Chapter 31
D&D

"Fifth day..." Eli sighed. She was once more lying on the deck gazing lazily at the sky above her.

"You look pale..."

She rolled lazily on her side to look at Ace. "Just... shut... up... you... you... freckled.. thing... stupid hat..." she mumbled incoherently with almost lifeless eyes.

The young man chuckled childishly. Who could blame him ? Eli's pathetic state was quite comical, after all. The usually chatty, annoying, and strong-minded girl was but a shadow of her former self.

Eli sighed and rolled on her back to gaze at the sky again.

"MEOOOOWWWWWW !" The sudden cry of a giant fish-cat emerging from the sea next to the Merry, jerked the pirates out of their lethargy at once.

"A Sea Cat !" Vivi yelled, staring at the cute beast with wide eyes.

"UWAAAAUGH ! A SEA MONSTER !" Terrified, Usopp and Chopper were wriggling like frantic worms holding their hands in the air with their mouths wide open.

On the contrary, Eli's eyes lit with malice. She sat on her feet and licked her lips hungrily watching her soon-to-be meal. Luffy, Sanji, Ace, and Zoro watched the beast with blood-lusty eyes and dashed toward it with a frantic war cry. "FOOOOOD !" They were ready to eat the poor thing alive.

"NO !" Vivi knocked them on the back of their heads with an oar making them hit their foreheads on the railing with a loud 'BANG !'.

"Vivi..." Eli crept over to the princess and grabbed her legs. She raised her head and stared at her with pleading eyes. "Why...?" she asked imploringly. "Why do you do his to me, Vivi ? Do you hate me ? Is this because of the time I stole the chocolate chips in your muffin ? Do you want me to die ? Eh ? Tell me, Vivi..."

"In Alabasta, Sea-Cats are sacred animals," Vivi replied, gently patting the starving girl on the head.

Eli fell flat on her back once again, mumbling an unintelligible complaint, and Luffy cried while chomping the railing. Who cared if they were sacred...? Our lives are quite sacred to us, too...

"Don't worry, you will be eating soon," Vivi said reassuringly, looking in the distance with a soft smile on her face. "Seeing a Sea-Cat means we'll soon be in Alabasta. Half a day, I'd say."

"Really ? Half a day ?" Eli's eyes once again lit with hope.

She couldn't wait to eat again and apparently the promise of a meal had given her some energy. While the girl inwardly listed all the dishes she wanted to eat, she started drooling with anticipation.

"Half a day with the Merry..." As an idea popped into her hungry mind, she turned to face Ace. "How much time with this Striker of yours ?" Eli asked, hope glimmering in her eyes.

Apparently, she didn't care for his tactile behavior anymore; eating was her TOP priority.

"Two hours at most." Ace smirked proudly.

Normally, Eli would have been annoyed by his arrogance, but right now, to her sparkling eyes, the young man was shining with an ethereal golden aura while the wind and the waves sang his praises.

"Please take me, please please please !" she begged her hero.

"Take me, too !" Luffy joined the begging.

"No way !" Eli whirled briskly to face Luffy. Towering over the small boy, she jabbed a finger into his rubber shoulder belligerently. "You're the cause of our starvation !"

"Well, she's got a point..." Usopp said, nodding in acknowledgment. The marksman was probably hoping that siding with the starving girl would prevent her wrath from befalling upon him as well, since he was almost as guilty as his captain for the lack of food.

Turning again to look at her last hope of survival, Eli clasped her hands together, beaming with hope and admiration... "Freckles..." she began solemnly. "I mean, oh great Fire Fist Portgas D Ace ! What is your answer ?"

Ace laughed childishly, obviously enjoying being treated with such reverence. "I'd love to."

"Yay !" Eli leaped with joy. "Vivi ? Nami ? Wanna come, too ?"

"We can wait a few more hours." They shook their heads smiling, glad to see Eli being herself again. "Now go ! We'll meet up in Nanohana."

During the short trip, Eli and Ace listed all the dishes they dreamed to eat, which only made them drool more, and the pair hadn't finished when they finally set foot on Alabasta.

Eli walked bouncily next to a never-stop-smirking Ace through the streets of Nanohana. It was a rather large and lively city. The buildings had domed ceilings and the walls had the color of the sand. The citizens were all wearing long robes, and scarves around their heads, obviously as a protection against the sun's harshness.

Sniffing the air like an animal, the cheerful girl came to a stop. She took a deep intake of air and smiled at her partner.

"I smell something good..." She grabbed Ace's wrist and started dashing though the streets like crazy under the townspeople startled stares. "THIS WAY !"

As soon as they burst in the restaurant, the hungry pirates sat at the bar under the curious stares of the other customers. It was an undeniable fact that the pair hardly went unnoticed.

The shop owner came to greet them with a warm smile. "Hello youngsters, what can I-"

"EVERYTHING !" they yelled in unison, slamming their palms on the bar.

"What ?" The man blinked, puzzled.

"We want everything !" Eli specified.

"And make that twice, please," Ace added, raising two fingers.

Eli turned to face her companion. "Wise..." She nodded with acknowledgment. "Though three times would be wiser. You have to admit you're quite a bottomless pit..."

"Wow, that man... he just died... eating."

"Look, he's still holding his fork !"

"He just fell dead on his plate..."

"Maybe he has eaten a desert strawberry !"

"This means that his body will soon spread an infectious poison !"

"We have to get rid of the corpse."

"I wouldn't approach, if I were you..."

"Lady, you should get away from him. You could be contaminated !"

Eli raised her head from her plates and blinked at the shop owner who was looking at her with a worried face.

"Whak ?" she asked with her mouth full. Seeing him pointing to her right, she turned her head and looked at Ace. He had fallen asleep in his food. "Oh don't worry, he's just-"

"PWAAH !" Ace jerked away from his plate.

"...asleep," Eli finished quietly.

"Are you okay ?" a worried customer asked.

"Huh ?" Ace looked around to see that quite a crowd had gathered around him. "Damn ! I fell asleep !"

"YOU FELL ASLEEP ?" the crowd yelled in bewilderment.

"Jeez, what are you guys so worked up about ?" Ace wiped his face. "Eli ! You could have told them !"

"Too... busy... eating," she answered, not bothering to look at him as she was still stuffing her mouth.

The young man sighed. "You guys hire comedians or something ?" Ace asked the shop owner, pointing a thumb at the still bewildered crowd.

"No... Anyway I'm glad you're okay," the man said, obviously relieved until... Ace fell asleep in his plate... again.

"HEY !" the crowd yelled.

"Wow, two times in less than five minutes, must be some kind of record," Eli said in awe, looking at her narcoleptic friend.

"Well well well... Look who's here..." a husky voice said from behind the pair. "Portgas D. Ace."

Ace and Eli looked over their shoulders to find a muscular white-haired man smoking two cigars at once while frowning darkly at the two pirates. He wore a thick white and blue jacket, brown leather gloves, blue jeans and brown leather boots.

Ace turned around completely to face the man. "Smoker." He smirked.

"A friend of yours ?" Eli asked, staring at the man.

"Not really." He stuck out his chest, resting his elbows on the bar behind him. "What's up ?"

Smoker snorted. "I heard that you joined another crew..." He shifted his gaze toward Eli. "And you... the tall one... you must be Eli."

What ? The girl looked at the frowning man questioningly wondering how he could know her name... It's not like she did anything since the pirates had started their adventure. The marines intelligence service, must be quite efficient... and bored.

"Wow, he knows your name," Ace said, looking at his puzzled friend.

"I know !" Eli grinned. "Kinda cool, right ?"

Ace smiled and shifted his gaze toward Smoker. "So... what do you want ?"

"Sit tight and let me arrest you," Smoker ordered sharply.

"Sorry, no can do," Ace replied with an arrogant smirk.

Eli blinked in awe. She could practically smell the testosterone in the air as it spread from the two men. It was almost suffocating...

"Listen, man, my friend and I were just having a nice lunch, not bothering anyone." Ace shrugged. "Why don't you just let us go ?" he suggested smugly.

What a cocky... brash... boastful bastard... Eli bit her bottom lip trying to ignore the thrill she felt observing her friend playing with the angry marine.

"I can't do that, as long as I'm a marine and you are pirates !" Smoker clenched his fists and smoke started to come out of them.

"Logia..." Eli muttered, staring at the smoke spreading threateningly from the marine's body. Fruit users were a pain in the ass, but logia were the most dreadful ones in the girl's opinion. She gulped involuntary as fear was rising up inside of her.

"That's a dumb reason..." Ace raised an eyebrow teasingly. "Chill out, man !"

"ROOOCKEEEEET !"

Eli's eyes widened seeing that Luffy had propelled himself inside the restaurant right into Smoker's back, effectively flinging the off-guard man toward Ace. Thankfully, her reflexes were quick as lightning. She grabbed the young man's arm and pulled him briskly, just in time to prevent him from being thrown away with the marine.

Eli breathed out in relief and tilted her head to the right to see the huge hole that Luffy had made through several walls. She couldn't see Smoker anymore.

Ace stood up grabbing the bar for support and fixed his hat. "Thanks," he whispered softly in Eli's ear before sitting back on his stool.

"Woohoo ! A restaurant, I'm STARVING !" Luffy yelled happily, his arms raised up in the air. He sat next to Eli and looked at the shop owner who was stunned staring at the hole. "Hey guy ! Food food food !"

"Hey..." Eli waved weakly, still a bit dazed by the boy's grand entrance.

"Hey! Eli ! Ace !" Luffy greeted, grinning.

"Maybe we should go..." Eli was slouched on the bar between the two brothers.

Luffy was filling his mouth with many different kinds of dishes: bread, pasta, meat and more. He was using the rubberness of his mouth to extend its capacity as much as possible. On the other side, Ace was casually drinking tea. Both of them were completely ignoring the fact that a high ranked marine officer was after them, and a dangerous one on top of that.

"No ?" Eli looked at Luffy hoping for some kind of answer, apparently forgetting that the boy had always had the hardest time thinking and eating at the same time...

She took her chance with the older brother. "Freckles ?"

But before he could say anything, Smoker bolted out of the hole.

"STRAWHAT !" he yelled, standing a few steps away from the pirates staring intensely at Luffy.

Luffy stared back, still stuffing his mouth with food.

Eli looked at Smoker, then Luffy, then Smoker again... Apparently, the marine must have been holding some kind of grudge against her captain since he seemed to ignore Ace and her completely... which was slightly insulting.

And the staring game kept on going, the silence becoming heavier as the time passed.

"Stop eating already !" Smoker ordered, rightly annoyed at the boy's slowness.

After one more minute, Luffy's eyes widened; it looked like he finally recognized the man.

At last...

"GOO GAAH MOKOH GOHH !" Luffy yelled with his mouth full, and without waiting, he took all the food, plates included, that was on the bar and shove it all in his rubber mouth before dashing out of the bar soon followed by a very angry Smoker.

Oh well... Eli took her bag and searched for her pouch in order to pay for the food when Ace grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the restaurant.

"LET'S GO !" he yelled, running after Smoker.

"But ! We didn't pay !" Eli protested, looking back at the stunned shop owner sheepishly.

Eli pulled her hand out of Ace's grip and started walking back to the restaurant while looking for her money. Seeing that, Ace pulled a frantic U-turn, dashed toward her and came into a stop right in front of the girl.

"We have to pay, Freckles," Eli said with a slight frown.

His only reply was a large, mischievous boy's grin, which only made the puzzled Eli blink naïvely.

"HEY !" she yelled as he grabbed her waist, lifted her off the floor effortlessly, and threw her over his broad shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "What the HELL !"

After several attempts to struggle out of his hold, Eli gave up with a deep sigh. The ride wasn't enjoyable... at all. On top of being really uncomfortable, from her point of view, the girl could perfectly see the look on the townspeople's faces. Some were just rightfully startled, but most of them were amused, highly amused... and what was more annoying were the exclamations of praise. "Way to go, lad !" "Woohoo !" Eli even heard a "Congratulations !"

What is wrong with these people ? Eli wondered, watching a group of men giving Ace the thumbs-up. Couldn't they see that she was just a poor victim ?

"You're slow..." Eli said sharply. "Let me down !"

And he did.

Heh ?

Before she could say anything, Eli saw Ace executing a fire-propelled jump forward. She dashed to follow the flame user and saw him land right between Luffy and Smoker, blocking a smoke attack with his 'Fire Fist'.

"What do you want ?" Smoker frowned at Ace.

Luffy had stopped running and was now looking at his brother with a wide grin. "Ace !"

The older brother looked over his shoulder. "I'll stop this guy, you run. I'll catch up later." Then he shifted his eyes toward Eli who was by his side. "Go."

Locking her eyes with his, Eli wondered if she should stay and help him since he was facing a fierce enemy accompanied by at least a dozen soldiers.

"Don't worry about me," Ace said smugly.

Eli huffed, rolling her eyes excessively. "Who'd worry about you ?" She swung around and ran after Luffy.

to be continued

Betaed by Iwin Ulose.

Ace is the Messiah !

I couldn't help but notice that I get less and less reviews as time passes. I thought it was supposed to be the opposite.

And since reviews are love, I'm wondering... Is my story getting boring / bad / too long ?

ps : Oh and for the title : D&D = Dine and Dash