WARNINGS: YOAI (boyXboy) Shanks X Luffy, and wide age differences between people in a relationship.
Don't like, don't read. You've been warned.
'…' what they are thinking
"…" what they are saying
Disclaimer: Oda owns One Piece, not me. I also don't make money from this. ;(
Author's Pathetic Note: Ugaaahhhh! I can't believe I just noticed that I've been making a major grammatical error all this time! And with Shanks's own name, for twelve chapters! --bangs head repeatedly on desk-- All this time I've been writing Shanks' when it should have been Shanks's. I've probably done that about… 100 times by now? I'd go back and fix it but it's twelve chapters of errors, and I'd rather give everyone an update. So please bare with me. --sobs--
Being a Girl
Chapter 13: More Trouble
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-- On the Straw Hat's Pirate Ship --
It was late at night when Nami put her cloak on and, unable to sleep, came out of the cabin her and Robin shared. She walked over to the railing and looked out onto the ocean, admiring the way the moonlight had managed to shine through a small crack in the clouds and sparkle it's midnight glow onto a section of the waves below. She was about to turn around and head back in when a cloth, supported by a hand, clamped over her mouth. She tried to scream, but found herself loosing strength. A second later and she fell limp into the arms of a marine soldier, her captor.
"Ok, lets go!" The hooded marine holding the girl hissed to his four comrades as he slung Nami over his shoulder.
Their boots clicked along the deck as they made a hasty retreat from the ship. Just as they were about to jump over the side, Zoro walked up the stairs.
"Oi," He said noticing them, and they froze in their tracks. Only for a second, before they dashed, extremely quick, off the ship and towards the forest not too far away. Zoro unsheathed his swords and ran after them, seeing despite the little amount of light, that they had Nami. But he started off too far behind to be able to catch up before they sprinted into the forest. Zoro ran through the trees after them, but lost them quickly in the darkness.
Stopping, he cursed, "Shit," and resheathed his swords. He then looked around and scratched his head, wondering which way he came from.
-- Back on the Straw Hat's Pirate Ship --
"Was that Marino I just saw running into the forest?" Sanji asked himself. It was dark, but he was sure that when he came onto the deck a moment ago he saw a patch of bright green disappear into the growth of trees. 'And…' Thought Sanji, 'I heard Nami-san come up here only a minute ago.' He mused to himself for a moment before remembering the small running noises he heard as well. "Oh no!" Sanji said aloud, "It can't be… It can't possible be… N-Nami-san and Zoro have run off together in love!"
Sanji threw his cigar onto the ground and smothered it with the heal of his foot, "No… Nami-san can't end up with Moss Head!" And with that determined statement, Sanji ran off into the night.
-- On the Red-Haired Pirate Ship --
Shanks stormed out of the cabin, malicious swirls of black energy circling around him. The younger crew members shivered with the presence of their furious captain and quickly scurried off below deck. The senior members moved off to the sides, hoping to god that Shanks's anger wouldn't have anything to do with them.
"Ah, Captain," Ben spotted Shanks and walked over, choosing to ignore the evil aura coming from him. "It seems one ship, probably a marine battle ship, is firing upon us. It's too dark to see it --that's also why it keeps missing us-- but the moonlight will be out in moment and Yasopp will shoot it down. Until then we're short on cannon balls from our last fight, but we have people defending various parts of the ship. They'll see and break the enemy's fire if it gets close."
But Shanks was an impatient person, and wanted to take his revenge himself. He didn't say anything to Ben's report, but instead walked over to the low-positioned railing on the side of the ship, unsheathed sword in hand. Silently, Shanks closed his eyes for a moment, pinpointing the direction the cannonballs were coming from. In an instant he opened his eyes, raised is sword, and swung down with all his might. A long steam of fast-moving air whipped out across the ocean and into the night.
A split second later the cannon fire stopped with the sound of wood cracking. A few, distant shouts were heard, then it was silent as the moonlight finally shined down to reveal a Marine ship split in half and quickly sinking.
"Wow!" Luffy, now standing next to Shanks, exclaimed.
Most of crew members on deck had backed away into a corner, not having seen their captain so furious in a long time.
Ben, on the other hand, wondered what made Shanks so annoyed. Then he noticed.
It took a moment for everyone to understand, but from the moonlight Shanks and Luffy standing side by side shared a few noticeable changes. They were shirtless. Their hair was extremely disheveled. And most noticeably, Luffy had a bright red, can-be-spotted-even-in-the-dark hicky on his neck.
Shanks stopped in the middle of something he was going to say to Luffy when Yasopp and Lucky broke out laughing.
Shanks looked at them, then at the faces of his slightly embarrassed-looking crew, before he noticed his situation. Luffy of course, didn't.
Ben chuckled and decided that while Shanks was at a loss for words, it would be a good time to tease the man, "Looks like you and Luffy were having a good time before the Marines interrupted, eh?"
Shanks's face tinged red only for a moment. He leaned down and whispered something to Luffy, who quickly shuffled back to Shanks's room.
"Well Ben," Shanks stepped up to meet his first mate's comment head on, "How about I tell everyone what happened at that party on the last summer island?"
Ben wasn't expecting that comment. He lost his composure and spluttered, "Y-You w-wouldn't!"
"Oh, but I would."
The statement was never justified as Luffy came back to Shanks, having retrieved their shirts like the man asked him too.
"Aw, common Captain," Yasopp said after he finished laughing, "We saw what happened before" -- he was referring to the time when Luffy was discovered as not being a girl -- "We're just happy that the love bite Luffy has didn't come from anyone else." Shanks's crew winked and gave their captain a thumbs up in unison with Yasopp.
Luffy laughed as he put his vest on, not bothering to button it.
Pulling his own shirt down after getting it on, Shanks just sighed, defeated.
--
On the beach not far away from the Red Haired Pirates, Tanya gasped from underneath her hood as she saw her ship break in half through her newly designed, night vision binoculars. "Damn, how'd they do that?! Time for plan B... Are they hear yet?" she said.
Doctor Dracula, standing next to Tanya, shook his head. His hood seemed to bounced from side to side, when really it was his spring-like hair moving from the motion his head was making. "No ma'am, but they are the fastest runners we have, so they should come soon… unless--"
"If they failed and those pirates didn't kill them, I will!" The girl sneered.
A moment later and five panting Marines arrived with a knocked-out Nami.
Tanya squealed with delight when she looked at Nami's face from under her hood and recognized Luffy's crew member. "Hahaha!" She pulled out a letter she had written earlier. "Pen," she said holding out her hand.
Doctor Dracula handed her a sliver pen. With it Tanya scribbled Nami's name in the blank she had left between the words 'If you want' and 'then you will…'
She handed the letter to a big-boned Marine who she had been told, by Doctor Dracula, was a weirdo that was an expert at making and throwing paper airplanes.
The man, his frown hidden by his hood, rather reluctantly folded the paper into a plane, aimed, and sent it flying perfectly towards the Red Haired Pirate Ship.
It lightly hit a laughing, unsuspecting Luffy on the side of the head.
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Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! You guys are so nice.
Sorry this chapter was a bit on the short side, but I thought it was a good ending point.
In the next chapter: Nami's kidnapped, Zoro's lost, and Sanji is completely wrong with his version of the situation. What will poor Luffy do? Find out in Chapter 14!