A/N: Crap, guys, I'm so sorry. This is moar exposition. I know, I know. "Get to the good stuff, Reine!" Oi. Look, I already wrote the whole story, okay? I'm in the editing stage, and I told you it was a long story, and... blah blah.
I swair the next chapter will start the action. Trust me, I've already written it. :)
The Thousand Sunny docked just as the sun set on the water. The large town was tiered, with three levels. The upper two sat above high white walls, and to get from one tier to the next, the citizens rode wooden platforms that shuttled up and down with a series of rope pulleys. The creaking from their movement could easily be heard from the dock. The lights of the town were just coming on, and a warm golden light issued from a few of the closer taverns on the first tier.
"Eh, I'm getting a drink," Zoro said, one arm resting on his sword hilts. He started to walk down the gangplank, but a shout from the crow's nest made him pause.
"Oi! Marimo! Where are you going?"
"Why should I tell you, shitty cook?"
"Nami-san has made me swear to –"
Zoro's face transformed into a frightening visage. "Damn that woman." He turned to gaze up at the blond. "Don't follow me, bastard," he called up, then turned around and continued towards the town.
"Shit! Oi! Baka!"
The boat rocked as Sanji landed on the deck. He ran after Zoro, whose eye twitched. They made a point of not acknowledging the other was there.
They walked in silence. Sanji, who had stuffed his hands in his pockets, brought one out to blow smoke rings, which happened to collect in Zoro's path. The swordsman, who was walking with his eyes closed, did not notice this until he took a deep breath in the middle of the smoke cloud. He fell to his knees and started to hack and cough. When he was done, he leapt at the cook.
They scuffled for a moment before separating to nurse their bruises. Then they continued walking.
After some minutes, Sanji asked, "Where exactly are we going, marimo?"
Zoro opened his eyes again. They were on a path in the woods. Behind them the lights of the town lit the path. Ahead was darkness.
"Nani? What happened to the taverns?"
"Oi," Sanji said. "I didn't realize your problem was this bad. Have you talked to Chopper about it?"
"You… dartboard brow!"
"Damn swordsman!"
When Zoro and Sanji finally entered a tavern, Zoro headed straight for the bar, shouting to the barkeep that he needed a tankard of the man's strongest drink, fast. Sanji straightened his rumpled collar and searched for – There! A beautiful maiden in need of a strong man!
Zoro smiled into his tankard when he heard the ringing sound of a hand slapping Sanji's face.
"Yahoooo! Sugoooi! Chopper, Brook, look at that!"
"What is it? Oh! Sugoi!"
"Hmm? Yohohoho!"
The trio was staring with stupid grins at the Biggest. Pie. Ever. It was six meters in diameter and two thick, and had cherry filling. Luffy and Chopper were drooling, and Brook would have been if he'd had any salivary glands.
The man beside it was shouting to the passersby that he and his family baked this pie for the festival in their town of Yuya, and that he was holding a contest in a few minutes to see who could eat the most of it in ten minutes.
"Yosh! I'll do it!" said Luffy.
"Luffy! I want to try first!"
The youthful captain chuckled. "Sure, Chopper. Do your best!"
"Aye!"
The little doctor morphed into his Heavy Point and approached the baker. "I'm going to eat this whole pie!" he announced.
The man jumped back. "A gorilla?" he asked, terrified.
"I'm a reindeer, damn it!"
Luffy and Brook watched as the timer started. Chopper used his huge hands to gather pieces of pie and shovel them into his mouth. When the timer rang, Chopper had eaten only a fifth of the pie, and Luffy had to carry him to a bench so he wouldn't get sick. "Was it tasty, Chopper?" the rubber man asked, laughing.
Tears leaked from Chopper's eyes. "So… good… I wan' more!"
Luffy laughed loudly.
"Okay, ji-chan, I want to try!"
The timer started, and a moment later Luffy, five times his normal width, sat down, still chewing. Once he swallowed his last bite, he threw his head back and laughed, his eyes squinting at the sky. "Yosha! I did it!"
The townspeople who had watched his inhalation of the pie stood speechless. The baker blinked many times, and then said, "Con… con… Congratulations! We have a winner!" The crowd erupted in surprised cheers. Luffy laughed with them, and then slowly, everyone dispersed.
"Yohohoho! What next, senchou?" asked Brook.
"I dunno," said Luffy. "Let's go that way!"
"Robin, where did Nami go?" Usopp asked.
The dark-haired woman frowned. "I don't know, Longnose-kun. She was here a moment ago – aha. There she is."
The navigator jumped down the last few steps from the crow's nest to the deck. "Where the hell did Sanji go?" she cried. "He was supposed to be on watch!"
Robin cocked her head. "I believe he went into town with Swordsman-san, as you ordered."
"Damn!" Nami said. "Those idiots – !" She sighed. "Usopp, it's now your turn."
"Wait, N-N-Nami! Why do I have to stay? We were just coming to ask you for… some… m-money… Aieeee!" the sniper yelped, jumping behind Robin's chair.
"What did you say?"
"Aneki! Look at our Suuupah Stag Beetle, Version 2.0!" said Franky, posing beside the creation.
Nami rubbed her temples. "Ay ay ay, that's gonna need to be cleaned up –"
"Doesn't it look supah? Now, I want you to be serious with me for a moment," he said, putting his arm around her shoulder. "Can't you just imagine how good a protection for this ship this would be? I know it takes up a lot of space now, but it could be sleek and out of sight, if you could just lend us a little bit…"
Nami peered at him. "Just how much is a 'little bit'?"
"Five thousand beri."
"NO!" Her fist connected solidly with the cyborg's head. "What the hell are you thinking? Do you think money grows like mikan around here? Absolutely not! You two didn't build that to protect the ship; you built it for fun!" She stomped off, muttering under her breath about the stupidity of boys with their… weapons.
"Please, Nami!" Usopp followed her and begged some more for the money, and in desperation he grabbed onto her leg. She tried alternately shaking him off and pounding his head with her fist, but nothing seemed to work.
"Fine, I give in," she said dramatically. Usopp sprang up and thanked her quickly, then ran away. Nami just sank to sit on the deck, staring blankly in front of her. "Oi, Robin. What are we going to do with all of them?"
The archeologist smiled. "How about we visit the town too, Navigator-san? There's a carnival. It'll be good for you to clear your head."
"What? What about the ship? Who'll protect it?"
"Hm. I'll keep an eye on it," said Robin, sprouting eyes on a few of the walls.
"Robin… you save us…" Nami said thankfully. The two women walked off the ship together and entered the well-lit city.