Wow, it's been SO freaking long since I last updated anything on here. Guess that shows how time flies when you're having fun. Anyway, it's summer time and that means that with less of a workload on my back, I should be able to update a few stories here and there for your viewing pleasure (including the big one that everyone has been waiting over a year for...)

Anyway, back on topic, let's get this latest chapter rolling since I've kept you all waiting for it long enough.

Chapter 4: Duality Principle Act 2

Nami P.O.V

The door to my house loomed up out of the darkening night like a lighthouse against a stormy sea. It had taken longer that I expected to walk back home and winter was definitely closing in, considering the cold breeze and how dark it was getting. With a sigh, I push open the front gate and calmly stroll towards the front door. Plucking my key from my pocket, I glance to my right and realise that the lights are on in the front room.

That's weird. Neither Bellemere nor Nojiko should be home yet, so why are the lights on? With soft slow footsteps, I creep towards the front door and test to see if it's unlocked. It is, furthering my confusion. The light being on in the front room? The door being open? Did someone break in? Have we been robbed? Maybe…

'Hey Nami, is that you?' Genzo's voice instantly breaks me out of my panic. Really? Someone breaking into our house? I've been hanging around with Usopp too much, his stories are starting to rub off on me.

'Yeah Genzo, it's me,' I call, stepping inside and slamming the door shut afterwards.

'Ah, good. I'm in the kitchen,' Genzo shouts. I nod in response and head over to his voice. I can't believe I forgot about Genzo being here. That was the whole reason why Bellemere wanted us to have dinner with her and Genzo yesterday.

The two have been friends for a long time, Genzo being a father figure to me and Nojiko when we were children, but last year, Makino managed to hook the two up on a blind date. Considering Bellemere was interested in testing their relationship and Genzo had always had a huge crush on her, the two decided to play along with Makino's scheme…and the result is that yesterday, Bellemere told us Genzo was moving in with her and by extension, us.

It was quite strange really. Not so much the two moving in together, oh that was a given: they were perfect for each other, I and Nojiko could always see it. Before they'd even gotten together, they'd been acting like a married couple anyway, dating just kind of sealed the deal. What really surprised me though was that they'd taken this long to do it. Most nights Genzo was round here anyway, only sleeping at his apartment in order to stay close to his job.

Naturally, despite Genzo and Bellemere being worried how we'd receive the news, I and Nojiko took it in our stride…though Nojiko did make sure to hint quite heavily that she wanted a lot of younger siblings to look after.

That's my sister though. Subtlety was never her strong point.

Inside the kitchen, Genzo already appears busy at work. He seems so in his element I'm surprised he isn't usually working as a chef instead of a private hired security guard. The omelette he's tending to looks almost cooked and the flames are dancing happily under the pan.

'So how was school?' he calls, not taking his eyes away from the food.

'Exhausting,' I respond, flinging my bag over a chair, before sitting down on it myself. I prop my arms up on the table and rest my chin in my hands.

'How was your day?'

'Only just got up,' Genzo concedes with a grin. 'I'm taking night shifts in watching over Flamingo Industries for the rest of the week. Apparently, the boss is worried after a break in that happened earlier.' My inner reporter bubbles to the surface.

'A break in?' I mumble, an eyebrow raising at his words. 'From who?'

'Don't know and I don't fancy finding out thank you very much.' Finishing his cooking, Genzo turns around with pan in hand…and I instantly double over in laughter. Over Genzo's dark security guard attire, the scarred man with a stern glare…is wearing a bright pink apron reading 'KISS THE CHEF'. At my laughter, Genzo looks down and shoots me a smile.

'What? Bellemere said pink was my colour,' he jokes.

'It does bring out the colour in your eyes,' I agree through my giggles. Genzo laughs in reply as he walks over towards the counter where a nearby plate is resting. Genzo grabs a spatula and uses it to scoop the omelette out of the pan and onto the plate…before placing the plate in front of me.

'Hang on a second,' I start, looking down at the plate in confusion. 'I thought this was yours.'

'I've already ate,' Genzo explains with a grin. 'Figured you'd be hungry when you came in, so I made you some food…with your favourite addition of course.' Leaning forwards, I sniff in the omelette's beautiful aroma. Hmmm, orange sauce. Genzo knows me too well.

'Thanks,' I say with a smile, before grabbing the knife and fork Genzo brought over and tucking in. Genzo sits opposite me with a cup of coffee in hand and laughs as I start eating.

'You know, despite how you're now a young woman, I always see the gleeful five year old you sitting there when you eat oranges,' he comments. 'It's the same way when you talk about that black haired boy...' I almost choke on the omelette I'm eating. Genzo continues on regardless. 'What was his name again?...Makino and Shanks' boy, the youngest with the cheeky grin and the…'

'Luffy,' I grunt out, suddenly having lost my appetite. Genzo stares at me in confusion.

'Something the matter?'

'Nope,' I lie, forcing myself to eat once more. I'd had enough of Luffy recently to last me a life-time. Always disappearing and making me worry, always being so stupid with his words and making me feel strange…hanging out with Hancock when he should have been hanging out with…

I shake my head.

Why was I getting so bent out of shape over that boy recently?

'So Nami, do you have any plans on Friday?'

I give Genzo an odd look as he poses the question.

'Not really, why would you ask?'

'Because I've got an offer for you,' Genzo explains. His sly grin instantly makes me sit up.

'What do you mean?'

'Well, you've been working hard and doing well at school so I was wondering…if you'd like these…' Genzo reaches his hand from under the table and produces a pair of tickets. I slip the tickets off the table and into my hand and give both a good look. My eyes grow wide and my mouth flaps open as I examine the tickets and I shake my head in disbelief.

'These…these are t-tickets to see Soul King Brook live in concert tomorrow night at Dawn Stadium!' I announce, glancing up at Genzo's mischievous grin. 'But how…'

'I was planning on taking Bellemere but considering we're both working tomorrow, I thought it'd give them to you. You could catch a bus and go there straight after school.' A small smile comes to my lips as the pieces fit together.

'Leaving you and Bellemere tantalizingly free of company for an afternoon of 'hi-jinks'? Considering Nojiko is going to be going out with her friends after work, I mean.' Having been found out, Genzo chuckles to himself, scratching his moustache.

'Come on, those tickets are some good seats…plus there's two, so you might be able to take someone else with you, maybe that Luffy boy…'

'He's not my boyfriend!' I counter, glaring at Genzo. The man's eyes bug out for a moment before another sly grin comes to his cheeks.

'Woah, hold on there, I didn't say anything about him being your boyfriend,' he points out. I waft away Genzo's words with my free hand before focusing on the issue once more.

'So I go to see the Soul King in concert, letting you and Bellemere have valuable alone time and you'll give me…' Genzo's face morphed into one of perplexed confusion.

'Er…a rich and fulfilled sense of self-worth at having helped your mother and I have a loving tender moment to ourselves, plus tickets to see the world's greatest singer live in concert?' Genzo suggests. I smile. Normally, that would definitely be enough to seal the deal, considering Brook's vocal talents were absolutely incredible…but I was ever the haggler.

'How about spending money for merchandise and a donation to my shopping spree with the girls on our next outing?' Genzo pales at the suggestion.

'Are you kidding me girl? Do you think I'm made of money?' I smirk at this reply and turn away.

'That's a shame. You know, I might just come straight home and sit around with you and Bellemere. Maybe even come home early too…'

'Alright, I'll pay for your dinner before the concert but that's it.'

'Make it mine and Luffy's meal and you've got a deal.'

'Fine deal,' Genzo finishes, wiping some sweat from his brow before taking another well-earned sip of his coffee. 'You know, it's really hard to do nice things for you when you're such a gold digger…'

'Love you too daddy!~' I call as I stand up from the table and begin to dash upstairs, tickets in hand and a smile on my face. Genzo laughs as I go but I can't tell whether it's from joy or from the pain he's feeling in his wallet. He clearly forgot how much Luffy can possibly eat…

I slow down on the stairs as I reach my room and close my eyes in thought. Luffy. Was I serious about this idea of taking him to go with me on the concert? Genzo had obviously said it as a simple suggestion or a joke but I had simply run with the idea. Did I want Luffy to go with me on something like this? I mean, asking someone to go see the Soul King Live in concert with you just as a pair seemed…well, a lot more out of friendship territory than usual.

'Does it really?' a voice in my mind asks, as I fling open my bedroom door. 'I mean, let's say you were taking anyone else with you: like Robin or a better case Usopp or Sanji? Would you have thought twice about it being 'a couple activity'?' The answer appears disturbingly quickly as I flop down on my bed.

No. If I went alone with either of them, it would still be just me hanging out with one of my best friends…so why was it that when Luffy was included in the equation I suddenly started fussing about whether or not it counted as a date? Why would I consider going on a date with my best friend?

…

I suddenly stop thinking. I didn't want to know the answer.

'You're going to a bad place there Nami,' I think to myself. 'Keep falling any deeper into it and not only will you not be able to go back but you might ruin your friendship with that adorable idiot forever…'

With a small sigh, I refocus myself and boot up my laptop. Maybe I could just ask one of the girls to come with me to listen to Brook. That would easily be a way to avoid all this confusion.

I wonder if Bellemere ever had this problem with boys when she was a teenager.

Bellemere P.O.V

From: Genzo

Just persuaded Nami and Nojiko 2 leave us alone 4 the afternoon. Hope u had a gud day sweetheart and Ill c u tomorrow.

Received: 18:30

I smile down at the phone and let out a small chuckle. Looks like my day tomorrow had suddenly gotten more interesting. I sigh with content to myself as I walk up the stairs and quickly text back.

Reply

To: Genzo

Sounds good hun. Hope they didn't drag too much money out of you. See you tomorrow xx

Sent: 18:31

As I open the door to the roof, a refreshing burst of cold air almost sweeps me off my feet. Walking out onto the rooftop, I glance around to check if anyone else is around. Luckily enough for me, the roof is vacant. Of course it is. No-one comes up to the roof but people desperate for a cig and Smoker is currently having a meeting with his squad, so that occupies at least two thirds of people who smoke at the station.

With no-one else around, I pluck a single cigarette from my shirt pocket and slip it into my mouth. A lighter from my pant's pocket does the rest and soon, I'm relieved to taste sweet nicotine once more. With that done, I make my way over to the rose up barriers around the edge of Dawn City's police HQ and take a seat. Removing the cigarette from my lips, I let out a simple puff of smoke and relax, looking down to the floor.

'So, what happened?' I smirk at the voice. There goes my relaxation.

'In the meeting? Sengoku's pissed,' I explain.

'Anything else new?'

'Garp and Smoker are pissed now too.'

'I said anything NEW.' I chuckle and glance at Scarlet. The costume superhero is perching on the wall right next to me where once there was nothing but air. He's sitting the opposite way round to me, his legs dangling over the abyss of the city streets below, where as mine tap against the roof.

'Lucky you, you've just been accused of murder,' I state, taking a refreshing drag from my cigarette.

'You don't believe that, do you?'

'Do you think I'd be still talking to you if I did?'

'Point taken,' Scarlet says with a nod. His momentary fear evaporates with ease.

'Even Garp didn't believe it and when forensic evidence went your way, I think I saw the old man actually smile.'

'Are we talking good smile or evil smile?' Scarlet asks. 'You never can tell with that man.' I laugh at his comment and he joins in too, fairly subdued however. It seems like something is on his mind.

'Any leads on that Monarch guy so far?' And there it is, the source of his frustration.

'None so far,' I reply. 'Everyone on the force thinks it's just a rumour but the throwing stars around the warehouse definitely show something's up. I'll try and keep you posted over the days to come.'

'Thanks,' Scarlet mutters but despite the intent of the word, it sounds bitter in the cold evening air.

'You do realise that you've made a grave enemy now though, right?' I ask suddenly, turning to look at Scarlet fully. 'Smoker's got you in his sights and the guy seems pretty obsessed with taking you down.'

'Why does everyone want to lock up the guy actually TRYING to save the city?' Scarlet groans.

'Something about what you did last summer…'

'I keep telling you, that was…'

'I know, I know,' I interrupt. 'You've changed. I understand that and I'm glad but not everyone else on the force is as understanding as me. All I'm saying is…you should try maybe laying down for a few days, staying below the radar and keeping Smoker off your back.' Scarlet nods slowly in a way that translates out to him saying 'Yeah right, that's going to happen never.'

'I'm serious Scarlet, you might want to consider staying out of the papers for a while,' I insist.

'And let super villains and crooks run a-muck? Sorry Bellemere, no can do,' Scarlet responds. I sigh to myself, puffing out a cloud of smoke into the sky. I give him a stern glare. That seems to weaken the boy's spirit.

'Alright then, I'll think about…tomorrow night.' I frown. He said tomorrow but I'd heard the word 'never'.

'Scarlet…'

'Tomorrow I promise.' It still sounded like a lie.

'If you're not going to listen to me, why on earth did you want to meet up?' I mutter under my breath.

'Can't we just have a nice relaxing talk?' Scarlet asks. He sounds as defensive as if I had just accused him of another crime. Seeing his passion on the subject, I give a nod.

'Of course, I'm always here if you need me.'

'Thanks…you're alright partner.'

'Partner?' I mumble with a chuckle. 'That's something I haven't been called in a long time.'

'But we are though, right? You and me, together fighting crime,' Scarlet continues with a grin. 'We're like…Batman and Commissioner Gordon.'

'Except you don't speak like you're gargling marbles,' I reply with a smirk.

'And you don't have a hairy rat on your upper lip,' Scarlet taunts in a raspy low voice. I chuckle at the voice and so does he. A small moment of silence lingers between the two of us.

'I need to get going,' Scarlet says after a while. 'I've got three different schedules to keep after all and I can't be saving little Timmy from being trapped down a well whilst I'm sitting here.' In an instant, all of Scarlet's humorous bravado is gone, however and he casts me a look of understanding. In his eyes, sparkling as bright as the night sky, is trust. 'Thanks again.'

'No problem kiddo. Now make sure to get your life straightened out. Just take things slow over this weekend and try and relax. It's been great working with you so far. Hopefully we'll be able to keep this 'partnership' going for many years to come…'

Silence is my answer. Turning around, I see that Scarlet's spot is empty. I chuckle to myself.

'Like Batman indeed.'

Nami P.O.V

'It's a very tempting idea Nami…but I promised Zoro we would do some homework together tonight and since his uncle is out of town for the weekend, he's going to need someone capable to cook for him.'

Robin just loves making my plans difficult, doesn't she?

'Look Robin, it's just for one night, it's the chance of a lifetime,' I reason. 'I mean, couldn't Zoro look after himself for one night without having someone hold his hand?'

Robin raises an eyebrow.

Nothing needs to be said.

I slump back down on my seat and let out a sigh. The two of us had managed to steal a pair of desks at the back of the class to have our private conversation and now all my efforts seem for naught.

'Okay, I get it. So, there's no way you can ditch moss-head and come with me to hear the Soul King play? I actually feel sorry for you.'

'Zoro's company is not that unbearable,' Robin comments in her usual aloof manner.

'Oh yeah,' I mutter. 'And pigs just learned how to grow wings and fly.'

'You know Nami, I'm actually quite surprised you asked me to come with you,' Robin reveals. Her attempt at switching the topic works completely and I turn to her with wide eyes.

'Oh really?'

'Yes,' Robin replies, that usual knowing grin slipping onto her face. 'If anything, I thought you'd ask Luffy first.'

Ba-bom!

There it was again, the beating. Thank you Robin, it wasn't like I'd been having heart problems as of late anyway.

'I didn't think it'd be his sort of thing,' I lie, terribly apparently considering Robin is still staring at me with her smile.

'Really? Because I remember him showing off quite a few musical talents a few days ago,' Robin says.

'Why don't you and I get together?'

Damn it Robin, just when I thought Luffy singing those words was going to leave my head.

'It doesn't matter,' I reply, not even bothering to argue her point. I didn't have the patience today. Robin seems to notice this and her expression softens.

'You know I'm not just teasing you for the sake of it,' she says.

'Then why are you?' I ask, glancing at her with misplaced anger.

'Because I've gotten bored waiting for you to figure it out.' I shake my head at Robin's words. Figure what out? What is she talking about?

'Excuse me.' The sudden voice causes both Robin and I to look upwards. I pale instantly. Hancock is towering over me, looming like a monster from some forgotten nightmare. Her face is as pale as starlight and her eyes a deep ocean of…absent malice? Well, that's a surprise. I was expecting Hancock to try and tackle me to the ground whenever she saw me…but now, she seems completely different. Almost sombre in demeanour.

'What do you want?' I ask and, surprisingly, the words don't come out as a bitter slur. Hancock seems somewhat thankful for this and gives me a smile.

'I wanted to talk with you...' She casts a glance in Robin's direction. 'Alone…' Robin didn't need to be told twice.

She quickly excused herself and stood up from the desk she and I were sitting it at to talk, making her way over towards the front of the class, where Johnny and Yosaku were both trying to arm-wrestle Zoro, who didn't even bat an eyelid at their strained faces. I watch her go and then turn back to Hancock.

'Er…okay then, what do you want to talk about?'

This feels WEIRD!

Usually, I and Hancock would be insulting each other and fighting like two dogs warring over the same bone. Now, however, we both seem…calmer. For one, my head was aching too much with the enigma of Luffy to be angry and Hancock, usually the warmonger, generally seemed to want to talk nice for a change.

'Well…' Hancock begins, only to lose her words under my gaze. 'I…er…what I mean to say is…'

'Spit it out,' I finally say with a shrug.

'I'm sorry.'

I blink.

'You…you're what?'

'I'm sorry,' Hancock repeated, giving me a sincere look of sorrow. 'About hurting you I mean, a while back. When I did it…I was just really jealous and stupid and I'm really sorry…'

I couldn't find the words to reply. I just stare at Hancock, gaping at her look some circus freak. I clear my throat and look her up and down, as if analysing if this were a joke or not.

'…Well…this is…'

'You're supposed to say apology accepted.' I blink once more. Well…that was even more shocking. First, Hancock actually apologies to me for something she's done (a logical impossibility at that) and then, just when for an instant I think she's not as mean as I first thought, WHAM! She's back to assuming she has the right to be forgiven immediately.

Never the less, I've got to admit, I'm tired of our little grudge. It's burned all of the energy out of me and so I just nod along with Hancock.

'Yeah…it's okay I guess…' I mumble. 'Where did this come from?' Hancock returns my quizzical stare.

'What do you mean?'

'Well...' Now I feel like the bitch. 'Well…you…you've never really…apologised about anything before to me…no offense. It just seems a little odd that you would just come over here and you'd suddenly say sorry…'

'Well, Luffy said it would be a good idea too…'

Instantly, my good mood shatters and my confused expression becomes a frown.

'Luffy told you to do this?'

'He mentioned it,' Hancock says innocently with a shrug. 'And I thought it was best I try and make friends with you, considering everything.'

'Considering everything?' I repeat with a raised eyebrow.

'Yeah, considering I'm Luffy's new girlfriend.'

The words smack me in the face like a bullet train whizzing past.

'I'm sorry?' I spit back, my eyes suddenly ablaze. Hancock barely seems to notice.

'Oh yes, didn't you hear? He took me out on a date a few days ago so we could finish our project. He was such a gentleman…'

Oh, she just did it. She pushed all my wrong buttons at once.

Firstly, her apology wasn't genuine. She hadn't apologised because she'd generally cared she had hurt me. If she had, I would have accepted. Heck, maybe I could have made peace with Hancock and we COULD have been friends…but no, that wasn't the case. She didn't care. She never cared about anyone but herself (as usual). She simply saw the apology a means to an end.

And secondly, the end she was aiming for. Luffy's girlfriend? AS FUCKING IF!

Suddenly, all my calmness vanishes along with my patience and self-control.

GOODBYE NOT CARING!

GOODBYE BEING TOO TIRED TO GET ANGRY!

HELLO PURE EMOTION NAMI!

'SAY WHAT?' I shout, perhaps louder than I intended to. Luckily, Johnny and Yosaku are being pretty loud themselves and their arm-wrestle with Zoro completely drowns out my cry. Hancock backs up at my shout, considering surprised by my sudden anger.

'You self entitled arrogant airhead!' I yelled, glaring her down. 'You REALLY need to work on your people skills next time you even think of delivering an apology that's even fucking TRYING to be HONEST!' Hancock's face flares up at my words and her stance changes instantly.

'Well what would you know of manners you orange haired banshee?'

'More than you do apparently snake bitch!' I bellow back. Oh, this was good. A return to form…and I NEEDED to get some frustration out.

'What did you call me you UGLY WHORE?'

'Oh and second thing: you being Luffy's girlfriend? You really think that? He was doing a PROJECT with you! He didn't take you out because he wanted to be on a date with you!'

Maybe he did…and maybe I'd just overstepped the bounds. Calling Hancock out on her fake apology was one thing…but this? This was just me exploding all of my pent up rage in Hancock's face. It wasn't fair, she hadn't actually done anything too wrong right?

And yet it felt right to shout in her face like this, to let out all my stress and suddenly, I feel myself fill with even more energy.

'You must be joking!' Hancock screams in reply. 'You think Luffy is in love with you instead, is that it?' I didn't reply to that.

'Hancock, Luffy is an IDIOT! He wouldn't know a date if it hit him round the back of his head!'

'You're lying!' Hancock shrieks, crimson rage spreading across her face.

'No, I'm not,' I reply, before looking over to Luffy. Like everyone else in the class, he seems unaware of our argument (either Johnny and Yosaku were really loud or I and Hancock had been talking a lot quieter than I thought) and is currently joking around with Chopper and Usopp.

He laughs and I feel my stomach bubbling.

'And I can prove it…'

Without even thinking, I move over towards Luffy. Determined, I march steadily forwards never faltering in my stride until I'm right next to him.

The instant I'm at Luffy's desk, I leap onto it at a side, interrupting him in mid-conversation with Usopp. One of my legs folds over the other and I place both of my hands on his desk as I lean towards him, turning on all my feminine charm.

'Hey Luffy,' I say, smiling as wide as I can and even offering a wink for good measure. Luffy looks stunned for a moment but then eventually returns it with a shudder…is that some red on his cheeks?

'Hey Nami, what's up?'

'I've got two tickets to see Soul King Brook tonight live at the Dawn City Stadium,' I announce happily. This seems to grab everyone's attention. Even Zoro stops and looks up at me…before slamming Yosaku and Johnny's hands onto the table. Hancock, in particular, is looking like she's just seen a ghost.

'The Soul King?' a whisper goes out through the class.

'Is she for real?' another murmur wonders aloud.

Luffy's reaction, thankfully, is much more vocal. He smiles and his cheeks stretch out as he beams. The bubbling in my stomach is back but somehow I ignore it. This is more important.

'WOW! YOU'VE GOT TICKETS TO SEE BROOK! HE'S AWESOME!'

I swear I can hear Robin giggling over my shoulder.

'Yeah,' I confirm with a smile, producing one of the tickets out of thin air and holding it out to him. 'You want to come with?'

Luffy didn't need to say a word. His face tells me everything he's thinking.

First, he looks confused, probably analysing whether or not this is a joke or something like that. Then, the confusion gives way to a happy curl of his lips.

…Seeing as it is Luffy though, he did speak anyway…

'REALLY? YOU MEAN IT?' he asks and without waiting for a reply, he stands up and lunges straight at me, enveloping me in a huge hug. 'OH THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!' And suddenly, my heart sounds like it's ready to burst. Wonderful...

In a split second, his enthusiasm drops however and he pulls back from the hug to give me a worried look.

'Though I've got quite a bit of homework to do…I'm not sure if…'

'You can do it over the weekend,' I reply. 'I promise I'll personally tutor you!'

That's all the encouragement Luffy seems to need and he smiles at me once more before hugging me again. With his arms around me, I suddenly feel like I could melt and be completely content as a puddle on the floor. Oh, what was is this boy doing to my head?

'NAMI! YOU'RE THE BEST!'

'That I am,' I agree with a cheeky grin. 'I'll meet you outside of class at the end of the day and we'll go straight there, catch a meal along the way, what do you say?'

'WHAT!? NAMI, THAT'D BE AWESOME!' Stars flash in Luffy's eyes and I know my work is done.

'See you then,' I finish, slipping off of his desk and going to sit at my own beside his. My legs suddenly turn to jelly but with the support of my arm on my desk, I manage to walk normally, even throwing in a little shake of my bum just in case Luffy chose to watch me walk away. Sitting down at my desk, I look up to Hancock at the back of the room and just smile the biggest grin I can.

I'm pretty sure if Beckman hadn't walked in at that exact moment and called form period to order, she would have killed me right then and there, with her bare hands if she needed to. I smirk however as she skulks off back to her own seat. Marigold and Sandersonia shoot me glares as well but at this point, I was too high on my own self-esteem to care.

I'd shown Hancock what's for and taught her she couldn't just manipulate people, especially Luffy. I had maybe gone a bit overboard but at that moment, I didn't care for that. Robin and Vivi give me looks of encouragement on the way past (for some reason) and when Sanji takes his seat, he hangs his head to the table, mumbling my name in a mournful tone, as if I've just died. Everyone else acts normally, taking their seats as gossip fills the air.

'About time,' I hear Zoro grumble as he focuses on Beckman addressing the class.

…A minute later, my brain finally catches up with my body and observes the car crash scenario I have just been involved in. I froze instantly and I feel my whole body tingle. My head feels like its floating and my stomach becomes a whirlpool of excitement.

I had just asked Monkey D. Luffy on a date.

I had asked my best friend out on a date…

I had…I HAD EVEN DONE THE SEXY BUTT WIGGLE! MY LIFE WAS OVER!

I hadn't meant for everything to seem like that. I had just wanted to prove Hancock wrong and all her words about her being Luffy's girlfriend ticked me off…they might have even annoyed me less than the whole fake apology thing. So I had shown her that Luffy never treated anything anyone said like a date…

By technically asking him on a date…

I could burst out crying right here and now in the middle of class. I feel so confused. Half of my head is screaming that I've done the right thing, the other half is screaming in agony. Because this was the smartest thing to do when I started getting mixed feelings regarding my best friend and wanted time to think so that I was sure how I felt about him…

ASK HIM OUT ON A DATE!

I put my head in my hands and let out a soft exhale of air.

Damn my stupid headstrong self…

Luffy...

No, I can still work with this. This was what I was telling Hancock. Luffy WOULDN'T know a date if it just wiggled its butt in his face! By all accounts, he'd probably think this was just a friendly thing. Yeah, I could work with that...

Oh, please don't let him think it was date.

Luffy P.O.V

I think Nami just asked me out on a date.

But it couldn't be because it was Nami...

But it sure sounded a lot like a date…

Then again, no girl had ever asked me on a date before except Hancock and she hadn't known anything about subtlety, so how do I really know what being asked out on a date is like? I didn't know!

…But, what I do know is Nami and I know that she was nice enough to let me go with her to watch the Soul King. It can't be denied that Brook makes magical music. I first heard some of his tracks when Makino bought an album of his greatest hits and started playing them in the kitchen as she cooked. Considering the kitchen was where the food was, I was usually around there too and the songs danced easily into my head and got stuck there.

I've been a fan of his songs ever since and apparently, so was everyone else in the class. Usopp was gesturing to me and Nami when she asked like I'd just pulled the holy grail out of my pocket and offered me a (half) playfully jealous glare.

At first, I had thought about turning Nami down. As much as I would have loved to go with her to see Brook, I had planned to do a patrol or two as Scarlet before turning in for an early night of studying…then Bellemere's words from yesterday starting ringing in my head.

The entire police force is more enraged than usual at my actions and Smoker is clearly ready to smash my face into the dirt. Maybe my presence out there tonight might cause more harm than good. I mean, with the police gunning for me, real criminals could easily slip through the net.

Besides, as I had pointed out yesterday myself, I and Nami haven't really spent much time together in a long time. Scarlet's had most of this week in the spotlight but tonight, I think it's about time to just be me and hang out with my best friend. That's what I had promised myself during the whole Predator incident, right? That I'd try and be a bit more balanced in the way I lived my life.

If I was going to stick to that and not fall into the same ditch I was stuck in at the start of the year, I need to start giving Luffy a chance to shine too, not just Scarlet.

Besides, what were the odds that on my day off something major's going to go down?

3rd person P.O.V

When the door finally opened, Bellamy was fuming impatiently.

'About time you got here doc! You arranged this little shindig and then you turn up late. I've been sitting here on this fucking cold as shit table topless for twenty minutes and you just…you…' The hyena bit back his complaints as he noticed the person strolling in. Sure enough, it was not in fact the doctor he had been waiting for.

Instead, walking steadily over towards him, was a woman with long light green hair. She was wearing a loose fitting lab coat and under it, Bellamy could tell she was wearing little more than a tube top.

'Hello there Mr Hyena,' she purred. 'My apologies for my master's tardiness he has been…indisposed. However, Doctor Vegapunk will now be ready to see you shortly.' Quickly, under the stare of this woman, Bellamy calmed down and offered her a flirtatious grin.

'Oh, no problem babe. I was just saying to myself how great this little lab of yours is.'

'Of course,' the woman responded with a knowing nod, as she moved to stand nearby the steel table in the middle of the room. 'Could you please lie down Mr Bellamy?'

'Wow, awfully forward, aren't we hot stuff?' Bellamy said, licking his lips as he walked closer to the woman. Somehow, her face remained blank at his comments.

'Lie down please Mr Bellamy,' she repeated and this time, Bellamy did do, muttering disappointed comments under his breath. Once he was lying down, the green haired woman nodded and walked around the table to retrieve some leather straps.

'Please remain as still as possible,' she said, grabbing the straps and beginning to restrain Bellamy down. The blonde offered her a grin as her hand trailed close to his groin.

'Tying me down first? You really are a kinky…' he began, only to be interrupted as the woman pulled the restraints around his stomach tight.

'Comfy?' the woman inquired, but Bellamy had a feeling she didn't really care about how he felt about this situation.

At that moment, the doors burst open. Though Bellamy couldn't see who had entered at first, he heard a loud laugh that echoed through the laboratory.

'SHOLOLOLOLO!~ Apologies Monet, I was caught in traffic.'

'I have prepared the subject for you master,' the woman replied, easily identifying herself to Bellamy as Monet.

'Ah, my dear you are a star!' the unseen man exclaimed, followed by his bizarre laugh. 'Well then, let's get a good luck at him then.' As the man finally came into view, leering his ugly face down at Bellamy, the Hyena felt a surge of terror run through him. The man didn't look anything like he had expected a renowned doctor to look like.

Of course, he was wearing a lab coat, on which the word "GAS" was spelt in bright red lettering but the yellow, black and orange striped leotard he wore under it made him resemble a circus attraction. His face was gaunt and pale as bone. His eyes were a deep gold and glowed with a hidden flame. Twin horns plunged out of the scientist's wild black head of hair whilst his untamed locks flowed outwards at all angles, trailing quite a way over his shoulders and down his back, framing his face like some disturbed artist's portrait.

The man smiled down at Bellamy, his lips tinged a horrific purple colour. Bellamy felt his heart stop as the man spoke.

'Greetings Bellamy the Hyena. I am Vegapunk.' The blonde gang leader couldn't speak for a moment, still taking in the good doctor's appearance. Finally, he found his voice, though it came out strained and confused.

'You don't sound like the guy I talked with on the phone,' Bellamy mumbled. Vegapunk simply grinned at him in reply.

'Of course, I was speaking to you through a voice filter to hide my identity. You can't trust anyone in this city. Besides, haven't you heard the phrase "the phone adds ten octaves"?'

'I'm pretty sure the phrase is "the camera adds ten pounds",' Bellamy muttered but once more, he was disregarded by the scientist.

'Now Monet my dear, remind me what MY latest concoction for this young man was.'

'A special super serum designed to mimic the elastic abilities of the Scarlet Wind,' Monet explained, handing the man a bizarre device that appeared to fit on the arm, like some odd glove. Coming off of the metal gauntlet was a large glass container filled with an odd golden liquid.

'Ah, of course,' Vegapunk responded…as if he had absolutely no idea what he was holding. 'I'll just clamp this sucker on then and we'll begin the procedure.'

'Excuse me sir,' Monet quickly spoke up, moving beside Vegapunk and whispering in his ear. 'In the notes on the serum, our…mutual friend seemed to express that the serum is a prototype. He believed he isolated the ability to manipulate one's own body in the manner that the Scarlet Wind does but he is unsure about the electrical voltage and added vitamins he put into the serum. Maybe it should be tested on an animal of some kind before…'

'My dear Monet, this IS the test!' Vegapunk cried, slapping the gauntlet onto Bellamy's arm. The mobster winced as he felt several tiny needles penetrating his skin. He looked at the gauntlet just in time to see the golden liquid disappear completely from the container.

Bellamy groaned as his entire arm began to burn. Quickly, the feeling began to spread throughout his body. First, he passed down to his fist, then it sprang up his arm and lingered in his chest before rebounding outwards to the rest of his body. Bellamy snapped his eyes shut as the burning spread upwards to his face and held in an urge to scream by biting his lip.

Monet backed away from the table, giving Bellamy a worried stare, whilst Vegapunk stood alongside her smirking. The strain within Bellamy's body soon spread through his head and finally, the man embraced the urge to shout.

'RRRRRAAAAAAGH!' Bellamy roared, kicking against his restrains with both his legs. Oddly enough, the restraints gave way almost too easily. The skin on the bottom of his ankles were both hurting now, aching as if they'd been shot with a bullet. Bellamy finally opened his eyes and once more, lashed out with his legs. This time, as he moved his skin began to bubble and shift.

His ankle began changing shape, curling around itself. Bellamy yelled once more as he felt the bones in his legs getting crushed as his body changed to its new shape. His wrists held a similar sensation in store for him as they began to curl into a new bizarre shape as well. Bellamy shrieked loudly and resumed writhing in agony. In this state, he could hardly hear what Monet and Vegapunk were talking about. Words flew in and out of his brain but none of them properly registered.

'Caesar, you could have handled this with more tact, don't you think?'

'Vegapunk told me to make him a Scarlet clone and that's what I'm doing.'

'You could have shown some caution to this. It looks like his own body is trying to reject the serum. Look, it's only his ankles and his wrists that have become elastic and even then, they're curling around uselessly. At this rate, he's going to die.'

'Such a shame…ah well, send in the next one.'

'There is no next one master. That's why Vega said to be careful with this one.'

'What? Why don't you mention this before?'

'I tried to sir but you just ignored…'

'Yeah, whatever. The point is I'm losing money here! Donflamingo would never pay us now that this experiment is a…'

At that moment, Bellamy suddenly came to his senses. In an instant, his burning body chilled to the temperature of an iceberg. The air around his curled joints crackled as they hardened in place, adopting a grey colour as the skin hardened. A sort of numbness spread from the nerves on his hand and his feet but apart from that, Bellamy suddenly felt fine.

Once more, Bellamy kicked out with both legs. The curled joints on his ankles absorbed the force of his kick and shot outwards suddenly like a spring. Bellamy's feet shot just past where Vegapunk's head had once been and smashed against some glass on the far side of the lab. Both Monet and the dark haired doctor turned to face the smashed glass in shock. After a brief pause, Vegapunk grinned.

'Or…this can work,' he commented with a loud laugh of 'SHOLOLOLOLO'. Monet turned back to face Bellamy, who was struggling against his restraints. As Bellamy's springs recoiled back into his body, the resulting force snapped the restraints of the man's legs.

Monet rushed to the man's side and quickly peeled him out of the restraints, refusing to let more equipment than necessary be destroyed by the test subject. Upon being released, Bellamy instantly sprung upwards off the table and looked to his spring like limbs.

'Wh-what the hell did you do to me?' he asked, eyes wide.

'We gave you elastic powers!' Vegapunk stated with a grin. 'I mean, it's true that they only manifested around four specific points on your body…but just look at the results! Those limbs are now harder than before and your punches and kicks pack a lot more punch. You don't look like you can swing from rooftops…but you look like you could lead tall buildings in a single bound. You're like a stronger version of our Scarlet terror.'

Bellamy grinned at Vegapunk's words and lashed out with a fist. The fist cracked the tile that it impacted with on the other side of the room, before bouncing off and knocking over some tools before snapping back to Bellamy's side.

'Stronger than the Scarlet Wind?' Bellamy murmured, flexing his arm and hand. 'I like it!' Monet, however, was far less pleased with Bellamy's actions as she began scooping up tools off the floor.

'You might want to work on the ricochet there,' she commented with a sigh. 'We wouldn't want you breaking anything in here.'

'Ricochet, huh?' Bellamy mumbled to himself. The word seemed to resonate with him. 'Yeah, Ricochet. I like that, sounds cool! Think I'll make it my new name. All the best super powered beings have names right? Scarlet's got his, Ricochet will be mine!'

'Were you even paying attention to what I was saying?' Monet muttered dejectedly to herself.

'Just ignore her,' Vegapunk muttered, looping his arm around Bellamy's shoulder. 'So then Ricochet, now that I've given you the power of a god, what's your plan on taking down the Scarlet Wind?' Bellamy looked to Vegapunk and grinned.

'If I see the bastard, I'm gonna kick his ass.'

Vegapunk barely managed to contain himself from sighing.

'Such a great tactical plan of genius,' he said through gritted teeth. 'I, however, have another…suggestion, if you're willing to listen?'

'Go on then Doc, what's your big idea then?' Bellamy growled, looking over to the dark haired man in confusion.

'Easy. You want to take over this city's underworld right? Then you need to take down Scarlet first but to take down Scarlet, you have to find him…so the first step is getting his attention.'

'Getting that Scarlet freak's attention, huh?' Bellamy muttered.

'Yes, you should do something to provoke him like…rob a bank or steal candy from a baby or…something big and public to get his attention.'

Bellamy pondered on Vegapunk's words for a moment before allowing a smirk to pass onto his face.

'Somewhere big and public to get his attention?' he repeated with a grin, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a flier from his pocket. The words "SOUL KING" whispered soothingly up to him from the paper. 'I think I've got just the place in mind…'

To be continued in Chapter 4: Duality Principle Act 3

Until then, I'm Shadowonthewall6 and I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter.

Please review. Positive criticism is welcome.