Wow, sorry about the length of this one. I just didn't want to split it up.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.

Warnings: Brief Language

As always, enjoy!

Dinner was a hurried affair.

Everyone was seated, sated and out the door again before I had even tasted my food, some kind of fancy fish fry with stewed vegetables and the fruit-covered cake Sanji had made earlier. It had also been an unusually sedated meal, while it lasted. Nami was checking her maps at the table, Luffy and Chopper were still playing some form of 'I Spy', actually staying in their seats for it, and Franky and Ussop were planning for our departure the next day. Brook and Robin had gone back on watch and Zoro had ignored everyone completely.

I stood up and followed Sanji to the sink as the door closed behind the angry swordsman, leaving us alone again.

"Welcome to Sanji's Eat-And-Run Diner," the cook joked. He began filling the sink with hot water and stacking the used plates to one side.

"Please let me help you," I begged. "I'm about to go crazy here."

Sanji sighed. "I know it must be hard on you, my dear," he said sympathetically. "Being away from your own home and trapped in the bowels of a ship. However," he smiled. "At least you still have my charming self for company, eh?"

I wanted to stick my tongue out at him but realized that might only encourage his behavior. "I'm just bored, is all."

Sanji pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, chewing on the butt in a thoughtful manner. "Alright," he finally conceded. "But please Renna dear, just don't tell Nami."

I happily agreed and he moved away from the sink to let me finish cleaning the dishes while he wiped down the table and counters.

It was another fairly quiet evening as the crew gathered inside again after sunset, lounging in the aquarium while Brook played his violin joyfully and Luffy screeched along in what he probably though was a very nice rendition of the song. Robin had come back in with Nami and Franky, leaving Chopper, Sanji and Ussop on watch. Zoro had disappeared. Again.

Nami looked over from where she had been having a discussion on handbag styles with Robin, dark eyes scanning the area before landing on me where I sat next to Franky's hulking form. "Where the hell is that idiot?" she demanded, addressing the rest of the room. "Isn't he supposed to be with Renna?"

"I don't mind," I said quickly. There was no need to ask who she meant. "Really. Besides, I'm sure I'm completely safe with you guys here."

"What's the deal with you two, anyway?" Franky asked, turning his head to look at me curiously. He was sitting on the floor while I perched on the bench by his shoulder, bringing us about eye-level.

"No deal," I shrugged. "We just…are?"

"Was that a question?" Franky smirked.

"Don't you like him?" Luffy had stopped squealing to the music and was now looking at me with his head tilted to one side. "Why not?"

Nami rolled her eyes. "Obviously its because Renna has better taste than some people," she said dryly. "Really Luffy, what's with the torture? Can't you just assign someone else to guard the poor girl?"

Luffy turned his attention to the navigator, eyes wide. "Assign?" he repeated. "I didn't assign Zoro. He volunteered."

"What?" Nami and I both gawked. I could see the surprise mirrored on Robin's face as well.

"He did?" Robin asked.

"Yeah," Luffy appeared even more confused by our reaction. "Just before breakfast the morning after Mermaid came back," he explained. "Why wouldn't he? They're friends, right?"

"Uhm," I started, but Nami shook her head a fraction in warning and I changed my answer quickly. "Sure, Luffy."

Luffy grinned at me and Nami rolled her eyes again over his shoulder. "See?" he said. "Everyone's fine." And he went right back to 'singing'.

I finally caught on to why Nami didn't let me respond truthfully to the captain's question. It would bother Luffy if he knew his swordsman and his mermaid were fighting. Yes, apparently I was still 'Mermaid'. I found I didn't mind it very much anymore.

I awoke the next morning in the same place I had the day before. Robin was sitting at Chopper's desk reading a book, and looked up as I started moving around.

"Good morning, Miss Renna," she greeted. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine," I mumbled. I stood slowly from the hard cot/table and pulled the nightgown around to where it should be. Honestly, with how I tossed and turned I was surprised I never woke up on the floor. Although with Robin there it probably wouldn't have happened anyway.

I looked around almost automatically for a familiar head of green hair but the swordsman wasn't anywhere in sight. "Where's Zoro?" I asked, my brain still foggy from sleep. I had grown so accustomed to waking up to his sour face it felt a little strange to not see him there.

"He's on watch," Robin answered. She stood from the chair and brought a tall paper bag out from under the desk, carrying it to the make-shift bed. "Here. Your clothes for today."

I told her thanks and picked up the bag as she led the way to the bath.

After showering and changing I was much more awake and very ready for breakfast.

Sanji was back in the kitchen again when we arrived and greeted us with a dazzling smile and a cup of coffee each. "Good morning, my beauties!" he sang. "Robin, as lovely as ever! Renna, you look extraordinary in that outfit!"

I glanced down at my fitted black pants and red v-neck tee, half covered by a cropped, dark grey jacket. "Uhm, thanks," I replied before looking back up at the cook. "You're sure in a good mood. What gives?"

"We're leaving this hell-hole of an island today," Sanji beamed and turned to flip the battered toast on the griddle behind him. "And good riddance, I say."

We were leaving today? "That's great," I agreed and returned the smile while Robin moved past me to sit at the high counter with her coffee to wait for breakfast.

Twenty minutes later the table was buzzing with the excited prospect of leaving the island, I never had caught the name of the damned thing, and Luffy chattered excitedly about finally getting back to their adventures to anyone who would listen.

One by one the crew finished off what their captain hadn't already eaten and got up to prepare the Sunny for departure until it was only Sanji, Zoro and myself in the kitchen. I watched Zoro make a detour toward the liquor cabinet and instantly pounced on the opportunity, heading him off as he started for the door.

"Zoro, wait." Skidding to a halt in front of him I put my arms out, as if I could physically stop him from leaving the room. "Please let me go outside."

"What? No." The swordsman frowned at me, a bottle of sake in one hand. "Move."

"Just this once?" I asked again. "I'm getting cabin fever, seriously."

"I said no," Zoro held firm. "We're leaving in a few hours anyway, can't you wait?"

"No," I said stubbornly. "I can't." When he still didn't budge I decided to go with a threat. "I'm going to cry."

"No, you're not," Zoro scowled. "You don't strike me as the type to cry that easily." He stepped to the side to go around me. I stepped with him and, before I had the chance to think about what I was doing, wrapped my arms around his middle and held on tight.

"Hey!" he protested, hands raised high on his sides as if touching me was going to burn him. "Get off!"

I heard Sanji make a strangled sound from somewhere on the other side of the swordsman but ignored him. "Not until you let me go outside," I said. "I'm just going to keep bothering you, you know." I felt Zoro growling in warning and added. "One minute. That's all I'm asking for, I swear."

Having had enough of the contact, Zoro reached down and plucked my arms from his ribs, pushing me back to look at me sternly. "One minute," he agreed. "That's all. And I'm going to tell you right now that this is a bad idea."

I nodded out of reflex, not actually agreeing with what he was saying, and followed him out the door to the deck of the Sunny.

He walked along the upper deck and down the stairs, keeping me next to him and looking around every so often. "To the other side," he directed, "away from the island."

I was too happy to be breathing fresh air again to complain. We made our way across the grass and Zoro stopped beside the railing at the far end, sitting down with his back to it and uncorking the bottle he had brought with him. I remained standing.

"So," I started, searching for something to say. I remembered the conversation from the previous night and went with that. "Why did you decide to volunteer?" I asked. Zoro shot me a look that said he thought I had finally lost it, so I continued. "You told me Luffy's orders still applied, but he said you volunteered."

Zoro took a drink from the bottle before answering. "Guess I just assumed they did," he shrugged. "Why? You want a different guard?"

"Not really," I answered truthfully. Zoro might be a rude, scowling, directionally-challenged asshat most of the time, but I trusted him to keep me safe when he was around. "I was just wondering."

"Hm," he said.

"Why are you so mad, by the way?" I asked. "Was it because of what Sanji said? You know he's just trying to rile you up, right?"

"I don't give two shits about what Curly Brow thinks," Zoro growled, but it was hard to miss the tension in his shoulders when I brought up the cook's comments. "Got it?"

"That's what I mean," I nodded at him, not taking the bait for an argument. "I know you guys fight a lot but why are so you pissed at me?"

Zoro turned away angrily and took another drink. "Because you came back," he finally responded.

I felt myself rankle at that and took a step toward him. "It's not like I meant to!" I snapped. "I can't control it!"

"I know that," Zoro said, sounding a bit worn now. "But it's too dangerous for you here. You're gonna get yourself killed, you know. And your minute is up," he added.

"Fine," I deflated. "I guess a few more hours without sunlight wont hurt anything, right?"

Zoro was about to answer when Nami's voice reached us and we both looked up.

"Hey guys," she called down from the aft deck, her voice warbling strangely. "I know you two don't get along very often and I hate to ruin the moment, but we've got a situation over here!"

Zoro frowned. "What kind of situation?" he called back.

Before Nami could answer Ussop was against the rail next to her, looking panicked. "Like 'A reindeer eaten by a Sea King' kind of situation!" he all but screamed.

Zoro was on his feet and across the deck like a shot, bottle forgotten. "Chopper!"

I stood frozen on the spot as he disappeared. Sea King? This close to land? We were still docked, after all, and it didn't make much sense. Something didn't feel right about it.

"Wait!" I shouted. "Zoro!"

"Now, there's no need for that," a low male voice sounded from just over my shoulder. It took a mere half of a second to recognize it as the same gravelly tone I had heard coming from the house in the woods. "You wouldn't want to worry your friends, would you? Not when they seem so preoccupied."

I turned slowly, heart hammering, and saw a tall thin man with dark but graying hair stepping lightly over the rail of the Sunny. He was wearing a loose, plain-looking brown shirt and pants, but the way he carried himself hinted at a hidden strength. The dragon girl was perched on top of the rail behind him and studying me with a clinical gaze. Her diamond weapons were strapped to her narrow waist under her strange jacket. But the most blood chilling thing about the entire scene was the green, luminescent light in the girl's eyes.

Syla was here. Where was Zoro?

The tall man had grabbed me before I could shout again and clamped a long-fingered hand over my mouth. He turned and motioned to Syla, then picked me clear off my feet and moved back across the railing like a shadow, over the edge of the Sunny. We landed in a small boat, the force squeezing his arm around my ribcage before letting up a fraction and the raft started moving on its own the second Syla touched down next to us.

I tugged at the hand over my mouth angrily but it was like pulling on an iron band. Giving up I tried to look back toward the Sunny, to see if maybe someone had noticed me being shoved off the ship, and realized with a jolt that I couldn't even see it.

"I wouldn't bother," Syla's calm voice broke through my fear. "It's a water shield, they wont be able to see us at all."

I glared at her over the fingers and gave her one of my own. Syla raised an eyebrow at me and I remembered they probably had no idea what the gesture meant, in which case it was pointless. Still, it did make me feel just a little bit better.

The boat sailed quickly through the waters surrounding the island and eventually landed itself on a rocky beach, far away from the Sunny. The man, Shogun, climbed out and pulled me along with him, finally releasing his grip on my face.

"Let go of me, you creep!" I yelled instantly, trying to dig my feet into the ground and scrabbling at the fingers around my wrist. "Get off!"

Another hand took hold of my other arm as Syla appeared at my side, pushing me along with apparent ease. I rounded on her, instead.

"What the hell did you do to Chopper?" I demanded loudly. I could still see the fear in Nami's and Ussop's faces and the panic lining Zoro's stern features as he ran after the doctor. Luffy was going to be furious. The thought of what the captain was going to do to these two when he caught up with us gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

And he would catch up with us, I was sure of it. Luffy didn't take slights against his friends lightly, and Chopper was very important to the rubbery brat.

"Who?" the dragon girl asked, looking confused.

"The reindeer," I clarified through clenched teeth. She was playing dumb with me, the witch.

"Oh," Syla nodded. "It was just a distraction."

I felt myself blow up at that. "A distraction! You think trying to kill Chopper is just a distraction? You don't seem to understand that Luffy is going to murder you!"

Syla didn't even flinch at that. She kept silent as we ascended a narrow incline to the top of a hill over-looking the beach and onto a dusty road, leading into the woods. "I wouldn't worry about it," she said simply.

"Enough," Shogun's gravelly voice cut through me like a knife before I could start yelling again. "Modokai, do not aggravate the girl. We need her in top form, after all."

It took a few dizzying moments to remember why they had resorted to kidnapping me in the first place. "I'm not a Seer!" I blurted out. Shogun ignored me. "I mean it!" I continued. "You guys don't get it, I'm not from this world. There are-" here I hesitated. If I revealed the fact that I wasn't a psychic it would definitely cut out their use for me, which would mean I was as good as dead. But I wasn't going to help them. Ever. "There are things in my world," I pressed on, "that let me see some of this one. But I don't decide what is shown at all. I just watch, alright?"

We were now far into the trees and on a long road leading away from where I knew the town was located. It was just lucky I didn't have Zoro's crappy sense of direction or I probably would have thought we were on an entirely different island.

Shogun released my wrist and took a few slow steps forward, facing away from us, his shoulders tense. "Is that the truth?" he asked in a low voice.

I stood on the path with Syla still gripping my arm tightly, halting any thoughts of escape. "Yes," I answered, surprised to hear my own voice sounding so steady. Inside, I was shaking uncontrollably.

Shogun turned his head a little to glance over his shoulder at Syla. "Is she lying?"

I looked at the dragon girl in a kind of terrified confusion. How could she possibly know for certain if I was lying or not just by listening, and only vaguely at that? But Syla wasn't looking at me; she was staring at Shogun with a hard, level gaze. Finally she answered, "No. She is not."

Shogun turned away again. "I see. Girl, are you from this world?" he asked.

Was he getting hard of hearing? "I already said I wasn't," I frowned.

"Modokai?" Shogun tilted his head.

"It's the truth," Syla nodded.

He seemed to consider this for a moment. "What is your name?" he asked, and I knew he was talking to me.

"Haeven Renna," I answered without hesitation, using the strange pronunciation Luffy had added to the name Franky had given me.

"And?" the tall man inquired without turning around.

Syla appeared a little confused for a second, brow drawn down over her dark green eyes. I wondered briefly when they had stopped glowing before she said, "I'm not sure, actually."

"Very well," Shogun seemed satisfied anyway and I had to wonder what exactly made him think the dragon girl was some kind of walking lie-detector. "Haeven Renna," he started in an abrasive tone. "Are you a Seer?"

I was shaking on the outside now, my palms sweaty inside closed fists. "No."

The man looked at Syla once more, who seemed to falter for a moment before replying, "Again, it's the truth."

Shogun turned away from us and began walking further along the road. "Then kill her."

I gasped and pushed away immediately. "No!"

Syla stopped my flailing hand and brought it down to my arm, trapping them together as she stepped in front of me. I struggled, trying to pull my arms free, but she was too strong. I shouted again and pulled back as far as I could, knowing it was fruitless. There was no way I could fight a dragon, even if she did look human. I was going to be cut to pieces in seconds.

Slowly, Syla unsheathed the long diamond blade, holding it just beside my head. My entire body locked up just before she smiled at me, a startlingly reassuring smile, and leaned in to whisper, "Run, Haeven."

I gaped in complete shock as the chained blade whipped out behind her, straight toward Shogun.