Treasure Hunters
Author Notes: Get your popcorn, guys. This is a LONG one!
Disclaimer: I still own just about nothing!
Chapter 8: Bring The Rain
Suggested Tracks: "Knights of Cydonia," Muse (towards end of chapter)
"It was just an argument!" Luffy shrieked, pounding on Chopper's back as the transformed reindeer hauled him to his office in a rush. Zoro chased them, heart pounding and still disheveled from sleep. "He said he wanted to be born and I said no! I told him it's too soon but he won't listen!"
"Please calm down, Luffy!" Chopper cried. He laid Luffy down in the infirmary bed, and Zoro winced as Chopper quickly drew the curtains. He heard Luffy crying and screaming again, and Zoro froze. A piece of fabric would never have stopped him before, but it suddenly seemed like an insurmountable barrier.
"Zoro," Robin whispered from behind him. Her eyes were wide as she placed her hands on his shoulders. "Zoro, come on. There's nothing you can do here. Let's go get some tea." Zoro simply shook his head. Luffy moaned in pain, and Chopper said something encouraging to him.
"He's… he's…" Zoro stood stiff, not even looking at Robin. "The baby can't be born yet. If he's born now, he won't be able to breathe. I need to help him." Zoro pumped his fist into the air. "Luffy! You can do it!" Luffy's sobs rose again.
"Zoro, quiet down, I need to concentrate!" Chopper squeaked, and Robin quickly dragged Zoro out by the edge of his shirt.
"If there's a good god up there," Zoro whispered, wide-eyed, as he dragged his heels, "let me ask just this one thing of you. Keep them safe. Just let Luffy be okay…"
"He's okay. The contractions stopped," Chopper told Zoro quietly. It had taken seven hours for Chopper to contact him. He was staring at his hooves and quivering, and Zoro had his arms folded and his head hung. "Baby's moving back up. I think I read that when someone goes into labor this early, it's a bad thing because his body thinks its ready to have the baby and will keep trying to have it, but I'm pretty sure, based on his basal height, that he's about six weeks short of full-term."
"Talk to me like I have no idea what that means. Basal height." Zoro tilted his head forward.
"It's basically how big his tummy is. It's a good predictor of how far in he is."
"I don't like the phrases 'pretty sure' or 'predictor,'" Zoro growled. "If you don't know-"
"No! It's because Luffy's not totally sure when you guys conceived and he didn't tell anybody when he found out he did, so I'm not sure when the baby will be full-term!" Chopper squeaked. Zoro sighed and scratched the back of his head.
"Why did he start having contractions in the first place?"
"Early contractions are pretty normal, but his were pretty severe, and he's really early. It could be some sort of hormonal thing, an infection, some STI like trichomoniasis, diabetes, asthma, lupus, abdominal trauma, lot of stuff." Zoro ground his teeth and glowered at Chopper like he had just been viciously offended. Chopper shivered. "I can definitively rule out all of those I just listed but three."
"Which?" Zoro scowled and held up seven fingers. Chopper whimpered.
"It's not an STI, I'm sure it's not!" Zoro put down a finger and scowled a little less. Chopper sighed with relief and continued. "He's never shown symptoms of asthma or diabetes before." Zoro put down two more fingers. "And it's not lupus. It's definitely not lupus." Zoro looked at the three remaining fingers, and Chopper listed the remaining three. "Hormones, abdominal trauma, or an infection, and since he's got no other symptoms I'm all but sure he doesn't have an infection."
"So, either there's something wrong with his body or someone hit him." Zoro concluded, then turned away from Chopper and looked back at Robin, who had been silently leaning against the wall and listening. "Did you see anybody hit him? Did he fall? Was he doing something stupid?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary," Robin stated.
"So, he did something stupid?" Zoro rose an eyebrow. Robin shook her head.
"It was so sudden. He said he couldn't sleep, and then he was in pain," Robin murmured somberly.
"I think it's abnormal hormones," Chopper theorized quietly. "You have to remember- even if things are as they are, Luffy is still a man, and men don't have the right hormone balance. It's kind of a miracle that he's had no problems before. If I had to give you the most probable scenario, it's that something triggered a rush of hormones in his body that acted like a signal for labor." Zoro's eyes widened, and he dropped his arms to his sides stiffly.
"Shit. It's my fault," Zoro said quietly. Robin covered her mouth with her hand as she realized what Zoro was implying.
"No, Zoro, you didn't know!" Robin tried to reassure him.
"I should have! Damn it, I should have known!" Zoro stomped his foot, and turned back to Chopper, eyes dark. "Thank you, doctor. You've done a good job, and I can do no more than owe you my child's life."
"Don't be a jerk!" Chopper laughed with embarrassment, blushing and waving Zoro off. "Saying things like that mean absolutely nothing to me!" Zoro cracked a smirk, and passed Chopper to enter the sick bay.
Luffy was shirtless in the bed, arms folded across his chest and glaring fiercely down at his middle. Zoro approached him and sat on the bedside. He picked Luffy's hat from the bedside table and set it gently atop his head. Luffy didn't react, but continued hatefully staring down his own flesh. Zoro glanced over his shoulder at him. "Sorry," he muttered, then turned away again. Luffy didn't even react. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I wouldn't have done what we did if I'd known. We'd gotten away with it before, I just didn't know that this could happen." Luffy still didn't speak, and Zoro hung his head. "I understand why you're not talking to me."
"Eh?" Luffy stopped scowling and looked at Zoro. "What are you talking about?" Zoro huffed darkly under his breath.
"I'm talking about how us having sex caused you to go into labor!" Zoro snapped.
"What? That's what you think it was?" Luffy readjusted to sit cross-legged and stare at Zoro's back. "That's not it at all!"
"What was it, then?" Zoro cocked an eyebrow and turned to face Luffy.
"It's his fault!" Luffy pointed at his belly and scowled. "He's pretty stupid, wanting to be born now. I am very, very angry with him." He folded his arms and glared at his navel again. "We are not speaking." Zoro chuckled softly into his hand.
"Would it make you feel better if you had a name to call him?" Luffy looked up, and Zoro looked away again. "When Robin told me the baby was coming, I finished my list of names so if the baby was born tonight, we'd be able to name him. You asked me to name him, right?"
"Yeah, 'cause you're his Daddy." Luffy grinned.
"Well, I couldn't pick a name. So I picked a few that I really liked from a big list the guys and I came up with and I wrote them down for you." Zoro pulled out a small piece of folded paper and handed it to Luffy. "Since you are also his dad, you also get to pick." Zoro smirked proudly. Luffy tilted his head as he unfolded the paper and read the names. "I, uh, I really liked those. Kaede, Torao, Cygne, Edison, and Basso."
"I don't like any of these! But that's okay, thank you for trying." Luffy kissed Zoro on the cheek, and Zoro chuckled weakly.
"Do whatever you want. As long as you're happy and our kid is healthy." Zoro rubbed his eyes wearily and leaned back against the wall. Luffy lay back in the infirmary bed, staring into his middle coolly.
"You're a little jerk. I sure hope you're okay."
Chopper said he couldn't let Luffy out of the infirmary for a few days, and Luffy reluctantly agreed, resigning himself to doing what would get him injured least by the doctor himself. Zoro stayed with him as much as he could and sulked when he couldn't. The rest of the crew was charged with lying to Gilly to convince her that Luffy was okay and then with keeping her on her usual routine. Unfortunately, the very moment Gilly heard that Luffy was in the infirmary, all of her impulses exploded. Every single Straw Hat tried to take a stand against the tyrannical toddler, who was suddenly out-of-control.
"Gilly, please get down!" Franky shrieked. He hadn't even given her cola this time, but she had climbed up the rigging and was hanging upside-down from the ropes. This was after she threw a tantrum that left the men's cabin in complete disarray that would require at least three loads of laundry and a bottle of acetone to repair. "Gilly, please!"
"No!" Gilly snapped back. "Tell Daddy to come get me!" Sanji watched impassively, cracking his knuckles against his palms, while Brook stared up as well.
"Are you going to go help her, Sanji?" Brook said quietly. Sanji shook his head.
"Same problem as always. Ropes shake, kid falls, Zoro bludgeons us." Sanji glanced up at Brook. "You gonna help? You're lighter, you might not shake the ropes."
"I'm afraid a gentleman such as myself would only worsen the situation. For some reason, the child fears me." Brook took out a pair of little green panties with a daisy printed on them to dab pointlessly at his eyes. "Also, I am not certain why I am talking to you at all."
"Hey, I promised you a pair of panties from a girl on the ship. I didn't say which girl." Sanji smirked just a little. Brook didn't respond for a moment, listening to Franky yell again.
"Please, little sis! I promise you'll get to go see your Dad if you just come down!" Tears practically poured from Franky's eyes at this plea.
Brook looked back to Sanji. "Where is Nami?"
"She's said she's not feeling well again. Her head, her stomach," Sanji grumbled. "Chopper's checking her out again."
"A pity. I feel that the women of this ship have a certain way about them… Between you and I, Sanji, I do not think that you, myself, and Franky are meant to be fathers," Brook remarked sagely. "At least, not to her." He pointed up at Gilly, who had begun swinging back and forth of her own accord. Robin came onto the deck, book under her arm.
"Oh, Gilea," Robin sighed, as Franky screamed in terror and yanked at his hair.
"Gilly, please!" Franky began to tear at his hair. Robin folded her arms across her chest, and two hands grew out of the rope and pulled Gilly's feet off. Gilly cried out as she began to fall, but more arms sprung out and caught her. Robin kept her arms folded and scowled at Gilly. Gilly scowled right back from the net of fleur.
"Hi, Auntie Robin," she grumbled. Robin took the girl by the back of her shirt and held her up in her real left arm, staring at her in pure disbelief. "Put me down!"
"No." Robin wound back her other real hand and gave Gilly a firm smack on the bottom. Gilly cried out, and Robin set her down on her feet but held on to her by her shoulders and knelt to meet her eyes. "Your fathers would never want me to hit you, but you need to listen to me right now!" Robin bit her bottom lip for a moment. "Your fathers would be most disappointed in this behavior. I am most disappointed in this behavior! You should be helping your father feel better, not misbehaving to get his attention!" Robin put her hands on her hips as Gilly continued crying. "I will not tolerate it, Gilea. You will come with me."
Robin taking charge of Gilly did help to keep her in line, but she would act up whenever she could. Gilly refused to eat, would not go to bed until she fell asleep from exhaustion, and generally sulked most of the day. Robin did not spank her again, but instead decided to investigate the cause of her angst.
"What's wrong, little lamb?" Robin sighed to her as she cleaned her off after her bath.
"Daddy didn't tell me he was sick! I don't want Daddy to be sick," Gilly muttered angrily.
"You're worried about him?" Gilly nodded. "Sweetheart, he's not really sick. He's only in the infirmary because…" Robin thought for a moment. "Because that bed is better for his back, and his back is so sore."
"His back is sore?" Gilly tilted her head.
"Of course it is." Robin nodded. "After all, don't you see how much his back curves out? Your Daddy needs to take very good care of his whole body while the baby's getting ready, so he's got to stay in Doctor Chopper's bed for a while." Gilly pouted a little, gripping her robe around her, while Robin toweled off her hair.
"But… I wanted Daddy or Daddy to give me my bath. They play with the toys better." Gilly folded her arms. Robin kept her smile steady and accepting.
"Well, I will have to ask your Daddy how he does it. After all, I am certain that your baths rarely, if ever, involve drawing pictures on the floor in shampoo when my back is turned." Robin scooped her up and glanced down at Gilly's artwork. It was a rough facsimile of the Straw Hat symbol with a big heart under it. "Let's just hope nobody needs to wash their hair anytime soon."
After two days, Chopper said it would be okay for Gilly to visit. Gilly didn't like sitting in the infirmary, but she stayed with Luffy and Zoro as long as Zoro would let her. Gilly would drag her favorite quilt in and sit with it on her lap despite the heat. Then, she would beg Luffy to tell her stories. Somehow, hearing Luffy's spirit so high when describing their adventures made Zoro feel a bit better as well.
"Daddy, tell me about when I was born!" Gilly begged him eagerly on the third night of Luffy's stay. She was wearing her favorite clothes, and Robin had encouraged her to ask for her favorite bedtime story. Zoro laid his hand over Luffy's, as Luffy scratched his head.
"Well, okay, if you really want!" Luffy grinned and plopped his hat onto Gilly's head. He hugged her onto his thigh and began to retell his tale. "Once upon a time, we were on the Merry Go, and your Daddy and I decided we were in love. So, we talked about it for a long, long time, and then, a doctor told us that you were going to come." Zoro smirked and looked away as he listened to Luffy's story. "Now, we were really, really surprised, so surprised we didn't know what to do, but we kept going and just rested on knowing that things would turn out okay."
"Because that's what pirates do, Daddy?" Gilly interrupted softly.
"Because that's what pirates do." Luffy beamed. "And then, we went to an island with no other people and lots of storms because we wanted to be alone, just us, and you and I had a talk. You probably don't remember it, but you were just as smart before you were born as you are now. And we decided the world was a really good place for you to be right then. So, I reached in and Doc Chopper and your Daddy and me all took you out so you could see the world and we were all very, very happy! Now, here you are. We're still happy. That's how you were born, the end."
"That's cool, Daddy," Gilly whispered contently, and wrapped her arms around Luffy's neck. Luffy smiled contently and clutched her tight as she closed her eyes. Chopper peered in.
"Luffy, it's been 60 hours since your last contraction. I think you should be okay to get out of bed now."
"Yeah, okay. I will in a minute." Luffy grinned at Chopper, and leaned back against the pillow with Gilly falling asleep on his lap. Chopper giggled as he watched them from the door. Luffy untied Gilly's pigtails and let her fluffy, messy hair hang loose on her cheeks. He stroked her cheek and cuddled her gently, closing his own eyes and looking somber for a moment. Zoro wrapped his arms around Gilly's waist and pulled her off of Luffy, letting the drowsy child rest in his arms, and Luffy got to his feet. Zoro watched as Luffy stretched his arms and legs, first straight out, then wrapping his joints around one another. "Man! I feel like hell. Zoro, did Gilly eat dinner?"
"Yeah, 'course she did. Sanji told her that if she refused to eat again, he'd kick her ass." Zoro frowned as he stood up to watch Luffy more carefully. Luffy reached to Zoro to take Gilly, but Zoro shook his head. "Chopper said it would be better if you didn't lift anything heavy."
"Okay." Luffy still tried to take Gilly, but Zoro kept his grip on her.
"The traditional limit is twenty pounds," Zoro informed him coolly. "Chopper says you should not lift anything heavier than that, even if you are normally strong!"
"That's stupid! Gilly's lighter than a feather to me."
"Luffy, no." Zoro slung the limp toddler over his shoulder. "I'm going to put her down to sleep. You go talk to the crew and catch up. Especially Robin, she's been worried."
"But-" Luffy scowled as Zoro hauled Gilly away and stormed up to the deck. The moon was out in the steamy, cloudy sky, and Nami was looking off the port side, between the open ocean and the Log Pose on her wrist. The rest of the crew was looking off the bow at something completely different. "Wow!"
"How'd word get down to you?" Sanji frowned as they noticed Luffy.
"Chopper said I'm healthy now," Luffy chirped, and joined the others looking at what was blocking their current path. About thirty yards in front of the ship was a wreck, a massive Marine ship up against a rock. It looked old and worn, and some of the side panels were cracked and peeling away.
"That's what I've figured is the best path, but it's not looking good. It looks like a storm is forming in the next clearest direction," Nami stated as she rejoined the group. "It'll probably be a nasty one too. The fog's already rolling in."
"So spooky!" Luffy laughed. "So, we have to either go into a storm or move that ship!"
"We have no choice," Franky muttered seriously.
"Let's go move the ship!" Luffy cheered, jumping up and down. Sanji planted his heel on Luffy's head.
"Don't be stupid!" Sanji snapped.
"But it'll be fun!" Luffy laughed, bouncing back from the scolding. "Come on, everybody! There's gotta be treasure and fun stuff on there!"
"I don't think it's a good idea for you, Luffy," Robin warned gently.
"I'll go with him." The source of this declaration was a surprise- Nami. "After all, once he gets an idea in his head, there's no getting it out." She smiled a little. "Might as well keep him from killing himself."
"Do what you want," grunted Sanji, turning away from her. Luffy tilted his head and glanced at Robin. She shook her head. Sanji glared back at the others. "Anyone else want to go on this escapade of idiots?"
"Hey, I'll go with!" Usopp volunteered. "Franky, you should come too, you're an expert dismantler!" He ribbed the cyborg cheerfully.
"No way! I'm not going!" Franky folded his arms. "That thing is a death trap. I'll to tell you what to do on the Baby Den-Den Mushi, but I'm staying here in case we need to make a quick getaway."
"I'll go, then. I do love thrills," Robin said with a smile.
"Where are we going?" Zoro asked as he rejoined them. Luffy pointed at the wrecked ship, and Zoro scowled. "Oh no you're not."
"Yes I am!" Luffy replied, putting his hands on his hips. "It's going to be fun!" Zoro scowled, before turning his nose up.
"Fine, then I'm going with you."
"No you're not!" Luffy giggled. "The Mini Merry only holds four people, and we're already overloaded. See?" He began to flip up fingers as he counted off. "Me, Nami, Usopp, and Robin. That makes seven!" Zoro looked at the seven fingers Luffy held up and groaned.
"It's four. Four-and-a-half at the most. And if you're counting seven, you should be the one not to go." Luffy stared at Zoro for a moment, before laughing and walking past him.
"Let's get going! The sooner we go, the sooner we get back!" Luffy waved to beckon the others. Usopp happily bounded after Luffy, whooping and cheering. Nami followed, but Robin quickly looked between Zoro and Sanji, before chasing Luffy.
"Luffy, Luffy, talk to me," Robin said firmly. Luffy didn't seem to hear her. "Luffy, please talk to me!"
"What's up?" Luffy looked at her, stopping. The other two continued without him to go to the Soldier Dock, and Robin folded her arms.
"I wanted to talk to you. To be sure you were okay."
"Yeah, I remember now!" Luffy grinned. "I'm fine. Nothing hurts. Really, I'm absolutely fine!"
"We just want to be sure the little one is safe, Luffy." Robin sighed. "I was really worried about you."
"What happened to Nami and Sanji? You said they were married."
"Don't change the subject. What about your baby? You should take it easy until the baby is born. Do you want Zoro to worry himself sick?" Robin shook her head. "You know he was miserable, don't you?"
"How do you think I feel? I'm not going to spend my life shut up like a sick person. I want my freedom and happiness," Luffy replied with his usual smile. "I'm not sick, the baby is fine, and I'm going to take care of my crew. I don't want to go into a storm, and destroying that ship will be easy. Besides, I bet there's cool pirate treasure on there!"
"That must be why Nami wanted to go with you. I certainly hope she's not going just to defy Sanji," Robin remarked, to herself more than Luffy. "Please, Luffy, try to be careful. I'll ask Franky to bring the Sunny as close to the shipwreck as is safe just in case, okay?"
"Okay." Luffy grinned. "Now will you tell me what happened to Nami and Sanji?"
"I don't really know. Nami only told me they had an argument, she wouldn't say what about." Robin sighed. "She did say that he said something inexcusable, and she doesn't plan on forgiving him for a while, at least not until he apologizes a couple thousand times. I mentioned this to Sanji, he said he doesn't care and he has nothing for which to apologize. And, of course," Robin sighed and imitated Sanji by pulling up her eyebrow with one finger and miming a cigarette with her other hand, inhaling off her index and middle fingers and exhaling through pursed lips, "She's the one that ought to be apologizing to him."
"Wow. Sounds like an argument Zoro and I had once. Except it didn't end like that." Luffy scratched his head. "I hope they patch up soon. It'd suck if they split, because then one or both of them would want to leave." Luffy's eyes widened. "And that'd suck! Nami!" Luffy scrambled back down the hall, and Robin smiled to herself, shaking her head.
"Nami! Nami!" Luffy grabbed onto her as she was stepping onto the Mini Merry. "Nami, you have to-" Suddenly, he stopped himself and bit his lip.
"I have to what, Luffy?" Nami rose an eyebrow.
"Never mind. It's a secret." Luffy sulked and let her go, and they boarded. Robin and Usopp got on behind them, and they watched the dock spin slowly to the open hatch. The Baby Den-Den Mushi chirped, and Robin picked it up, holding the speaker so they could hear it.
"You're all clear, guys!" Franky announced through the speaker. Nami ignited the steam engine, and the little boat began to glide towards the shipwreck.
"Hey, Robin?" Zoro spoke through the Baby Den-Den Mushi. "Keep him safe, okay? And Luffy, if you get in trouble again, you know who's going to be upset."
"Me!" All four passengers turned around to see Gilea popping up on the Mini Merry's stern. She was still dressed and had her bamboo sword strapped to her back.
"Gilly!" Luffy laughed and pulled her into his lap.
"What?! She's there?!" Zoro snapped, making the baby Den-Den Mushi look very, very upset.
Nami stopped the Mini Merry with the handbrake and turned to Luffy and Gilly. "Should we go back?"
"Gilea, how did you get here?" Robin folded her arms sternly.
"I woke up and I heard you guys talking about going on a trip and I wanted to come too!" Gilly chirped. "Can I please come with? I want to help!"
"Gilly! Nami, turn that boat around right now! I am going to- I'm going to- you're not going to like what I'm going to do to you!" Zoro snarled over the com.
"It's okay, Zoro!" Nami laughed. "We'll keep a really good eye on her. Besides, she's a part of this crew, she might as well help us out!"
"Nami- Luffy- Franky- take this!" The feed rattled, and the four in the boat looked behind him as they heard a splash. Zoro had dived off the deck and was swimming towards the Mini Merry. He grabbed onto the port side and pulled himself on, while Luffy, Nami, and Usopp laughed wildly.
"Okay, okay, Zoro, you can come with us!" Luffy laughed as Gilly hung around his neck and giggled.
"Thank you," Zoro growled, dripping rage and seawater. He squeezed in between Robin and Usopp in the back seat, both of whom had to swallow their laughter. "Now. Gilea, this means no pocket money."
"For next week?" Gilly asked, tilting her head.
"For the next three months," Zoro growled. Gilly pouted and looked to Luffy.
"He's right. You were not invited, so now you are punished," Luffy chirped, wagging his finger at her. Nami giggled and started the boat towards the shipwreck again.
"Franky, move the Sunny as close to us as possible in case of trouble." Robin held the baby Den-Den Mushi. "If things get rough, I don't want to worry about our escape. Especially with all of these people on board."
"You got it, Robin! Hey, Zoro-bro, I didn't know you could swim that fast!"
"I'll kill you when I get back," Zoro growled, as the steam-boat stopped next to the wreck.
"Hoo!" Luffy looked up at the ship with a grin. "Well, it's bigger than I thought it was. Let's start destroying it anyway!"
One by one, the six Straw Hats made their way from the Mini Merry to the deck of the ship by climbing up the anchor's chain. Gilly clung onto Robin's back, as Usopp tried to cling onto Zoro for a free ride. He ended up climbing up on his own with a welt on his head, as Luffy began to tear up the floorboards and toss them into the water. Nami swatted his head.
"Don't do that! Let's us take a look around for treasure and stuff. I'll also check out the structure of the boat, so we know what we're doing." Nami put her hands on her hips, and Luffy grinned.
"Okay, sounds like a good idea! Robin, uh, I know that you're here to help, but…" Luffy shuffled his feet. "Well, I think that it'd be safer if Gilly stayed up here. Will you stay with her?"
"Of course." Robin patted Gilly's head and held her hand. Zoro looked very surprised.
"Luffy, you just made a correct choice as a parent. I'm impressed."
"Thank you, I've been working on it," Luffy laughed, as the crew made their way down the stairs. "You're so busy with her, someone's going to need to take care of the other one."
"Hey, I will have plenty of time for both of them," Zoro rebutted. Nami and Usopp split up to start checking the different rooms on the lower level, while Zoro and Luffy made their way towards the bow.
"Yeah, I still want to be a better father! That's the second-best thing to be!" Luffy smiled. "Hey, he's going on his first adventure too, huh? You and your big sister get to go on an adventure together!" Luffy chuckled, and Zoro smirked to himself, before glancing around at the dented walls and sagging rafters.
"I'm just glad it's a relatively safe adventure. I mean, nobody's here, the worst that could happen is something falling on one of them."
"You're right. This is a safe adventure!" Luffy smiled thoughtfully for a moment. "That's boring. Let's make it more fun!" Luffy reached and grabbed onto one of the rafters and began swinging from beam to beam like a spider monkey on crack. Zoro groaned and chased after him.
"Get back here, you idiot!" Usopp laughed as Zoro tore after Luffy.
"I'm surprised how limber he still is!" Usopp chuckled to Nami as he rejoined her in the corridor. "He's gotta find that hard!" He waited for her to joke back, but realized that Nami was not smiling. "Hey, you okay? You look a little down in the dumps."
"Yeah, fine," Nami replied, brushing him off. "I'm just disappointed we haven't found any treasure yet." She moved for the next door, and turned the handle. "It's locked. Usopp, do you have an Impact Dial? I bet with just a little tap, we could break this door down."
"Sure thing." Usopp pulled out his dial and placed it in the center of the door. "I just can't remember the last time I used it." He steadied himself as Nami stepped back, staring firmly down his nose at the point of the shell. He frowned pensively for a moment, before looking back to her. "Do you want to do it?"
"Just do it!" Nami snapped. Usopp groaned, braced himself, and tapped the shell's tip. The door flew back and crashed into the outer wall of the ship, and Usopp screeched and grabbed his shoulder.
"Damn it, I think it's dislocated!"
"Oh, be a man!" Nami snapped, striding past him into the open room. She began digging through drawers. "Weird, there's nothing in here. No sign of ever being used by Marines, at least not for a long time. Somehow, this feels wrong." She frowned pensively, before returning to Usopp. "Come on, let's go find where Destruction-boy is."
Luffy had made his way to the bow hull, with Zoro close behind. The hull was up on the rocks already and they could see through the holes in the floor to the waves below. There was already a fairly large vertical fissure going down the center of the keel, and Luffy was scratching his head curiously. Zoro had his hand on the hilts on his sword, tapping each pommel with his index finger in a silent game of "eenie-meenie-miney-moe." Finally, he selected one and pulled it out. "Luffy, I'm going to try and make that crack bigger, but we shouldn't split it completely. Punch it about four feet from the ceiling."
"Okay!" Luffy grinned. He swung back his fist and slammed it into the keel, cracking the whole front of the ship. Zoro dug his blade into the crack in the wood, and there was an audible groan as the ship shuddered.
"Hey, what are you idiots doing?" Franky's voice crackled through the Den-Den Mushi.
"We are breaking the ship!" Luffy chirped.
"No, no, no, starting at the bottom is a bad idea! Go to a higher level!" Franky snapped.
"Fine, we will," Zoro grumbled. "Let's head upstairs."
"Mmm, Zoro," Luffy groaned softly. "Could you help me up?"
"Eh?" Zoro looked, and saw Luffy standing still and shivering, his head hung and his fists clenched.
"I think the blow shook back through the rest of me."
"Idiot," Zoro scoffed. "I told you, this was bad for you! You get to go sit with Gilly now." Zoro picked Luffy up and slung him over his shoulder, as Luffy scowled coldly.
"Jerk."
"It's not my fault you're a rock-headed idiot," Zoro snapped. "I'm protecting my kid."
"I need to finish this. I am still useful. I do not need to stop," Luffy mumbled as Zoro squeezed him tight and hauled him back up to the main deck.
"Stop talking like that. You are still useful, damn it! But if you take risks like this, you're going to lose the baby, and that's just about the worst thing I can imagine! For the sake of the baby, you have got to stop!" Luffy still grumbled under his breath as they ascended the stairs. The wind had begun to howl outside, and the ship was creaking under them. Zoro felt a twinge in the back of his mind that something was not right, but he pushed it aside and made his way topside. Robin had removed most of the minor deck structures while sitting and playing "I-Spy" with Gilea, leaving it barren. Zoro set Luffy down beside Gilly. "Robin, he doesn't move."
"I will try to enforce that, but surely shall fail," Robin replied coolly.
"I'm starving," Luffy muttered, folding his arms and scowling like a child. "That's the only reason my tummy hurt. I'm hungry."
"Don't bullsh- lie to me." Zoro caught his tongue when he remembered Gilly. "Stay here. I do not want you to get hurt. I care about you, damn it." Zoro placed his hands on Luffy's shoulders, but Luffy pouted and looked away. Zoro rose and went to the main mast. He thought for a moment, scratching his chin, before picking up the Baby Den-Den Mushi. "Franky, can you send Sanji over?"
"Tell him I'm not going over there," Sanji was heard to say in the background.
"He's being a pain in the ass. Sorry," Franky said aloud into the receiver.
"Damn. I could use someone to break the masts and keel, and Luffy's out." Zoro turned back towards the hatch, as he heard Chopper begin to complain to Franky. "Oi, Usopp! Get out here, I could use some explosives!"
"Coming!" Usopp rushed out with Nami close behind.
"Zoro, something seems wrong here," Nami said. "We should gather ourselves and head back to the ship."
"What do you mean, something seems wrong?" Zoro frowned. Luffy listened too.
"The ship's too clean for a wreck, and it seems too conveniently placed," Nami replied, folding her arms. "We should get the hell off and take the other route. Braving a storm would be better than waiting for a trap to be sprung!"
"A trap?" Luffy leaned forward.
"Yes, I think this is a trap and we need to get away from here," Nami informed him sharply.
"Okay. Robin, take Gilly back to the Merry!" Luffy smiled. Robin nodded and took Gilly up into her arms. As she moved to climb down, the wind blew harshly, and rain began to blow down with it. Robin held her close, waiting for the wind to die down before beginning her descent.
"Are you sending the girls back?" Sanji's voice was heard. "Nami, you go too!"
"Luffy, go with them," Zoro instructed calmly. Luffy shook his head.
"I don't want to leave, but Gilly should, and Robin can drive her back. Nami, if you don't want to stay, you should go back too, but send Franky! We need to break this boat!"
"Quit being stupid!" Zoro snapped.
"But… I'm the Captain," Luffy grumbled, folding his arms.
"You should be taking a break!" Zoro snapped. "I have no right to order you around as a crew member, but as your partner, I want you to keep yourself safe!" The wind picked up again, the waves crashing against the hull, and there was a loud crack. There was a terrible groan below them, and the deck began to split apart. Usopp grabbed onto Nami, and Robin held Gilly tight. Zoro sharply turned to the others. "God- Robin- get her out of here!"
"Guys! There's a Marine ship coming towards you! Everybody get on the Mini-Merry and come back towards us! I'll move the ship closer!" Franky roared into the baby Den-Den Mushi.
"Oh god," Nami gasped. "It is a trap." Through the fog of the storm, a schooner could be seen approaching.
"Attention, Straw Hat Pirates!" Helmeppo's voice could be heard over a loudspeaker. "This is Petty Officer Second Class Helmeppo! Do not be alarmed. Our first test of Sea Shifter- Model Tempest has commenced! Prepare for winds at speeds of up to 75 miles per hour, exceeding the force of a hurricane!" There was a bang, and Zoro could see a large dial being turned on the Marine ship's deck. The wheel turned, going up, and dropped suddenly. The sea shook, the waves rose, and rain came down in sheets. The wind rose again, and part of the ship they were on was torn away. Zoro looked to Gilly for a split second, as Robin wrapped more arms around her.
"Take care of Luffy," Robin told him, barely audible over the sound of the wind, keeping the calm in her voice. She began to stretch out a bridge of arms back towards the Thousand Sunny as it came closer. The ship they stood on broke again, and Sanji, Chopper, and Brook came to the side closest to the wreck.
"Luffy, try to jump over here!" Chopper wailed. Luffy took a running start, and Zoro looked back at him.
"Luffy- don't!" Zoro yelled, moving towards him as he jumped towards the ship, stretching his legs out to try and reach. Zoro tried to grab Luffy's hand, but he slipped. As Luffy's other leg left the ground, part of the wreck's deck suddenly tore off the side in another massive gust of wind and caught Luffy in the side. Luffy yelled aloud as it hit him, and he was carried off into the wind. His scream could be heard echoing as the bit of wood he clung to vanished into the distance.
"Luffy!" Zoro shouted, as the ship they stood on broke apart even more.
"Sanji- take this!" Usopp saw Nami reach into her pocket and rush towards the edge of the ship. She threw something across the divide as Usopp caught her around the waist. Sanji managed to catch it, and he leaned forward.
"Get over here! You'll be blown off too!" Sanji shouted. Nami moved towards him, but Usopp grabbed her.
"You'll fall into the ocean!" Usopp wailed. There was a resounding report, and the deck of the ship fell in. Zoro managed to grab onto the mast, Usopp grabbed onto a sheet of wood, and the wind caught them.
"Sanji!" Nami called. "I'm sorry!" The wind swirled, with force that could crush them. Robin cried out, and Zoro barely turned in time to see the crisscrossing fleur of her bridge break and the wind carried her and Gilly off.
"Gilea!" Zoro shouted, staring at her vanishing form. He felt like the bottom of his heart had dropped out, and he didn't know what to do.
"Zoro, hold on!" Franky drew back his fist. "I'll grab onto you!"
"Get the Sunny out of here! I'm going to try and find them!" Zoro yelled back. "We have to find the others! We don't move on until we're back together!"
"Don't be a dumbass!" Sanji snarled fiercely. "You'll get yourself killed!"
Zoro simply shook his head. "I owe them this much!" He unfolded his arms and kicked back from the mast. The wind caught him in the chest, and Zoro forgot how to breathe as the tempest claimed him.
Sanji's knuckles were white as he gripped the railing, and Chopper was wailing and panicking. Franky set the Sunny on a Chicken Voyage, propelling them backwards as fast as its mechanisms could carry them. "Franky, what the hell are you doing?!" Sanji snapped, moving towards him.
"Exactly what Zoro said." Franky gritted his teeth. "They're far away from here now, and if we stay, those Marines are going to take us too!" Sanji pulled at his hair.
"No! Damn it! Nami! Robin! Luffy! God damn it, you fucking idiots, come back!" Sanji screamed, but his howls were as pointless as if he'd never said anything at all.
"Petty Officer Coby, report," Smoker requested calmly from the deck of his ship fifty miles away from the scene of the tempest.
"Mission is a success, sir," Coby replied somberly. He sat slumped in the control room of his ship, not looking at the Den-Den Mushi or the screen Smoker appeared on. "The pirates were lured to the decoy, more than half boarded. They were all sent away. They should be in a radius of at least thirty miles of the given point, though we're not sure if they're dead or alive. Their main ship survived, however, and we know there are at least two members on it."
"That's good enough, Coby. We'll join you soon, and begin the body count," Smoker replied, frowning and looking away. "It's not what I usually like to do, but if we can bring those war criminals in, it will all be worth it."
End Notes: Questions? Comments? Complaints? Review!
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PS: Since I've broken my long-standing writer's block, updates might come a little faster! Expect the next chapter next week!