Thanks a million to Clarobell for giving me a fantastic idea for this chapter. Sorry it took so long. Hope you enjoy!
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Chapter 7: Sanji
Luffy gazed at the food, which was sitting next to Nami in the front seat. He snuck a hand forward and then jerked it back as Nami aimed a slap at it.
"What did I do?" Luffy whined. Nami glared at him in the mirror.
"Stealing food." she replied. Luffy gasped.
"I would never! There was a… a… a monkey in the bag!" Luffy cried horrified. Nami felt her lips twitch in a smile.
"He's gone now, so you don't have to worry." she replied. Luffy pouted and sat back in the seat.
"Nice try Luffy." Zoro muttered. Luffy shrugged. They were sitting at the lights at the intersection, waiting for the red to change. Luffy tried sneaking his hand forward again. SLAP!
"The monkey's back." Luffy whined. Nami, Usopp and Zoro chuckled. This wasn't Luffy's day. Finally, the lights changed and they were driving forward again, making to leave the town.
"Park!" Luffy cried looking out the window. He grinned. Parks were fun.
"Yeah, park. Wow." Nami said sarcastically. Luffy pouted.
"Let's eat in the park." Zoro said. Usopp's eyes widened.
"You serious? You'd be seen!" he cried. Luffy looked excitedly at Zoro.
"Please?" he asked.
"It'll be alright, but we can't stay for long." Zoro replied with a wink at Luffy who beamed. Nami sighed.
Zoro's so nice! That wink though. It made me feel... weird. Hnh, oh well. Must just be hungry. Luffy thought.
"Whatever you reckon. But, I'm not bailing you out if you get caught." she muttered and pulled the car to the side of the road and stopped the engine. She grabbed the food, which Luffy was once again trying to get a hold of again, and got out of the car.
They found a small table and sat down, Luffy bouncing eagerly in his seat. He hadn't eaten anything except for apples since their last stop, and that was almost two days ago, and the food in his town a few days before that.
He was starving! Nami pulled out the food, lifting each individual container out and setting it on the table. Zoro looked around a little anxiously, one hand on his sword and the other resting on the table. Luffy was sitting beside him, Usopp across from Luffy, and Nami sitting beside him. Zoro glanced around and Luffy looked up.
"You okay Zoro?" Luffy asked. Zoro paused and looked at Luffy who was gazing at him innocently from under his hat. Zoro smiled.
"Yeah. Just not used to going out in broad daylight." he replied.
"Luffy, he's a vampire. He watches us while we sleep and prepares to drink our blood!" Usopp cried. Luffy snapped his head around to look at Zoro again, who was too amazed by Usopp's stupidity to say anything.
Luffy shuffled away from Zoro and ended up falling off the side of the chair. Zoro threw an arm out and caught Luffy's hand and stopped his fall. Luffy sighed.
"Thanks Zoro." he muttered as he pulled himself back up with Zoro's hand. Zoro shrugged.
"No problem." he replied and then turned back to see Nami and Usopp fixing him with sly smiles. Zoro frowned and felt his face grow hot.
"What?" he asked. Luffy tilted his head. He had this weird feeling in his stomach. Kinda like, butterflies or something. But, how had they gotten in there?
Boy, I sure did feel weird when Zoro pulled me back up. Like, all jumbly inside. Strange. But cool, or is it? What if...? What if it's because Zoro really is a vampire? Luffy thought and then looked at Zoro, leaning away slightly.
"Zoro, you aren't really a vampire are you?" Luffy asked. Zoro stiffened and looked around.
"No Luffy. Would I be out in the sun if I was?" he replied. Luffy paused a moment, obviously thinking hard.
"You could be a day vampire." Usopp supplied.
"Would you shut up?" Zoro growled. Usopp whimpered. Nami finished handing out forks and food and Luffy forgot all about Zoro's 'vampire' problem and the weird butterfly feeling, and dived into his food. Usopp winced at the sight of Luffy eating, but after spending time with Luffy on the road, Nami and Zoro were used to it. Usopp leaned over to Nami.
"Does he always eat like that?" he asked softly. Nami nodded, a disgusted look crossing her face even though she wasn't looking at Luffy. There was a whine and Nami, Usopp and Zoro looked up from their food to see Luffy gazing at his already empty container. He pouted.
"No more." he said and then his eyes shifted under the brim of his hat towards Usopp's food.
"No way." Usopp responded to the unasked question and wrapped an arm protectively around his container. Luffy's eyes then shifted to Nami's container.
"Touch my food and you'll owe me a hundred bucks, plus interest." she warned. Luffy pouted and then his eyes came to rest on Zoro's food. The dark haired swordsman frowned.
"No way. I'm just as hungry as you are." he said. Luffy whined in the back of his throat.
"Please Zoro?" he asked. Zoro shook his head and took another bite. Luffy watched like a hungry dog at a table. Zoro grew more and more tense under Luffy's scrutinizing eyes.
"Fine." he growled and shoved the container over to Luffy, who gave a squeak of happiness before inhaling what was left of Zoro's food. He was finished in seconds.
"Did you enjoy my meal?" Zoro asked sarcastically. Luffy nodded, either choosing to ignore the sarcasm, or just not getting it, most likely the latter. He grinned and twisted on the table seat to look out at the park. It was deserted and the swings were free.
"Hee!" he cried and bounced off the seat and over to the swing set. Luffy jumped onto the plastic seat and began swinging his legs back and forth until he was swinging. Zoro watched, now turned on the seat so his back and elbows were resting on the table behind him.
A small smile tugged at the swordsman's lips as he watched Luffy swing happily. It was nice to see Luffy having fun after being cooped up in a boring car for so long. He only hoped Luffy was smart enough not to shout out his name in public.
"Hey Zoro!" Luffy cried. Damn. Zoro tensed, jumped off the seat and hurried over so Luffy wouldn't continue to announce the swordsman's presence to the world.
"What is it Luffy?" Zoro asked as he leaned against the metal bars of the swing set. Luffy swung past him.
"Watch this!" and Luffy swung back and then came forward again, jumping from the seat and landing on his feet. Luffy turned, stretching his arms wide.
"Wow Luffy." Zoro said disinterestedly as he gazed anxiously around. He had just been beginning to relax too. Suddenly, Luffy grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the see saw. Why Luffy wanted to go on a see saw is a question that will never be answered. Zoro's eyes widened as he was jerked forward.
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Nami nudged Usopp in the side. The long nose looked up from the compass he had been fixing.
"What?" he asked. Nami nodded her head towards where Luffy was now trying to persuade Zoro to get on the see saw with him. Usopp smiled.
"Luffy loves playing." he said. Nami nodded.
"But that's not what I'm looking at. Look at Zoro's face. Notice anything weird?" she asked. Usopp looked at the swordsman for a moment.
"He's smiling. So?" Usopp returned. Nami sighed.
"Look at what he's smiling at." she responded, getting a little annoyed. Usopp looked back again and then a slow smile spread across his face.
"You don't think…?"
"That's exactly what I think." Nami replied.
"But, Luffy's so easy to smile at. Don't you think we could be taking it a little far?" Usopp asked.
"Maybe." and then a sly smile spread across her face, "Bet you fifty bucks they kiss before we reach the next town."
"You're on." Usopp replied.
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"I am not getting on a see saw." Zoro replied, on the brink of laughter. Luffy pouted.
"Please?" he asked. Zoro sighed.
"No."
"You're mean Zoro." Luffy responded, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring, like a little kid when they didn't get their way. This time Zoro did laugh.
"Pout all you want, I'm not getting on the see saw." he responded. "I'm not gonna look like an idiot."
"You already are an idiot." a voice said behind him. Zoro spun to see Tashigi standing there, her sword already drawn and pointing at his stomach. Luffy got up off the see saw, his eyes narrowed.
"Tashigi." Zoro said crossing his arms. The dark haired woman sneered.
"Revealing yourself in public, what kind of an idiot would do that?" she asked. Zoro shrugged.
"You tell me." he responded and then dodged to the left as Tashigi swung her blade at him. Quickly withdrawing his own blades, he blocked the next swing.
"Hey!" Luffy cried as someone grabbed his arms and forced them behind his back and then held him.
"You aren't going anywhere kid." a policeman said. Zoro turned and his eyes narrowed, but he couldn't help because Tashigi was making a full advancement and there was no way he could retreat. Not that he would anyway.
Luffy pulled his head forward and then slammed it back into the policeman's face. The man yelped and let Luffy go and the boy leapt forward, grinning happily.
He turned and saw policeman surrounding Nami and Usopp and he frowned. He glanced back at Zoro, who was still fighting Tashigi and doing much better than the woman too, and then he ran forward towards them. Luffy could see Usopp shaking like a blob of jelly and he frowned. So what if Zoro was a fugitive, and so what if fighting the police was against the law?
It was what Luffy felt that mattered to him, and he felt that someone had to have been mistaken about Zoro, because the man who had saved him from getting shot, couldn't possibly have ever done something bad. He jumped up as he reached the circle and slammed both feet into the back of the first policeman. Suddenly all guns were trained on him, and Luffy pushed his hat down on his head.
"Cowards, fighting with your guns. Put them down and let's go." he said putting his fists up. The policemen looked at each other, and then began chuckling amongst themselves.
"No way kid." the leader replied. Luffy raised an eyebrow.
"Scared you'll lose?" he asked. The leader stiffened and then signalled that the rest of the group should put their guns down.
"Fine." the leader replied and they all rushed at Luffy, who was ready and he began punching or kicking at any guy that came near him.
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Zoro spun around and knocked Tashigi's sword from her hand. It went spinning through the air to hit a tree and bury itself in the trunk with a dull thud. Tashigi was now defenceless. Zoro towered over her, his swords still out and his breathing a little faster.
"You lose again kid." he said. Tashigi growled.
"Go ahead. Kill me like you did that little girl, and her father." she hissed. Zoro twitched and he leant away from Tashigi who was still glaring coldly at him.
"I never murdered anyone." he said dangerously and slid one of his swords back into it's sheath. He pulled the sword from his mouth and also slid it into it's sheath. He was left with one sword.
"Liar." Tashigi replied. Zoro sighed.
"Believe what you want. I know what's right." he replied before turning and walking towards where Luffy was currently kicking the other policemen's collective butts.
"But remember, I had the opportunity to kill you… but I didn't." he said over his shoulder. Tashigi watched him leave, a scowl still on her face. Nothing that man said could be trusted and there was no way she was going to betray captain Smoker by loosing Zoro again. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a gun and trained it on Zoro's back.
Click.
No ammo.
"Damn." Tashigi swore and then slid her sword back into it's sheath. She would get him next time.
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Nami, for the most part, stayed out of the battle and Usopp cowered under the table.
"Usopp!" she hissed. The long nose peeked out slightly, shaking so hard it was a wonder the whole ground didn't tremble. "What are you doing? Help Luffy." she said. Usopp blanched.
"You help Luffy." he replied angrily. Nami sighed and jumped out of the way as a policeman shot past.
"You're the one with the slingshot." she responded. Usopp paused.
"Slingshot!" and he reached towards his back pocket. Nothing. "It's gone!" he squeaked. Nami growled.
"Grab a gun then." she hissed. Luffy slammed his palm into another of the policemen's faces. Usopp gulped, crept his hand out from under the table and snatched a gun from where they had been lain when Luffy had put his challenge forward.
"I can't kill someone." Usopp squeaked from under the table.
"Then don't!" Nami snapped, "Aim for places that will disable and not kill." she replied. Usopp nodded and aiming the barrel of the gun at a nearby policeman's leg, he gently stroked the trigger.
Luffy looked around as a gunshot rang out. His eyes came to rest on a policeman rolling on the ground, holding his leg in pain and then Usopp under the table, aiming a gun at another police officer's leg. Luffy smirked. Usopp had some courage after all.
"Luffy!" Nami's voice called and he turned to see Nami being held hostage by one of the beaten policeman, a gun to her head.
"Stay there kid, and she won't be harmed." he said. Luffy paused.
"Aren't policeman supposed to be the good guys?" Luffy asked. The man frowned.
"You could have given in and then it wouldn't have come to this." the man replied. Luffy stayed where he was, unwilling to do something that may hurt his friend. This was weird. Policeman weren't meant to treat people this way. Luffy peered at their clothes, looking for some sort of an insignia... but there was none. He jumped as someone shouted.
"That's no way to treat a lady!" a voice called and then a black booted foot caught the policeman in the back and shot him forward and away from Nami. The blonde haired chef from the Baratie stood there.
"Hey, it's that guy from the place with the food!" Luffy cried pointing, "Wow, he sure can kick." Nami was in shock.
"S-Sanji?" she asked. The blonde turned at the sound of his name and then his visible eye transformed into a love heart.
"Ah, my gorgeous, sweet miss Nami! What a delight it is to see you again!" Sanji cried. Nami smiled.
"Thankyou Sanji." she replied.
Luffy jumped out of the way as more police appeared and began trying to hammer him. This time, they weren't fighting fair. All ten of the police officers that were left, piled onto Luffy and pinned him to the ground.
"Hey! Help Luffy, Sanji!" Nami cried when she saw this. Another gun shot rang out, signalling Usopp had hit another one.
"Get off of him!" Zoro cried as he finally reached the battle. He slammed his foot into the top policeman's gut, sending him off the pile. Sanji hurried over and began kicking the men away from the buried Luffy. Zoro grabbed another by the back of the shirt and threw him off. Sanji kicked out and connected with Zoro's arm by accident.
"Watch it!" Zoro yelled. Sanji frowned.
"Your arm was in the way you baboon!" he replied. There was a loud grunt and then the men were thrown off as Luffy finally managed to get a hold on them. He stood up, dusting off his shirt. Zoro and Sanji were glaring at him.
"What?" he asked.
"You could have done that in the first place!" both men yelled in reply.
"Guys, this is no time to fight!" Nami cried as she turned and began running for the car.
"Your wish is my command Nami!" Sanji crooned and floated after her. Usopp scrambled out from under the table, gun still in hand. Luffy was after them, grabbing his hat up from the ground where it had fallen before he had been dog-piled.
"You okay Luffy?" Zoro asked as they ran. Luffy grinned.
"Never better." he replied. Reaching the car, Usopp dived into the back seat and scrambled over to the opposite side, followed by Luffy and then Zoro. Sanji jumped into the front with Nami. Zoro slammed the door as Nami started the car. Usopp looked at Luffy, who was being squished in between Zoro and himself.
" I think we need a bigger car." Zoro muttered.
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I agree.