Soon after setting sail with the kids on board, they learned that the names of the other two girls were Stacey and Dana, and that the name of the boy was Chad. Sanji had announced that they would have lunch al fresco and had set up a picnic blanket. He now came out bearing plates of sandwiches, thinly sliced vegetables, and glasses of booze for the men and water for the kids; it was amazing that he managed to hold it all without dropping anything.
"Here we are," he said cheerfully, setting everything on the picnic blanket and distributing the drinks. "Bon appétit!"
"Zoro's got a fan club," Usopp said with a laugh after a sip of booze. He indicated the kids, who were still crowded around Zoro.
"Oh, shut up," Zoro muttered, grabbing his drink and taking a swig. The kids stared at the sandwiches in front of them uncertainly.
"Hey, you kids can go ahead and eat," Sanji said as he prevented Luffy from taking all of the sandwiches. "They're not poisoned."
The kids still seemed uncertain. They looked at Zoro, who realized what they wanted and took a bite of his own sandwich, swallowing it without any problem. They then cautiously picked up their own food and started eating slowly.
"T-This . . ." said the boy Chad shakily, "this is really good, sir!"
The others nodded in agreement.
"Take time to savor it," Sanji said with a grin.
Everyone finally finished off lunch; Sanji and Usopp cleared everything away and came back to discuss the current issue.
"So what do we do with the kids, captain?" Sanji asked Luffy.
Luffy crossed his arms and frowned. "I dunno. Hey, guys, where are you from?"
"We're from the s-same place, sir," said Stacey after a moment's hesitation. "B-But I don't know where it is . . ."
"I think I know," offered Dana, the youngest one. "I remember when we got kidnapped and they were taking us away, the sun was behind us and it was morning."
"So we just gotta keep heading east," Zoro muttered after a moment's thought.
"Wait, you were kidnapped recently?" Usopp asked, confused.
The kids hesitated. "Well . . ." said Chad. "Kind of . . . we all got kidnapped separately. I was the first, I think . . . and that was about two months ago. Someone came and b-bought me about a month ago, but he brought me back and sold me again really quick."
"And then we got kidnapped too," Maureen said quietly. "The guy there was really mean. We didn't get much to eat."
Dana started to cry; Vithya went to comfort her.
"Calm down," Zoro said. "That guy's gone; we're gonna take you kids home now."
They looked at him with admiration again and hugged him around his legs.
"Oi, get off," he snapped.
"Hey, kid?" Usopp said to Chad. "You know that lady that you said you liked? The one with orange hair? Do you have any clue where she went?"
Chad thought carefully. "Um . . . I think the guy who bought her said something about Opale Island."
"Thanks," Usopp said gratefully. "Now we know where to head next."
"Let's go already!" Luffy exclaimed. "Usopp, Sanji, turn us to the east and let's head out!"
"Aye-aye, captain!" they exclaimed, and headed for the sails and rudder.
By the time they reached an island, it was late afternoon. They found Zoro sleeping against the side of the ship, with the kids surrounding him, sleeping as well.
Luffy laughed. "That's pretty funny!"
"Cute," Sanji said with a smirk. "Papa Three-Sword and his five kids."
Usopp snickered. He and Sanji went to dock the boat while Luffy woke up Zoro by hitting him on the head.
"What?" Zoro mumbled, yawning. "Morning already?"
Luffy laughed. "The sun's setting, Zoro! Never mind that, we're here!"
The kids slowly started to wake, rubbing their eyes and looking around. Vithya peeked over the railing and exclaimed "It's our island! We're home!"
The others stood and crowded around, trying to see the island.
"I can't wait to see mommy and daddy again!" cried Dana.
Usopp dropped the anchor and rolled out a rope ladder. Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji chose not to use it, instead jumping off of the side. The kids, imitating Zoro, climbed off of the side of the ship, where the three who had jumped down helped them out. In the end, Usopp was the only one who used the ladder.
"I don't know why I bother sometimes," he mumbled angrily.
After leaving the port area, the four pirates and the kids stopped at a street. "Hey," Zoro said, "can you guys find your way home from here?"
They looked around uncertainly. "I think we can ask someone for help, so . . ." Vithya trailed off.
"Hey!" Usopp yelled, waving to a merchant across the street. "Over here!"
The merchant left his stand and came over. "What's going on?" he said with a slight frown. "Who are—"
He noticed the kids and his eyes widened. "Vithya?" he asked. "Chad? Maureen? You're all safe!"
"Hi!" exclaimed Chad, hugging the man. "Can you help us get back home?"
"O-Of course," the merchant said, startled. "Oh, it's good to see you all . . . I'm glad you're okay. You four, thank you for—"
But when he looked up, the pirates had already departed.
"Okay!" Luffy exclaimed, standing at the bow with one foot on the railing, pointing towards the setting sun. "For dinner! And Nami!"
"Why is Nami second?" Usopp muttered.
"Guess I'll get started on dinner," Sanji said, rolling up his sleeves.
"I hope those kids'll be okay," Zoro said, looking back at the island.
"Awww," Usopp said in an exaggerated tone. "You're so sweet, Zoro-kun!"
Zoro glared at him. Usopp meekly stopped talking.
So, uh . . . if you didn't like this mini-arc with the kids, I'm sorry. To be honest, I'm not sure what I was thinking. But hey, they've got a lead on the princess.