Beta'ed by: van0koko
A Short Break
Chapter 3
O O O
The forest was enormous.
One could say that it appeared to have no end. But of course, as any other island, there was a limit. The seas wouldn't allow a slight misfortune to take them over, and in this case, it was no different.
Unfortunately, two worn out pirates disagreed. As they spent hours looking around the vast green area, they couldn't help but wonder if God himself decided to change the laws of nature.
The situation itself irritated the young male. Law could not continue playing this game of hide-and-seek any longer. "I think it's best if we go back."
Upon hearing his words, Nami paused and turned around, facing the doctor. "And then what, let those idiots destroy this place, so we could get in danger?"
Nami wanted to go back on Sunny as well. She was tired of walking aimlessly and trying out paths that seemed most probable for her teammates to pick, only to find out that they were empty and the idiots were nowhere to be seen.
"As far as I know, they can take care of themselves and so can we. We'll just wait for them to return back by themselves," Law said.
The young navigator scoffed and crossed her arms. "That is exactly why we have to look for them. Without a capable person that has a sense of direction, they're a lost cause." Whether Usopp was with them or not was the same. Unless he had a special talent at intimidating and ordering Luffy around, which Nami doubted.
"Let's just…" Nami sighed and turned to her right. "Try and search some more. They can't be too far. We did go after them as soon as they left."
He eyed her for a few moments before looking ahead, moving once again. "It's already been two hours, Nami-ya."
She knew that. Her ankles began to hurt, yet she ignored it and kept going. She reminded herself to never wear heels when looking for Luffy.
"Should I call Black Leg-ya? There is a chance that they might have gotten back already." His eyes kept analyzing the surroundings, noticing the unusual shapes of the nut-brown branches.
The routes they had been walking through up until now were similar to each other. There were no signs or specific spots that could lead them to a certain place. The land was either abandoned or never visited to begin with. The two have not seen any animals or other sorts of creatures hiding around the area either, concluding that, besides the sounds of the branches creaking and leaves rustling, nothing else could be heard.
"I'm sure Sanji-kun would have called in case they headed back."
Nami thought about the situation. 'As big as it is, this is still just a forest. They will be able to get out of here if they just keep running straight.' She blinked. 'That's it!'
The navigator's features changed and Law noticed. Her chocolate eyes sparkled in the same way a four-year-old's would when they received candies, and her hint of a smile made him stop in his tracks.
What was she up to?
"I got a plan. We have to go back to the ship!" Nami dashed into the other direction. 'I just had to leave my Clima-Tact on Sunny.'
Law stared at her figure and sighed. He began following her once more.
"At least we're leaving this place," he muttered to himself.
O O O
"Oi, Luffy. I think we got lost." Usopp tried his best to keep calm while holding his chin.
"Eh, why do you say that?" The young pirate glanced at his comrade.
"Well, you see…" Usopp started as he remembered what happened.
"Luffy, hold on!" The sniper was coughing through his deep breaths as he was trying to catch up. He knew that if they were to run off like that, they'd get lost.
Usopp eyed the swordsman and yelled, "Zoro! Cut a small 'x' on this tree!" If they were to leave marks on their way, he was sure they would get back in no time.
The green-haired man nodded and pulled out two of his swords, slashing the nearest tree.
The sound of a falling trunk was heard and Usopp shrieked. "I told you to leave a mark, not cut it in pieces!" He was getting angry and Zoro was pretty much one of the reasons.
"Ah, sorry."
The swordsman did as told the second time and continued doing so for the next couple of trees on their way.
Usopp nodded while telling Luffy about his idea. He was sure that by leaving marks on their way, they could go back to their ship without losing too much time. Usopp was also sure that as soon as he had convinced Luffy to make a turn during their little marathon through the woods, he'd be able to see those marks. Yet as soon as they did that, he couldn't see any of them.
It was just like those little letters weren't even made in the first place.
"Oh! So we got lost because we can't see the fallen tree?" Luffy gazed at Zoro and commanded, "Slice up this tree, Zoro."
"Are you an idiot?" The other two crewmates bawled in unison.
The lazy swordsman sighed and grabbed his swords. "Let's just get rid of all of them."
"You should both give up," Usopp darkly mumbled.
A sound was heard through the bushes, getting farther away from their shadows.
The Straw Hats observed the small movements under the leaves. Usopp backed away and yelled in a not-so-brave manner, "W-Who's there?!"
Luffy chuckled and headed towards the cause of the noise. He noticed that no one was there. The youngest crew member inspected the thick bushes. Suddenly, they moved again, causing him to gape. "Amazing!"
Zoro was clueless. He stepped forward and asked, "What's going on, Luffy?"
In a swift motion, the bushes moved away from each other, revealing a hole. At a closer glance, it resembled a tunnel that led underground. Its size made sure that a well-built man could go in with no problems and the bricks surrounding it had an almost perfect structure.
Luffy's eyes widened. A grin was rapidly spreading on his lips and he found himself laughing. "Shishishi. This will be fun." He pulled Zoro by his leg before jumping in.
"What the hell?!" The green-haired man struggled to get away, but he soon fell after Luffy.
Usopp was shocked. He had no idea what had just happened. His trembling legs made their way in front of the hole. He heard his crewmates' noises drifting apart from him as he gulped and bent down.
What was Usopp supposed to do now? Was he supposed to go back by himself to their ship? Or maybe follow Zoro and Luffy? He glanced around once again, feeling a dark presence in the area. Sweat dripped down his face as he shook his head several times. Usopp was not about to run in this creepy forest alone, so he had only once choice.
"I'm going to regret this." Closing his eyes, the sniper bravely jumped in.
O O O
The waves splashing on the concrete shore had a different sound. Its appearance kept Franky distracted. He would stare and try to think of all the possibilities that involved building an island. Yet again, it could just be a usual land that belonged to the New World. The shipwright decided to shrug it off and eye the rest of his surroundings.
Robin's words distracted his thoughts. "It appears to be the same as from where we left off."
"This is super useless. I guess there's nothing special besides the ground."
Robin nodded as she examined the space between themselves and the forest. Old logs and rocks were scattered throughout the place. It was something that didn't look right to her, though, since such a view was accompanied by man-made bricks instead of natural soil. Squinting her eyes, Robin spotted an unfamiliar looking rock not too far away from them. Its size and color stood out, causing the young archeologist to step out from her previous pace and hurry towards its location.
Franky remarked the woman's change of direction and followed her. The two ended up standing before said rock, which appeared to be about their height. What caught their attention, however, were the words painted on it. Or the lack thereof.
"Well, it looks like someone did visit this place before." Franky tried reading the messy lines. Most of them were erased, but the two could make out a few words.
"Keep away, alive, cursed." Robin was struggling to understand the poor handwriting. "Someone was trying to warn the people who visit this island."
The tall shipwright pointed to the rock's lowest corner. "Or the ones who go into the forest."
Between the dead leaves laying where Franky was gazing, hiding most of the rock's bottom, the word 'Forest' was harshly written.
O O O
Green.
All Nami could see were green leaves. She kept walking, pushing away most of the old branches that were blocking her way. She had to get out of here. This damned forest was already getting on her nerves.
"I could've sworn that we came through this part," She mumbled to herself.
Law eyed her for a few seconds before shifting his gaze back. "Talking about sense of direction."
Was he mocking her? Nami's cheeks flushed and she forcefully took two steps ahead, ignoring the Shichibukai's comment.
It couldn't be true. It's not like they got lost. The distance was just, really huge. Nami could not allow such a simple stroll to trick her. She had already memorized the path they took and she was sure as hell that they were going in the right direction.
She just had to be patient.
Yes. Patience was all she needed. Too bad her positive thoughts were once again destroyed by Law's next words.
"It is all your fault."
"What?" Nami snapped. She turned around, facing Law. "How exactly is this my fault?"
"You had to make yourself clear to Straw Hat-ya about this place."
She approached him and glared. "Well, then maybe you shouldn't have asked me about it in the first place!"
"I had to tell you because we could have bypassed it and avoid the entire situation behind his back, Nami-ya."
"Then couldn't you just ask me to talk about the matter in a secluded room, far away from Luffy? There are a bunch on that ship." They were now only inches apart from each other. "And for your information, Luffy could have still seen it, since some islands can randomly appear in New World right in front of us."
Law sensed her irritation and backed away. He shot her a warning glare before walking once again, leaving her behind. She was right. He hated to admit that. Law did, however, think that they might've been able to do something to distract Luffy from seeing the island. Even if that was the case, it happened and it was useless to argue about it now.
"The nerve of that guy!"
Nami knew it was a bad idea to have him on Sunny. Law didn't even want to help them at first on Punk Hazard. Was his common goal with Luffy the only thing that mattered to him? 'Does he lack a heart? Sheesh.'
Nami stormed off. She found herself walking towards her initial route, not caring about his presence anymore. Nami should've just gone by herself to look for Luffy and the others. He was on his own now. The navigator couldn't care less if he wanted to follow her or not. For all she cared actually, he could just get himself lost in the woods. She slightly hoped that his sense of orientation matched Zoro's.
Lost in her thoughts, Nami heard a crack and yelped. She looked around defensively and shouted, "Who's there? Show yourself!" She was ready to take out her weapon when she froze, remembering that she had left it on Sunny.
The orange-haired navigator took her words back. She wished Law didn't go too far. 'Maybe he's the one waltzing off through those large bushes.'
"T-Torao?"
Another sound reached her ears. Someone was definitely there, and Law did not respond. Nami immediately took off and yelled, "Lu-Luffy, if that's you, then show yourself!" She hoped that was the case. She really did. But Nami noticed that there was no reply.
That meant trouble.
O O O
Trafalgar Law was wandering between the narrow trees. He was tired of this place. He was tired of the whole alliance with the Straw Hats whatsoever. His glare never left his features once since the moment he had talked with the navigator. What was wrong with that woman?
He shook his head. If only Bepo were here. As much as Law hated to admit it, it was a pain to get out of this place.
'What was that?' He was ready to take out his sword while eyeing his surroundings. Someone's voice echoed around. A woman's voice. "Nami-ya?"
His eyebrows drew together when Nami's running body proceeded towards his. "What happened?" Law asked.
Nami was not paying attention to anything besides running. She had to get away from whoever was lurking in those bushes, be it animal or enemy.
Law's question caught the navigator off guard, causing her to harshly bump into him and knocking both of them over.
Nami sighed in relief when their gazes locked. "Thank God you're here. There is someone else with us," she whispered and took another glance to her right.
Ignoring their awkward position, Law fixed his hat with one hand while holding himself with the other. "I can't hear any footsteps, Nami-ya." He was about to push her away when the ground started shaking.
Nami shrieked and tightened her grip on his coat. The two tried to get up when they noticed a third person leaning against a tree.
The shadow easily made its way in front of them, even though the ground was still shaking. "Welcome, my dear guests." The figure bowed. His features were not clear due to the lack of sunlight.
Law got up as fast as possible while helping out the navigator. He took out his sword and was about to attack the enemy, when suddenly the grey bricks below them moved, changing their shapes.
Before Nami and Law had a chance to get away, the two fell into the newly formed hole.
At that time, all that could be heard was Nami's scream.
"Why, I do hope you enjoy your stay."
O O O
A/N: And Cliffhanger!
What did you think?
Try guessing what's going to happen. I'm pretty curious to know your reactions.
Argh, I really can't write longer chapters yet. It will take some time before I get used to it.
Thanks once again for the positive feedback guys! It's a pleasure knowing that you enjoy this story.
Kagehime3: Hehe, poor Chopper indeed. Thank you so much. I'm so glad it caught your attention! I hope this chapter did as well.
Keirra: You'll see~ Well, I hope you enjoyed their moments from this chapter too! I'm also afraid of that. I haven't read many fics with Law and I'm not really sure what to do when I have to write about him.
BatmanSwim2016: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if Chopper didn't make an appearance. But he will in the next one!
Many thanks to the followers and Tumblr users as well. I love you all.
I'm really sorry if you find any spelling mistakes or anything wrong. I'll look again later and try to fix what's needed.
Anyway, reviews with your opinions or criticisms are always welcome.