The first real chapter to this story! Yay! I'm so excited! Sorry I took so long to post it. I've been busy with school and everything lately. So, without farther ado, Pirate Queen, contiued!

Chapter 1

"Mommy! Mommy!" Nathan cried frantically as he ran into Nami's study. "There's a big boat coming this way and I think it's a pirate ship!!!!"

Nami looked up from the map she had been drawing and sighed. Being in the All Blue meant that many pirates came their way as well as high class citizens. And yet, it never ceased to amaze 5 year old Nathan.

"Look honey," Nami said as she walked over to him and gently stroked his short blond hair. "This resturant always has pirates coming and going. I've told you not to interupt me."

"But mommy-" Nathan said. His big blue eyes pleaded for her to let him continue.

"Gosh. Why does he have to look so much like Sanji?" Nami thought. Then to Nathan, "We've been throught this before. Isn't it time for you to grow up and be a big boy?"

"But mommy! It's huge but their's only one man on it. And he looks scary!" Nathan cried.

Nami gave a quiet sigh. She took Nathan's hand and led him out to the main dining area and toward the large front window. "Look, I'll show you that it's just another-" Nami froze as she recognized the ship and the "scary" man. Then she immediately took off running toward the kitchen with Nathan running to keep up. Nami was fast!

"Sanji!!!" Nami cried as she burst through the kitchen doors.

"What is it my sweet?!! Is something the matter?" Sanji asked as he danced over to Nami with a trail of hearts following him.

Nami was still not over the shock. "H-H-He's here!" she gasped.

"Who's back?" Sanji asked. He now seemed geniounly interested.

"Luffy." she whispered.

"That guy?!" Sanji cried in alarm. He turned around to face the other chefs. "Guard the food!"

Everyone quickly began gathering the food and putting any spare crumb safely away. Sanji had never acted like this and they were getting worried.

Meanwhile, Sanji and Nami dashed out into the dining room.

"Hey look! It's the chef!" someone cried. The customers imediately began cheering and begging for attention.

Sanji immediately forgot the current situation, and the fact that he was married, when he saw a pretty girl. He dashed over to her and grabbed her hand. "Can I get you anything my dear?" he asked.

Nami bonked him on the head, leaving a large knot. Then, she dragged him out onto Baratie's main deck. Nathan followed, wondering why his parents where so worked up over one ship.

As the ship got closer, a familiar voice called out. "Hey guys!!! Long time no see!!!"

Nathan hid behind Nami's legs. Nami just wathced steadily as the ship came closer, now almost touching the resturant. Sanji was prepared to kick the crap out of the rubber man if he so much as bumped his resturant.

The ship stopped within five feet of the resturant and a man soon jumped down off of it and onto Baratie's deck. He walked over to the three some and grinned from ear to ear. "I'm back! And look, I didn't get lost!" he said excitedly. He held out the Eternal Pose. "Thanks Nami!"

Nami finally broke out in a grin. Luffy always seemed to make any situation brighter, if only for a second. It was something about that grin of his.

"Come on in." Nami said.

Luffy began to follow her and Sanji inside. That's when he noticed Nathan. "He's grown up since you left." Luffy said.

"Ah!!!" Nathan cried as Luffy stared at him. He clung tightly to Nami's leg.

"Relax Nathan." she said. "This is Luffy. He's an old friend of ours."

"Yeah. I don't blame him though. Luffy can be kind of scary." Sanji said.

"Hey!" Luffy cried.

"Boys, stop fighting!" Nami yelled. She banged them on the head, just like old times.

As they entered the resturant, every eye fell on Luffy.

There were hushed whisperes of "pirate king here?" and "this is surely an interesting day!" and "the chef knows the pirate king!?"

"Umm...hi?" Luffy said with a small wave as he noticed everyone staring at him.

"Come on." Sanji said as he grabbed Luffy's arm and pulled him into his ofice, which had been Zeff's old bedroom. Nami followed wth Nathan close behind.

Once Sanji had shut the door, he turned to face Luffy. "What are you doing here? After never visiting us for three years, you have the nerve to show up here and disrupt my resturant! Me and Nami-san sent for you many times and you never came! So why are you here now?!!" Sanji yelled.

Luffy took a couple of steps back. This wasn't the reaction he had expected. Not at all. "Sanji...I...I was hungry and..."

"And what?" Sanji asked threatiningly.

"And I need some help with something." Luffy finished.

"So that's why you came." Sanji said calmly. A little to calmly. "After you wouldn't even come on Nathan's birthday, you have the nerve to show up and ask for help. Do you know how much pain me and Nami-san have had to endure because you wouldn't even come for that one special day? You aren't the same person we knew 8 years ago. You've changed Luffy. You no longer believe in nakama forever."

"What?!!! I didn't come because I had other matters to take care of!" Luffy replied. Sanji's last statement had lit a fire in him and now, he was angry.

"Everyone else came. Even Robin-chan who has to keep hidden. But you had other matters that were to important?!!" Sanji cried.

The whole time they had been argueing, Nami had been watching silently. It was true that their former captain wasn't the same, but it looked like something was troubling him and she thought Sanji had no right to make things worse. "That's quite enough Sanji-kun! Luffy has finally decided to pay us a visit and now you treat him like this? Go make us some snacks. We'll discuss this when you get back." Nami ordered.

"Yes my love!" Sanji said and dashed to the kitchen.

When he was gone, Luffy slumped into a chair in the corner. He sighed. "Has it really been that long? Am I really that different Nami?" he asked.

Nami sat in a chair opposite Luffy. She shooed Nathan off so she could talk with Luffy. "Actually Luffy, you are. You never came to see us no matter how many times we sent for you. You always refused. And now you show up only because you need help with something. This isn't like you. But who knows. I have been gone awhile. Maybe you've just grown up. But Sanji's right. You would have never treated us this way when we were on you crew."

Luffy frowned. "I know. But the only reason I didn't come is because I knew that if I did, I would ask you to come back, and I didn't want to do that. I knew the reason you left is because of Zeff and you wanted a better place to raise Nathan. I didn't want to ruin your happiness." Luffy said.

Nami smiled. "Maybe Sanji was a little hard on you. You really did want to come, didn't you?" she asked.

Luffy nodded. "It's just so hard. I miss you guys more and more every day. At first, it felt like a dream, but then, I didn't wake up. I just wish finding One Piece hadn't complicated things." he said.

Nami nodded solemly. "I know. Sometimes I miss the old days too. But let's face it, we all have our own lives now and we can never go back. You're the only one of us who hasn't found your place. You may rule the world but you've lost everyting."

At that time, Sanji walked in with a plate of snacks and a few glasses of water.

"Thanks Sanji." Nami said. Then to Luffy, "So, what do you need help with?"

Sanji took the last chair in the room and sat down beside Nami, facing Luffy. "Has he explained himself yet or does he need a nice solid kick?" he asked Nami.

"Leave him alone Sanji." she said. "Go ahead Luffy. Explain what you need help with."

"Hmm...where to start..." Luffy said as he stuffed his mouth with Sanji's food. Oh how he had missed that food. "I made somebody a promise a long time ago. I didn't want to tell you guys because I didn't know what you would think. But now, I want to carry out that promise. There's only one problem."

"What is it?" Nami asked. "And what's the promise?"

Luffy took a deep breath. "Okay...well...there's this girl...well...you know her...and I promised to come back for her one day. But now I have a bounty on my head...and she doesn't...so now...I can't return like I said...so what do I do?" Luffy finally asked.

Nami and Sanji stared blankly at him. They had known him for 8 years and they still didn't get him sometimes. "Umm..." they said in unison.

"Okay fine. I'll tell you. Remember when we left Alabasta all those years ago and I said I forgot something?" he asked. They nodded so he continued. "I really went back to tell Vivi something. I told her that I liked her but that we had to go our seperate ways but I told her I'd be back. Now, I have a huge bounty on my head and I'm the Pirate King. I don't want to go back to her if it means she becomes and enemy of the marines."

Nami and Sanji stared at him, wide eyed. They had never thought that their former captain had been in love with the desert princess. Nami was the first to recover. "You...you like Vivi?" she finally managed to studder.

"You actually like someone?!!" Sanji exclaimed.

Luffy was the color of a lobster by now. This was getting uncomfortable. "Yeah...well...umm..so what do I do?" he finally asked.

Sanji broke into a large grin. "Welcome to the world of men Luffy! You are finally a man." Sanji said as he grinned.

Nami bonked him on the head and he immediately shut up. Then she turned to Luffy. "Ignore him." she said with a wave of her hand. "Now, back to your problem. I think you should just go to Alabasta and speak to her without the marines knowing. That way, you can see how she feels." Nami advised.

"Hey! That's a pretty good idea Nami!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Ahh Nami-san! You're so cute when you know these things!" Sanji said as he fell out of his chair in excitement.

A couple hours later, Sanji had supplied Luffy with a large supply of food and Nami had given him the Eternal Pose for Alabasta from their last adventure with Vivi.

Nami and Sanji watched Luffy finish loading up Thousand Sunny from the deck of Baratie.

"Are you sure you can find your way there?" Nami called up to Luffy.

"Yep! You taught me alot before you left! Oh, and I promise to visit more often! And tell everyone else I said hi if you see them!!!" Luffy called down to them.

"Take care Luffy!" Sanji called.

"Thanks! You too!!!" he cried back and then he was gone. As he watched Baratie and the All Blue fade into the distance, he made a mental note to return soon with Vivi. But for now, he had to focus on the matter at hand. Getting to Alabasta without any trouble, which of course for Luffy, was practically impossible.

Well, that was longer then I thought it would be! I hope you enjoyed it and I'll try to post more soon. But for now, please review and tell me how I did, even if you hated it. Your reviews are appriciated. Thanks!