the only one above them, is the fleet admiral, Sengoku, the commander of the Navy. The admirals are known as the military's ultimate powerhouses."
"So what's someone like him doing here?!" Zoro said in exasperation, standing back up, but not releasing his hold of his sword.
"Yeah, you should be going after pirates with insanely large bounties on their heads!" Usopp shouted from behind Zoro. "J-Just go away!"
Aokiji turned at the shouting, but his gaze found where Kia and Nami stood next to each other. "Oh my, two more curvy hotties," he said with a slow smile. "Either of you free tonight?" he asked.
Nami took it in stride, but Kia flushed, having never been called a hottie before. Aokiji smiled suavely, even as Sanji shouted angrily.
"How dare you, you jerk!"
"Just hold on a minute guys," Aokiji said, his hands up, trying to keep them calm. Kia looked around as he continued to speak, seeing the anger on all the guy's faces, the fear on Robin's, and the confusion on Chopper and Nami's. She needed to step in, or they would be fighting soon.
"So…" she said, and the others stopped to turn and look to her. "Your name is Aokiji?" she asked. His eyebrow raised, and he nodded. "And you're at Navy Headquarters?" she asked, and he nodded again.
Kia smiled slightly then, not realizing it was looking like she was being flirtatious. "I saw in the paper awhile back that my sister joined the marines, and went to Navy Headquarters. Her name is Theresa Cooper. Have you by chance met her?" she asked.
"Can't say I have," he replied, looking curiously at her. "Navy Headquarters is a big place after all."
"Thought it was worth a shot," she said with a smile.
"I can always take you there," he offered.
"WHAT?!" Luffy shouted, and Kia realized how that would sound to him. "You aren't taking anyone!"
"Oh man, sorry. I'm so tired of standing," Aokilji changed the subject as if he hadn't heard, even as he slumped down to his knees, then laid on his side, using his jacket as a pillow.
"Anyway, I don't intend to capture you, so quit the dramatics. I just came to verify Nico Robin's whereabouts after she disappeared from Alabasta. As I expected, she's with you guys."
"He really is one lazy guy," Sanji muttered, even as he moved to block Nami and Kia from his view.
"He has the audacity of an admiral…" Usopp said, as Kia and Nami moved over by Robin.
"Although, I will at least report it to headquarters. Now that you added another member with a price on her head, your overall bounty has gone up… uh… 100 million plus 60 million plus 79 million…? Whatever, a big amount."
"Just add it up," Zoro sneered.
"GUM GUM…!"
"Wait! Luffy, stop!" Usopp and Sanji interrupted, grabbing onto Luffy to prevent him from attacking.
"What're you doing guys? Lemme go!" Luffy shouted.
"What's the sense of provoking him?" Sanji shouted back, straining to hold onto Luffy.
"He's a super strong Navy guy!" Usopp chimed in.
"Yeah, so?" Luffy yelled as he pulled against them. "Are we just going to let him take Robin?!"
"Like I said…" Aokiji watched them from where he lay, "I'm not gonna do a thing."
"I'll beat the crap out of him!"Luffy shouted, ignoring the admiral's words. "First Robin, then Kia! ARGH!"
"If you aren't going to capture anyone, it may be better to move on," Kia commented, having Aokiji looking at her in consideration. She shrugged, gesturing to Luffy. "He'll calm down in a minute, but it may not be worth the ensuing argument," she suggested as she smiled fondly at Luffy's attempts to protect his crew.
"All right then," Aokiji said. "I'll leave." He looked around, zeroing in on Tonjit. "You. Prepare to leave immediately."
"Huh?" Tonjit asked, looking confused.
"The villagers moved on without you, and you want to catch up to them three islands from here, but your horse has an injured leg, isn't that so?"
"How did you know?" Usopp questioned suspiciously.
"I'm a very light sleeper, and I heard most of your conversation," Aokiji said in explanation.
"If you know that much, then you know he can't make the journey right now, he had to wait for the tide to recede," Usopp continued in exasperation, even as Aokiji slumped into sleeping position.
"It'll be fine," the admiral said. "You'd better get ready to go."
"That's not a convincing argument!" Usopp shouted.
"No…"
The crew turned to look at Robin, she was still on her knees, and looking uncertainly at Aokiji, but she seemed more calm.
"This man… can make it happen."
Luffy looked at her in question, then turned to Tonjit. "If Robin says so, then it'll happen!" he said cheerily. "Do you need help packing up?"
Kia smiled to herself as the group walked to the shoreline. Not only had Luffy helped Tonjit pack up his house, but Aokiji stood up and helped load it all onto a wagon. As they walked, Luffy was talking his ear off, but even Aokiji seemed intrigued with him.
Luffy continued to question how Aokiji planned to cross the ocean, and he didn't reply, merely went to the water, telling everyone else to stand back. He stuck his hand in the water, and Kia wondered if it made him weak like other devil fruit users. She watched his face, and could see that his brows were furrowed, as if he were focusing very intently.
I guess that answers that, she thought. But he is having to use a lot of power to push through the weak feeling.
The sea creature showed as well, but Aokiji called out, "Ice age!" and as far as she could see, the water was changed to ice in a flash.
"Wow…" Kia muttered, even as she heard Zoro say, "Devil fruit powers!"
"It's a logia type," Robin explained. "He ate the Ice-ice fruit. Now you know the power of a Navy admiral."
"This will hold for a week," Aokiji explained to Tonjit. "You can take what time you need to meet up with your village… but it'll get cold, so make sure to bundle up."
Tonjit turned, a huge grin on his face. "Thank you! Thank you! I'll never forget everything you all have done for us!" he shouted, his eyes tearing up.
Luffy and Usopp shouted back, as Tonjit began pulling the cart of his belongings, including his horse Sherry, "Take care! Don't get back on stilts! Goodbye!"
"He's just like his gramps, isn't he?" Aokiji asked from where he had sat near Kia.
"He really is, but that's who raised him, so is it really surprising?" she answered. As the words left her mouth, she turned, looking at him in shock. I just said that out loud! her mind screamed.
"I suppose not," he answered, seeing her look.
"What's going on?" Luffy asked as he walked back to them.
"I was just saying how you're just like your gramps, Monkey D. Luffy. Wild… no self control… fiercely loyal."
"GRAMPS?!" Luffy gasped.
"What's the matter Luffy? You're sweating!" Usopp asked.
"N-nothing! I mean…"
"I wasn't entirely honest before," Aokiji interrupted. "I did come to get a glimpse of Nico Robin, but I also came to see you. The government still doesn't think highly of you, but now that I've had a… closer look, I see that you and your crew have grit."
Aokiji continued, "Although your number is small… a collection of troublemakers," he looked at Luffy, Sanji and Zoro, "as well as calculating and smart women," he glanced from Robin to Nami, then up at Kia, "is bound to become troublesome in time."
Kia took a step away, not liking the look she was getting.
"I know all the details of your exploits, and even though I've faced many ruthless villains over the years… you guys are starting to scare me."
"Why are you saying this all of a sudden?!" Usopp squeaked. "I thought you just came out for a walk?"
"Maybe you just seem so dangerous because of Nico Robin… what a survivor you've been, ever since you were a child. Betraying others and escaping unharmed. People would take you in, and you would use them. With that cunning, you survived in the underworld… and now you've hidden yourself in this crew."
"You are targeting Robin after all! I'll kick your butt!" Luffy shouted in anger.
"Just what do you have against Robin?" Sanji demanded, stepping closer to the admiral, but he stopped when Kia stepped right in front of the man.
With Aokiji sitting, and Kia standing, she was only slightly taller than he was, but she stared him down anyway. Her hands were on her hips, and her glare was angry.
"How dare you judge her like that?" Kia snarled. "A little girl that has such a high bounty, trying to find somewhere to belong? Others take her in, promising to care for her, and then try to turn her in for her bounty? And you have the gall to say that she betrayed them?!"
Kia's hand came out and she pushed her finger onto his shoulder, giving him a good poke. "So keeping alert and knowing when to leave before she can be captured is evil is it?! Have you ever thought that that huge bounty you gave her… forced her to find the biggest, baddest people she could in order to feel even a little sense of peace?!"
"Kiana…" she could hear someone behind her say.
"I see she's managed to get close to you," Aokiji said without emotion.
"More that we've finally given her the opportunity to stop running," Kia snapped. "We don't care about her past!"
"The proof speaks for itself," Aokiji argued, as he stood up. "Every organization that she has been associated with to date… has fallen. Yet, she always survives. I wonder why… Nico Robin?" he asked, turning to look at her.
"What are you trying to accuse her of?!" Kia yelled, pulling her escrima sticks from behind her back, and swinging for him.
"TRIENTA FLEURS!" Robin shouted, capturing both Kia and Aokiji in her grip. "If you're going to capture me, just do it!" she screamed. "Don't get them involved!"
"Did I say too much?" he asked, and Kia growled at him. He looked down at her, and said, "I thought you would be wiser."
"CLUTCH!" Robin called, breaking Aokiji's icy body apart. The hands disappeared from Kia, and Robin yelled, "RUN KIANA!"
"Everyone run!" Usopp called.
"He's dead!" Chopper said in shock.
Everyone stopped, looking at the ice as it began to shift and grow. Soon enough, the ice formed Aokiji's body and he became himself again.
"That wasn't very nice," he commented.
"Aieee!" Usopp screamed.
He picked up a few blades of grass and blew ice at them, making a frozen, jagged blade. "I had no intention of taking your life," he said without remorse. "But it seems it is necessary."
He avoided the girl in front of him, and swung for Robin, who stood ready. His blade didn't get far, before it was blocked by Zoro's, with Sanji running in to kick it away. In that moment, Aokiji grabbed Zoro's shoulder, and Sanji's leg while he was still in the air.
"Hey!"
"What?!"
"GUM-GUM… BULLET!" Luffy shouted, as his fist plowed into Aokiji's stomach. Kia was somehow in the middle of it all, situated next to Aokiji and Zoro. Aokiji activated his ice powers, freezing the limbs he held, as well as the fist that hit him. Kia just happened to get caught in it as well, as she felt her left side become numb.
All four of them fell onto the ground away from the admiral, the three guys screaming. Kia couldn't scream, though she wanted to, it took all her focus to land on her unfrozen side, scared that a piece of her body may break off in the fall.
She could feel the numbness spreading through the rest of her body, reaching up to feel her face. She could still see, but the ice had reached up to her nose on the left side, just under her eye. She found it hard to breathe deeply, and worried that she might hyperventilate as she tried to get a full breath.
She could hear the screaming around her, though the admiral's words to Robin were the most pronounced.
"However… you're the same old Nico Robin."
"No…" Kia mumbled, seeing Aokiji reaching for her friend. It seemed so slow, yet in just a moment, Robin was frozen solid.
"ROBIN!" she heard Sanji scream.
"Don't whine," Aokiji said. "She'll still be alive when she thaws. But if her body gets broken…" he reared back with his fist, and Luffy came running to the rescue.
"Luffy…" Kia said, trying to smile, though her face betrayed her wishes. Her eyes were too heavy to keep open, so she closed them.
"Usopp! Chopper!" Luffy shouted, keeping himself in between the admiral and Kia. "Run to the ship! Help Robin!"
"Gotcha!" they yelled back, taking off.
"Don't bother," Aokiji grumbled. "The world is better off without that woman." He stopped the weapon that swung for his face.
"I hate to break it to you," Nami said from the other end of her climatact, "but all pirates are like that."
"You got that right," he replied. "Please move, girlie," he said, even as he swept her away. She fell over something with a grunt and sat up to stare.
"Kia?" she whispered, reaching out to feel for her pulse. She was so cold, and looked like she wasn't breathing.
Sanji and Zoro were up, and attacking, and Luffy shouted, "HOLD IT! BOTH OF YOU!" The pair stopped on either side of the large man, glaring. "Don't butt in, he's mine. Get back to the ship with Nami and Kia!"
Sanji looked down, seeing Nami checking Kia, and looked back to the admiral. He could always save the girls, and come back for the captain.
"Fine, but we'll be back to see the outcome," Zoro said as he sheathed his sword. "Come on you guys," he said as he moved away.
"Let's settle this, just you and me!" Luffy said to Aokiji. The admiral looked over where the blond man picked up the interesting girl. Seems she had gotten herself frozen, though he didn't remember doing that. He felt slightly bad, but reminded himself that they were pirates.
"That's fine, but I don't have a ship to take you back with me, so I'll have to kill you here."
"We have to warm up the frozen parts right away! Melt the ice in the water, that should be a low enough temperature! Keep rubbing the infected parts and come on board!" Chopper called back. "Nami! Come help with Robin!"
"Okay!"
Sanji and Zoro jumped quickly into the ocean, thankful that the admiral's ice hadn't reached the Merry. Sanji kept a hold of Kia, brushing off the ice as it cracked away from her face and arm. Zoro came over to help, and in no time they were moving over to the ship.
"I'll take her," Zoro said, and Sanji handed her over without a word of complaint. If Kia were awake, she would have marveled at their teamwork. They were always able to work together when necessary, but it was not very often that they showed it.
Zoro, having more upper body strength, was able to quickly climb the ladder even hauling Kia over his shoulder. As he climbed aboard, Sanji met him with a basket full of towels. They sat, rubbing their own frozen limbs with one hand, and each sparing a hand to warm up Kia.
Zoro thought little of where his hands were, but Sanji was a true gentleman, avoiding any places that may be considered risque… though he thought of warming her in other ways.
"What are guys doing here?" Usopp asked as he came out of the bathroom where Chopper was using the shower to thaw out Robin. "Where's Luffy?"
"He wanted to go at it one on one," Sanji replied. "Captain's orders."
"So you listened?" Usopp asked in shock. "You left him out there all alone?! How could you, you cowards!"
"SHUT UP!" Sanji shouted, jumping to his feet and pushing Usopp against the wall. "He said one on one! Don't you understand?!"
"Cut it out!" Zoro snapped. "This is… a crucial time for the crew. Whether he did it on a whim or not, we have to be prepared for the worst!"
"ugh…"
All three of them leaned over Kia, hearing her groan.
"Kia? My love, are you all right?" Sanji asked.
"Luffy?" she asked weakly.
"Fighting Aokiji," Zoro answered, though he checked her arm and leg, giving her pokes along her side. "Can you feel that?" he asked.
"Y- yeah," she replied. "Go… go get Luffy," she said softly.
Sanji and Zoro looked at each other, knowing that they were each thinking of returning.
"Please…" she said.
Zoro gave her a nod, and turned to Usopp. "She needs blankets," he told the sniper. "Get her warm now that she's awake." Usopp nodded in reply. "Let's go cook," he said, standing and moving to the side of the ship.