Hello again! This is this week's update! (A day late, but whatever. At least it's out!) At first, I wanted to publish it for Halloween, but it's way too late for that now, and next Halloween is kind of... far. Also, this might be the last update for the next two weeks, because I'm leaving Monday to Germany for a student exchange. I promise I will try to write, but I can't promise anything... I hope you will al like this chapter!

It was a rocky island. A very dry and rocky island. The crew had to draw the anchor wards away from the supposed shore, filled with thousands and thousands of burnished pebbles, because the water wasn't deep enough to allow the ship to reach it. Even from where Sunny was placed, the hull had probably gained a few more scratched from unexpected spikes hidden in the water.

The island seemed to be unoccupied, but no one could really know the dangers; after all, the New World was always full of surprises. Still, the sun was still up, leaving them with a few more hours of light to use and explore around a bit. They did need to gather some supplies... Nami, ignoring her captain goofy exclamations and propositions, because all of them sounded dumb and especially careless, took the situation in hand and sent Zoro and Brook to snoop around and come back with whatever they think could be useful.

The rest of the crew stayed on the ship and waited for their return, but when the sun starting sinking over the horizon, a few were becoming a bit worried. Could have something happen? The New World had been pretty harsh with them since they set sail in those seas, and it seemed like more and more dangerous situation popped instantaneously in front of their nose, making their lives difficult and their travel slow and filled to the brim with hardships.

Yet, their captain was as unworried as ever, playing 'chase me' around the boat. Usopp was the chaser, but needless to say, he wasn't entirely playing; Luffy had stolen his slingshot. When Luffy finally calmed down enough to let the long-nosed man grab his weapon back, he unexpectedly glaring at the island, as if the thing had insulted him in one way or another. But the expression was gone as soon it was there, and the captain full-out grinned at his friend.

"Hey, Usopp, let's go to an adventure," he suggested, laughing at the confused sound his marksman unconsciously let out. "Come on!" And the second following the statement found Usopp being catapulted toward the island.

The both of them landed hard on rock, Usopp gaining a few more bruises with this unexpected assault. Luffy, as usual, broke out laughing as soon as his brown-haired friend started yelling at him for that. When the captain started walking around the deserted piece of hardened earth, Usopp followed him wordlessly. If Luffy wanted to go explore, then so be it! Although... the sudden darkness caused by the sun now gone did give him the creeps.

They found a cave. A dark, gloomy, and probably dangerous cave. Usopp feared his captain would go in without questions, either trusting his own ability to take care of any danger or simply because he was stupid, the marksman didn't know. Still, he figured he should at least give his own opinion.

"Oi, Luffy... I don't think we should go in there."

"Why not?" Was the immediate response, and Usopp cursed his captain for being so fearless. Or overly oblivious.

"Because obviously it's got to be dangerous! It's completely dark, and I swear I heard something growl." Damn, his legs were already shaking.

"That's one reason more to go!" Luffy beamed, already starting his trek inside the cave. The long-man instinctively followed him, but his mouth was not done with this conversation.

"How so!? There's got to be some monstrous beast just waiting to rip us to pieces! Why the hell should we go in?" But Luffy didn't answer, and that made his skin tangle with shivers not caused by the cold. "Oi! Luffy! Why should we go!?"

"Because I'll find us a new nakama!" He stated simply, the Luffy way, always optimist and careless.

Before he could answer, though, Usopp's eyes landed on a white ball a few centimeters beside his feet. He squinted his brown orbs, trying to see past the darkness, and when he finally does, his blood turned cold. His breath stayed caught in his throat, and instead of letting only soundless air, a whimper slowly passed his lips. There, right in front of him, laid a skull.

"Luffy..." He sobbed, but then something grabs his ankle, and he can't keep still anymore. He breaks out running, shaking away from the thing holding him down, and screaming like a girl. Really, he should at least be able to scream like a man. He found it so embarassing to always react that way.

His captain shamelessly laughed at him, picking the skull up like it was a ball. And his grin widened, and before Usopp could assess the situation, Luffy yelled "Think fast!" before throwing the white ball at him. The marksman instinctively caught it before it could hit his head, and when he finally spared a look down on his hands and saw that he was holding the skull, he freaked out again. He launched the thing behind him and ran away like it was the plague, not caring that the skull hit something and cracked, but caring very badly about the low and dangerous-sounding growl that resounded in the dark cavern soon after. He beat a hasty retreat, only barely registering that Luffy was running away with him, laughing like a mad-man.

When they came back to the shore, panting and coming down from his adrenaline rush for Usopp, and laughing and rolling on the ground from amusement for Luffy, Nami couldn't help but wonder what the hell the both of them had done, again. Usopp explained the whole situation – about skeletons lying all over the place and monsters two times the size of Sunny trying to eat them whole – and all Luffy could do was laugh at him.

"This is not funny! Stop laughing!" He snapped at him. The captain calmed down a bit, enough to actually hear what Nami was asking.

"Luffy, what happened? Where are Zoro and Brook?"

Strawhat then let them know of what he knew had really happened.

"Brook lost his head and Zoro will come back to kill us for having waken him up."

I hope you all liked it! Please let me know what you think by leaving a review! The next update will probably be on June 12th!