Author's Note: THIS CHAPTER WAS REUPLOADED AS OF 3/23/17 WITH ALL EDITS.

Holy hell this is late but time literally ran away from me. No excuses, just got busy but like I promised, chapter 11. Enjoy and if you reviewed to the authors note, send me a P.M with your review and thanks everyone who's still here!

Also all chapters have been edited so if you find yourself not remembering what's going on, then feel free to go back and reread what you missed! Have fun and enjoy thanks!

Zoro

"Sorry but no one's gonna lay a finger on my Captain. I'm here to get payback for missing out on your last party!" Zoro yelled as he ran after the enemy swordsman through the hole he made in the wall.

Zoro leapt through the Hatchan sized hole in the wall that he just created and into a musky smelling back room. It wasn't yet complete as the walls were mostly gutted except for the wonderboard and insolation and the floor was just old creaky wood, and the room was cluttered with enough boxes of supplies and equipment to finish the whole warehouse. For a room with so much of their stuff and essential supplies, it wasn't well lit or that big. The only light source was a swaying light bulb that clung to the middle of the ceiling by a rope and the small gleam of sun, beaming through Zoro's makeshift pathway.

He watched Hatchan groggily rise to his feet trying to recover from the previous attack. Hatchan dusted sheetrock and powdered debris from his clothes and arms although there was still a layer of dust on his face and in his hair which gave him an ashen tint. He stood like an oak tree with a body like marble. Yet still, he somehow gave off the smell of sewage.

"Asshole!" yelled the katana wielder, an inferno bursting from his eyes. "My bedroom! You fucked it broken" he scolded pointing dopely at the damaged wall behind Zoro.

Zoro took two swords from their sheaths and tapped them on the floor. He listened intently as his ears focused to each *tap,tap, tap. He turned around to see what Hatchan was referring to and smirked thinking about his damage report recently.

"I'm probably the reason my friend kicked your front door in. I'm the reason people need insurance. Or so I'm noticing" Zoro laughed turning away from his craftsmanship. He scratched his head almost apologetically, turning back to his adversary only to see him within striking distance, his steel katana drawn and ready to cleave his head in two.

Zoro dropped to the ground clumsily as Hatchan's first swipe sailed overhead. It cut off a piece of his hair before he rolled back to create distance. He barely had time to roll to his feet before another wild slash whizzed past his hand.

"Holy shit that was close. If I make it out of this but he takes off a piece of me, Robin will finish me off" he thought sprawling backwards trying to evade each rowdy attack. He began to find his rhythm, his body finally adjusting to the spontaneous start of the fight. Still, the brute of a thug continued to push grazing Zoro on his thigh and forearm simultaneously. For so little contact, Zoro watched as the cuts began to bleed from the precision of the sword's steel.

He grimaced in pain kicking Hatchan in the stomach to create a moment to breath. The hit knocked the wind out of him for a brief instant before he regathered his composure.

"I need to stop all of these wild sword swings so I can focus" thought Zoro before he bumped into what remained of the wall behind him. Hatchan lunged forward, bringing both of his blades towards the greenette. Zoro didn't have much times so he kicked off of the wall with his feet rolling on the floor past Hatchan.

Arlong's thug turned around quickly and stabbed at the teenage swordsman. He barely missed Zoro's head as he stabbed the ground instead. The blade cut through the floor like butter wedging itself between the wooden boards. The greenette pushed off of the the floor which propelled him into the larger swordsman. The floor creaked under Zoro's strong push and he used both feet as he crashed into Arlong's lieutenant's stomach, sending him tumbling towards the far end of the room

He stood there panting as his wounds continued to drip with life's crimson elixir. His vision impeded by the lack of light but the dust and debris was making it even worse. He noticed the sword protruding from the ground and smiled to himself.

"Maybe I'm not stuck using my wooden swords after all" he said resheathing the two practice swords he was holding.

Hatchan recoiled on the floor from the hit, his hands shaking while he held his stomach. He blinked a few times and gripped his swords in both hands to stop himself from shaking. He got up quicker than he should have because just as quickly, he leaned against the wall next to him and threw up, his body lurching as he heaved up his lunch, blood, and spit.

"Nice sword" Zoro said with a devilish tint to his tone. Hatchan turned around when he heard this, his eyes watering and red from vomiting and his lip, dripping with saliva as he spit on the ground and looked Zoro in the eyes. The pair of swordsmen regarded each other, one with anxiousness and the other with a bone chilling, will-bending confidence.

"Light weight, very well balanced." Zoro toyed as he inspected the blade. He squeezed the hilt and watched as the sword reflected the light on the ceiling. Spinning it in his hand with ease, he smirked and his dust screened eyes regarded the sword again before he declaimed , "Looks valuable...want it back?"

Hatchan heard this and felt his heart drop. The way he was being observed, regarded as a beast, like pray. And the fact that he only had one of his swords made him feel uncomfortable. Hatchan steeled his nerves and dashed toward the man currently stealing his blade.

"Let me hear it. Listen damnit!" Zoro internally admonished. He waited for Hatchan to come within striking distance and when he did, their blades met with resounding force. *Clang! *Clang! *Clang!

Their focus was impressive as they fought with malice while navigating the room's difficult obstacles. Zoro blocked two more of Hatchan's swift swings before he repelled a slash and countered with a blood spewing cut on his forehead. He made sure to only graze him but the blades were deadly sharp. He wondered why this maniac had them.

Hatchan jumped back as he recoiled from the wound and his vision blurred under the red tint of trailing blood. He wiped his eyes and looked at Zoro only to be horrified at the sight of Zoro winding his arm back.

"I think I'm close" he thought bringing his sword wielding arm behind him. "Take your sword back and the fight can be over" he yelled cracking the ground as he stepped into the throw, launching the sword towards Hatchan who stood too shocked to move. The sword filled the gap between the two quick and plunged deep into Hatchan's shoulder pinning him to the wall.

Zoro exhaled in triumph before he took in another big breath of debris powder and dust, the particles visibly sticking to the air. "I hope I didn't go too far" Zoro said as he approached his impaled adversary.

"You can have your swords in prison. We're just here to get Nami back and kick some ass. So I don't want your swords."

"She belongs to Arlong. I will follow his orders" Hatchan declared making him cough up some blood. He struggled to get free but that only opened his wound more as he hung pinned in place. He howled in pain as he wiggled in vein like a trapped animal.

"Look the fights over, do you want to die?" Zoro asked as he watched the squirming giant. Hatchan grabbed the blade with his hand as he began to yell hysterically. "I don't want to die! I don't want to go to prison either. I need to follow Arlong!"

"Whatever you're the police's problem, I don't care if you've finally cracked" Zoro said before he began to make his way back to the entrance.

The thug's hand began to bleed as his screaming became rabid and hoarse, the blade tearing through flesh as he struggled for freedom. He ripped the blade from through the wall and his shoulder causing blood to splatter from the wound. He was no longer impaled into the wall and after falling, he landed on his knees, the floor cracking under his weight.

He stood to his feet, his eyes red from either blood or the sudden surge of adrenaline in his veins. He skulked behind the unsuspecting greenette and grabbed him from the back of the head and slamming him face first into the ground. The floor broke on impact, splintering and cracking from the force. Hatchan stood above the small crater and Zoro, a small puddling of his own blood formed below him.

"Fuck I let my guard down" Zoro thought begrudgedly, his face masked in blood as he layed in the pointed patch of splintered floor. He coughed, his face now heavily cut and bruised and even worse, he now had to deal with blood impaired vision because the cuts on his face were leaking over his brow and into his eyes. Hatchan gathered his swords while Zoro shakily stood up.

"You got up? Are you stupid? Stay down maybe we don't need to kill you. Maybe we just take an arm or leg or one of each" Hatchan stupidly remarked, he tapped his sword against the floor to remove some of his own blood and Zoro's from the blood grooves on his blade. *Ting *Ting *Ting went the steel blade each time it hit the wood.

Zoro didn't believe a word of what Arlong's lieutenant said and from Hatchan's sinister smirk, he didn't either so instead, he focused on the sound the blade was making. Suddenly it was slower than it was before and the sound ricocheted between his ears.

"I have a girlfriend. If my face looks like hamburger helper, she's gonna kill both of us indefinitely" Zoro said with a chuckle as he drew his swords again, this time all three as he bite down on the so he could fight with his more trained Three-Swords Style.

"She's dating an idiot. You ARE stupid. Like I said" Hatchan goaded before he questioned Zoro's strange behavior. "You're going to fight me with wooden swords? Stupid, stupid, stupid."

Strangely, this strange sensation expanded and enveloped Zoro's entire person. He noticed the wisp of the wind change. It was a new feeling but it felt like this was how things should always be. He could hear everything better, discern the heartbeats of the swords, the rhythm of the material. Suddenly the wooden sword in his hand felt heavier than any sword he'd ever wielded. He heard his heart beating and his steady breathing, perfectly in sync as they matched each other in perfect symphony. He knew this was the moment he was waiting for so he removed his bandana from his sleeve and tied it to his head.

"Have you ever heard of a swordsman who could cut steel?"

Hatchan laughed at Zoro's random question. "Yeah with a katana like these maybe. But what hope do you have with three wooden practice swords? Who wants to die now, hm?"

Zoro gripped his sword tighter before he replied. "My sword will cut your katana. Mine is heavier than yours because it's got the weight of my friends behind it. I won't let Nami or Luffy down. I can hear his blades resonating. The breeze he spins them, the metal slicing through the air as the move. It has a sound, a heartbeat just like everything else. Wood, concrete, metal, flesh: I hear it all." He listened as the heartbeat of his swords counted him into the battle. He knew he had to wait for the perfect time. He thought of his friends, or what they would sound like if they actually pulled this off and could all just be together again, laughing and happy.

Zoro smiled at the thought. "Give me strength. Like you always have." "I hope you have insurance for your swords because I'm breaking them."

"Just try it, dead man!" Hatchan yelled, now running towards Zoro. Zoro pointed his sword at the charging brute, as focused as he's ever been. He took off at full sprint, his sword drawn back as he ran. Each step they took towards each other was slower than the first. When they reached striking distance, that moment was reduced to what felt like an endless eternity, yet it was over in one move. .

Swords collided and blood pooled on the floor at the pair's feet. Both bodies stood at a draw,neither conceded any momentum in the exchange. However the battle was over as the pair of fighters stared down one another in a battle of wills.

"Maybe if you were on the good side, this would have turned out better for you" Zoro finally smirked. Hatchan spit up blood as he struggled to looked from Zoro's eyes to the area between their swords.

"You… you…..noo" Hatchan said taking two shaky steps back. His face showed clear signs of shock as a line of blood trickled down from his mouth. "How!" he yelled, his eyes wide and his hands trembling.

"Don't underestimate us. I told you what I was going to do, plain and simple. Never attack my friends, bastard" Zoro said sheathing his swords while also taking a step back. He'd cut through Hatchan's right katana, cutting the blade clean through and sending it back into his right pectoral. The other katana, was cut in half, destroyed in his hand as he fell to one knee on the ground.

He tried to regain his senses but he couldn't stand up anymore. He just looked at the broken blade plunged in his chest, his eyes glossed with tears and disbelief. "I can't believe you did this with wooden swords. It's impossible."

"Impossible?" Zoro asked. "If you don't have people worth doing the impossible for, then who do you really have?" smiled the greenette before he ripped what was left of his shirt to dry up the blood on his face. Hatchan saw this and ripped the blade from his abdomen. Blood began to leak out, his hand also bleeding from clutching the bare broken blade.

"This fights over. This isn't like last time, you'll really die this time" Zoro said as he watched Hatchan stand to his feet, bloody blade in bloody hand. He stumbled, most likely lightheaded from the shock of losing so much blood. He swung the sword, slipping on the follow through after Zoro dodged it hitting his head hard and with a grunt. Tears streamed down Hatchan's face as it mixed with snot that cascaded from his bleeding pink nose.

"Kill me. Or Arlong will. He doesn't like weaklings. Failures. Cowards. Just kill me!" Hatchan pleaded knowing full well his fate now that he'd lost.

Zoro stood over him silently. "Maybe if you met Luffy first and not Arlong, things would have been different" he finally said before Hatchan passed out. Zoro went to walk away before he tsked. This guy would probably die before the cops came. "Not cool" thought Zoro before he threw the much larger and unconscious Hatchan over his shoulder. This caused him to grimace in pain as his wounds bleed more under the added weight. Meanwhile, both of Hatchan's impaled wounds were still bleeding as blood leaked in streams onto the supporting back of Zoro.

"Asshole. Unconscious and still causing problems" Zoro complained making his way back to his friends, a trail of both of their blood behind them.

Sanji

Kuroobi watched stupefied as his old cellmate chased after the long haired intruder and his blue haired friend. "You guys must be stupid if you think you can pull a stunt like this and survive. We spent 4 years in prison before we busted out. Hard time pal."

"Any bastards that would willingly hurt a lady is trash. You guys think you're tough but I bet you've never fought a chivalrous man like me."

"You think your chivalry can keep you alive, Curly? News flash you and your tramp are getting offed today, I learned Prison Karate in Prison."

Brook laughed from the doorway. "Curly-san, do you think this karate guy went to prison? I'm getting that vibe."

Robin sweatdropped as well. "How many times is he going to say that?" she wondered.

"Why would you say that?" questioned Nami to herself as if the air was stolen from the room. She knew they couldn't have known but still what luck. "The one thing he hates." Shock was imprinted onto her every feature. How could someone poke a tiger so carelessly? "This is not good" Nami thought, shaking in fear.

Arlong's lieutenant dashed towards Brook and them in the doorway. "I'll kill you. How dare you mock prison, it was hell!" he proclaimed as the burly man closed the distance. He leaned into a spinning kick aimed for the bottom of Brook's afro.

"Shit" thought Nami helplessly. "I shouldn't have gotten my heart set on being happy and free of Arlong. I signed a deal with the devil and his contract doesn't expire. I'm sorry everyone. He's always watching, always in control. Why try?"

Time seemed to stop for Brook as he prepared for a hit that never came. Sanji flew into Kuroobi with a flying knee to his back knocking the brute off course from his intended onslaught. Brooks' heart skipped a beat and by the time it regained its rhythm, Sanji kicked the karate practicer again and again before launching him into his me.

"One hit for calling Nami a tramp. The other for calling me Curly. And I haven't even finished warming up" Sanji said counting each hit with a raised finger.

"Glad you were looking out for us" said Brook drained as he helped the newly awoken Chopper to his feet. Arlong's men regrouped, helping their boss to his feet while his breathing settled on an irregular and nervous pace.

Sanji's eyes turned into hearts as quickly as his cool moment had come and gone. Dancing suavely in his regularly worn black suit, his arms outstretched as if chasing a fantasy, "Anything for Nami-swan!" he cooed.

"Asshole. You hit like someone who went to prison. Where were you locked up?" Kuroobi asked. Sanji face faulted at his opponent's broken logic.

"Enough with the whole prison thing, dude. We get it you did hard time. No one really cared the first time" Robin sighed annoyed at the thug's voiced obsession.

"Sanji went to prison? Has he been a murderer covering as a cook? Mind blown! But that explains his mastery of knives in the kitchen" Brook readily pointed out. A chill clung to Choppers skin as if he'd been caught in a blizzard.

"It all makes sense now. How creepy. Sanji you creep!?" Chopper chimed in showing clear signs that his exuberant energy returned to him.

The blonde murderer in question sighed at the stupidity of those around him. "What kind of logic did you conjure up that lead you to that dumb conclusion?"

Kuroobi was beyond pissed. "Are you messing with me!" he yelled before running towards Sanji with his shoulder primed to level the blonde teen. Sanji vaulted over the attempted body slam into a crowd of Arlong's men. Multiple kicks knocked out three thugs before they could react shocking them and creating an opening for Sanji to knock out some more men.

He moved from thug to thug, jumping and flipping swiftly and leaving them unconscious and bloody with his crushing kicks. "Get him boys!" the lieutenant loudly reminded, snapping his men from their stunned paralysis. Man after man came at Sanji swinging pipes and crowbars, broken bottles and knives seemingly trying to cleave his head off.

"Watch out" Brook yelled before Sanji was put in a headlock by the much larger Kuroobi. "Guess you fellas needed help?" he said to his men as Sanji struggled to get free. The remaining thugs jeered with excitement at the turn of events and their boss' heroic entrance back into the battle. They began to crowd the captured blonde, striking any part of him that they could.

*Crack was the sound made when one of Arlong's cronies hit Sanji in the stomach with the lead pipe. The blonde cook screamed in agony as more and more goons added to the group beat down.

"That's a rib. Fuck he's got the grip of a shark" Sanji thought trying to get free of the brutes vice grip. "Four, five, six" he counted internally while grimacing, each strike aching worse than the previous. Brook and Chopper couldn't stand watching finally running to the aid of their friend knowing full well they couldn't do much of anything.

"Why does he keep fighting when he knows there's no hope." Nami thought as her situation became clear to her. She was going to be a slave to Arlong's evil forever. It saddened her to know that this where her mistake led her, down this path she's chained to. Forced to walk until she reaches the conclusion.

"So what if we fail and die along the way. The ride sucked anyway" Nami thought solemnly. But then she thought back to her brief time with Luffy. The good times seemed so long ago to her but she can't deny that however brief they were, they were the happiest she remembers being. She only got a taste of happiness, of blissful freedom. But it was ripped away pretty quick.

"But that's what Arlong does, it doesn't take him long. Even so... I want to believe in Luffy and the good times. They make this somehow worth it" she thought.

Nami began to cry as she leaned on Robin's shoulder. "Keep fighting! Everyone!" she repeated to herself. "They're fighting for me. The least I can do is believe in them and keep fighting too!"

"Sanji!" Chopper and Brook yelled running towards the fight just before Sanji swung upward and out of the headlock. He hooked his legs around Kuroobi's head and then pulled him down crashing his head into the ground. It cracked the wood floor and now dirt from the construction-scarred room painted Kuroobi's face. He sat there lurched over in pain holding the blow.

The pair of teens ran to Sanji as the blonde leaned into Brook with a grimace, his hand holding where he was recently hit. He could taste blood on his tongue and breathing was becoming more and more difficult.

"They might have cracked one of your ribs. You can't fight anymore, you could cause more damage. Like puncture a lung!" Chopper urged as he cleaned blood from his friend's eyes and mouth.

"No, these shitty bastards are going to pay" Sanji responded walking towards Arlong's goons. He somersaulted between a few of them before unleashing a flurry of kicks incapacitating them. He blocked a crowbar with his forearm causing him to grimace before he roundhouse kicked the one responsible who fell unconscious before he landed on another goon.

Kuroobi stood up and wiped the blood from his now crooked and seemingly broken nose. His forehead was also cut from the impact of Sanji's blow so the brute grabbed the back of the blonde's collar while he was fighting his lackeys and threw the blonde teen over his shoulder and towards Nami in the warehouse doorway. He hit the floor and lay there for a moment, his breathing continuing to cause him pain as his lungs felt like it was on fire.

Nami cried watching her friend lay a foot from her, struggling for air as he fights for his life on her behalf. She could only hope none of her friends were killed fighting her battles. That's exactly what she's been avoiding this whole time, since the start of her struggle.

Kuroobi spit out some blood as he cracked his nose back into place, making it bleed more. He wiped it with the back of his sleeve but it kept oozing out like an untapped reservoir. "All this blood. Reminds me of when we killed your mommy, Nami. There was so much blood, course none of it was ours then."

She felt like she was going to be sick as tears unbeknownst to her escaped from her eyes on down her already damp cheek. "Did he just say that to me?" Nami was speechless as Chopper and Brook returned to her and Robin's side. Sanji raucously shrieked in pain as he sat up.

Nami zoned out only faintly hearing Sanji's screams. "How evil were these people? How could I not see it sooner? The evil lying in wait for me and anyone I could ever care about." She always assumed she was the poison people needed to avoid. But it was them, Arlong and his band of venomous snakes with their cold, petrifying yellow eyes skulking around every insecurity, calculating all your flaws and doubts.

It made her stomach drop just knowing that these type of people existed. But it also bewildered her that people like Luffy also existed, seemingly countering all that evil with unrelenting happiness and love. How could people turn out so different?

"I won't let anyone get away with making Nami cry" Sanji said finally back on his feet. He held his aching ribs as he limped towards the panting Kuroobi, only a handful of his followers still part of the fight.

They watched him cautiously as if he were some wild animal. His body shook as he walked towards his opponents, standing and moving clearly causing him pain. "What are you waiting for idiots, finish him!" Kuroobi yelled before wiping the blood getting into his eyes from his forehead.

The thugs went after Sanji one by one but were still grossly outmatched as the injured blonde sent the first attacker across the room with one kick to the face. A crunch that made Kuroobi's nose throb was heard before Sanji grabbed another assailant by the face and threw him into the next one.

He dodged a few swings from a pair of muscleman twins with sledgehammers. Sanji jumped back as one swung at him once again, the hammer cracking the floor underneath the blonde making him stumble and briefly lose his footing. Kuroobi jumped into the fray, punching Sanji in his face and gut with a combination of lefts and rights.

"Damn it, I shouldn't have let him grab me before. How stupid, now my movements are slowed" Sanji thought as he ate Kuroobi's first two blocked the next one with his left leg before countering with a right spinning kick. This sent Kuroobi into one of the sledgehammer goons and the pair fell back.

He took this as his chance as he quickly made his way to the standing thug. Sanji feinted right causing the man to bring his sledgehammer down towards the cook's head. The blonde pulled back and when the opening presented itself, he sent a kick directly into the man's gut. He fell to his knees with spit flying from his mouth, his eyes rolling back into his skull as he passed out from the pain.

"Nighty night, prison clowns" Sanji said after the strongman hit the floor. Kuroobi's last thug sat up aching to face Sanji, his temper flaring even though Sanji stood over him. "You asshole. I'm going to kill you!"

"Good luck, you've been trying" stated the young cook. He ran toward the strongman, kicking him back down onto the ground, knocking him out in the process. "Fucking cockroaches. A chef's worst nightmare."

"I thought a Chef's worst nightmare was burning the food?" asked Brook. "I thought it was a dirty kitchen?" asked Robin. "I thought it was…" began Chopper before a hoarse Sanji cut him off.

It was hard to breathe let alone fight and scream but honestly, "Is now the best time?" Sanji croaked, fed up with his friends who are on the better end of this fight. He was tired but he knew so was Kuroobi.

"You son of a bitch. Make me bleed, beat up my gang mates and you what's worse is that you disrespected prison. I'm gonna finish you off right now!" He ran at Sanji, his blood boiling but the blonde calmly side stepped every punch the man wildly threw. His face was now covered in blood making it hard for Kuroobi to see Sanji.

The desperate attacks were relentless as Arlong's lieutenant flailed his arms trying to end the fight in one blow. He coughed on blood as it pooled in his throat from his nose, his eyes now puffy and bruised showing his nose was clearly broken.

Kuroobi finally stopped his onslaught when he realized he hadn't hit anything. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve only to reopen them to see Sanji's heel coming towards him. He grabbed it and body slammed Sanji to the ground making him yell in pain.

"Bastard, go down!" screamed the blonde as he used his knee as support to help him stand. Kuroobi tried to grab Sanji again only to get kicked in the stomach. He recoiled back, his face already re-covered in blood from his wounds. Sanji hit him two more times in the stomach before he could respond making him fall to his knees, hunched over.

"If you guys ever come back to hurt Nami again, I'll kill you" Sanji said, his tone was laced with a soft yet bone chilling, passive aggression. He brought his leg up and brought it down, delivering the final axe kick to Kuroobi and knocking him out. The room stayed quiet as the calm after the storm settled in.

Chopper rushed to Sanji who collapsed to his feet with the rest of the spectating group behind him. "You idiot, you could have punctured your lung. You should have stopped fighting when I said so" Chopper said tearing up as he opened his medical bag ready to tend to his friend's wounds.

"I got his shitty ass though" laughed Sanji before a pang of pain washed over him. "For you Nami, and for Luffy" he said offering his orange haired friend a smile.

"Nami, are you okay?" Robin asked now that they finally had a safe moment to talk. Nami couldn't believe what she had just seen. One of Arlong's top guys, knocked out? Maybe things were about to get easier, Maybe she could finally try and move on for good this time.

"Hey, good job Curly" Zoro yelled as he struggled to walk toward his friends from the other end of the room. "I see you beat your guy. Must have been weak if he needed all those unconscious guy's help" he teased.

"More than you could have handled" Sanji retorted recognizing the voice but not seeing Zoro as he lay facing the ceiling. "And don't call me Curly, first Arlong's dude and now you. I'll kick your ass" he continued. Zoro laughed at this as he dropped Hatchan's body next to Sanji.

"Glad you survived too, shitty cook" the swordsman said as Chopper finally looked up from helping Sanji to see Zoro approach.

Nami saw him and began to cry again. Not only was he extremely hurt and covered in blood from fighting on her behalf but he somehow managed to beat Hatchan. "Was this all really happening?" she thought dazed. Her face was wet from crying so much and it was slightly throbbing from all the stimulation and she felt light headed, the only sure sign she had to let her know this was no dream. Though if it were, it would be the happiest one she'd ever had.

Chopper's eyes almost popped out of his skull when he saw the amount of blood Zoro had covering him. "Zoro you should be dead. That's too much blood to lose, idiot!"

"It's both of ours relax. But don't let this guy die, can u patch him up too" Zoro asked shocking everyone. Chopper didn't know how to respond, he looked around coming face to face with everyone once before he settled on complying.

"How can they help the people who just tried to kill them?" thought Nami finding herself always pleasantly surprised with her new group of friends. "They really are totally different people" she smiled. "Finding those you can trust is hard. But everyone's not like Arlong."

* A big bang was heard in the distance as the room crumbled slightly from whatever caused the impact. The floor shook and dirt shifted under the force of the ruckus. The crew didn't notice as they were tending to their wounds and reuniting.

"YOOO!" called Franky and Usopp as they walked into the warehouse with Vivi and Nojiko trailing.

"Usopp!? You're alive!? "Nojiko?!" Chopper yelled and Nami asked both surprised and simultaneously.

Franky laughed at Chopper's comment to the dismay of Usopp before he spoke. "Actually Chopper, Usopp saved my ass out there."

"Really?" Chopper and Brook both asked shocked. "It was a good team ef-…" Franky began to recall before he was cut off by Usopp.

"Franky was pushed to the edge and then the great, WARRIOR USOPP came out of nowhere and saved the day, beating that psychopath and saving Franky's life." Usopp laughed as he boasted about his victory.

Chopper was in a trance like he was meeting a celebrity. "The Usopp species has evolved into a warrior! Hip Hip...Hooray!" he and Brook cheered as Usopp flexed his arms.

The blue haired mechanic slapped Usopp in the back of his head destroying his heroic allusion. "It was a good team win, as I was going to say" Franky reminded going over to Chopper who just finished stitching Zoro's wounds. "Then we found Vivi on our way back and when we showed up at the entrance again, Nojiko was just pulling up.

Nojiko stood there awkwardly quiet not sure what to say to her sister. Instead she just rubbed her hand with the other, keeping her eyes averted from Nami's.

Nami noticed this and didn't know what to say but her emotions got the best of her and she pulled the bluenette in tightly, shocking her. It took her a while to get comfortable but once they got used to it, it was almost normal. It was the normal she remembered before this whole mess. Before Arlong.

"I thought I'd never see you again. When this is all over, I'm going to come clean with you. And I hope in the end you'll forgive me" Nami thought as she squeezed her sister tighter to prove to her that she was really there. "I hope you won't blame me."

"Nami I was so worried about you" Vivi said after the hug ended so she could pull Nami into a hug. Nami didn't remember the last time she was hugged like that. Maybe sometime in her childhood when her mom was still alive. It was a nice hug, yet it was a sad hug too.

"Sorry I didn't say goodbye" Nami cried into Vivi's hair. Vivi began to cry because of Nami so she broke the hug to look Nami in the eye. Vivi with a smile that made Nami smile said, "It's good you didn't because now you don't have to." Nami laughed at the corniness of her friend before she hugged Nojiko and Vivi again, somehow still crying hysterically.

"Not that this isn't touching and all but aren't we forgetting something extremely important" Robin reminded the group from her spot next to Zoro. "Where's Luffy and Arlong?"

They all looked around at each other as if the next person was supposed to remember that crucial bit of information.

"Good point, Robin. Maybe we should-…" Zoro began to say before another, much louder bang was heard in the hideout. Scaffolding began to fall, the ground and ceiling were shaking and debris or something to that effect could be heard crashing throughout the building.

"We need to get outside" Nojiko yelled as everyone began to make their way to the archway where the front door used to be. "But what about Luffy?" Nami asked not ready to abandon her hopeful champion.

"For all we know this is because of him. We have to have faith in Luffy!" Zoro yelled dragging the hysteric teen against her will to safety.

"LUFFY!" Nami screamed as more and more debris piled up. The hideout they'd just been in, crumbling before their very eyes.

Author's Note: Crazy ride but we're finally at the end of the story. Not the END, end but we're getting there. 2 more chapters, lots of loose ends to tie up, a curveball, and one princess's fate to change. Stick around for more stories, fav, follow, and review and till next time! Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!