Yay! Twenty chappies! Hooray for me! But, I don't think there is that much further to go after this one, so, yeah. But, hey, it's been going for about two months. -nods- it's true.

Later on in this chapter, i say a 'magazine' and if you don't know what a magazine is, in the context of it having to do something with a gun, it is a small, usually metal, piece that holds the bullets inside it and you slide it into the handle of the gun.

The bullets are then hit by the hammer from behind, and the bullet is shot from the barrel. Just an interesting bit of information there if you didn't already know.

-------------------------------

Chapter 20: Bold Statements

Zoro looked around the corner and then jumped backwards as a bullet was fired.

"They're close." he muttered.

"Oh no fucking duh." Sanji growled, annoyed that a) his wonderful Nami was in danger and b) that he had to follow this retard around. Zoro ignored the comment in favour of placing his sword in his mouth.

"Usopp, reckon you can give me some cover fire?" he asked, his voice slightly muffled by the sword in his mouth. The long nosed boy sidled up behind him and nodded. Zoro looked back at the other two.

"This'll be easy." he stated and then leapt out, Usopp doing the same behind him and the marksman started firing. Zoro raced down the corridor, zigzagging from side to side as he did so.

He winced as a bullet from the men firing at him, grazed past his cheek but he kept running until he reached the group and slashed out. Normally, for the simple reason that he was accused of being a murderer, he wouldn't kill, but these guys had the look of villains about them, so, Zoro had no misconceptions.

He slashed his blades through them as easily as if they were made of tissue paper. He spun and twisted and then slashed out once more, and was still as the last man fell.

"Well, that was easy." he commented, standing straight and looking at the area around him. Blood was running from the men he had killed, but, his cutting had been too quick and too precise that it hadn't splattered over the walls or himself. Usopp was breathing heavily from where he was still holding his gun, aimed at the door behind Zoro.

"Come on!" the swordsman ordered as he turned around and opened the door. He paused at the sight of about thirty muscle bound men looking back at him. His mouth twisted and he closed the door.

"On second thought…" and he jumped backwards as the door burst out towards him. Sanji was at his side and Chopper was quickly bringing up the rear, his anger at Luffy having been apparently kidnapped and his worry, making him transform into his more… dangerous form.

"Usopp!" Zoro yelled and the gunfire from the boy started up again. He was a perfect shot too. He could feel the bullets whizzing past at the exact moment that he had jumped the opposite direction.

Usopp also made sure not too many ganged up on you when you weren't looking as well. He would pick them off. Zoro noticed that Usopp never aimed for the killing points, such as the heart, head, places like that. He usually aimed for the legs, or the arms.

Sanji kicked out and then flipped onto his hands and spun, just narrowly missing Zoro's head. The swordsman glared at him and Sanji gave him a mischievous smile. Chopper was on his other side, smacking random men out of the way and throwing them back into the room.

"They just keep coming!" Sanji called out as he kicked another one. One man grabbed onto his leg and laughed triumphantly until he was flung through the air and straight into the wall.

Sanji jumped back onto his feet and then dodged to the side of the punch of another and lifted his heel and slammed it straight into the man's back. There was a horrible crunch as he hit the ground, but Sanji didn't seem to notice.

"Can't handle it dartboard?" Zoro returned as he shouldered another guy backwards and then slashed his swords upwards and across his chest. He spun on his heel and slammed the butt of his sword into the man behind him's face, and then twirled the sword between two fingers and slashed a third who was trying to take him on from the other side.

"I just thought you might have been getting tired." Sanji responded as he leapt into the air and then planted both feet on an attacker's back and drove him into the ground.

The man surprised him though, for as Sanji drove him down, he twisted and grabbed onto Sanji's ankles, unbalancing the chef and throwing him to the ground. Men piled onto the chef from all sides and Sanji soon found himself held down.

"Need a little help?" Zoro's voice called.

"Nope. Got it covered!" Sanji replied before twisting his hips and placing his hands upside down on either side of his head and flipping backwards. He winced as the weight on his legs momentarily pulled at his back, but then he was up and the men were flying.

Sanji twisted around once more and placed his feet on the wall, balancing on one hand for a moment as he recovered from the slight strain.

"You okay chef boy?" Zoro called as he slashed his way through another five men.

"Fan-fucking-tastic!" Sanji returned before pushing off the wall and letting the momentum carry him over so he could slam his knees into a survivor of his recent attack. He got back onto his feet and lit another cigarette, his previous one having been dropped on the floor.

Zoro crossed his arms across his chest and then swung them outwards, the swords making a slight whistle as the cut the air before hitting the two men who were attacking from behind. Chopper grabbed a whole group of them and threw them against the wall and then winced at the crunches they made.

The gun fire suddenly stopped and Sanji looked back down the hall to see Usopp hurriedly trying to reload the gun, the magazine in his hand shaking as he tried to slide it into the handle of the firearm. Sanji shook his head.

"Usopp! It's all over. It's okay now." he reassured the boy. The long nose looked up and then sighed upon seeing the body strewn corridor. He finally was able to slide the magazine into the gun and he cocked the hammer.

"Come on. We need to find Luffy." Zoro ordered.

"And Nami!" Sanji reminded him. Zoro rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, her too." he replied and then moved through the door, stepping on top of a few men as he did so. He moved inside and looked around. It was a fairly plain room and it had a single light hanging from the ceiling and a wooden floor.

"Hey Sanji, don't drop any cigs in here." Zoro commented as he sheathed his swords. Sanji frowned and placed a hand over his mouth.

"Yeah yeah…" he responded as he too looked around the room.

"It's so quiet." Chopper said from behind him, his larger size also making his voice deeper.

"Too quiet…" Usopp added. He was the last in and the most frightened. Sanji rolled his eyes.

"You've been watching too many detective shows." he commented.

"Shh." Zoro suddenly said, holding up a hand.

"What is it?" Usopp asked.

"I can hear something." Zoro responded. Sanji could have made a sarcastic comment, but, he held his tongue. If Zoro said he heard something, then the chef was willing to believe him.

After all, the guy had been a fugitive for a fair while, so, he must have picked up some stealth instincts. Chopper looked around, his eyes taking in the dirty area and then narrowing in distaste. How could people live in a place like this?

"Is someone there…?" a small voice asked. Zoro took a step forward in the direction he thought the voice was coming from and listened again.

"Chopper… can you hear them more clearly?" the swordsman asked in a hushed voice. The big reindeer walked over and stood beside Zoro and cocked his head in the direction Zoro had indicated.

"Mhm. There next door. At the far end of the room. They sound weak too." Chopper said.

"They?" Usopp asked.

"There's two of them."

"But… what if it's a trap?"

"Then… we'll handle it, won't we?" Sanji replied. Zoro moved towards the door to his right and looked down at the handle.

There was a chain running underneath the small, silver bar and it was attached to a similar bar, situated on the wall beside it. A large padlock secured the deal. The swordsman raised an eyebrow.

"Anyone know how to pick a lock?" he asked.

"Shouldn't you? Haven't you broken into houses and stuff?" Usopp inquired. Zoro turned to him with a stony expression.

"Just because I'm on the run, doesn't mean I'm a criminal." he said. Sanji snorted.

"That's… an unusual statement. If you are on the run, it means you did something wrong." the chef commented.

"Well, you know I didn't, now back off." Zoro responded a little harshly and then looked back down at the padlock again. He glanced at his swords and then at the lock again.

Wonder if they'll cut it. He thought. Stepping back, he pulled Wadau from it's sheath.

"What are you doing?" Chopper asked. Zoro glanced at the reindeer.

"Seeing what's inside the box." he responded before slashing across the top of the padlock. Nothing happened.

"Well, that worked didn't it?" Sanji asked sarcastically. Zoro frowned and glared at the lock. Finally, it clicked and the bar separated from the bottom piece and both bits fell to the floor. Zoro smiled and re-sheathed the sword.

Thanks Kuina. He thought

"It did actually." he said to Sanji before pulling the chain away from the bars and dropping it onto the floor. Sanji rolled his eyes. The swordsman carefully opened the door and peeked in.

"Who are you?" a female voice asked. Sanji's head was around the door quicker than lightning, and then his eyes started up.

"A beautiful girl." he said. Zoro rolled his eyes.

"We're looking for… someone." he replied, not sure how much information he should give away.

"Who are you looking for?" the woman asked. She had light blue hair, and a shape much similar to Nami's. She looked like Nami too.

"Some friends." Zoro replied as Sanji wormed his way into the room.

"Ah, what's a beautiful girl like you, doing in a dump like this?" he asked. Zoro sighed.

"That is the oldest pick up line I have ever heard." he muttered and then walked in, deeming it safe to do so. Lying next to the woman was an older man. He looked in bad shape and scars lined his face, arms and legs.

"Wow… what happened to you?" Chopper asked as he too walked in. The man lying on the floor opened his eyes weakly.

"They tortured him." The woman replied. The man nodded gently.

"Who did?" Zoro asked as Sanji gibbered about how beautiful the woman was in the background.

"Arlong…" she replied.

"What's your name my wonderful angel?" Sanji suddenly asked. The woman looked at him.

"My name's Nojiko." she replied.

"Ah, such a wonderful name." he cooed. Zoro frowned and a tick began to go in his cheek. Sanji was really starting to try his patience.

"We don't have time for this. Sanji, you stay here and free them, I'm going to find Luffy." the swordsman snapped. Sanji looked up.

"And Nami." he reminded the man again.

"Nami?" Nojiko asked, suddenly interested in their little argument, "Why would you want to find her? Are you friends of hers?"

"Nami travels with us. Or, she did." Usopp replied. Nojiko blinked.

"But… Nami has never travelled with anyone before. Not since she was a little girl." she said.

"How do you know that?" Sanji asked. Nojiko shook her head.

"I'm her sister." she replied.

"Ah, no wonder you're such an angel!" Sanji cried.

"Oh please." Zoro growled and made to move out the door. He had to find Luffy. He didn't have time for this bullshit.

"We can help you." the man said suddenly. Zoro paused and looked back at them.

"How can you help us? You don't even know who we are and what we are doing here." he responded.

'We know the house." Nojiko added. Zoro blinked and then chewed on his bottom lip.

"Alright."

----

Nami hurried into the room and Luffy looked up at her.

"What sort of plan?" the boy asked, a little excitedly. Nami kneeled down in front of him.

"One that involves getting back at Arlong for everything he did to me." she replied as she pulled a small knife from a sheath on the side of her leg and began cutting the ropes.

"Oh, so that's why you wrote 'Arlong' on the side of the map." he said. Nami looked up at him.

"You saw that?" she asked. Luffy nodded.

"Yep. Sure did. Didn't know what it meant though." he replied. Nami shook her head.

"You're some kid Luffy. Right, now, here's my plan." she said as she cut the ropes, "We have to make it look like you escaped into the town. Arlong can't know you're still here. He has to think you're gone. Once we set that up, I'll hide you in my room. At exactly…" and she paused a moment to check her watch before going back to cutting the ropes again, "Three am, yo-"

"It's morning?" Luffy squeaked. Nami nodded.

"Yeah. It's two now. Why? Did you think it was still afternoon?" she asked. Luffy nodded and then laughed a little sheepishly.

"I lost track of time." he replied. Nami shook her head.

"Right. Anyway, at three, you can come out and then, if it's alright with you, kick Arlong's butt."

"Hmm… ok." Luffy replied.

"You're okay with that?"

"Yup. I can kick his butt for you Nami." and the boy smiled. Nami blinked at him, her hand still holding the knife. She smiled.

"Thanks Luffy. I'm sorry I said I wasn't your friend."

"That's okay. I knew you were lying anyway." and the two laughed. Nami cut the last rope and then slid the knife back into the sheath on her thigh.

"Alright. Now, we need to set up the area so it looks like you escaped. Think you can reach that window?" she asked and pointed towards a small window above them. Luffy jumped to his feet, picked up his hat which had been laying beside him, placed it on his head and then looked up at the window. He studied it for a minute and then looked at Nami.

"I think I can." he replied and then turned back to the window and bent his knees, preparing to jump. He leapt upwards and was able to grab onto the ledge and then heave himself up.

"Hows this?" he asked. Nami nodded.

"Break it… quietly." she warned. How Luffy would do that, she didn't know. Luffy was never quiet, and the breaking of glass was something that would make noise. The boy studied the window intently for a moment and then looked down at Nami.

"I need a knife." he said to her. Nami blinked and pulled the one she had used to cut the ropes, out.

"What for?" she asked.

"If I can score it, then I can break it without making noise." the boy replied. Nami paused.

"You came up with that by yourself?" she asked.

"Hey, I'm not a total moron." he responded and grabbing the ledge in one hand, he held his free one out to Nami. The woman reached up, placing the handle in Luffy's hand. The boy pulled himself back up and then put both elbows on the ledge, using his upper arm strength to hold him steady as he scored the window.

Every now and again, as Nami separated the ends of the rope to make it look as though it had been torn and not cut, she would hear a squeak that would make her wince.

"Done." Luffy muttered before driving the blade into the ledge so it wouldn't fall down and wouldn't cut him. He pushed against the glass and sure enough it began to crackle and break silently.

Nami watched in amazement. Luffy had actually done it. The glass looked as though it had been broken from a distance, and Nami was sure that none of those blunder heads in Arlong's gang would be able to figure out that it was in fact cut.

"Alright you little rat… time for some food." a voice said. Nami and Luffy both stiffened. The younger of the two, grabbed the knife from the ledge and let himself drop to the floor.

"Nami. Here." and he gave her the knife.

"Sit down on the floor… quick." Nami instructed. Luffy did as he was told. Nami pointed the knife straight at him, just as Kuroobi walked in the door.

"Nami?" the man asked as he stopped. Nami craned her neck and looked over her shoulder at the man.

"You idiot. Who tied these ropes? I was walking past and this little bastard tried to escape." she said.

"Escape? It was Choo who tied those ropes. He'll be in so much trouble." Kuroobi replied.

"Well go and get some more rope, and I'll teach you how to tie a proper knot." Nami growled. Kuroobi nodded and then clumped away and back down the stairs. Nami sighed and let her hands drop. Luffy grinned.

"You're a good actor Nami." he said. Nami nodded.

"I've had a lot of practice." she replied. Luffy got back to his feet again.

"Let's go." he said, "Stuff the plan. What point is there to it?"

"It will buy me some time to find Nojiko and Genzo." Nami replied as they hurried to the door and looked around to make sure the coast was clear.

"Who are they?" Luffy asked.

"Friends." Nami replied and she was about to step out when Luffy placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Zoro." he said and then pointed downwards.

"What…?"

"Zoro. I can hear his voice." the boy replied.

"How can you? I can't hear anything."

"Well shut up then." Luffy replied and bent down, pressing his ear against the floor. Nami looked around nervously, expecting Kuroobi to appear at any moment.

"Ah, no wonder you're such an angel!" echoed up to her as she listened. Luffy chuckled.

"That's Sanji. Wonder who he's talking to."

"Oh please." Zoro's voice said.

"We can help you." a man's voice replied. Nami stiffened.

"That's… Genzo." she whispered.

"How can you help us? You don't even know who we are and what we are doing here." Zoro replied to the man's voice.

"We know the house." a woman's voice replied. Nami blinked.

"That's Nojiko." she said. Luffy grinned.

"Guess the others found them first. Now can I go and beat up Arlong?" Luffy asked. Nami looked at him.

"I… guess. But, won't you need some help?" she asked.

"Well… I don't think so, but, you could go down there and get Zoro to come up. Sanji too. They're good fighters, so, if I do need help, they can help!" Luffy replied and stood up again. Nami nodded.

"Ok. You go down the stairs to the bottom floor and that's where Arlong should be. I'll see you down there in a bit." she replied and stood as well. Luffy nodded.

"No worries." he replied and hurried towards the stairs. Nami hurried alongside him and once they were back down on the second floor, she split off to find the others. Luffy kept going down the stairs.

---------------------------------

Oh, I am so evil for cutting it off there. -grins- sorry bout that. But, come on, the fight needs a chapter of it's own. Seriously. But, what did you think of the fight scene in this chapter? Was it long enough? Too long? Too short? Just right? Hope it was alright. I liked writing Sanji's moves the best.

Even though Zoro is a kickass swordsman, Sanji has some pretty wild techniques. Oh, and I will give you a little hint here. Usopp's marksmanship... it's a key point in my last chapter... tee hee, wonder if anyone will figure it out before I post it. Meh. See you all in the next chappie!