Eight Hours

Part Three

"All right! Now it's time to fly!" Luffy screamed. He threw his arms up into the air. "Who's coming with us?!"

"I want to fly!" Chopper said with his hooves raised high. He ran over to Neo and jumped into her arms. "I want to fly!"

"Okay, okay. We're going to fly now," Neo said, hugging the reindeer to her chest.

"I think I'd like to as well," Franky said. "It sounds like it will be super."

"I'm in," Sanji said. He walked over to Neo and the group gathering around her. "Mostly because I don't trust you idiots to behave while in the air with her."

Neo laughed. "It'll be fine."

"I'm still coming," Sanji said with a smile.

"Hey, Momo! You should come with us!" Luffy said. He ran over to the boy. "What do ya say?"

"We shall pass on that, Sir Luffy," Kin'emon answered.

"Aw, why?" Luffy asked. "Don't you trust Neo?"

"It is not a matter of trust," Kin'emon replied. "I believe that Lady Neo would be gentle with my son. I just prefer him to remain on the ground."

"Oh, all right," Luffy said. He spun away from them and grabbed on to Brook's arm. "You're coming!"

"Wait! I don't want to!" Brook screamed. His bony limbs waving like flags as Luffy pulled him over to Neo. Once at their destination, Brook fell on his face when Luffy dropped him on the deck. "I think you broke my face."

"Why not?" Neo asked. "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do," Brook replied, picking himself up off the floor. He stepped closer to Neo and leaned over to her. "It's just that, I spent enough time with Luffy back on Sabaody. We road all of those roller coasters they had there at the amusement part. I hated it. I'm afraid I'm just not suited to such extreme movements."

"I see," Neo said. Chopper climbed over her shoulder to her back and she collapsed her hands behind her with a sweet smile. "I've never road roller coasters before. But I promise I won't go that fast. You really should come with us."

"Well," Brook said. He started into her childlike eyes. With each passing second, he felt himself caving to her against his will. "…"

"Please?" Neo blinked innocently at him. She summoned her wind crystals and pulled a gentle breeze around them. The wind lifted up the smell of sun-warmed wood to their noses.

"Uh, well, I…" Brook's shoulders slumped.

Sanji laughed at the skeleton's defeated expression. "Give it up, Brook. She's got your number. There's no way you can say no to her now."

"All right then," Brook said with a sigh.

"Yes! Let's go! It's time to fly!" Luffy screamed while he jumped into the air. Before he could land, Neo caught him in her winds. He waved his arms and legs. "Wow! I'm flying!"

"Here we go," Neo said. She extended her winds around the rest of the crew who decided to fly with her. Chopper and Franky examined their now vertical bodies while Brook carefully looked around and Sanji just remained in a relaxed position with his hands in his pockets. She flew them around gently for a while, before picking up speed. She guided their group around the Sunny, weaving in and out of places before taking them up to the clouds above them.

"This is so cool!" Chopper exclaimed as Neo weaved him in and out of a cloud.

"This is so much fun! It's just like swimming in the water! But without having to hold your breath!" Luffy shouted. He rolled over onto his back and preformed the backstroke. "Go faster!"

"No! Not me!" Brook screamed. His facial bone structure twisted into pure fear.

Neo couldn't help but laugh at the face the skeleton was making. She said, "Don't worry, Brook. I won't let you go any faster than you already are."

"Thank you," Brook sighed.

Neo ordered her wind crystals to picked up speed on Luffy and Chopper while maintaining her steady pace on Brook. She looked over at Franky. The cyborg was spinning in circles like a ballet dance. She giggled and left him at the steady speed he already was at.

"I think I'll just hoover here beside you for a while," Sanji said.

"Actually, hovering sounds really nice right now," Brook said.

"Okay," Neo replied. She pulled them to her side while turning her eyes back to Brook. She studied his seemingly unmovable face. "You know, I never would have guessed a skeleton could have so many facial expression as he does."

"Then I guess we're even then because I never would have guessed a creature like yourself ever existed," Brook said.

"How is it possible you can have so many expressions without skin and eyes?" Neo asked, seeming to not have heard what Brook had said. She lifted herself up close to Brook's face. Her eyes darted over his facial bones before she started poking him with her finger and with pure curiosity.

"Uh," Brook drawled while he patiently allowed her to poke and inspect him.

Sanji laughed. He said, "Well, isn't she just the curious one?"

"Indeed," Brook said. He smiled as Neo ran the tip of her fingers from his chin to his forehead. Her curious expressed gave him the impression that she pretty much forgot that he and Sanji were right there. "It seems that she is no longer scared of us at all."

"I think you might be right," Sanji said.

"Is this because of your devil fruit power?" Neo asked.

"I suppose it's possible," Brook replied.

"Wow." Neo finally pulled back from Brook. She collapsed her hands behind her and smiled at the two Straw Hats. "I never would have guessed someone would have a skeleton for a crewmate."

Sanji nodded. "I never expect we'd have a skeleton as a crewmate either. But it's not really that surprising considering Luffy always tried to recruit every single freaky creature we come across."

"Really?" Neo asked. She looked over her shoulder to check on Franky, Luffy and Chopper. They were still happily flying around so she returned her attention to Sanji.

"Yup." Sanji nodded. "He even tried to recruit zombies back on Thriller Bark."

"Zombies?" Neo eyes widened. "I can't imagine having zombies on our crew anymore than I can a skeleton."

"I suppose it is a bit hard to believe. You know you're multitasking skills are impressive," Sanji said as he watched his crewmates flying in different directions without Neo watching them. "How are you able to do that without watching where they are?"

"Thanks. The credit goes to Law and the crew since they were the ones who trained me," Neo replied. "Besides that, I can feel them with my wind currents. It's a lot easier to fly them up here since there are no obstacles up here except for the occasional bird. If we were down on an island or inside of a forest, flying them around would be a bit more difficult. I'd have to feel out for trees and rocks. But it would still be fairly easy for me to do."

"Your crew must be very proud of you," Sanji said. "I can tell that you've grown up quite a lot. They've done very well in taking care of you."

"Thanks, Sanji." Neo rubbed the heel in the hand of her eye when tears came to her electric blue orbs. "They're the ones who taught me all of this. I would still be a crying, suicidal mess if it wasn't for them."

"Sorry," Sanji said sympathetically. "I didn't mean to make you feel sad."

"It's okay. It's not your fault. It seems like any little thing makes me feel so emotional anymore. I don't know why," Neo replied. She brushed the tears from her eyes with the back of her arm, unaware of Sanji's involuntary flinch. "I just really miss them a lot. I've been away from them for far too long. And I know they miss us. Bepo is probably a crying, depressed mess. And Penguin…he's probably even worse than Bepo. They're probably driving the rest of the crew crazy by now."

"Yeah," Sanji agreed. He let his eyes drop to her stomach before pulling them away from her.

"You know, this is actually the very first time that I've been away from them and the sub," Neo said. "And I hate every single second of it."

"Try not to think about it," Sanji said. He placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "You'll be back with them before you know it. All we have to do is destroy the factory here and we're gone."

"Yeah." Neo nodded with a smile. She turned her attention to Brook when the skeleton called out to her.

"Hey, hey!" Brook said. He put a bony finger under her chin and tilted her eyes to him. "What's with the tears? This is a fun time! Not a time for crying!"

"You're right." Neo nodded. "I'm sorry. I was just feeling a bit homesick."

"How about a song to lighten the mood up again?" Brook offered. He pulled out his violin and bow. "Would you like that, Neo?"
"Yes!" Neo nodded with excitement. Her eyes lit up with sparkles. Beside her, Sanji was chuckling at her sudden mood change. "I haven't heard you play yet! Play something we can dance to!"

"Yeah! Play us something, Brook!" Luffy said while cartwheeling through the air. "Captain's orders!"

"Yo ho ho! All right! Here we go!" Brook pulled his bow across the strings. A soft, but upbeat melody rang out from the violin.

"You dance?" Chopper asked, his head already bobbing back and forth to the music.

"No, not really," Neo replied. She shifted her winds again and pulled the Straw Hats closer to them. "I've only done it a couple of times. But it was a fun thing to do when I have done it."

"Then allow me to show you some dance steps," Sanji said. He placed his left hand behind his back and held out his right hand to her. He glanced down at Law. They were only about a hundred yards in the air, but he was sure the captain could clearly see them. He took a nervous gulp then chuckled. "That is…if Law won't kill me for dancing with you."

"He wont," Neo replied with a giggle. She could feel Law glowering up at Sanji already. "He'll just get jealous and glare at you."

"Then shall we?" Sanji asked.

"Okay." Neo nodded. She placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her towards him.

"I'm not going to scare you if I place my hand on your hip, will I?" Sanji asked. "It won't make you feel cornered, will it?"

"I'm fine with it. Go ahead," Neo replied.

Sanji nodded. He placed his left hand on her hip and pulled her even closer to him. He studied her eyes. A small amount of uncertainty was in her beautiful blue orbs, but it faded after a few seconds and was replaced with pure innocence and trust. He said, "Ready? Here we go. Just relax and follow my lead. We'll start off slow. And…one, two, three…one, two, three…"

Neo kept her eyes on his for a few second before they dropped down to their feet. She lifted her eyes back to Sanji when he chuckled. "What?"

"Don't look down. Just keep your eyes on me," Sanji instructed.

"Why?" Neo asked.

"You'll mess up more if you look down," Sanji replied.

"Oh," Neo drawled.

"What are they doing up there?" Nami asked, looking up to at sky. She was still sitting with Robin at the small white table Sanji had brought out to them. She shielded her eyes from the bright sun with her hand.

"It looks like Sanji is dancing with Neo," Robin replied. She smiled as she watched Sanji and Neo glide around in the air. Luffy and Chopper had started dancing with each other. Luffy was holding Chopper's hooves, swinging him around while Franky danced in his typical loud style where he struck several silly poses.

"Is that a good idea?" Nami questioned. She glanced over to Law. He was still on the mast bench with his arms and legs crossed. A dark aura was surrounding him while his foot bobbed erratically. A low growl from him caused Nami to jump. She turned away from the glowering captain. "Well, he hasn't formed his Room yet. And Sanji is still in his own body. So I guess it's all right."

Robin smiled. She placed her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her palm.

"One, two, three. One, two, three," Sanji said as he guided Neo around. "That's it. Very good. Remember to keep looking at your dance partner. I must say, you're a very beautiful dancer. It's a bit hard to believe that you've never had a formal lesson before. But, then again, you do have a very natural grace about you. And you seem to pick up on things rather easily."

"Uh, thank you," Neo replied. A light pink dusted across her cheeks.

"If you don't mind me saying, I find it a bit difficult to believe that you grew up the way you have," Sanji said. He guided Neo away from him before spinning her back into him. "If we never met you back on Sabaody, I would have assumed you were raised like anyone else. It's like you've had lessons on how to be a proper lady instead of being abused then being raised by pirates."

"Penguin has said something similar," Neo recalled. She hummed in thought. "I wonder if it has something to do with me being a royal and having magic."

"It might be possible that you elemental royals are just naturally gifted with such grace," Sanji said with a smile. His smile faded a bit when he noticed Neo staring at him with intense concentration. "What is it?"

"Nothing. Sorry. I don't mean to stare. It's just that…" Neo's voice trailed off. She studied Sanji for a few minutes longer before speaking again. "There's something that strikes me as familiar with you."

"Something familiar?" Sanji asked. He thought for a second then added, "I can't think of anything that we have in common. I mean, nothing huge. We have small similarities. For an example, we both love cooking. And we both want to take good care of our crew's healthy through food. And we're both pretty protective of our crews."

"I suppose you might be right," Neo replied. "But I still feel like there's something else. I know you told me you grew up working on Zeff's ship and then for him at the Baratie, but there's seems to be something else there."

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean," Sanji said.

"You seem to have a natural grace of your own," Neo replied. A moment of silence passed between them before she smiled. "I guess it's because of your training. I've seen your moves in the kitchen. You can't be ungraceful and pull off moves like that."

"Perhaps your right," Sanji said with a half smile.

"Anyway, this music is very lovely," Neo said. She turned her eyes to Brook. "How long have you been playing for?"

"Several years," Brook replied. "I played for my first crew."

"You were on a different crew before the Straw Hats?" Neo asked.

"Indeed I was. Before that, I was the leader of a battle convoy in a kingdom where I learned how to fence and where many of my attacks received their names. Then I met up with the Rumbar Pirates," Brook explained while he continued to play his song. "One day our ship was followed by a baby whale. The poor thing was really upset. We played music for him and he settled down. We named him Laboon. He became one of my best friends. But, unfortunately, we had to leave him behind when we entered into the Grand Line since he was still a baby. But he followed us anyway. We then left him under the care of Crocus who lived at a lighthouse. We promised to come back for him after sailing around the world, but as fate would have it, our crew was destroyed. My former life had been taken and I was giving this one thanks to my devil fruit."

"That's so sad," Neo said. Tears leaked down her cheeks. She brushed them away. "Geez. I'm crying again."

"It's all right. I have come to terms with how that part of my life ended," Brook said. He finished his song and started another one. "I have the Straw Hats now. And I haven't been lonely since. They are really fun and entertaining to be around."

"Yeah." Neo nodded with a smile. She looked over at Luffy, Chopper, and Franky. The three were still dancing and didn't appear to hear their conversation. "They sure are."

"This is so much fun!" Chopper exclaimed while Luffy spun him around.

"Woohoo! Go faster!" Luffy laughed. He suddenly stopped and looked down. He noticed there were several dolphins down in the water that was starting up at them. "Huh? What's that?"

"What are they doing?" Brook asked when the dolphins started jumping up towards them like they were trying to fly. He lowered his violin and bow from his chin.

"They might be wondering about me," Neo replied.

"What do you mean?" Chopper asked.

"Like I said before, animals instantly know that I'm different," Neo replied. "They just wonder about me. These dolphins are just curious. They sense the nature inside of me and came to see what I was. They're also wondering what we're all doing up here in the sky. They're a bit confused."

"Hey! Let's play with them!" Luffy said. He pointed down to the dolphins. "Tell them I want to play with them! We can play with your water crystals for a while now."

"All right." Neo nodded. She slowed down the wind speed on her wind crystals then lowered them down to the water. She was careful to not let the devil fruit users dangle in the water at all. She stretched out their bodies like they would be lying on their stomachs. One of the dolphins lifted up out of the water and kissed her cheek. She giggled. "You're so sweet."

"What did he say?" Luffy asked. He had both his hands on one of the dolphins.

"He said that Neo smells very nice," Chopper replied. He pulled his eyes from Neo when one of the dolphins chirped at him. "Sorry, but we can't breath underwater. Besides, three of us are devil fruit users. If we were to go underwater without protection, we'll drown."

"Actually, I can take you all under the water," Neo said. They all looked at her. "I can combine my wind and water crystals to create an air bubble around us."

"Really?!" Chopper and Luffy screamed with excitement.

"I was just thinking that you would show us some water tricks or something!" Luffy added. "But this is way better!"

"Yeah. Would you like me to take you underwater?" Neo asked.

"Do it!" Chopper and Luffy screamed.

"How about you three?" Neo asked, looking at Sanji, Franky, and Brook.

"I'm in," Sanji said.

"I suppose I would like to see this as well," Brook added. "Your wind control was very impressive."

"I'm in too," Franky said.

Neo nodded. She summoned her water crystals. Pushing the wind around them, she created a shield then slowly lowered them into the water while pushing the water away from them. The boys gasped as Neo lowered them into the water. She said, "Here we go!"

"Wow! This is so cool!" Luffy exclaimed. His eyes darted everywhere. The dolphins had dove down and was swimming around them in a beautiful water ballet. Other fish darted away at the unexpected intrusion, but quickly came back when they sensed the nature in Neo. Seaweed flowed lazily in the currents, clown fish darted in and out of sea anemones, a couple of eels swam by, and some fish poked their heads into their bubble before darting away.

"They're not going to pop this thing, are they?" Franky asked. He watched another fish poke its gray head into the bubble then swim away.

"No. We're completely and perfectly safe in here," Neo replied. "I have my water and wind crystals backing each other up."

"Even if I do this?" Luffy asked. He pulled back his fist and threw a punch outside of Neo's shield. He laughed, but then dropped down when the sea drained his energy. "I fo-go i- da sea."

"Ah! Luffy!" Chopper shrieked. He and Franky grabbed their captain's arm and started to reel him back inside.

"He's really reckless, isn't he?" Neo blinked. She watched until Luffy's arm was back inside the bubble.

"He sure is. You should be careful around him," Sanji said. He turned to Neo at the same time she turned to him. He ran his eyes over her facial features. "Well, you actually might be a lot safer with him than the rest of us since you're Shanks' goddaughter. I don't think Luffy will be that stupid around you. But still, be careful. And, if at any point in time you feel uneasy about something he's doing, just come find one of us."

"All right." Neo nodded. "But I think I'll be fine with him."

"You probably will be," Sanji said. He then huffed. "But, Zoro, I absolutely do not want you to be alone with him at all."

"Why not?" Neo tilted her head.

"Because he does nothing but get lost all the time," Sanji warned. "I'm serious. If you go off alone with him, there's no telling where you'll end up."

"Oh, okay then." Neo collapsed her hands behind her back. She smiled sweetly at him. "But you don't have to worry about me ever getting lost. Remember, I can easily sense where Law is, as long as we're not too far away from each other. And I can always ask animals for direction or even people."

"Ah, you're so cute!" Sanji gushed. Hearts popped up in his eyes. "I trust you far more than I trust that moss head!"

"Enough talk! More fun!" Luffy then cried, snapping out of having his energy drained.

"Well, what all would you like me to do now?" Neo asked.

"Hm." Luffy cupped his chin. He then snapped his fingers. "I know! Make some really wild water slides!"

"Yeah! Water slides!" Chopper and Franky cheered.

"Make them weave around the deck!" Luffy added. He moved his hand around like he was demonstrating what he wanted Neo to do. "And up into the sky! And down into the ocean!"

Neo nodded. She summoned a few more water and wind crystals. She then manipulated the water into a slide that Luffy had asked for. Summoning her earth crystals, she created them large and sturdy leaves to sit on while riding around in the water slide. The Straw Hats laughed and waved to their friends as they passed over the deck before ducking back down into the water.

With some probing from Luffy, Neo sped them up faster than Brook really wanted. Forty five minutes of sliding around, Neo finally dropped them back onto the deck. They all, but Brook, laughed at how much fun they were having. Brook wobbled around the deck before crashing into a pile of bones.

Neo giggled and said, "I'm sorry, Brook."

"It's fine. It's Luffy's fault anyway," Brook moaned. "The Sunny will eventually stop spinning."

"That was so much fun!" Luffy shouted.

"What should we do next?" Chopper asked.

"Whatever it is, leave me out of it," Brook said. He pushed himself up to his feet and walked away from the group with a bit of a stagger in his gate. "It was fun, but I've had enough excitement for now. I'm just going to go sit down and relax for a while."

"Okay. Thanks for playing songs for us. They were very pretty," Neo said. She glanced over at Law. She smiled and waved at him. He returned the gestures.

"I know!" Luffy pounded his fist into his hand. "Lets have you and Usopp do some sniper shots for us!"

"Sorry, Luffy," Usopp replied. He crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not wasting my seeds on a game."

"Aw, come on," Luffy whined.

"Not going to happen." Usopp shook his head.

"You can use rocks," Neo said. She put her hands behind her back and tugged her long hair while tapped her toes on the deck when they looked at her. She summoned her earth crystals and created a pile of rocks at her feet.

"I suppose that would do. Thanks, Neo," Usopp said. He walked over to the pile and squatted down to inspect them. "We can have the crew throw targets up into the air for us. That way the targets will travel at different speeds."

"Sounds good to me," Neo replied. "What would you like to use as targets?"

"Good question," Usopp mumbled. He rubbed his chin in thought while looking around their surroundings. "I'd want to use something that won't hurt the environment and the animals since our targets will fall into the ocean."

"I can create ice balls," Neo suggested. "That way they will melt and nothing will get hurt."

"Sounds good to me," Usopp said. He stood back up and placed his hands on his hips. He looked up at the sun. Sweat rolled down his forehead. He brushed it away with the back of his hand. "Why didn't I think of that? But won't they melt in this heat?"

"I can keep them cool," Neo replied. She pulled out her water and wind crystals again. She swirled the wind around the water she created. "I'll also create a nice, cool breeze for everyone. What kind of sizes would you like?"

"Make some of all sizes," Usopp said. "That way we can really test our skills. Although, you might have a leg up on me since you're born with the elements to assist you."

"Well, how about I limit myself to just my fire crystals?" Neo asked. While continuing to create their ammunition, she summoned a fire crystal. "I can use just one of them."

"I suppose that would be fair enough," Usopp said. He smiled and pulled out his slingshot. "This is just a friendly game after all. All right. Let's do this."

"Let's go!" Luffy cried. He scooped up an ice ball in his hand. He wound up, multiple times, then let the ball fly into the air.

"Hey! Wait! I wasn't ready!" Usopp shrieked.

Neo shot a blast of fire at the ice ball, completely melting it. She giggled. "Come on. We can start now. Ready?"

"Yeah." Usopp nodded.

"Here we go!" Luffy cried. He scooped up several ice balls in his arms. He then grabbed one and threw it into the air. Another followed after it, then another one, another one, and another one, until he had about thirty ice balls sailing through the air.

Neo and Usopp lined up their shots. Usopp took out half of them while Neo took out the other half. They stood ready as Luffy refilled his arms again. Chopper, in his human form, grabbed Luffy's sides. The reindeer then stretched out Luffy's torso while Luffy shot his arms and hands out to the deck. Once the rubber man had his limbs stable, Chopper pulled him back like a human slingshot. Letting go, the ice balls flew into the air. The two snipers easily took out that round of targets.

Robin chuckled while she, Nami and Sanji watched the snipers. She said, "I bet she's going to be hungry once our crew decides to let her take a break from all of this playing."

"Looks like it's a good thing that they settled on a time limit," Nami said. Her chin was rested in the palms of her hands while her elbows were on the table. Her eyes were locked onto Luffy, Chopper, Usopp, and Neo. The group of four was laughing since Neo had switched from being a sniper to creating different types of targets for Usopp to hit. Luffy was clearly giving Neo instructions on what to make. He had her create several ice sculptures of the crew. "Otherwise, I don't think Luffy would let her stop playing until he ran her into the ground."

"That's hilarious!" Luffy cried out. He wrapped his arms around his stomach and laughed at the current ice sculpture that Neo had suspended in the air. He had her make one of Franky wearing a tutu and a Mohawk while doing a ballet pose with water coming out of his mouth.

"It's super!" Franky said with a heartily laugh. He then struck the pose she had created of him in ice.

Usopp fired his rocks at the Franky ice sculpture. He chipped off ice Franky's nose, a couple of fingers, a couple of toes and part of his hair. He laughed. "Now that's an improvement!"

"Me next!" Chopper said. He transformed into his Horn Point. "Can you do this one?"

"Sure." Neo nodded. She studied Chopper's form for a moment before guiding her crystals and created the ice sculpture of him. She then lifted the sculpture into the air for Usopp to hit.

Usopp reloaded his slingshot. He aimed towards the sculpture and fired.

"I think we all could use a little snack before we arrive at Dressrosa," Sanji said. "Something nutritional with an energy boast."

"A fruit parfait sounds really good," Nami suggested.

"That does sound good. I'll get right on that," Sanji said. He walked away from the women and headed for the kitchen. He paused when he noticed Law's eyes were not only locked onto Neo, but was trailing over her body. He chuckled to himself before he walked over to the distracted captain. "Hey, Law."

Law pulled his gaze away from Neo. "What?"

"I'm going to make some parfaits. Would you like one?" Sanji asked.

"No," Law replied. His eyes wandered back over to Neo. He about growled when the cook stepped closer to him.

"How about something a little smaller then?" Sanji asked. Though he didn't look at Law, he could still feel the captain looking back up at him. "That look on your face says it all."

"Fine," Law mumbled.

"I'll be discreet," Sanji replied. He then headed off towards the men's quarters. He entered into their shared room and moved over towards the lockers. He opened his and dug around for a few seconds before finding what he was looking for. He pocketed the item, closed his locker, and headed out of the room. He walked over to Law and pulled the item back out of his pocket then tossed it at the distracted captain.

Law easily, and quickly, snatched the little package out of the air. He glanced up at the blonde haired man. The cook had his eyes looking up at the sky and his cigarette in-between his fingers. He cast Law a sideways glance and grinned. Before walking away, he said, "I've helped you as much as I could. Finding a place is up to you."

Law let his hat drop over his eyes. He pocketed the protection with a nod of understanding. He then turned his hidden eyes back to Neo. He sat patiently while waiting for the right moment to pull her away from the Straw Hats. He knew that was going to be when she took a nap. Now he just had to decide if he wanted her before or after her nap.

"Do some combined attacks now!" Luffy said.

"Combined attacks?" Neo asked. She blinked a few times. "Like what? By myself?"

"No, I want you to combine attacks with us. There's got to be some way to do that." Luffy cupped his chin in thought.

"Well, Neo could sped up our punches and kicks with her winds," Chopper said.

"I can do that." Neo nodded. She summoned a wind crystal and wrapped it around her fist. "I always create a wind barrier around myself before I hit or kick someone. Even then I don't like people touching me. The barrier helps me not freak out in battle."

"That makes sense," Chopper said.

"Whatever we decide to do we really shouldn't get too wild," Franky said. "I really don't feel like doing any in route ship repairs. And I certainly won't be happy if you all destroy the ship."

"Then maybe it will be best if we work on that some other time," Neo suggested.

"What?! No way!" Luffy protested. "We still have time right now to play! I want you to wrap your winds around me! And put some spikes on me!"

"Spikes?" Neo asked.

"I think he means thorns," Chopper said.

"Hm." Neo tapped her chin. She summoned an earth crystal. She threaded out a thorny vine and wrapped it around Luffy's knuckles. "Something like that?"

"Yeah!" Luffy nodded enthusiastically. He punched the air a few times, testing his spiky fist. "This is great!"

"I really don't know what all we can do," Neo said. She looked around at the four Straw Hats that were standing with her. "I really don't want to use my fire crystals on any of you. And my water crystals are definitely out on you devil fruit users. I'll be fine with my earth and wind crystals."

"Don't worry about it, Neo. We don't have to worry about it right now," Chopper said.

"You can use your fire crystals on us," Luffy said. He held up his right wrist. "I want you to create a fire ring around my wrist."

"But, Luffy…" Neo's voice trailed off.

"Come on. There's no reason to fear doing this," Luffy said. He patted her shoulder. "I trust you. You're not going to hurt me. And you have plenty of control over your crystals. Besides, you've trained with your crew while using your crystals."

Neo took a deep breath and slowly released it. She glanced over at Law. He was watching her closely like always, but clearly was letting her decide if she wanted to do this. She chewed on her bottom lip in thought before nodding at Luffy. "All right. Let's do it."

"Great!" Luffy nodded.

Neo summoned two small fire crystals. She placed them near Luffy's wrist and engulfed them in fire. She carefully made sure the hottest part of the fire was away from his skin. She watched him move his arm around and had her crystals follow him.

"I'm going to speed up now," Luffy said.

"All right." Neo nodded. She continued to watch Luffy's moves carefully. She found it was easier than she expected.

"You're doing good, Neo," Chopper said, encouragingly.

"Totally super," Franky added.

"Probably because she can sense Luffy," Usopp said. "I'm not sure she would be doing this this easily if she was doing it with someone else that she couldn't sense."

"You think so?" Chopper asked.

"Of course. She can sense Luffy so she wouldn't have to be actually looking at him to do a move like this," Usopp explained. "It should be the same with you, Chopper. She can sense you after all."

"That makes sense," Chopper said. "But she can use her winds to feel out for people. So she can combine attacks that way. It would require a bit more concentration for her."

"I think I'll pass on that," Usopp said.

"Go ahead and throw a punch, Luffy," Neo said.

"Are you sure?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "I've got the hang of this now."

"All right! Here I go!" Luffy shot out his fist into the air.

Neo easily followed with her crystals. She quickly summoned her wind and water crystals again and shot an ice ball into the air. Luffy's fist shattered it while Neo's fire melted the pieces. The Straw Hats cheered and clapped at the display. Luffy and Neo exchanged smiles then spend the next forty minutes working on that particular move until Sanji wandered back out onto the deck with several parfaits on a silver tray.

"Hey! You children stop goofing around now!" Sanji called to them. He walked the tray over to the table Nami and Robin were still sitting at. "I got parfaits for everyone!"

"Great!" Chopper said. His eyes sparkled as he headed over for the treat.

"Great. I'm pretty hungry," Usopp said, following after Chopper. "And parfaits sound really good right now."

"I'm all for it," Franky said.

"Come on, Neo!" Luffy grabbed Neo's hand as she banished her fire crystals. He led her over to the table and guided her down to her seat. He then grabbed himself a parfait and spooned a large bite into his mouth.

"Here you go, Neo," Sanji said. He sat down a parfait in front of her.

"It looks so good. Thank you, Sanji," Neo said. She ran her eyes over the fruit laced treat. It was multiple layers with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, granola, and vanilla yogurt. She picked up the spoon and took a bite. Her cheeks and eyes lit up. "It so yummy! You have to teach me this recipe!"

Sanji laughed. "Sure thing."

Neo leaned back in her chair. She crossed her legs then spooned another bite of her parfait. She remained quietly listening to the Straw Hats talked about some more of their adventures they have had while everyone ate their parfaits.

"Mmm!" Neo hummed when she finished her parfait. She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her hand over her stomach. "That parfait was so good!"

"Apparently so. You inhaled that thing," Nami said with a blink. She stared at Neo's empty glass. "You must have been really hungry."

"I guess I worked up an appetite with all that sparring and playing I did with the guys," Neo replied. She sunk into her chair, feeling a bit exhausted.

"Come on! Let's go play some more!" Luffy said. He wrapped his arms around Neo's neck.

"Not so fast," Sanji said. He whacked Luffy on the head. "She's sitting right there for a while."

"Aw," Luffy whined, shoulders slumping in disappointment.

"You can go play with yourself. She clearly tired," Sanji said. He picked up the dishes and placed them on his tray before walking off to go wash them.

"Hm?" Luffy looked down at the young woman in his arms.

Neo glanced up at him and watched him study her face.

"I guess you're right," Luffy said. "You do look tired."

Neo nodded.

"Yeah. That give us more time to talk," Nami said. "You know, we never did ask you about your honeymoon. What did you two do?"

"Nothing," Neo replied. She yawned before speaking again. "We were traveling after all. There really wasn't time for one. I don't mind though. I was just so happy that Law and I were finally married."

"Well, maybe someday you two can do something for a late honeymoon," Robin suggested.

"Hm," Neo hummed. She glanced over at Law. She smiled when he looked at her. "Maybe someday. Right now, I'm too tired to think about it."

"Perhaps you should take your nap earlier then," Robin said.

"Looks like she might already be working on that," Chopper said.

"Mhmm," Neo hummed again. She stretched out her arms and legs before releasing a tired sigh. She then crossing her arms over the table and rested her head on them. Her eyes lids drifted closed to the light rocking of the ship that the waves were causing. Her head spun at the rocking of the ship. She closed her eyes, but the spinning didn't stop.

Suddenly, her stomach took an unexpected, wild turn inside of her. She bolted up from her seat and ran over to the railing.

Law uncrossed his arms and legs. He was going to insist that Neo go ahead and take her nap now since she was clearly tired. He started to push up on his feet when he felt Neo's stomach suddenly take a violent turn. He jumped up to his feet at the time Neo bolted from the table and dash for the edge of the Sunny. He ran over to her. Dropping his sword onto the deck, he took her hair in his hands before placing his left hand on her lower back. He gently rubbed her back while she emptied her stomach.

"Oh my gosh! Neo!" Chopper gasped. He frantically ran over to her at the same time Law did. He jumped upon the rail and placed one hoof on her back while placing the other on her shoulder. "Neo, are you all right? What's wrong?!"

Neo waved her hand. She retched a few more times before gasping for air. When she was able to find her voice, she said, "I'm…I'm okay."

"Did you get food poison or something?" Chopper asked.

"Great going, stupid cook," Zoro said with a frown. "You killed her."

"Hey! I didn't kill her!" Sanji growled at Zoro. He popped up right beside the swordsman before popping up behind the three standing by the railing. His teeth gnashing together as fire burned around him. "If she was allergic to any type of food, she or Law would have said so!"

"I'm fine." Neo slowly turned around, unsure if her stomach had finally settled down or not. Feeling a little dizzy, she leaned into Law's chest. "Just a little sea sick."

"You don't get sea sick," Law said, confused. He put his arm around her and examined her face while placing the back of his free hand on her forehead. "You feel a bit warm."

"Well, I guess today I do get sea sick," Neo replied with a tired sigh.

"You really don't look that well," Chopper said. He ran his worried eyes over her tired form. "I have some medicine that will help sea sickness. Would you like some?"

"No, thank you, Chopper." Neo reached over and cupped his worried face. "I'm fine. Really."

"Perhaps you just over did it today," Robin said. She walked over to the group and took Neo in. "Maybe you should take that nap now. The time limit's almost up anyway. It's best if you don't push getting sick."

"That's really not-" Neo started. She flinched when Law cut her off.

"Neo," Law warned. "You know the agreement we made. You're taking a nap now."

"Fine," Neo huffed. She pouched her lips out at Law. "But you have to come with me. You know I'll need you to help me fall asleep."

Law nodded.

"You can use our room," Robin said.

"That's nice of you, but we could just sleep out here on the deck," Neo said. "Or in the library."

"Our room will be a lot more comfortable for you," Robin said. She waved her hand up to her and Nami's shared room. "It will be a lot quieter in there as well."

"Well, if you really don't mind," Neo said. She looked between Robin and Nami, who was walking over to them at that point.

"We don't mind at all," Nami said. She stopped walking and placed her hand on her hip. "We'll be sure to keep everyone quiet for you two. And I'm sure you'd like to freshen up a bit before heading to our room. There are some spare toothbrushes in the bathroom cabinet. Feel free to borrow our toothpaste as well."

"Oh, well, thank you," Neo said. "This is very nice of you two."

"Think nothing of it," Robin said with a smile.

"Come on," Law said. He picked up his discarded sword then slipped his arm around Neo's waist and guided her towards the bathroom.

Once inside the bathroom, Neo opened the small cabinet that was mounted on the wall. She pulled out one of the spare toothbrushes then grabbed one of the toothpaste tubes. She barely noticed Law was carefully watching her with serious concern. Running the toothbrush over her teeth, she muttered to him, "Sorry. I guess I ruined your plans of love making."

"I thought I kept that hidden from you," Law grumbled. "I was going to surprise you."

Neo giggled. She spit out the toothpaste then rinsed her mouth. Laying the toothbrush down, she turned to him. She examined his slightly disappointed expression before walking over to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pecked his lips. "You know it's hard for you to hide your sexual intentions from me, even when you think I'm distracted. You think far too much about them. We can still have sex. We could do it right here and now. I know you got a hold of a condom."

Law chuckled. He pecked her lips and squeezed her hip with his free hand. "Not right now. You're going to take a nap first."

"Aw, Law." Neo pouted. She pooched out her lips and let her eyes become innocent and round. She slipped a hand under his shirt and rubbed his wonderfully toned abs before teasing his skin that was just above his jeans waistline. "But I want you."

"I know you do. But you really need to sleep for a while," Law said despite struggling to not be over taken by her cute pout or his own fleshly desires. He pulled her hand away from his body and kissed it. "I promise there will be plenty of time for some intimacy before we set foot on Dressrosa."

"But we have less chance of getting interrupted if we do it before I take a nap," Neo said. She pulled Law down to her and took his earlobe into his mouth. She sucked on it for a minute before kissing his cheek. "If we wait, there's a good chance that Luffy will come barging into the room."

"Neo," Law said. He felt himself get lightheaded as she trailed kisses over his cheekbone and down to his lips.

"Come on, my love," Neo whispered against his lips. She trailed her hand over the button on his jeans before dropping her hand lower. Her tone changed to a very seductive one as she continued to work her lips and hands over him. "You know you want this."

Law felt himself become even more lightheaded. A small part of his brain was registering this as something that's never happened before. He felt like Neo was trying to take over his body completely instead of just putting him into a trance like she usually did. But her hands weren't anywhere near his hair. And he wasn't even breathing in her scent. This was definitely something different. He tried to figure it out, but his brain stopped working when she spoke again.

"Please, Law? You know you don't really want to wait. We can rest afterwards," Neo purred. She placed a light kiss on his lips, sucking him into her. She could feel his entire body pulse with heated desire while their tongues tangled together in a heated battle for dominance. Lack of air and burning lungs forced them to pull apart a minute later. Their tattered breaths mixing together, making both their pulses increase. "We're doing this."

Law, unable to find his voice, nodded.

"That's a good pirate boy," Neo cooed. She placed a kiss on his forehead before leading him out of the bathroom.

"Hm? Is he okay?" Zoro asked when he saw Law's dazed expression.

"He's fine," Neo replied. "Just a bit tired himself. We're just going to go take our nap now."

"Okay," Zoro said, completely unconvinced. But he didn't question them as they passed by him.

Neo waved at the Straw Hat crew while guiding a slightly dazed Law across the deck and up to Nami and Robin's room. She opened the door and pulled him inside. She ran her eyes around the room. She examined the large, king size bed, the light purple vanity and matching chair, the white and gold trimmed closet, the two lamps mounted on the wall and the table with two chairs. She sighed internally. She thought that the room was very nice, but didn't allow for her to move the furniture around so she could be by the wall and Law. "Hmm."

"Uh." Law blinked and looked around the room. "Weren't we just in the bathroom?"

Neo turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? We left that room about a minute ago."

"We did?" Law asked. Confusion rose up on his face.

"You're not trying to back out of sex before our nap are you?" Neo asked. She planted her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyebrows at him.

"No, of course not," Law replied. He pecked her forehead. "I know we decided to do that before we slept. I just don't remember leaving the bathroom."

"I guess you're just excited about spending some time alone," Neo replied. She slipped her hands under his shirt and rubbed his skin. "It's been almost two weeks since we've had sexual relations. That's far too long."

Law glanced around the room and tossed his sword to the foot of the bed. He said, "I suppose you're correct. Are you going to be all right with this room?"

"Yeah. As long as you're with me, I can live with a short nap without sleeping by the wall." Neo nodded. She scanned her eyes over the room again before wrapping her arms back around Law. "Can I have you now?"

"You absolutely can," Law mumbled against her lips. He ran his hands over her sides and down to the edges of her shirt. "But things are going to be a little different this time."

"How so?" Neo asked. She pecked his lips.

"You are going to lay down and do nothing while I take care of you," Law said. He pulled her shirt off then nipped at her neck until he hit her soft spot, causing her to moan in pleasure.

"Is this some ploy for you to keep control over me?" Neo teased. She grabbed Law's shirt and pulled it off. She placed kisses over his chest. Her lips vibrating against his skin when he chuckled.

"Of course not, my love. This is all about you," Law said. He fiddled with the button on her shorts before undoing them and pushing them off her body. He swept his lips over her exposed skin, across her stomach, her shoulders, her face, then back to her shoulders. "Lay some large leaves over the bed. I don't want to leave any traces of what's going to take place here. Then I'll show you want I mean."

"Oh? I know one Straw Hat will know," Neo said. She ran her fingertips over his back before undoing his jeans.

"Don't speak about them anymore," Law said in a half warning tone. He pulled her hips closer to him. "I only want you."

Neo tilted her neck to give him better access to her while obeying his command. Once the leaves were in place, he pulled off his boots then swept her off her feet. He laid her down and straddled over her. He kissed over her bare stomach while she ran her hands through his black tresses. His lips, goatee, and warm breath tickled her soft skin as he worked his lips over her stomach and up to her chest. He slipped his hand behind her back and easily undid the clasp before pulling off her bra and flicking it away with mild disgust for the item. He went back to kissing and sucking across her skin. Taking her in his mouth, she groaned and arched her back while Law continued to work her body with his lips. She started to pant while tugging on a strand of his hair. When he lifted up from her mounds, she guided his lips to hers and slipped her tongue into his mouth. She wrapped her arms and legs around him.

"Whoa, whoa," Law said, pulling back from her. He chuckled when she pouted at him. "Don't worry, love. We're doing this. It's just, you are going to lay back and relax while I take care of you."

"Then take care of me," Neo said in the same seductive tone she used in the bathroom. "Show me how this kind of activity can be relaxing. Show me now."

Once again Law felt like Neo was taking control over him as he became lightheaded again. All he could do was nod at her command. He slipped his hand into his pocket and took out their borrowed protection. Hurriedly, he pulled off his remaining clothing then sheathed himself with the protection before leaning back down and capturing her body with his. His mouth swallowing up her moans while he slowly rocked his hips against her.

Inazumame1997: Thanks. I have a thing for cuteness like that in stories.

Rodinaashraf: I'm debating on who to have them tell. I keep questioning when I plan on having Law finally realize the truth. I don't know what to do with him. T.T I have at least one more Zou scene with the crew. I'd like more so we'll see if I can think of any. I think her hair is a bit longer. I'll be mentioning it in the next chapter.

Apple Bloom: Typically I don't read M rated stories (actually I don't read much fanfics anymore because of the low quality) but that one's writing style sucked me in. So I decided to read it. It's so great! I didn't think anyone read other people's comments on stories, but you found me there. :)

Miss Sakurako: Yeah, Luffy. I love Law's jealous moment too. He's so cute.

PuddyKatz: I know. I just hope Oda leaves room in future chapters where I can get some even more cuter scenes in there. ;) You know, with all 'three' of them?

Silver Pride: Hmm, if you want actual answers to those questions, I'll have to PM you. Just let me know and I can do that.

SilverHerron: Glad your liking it. I plan on keeping this pace. If I speed up again, just tell me and I'll slow down. Looking back on chapters I notice I pushed way to fast through them. Life on PH chapters are the worst. I'm planning on going back and adding in some homesickness moments since it's bugging me now. Neo adjusted way to easily there. I wish her pendant could play a big role, but I don't know how that could happen since it's just her birth medallion. You have any thoughts on that? I could use some.