BEFORE

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

And stagnant.

Nami glanced over her shoulder almost cautiously. She'd locked her door, like she usually did, but that didn't stop the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Sanji was on watch. But he was probably asleep.

Still…

She sighed in frustration and set down her quill, standing up from her desk plastered with maps.

Opening her door warily, she crept out of the room.

It was a clear night with an incessant amount of stars spread out in the vast sky. The Going Merry was at a standstill; not moving because of the lack of wind and waves.

And where was Sanji?

Nami growled under her breath. She was angry. Irritated that she was wasting her time checking on the womanizing cook and irritated that she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

And it wasn't the weather that was throwing her intuition out of control, like it usually was.

'Why is everything so…calm?'

A quick, unexpected creak came from behind her, interrupting her thoughts.

"Wha-"

"Grab her!"

She whipped around, only to be engulfed in darkness. Someone had covered her head with a black cloth.

Struggling ensued.

"Let go of me!"

She was kicking, clawing and swiping madly, reaching in a blind and futile attempt for her Clima Tact.

"Shit!"

Despite the case that covered her head, Nami smiled, knowing fully well that her right heel had made contact in a very good place of the lower torso.

"Grab her legs, damn it, her legs."

There were at least two of them.

"Get off me!"

"Take her with the others."

Nami froze. '…Others?'

Her heart dropped.

No.

No. No. No. No. No. No.

Nami tried to jerk her legs out of the strong grip they were engulfed in. But it was useless.

She felt the unease and unbalance of the way the men carried her, and she knew she was going down steps.

"Drop her there," a voice growled.

"Drop?" Nami bit back, voice muffled by the cloth over her head.

Before she could prepare herself, the cold and hard wood floor of their ship made contact with her entire backside.

The cover was swiftly removed from her head following that.

"You couldn't 'drop' gently?" she said heatedly as she was dragged to her feet.

"Nami!"

Her head snapped up at the childish voice.

Chopper sat on the floor dejectedly, his entire body wrapped in rope that was encrusted with familiar bits of emerald green jewels.

Robin sat next to him, in the same position, face calm and collected.

Zoro, Sanji and Usopp stood in front of them. The swordsman was ready to fight, his steel weapons poised in the air. Sanji stood with his cigarette between his lips, glaring daggers at the man that currently had his hand around Nami's arm. Usopp simply stood with wobbly knees, trying ridiculously not to make eye contact with the men that currently encircled them.

And there were many. Possibly over a hundred. All with guns and pistols pointed at them.

But…where was Luffy?

A loud commotion to side answered her question.

Two burly men with the trademark tattoos of the Marines broke through the crowd, dragging behind them a net that looked a lot like the rope that was wrapped around Robin and Chopper.

And inside the net was Luffy, his expression faint and worn out.

"Luffy," Usopp almost whined.

A growl sounded from Zoro at the sight of their practically fallen Captain.

"I was expecting a harder fight," one of the burly men said, bringing Luffy in closer. "But all I had to do was distract him some beef jerky."

"Bastards," Nami snarled under her breath.

Unfortunately, the heavily tattooed man heard her, and simply smiled at her in response.

"Now, now dear," came the grating voice of the man who had his grip on her. "Where are your manners?"

"Manners?" Nami practically screamed, reaching once more for her clima tact. "You're the ones who attacked us and are holding us at gun point!"

She barely had time to assemble her triptych weapon when it was shot out of her hands by the Marine she'd insulted.

Her crew flinched in response, with Sanji taking a huge leap forward toward the tattooed Marine.

Eyes blazing, he gave the Marine a swift and hard kick to the side of his face, throwing him back several yards.

"That," he scowled, "was for almost hitting my beautiful Nami."

"And this," the cylinder rim of something cold and metal touched the side of Nami's head, "is for being one of the most wanted and dangerous crew on the Grand Line."

She paled.

PRESENT

They reached the Marine's base shortly.

And Nami felt herself growing weaker and weaker by the moment. The world around her was turning dim. She could barely make out her scenery.

"What should we do with them, Captain Alister?"

'So that was his name,' Nami thought bitterly.

"Put them in the cells for now," Alister directed. "Their execution should begin at sunrise."

Despite all confidence that the rest of the crew were on their way to save them, his last words still caused a chill through Nami. He'd said it effortlessly - aloof, almost.

"Alister…" Luffy's voice was weak. It even cracked. But he sounded determined.

The roguish captain turned in slight surprise at his name. He arched an eyebrow expectantly at the pair of them.

"You'll be sorry for this."

Nami's eyes rose to look at her captain's face. No emotion. Just clear, glittering dark irises. Like usual. It wasn't a threat or promise of any sort. Luffy rarely threatened.

No. It was a statement. A matter of fact.

"Maybe so, Monkey D. Luffy," Alister smiled. "But I know I won't be sorry for being the man that, at the very least, almost brought down the Straw Hats crew."

They were both tossed into a cell that was, not surprisingly, coated with sea stone. Luffy, though now free from his nets and bondage, nevertheless couldn't do much to fight his way out of the place.

"Don't fret Luffy," Nami wheezed, still clutching her shoulder. "They'll be here soon."

Luffy looked at her, and for the first time she thought she glimpsed sadness.

"He shot you."

Nami chewed on her bottom lip uncertainly.

"It wasn't meant to kill me," she reasoned, unsure if she was defending Alister's instinctual actions or keeping Luffy from acting on his.

"No…but it was meant to hurt you."

She shifted, uncomfortable from the pain and the drowsiness.

"He. Hurt. You."

Nami closed her eyes, her heart becoming numb, almost not hearing Luffy. She could feel beads of sweat forming above her eyebrows. But it didn't make sense because she felt so unbelievably cold.

"Nami, your lips are really blue."

They were?

Her breathing grew haggard and harsh.

A rough hand touched her damp forehead an immediately drew back.

"Ouch!" came Luffy's outraged cry. "You're so hot!"

No. That couldn't be. She was cold. Freezing. How could her skin be hot?

Luffy's eyes were wide with fright. "Are you sick again, Nami?"

"No," she gasped, goosebumps forming on her arms. "No, Luffy."

The bullet lodged in her shoulder was causing an immense trade between sharp pain and intense numbness.

"I think," Nami paused, the beginnings of a sick felling settled in her stomach. "I think I might be allergic t-to the bullet."

Confusion engulfed her captain's face. "Allergic?"

All she could do was nod in response.

"Does that mean you might…die?"

Nami licked her lips nervously, and feeling just how chapped and dry they'd become.

"No," she lied through clenched teeth. "I won't. I can't."

MEANWHILE

Their little boat hit the beach of the Marine's base hard, and Zoro and Sanji jumped off immediately.

"I'll take the trigger happy gunman.," Zoro announced, his hands already on the handles of his swords.

"I've got Nami and Luffy," Sanji responded.

Robin, Usopp and Chopper exchanged glances.

"So, we're splitting up then?" Usopp asked.

"I believe our top priority should be saving Luffy and Nami," Robin acknowledged.

Chopper nodded enthusiastically. "Nami needs to be treated. Her bullet wound could be deadly."

Zoro unsheathed his swords. "I guess I'm going alone."

"You won't be alone for long," Sanji said, lighting a new cigarette. "Luffy might actually beat you to the bastard, soon as we find him."

A hint of smirk traced Zoro lips. "Then I'll prepare the bastard for Luffy."

Two guards stood at the entrance to the base, as expected. Robin crossed her arms, concentrating on her Devil's fruit abilities.

Hands sprung from the ground and grabbed hold of each of their legs. The guards barely had time to react before their bodies were swung in the air and smacked together, knocking them both unconscious.

Usopp laughed gleefully. "Nice one, Robin!"

The entrance doors to the base were steal and massive, well over twelve feet tall.

"It's locked from the inside," Robin said, hands tracing over the area where the knobs should have been.

"Then we'll bust it open from the outside," Sanji raised his left leg in the air.

"Wait!" Usopp shouted, stepping between his black heel and the doors. "Don't exert yourself. I have an easier and quieter way of getting in."

He reached into his side bag and extracted a couple of small, clear spheres.

"Marbles?" Chopper asked, puzzled.

Zoro glowered. "You're going to play marbles against the steel doors?"

"No, idiot!" Usopp shrieked. "They're acid balls. Strong enough to melt through any metal."

Robin smiled. "Very clever."

"I know," Usopp beamed smugly. "Now stand back!"

The crew didn't move a bit.

Slipping on his goggles, he took out his slingshot and launched his acid balls. The spheres splattered in the center of the doors, and a sizzling sound soon followed. Green fizz melted a hole through the doors within moments.

"Not bad," Zoro commented.

Zoro and Sanji used the hole as a means to open the doors, pulling with all their might.

"Why aren't there any guards in here?" Usopp wondered aloud., his voice echoing through the gigantic dimly lit hallway.

"Maybe they're all watching over Luffy and Nami," Chopper suggested meekly, not liking how empty the place was.

A frown tugged its way on Robin's lips. "That would not be very smart of them."

"You're right," boomed a deep voice. "That would not be very smart of us."

Five heads swiveled upwards to find themselves surrounded by countless of guards, Marines, and pirate hunters standing on the catwalks. All of which had large rifles pointed at them, and putting the Straw Hats crew in a very familiar position.

"Another ambush?" Usopp whimpered.

"This is getting old," Zoro grumbled.

"Let's just finish them off so we can save Nami and Luffy," Sanji said.

The man who'd spoken earlier laughed. "They'll be executed in a few hours, Straw Hats. And all you'll have to save are a couple of worthless heads."

Chopper sniffed. "Executed?"

He smirked before turning back to the rest of the troops. "Fire at will!"

(A/N): Third (and last) shot coming soon!