Chapter 3!

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Temptation by Nora Roberts.

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"He won't find them, I will." Leaving Vivi behind, Nami swung over a fence.

"Put Yoko on a leash when you find her." Vivi her disappear through the trees."

Nami followed the path from the camp, pleased when she found a crumpled candy wrapper. Yoko. With a grim smile, Nami picked it up and stuffed in her pocket. Judge White's granddaughter had already earned a reputation for her stash of sweets

It was warm now, but the path veered through a cool grove of aspens. Sunlight dappled the ground, making the walk, if not her errand, pleasant. Squirrels dashed here and there, confident enough in their own speed to not be alarmed by Nami's intrusion. Once a rabbit darted across her path, and disappeared into the brush with a frantic rustle. Overhead a woodpecker drummed, sending out an echo.

It occurred to Nami that she was more completely alone than she had ever been before. No civilization here. She bent down for another candy wrapper. Well, very little of it.

There were new scents here, earth, animal, vegetation, to be discovered. Wildflowers sprang up, it pleased her that she was beginning to recognize a few. They came back, year after year, without pampering, taking what came and thriving on it. They gave her hope. She could find a place here. Had found a place, she corrected herself. Her friends in East Blue might think her insane, but she was beginning to enjoy it.

The grove of aspens thinned abruptly, and the sunlight was strong again. She blinked against it. then shielded her eyes as she scanned the Roronoa orchards.

Apple trees stretched ahead of her as far as she could see, to the north, south, and east. Row after row after row of trees lined the slopes. Some of them were old and gnarled, some young and straight. Instantly she thought of early spring and the overwhelming smell of apple blossoms.

It would be magnificent, she thought as she stepped up to the fence that separated the properties. The fragrance, the pretty white-and-pink blossoms, the freshly green leaves, it would be a marvelous sight. Now the leaves were dark and thick, and instead of blossoms, she could see fruit in the trees closest to her. Small, shiny, and green they hung, waiting for the sun to ripen them.

How many times had she eaten applesauce that had begun right here? The idea made her smile as she began to climb the fence. Her vision of an orchard had been a lazy little grove guarded by an old man in overalls. A quaint picture, but nothing compared to the real thing.

The sound of giggling took her by surprise. Shifting toward the direction of the sound, Nami watched an apple fall from a tree and roll toward her feet. Bending, she picked it up, tossing it away as she walked closer. When she looked up, she spotted three pairs of sneakers beneath the cover of leaves and branches.

"Ladies." Nami spoke coolly and she was rewarded by three startled gasps. "Apparently you took a wrong turn on your way to the lake." Yoko's face appeared through the leaves. "Hi Miss Conomi. Would you like an apple?"

The devil. But even as she thought it, Nami had to resist the urge to smile. "Down," she said simply, then stepped closer to the trunk to assist.

They didn't need her help. Three agile little bodies scrambled down and dropped lightly onto the ground. In a gesture she knew could be intimidating, Nami lifted her left eyebrow.

"I'm sure you're aware that leaving camp property unsupervised and without permission is against the rules."

"Yes, Miss Conomi." The response would have been humble if it wasn't for the gleam in Yoko's eyes.

"Since none of you seem to be interested in canoeing today, Mrs. Navarone has a great deal of washing to be done in the kitchen." Pleased by her own inspiration, Nami decided Vivi would approve. "You are to report to Miss Nefertari, then to Mrs. Navarone for kitchen detail.

Only two of the girls looked to the ground in shame.

"Miss Conomi, do you think it's fair to give us extra kitchen detail?" Yoko asked, one half-eaten apple in hand. "After all, our parents are paying for the camp."

Nami felt her palms grow damp and her temper rise. Judge White was a wealthy and powerful man. If the little brat complained… No. Nami took a deep breath and not by a flicker showed her anxiety or anger at the attempted blackmail. She wouldn't be intimidated by a pint-sized con artist with apple juice on her chin.

"Yes, your parents are paying for you to be entertained, instructed, and disciplined. When they signed you up for Camp Liberty, it was with the understanding that you would obey the rules. But if you prefer, I'd be happy to call your parents and discuss the incident with them."

"No ma'am." Knowing she'd been outdone, Yoko smiled charmingly. "We'll be happy to help Mrs. Navarone, and we're sorry for breaking the rules."

Yeah, and I'm the navigator on a pirate ship, Nami thought, But she had kept her face impassive. "Fine. It's time to start back."

"My hat!" Yoko would have darted back up the tree if Nami hadn't made a lucky grab for her.

"I left my hat up in the tree. Please, Miss Conomi, it's my Marines cap, it was a gift from my father."

"You start back. I'll get it. I don't want Miss Nefertari to worry any longer than necessary."

"We'll apologize."

"See that you do." Nami watched them scramble over the fence. "And no detours," she called out. "Or I keep the cap." One look at Yoko assured her that that bit of blackmail was all that was needed. "Brats," she murmured as they jogged back into the grove, but the smile finally escaped. Turning back, she studied the tree.

All she had to do was climb up. It had looked simple enough when Yoko and her partners-in-crime had done it. Somehow, it didn't look as simple now. Squaring her shoulders, Nami stepped forward to grab a low-hanging branch. She'd done a little mountain climbing on Drum Island; how much more difficult could this be? Pulling herself up, she hooked her foot in the first vee she found. The bark was rough against her palm. Concentrating on her goal, she ignored the scrapes. With both feet secured she began to reach for the next branch and began to work her way up.

She spotted the cap hanging on a short branch, two arms' length out of reach. When she made the mistake of looking down, her stomach clenched. So don't look, Nami ordered herself. What you can't see can't hurt you. She hoped.

Nami cautiously inched her way over to the cap. When her fingers made contact with it, she let out a breath of relief. After setting it on her own head, she found herself looking out over the orchard.

Now it was the symmetry that caught her admiration. From her bird's height, she could see the order as well as the beauty. She could just barely glimpse a slice of the lake beyond the aspens. It winked blue in the distance. There were barnlike buildings, and what appeared to be a greenhouse, far off to the right. About a quarter of a mile away there was a truck, apparently abandoned, on a wide dirt path. In the quiet, birds began to sing again. Turning her head, she saw the bright yellow flash of a butterfly.

The scent of leaves, fruit, and earth was tangy and basic. Although she would usually prefer oranges, Nami was unable to resist. She plucked a sun-warmed apple.

He'd never miss it, she decided as she bit into the skin. The tart flavor, not quite ripe, shot into her mouth. Delicious, she thought. Exciting. Forbidden fruit usually is, she remembered, but she grinned as she took a second bite.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?"

She started, almost unseating herself, as the voice boomed up from below. She swallowed the of apple quickly before peering down through the leaves.

He stood with his hands on his hips. A dark green work shirt was rolled up past the elbow to show tan and muscle. Warily, Nami brought her eyes to his face. His mouth was set in a scowl. Short, green hair peeked out from under the black bandana tied around his head. Steel-grey eyes glared up at her, shadowed by the bandana, giving them a more sinister look. Nami noticed the light scar over his left eye, although the eye itself appeared unharmed, before a glint of light made her squint, taking note of the three gold earrings dangling from his left ear.

Wonderful, Nami thought. She'd been caught stealing apples by the foreman. Since disappearing wasn't an option, she opened her mouth to start a plausible explanation.

"Brat, do you belong at the camp next door?"

The tone brought on a frown. She might be penniless, she might be scrambling to make a living, but she was still a Conomi, and most certainly not a brat. Nami refrained from screaming at the man, and instead spoke as politely as possible. "Yes, that's right. I'd like to-"

"Are you aware that you are trespassing on private property?"

The color of her eyes deepened, the only outward sign of her embarrassed fury. "Yes, but I-"

"Come down." There was absolute command in his tone. "I'll have to take you back to the camp director."

Nami's temper flared and she gave serious consideration to throwing what was left of the apple on his head. No one, absolutely no one, gave her orders. "That won't be necessary."

"I'll decide what's necessary. Come down here."

I'll come down all right, Nami thought. Then, with a few well-chosen words, he'll be put precisely in his place. Annoyance carried her from branch to branch, leaving no room for thoughts of height or inexperience. The two scrapes she picked up on the trip were hardly felt. Her back was to him as she lowered herself into a vee of the trunk. The pleasure of demolishing him with icy manners would be well worth the embarrassment of having been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. She imagined him cringing and babbling an incoherent apology.

Then her foot slipped, and her frantic grab for a limb was an inch short of the mark. With a shriek that was equal parts surprise and dismay, she fell backward into space.

The breath whooshed out of her as she connected with something solid. The tanned, muscled arms she had seen from above wrapped around her. Momentum carried them both to the ground and they rolled. When the world stopped spinning, Nami found herself beneath a very firm, very long body.

Yoko's hat had flown off and Nami's face, no longer shadowed by the brim, was left unguarded in the sunlight. Zoro stared down at her and felt soft breasts yield under him.

"You're not twelve years old," he murmured.

"Obviously not."

Amused now, he shifted his weight, but didn't remove it. "I didn't get a good look at you when you were in the tree." I have time to make up for that now, he decided, and looked his fill. "You're quite a windfall." Carelessly, he brushed stray strands of hair from her face. His fingertips were rough against her skin as the bark had been to her palms. "What are you doing in a girls' summer camp?"

"Running it," she said coldly. It wasn't a complete lie. Because it would have bruised her dignity even more to squirm, she settled on giving him an icy look. "Would you mind?"

"Running it?" Since she had dropped out of ono of his trees, he didn't feel the need to fulfill her request. "I met someone. Nefertari - blue hair, appealing face." He glanced at Nami. "You're not her."

Thank you captain obvious, Nami thought. Because his body was too warm, too male, and too close, she sacrificed some dignity by putting her hands to his shoulders. He didn't budge. " I'm her partner. Conomi Nami."

"Ah, of the East Blue Conomis."

The humor in his voice was another blow to her pride. Nami combated it with a withering stare.

"That's correct."

Intriguing little package, he thought. All manners and breeding. "A pleasure, Miss Conomi," he said with a smirk. "I'm Roronoa Zoro."