Sorry for the long wait, everyone! I tried desperately to get it done as quickly as possible, but with work and rehearsals and school starting soon and studying for my driver's test, I've had my hands full!

The flashback was completely made up. I just thought it would be the most adorable LuNa scene. Simple, but effective.

Warning: Twisty ending! Plot twist, what you wanna call it. No, you can't look. That's cheating. No meat for you.

Disclaimer: I wish I own One Piece. Wait, I take that back. I can never be as awesome as Oda.

Chapter 9 – Evasion

Nami

A wind blew across the six giant warships surrounding the tiny pirate vessel that had just emerged from its mooring tunnel. The Straw Hat pirates all stood on the main deck of the Sunny, their jaws hitting the hard floorboards. The single non-pirate chef that stood behind them stroked the area around his mouth, pretending he had a beard.

"This might be a problem."

Immediately, Nami's voice broke the otherwise surprised silence with screams of partial rage and partial humiliation. She whipped around, grabbing the marine cook by the front of his shirt and shaking him back and forth so hard, his head flopped back and forth on his neck. His tall chef hat fluttered to the deck.

"Damn you, you lying cheating bastard! Just wait until we get out of here! I'll kick your whiney little ass!" The navigator said this all very fast and in one breath, making the sentence seem like one very long word.

Nami was forced to let go of the poor chef when Chopper, in his man-beast form, had to pry her away. While Chef Shawn gasped for breath, Nami collapsed dramatically to the deck, her eyes watering uncontrollably. "What the hell are we going to do?" Her voice choked. She could see Zoro simply wave it off, considering it another one of her tantrums. To hell with the guy. "We can't clear this with only one Coup de Burst! There are so many, I don't know what to do…" She burst into tears.

Someone put a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it caringly. "It's okay," a voice said.

Nami didn't look up to see who it was, barely comprehending the voice. She merely sobbed, honestly having no idea in the world on what to do. With the entire freaking marine base in front of them, there was no physical way for them to escape. It was over.

Whoever was next to her stopped rubbing. They put both hands on either side of her face, lifting it so she would look them in the eye. Through blurry eyes, Nami instantly recognized the round, childish face, wide eyes, huge smile, and raven locks disappearing into his trademark straw hat. "Nami," Luffy grinned even wider. "Don't cry. I said I didn't ever want to see you cry again, and I meant it."

.

Nami suddenly found herself back on the Going Merry, two days after leaving Cocoyashi village behind without worrying about who she might never see again. She stood leaning against the railing near the prow of the Merry, her hip cocked in a relaxed fashion, watching the waves break around the stern. She pushed a stray hair behind her ear as someone spoke behind her.

"What'cha doin'?" Luffy asked, coming up beside her. He put his back to the wind, leaning his elbows on the rail and lazily crossing his legs at the ankle. Several messy bandages courtesy of Usopp encircled his right elbow and other various parts of his body. The brim of his straw hat rippled with the fast wind, and she watched it with interest. She could still feel the snug fit on her head, watching Arlong Park fall.

"Nothing, really." Nami replied.

Silence. The captain and navigator simply sat and enjoyed the other's company, which Nami found a bit strange. In the short time she had been with Luffy only as a temporary partner, she had always seen him as an out-going and crazy person without a care in the world. Now he seemed as if he was deep in thought, pondering the meaning of life. She chuckled silently to herself and turned back to watch the sea.

They stayed that way for a bit longer before Luffy finally broke the tranquil silence.

"Nami."

Only her name, but it held so much meaning in it. She couldn't quite place it, but the navigator could tell something was on his mind. She looked up again, watching stray hairs fly around his faraway eyes. "Hmm?"

Silence again. Then, "I don't ever want to see you cry again."

Nami started, standing straighter. "Cry?" She asked, confused.

Luffy nodded. "Back then, when you were in the street, stabbing yourself. You were crying. I don't like seeing you cry. So don't ever do it again."

Nami looked down at her fingers curled around the rail. Thanks to her new tattoo, the scar was barely visible, but a tattoo can't hide the scar on her heart. Crying like that in front of a boy was not on her To Do list, but stuff happens. She had told herself, eight years ago, she would never cry again. Not like that. So much for that promise.

"Nami?" Luffy said again, turning to face her. "Promise me you won't ever cry again."

Nami met her captain's gaze. His eyes didn't simply see her, standing in front of him, but inside her, deep within her soul. They read her entire being, her thoughts and emotions. It was a kind of creepy sensation, so instead of meeting his eyes, she stared just over his left shoulder at the horizon.

"I promise."

Maybe this time, I can keep it.

.

Nami gasped, a small smile pulling at her lips. "I did promise, didn't I?"

Luffy nodded. "So stop crying."

He removed his hands from her face but remained squatting before her, watching with a careful eye as she wiped the tears from her face, replacing them with a confident smile. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Yosh!" Luffy stood, returning to his non-caring self. He stood by the giant lion's head, one hand gripping the mane tightly. "Here's the plan: we kick Marine ass!"

The crew cried out with vigor, all of them drawing their weapons. Nami pulled her Climatact from beneath her shirt, fitting the three poles into one long staff of danger. Zoro tied his bandanna around his head before drawing his three katana. Sanji put a leg on the rail and began to stretch. Usopp fit a Firebird Star into his Kabuto and aimed it toward the first warship. Franky couldn't do anything; he only had two bottles of cola he didn't want to waste. Brook drew his sword from the cane, his eye sockets darker than usual. Chopper transformed into his man-beast form, pounding a fist into his palm. Robin crossed her arms at the wrist gracefully, a sly smile on her face. Luffy, who seemed the most eager of them all, put a confident hand on his shoulder and began waving his arm back and forth to loosen up.

"Oi, oi, oi!" Chef Shawn said, scurrying between the pirates. "You can't honestly think of trying to fight them all, do you?"

Nami glared irritatingly at the old man, whacking him upside the head with her staff. "You get off this damn ship right now," she said coldly, using her best cross-me-and-you'll-never-see-daylight-again voice. "And I don't want to see you ever again."

Chef Shawn squeaked. He groped for the side railing, gripping hard and catapulting himself into the water below. Nami watched until she at least made sure he survived before putting the shitty chef out of her mind.

"Straw Hat Luffy!" A voice boomed, coming from the direction of the marines. "Surrender now and we swear we won't kill you or your crew!"

Luffy didn't like that. "Shut up, bastards!" He yelled back, putting his thumbs to his ears and waving his fingers mockingly. To make it worse, he stuck out his tongue. "I'd like to see you try and stop me!"

"Very well. You have ten seconds before we sink you. Starting nine seconds ago. Eight… seven…"

"If we just take down those warship masts," Nami thought aloud to herself, loud enough for the others to hear. "We can Burst out of here."

"So that's all we gotta do, huh?" Zoro grinned, an expression similar of that to the devil. "Stay back, dartboard. I can do this myself."

"Funny, shit-head. You took the words right out of my mouth."

"Fine then, a competition. Whoever breaks the most ships wins."

"Ready, go!"

Zoro and Sanji immediately took off, springing from the main deck to the nearest warship. A second later, and yells could be heard from the vessel, small figures clad in white falling off the side. An explosion, and the main mast toppled over, crashing into the waves.

"Let's go, everyone!" Luffy shouted, throwing his fists into the air. The remaining crew shouted in agreement and rushed to their respective posts, jumping into the fray. As Nami ran past him toward her spot, Luffy grabbed her arm. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"At a time like this!"

The remaining warships opened fire, cannonballs flying toward the Sunny. "Usopp," Luffy said without turning around.

Usopp switched his Firebird for a Lead Star, hitting the cannonballs with deadly accuracy, deflecting them to either side. The ship was rocked violently as they hit the water. Nami closed her eyes to block out the sea spray, gasping as she suddenly lost her footing. Luffy steadied her, gripping her elbow. "Please? It's important."

Usopp and Franky fired back, disabling two marine cannons. "No, Luffy," Nami said, detangling herself from his arms. "I need to help us escape. So do you. When we're far away from here, then I'll listen." She smiled again.

Luffy pouted. "I'll hold you to that." He said, and launched himself with a Rocket onto a ship. In midair, Luffy's arm suddenly grew to the size of a giant, and he thrust it forward with the mighty yell of "Giganto Pistole!"

The entire ship crumbled under Luffy's attack, shattering to mere splinters. The men aboard screamed and topped into the water, trying desperately to either swim away or fire their weapons. Most swam away.

Someone grabbed her arm. "I got you now, pirate!" an unidentified voice said in her ear. A marine! Somehow, they appeared to have boarded the Thousand Sunny without anyone noticing.

"KYA!" She squealed, whacking him on the head with her Climatact.

Another marine didn't hesitate. He aimed his gun and pulled the trigger. Nami flinched, screaming out as the bullet entered her body, piercing her heart. She fell back with a gasp, a hand still clutching at her bloody chest. She collapsed to the deck, the light fading from her eyes.

The two marines high-fived one another. They were about to turn away when another of their comrades was blown away by one of Franky's attacks, and he stumbled into the body of the navigator. The body shimmered, as if it was made of simply air. It rippled a few times before vanishing.

Nami giggled. "Watch out for mirages," She said, cocking a hip and laughing as she watched the two marines whirl around, their mouths agape. "Thunder Tempo!" The cloud above their heads suddenly burst to life, electrocuting the two men instantly. They collapsed unconscious to the ground, their bodies steaming. Nami heaved them overboard and out of her way.

Another ship crumbled over the combined attack of Luffy and Sanji. Men cried out, followed soon by splashes. The warships continued their cannon fire, most of them being deflected by Usopp or cut in half by a perfectly executed strike of a katana.

It wasn't long before Nami suspected they finally had enough room to clear the ships. She screamed at the top of her lungs, calling her nakama back to the ship. "Oi! We're clear!"

Sanji heard her first. He appeared next to her, holding a miniaturized version of his captain on his back. The tinier Luffy sprung back to the deck, grinning wildly. Nami still had no idea why he shrunk after using his Gear Third. Chopper was still investigating.

Zoro appeared next, immediately confronting Sanji about destroying four hundred marines and two battleships. The two butted heads, Sanji bragging about eliminating six hundred marines and two and a half battleships. Zoro's amount suddenly increased to a thousand marines and ten warships, even though there were only six.

Chopper, Brook and Usopp arrived in suit, and Nami took a head count. All her crewmembers were present and accounted for, so she gave the signal for Franky to fire up the last remaining Coup de Burst.

Franky gave her an eager thumbs up.

"Take in the sails!" Nami ordered, punching the swordsman and cook in the heads.

"Suuuuper! Hold on tight!"

Franky released the Coup de Burst. The entire ship suddenly shot skyward, rocketing into the air. Nami squealed as she gripped painfully to the tree growing on deck. The other pirates were scattered around her, Luffy laughing his head off. He had already returned to normal size, and was holding his hat firmly to his head.

After the Sunny had sailed just over ten miles out from the marine fortress, it crashed into the ocean again, spraying the sea into the faces of the pirate passengers. Nami coughed as a few drops found their way into her throat. She winced at the foul salty taste.

"Lower the sails," She called, straightening up suddenly. "There's a huge gust coming!"

The Straw Hat pirates didn't hesitate to question their navigator. The sails went down, billowing out to full capacity as the gust Nami had predicted almost immediately collided with them. The ship rushed forward at about forty knots. The navigator waved her hair from her eyes, squinting at the horizon behind them. As she watched, the sun slowly began to peek out from the edge of the earth as if to say, Today is another day; let's see if you'll survive! The morning light backlit the marine base, making it look to be solid black. By now, it was only a faint dark blotch against the ocean waves. She sighed in content.

It was over.

The wind died, and the Sunny resumed her normal speed. The pirates split up, each tending to their own special needs. Nami traded her ripped tee for a simple blue tanktop and traded her shorts for a temporary skirt. It wasn't one of her favorites; it had been on sale a few islands back.

As the Sunny sailed quickly away, Nami decided to locate her captain. She wasn't exactly sure why, but she felt the sudden need to talk to him, the same way she felt the wind a few minutes ago. It was a sort of aching in her bones, but then again, there really wasn't a way to describe the urge.

Oh, she just remembered. She didn't want to talk to him; he wanted to talk to her. She wasn't sure about what exactly, but considering it was Luffy wanting to speak in private, it had to be something extremely important not involving food, or something deeply personal. Nami hoped it wasn't the latter.

She found Luffy at the back of the ship, watching the sun rise on the distant horizon. Nami stood next to him, leaning on the railing. He didn't appear to notice her, so the orange haired girl took advantage of her captain's rare silence and watched him for a while. He really should get his injuries checked, Nami thought to herself, running her eyes over his scarred forearms.

His wounds from his ordeal in prison weren't bleeding freely anymore, but his freshly-applied bandages were already stained red. His clothes were still in tatters, having not found a new vest within his closet earlier. The rest of the crew didn't fare so well, either, but Luffy was obviously the worst of all of them combined. Harsh torture comes with having a three hundred million beli bounty.

The marine stood for justice and the fair treatment of all the citizens of the world. But pirates were humans too, though some she considered to be a long shot. Why amuse themselves in the torture of human beings if they were only to be executed later? Why bother to beat a dead horse? For pleasure, a small voice whispered in her head. The government in corrupt; it's Robin's destiny to reveal that. Nami shook the voice away.

"Nami-swan!" Sanji sang, jerking Nami from her reverie. She turned to see the blonde cook spinning to the front of the deck, his cigarette puffing out tiny hearts. "I have a meal for you! It's not large, since our stomachs probably shrank during our captivity and you can get food poisoning if you eat too much after starvation…"

"In a moment, Sanji-kun," Nami said.

"Food!" Luffy whipped around, his eyes lighting up. "Oh, Nami. Can you excuse us, Sanji?"

Sanji started, his expression clearly defining him as confused about his captain's polite tone. "Oh, uh… sure. Nami-swan, I'll keep your food warm!"

"Mine too!" Luffy cried.

"You'll eat yours cold if you have to!"

"You're so mean, Sanji."

"Don't take too long, Nami-swan!" Sanji departed, his cigarette continuing to puff.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Nami asked, going to stand next to Luffy. He nodded but said nothing, turning back to face the horizon. Nami watched him out of the corner of her eye. A soft wind blew his hat off his head, but it rested on his back quietly. The rising sun shone on his skin, making him appear to be glowing, despite his bedraggled appearance. A light flush colored Nami's cheeks.

When Luffy finally opened his mouth to speak, he said something Nami thought might never come out of his mouth. "Nami, are you happy?"

Nami started, confused. "Besides getting almost killed just now? Yes, I'm very happy. Why do you ask?"

"I'm glad that you're happy. I want to make you happier."

"And how do you intend to do that?" Nami was curious. These kinds of words were not the kind of things that came out of Luffy's mouth. All he talked about was food, being King of Pirates, food, kicking someone's ass, and food. Did she mention food?

"By—"

Luffy was cut off by Zoro shouting something from the crow's nest. Luffy looked at Nami for a moment before using his Gomu Gomu Rocket to launch himself to the top of the ship. The navigator watched him fly off, wondering what on earth he wanted to say. Luffy wasn't exactly the predictable type.

"What was that, Zoro?" Luffy's faint voice drifted down to the other Straw Hats, who had gathered in the grassy field below.

"The marines are in front of us!" Zoro pointed out the window, and true to his word, four more marine battleships had appeared a few hundred yards ahead.

"Man, these guys are persistent," Usopp muttered, voicing pretty much everyone's thoughts.

"Prepare for battle!" Luffy leaped back to the deck, alerting everyone to the situation. "The marines have cut us off! We're going to need to bust through!"

"We don't have any cola left," Franky said. "It was all confiscated. The little amount we had already stored got us out of the last incident."

"Then we'll fight again." Sanji said, lighting a fresh cigarette.

"Everyone to the front of the ship!"

Five minutes later, the entire Straw Hat crew stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the prow of the Thousand Sunny, glaring in the direction of their natural enemies. The marine ships drew nearer, and Luffy could see the cannons preparing to fire. "Get ready…" he said.

The cannons fired, and twelve mortars careened in their direction. "Go!" Luffy shouted, and the Straw Hats leapt into action.

Nami's heart raced with something she didn't understand. Anticipation for the upcoming battle? Fear of being mauled? Curiosity for what Luffy tried to say? Anger for the marines interrupting their perfectly normal conversation? The navigator couldn't place it, but she sure as hell was going to find out.

Luffy

Luffy was the first to attack. He stretched across to the nearest battleship and settled himself on their mast, grinning wildly down at the men below. "Shishishishi! You marines are getting on my nerves. Why can't you leave us alone?"

"Fire!" the marines below ignored the pirate and began to shoot their rifles. Luffy dodged some, and deflected others. Some of the bullets burst into sea stone nets. Those were harder to dodge, more often he barely skimmed the edges.

"Gear Third," Luffy said, and blew into his thumb. His fist expanded to the size of a giant, blocking out the rising sun and shrouding the ship in darkness. He held it over the vessel on which he stood, smiling down at the panicking marines below. The fist retracted, and the entire ship was blown to bits as it was crushed beneath Luffy's giant attack.

Luffy laughed to himself. He could feel the familiar feeling of all the air suddenly gathering in his stomach, and he wrapped his arms around the still-standing mast so he wouldn't get blown away. He gave a huge burp, and a tornado of sorts released itself from his throat, blowing the rest of the splintered ship away.

Luffy had lost his grip on the mast and was currently flying all about in the sky, air still exiting his body. He knew he was completely empty when his muscles suddenly froze slightly as they shrunk, reducing him to nearly a third of his normal size. Suddenly, Luffy felt something wrap around his body, entangling his tiny limbs. The object stung; he looked down to see a bolas wrapped around his torso.

"Dammit," Luffy muttered, his voice much higher and squeakier than usual. He could feel the strength ebbing from his body, slowly sapping his life force. The weights must be fused with sea prism stone. All strength left his body, and Luffy fell backward, into the ocean, unseen by anyone but the grinning marine floating in the water.

I know. Sucky chapter. I actually had this story originally planned for post-time skip, but then I thought, With Haki, it'd be pretty much impossible to be captured that easily in the night by marines… pre-time skip it is! I also already had this chapter in an EXTREMELY rough draft form, and of course, it was post-time skip based. So I had to go back and change and edit everything. Which makes this chapter seem really really choppy, and I don't feel like rewriting the whole thing. Yep. #Laziness.

I also tried looking up the maximum length the Coup de Burst can go, but I couldn't find it, so I just made it up. Maybe I'll change it later if one of you knows.

A bolas is one of those little lasso-things used by the Indians to entangle the legs of their prey. It's a rope with two stone balls attached at the end (in the OP world, these balls would probably be Sea Prism Stone, as is the case with Luffy). There's an example of its use in the Avatar movie (blue-cat people) right as Jake Sulley is taken captive by the Na'vi.

Sooo…. What do you think? R&R!

Coming Up: Chapter 10 - Restoration