Straw Hat Naruto

by SmoK1ngP4pers

3 long peaceful years has passed since the Fourth Great Shinobi war and since Sasuke returned back to the village. After a heartbreaking conversation with Sakura, Naruto acted rashly on a mission costing him being sent to another universe. Waking up on the Straw Hat ship, what adventures awaits Naruto and can someone in this universe fix his broken heart? NarutoxNami? ZoroxRobin

20. A Change Of Heart

AN/ Apologies for the very slow update. I'm in the middle of writing my dissertation for uni so it was actually a miracle that I found the time to write a chapter this long.

Anyway, enjoy chapter 20.

"Seriously, this, this is not what it looks like." Naruto repeated with conviction.

Incapable to fathom the identity of the voice from below, Robin nervously leaned back to sit upright, almost forgetting the fact she's in her underwear and straddling someone's lap. Her apprehensive eyes fixated on her two emotional crew mates by the doorway as she could feel her mind slowly ceasing to function, unable to find or form words in her articulate brain to defuse the situation.

Zoro's expression screamed suppressed anger. His jaw was clenched shut and his eyebrows were sharp and narrowed, whereas Nami's face was like a rainbow of emotions, numerous of reactions ranging from shock, hurt and betrayal all rushing in her blood at the same time.

FLASHBACK

With the ring of the bell, the elevator doors opened and out came Zoro. He placed his bottle of sake on the small wooden table outside the elevator, noticing an empty bottle of wine already on it.

Judging by the lack of noise and motion in the living room, he figured that no one of his nakama had yet returned. However, he ventured deeper into the room, making a beeline for the girl's room just in case the women he's searching for was quietly reading a book in her room, which going by personal experience, is a likely possibility.

Just as Zoro reached for the door handle, the door swung open rapidly almost shocking the swordsman.

"Zoro?" Nami questioned, genuinely surprised by her first mate's presence, "You made it back to the hotel room? By yourself? And didn't get lost? Miracles do happen. Wait a minute, were you about to go into our room?"

He took a step back, feeling slightly agitated by Nami's accusing tone and hoped she's not thinking the worse of him, "I'm looking for Robin. I said somethings earlier that may have been over the line and I feel like I need to explain myse- you know what, forget the details. I just need to talk to her, seen her around?"

Nami's eye brows scrunched in curiosity, but the seriousness in Zoro's expression was one that silence her interest on the topic.

"Robin? No, sorry, I haven't seen her for hours." Nami replied while walking towards Naruto's and Sanji's room, gaining a disappointed look from her nakama, "But the last time I saw her, she was gathering information on The Chosen Ones with Naruto-" Nami gripped the boy's door knob, opened it slightly and met Zoro in the eye, "maybe he knows where she could be-"

END OF FLASHBACK

The seconds of agonizing silence in the air felt like days of psychological torture. It was Nami who broke the standstill by forcing herself to push all her raging feelings aside and plastered her best fake, cheerful smile.

"Why are you panicking for, Naruto? I understand, you two are together and you didn't know how to tell me before. It's okay, you didn't have to lie or feel like you had to hide you guys relationship. You should have told me sooner. I'm really happy for you two."

Her tone of voice was calm and joyful at the surface, but it was hard to believe her thanks to the pain behind her smile that was so obvious for everyone to see.

"Come on Zoro, let's leave these two alone. I'm sure they don't want anyone to disturb them."

Nami turned around and darted for her room, placing a hand on Zoro's arm to try and pull him away with her, but her lifeless hand merely grazed past the swordsman with zero effort while an unseen trail of sparkling tears washed the air as she evacuated from the scene.

"Nami, wait-" Naruto called out helplessly, gaining the sound of the girl's room shutting for a response.

Suddenly, Robin's eyes widened violently. She finally found the cognitive ability to process the identity of the man's voice beneath her, and it wasn't the one she expected.

"Naruto-san?!" The weight of the consequences and ramifications of the situation because of Robin's actions finally crashed down upon her like a bag full of bricks.

"You know what-" Naruto's and Robin's mental alarms rang by the voice of Zoro. His lone, enraged eye fixated solely on the archaeologist, "I was looking for you to explain why I said we could never be together. Looks like I don't need to do that anymore, you did that well enough all by yourself."

Zoro made his leave, with the rings of the elevators sounding off in the background.

The first mate was met by the rest of the Straw Hat pirates including Angel exiting the elevators. They all either had food or souvenirs on their possession, highlighting the fun they had on their first day in The Devil's Pit.

"Hey, Zoro!" Luffy yelled merrily, "Where have you been all day? You missed out on all the fun!"

The pissed off Pirate Hunter walked straight through his group of crew mates like they never existed, ignoring all forms of communication whatsoever.

At the back of the group, Sanji noticed Zoro's unusually cold exterior then placed a hand on his shoulders, stopping Zoro in his tracks, "Oi, Luffy's talking to you."

Without warning, Zoro grabbed the hilt of one of his katana and Sanji's shirt with explosive force, eliciting sharp gasps and looks of tremor from the rest of the crew.

Eye to eye they met with no signs of either party backing down.

"Don't fucking touch me, Cook." Zoro hissed with venom.

"What the hell is your problem?" Sanji answered back defensively.

Zoro clenched the hand attached to the blond cook's shirt with an infuriated grunt. Eventually, Zoro shoved Sanji aside and continued his march towards the elevators.

With the adrenaline pumping in her veins, sobering her senses at inhumane rates, Robin dashed off Naruto's lap, collected her crumpled dress from the floor and rushed herself to place said dress on.

"Zoro! No, wait, let me explain." She called out desperately.

By the time Naruto found himself on his feet, Robin only needed to place the dress's shoulder straps.

"What the hell was that all about, Robin?!" Naruto questioned angrily with mass confusion.

"Long story." Robin rushed a weak and reluctant reply.

The two pirates exited the room to find themselves in stuck with an impossible dilemma of figuring out who to talk to first, Nami or Zoro. They exchanged quick glances from the doorway leading to the living and Zoro, to the girl's bedroom door where Nami secluded herself.

As much as it pained her to leave her ex-lover with the wrong idea, Robin reluctantly took a step towards her bedroom. The archaeologist's action told Naruto everything he needed to do. Since the ladies were going to have a talk, he rushed to the living room to find the rest of his friends staring blankly at Zoro inside one of the elevator and its closing doors.

Naruto rushed between his friends, just missing his first mate as he made his descent to the lower levels.

All eyes focused on the former shinobi, "What's wrong with him?" Usopp asked out loud for anyone to answer.

"Yeah? Is he always like that?" Angel added.

"No?" Chopper interjected, "Sanji and Zoro get into little fights all the time but I've never seen him act like that before?"

"Me too?" Luffy confirmed sceptically.

"Do you know anything about this?" Sanji questioned his fellow blond.

Naruto plastered a chuckling, guilty smile, "Yeah, um… I, uh…" His brain felt like it was overheated as it attempted to generate a legitimate excuse for the situation, "We had this bet, that I was a better drinker than him and he lost. So he's a little drunk and angry at the fact that he owes me money and the realisation he dropped to number three on who's the best drinker out of all of us." Naruto laughed nervously to himself, unsure whether his excuse was believable enough.

"I should really check up on him actually…" The jinjuuriki dashed his way inside the second elevator, allowing no time for his friends to process his explanation.

Naruto relentlessly pressed on the button for the ground floor like a madman, "Everything's fine, there's nothing to worry about and we'll be back soon, okay?" He lied with a shaky smile as the elevator doors slide shut.

"Well that was weird?" Franky commented.

"Whatever-" Sanji shrugged, "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

xxx

Robin can hear the faint voices of her nakamas chatting and settling around the living room, she thanked her luck that no one has spotted her yet. Ironing her resolve, she allowed herself inside the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

Inside she witnessed a teary eyed Nami slowly pacing back and forth. It was clear on the look on her face that the navigator was waiting for this conversation.

"What?" Nami spat violently, "You done fucking your boyfriend already?"

Robin took a step forward, trying to ignore the pain in her chest from her best friend's hurtful comment, "Nami, it's not what you th-"

"You can stop with the lies, Robin! Do you really think I'm that stupid!? I saw you two earlier going into a tavern, holding hands and looking really friendly. When I asked Naruto about it, he said you two were faking it to gather information. But let me guess, that was all a part of your plan, wasn't it? You didn't know how I would take it if I found out about your secret relationship with him, so you two came up with a sneaky little lie just in case you were spotted! I appreciate the thought but let me tell you one thing, I don't need your pity!"

Nami's hateful gaze left the archaeologist afraid and completely speechless. Robin couldn't fathom how she managed to create such a huge misunderstanding.

The navigator violently shook her head in humiliation, "I trusted you! Do you know how stupid I feel for ever opening up to you and letting you know how I felt! Some best friend you turned out to be!" Nami screamed, unleashing her bottled up frustration and sense of betrayal.

"Can you please let me tell you my side of the story?!" Robin yelled back desperately on the verge of tears. "You knew how much I liked him, Robin!" Nami shouted simultaneously.

"Naruto and I are not in a relationship! All I wanted was sex and I thought he was Sanji!"

Nami was taken aback, the shock felt like she was dropped in a bath of ice cold water. But the storming rage within her wouldn't allow her to accept her feelings of relieve.

"Sanji!? Why would you want to sleep with Sanji?! You don't even like him!?"

Staying as strong as she could, Robin couldn't stop a single drop of tear from trailing down her cheek, "Because I confessed to Zoro and he rejected me!"

The Streets of The Pit

"Zoro… Zoro! Can you stop walking for a second and tell me what the hell happened back there?" Naruto asked, following the back of his first mate, "You told Robin you could never be together? Were you two always that close?"

"That's none of your business." The swordsman spoke harshly, indicating the anger within him is still very much alive.

"Oh, after almost being used as a human sex doll, I think it is." Naruto responded forcefully, "Come on, let's talk about this. Why did you say that to her? I've never thought about it before but now that I have, I think you two would be perfect for each other?"

"Shut your mouth, Naruto. You're beginning to piss me off."

"You have history, you're both relaxed, analytical and level headed people, and you're both passionate about the things that you love."

Almost twitching with rage, Zoro took hold of one of his katanas as he kept walking, "Say another word and I swear I'll slice you in half."

"Even you have to admit that you two would be great as a couple." Naruto said casually.

Noticing a violent shift of Zoro's body language, Naruto quickly withdrew a kunai to prevent Zoro's powerful slash from literally slicing him in half. The clash was emphatic, resonating sharp sound waves to the handful of bystanders nearby, and the two Straw Hats remained in the intense death lock for several moments with their weapons shaking under the extreme pressure from both men.

"Okay fine-" Naruto ended the silence with a penetrating gaze, "if you don't want to talk about it, that's on you. But do you know what I don't get? If you're the one who doesn't want to be together, then why is seeing Robin with someone else making you this angry?"

"BECAUSE I LOVE HER!" Zoro exploded on impulse, unable to contain his raging feelings any longer.

Naruto paused, struggling to process what he heard, "Y-you love her? Then why would you-"

Zoro backed off, ended their stalemate, sheathed his katana and sighed a deep sigh. He spotted a small liquor shop nearby, initiating his legs to move towards it, "I'm far too sober to be having this conversation."

Girl's room

For the last ten minutes, Nami sat beside her friend on the bedroom floor, leaning their backs against the door as Robin exposed the long hidden sexual relationship she had with their first mate. The news was probably one of the biggest shocks to have ever reached Nami's ears, never would she have expected that her two crew mates had such a physically intense history, and to know that their relationship had last this long without anyone knowing, especially Nami herself was the biggest surprise.

"I can't believe this-" Nami voiced in disbelieve, her demeanour now back to her normal self, "You and Zoro have been having sex behind our backs since all the way from Thriller Bark?"

"Yes." Robin whispered sadly, staring at her enclosed hands resting in-between her thighs and outstretched legs.

Nami stole a look at her depressed friend, feeling sad, sympathetic, and the need to comfort her, "So, you confessed and he said no?"

Robin nodded lifelessly, "After we left Tessa Island, we had an agreement that we would finally put a label on what our relationship was by the time we arrived at the next island. But with only a day left until we agreed to speak, I still couldn't make up my mind."

"Of course, that kind of decision could change everything between you two, you both had to be certain of what you wanted."

Robin felt a surge of relieve and comfort to have Nami by her side, "So last night, I came up with the idea to have sex with him whilst sober, something we have never done before. I hoped it would guide me to my true feelings."

"And did you do it? What did Zoro say to that?"

Robin's lips curved to a tiny sad smile, "What do you think? Zoro is still only a man, after all."

Nami sat up defensively, "Well how am I supposed to know what Zoro would do in that situation? I've never thought of him doing those kind of things or in that way before?"

That little smile on Robin's face turned real, "We did. And we shared an amazing night together. It was something I've never felt before and something I could never forget. For a second, I thought I saw a look in Zoro that told me he felt the same way too, but I guess I was wrong. Because when I found out what I wanted with us and confessed-" Robin paused for an second and thought about the kissed she shared with Naruto and how that was the reason she realised the truth about herself. She decided to hold from telling Nami the piece of information for now, the navigator had only just calmed down, there was no motive to give her another reason to lose her cool.

"He said that what we had should have never happened and that he never had any feelings for me nor does he ever want to be in a relationship with me."

Nami's eyes expanded violently and her blood boiled in an instant, "That crude, heartless bastard! I'm gonna kill him for talking to you like that!"

Robin tried to giggle, but failed spectacularly, "I appreciate the sentiment but there's nothing to do about it now." She said depressingly, folding her arms and bringing her thighs to her chest, "I destroyed any chance I had with him because of what I did tonight."

"Robin…" Nami whispered unhappily. What the navigator would do to find the right words that would ease her distress friend. But at the speed she had to process all this new information, understanding the situation was difficult enough.

Zoro + Naruto

In a nearby park that overlooked a small pond, Naruto applied a layer of chakra on the bed of his feet and climbed up a tree to sit on the lowest tree branch. With a white plastic bag filled with bottles of alcohol that would chink with one another with every step, Zoro followed close by and seated himself on the tree's trunk, withdrawing a bottle out the bag with each hand.

"Catch." Zoro effortlessly threw one of the bottles over his left shoulder.

The task of catching the bottle was mere child's play for Naruto. He popped the cork open and took a generous sized sip.

Zoro mimicked Naruto's action by taking a big swig, allowing himself to savour the bittersweet aftertaste before studying the remaining bottles in the bag, "Drink up. We still have three bottles each in here, and you ain't getting shit out of me until we're at least on the last one."

The journey of the rim of Naruto's bottle and his lips took an abrupt stop with his eyes widening in alarm and scepticism.

Girl's Room

The archaeologist met eye contact with her friend, "His words hurt me, Nami. A lot. It triggered this sickening pain in my chest that was completely foreign to me, I didn't know what to do or how to fix it. In the end, however stupid I knew it was, I tried to find the answer in the bottom of a bottle of wine. Three bottles in fact. And in my drunken, heart torn state, I looked for comfort from the one man I knew who wouldn't reject me."

"Sanji." Nami answered under her breath with an understanding nod, feeling glad to finally be able to place the pieces to the puzzle of tonight's events.

"It was a mistake on my part-" Robin confessed, "It was foolish of me, probably the biggest mistake I could ever make. But I want you to know, everything you saw earlier, Naruto had nothing to do with it, I know how much you like him and I would never-"

"You don't have to worry about that-" Nami spoke softly and placed a hand on Robin's thigh, "I get it now. All of this was one huge misunderstanding. I'm sure Naruto will understand too if we tell him why it happened."

Robin paused for a second to thank her luck that Nami was so understanding about the whole situation, "I don't think we have much of a choice. Besides, he chased after Zoro, so I'm sure he'll stop at nothing until he finds some answers."

"I'm sure-" Nami agreed, and for a second, thought about how weird her next conversation will be with the blond, "But I'm more worried about you and Zoro."

"I don't see what there's to worry about. Everything we had, our friendship, it's all ruined. Did you not see the look he had on his face?"

"I did see his face, and that's my point." Nami pushed herself from the floor to sit upright, "I even felt this murderous aura around him when we saw you two. If what he said was true and that he 'never had feelings for you' then why would he react the way that he did? If he truly had no feelings towards you, he would have been able to see what he saw and walk away from it as if nothing happened, but he did the exact opposite."

A small sparkle shined brightly in Robin's eyes as she saw some truth behind Nami's advice.

"This is what you're going to do-" Nami said energetically and with emphasis, almost like a general giving an order to their subordinate, "Next time you see Zoro, you explain yourself and apologise for that god-awful scene, you tell him how much his shit rejection had hurt you and drove you to do something stupid, apologise again, then do whatever it takes to force him to tell you his real feelings for you, I don't care if you have to squeeze the life out of his man-berries like you did with Franky to do it." Nami looked away thoughtfully for a moment, then continued with a much lower, softer tone, "Because now I know the full history you have together, I find his explanation for rejecting you a little hard to believe."

Robin was so sure that there was nothing that could cheer her up or lift her spirit after tonight's event. She honestly believe she didn't deserved it. But Nami's guidance and supportive words turned all that around in quick succession. It even instilled her a sliver of hope that one day soon, the dynamics between Naruto, Nami, Zoro and herself can return to normality.

"Nami, thank you."

Zoro + Naruto

The gentle whispers of the late evening breeze was all that transpired between the two Straw Hats as they gave their livers a gruesome beat down. Naruto knew that no matter what he said, Zoro wouldn't say a single word until they were both on the cusp of drunken unconsciousness. So he obliged by following Zoro's demands and drank in absolute silence. However, if he was being strictly honest, keeping up with his first mate's pace was a little difficult. Naruto was no amateur when it came to drinking but he was certainly no match for a pirate famous for his overwhelming alcohol intake.

The blond sage winced, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and moaned in disagreement. That last mouthful torched his taste buds, "Alright, one down. Three to go." He forced himself to say, placing the empty bottle by his side and allowing the cold material slip through his fingers.

Zoro caught the bottle with ease and without even looking. He withdrew another from the bag, tossed it high in the air and took another swig of his drink, "Keep up, would you. I'm already half way through my second." Zoro explained with a hard edge, doing his best to mask the fact that the drinks have already begun to take its effects.

Girl's Room

"I can't believe you've been keeping this huge secret from me all this time." Nami teased cheekily with a sly smirk, "You two sure did a good job at hiding it." Nami nudged her friend's shoulder with hers. The impressed tone in her voice was clear as day.

"Better than you and Luffy did." Robin quirked a hinting eyebrow and allowed the silence to consume her friend.

Nami's mouth and eyes gaped open, her expression in the middle of laughter, shock and disbelieve, "So you did know all this time! Dammit you're good at keeping secrets! I'm willing to bet Zoro knows too, right? I'm right, right?"

Robin flicked her head to the side, "Well you two weren't exactly being all too careful. You may have had the others fooled but not us. I didn't even have to tell Zoro, he found out all by himself."

"Really? He did?"

"Oh yeah, he's far more observant than he looks."

FLASHBACK – Thousand Sunny – Dining Table

Placing her archaeology book down on the table, Robin reached for her cup of coffee and after taking a tiny sip, she took a harmless scan aroud the room. Zoro was sitting directly opposite her, head down and focused on eating his lunch. On the other end of the table was Luffy and Nami. The captain was stuffing his face with food in his usually, flamboyant manner; whereas Nami rested an elbow on the table, using her clenched fist to support her chin as she happily watched her captain with a cute smile on her lips.

This raised an alarm within Robin. Nami always shouted and complain to Luffy about his lack of table manners on frequent occasions. No matter how futile her lectures were, she never stopped trying to instil some manners in her captain. So for Nami watch and smile, showing such a drastic change of attitude towards Luffy's style of eating was incredibly suspicious.

Robin silently folded her arms, and returned her attention back to her book. But her attention was stolen yet again when Luffy exhaled a long sigh of relieve, signifying the end of his satisfying meal. However, what really intrigued Robin was when Nami pinched a single grain of rice on Luffy's cheek and gladly fed it back to him. The couple laughed away, probably too blissful to acknowledge the presence of the other two individuals in the room.

Without drawing attention to herself (she probably couldn't even if she tried), Robin continued to observe. She witnessed Nami leaning in closer to Luffy's face with a playful yet mischievous expression and whispered something inaudible. The next moment, Nami stood from her seat, walked behind the Straw Hat captain, stole his precious hat from his possession, placed it on her head and ran away laughing onto the main deck. Naturally, Luffy immediately chased after her, dashing past the quite Zoro who had yet to look up from his meal, for what seemed like a harmless game of tag.

With the flapping doors of the kitchen stopped, leaving only the eating swordsman and the ship's archaeologist in the room, Robin refocused her attention on her book.

Without removing his gaze from his half eaten meal, Zoro spoke carelessly with no effort or emotion, "Those two are doing it."

Robin only smirked and took another sip of her coffee, "I can't say that I'm surprised."

END OF FLASHBACK

"We were not doing it!" Nami shrieked in embarrassment, "We never once did it!"

A small giggle escaped Robin's lips, "But you can see my point, don't you?"

Zoro + Naruto

Naruto pressed his back against the tree slightly harder than he intended to before finishing his second bottle of sake. A long hiss was ripped out his mouth as the after burn of the drink kicked in, "Woo! That's two!" He yelled ecstatically. He could feel the layer of heat camping in his cheeks and the up surging of energy that came along with being tipsy. Despite the lack of conversation, Naruto was starting to have a good time.

After completing their 'Drop, Catch and Throw' routine to refill Naruto's hand, Zoro couldn't help but be impressed at the newly found speed of his crew mates drinking pace. Zoro had also just finished his second bottle and was about to make a start on his third, but considering that he had a head start, Naruto must have dug deep and inhaled that last round.

"Tomorrow's hangover is gonna be a bitch." Zoro groaned before taking a large swig, unable to deny the dizziness in his mind for any longer.

Girl's Room

However unlikely they thought it would be, especially after tonight, the two girls were laughing and returned to status quo despite all that transpired. They had yet to leave their room and make their presences known to their other crew mates. It was unconscious decision made by both ladies, perhaps somewhere deep down they wanted some time alone together to ensure that their friendship had remained the same.

Nami sat on her bed, busy painting her toenails with a bright layer of rose red nail polish. She had only two toes to paint until she was finished with her work.

"Hey, can I ask you a question," Nami relocated her gaze from her brightly coloured feet unto Robin, who was leaning on the cool window walls that overlooked the city with her arms crossed. Her choice of where to stand could lead a person to believe she was on the lookout out for somebody. Waiting.

"Doesn't the age gap bother you at all?"

Robin merely smiled and lightly shook her head, "Not really, I've never seen it as a problem? Also, he hasn't mentioned anything about it before so I don't think it bothered him either."

"I see," Nami nodded and paused to process. She made a quick scan of her friend's entire body before asking her second question.

"Why Zoro?" Nami asked innocently with genuine interest which caused Robin to turn to face her, "Don't take that the wrong way, I mean, he's not unattractive¸ even I can tell that-" Nami lowered her head and continued to colour the second to last toe, "I just always thought that your type would be that of scholars, academics, intellectuals, those kind of guys? Not a swordsman. And someone who has a romantic side, you know? Because no offense to Zoro, but I find it hard to believe that he a single romantic bone in his body." Nami half joked, dipping the brush into the nail polish contain several times before working on the last toe.

Robin thought about what her friend said for a second, thinking how clueless Nami and the rest of the crew were about a certain side to Zoro, to which, much to his credit, he had masterfully been able to keep away from sight.

"I might as well show it to you now. There's no point in hiding it anymore." Robin marched towards the work desk nearby. She pulled on drawer and withdrew a single book. It was navy blue in colour with silver intricate patterns forming shapes of flowers on the cover.

By the time Robin sat on the bed, Nami had already finished her business and found the book in her hands.

"The Lost Girl." Nami read, finding the title extremely familiar. It took her only a few moments of searching through her memories to figure out why it was so familiar.

"This is… your favourite book as a kid?"

FLASHBACK – Thousand Sunny – Girl's Bedroom

Content with her newest addition of her collection of maps, Nami placed her pen down, twisted around on her seat to face the always reading Robin.

"Hey you-" She called out friskily, forcing the older women across the room to put her book down on the bed, "Your all-time favourite book. What's it called?"

Robin didn't even have to think about it, "The Lost Girl by Miyuki Shikibu." She said rather sceptically.

"Why is it your favourite book?" Nami asked further with greater fascination, "What's it about?"

The very few fond memories of Robin's past came rushing back and forced a neat little smile on her lips, "The book is a novel about a little girl who lost everything she had in a horrible tragedy and follows her journey through hardship, self-discovery and pain. That is until she found happiness and a place to call home thanks to a small group of unusual yet friendly elves. It's a story about struggle, lost, identity, friends and overcoming challenges. My mother sometimes used to read it to me as a bedtime story."

It didn't need a genius to work out why this book was Robin's all-time favourite. The fictional story was a mirror image of her entire life. Robin was the Lost Girl. Whether or not Robin saw the resemblances was unimportant, all Nami knew was how important this book was to her and all she wanted to do was get her hands on that book and fast.

"That's amazing. Do you happen to know where I can find myself a copy of it?" Nami squeaked as slyly as she could.

Robin's eyes squinted and one of her eye brows raised in questioned, "Why?" Sounding as if she already knew the answer.

Nami laughed awkwardly to herself while constantly pointing the tip of her index fingers against one another in childish fashion, "Well, I was thinking, if you haven't already had a copy, maybe I could get you one for your birthday next month?"

Robin's eyes dropped closed and moaned in exhaustion, "Nami, we've talked about this a hundred times already, I don't celebrate my birthday, never have and most likely never will. That's why every year I specifically ask for everyone to not throw me party or get me presents, remember?"

"Of course I remember! It's the craziest thing I've ever heard! Who doesn't want free gifts for their birthdays!?" Nami snapped, but quickly became needy, "Come on, please? Just this year, let me get you a present just for this year?"

"I appreciate the effort, I really do. However it's not necessary. And besides, The Lost Girl is an extremely difficult book to find since it's so rare. I think only a hundred copies was ever made. To be honest, I've been looking for it myself for a while now but I've had no such luck."

Nami pouted her lips in disappointment, frustrated her plan has been effectively ruined, "Seriously… one of these years you're going to accept one of my gift."

END OF FLASHBACK

The navigator gave the book a quick scan before facing Robin, "Did Zoro give this to you?" She asked dubiously with a hint of amazement that Zoro could offer someone a precious and meaningful present.

"For my birthday, yes."

"Oh! So you accept his presents and not mine(!)" Nami raised her voice sarcastically, causing Robin to pull an apologetic smile and giggle.

The younger girl looked down and inspected the book in greater detail. The beautiful patterns of silver flowers on the cover and the crisp thin sheets of pages, highlighting how far the owner must have gone to keep the book so well maintained.

"Wait," Nami perked up from a thought, "How did he even know about this book? And what's more, how did he even get his hands on a copy?"

"He has his ways." Was Robin's enigmatic response that only drove Nami to want more answers that she knew she wasn't going to receive.

"Sorry I had to hide another thing from you," Robin added sincerely, with Nami shaking her head with an understanding smile.

"I guess I was wrong about him," Nami confessed thoughtfully, returning the book back to its owner, "Who knew Zoro could be romantic?"

It was then, with mixed emotions, Robin retreated to the memory of Zoro's most romantic gesture.

FLASHBACK – Zoro's Room (Little lemon)

Erotic and sinful moans rolled shamelessly off Robin's lips, rejoicing from the mind numbing pleasure originating in between her legs as her naked body quivered constantly and arched into Zoro's lips and tongue to heighten her sense of ecstasy. Eyes delightfully closed to centre all her focus on her partner's skilled mouth, she groped her own breast a little tighter following with a gentle pinch of her erect nipple that ripped a sharp throaty moan and she felt a shock run through that brought her dangerously close to climax. The death grip she had with her free hand on the sheets was released and relocated on Zoro's green hair to push him further into her soaking sex.

Arms wrapped tightly around her soft thighs, Zoro continued his sexual onslaught with rhythmic licks and sucks that focused mainly on her sensitive bud. The sensual moans from the woman above was glorious music to his ears. He swears he could listen to it all week on a constant loop without ever getting bored. His taste buds was also enjoying their treat as well. Robin's free falling juices was like sweet nectar that you could never stop craving, never stop longing to possess. It made Zoro work that much harder to satisfying her since it was like his most needed reward.

When the swordsman abruptly adding several well placed hums into the mix, Robin was catapulted to the brink of release. However, much to her irritatingly displeasure, Zoro's wonderful administrating was held to a stop. She opened her eyes and looked down questioningly at him.

"Why did you stop?" She breathed weakly, showing only an inkling of her distress and impatience for him to resume his work.

Zoro lifted his chin to meet her in the eyes, "Wait..." He paused and looked as if he was trying to remember something. His eye seemed to sparkle when he recalled the thought and finally spoke up, "I forgot to do something. Stay here." He commanded before pushing himself off the bed and walked towards his book shelve that Robin was pretty sure he never used.

Now intrigued, she sat up against the headboard and placed one leg over the other to cover her modesty, "Your timing couldn't have been any worse, you know. I was this close to finishing." She whispered playfully with a seductive edge, scanning his muscular body and tented black boxers.

Zoro released a throaty, humourful laugh as he scanned the width of every column of the shelf, "Are you really worried about one little orgasm?" He scoffed, "We've only just begun and you and I both know I can get you to five or six by the end of the night." He remarked with confidence

Robin opted to hold off a reply and just smile since her previous experiences with Zoro reminded her that he had a very valid point. However, he couldn't even begin to live up to his word if kept standing their all night looking for whatever it is he is looking for.

She leaned off the headboard to sit upright started to fix her dishevelled hair to make herself a little more presentable.

"Where did I put that thing again?" She heard him ask irately to himself.

This was when Robin started to question his behaviour in general. What could he possible need 'to do' involving the book shelve that only served as a piece of decoration to complete the room?

After several moments of watching him search, Robin perked up when she heard him say, "Ah! Finally, I found it!"

She observed closely as he withdrew a single book from one of the variety of books, hid it behind his back and sat beside her. They relaxed their backs on the headboard as Robin wondered to herself why he decided to hide the book from sight.

Before she could question his strange sequence of actions, Zoro looked and pointed at her long raven locks, "You have something in your hair."

Her attention and hands instantly flew to her hair, "I do? I'm pretty sure there isn't-"

Robin quickly realised Zoro's intentions was to distract her since the split second she wasn't paying attention, the book behind his back was presented on her lap.

"Happy birthday." He whispered softly with a manly and husky edge.

It only took her a fraction of a second to recognise the cover of the book and it took a while until she recovered from the initial shock. She couldn't forget that blue and silver cover even if she tried, it was ingrained in her memories like her own name. But as she reached for the book and an overwhelmed smile crept on her lips, it looked like she was having a hard time believing that the book was physically there.

"H-how did you- wh-where did you even-" Robin stuttered incoherently through her shaky smile, flicking through the pages and unable to contain the sensation of overwhelming bliss, warmth and fondness in her chest.

Zoro casually massaged the back of his neck as to downplay the obvious thought and effort he put into the gift, "I overheard you and Nami talking last month about it. I know you don't like to celebrate your birthday in anyway so I didn't think much about the book after that. But then, last week, I walked by a book store and saw it on display and I just thought, it would be a waste to let something so rare, and something that obviously meant a lot to you go to waste. I got it for a really low price too so I guess the shop owner wasn't aware how valuable it is-"

His sentence was interrupted prematurely when Zoro suddenly found himself thrusted into a tight embrace. He was momentarily lost for words, slightly confused for why the sudden act of affection. He knew it was significant for her but all he did was saw a book, bought the book, and gave said book to someone else. In the end he decided to let the matter slide, so as long as she was satisfied, then so will he.

Robin quickly released him for her embrace and gave a brief yet firm kiss on the lips before sitting back down to inspect the book, looking and feeling like a child on Christmas morning.

After she had her a second to digest the moment, Robin shook her head with a smile that displayed her appreciation but also her denial, "You have no idea how much this means to me." She said softly, initiating eye contact.

"Sure I do." He replied contently with an unperceivable nod.

"Thanks for this." She protectively tighten her hold on her gift and gently tapped his shoulder with the side of her head.

"However-" She voiced with a tone of teasing and doubt as she leaned away from him, "A gift this thoughtful is something only a boyfriend would do for his girlfriend. You're not implying anything by this, are you?" She impishly narrowed her eyes, already knowing his impending answer.

Zoro only scoffed as he spread her legs apart with his and swiftly positioned himself on top of her, "Don't get ahead of yourself-" He whispered with lustful intentions, gaining a light giggle from his partner, welcoming his sudden intrusion, "The gift was just a gift. Nothing more, nothing less." He breathed huskily, planting a couple of hungry kisses on her lips, "I haven't forgotten that that this whole thing between us is all physical."

"Thank the heavens for that." Robin sighed in contempt, feeling his kisses on her cheek, travelling down to her exposed neck. She placed her treasure book further away from the bed to prevent it from being collateral damage from what's to come.

After planting open mouth kisses on her neck, Zoro grabbed her by her sides and focused his lips on the valley between her breasts, "I'm just here to fuck your brains out. End of story."

Robin squirmed delightfully under his firm hold and light, well placed kisses, "You're such a romantic (!)"

END OF FLASHBACK

The memory sent Robin into a thoughtful slumber, accidently abandoning Nami's random conversation into the distance. She thought about how much simpler it was back then. How easy and predictable. Everyone knew where they stood and there was a fine line between black and white. But now that line is meshed and blurred, all because of something troublesome known as emotions. Sure, Zoro's gift was a beautiful gesture, it was the only one she had ever accepted since she fled her home island of Ohara. But there was no further meaning behind his gift, it was a result of blind luck and the fact that Zoro was feeling a little generous that day.

Robin almost laughed to herself from the irony of how much she avoided being in a relationship back then. She thought, perhaps if she came to terms with her feelings for him a little sooner then maybe she could have tried something different, and therefore avoiding this awkwardly tense situation she found herself in.

Looking back at it, Zoro was always adamant of his intentions regarding their sexual meetings. He was solely there to release his inner urges, just the way she was, just like they agreed. Not once had he displayed any indications of elevating their relationship to a higher status, and this discovery was beginning to make her question herself.

She was undeniable certain that something new had spark between them last night. She refused to believe love making that physically passionate, and yet magically sensual could have happened without even an inkling of mutual feelings. Also, the way he spoke when he rejected her on that balcony, the struggling demeanour that he carried, she was so sure she heard strain and self-denial in his voice, like he was forcing himself to say it for some unknown reason she had yet to discover.

But now, she was starting to think that her own optimistic brain had created these illusions to satisfy her own needs, that she imagined that spark she felt when their bodies were intertwined, and that strain in his voice was all fictional so that her hope of being together could have something to cling on to.

If this was all true, then why did Zoro react the way that he did? He had no right to. He made it abundantly clear he had no intimate feelings or interest towards her, so why the unnecessary display of aggression?

All this thinking was starting to get on Robin's impatient side. The faster she talks to Zoro and clarify things the better. If there was one thing she knew she could never hope to understand, it was the sexual politics between a man and a women.

Zoro + Naruto

The first mate took a sip from his fourth and final bottle. The world was a spinning mess to him now, though his outward appearance seems like he's maintain some of his composure.

"I should not have done this on an empty stomach." He slurred regretfully to himself.

On the tree branch, Naruto ungracefully shot his head back to start working on his final bottle as well, but he was a little careless with his action and in his unstable state, his body's ability to find balance and gravity had a little disagreement as he fought to keep himself on the branch.

"Oh – oh – I'm gonna fall off – no - wait – I think I got it – safe!"

He push his back on the tree for safety, too drunk to care or be aware of the slight pain it caused on his back. Just before he was about to take another sip that would take him that much closer to either throwing up or unconsciousness, a deep familiar voice broke through his psyche.

"Naruto, you idiot, are you trying to drink yourself to death?"

The blond's eyes flashed open in surprise, 'Kurama! Buddy! Haven't heard from you in a while? How is my partner in crime doing?'

A deep sigh was exhaled from the fox, "You always do get overly friendly when you're like this."

Naruto laughed innocently as a response.

"I'm here to scold you for your stupidity. You've drank too much and gone and made yourself vulnerable. Your intake is starting to affect me as well. Anymore and you won't be getting any help from my chakra."

'It's not like I had much of a choice, that green headed bastard down there won't tell me shit – hic – until I drink all these drinks. And besiidddesss, I am Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze! Who can I not defeat in battle?'

"You get overconfident in your state, too."

"BLAAAH! Kurama, look, I appreciate your concerns but they're not need. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to.'

With a dismissive wave, Naruto pushed Kurama out of his psyche and looked at the bottom right of his vision to see a silent Zoro.

"I think we've reached the point where neither of us will remember ever being in this park tomorrow, don't you agree? That was your plan, wasn't it?" Naruto asked, attempting to regain his composure from before ever participating in this alcohol fuelled episode, hoping that his friend would have opened up enough to gain some answers.

Leaning back on the tree, Zoro took another swig of his drink, watching the stillness of the pond's liquid surface, "Maybe, yeah."

Naruto blinked slowly, preparing himself for his next set of words, "You said you love her… what the hell is going on, Zoro?"

The swordsman heard the question loud and clear. He just choose to delay answering it as he felt himself mentally drifting for a moment, and for some ungodly reason, his mind was taken back to a certain memory.

FLASHBACK - Robin's room

Sexual needs were satisfied and there was a companionable silence that rested in the room. Laying comfortably in bed with their legs tangled with one another, Robin snuggled her head nearer to his face as she watched her fingers randomly scribble on the right pectoral muscle of his broad, hard, naked chest, enjoying the constant radiation of his masculine scent originating from his neck. A smile grew on her when she felt the arm hugging her started to do the same and draw meaningless lines on her arm.

He may had his eyes closed and blissful silence only increased the temptation of sleep, but Zoro chose to stay alert and awake since there was no point. The sun was about rise, signifying the conclusion of their meeting, and falling asleep will only certify Nami discovering their relationship when she finishes her watch and returns from the crows nest.

Tired of drawing, Robin stopped her fingers and decided to inspect her partner's face, out of boredom more than anything. For no reason, she began to study minor details of his features that she might have missed before. Overall, Robin's an observant individual, more so than the average person, so it was no surprise to her that she saw nothing new that she hadn't seen before.

Hang on.

Her confidence in her observing skills took a hard hit as her attention fixated on the scar above his right eye. When they reunited after two years apart, the first thing Robin noticed apart from his bigger and manlier body was that scar on his left eye. But now that she thought about it, he never explained how he received said scar. He never once dropped an explanation in a conversation, he probably felt he had no obligations to. Robin remembered that she once drunkenly asked him about it in Dressrosa but he changed the topic faster than you can say Doflamingo-is-a-pretentious-bastard.

Now fuelled with fascinated, Robin leaned over Zoro's body, resting her chin on top her intertwined fingers that laid rest on his chest.

"How did you get your scar?"

"Mm?" He questioned absentmindedly without opening his eye.

"Your scar-" She repeated with the same intrigued casual tone as before, "On your left eye. How did it happened?"

He creaked his eye open to witness her interested face, "Does it matter?"

"Of course it does," her voice raised by a fraction to show her sincerity.

He rested on the pillow and closed his eye to return to his comfortable position, "I tripped and fell."

Robin's eyes dropped, unconvinced and unimpressed, "If you're going to lie at least make it believable."

"Why the sudden interest anyway?"

Zoro's attention was awakened when he felt her move to sit upright straddling his naked lap, and he took a long and generous stare at her captivating curves and features.

"Because I'm a natural born academic," She snapped him out his glare of admiration and lust, "I'm naturally inclined to want answers to questions. And besides, I find it extremely odd that a first mate of a pirate crew lost an eye and nobody on said pirate crew knows how or why." Robin paused to think. Zoro could see her mind formulating theory after theory through her thoughtful expression, "Or is it lost?" She continued dubiously, "Are you just covering it for training purposes? Is it like your secret weapon you'll only use against an opponent you know you can't beat?"

"Now you're just talking crazy. Someone I can't beat." He scoffed loudly and resisted the urge to roll his eye.

"But wait, I know you told me you trained with Dracule Mihawk. Is it his? Did you win one of his eyes after beating him in a challenge of some sort?"

Zoro had enough with all the speculations, "Is there no mystery to things anymore?"

Robin did love mystery novels, some of her favourite books were ones that included mysterious murders and thought-provoking plots. But she was a true academic through and through, and the need to know what's beneath his scar was almost driving her insane.

"I tell you what-" She took her hands into his, interlocked their fingers, placed their hands beside his head and leaned forward and spoke with their lips delicately touching, "you tell me what happened to your eye and I'll let you do whatever you want with me. What-ever-you-want. I'll even let you use the one place you haven't tried. Well, to be strictly honest, no one has ever tried that place. It's virgin territory. An untapped resource."

Zoro's visible eye shot wide open. The idea of taking one of Robin's first time experiences was like finding precious gold. Despite his excitement, he wanted to seem unaffected and composed. So he broke from her confinement and rolled them over so that the positions has switched and he was on top dominating her.

"And what makes you think I need to show you my eye to get you to do whatever I want?"

Their exchanged words and laughs from their conversation started to fade as Zoro was brought back to the present.

END OF FLASHBACK

Zoro can't explain why that pleasant memory played through his head. It was as if his own brain wanted to send a message… or torture him a little. He couldn't decide which.

As pleasant as that memory was however, the next memory that sprung from his mind wasn't as kind. The memory was from last night, when he gently laid the sleeping Robin down on her on bed. He focused on the peaceful smile she had as she slept, and how he couldn't replicate it said smile even if his life depended on it. He remembered the gut wrenching sensation he felt when he stood there beside her bed, frowning and tense, causing him to tighten his hold on his bottle like a vice.

It's been a while since Naruto asked his question, somehow he could see through his blurred vision that Zoro was thoughtful, but the lack of response was provoking the belief that Zoro hadn't even heard his question. So Naruto opened his mouth to repeat himself, though Zoro interrupted before he could.

"The demons of my past have come to collect."

xxx

It's been a weird ten minutes for the former Leaf shinobi, being kept up to date with details of Zoro's relationship with Robin. Learning that his two close friends has had a far more intimate bond than he could have ever imagined was an eye opener, especially since it had been going on under his trained, observant eye. He figured that they were born deceivers or something. Learning why Zoro rejected Robin's confession was even stranger, however, and thanks to his intoxicated state, it took him a while to digest Zoro's reasoning's and to come back with an appropriate response.

"So you can't be with her because you love her." Naruto clarified, now knowing the background and reason for it, the words didn't sound as crazy as he thought it would.

Zoro replied with silence, and simply took another sip of his drink.

"And that's why you've been pushing her away, telling her all those lies at the balcony." Naruto stated the facts, though sounding understanding in his voice.

Once again, Zoro opted to ignore offering a response and a moment of silence transpired between the two Straw Hats. It was a moment where neither of them felt like they had to say something right away and just let time to pass by.

It was Naruto who broke that silence, "I get why you did what you did, Zoro. You have your reasons. But don't you think it's time to let the past go? You love her and she loves you… it's you two… why not give it a shot? Why deny yourself and her the happiness you deserve?"

Zoro replied this time. With a condescending scoff, "'She loves me.'" He spat mockingly, "Bullshit. Did you see how fast she jumped ships, oh wait, of course you do. That ship was you." He argued with disdain, though it sounded the majority of his spite was directed at Robin. He may have accepted that he loved Robin but seeing her with another man was damn right hurtful, especially when she had just confessed her 'true feelings' which now looks like a pile of absolute lies.

Naruto did his best to let his snide comment slide as Zoro continued, "She doesn't love me. I don't think she truly understands what love is. And that's the best for everyone."

"Now that's bullshit and you know it." Naruto countered harshly, surprising Zoro by his sudden hardened tone, "She made a mistake, Zoro. She was drunken out of her mind when she walked into my room, she was probably looking for anything that would get rid of the pain she felt after you rejected her."

The first mate looked distant and uncaring, though deep down he was listening and considering every word.

"Hell, she was so drunk," Naruto added, "She thought that I was Sanji – no – wait." Naruto mentally cursed his drunken self for spilling something he knew that wouldn't help the situation.

Zoro's glass bottle cracked under the pressure of his grip as an upsurge of rage flooded his system, "That bitch!"

Naruto slapped his forehead in a panic, needing to defuse the situation as soon as possible, "Zoro, it doesn't matter who she was planning to do it with! What matters is the fact that Robin was so hurt that she willing to go to Sanji to try and fix her broken heart. It may have not been the best move to make but it just goes to show how much you hurt her!"

Thankfully, Naruto's words seemed to hit have home when Zoro's murderous aura started to gradually die down. If he was being honest, what really calmed Zoro down was the image of her face when she was caught red handed on Naruto's lap. There was so much regret and guilt in her apologetic eyes that could last a lifetime that Zoro couldn't help but accept that perhaps she did make a huge drunken mistake, and that she was probably punishing herself over it right now.

Naruto took his unresponsive silence as permission to continue, "She does love you, Zoro." He stated with such undying confidence that if he told you that the sun was blue, you'd probably believe it. "Now that I think about, the signs were so painfully obvious that I feel ashamed to call myself a shinobi." He laughed belittlingly himself.

Zoro twitched in interest as Naruto explained himself, "I don't know if anyone has told you this but… remember when we first met Angel, and she knocked you out with her devil fruit powers?"

Zoro did his best from letting the embarrassing memory get the better of him.

"That night should have been all the evidence I needed to figure it out." Naruto voiced with a self-disappointed smirk, still unable to believe it took him this long to unveil the truth.

"What are you talking about?" Zoro asked obliviously.

The blond paused with an idea in mind, "I think it's better if I show you." He groaned in displeasure as he forced himself off the tree branch and ungracefully landing and stumbling onto his feet beside his first mate. It was a miracle he didn't crash on the floor face first.

Naruto placed his bottle on the grass, closed his eyes, took a deep breath and tried to gather some mental focus.

"I'm shit with genjutsu even when I'm sober so hang on and give me a minute."

He followed his statement with a set of three sloppily executed hands signs. His annoyed grunt afterwards was a clear indicated that whatever he was attempting to do had failed. He continued to perform the same set of seals repeatedly with mild soft curses under his voice to show his frustration with his failures.

Running out of patients from watching his reoccurring unsuccessful attempts, Zoro forced himself to his feet. "What are you doing?"

Finishing another set of hand signs, Naruto opened his eyes in content, certain that this time he pulled the jutsu off.

He curled his fist and offered it to Zoro, "Bump it." He said casually.

Zoro looked sceptical, "Why?"

"It's a low level genjutsu one of my senseis taught me but It needs physical contact work," Naruto explained, "It's the best I can do without Kurama's help. When you touch my fist, I'll be able to show you what I want you to see, and in this jutsu's case, I'm going to show you my memories."

Zoro studied his curled fists for a moment, wondering just how versatile Naruto's skill sets were and what possible other abilities he may have under his selves. In the end, Zoro hesitantly obeyed Naruto's orders, since it couldn't hurt after all.

At initial contact of their fists, the world around them started to dissolves in a swirling mess of magic and trickery, the greenery of the park was shortly replaced by the familiar settings of the Thousand Sunny's dining room on the night Angel rudely introduced herself. The transitions of environment was so fast and looked so real that for a moment, Zoro believed he had been teleported on his ship.

The first mate's sight and bearings adjusted to the scene and noticed that he was facing a carbon copy of his alerted crew mates with the copy version of him standing in front of everyone else. Zoro looked to his side and found the being of his former teacher and eternal rival.

"No! There's no way you're Dracule Mihawk!" The genjutsu Zoro spat with aggression, "Angel, what did you do!?"

The real Zoro divided a fraction of his attention to the caster of this illusion, "What is this you're showing me?" He asked, knowing the answer but needing clarification.

"I told you, you're seeing my memories." Naruto placed his hands in his pockets.

"I see your keen senses has not failed you." Mihawk replied, "But it's already too late."

A blinding flash of yellow emitting from Mihawk's eyes rendered the fake Zoro crashing on the floor unconscious.

"Zoro!" The entire crew shouted in concern.

Much to the real Zoro's surprise, Robin was the first off her feet to come and rush to his aid in a heart racing panic. He watched her nurse his body by place his sleeping head on her lap as Chopper arrived to inspect the damage.

"That was so much fun!" Angel shrieked happily, "But it's a shame I had to do that to such a fine looking man."

"Just what did you do to him!?" Robin unleashed all her violent frustration in just seven letters.

Zoro was left in awe at the amount of shock, dread and concern Robin carried in her face as she cradled him in her arms, and at a closer look, Zoro could swear he could see a thin layer of tears welling up in her eyes.

As the fake Straw Hats and Angel discussed what had happened and how her devil fruit abilities functioned, Zoro addressed Naruto once more, "Is this really what happened? Or are you just messing with me and making all this shit up."

Naruto shrugged, "I couldn't make it all up even if I wanted to." He answered honestly.

Zoro didn't know how to process that response, everything he was feeling was far too raw for interpretation. And just when he thought he saw enough, Zoro was given one last surprise when Robin shot her gaze at their direction that highlighted her unmeasurable distress and rage.

"Wake him up now! I don't care what happens to me! But I swear if you don't wake him up this moment I will break your neck so fast you wouldn't even know what hit you!"

Naruto flicked his eyes to view his speechless friend, "Still think she doesn't love you?" He asked rhetorically.

Zoro's only cable response was to gulp in order to remedy his suddenly dry throat. Naruto could see his point was received so he de-activated the genjutsu and returned them back to the real word.

The blond knew it would take a second for Zoro to digest everything he witnessed, so it wasn't a surprise that the green haired swordsman stood frozen like a statue for a couple of minutes. In that time, Naruto retrieved his bottle from the floor and took a few good mouthfuls before he spoke up once more.

"That's it. That's the truth…" He purposely stayed quiet to allow Zoro to think, to process, to allow him the time to make his own decision about what steps to take next. Unfortunately for Naruto, as the seconds passed by, Zoro's expression only grew darker and harder.

"You really think showing me that crap is going to change my mind?" Zoro prompted, causing Naruto to sigh from his stubbornness, "You already know why I can't be with her. I'm not going to change, Naruto. So you can stop trying. Life isn't a story book with prince charming's and happily ever afters."

The blond somehow resisted the uncontrollable urge to pull his hair out and instead, he opted to release his frustrations with a sigh, "Look, I think I've already meddled in your business for too long so I'm going to stay out of it now. But just do me one thing… tell Robin what you told me. She deserves to know why you broke her heart."

Zoro couldn't argue with that, it was the sensible and honourable thing to do.

"What do you think I was trying to do before me and Nami saw the two of you?" Zoro said with a hard tone, taking a backward step to sit back down.

"Oh, right…" Naruto mused, feeling that his last request had a bit of an un-climactic ending.

"Speaking of Nami," Zoro stated, sounding keen to change the subject as Naruto took a seat beside him, "What's the deal with you two?" He asked with interest.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?" He slowly begun to raise his bottle to his mouth.

"You like each other, right?" Zoro assumed overly casually, forcing Naruto's eyes to widen as he sipped his drink, "I mean, you saw Nami's face when we walked in, her smile was as fake as a prostitute's smile."

Naruto suddenly spit took the liquid in his mouth, spraying a healthy sized stream of alcohol into the air, "What a way to put it." He coughed weakly while cleaning the edges of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"It's true and you know it." Zoro explained, "You saw it too. She wouldn't have felt the need to put on a fake smile if she didn't like you."

Naruto was unsure how to respond to Zoro's observant comment. He was no stranger when it came to fake smiles, Naruto has seen enough from Sakura to spot one from a mile away. So instead of focusing on Nami, he decided it best to put the focus on him for now.

"Wait, what makes you think I like Nami?" Naruto questioned almost too defensively than he intended.

"Really? Are we going to do this?" Zoro asked scornfully, "From the moment you arrived, you and Nami have been almost inseparable. In those first few weeks you joined the crew, it was like you two were joined by the hip. Then I heard about what Angel did, turning into some pinked haired girl or something. After that, I noticed a change. Distance grew between you two, still friendly and even a few bouts of harmless flirting from both sides, nothing too serious but the space was there. Now with everything that happened tonight and with those looks on your faces, it was obvious there's a mutual attraction there. Seriously, it doesn't take a scientist to work it all out." Zoro casually took a large swig of his drink like he hadn't miraculously spelled out the last few months of Naruto's life. The blond's surprise reached the point of wondering how out of all his friends, those who saw more than everyone one were funnily the ones with living with one eye shut.

"Hah, you're right…" Naruto accepted with a thoughtful smile, "Nami was the first person in the crew I felt like I had a real connection with, maybe that's why I found myself with her all the time." He looked up at the sky to appreciate the beauty of the bright sparkling stars up above, "You ever seen a meteor shower, Zoro? They're amazing, really beautiful. No matter where you are, or whatever problems you have, none of it mattered because all you want to do is stand back and watch. Hope that it could last forever. Watching a meteor shower was exactly how I felt when I first met Nami."

Zoro paused for a long second, trying to wrap his head around the metaphor. Soon after, a smirk grew on him, "Do you always get this soft when you drink?"

The two males burst into a controlled laughter, an honest, uplifting laugh as they drank to their entertainment. However after their moment passed, things quietened down and the atmosphere resumed.

"But everyone knows meteor showers don't last long," Naruto explained with a levelled toned, "And for me, Angel's visit was the thing that brought me back to earth and reminded me of my problems."

"The pink haired girl, who is she?" Zoro asked knowingly and without restraints and cutting straight to the point.

Rubbing the outline of the bottle's circular rim, Naruto fell silent for a second, "Someone I'm trying to get over." He responded distantly, "I made a promise to myself that night that I wouldn't look for a relationship until I got over her, but right now it's still hard to tell if I have."

"But weren't you still flirting with Nami after Tessa?"

Naruto simply offered an I-couldn't-help-it shrug, eliciting a low chuckle from Zoro.

"I guess I can't blame you there," Zoro also shrugged, "Nami's not unattractive, I suppose."

Naruto couldn't have agreed more with that statement, "It's just, I was so concentrated on me and what I wanted, I totally missed any signs Nami might have been given me until now. And when I thought I was finally moving in the right direction for once, Robin jumped on me like a women possessed and you two came walking in at just the right time." He sighed deeply.

Zoro raised his bottle to his lips for another swig, "If you're right and tonight was just a fucked up situation gone even more fucked up, Nami will understand. We know that she likes you, right? Give it time, it'll be fine."

Naruto was a little uneasy with the 'Nami likes you' part, like he had a hard time fully believing it or didn't want to believe it. In all honesty, his first step in the right direction of inviting Nami to his room was by all means an accident, a slip of the tongue, something miscalculated and maybe a result of irresponsible impulse and irrational thinking. Sure he and Nami have great chemistry and the conversations flowed easier than a river, but she was like that with everyone. What if his and Zoro's assumptions were wrong and all the signs and fake smiles they thought they saw wasn't actually there? What if he misinterpreted those exchanges of flirting in the past and they were nothing but innocent, overzealous banter? How stupid would he look for assuming Nami had feelings for him? But what if they were right? What if she did like him? And after tonight, there was no telling how she reacted when she saw the boy she liked and her best friend about to have partake in the most intimate act right before her eyes. Would she still like him then? There were other things to consider too. Since there were still traces of Sakura in the back of his mind, and how the dynamics of his relationship with Nami was perfect right now and he didn't want to jeopardise that by including feelings into the mix, perhaps staying as friends for now may be the best course of action?

On the outside, Naruto appeared calm as a summer afternoon breeze, but the inside his mind was spinning and exploding out of control. It's like the mechanic parts of his brain were being ripped apart from multiple, simultaneous thoughts and questions that was driving his incoherent mind insane. Ultimately, he decided that this much careful thinking and analysis was better fit for a stable and sober mind, so he opted to place these unanswered question in the back of his mind until tomorrow when he wasn't so drunken out of his mind.

"By the way, if somehow I don't forget this night, don't expect me to ever talk about it again." Zoro raised and offered his bottle for a toast, "To women, and the shit they put us through."

Girl's Room

"Thank goodness for soundproof rooms, huh?" Nami joked, reaching for the doorknob.

"Tell me about it." Robin agreed with a giggle, dreading to imagine what the rest of her crew mates would think if they accidently overheard their conversation. She could practically see Sanji spontaneously combusting into flames.

Entering the living room, the two Straw Hat ladies were welcomed with loud cheers and friendly waves from the crew that hinted a fraction of their surprise with Brook's piano playing in the background.

"Nami! Robin!" The captain yelled happily on the second floor with a snooker cue in hand, "I didn't know you were here?"

The girl's gestured a kind wave, "Hey Luffy," Nami answered, "Yeah we were here, we were just talking in our room."

Angel emphatically jumped off the sofa and approached her roommates while Sanji, on the second floor, made his way down the stairs to also make his greetings.

"Hi Angel," Nami said with a wide smile, "What have you been up t-" The navigators sentence was shortly ended by a long and hard kiss from the red head. Lips to lips they shared sweet contact, a sensation like no other Nami has ever experience, gaining the attention of all those in attendance with sharp gasps of shock.

Angel shortly released Nami's soft lips with a sly smirk, "Oh! I've been wanting to do that for so long now!" She laughed to herself with pride.

Nami was rendered speechless, a little stiff but nothing she couldn't handle as Robin giggled with amusement, "I think someone's been on the booze." The archaeologist mused.

"Of course I have," Angel replied bouncily, eying up Robin and her provocative curves and angelic face, "Mmm, come to mama."

Angel placed one hand on Robin's hip to draw her in and the other hand caressed her cheek as she dove straight in for the kiss that contain equal amount of passion and lustful want as Nami's. The male Straw Hat population all gawked in sheer bewilderment, stuttering parts of words that refused to form into coherent words.

Watching with the best seat in the house, Nami was taken aback when she saw Robin's lips start to return the kiss almost as if she was relishing it, "Robin!"

Nami's call was like an alarm that told the two ladies that it was time to part. A light blush developed on Angel's cheek, maybe she wasn't expecting Robin to reciprocate the kiss.

"I'm done now." She smiled cheerfully with an air of innocence, turning around to sit back on the sofa.

Nami offered Robin an inquisitive stare, a look that questioned her sexuality. 'Is she trying to kiss everyone today?'

"You think that that was my first time kissing another girl?" Robin answered in a way that told Nami that she shouldn't have been surprised.

"No…" Nami replied with an embarrassed flush, "But I think you enjoyed that far more than you should have."

"Mm? It was okay."

Just as they were about to make way to the sofa to join Angel, the girls spotted Sanji laying face floor on the stares, a pool of drool gathered below his mouth with pulsing love eyes while slurring random syllables of words like a little baby.

Nami shook her head at how pathetic the cook of her crew looked, "And you wanted to have sex with him?"

Robin lowered her head and closed her eyes in disappointment and self-loathing, "I know, I know."

Zoro and Naruto

In the early morning of night, two inebriated Straw Hat pirates walked down a long, dark and empty road, an arm slung over the other's shoulder for support as they mumbled and stumbled through the noiseless street. It was a wonder how smashed they really were since simply watching them rock and slide in all manners of direction was enough to make anyone dizzy.

"Huh," Naruto huffed in amusement, "that's funny, I think being drunk fixes your shit directional skills."

"What?" Zoro asked with confusion, "I thought I was following you?"

The two erupted in a chesty fit of laughs that was sure to wake a few of the residence. When their laughs died, Naruto swayed his hand and 'pointed' in the general direction, "Let's walk that way… I think we nearly there."

After another step, they spotted a small metallic ball rolling and stopping below their feet. In their dizzy little worlds, the ball seemed too innocent, harmless, and random to give it too much thought.

That all changed when said ball exploded into a cloud of white gas, rapidly entering in the lungs of the two unexpected pirates. The gas's effect hit hard and fast, Naruto and Zoro were coughing and feeling their muscles weakening exponentially with every breath they took.

"What the hell was that…" Zoro exhaled feebly, his knees threatening to crumble underneath the weight of his own mass.

"Dunno… some kind of relaxant… this isn't good." Naruto responded just as pathetically while they both crashed to a single knee.

A figure revealed itself from the murky shadows and approached the two weakened Straw Hats as the white gases dispersed into nothingness.

"Well spotted, it was a relaxant indeed." Said the figure, revealing his short, brown spikey hair and crossed shape scar on his left cheek bone. "And no, this isn't good, for you that is, not me coz I'm the one standing."

Zoro burned his gaze on the man's face, "W-who are you? Why did you do this?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm afraid there's no time for introductions, I have some serious business to attend to." He focused on the struggling blond with the same killer stare as his friend, looking like he was using every ounce of his will to force his body to listen to his command, "You… you're my target." He curled his fist and connected a massive punch to the cheek of the former Leaf shinobi.

"Woo! That was for Jagger-sama!" He cheered victoriously, though wincing and shaking his in an attempt to relieve the pain in his hand.

The frustration was building to inconceivable heights within the two immobilised Straw Hats. Especially Zoro who cursed himself for not being able to lift a finger as he witness his crew mate taking that spineless punch.

The man with brown hair studied his surroundings for a moment, "A little too open for my liking. A change of scene is probably for the best."

He crouched down and picked Naruto up on his shoulders like a useless piece of meat, who said nothing for strategic purposes. Quentin then gave Zoro one last deadly look, "The effects of the drug will fade and you'll be able to move again in a few minutes or so, and since I got what I came here for, I'd advise you to tell the rest of your crew mates to prepare for the shit that's coming your way."

10 minutes later

Nami, Robin and Angel all leisurely sat on the long grey sofa, watching in laughter as their captain, Usopp and Chopper were in the middle of a contest to see who could pull the funniest, most grotesque face in the midst of Brook's upbeat and joyful piano playing.

Robin ceased her laughing and leaned into Nami's ear, only slightly to ensure no one can hear but also not raise suspicion, "You have to tell me, how did you get Luffy to understand the concept of relationships?"

Robin's question was indeed a valid one and an obvious hint to Luffy's lack of understanding on sexual relations. Their captain wasn't the brightest bulb in the tool box and it's no secret that Luffy has troubles understanding the dynamics and complexities of a large number of concepts, and it was a general believe that relationships wasn't his field of expertise, evidently because he never talks about it or suggests any interest on the matter. When it gets down to it, Nami guessed what Robin was wondering was how did she get Luffy to understand the difference between someone liking a person as a nakama, and liking someone as a lover.

"You know what," Nami whispered with a proud smile as she watched her captain, "Surprisingly, I didn't have to teach him anything at all. Luffy may be clueless on many things but relationships isn't one of them. Shock, I know."

Robin eyes brightened in understanding this sudden revelation, "Is that so?"

DING

The attention of everyone in the room was stolen by the sight of the sliding elevator doors, and questioning looks raised when out came a lone, anxious and panting Zoro.

The first mate took a second to regain his breath while giving everyone a cold stare that injected a degree of fear into their hearts, "Naruto was taken! We need to leave! Now!"

The entire crew rocketed to their feet at once, instantly switching to panic mode. "What!?" Nami shouted with mass concern and mystery, "How was Naruto taken!?"

"We got drunk and-" Zoro rushed, sharing a quick bout of eye contact with Robin, "We got ambushed on the way back here. Some asshole with brown hair paralysed us both and took Naruto with him. I tried to look for them after I could move again but I couldn't find them anywhere so I came up here to get more eyes on the search. Now would you all just stop standing there with your dicks in your hands and let's go find him!"

The crew was snapped out of their need for answers and prepared themselves for an all-out war with whoever took one of their precious nakama.

"Everyone!" Luffy screamed with authority as they motioned towards the elevators, "No matter what it takes, we're getting Naruto bac-"

DING

Utter silence and mind stopping confusion befall on the pirates when they saw Naruto stepping out the second elevator, unharmed and whistling a cheerful tune.

"Suuupp." He said uncaringly, walking past his statue of friends with no effort or caution.

Finding words to find in this situation was hard, finding an explanation was even damn near impossible. Out of everyone, it was Zoro who looked most surprised. His widened lone eye tracked the blond like a heat seeking missile as Naruto entered his bedroom while the rest of the Straw Hats exchanged questioning, incredulous stares at another one, uselessly hoping to find an answer for this scene.

"Where is that thing? I know I saw it in here somewhere." They heard Naruto talk to himself whilst rummaging through his wardrobe, "Ah, found it!"

The next time Naruto showed himself in the living room, he was sporting a brand new black leather jacket that fitted perfectly for him. The crew had hoped he would stop and explain himself but they soon found out that wasn't going to be as simple as that since once again, Naruto had no words to share as he continued whistling his happy little song.

He was half way to the elevator when he came to a sudden stop and his whistling took a high pitched spike. It seemed like he was still thirsty since he darted straight for bar in the corner of the room.

Zoro ran out of patience and took things to his own hands, "Oi, what happened to you back there? I thought you was-"

"Kidnapped?" Naruto answered sarcastically like he wanted to laugh at the impossibility of the statement, "Please, like some prick with a few parlour tricks can out do me?" He scoffed, pouring a glass of bourbon in a square glass.

Some of the less observant Straw Hats shakily exhaled their relief, glad to know everything's been taken care of.

"I guess that's that then?" Luffy laughed but lacking his usual flamboyant quality, like he was still in the midst of processing the idea he no longer needed the rescue mission.

"I guess so." Usopp joined, along with Chopper, then Brook and Franky.

"I guess it is." Naruto agreed lazily with a shrug before shooting the glass of bourbon in one fell swoop.

While some of the less observant members celebrated and cheered with joy, Robin, Zoro, Sanji, Nami and Angel who were the more watchful individuals in the group were less convinced. A minuscule, almost insignificant itch in the back of their heads was hinting them that something was off. It was something to do with the way Naruto spoke, his overall body language and the aura he carried, they were all different somehow. A shift was made but there wasn't enough sufficient evidence to justify doubting their nakama.

"Well…" Naruto announced roughly through a forced cough, "I'm out of here." He made a beeline for the elevators with no further word or warning, ending Luffy's group's celebrations.

"Where are you going?" Usopp asked worryingly, it was reaching three am after all.

"I got things do to, Usopp!" He raised an energetic goodbye wave as he arrived by the doors and tapped on the calling button.

Before anyone can question where he was going or why, Nami chased after him and took hold of his jacket sleeve. Naruto turned around to look at her, first emitting an air of rage, like he couldn't fathom how someone would dare touch him so casually. However that all changed when he took a closer look at her body, helping himself to a detailed scan of her provoking curves.

It was so out of character for Naruto that Nami refused to believe she saw such a bold and obvious look, and even if she did, the moment she refocused her attention, his eyes were already on hers.

"Are you alright?" She asked with genuine concern.

He responded with a lean smile, a smile that lacked the usual air of boyish charm that he normally had but a real one nonetheless, "Never better, beautiful."

Beautiful?

Nami's eyebrow scrunched. Perhaps she heard that wrong?

Shaking her head in denial, she pulled him closer to her and whispered, "Listen, I'm sure Zoro told you, right? About his thing with Robin. She told me what happened too and I wanted to talk to you about… you know. I didn't like the way things ended the last time we saw each other and I hoped we could-"

The ring of the elevator doors ended Nami's sentence prematurely. Without warning, Naruto leaned in dangerously close to the point the tips of their noses almost met. He looked at her dead in the eyes, almost like he was staring into her naked, exposed soul. She denied the forces of nature by suppressing a blush from growing in her cheeks as Naruto opened his mouth to speak.

"Nami, do me a favour? Shut up and sit your sexy little ass back over there with your friends. Daddy's gotta go to work." He leaned back and gently poked her nose with his finger before smirking and enjoying the expression of fluster and shock on her features. "You smell nice, by the way."

Naruto didn't have to pull away from Nami's grip, her lifelessly grip released him and he freely entered the elevators. He took a final look at the entire Straw Hat crew and threw a peace sign. "See you bitches later."

The final image the crew saw of Naruto right before the doors slid closed was a lean smile on his lips. The smile seemed misplaced considering the words he used to accompany it. It was confusing too since Naruto wasn't the type to make those kinda of jokes or comments.

Its took some time for Nami to digest what she experienced, and she honestly couldn't begin to understand what transpired or how to feel about it. She turned around to view her quiet friends, who weren't nearly as embarrassed or confused as her but they sure looked curious.

"What did he say, Nami?" Franky asked the question everyone wanted to say.

Nami's lips parted though there was a pause until she was able to utter a word, "I- I don't know?"

The Pit

Sometime soon after his brief encounter with the Straw Hats, Naruto exited a small 24 hour corner shop with small can of red spray paint that he leisurely threw up and down and caught repeatedly with one hand.

As he strolled down an empty street, a mental intruder broke into his psyche.

"What's going on with you, Naruto?" Kurama investigated with a deep, scornful tone, anxious and bewildered with his drastic shift in behaviour.

'No, no, no, Kurama.' Naruto answered, teasing the demon fox a little, 'You shouldn't be asking what's going on with me. You should be asking what I'm about to do.'

The sinister intentions behind his words had placed Kurama on alarm, he tried to call out his name in a panic but Naruto thrusted him out and isolated him into the deepest darkest section of his mind in hopes to gain some alone time.

"Much better." Naruto amused, ending the constant throwing and catching of the spray can and raised his head to view the entirety of a tall building known only by the locals and visitors as Neo-Headquarters.

Konoha

"So, Kakashi, my eternal rival, where shall we dine for lunch?" Guy proclaimed with his usual energy.

Kakashi didn't lift his gaze from the words of his book as they strolled down a busy street, "I don't know, Guy. Anywhere is fine."

"Kakashi, Guy?"

The two jounin's came to a stop and faced their caller with a feminine voice. Yugao approached them in her civilian clothes carrying a brown paper bag probably filled with items in her shopping list. It seemed that whatever they were going, she was heading in the same direction since she tagged along in their walk.

"Long time no see." She chirped happily.

"It sure has, Yugao-san." Guy offered with a kind thumbs up, whereas Kakashi conceded with a greeting nod.

"Where are you guys going?" She questioned innocently.

"Lunch." Kakashi answered with direct eye contact, a look signifying some sort of need to get something off his chest, and sooner rather than later, he let it loose.

"Any news on Naruto?"

The friendly conversation took a little dip on the casual side.

"No." Was Yuago's regretful answer in a professional manner, "I'm not personally involved in that task force but from what I'm hearing, the ANBU are having a difficult time tracking him down. I think we might have taught him too well," She laughed with no indication of humour, "Though I'm sure he'll turn up eventually when he feels ready."

Kakashi wasn't as optimistic. 'I'm not too sure about that. The longer this man hunt continues, the less likely this is turning out to be some pitiful vacation Naruto's throwing for himself to get over Sakura. And even if that is the case, no matter how well we taught him, there's no way even Naruto can evade the entire shinobi world for this long without so much so as a single witness report… or could he?'

This thought sparked Kakashi's interest.

"Guy, Yugao, tell me, what exactly did you teach Naruto when he came to you for training? I had him for a year and we covering everything from ninjutsu, sealing and even low grade genjutsu."

"He came looking for me straight after he finished with you?" Yugao said, unable to see his point, "I was preoccupied with my mission of monitoring Sasuke at the time but he wouldn't stop nagging Lady Tsunade to get training from me personally? When I asked him why, he somehow had this idea in his head that I was the best swordsmen in the village and he wouldn't accept anything less."

Kakashi chuckled guilty and rubbed the back of his neck, "Ahh, sorry, I think I had something to do with that. When we finished our training, I remember him asking me who I thought was the best kenjutsu specialist in the village."

Yugao blinked incredulously, "And you said me?" She asked in surprise and gratitude, trying to keep her modesty in tack and resume her explanation, "Overall I had him for six months, though our training kept being interrupted because of all those S class missions that kept him busy for a few days. But when he came back, it was all business as usual. He knows all of my kenjutsu techniques, and since he used over a thousand shadow clones in each training session, each session lasting over six hours… you do the maths. He has more than a decade of training with the sword than me."

This was pretty much common knowledge for Kakashi and Guy, they expected something like this to happen especially with Naruto being hard headed student that he was. The tricky thing to accept was the fact that someone who had half a year of training of a particular skill was more experienced than someone who dedicated the majority of their life to master said skill.

"What about you, Guy?" Kakashi inquired.

"The power of youth has granted Naruto-kun to learn everything I know in only just eight months of training!" He punched the air with joyous, tearful pride.

Kakashi's visible eye expanded in alarm, "Hold on a second, Guy! Everything you know? Even the Eight Gates?"

His fellow jounin's startled tone had Guy questioning for a second as he lowered his arm, "No, of course not? With the large amount of chakra Naruto-kun has at his disposal, a technique like the Eight Gates would tear his body apart, even with his healing abilities."

Kakashi exhaled a long sigh of relief as Guy continued, "But unlike Yugao-san, Naruto-kun couldn't use shadow clones for a big part of my training since we spent a lot of time on his strength and conditioning. We did however also got interrupted because of his missions."

"I see." Kakashi replied weakly with a thoughtful expression.

"Why is Naruto-kun's training important, Kakashi?" Guy asked.

The son of the White Fang failed to reply right away. He summed up the total skill sets of Naruto, himself, Guy and Yugao and came to a conclusion that his former student shouldn't have the capabilities to elude five great nations for the extended time that he has. Although this is Naruto their talking about, and there's still a year of unaccounted time where he could have taught himself who knows what to achieve such feat, and considering his undiagnosed PTSD at the time had made him thirsty for knowledge and power, this was a possibility that couldn't be denied.

"Huh? Oh, no it's not important…" Kakashi replied passively.

Yugao and Guy slowly dropped the matter since Kakashi would surely share his thoughts if they were worth sharing.

"I'm more worried about Naruto's PTSD." Yugao stated wearily, "If he relapses…"

"It won't be good news." Kakashi answered sternly with a hint of fear and concern.

Roger Hotel

Nami woke up this morning with a great sense of uncertainty, unsure of how to interpret Naruto's brief and slightly rude visit. His momentary kidnapping was a mystery too with an infuriatingly lack of explanation or detail. Who was the kidnapper? Why Naruto? How did he escaped? Where's the kidnapper and Naruto now? When Nami gave it some thought, she remembered the two attackers they encountered in Shizuka's ice cream bar who were strangely fixated with capturing Naruto. She remembered them confessing to working for someone named 'Q'. Was he the kidnapper?

Her uncertainty also played with her emotions like a dog playing with its favourite chew toy. Recalling the words he spoke, 'Beautiful' and 'shut up and sit your sexy little ass back over there with your friends. Daddy's gotta go to work' immediately springing to mind, Nami couldn't tell whether she was more offended, embarrassed, furious or worried. She's never seen him act that way before, not even close. She doubts any one of her nakamas has. What caused this extreme change of persona? His body language and the way he carried himself, so distant as if he didn't regard them as his friends, but yet also brimming with energy of new found life and with a hint of mischief and overzealous flirtation. Looking at him felt so different that it was like almost looking at completely different person. Was he always capable of that? Was that a side to his personality that he simply hadn't shown yet? Or was there something more mysterious than that? And the question Nami wanted answers to the most was the nature of his so called 'work'? What business did he have in an island he just entered?

On top of all these tiring unanswered questions, Nami was physically exhausted. After Naruto's sudden departure, Sanji, Robin and herself made their concerns known and searched for him for an hour. They failed miserably, even with Sanji's superior observational haki. It just passed four am when their weary bodies called it quits and returned to the hotel. They figured after Naruto's finishing doing whatever he was doing, he too would return in the morning. But it was now reaching noon and the blond has still yet to make an appearance or made some form of contact, and the Straw Hats were beginning to worry. They decided to spend the rest of the day looking for their wondering nakama.

The majority of the pirates were ready and gathered in the living room, either adjusting their clothes or standing around patiently as they waited for Robin. An unsettling discomfort in Nami's core was keeping her more quiet than usual. She was apprehensive, and all she could think about his finding her close friend. Her gazed effortless surveyed the room and landed on Angel, talking to Luffy about something she couldn't quite hear. The eighteen year old red head was wearing strapped heels, tight white jeans, and a white belly top that revealed her feminine lines of her stomach with the word 'Vagetarian' across her chest. The top emphasised the part 'vag' with a separate font and coloured in pink whereas 'etarian' was in green.

Normally, Nami would have comment on how funny and extremely fitting Angel's shirt was for her, but her preoccupied and bothered mind decided against it.

At this point, Robin entered the living room with an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry for the wait."

Luffy waved energetically, "That's okay. Let's go!"

As the crew approached the elevators, the archaeologist indulged in a quick look to Zoro who hadn't bothered to offer even a passing look since she walked into the room. Not surprising. The air still needs to be cleared between the two of them. The Naruto fiasco has made conversation hard to come by and seem inappropriate regarding the situation.

DING

The elevator doors slid open, immobilising the pirates in their place, thinking, hoping, and praying that the person behind those doors was Naruto.

Boy were they wrong.

A flood of Neo Pirate officers raided the room and quickly took to strategic positions with their guns locked and loaded and aimed directly at Luffy and his crew.

"Wh-what is this?!" Brook panicked and raised his hands in the air to submit his surrender, "What did we do!?"

A set of two footsteps filled the anxious silence in the room. It was Stark's and Toshiro's, and they did not look one bit amused.

They looked roughed up to be honest. Toshiro's left cheek was bruised like he received one hell of a punch. Stark wasn't any better, he was nursing the side of his hip, showing signs of pain and discomfort. A long, thin cut on his right cheek indicating his involvement in a confrontation of some sort.

"Stark! What's this about?!" Luffy anxiously pressed, feeling a little defensive about being on the receiving end of a gun that hosts bullets that can disintegrate every atom in his body.

"Naruto Namikaze!" Stark bellowed with haunting hatred and fury, "That bastard! Where is he?! I'm placing him under arrest! He attacked Neo-headquarters and hospitalised me and over fifty of my men!"

AN/ I hope you liked this chapter and I hope to read some good reviews/constructive criticism. I know a large part of this chapter was about getting the main characters to open up about their feelings and relationships bla bla ba. As much as I believe it's essential for the story, it's not really a heart racer is it? BUT, shit. is. about. to hit. the fan. Plenty of fights to look forward to in the next few chapters. See you then.