(goes on hands and knees) Gomen! Gomen! Gomen! I'm sorry for not updating this for so long!

Chopper: Please calm down! Stress isn't good for you.

(looks at Chopper and hugs him) You're just too cute!

Chopper: Uh… Reviews?

Oh! Right!

Chopper: (grabs the first one) Kyo-kun…

Thank you… sorry for the wait.

Chopper: (grabs another) Tori-san…

Thank you!

Chopper: (grabs another) Suguri-san…

Me and Chopper: CAKE!! Thank you!!

Chopper: (takes a bite and grabs another) MintCa…

Sorry for the wait.

Chopper: (takes another bite and grabs another) Kami-san…

You and me both. So no worries!

Chopper: (grabs another) twilightserius…

Twi-san! Uh… huh?

Chopper: (grabs another) DarkDreamer…

Dreamer-san! Sorry for the wait!

Chopper: (takes another bite and grabs another) Eternal Dumas…

Ohh! New reviewer! Well… I think. Anyway, thanks for reading.

Chopper: (grabs another) Sogequeen2550…

Soge-san! Uh… no he's like a merman, only his tail is a shark's tail.

Chopper: (grabs another) Mimi-chan…

Ace is an overprotective brother, well… in most fics that's how he appears to be. Anyway, and Luffy is keeping Zoro a secret from him is because, well, Zoro's different and Ace may not get the fact that they're friends right away if he only saw his tail.

Chopper: (grabs last one) Smexygecko…

(hugs Chopper) Hugs for Chopper!

Chopper: (giggles)

Me and Chopper: Enjoy!

Chapter 3

Zoro woke up with a lump the size of an orange at the back of his head. "Damn that little, ungrateful sea witch…"

"Good morning Zoro." The octopus said.

"Hey old tentecules…"

"Morning."

He turned to see the mermaid from last night. "What the hell!? Why are you here!?"

"I wanted to say sorry for hitting you and thanks for helping me."

He sighed as he rubbed the lump on his head. "I guess you're forgiven and you're welcome. Now leave before-"

"Zoro!"

Both merfolk looked up to see a distorted shilloette.

"Damn!" He said as he glared at the mermaid. "You stay down here, got it!"

"Like I want to see a human!"

He rolled his eyes as he went up.

"Hey Zoro! Good morning!"

"Morning Luffy, how goes it?"

"Good…" Luffy said as he saw the lump. "Ow… What happened?"

"Oh, this? Aw, just hit my head on the coral ceiling on my way back."

"Why would you do that?"

"Tired…"

"Oh… Well, I better get to school. I'll see you after dance practice."

"Okay."

"Oh! Zoro! I wanna swim with you today!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! It's been forever since the last time!"

Zoro chuckled. "Okay, make sure you get your snorkeling gear."

Luffy smiled his famous smile and gathered his belongings. "See you later Zoro!"

"See ya Luffy!"

Luffy was about to head to the thick vegetation when he halted. "Oh wait! I got that test today!"

When Zoro heard the word 'test', his heart started to beat faster.

Luffy quickly went back, bent down, and kissed the other on the forehead. "Wish me luck Zoro!"

"Good luck!" He surprised himself how calm his voice was as he watched the other disappear out of his sights.

He went back down, only to see that the mermaid was nowhere to be seen. "Good riddance." He said as he rubbed the lump on his head.

"You better leave that alone."

"I'll still know it's there. Damn bitch…"

Meanwhile…

Nami found her way back to the colony, where everyone seems to be happy to see her and a mermaid with short light blue hair and equally light blue tail went up and hugged her.

"Damn it Sis, don't scare me like that."

"I'm sorry Nojiko." Nami said, happy to see her older sister. 'I wonder if she knows about the Zoro guy.' She thought as she waited until they were alone.

Then a woman with red hair, slightly shaven on the sides and a rustic light brown tail that shows signs of battle, went up to the two. "Nami!"

"Bellemere!" She said as they had a group hug.

"Thank Neptune you're okay."

'Maybe she'll know. She's been with the colony longer.' Nami thought as she let her family hold her longer.

Luffy went up to a small, house-like building where he attends to his dance classes. He smiled happily as he saw Usopp, painting something on the floor. "Usopp!"

The said teen looked up. He had curly black hair in a pony tail, olive skin, a long nose, and thick lips that are now holding two thin brushes. He waved as the other went up.

"What are you doing?"

Usopp took out the paint brushes out of his mouth and looked up at his friend. "I'm painting the background for the dance festival. I'm working on the Tike division at the moment."

Luffy took a look at the background to see a kid like version of what a volcano looks like with smiling animals around the cartoony vegetation around the foreground. "That's so cool Usopp!"

"Only morons would think its cool!"

Both looked back to see a tall, muscular blonde with sun burnt tan skin.

"Hey Bellamy." Luffy simply said as Usopp was doing a lot not to shake in fear.

"This isn't an art room Picasso! Go somewhere else!"

"There's enough room." Luffy said. "Besides, your practice is outside."

"Why you-!"

"Bellamy!"

Everyone looked to see a man, with make up on his face and wore a grass skirt and a coconut bra. He was thin and tall with unshaven legs and his black hair practically gelled to his head.

"Hi Bon Clay-chan!" Luffy said with a polite smile.

"Hello Luffy-chan!" Bon Clay said warmly. "You!" He harshly said to Bellamy. "Out of my dance studio this instant! Go on!"

Bellamy, creeped out by the okama, left with a glaring scowl at Luffy.

Once Bellamy left, Bon Clay went up to the two. "I swear! Do I need a restraining order for him to stay away from my studio?"

"Don't worry Bon Clay-chan," Luffy said. "He's just like that because I beat him in a fighting tournament some time ago."

"Oh! That's right! I can't believe I've forgotten that!" Both laughed as he looked at the process. "That's wonderful Usopp-san! The children will love it!"

"Y-Yeah…" Usopp said, not quite used to having an okama talking to him like it was a casual conversation.

"Well! You're still early, mind warming up Luffy-chan?"

"No problem!"

"Okay! Let's warm up! The Okama way!"

Luffy just laughed as Usopp shuddered.

Back in the ocean, Nami was finally able to get to talk to Bellemere.

"Bellemere…"

"Hm?"

"Well… Last night, I was just swimming around, right."

"That's what we're good for."

"Well, I ran into this shark-" She saw the horrified look on her face. "Don't worry! I didn't get hurt! Someone saved me!"

Bellemere then had a suspitous look. "Who?"

"A merman, who has a tail of a shark."

Bellemere paled when she heard that. "Did he hurt you at all!?"

"No. He drove the shark away, I went into a cove, which turns out to be his, hit him with the rock, thinking it was the shark, and I left."

"You knocked him out."

"Well, there's this old octopus who didn't like it that I did that to him. He even got really personal when I saw this guy's tail…" She looked at her foster mother. "Bellemere… was he part of the colony before?"

Bellemere sighed and mentioned her to sit on the sponge coral. "How do I start…" She said as she looked at Nami. "A bit more than ten years ago, there was a beautiful mermaid in our colony, but she was a very difficult mermaid to handle. One day she went out of the colony and hasn't returned for a few days. Then, a few months later, she was found out to be pregnant. Everyone bothered her with questions, but she has always had learn the sailors speech and has a temper to back it up. She was very strong, but was still short with the mermen in the colony. When the child was born, it was a boy…"

"With a shark's tail."

"He had his mother's hair and eyes, and he screamed and fussed the same way she did." She paused, as if remembering a tender moment. "It was the first time she smiled and laughed. For once, she seemed calm and graceful. But everyone told her to abandon the child, for the sharks were our enemy. She heatedly refused to give up her child and ended staying in the far back of the colony, our way of disbanding, but still with the colony. As the child grew, she became ill, but she was too stubborn to ask for help. Not likely to get any."

"Why? Just because she had a child that's different?"

She simply nodded. "Then, one day, eleven years ago, she finally died." She sighed. "I could still remember hearing the child's sobs, but he didn't come up to the colony. No doubt he learned from her that the colony won't be there for him, even if he wants to…" She paused again as she sighed. "Then, ten years ago, the colony was going through this current when the storm hit. It was horrible… Of course… the child stayed in the back… unprotected and unloved…"

"What about you? Bellemere? You seemed to care."

The merwoman smiled sadly. "I made a promise to his mother to not get involved in anything she does. We were, only friends for a short time… The next day… he was gone. The colony didn't show it, but they were relieved to have him gone…" She looked down at the sandy bottom. "Couple days later I found you and Nojiko."

Nami also looked at the sandy bottom. 'And he only has the human boy as his friend, along with old tentacles.'

At the secret spot, Luffy was donned with his red with black sharks swim trunks, and his snorkel gear.

Zoro couldn't help but giggle at the silly mask, which Luffy good humor laughed before getting into the water, held him around the neck.

In a matter of seconds they were out in the open sea, near the island they both grew up in.

As Zoro swam, Luffy maintained balanced on the other's back, while both trying to make it appear like the teen is swimming before he took a lungful of air through his snorkel mask and both dived deeper to the floor, where they could see shells lying about.

If Luffy needed air, Zoro would quickly brought them up and only Luffy would be the one up, being held up by his legs while the sharkman held him in place.

Of course, this position was almost too tempting for the sharkman as of late. He had seen many young adult humans in his life on the island to know what pleasure and sex was about. He had seen men and women, women and women, and men and men. But he himself had to make sure he never, ever, crosses that line with his only friend.

He had these feelings for some years now, and had to congratulate himself for every moment that went without him becoming something that wasn't like what he had been, a friend… Luffy's biggest secret friend. Just having the teen near was enough to yearn to be closer, but he knew he couldn't. He is of the ocean, and the teen was of the land, the young man couldn't swim to save his life without him to keep him from drowning. And he won't let him drown… just as long as he doesn't lose his grip.

After their swim, they headed back to the cove and both observed their findings on the sand bank.

"Wow! Look at this!" Luffy picked up a green shell. "It's the same color as Zoro's eyes!"

"Huh? Both my hair and eyes are green."

"Yeah, but Zoro's eyes sparkle more!"

Zoro lightly blushed and looked away. "Sparkle? That's a laugh…" The last thing he needs is some sappy crap about his abnormalities.

Luffy looked at his best friend since he found him and knew that the other never really liked himself. "I like Zoro's eyes… I like everything about Zoro…" He placed a hand on the other's shoulder. "Zoro is a very importantly special to Luffy."

Zoro, despite himself, had to look at the teen and grinned at the wide, goofy smile the other had on. 'Always gets me… the bastard…' He sighed and patted the hand that is still on his shoulder. "Thanks pal… And you're important to me too."

Luffy hugged the other, who returned it.

Once they separated, Luffy said his 'see you tomorrow Zoro' and left the cove, leaving the sharkman satisfied, but still longing.

Zoro sighed and shook his head. "Don't even think about it stupid." He said as he went down.

"Still having problems I see…"

He looked at the old octopus. "It's not that big a deal. As long as he's still around, I can't be alone."

"But you know that isn't true…"

He sighed, knowing that humans have a desire to move around, he couldn't keep Luffy from exploring the big world that he only heard about in books and he once seen when he was just an outcast of the colony. No, he couldn't keep him, and he can't admit his growing feelings. They were in completely different worlds, it was never meant to be.

Back with Luffy, he just arrived at his home when he saw his brother arguing with a muscular man with a shavened head.

"You can't do this! This is where I live! Damnit!"

"Sir, I'll tell you again, the mayor agreed to plan construction around this area, and you would have to move."

"To hell with the mayor! I'm not moving so you can put a goddamned hotel in its place!"

'Hotel?' Luffy thought as the argument ended with the man's cell ringing and heading to the car, and drove pass him. "Nii-chan!? What's going on!?"

"Those corporate bastards think they could take over this part of the area to build their hotels! Damn waste if you ask me!"

"But, Nii-chan, our area isn't that big for a hotel."

"It's not just our home ground they're after! They're also got the area from where you go to get to school down to about two miles from the town!"

Luffy's eyes widened. 'The path down to where I get to school!? That's where my secret place is!' He dropped his bag and ran.

"Luffy! Where are you going!?"

But he didn't answer, he had to tell Zoro!

He arrived just in time as Zoro was just heading out to patrol. "ZORO!!" He called out.

Zoro was startled to hear Luffy at this time, and went up, noticing the change in tone. "Luffy?"

"They're going to tear down everything! Those bastards are going to destroy everything!"

Zoro went up to the teen and held the other by the shoulders. "Calm down pal, what are you talking about?"

"The bastards that build hotels are going to destroy from here, my home, to about two miles from the town! They're going to destroy our home!" Luffy choked and hugged his friend like no tomorrow and cried.

Zoro could only hold the other in his arms, unable to do anything else to comfort his only companion.

I hope this makes up for it!