Three of the four straw hat pirates were sound asleep at the large castle high up on the mountain. Dr. Kureha was leaning against the doorway with a bottle of plum sake in one hand while her eyes locked upon the blond as he lit a cigarette while shouldering his blazer.

"I appreciate the offer," the elder woman told him as he neared the door which she nudged open further to let him pass.

"It's the least I can do," he confessed and let out a cloud of smoke while falling into step beside her. "You saved our captain, so see this as payment,"

"Shi-shi-shi-shi," she laughed as she lead him to the kitchen where he set to work on breakfast for his crew and the doctor's other patients.

Snow fell silently outside of the window in the well stocked kitchen. The morning was just around the corner. Sanji left his blazer on one of the counters and took a final drag of his cigarette before extinguishing it in the sink. 'Marimo, you better get your ass back to us so I can kick your ugly, ass face,'

Pink strands weaved through her fingers from the way they dug into her scalp. A sigh escaped her lips while her shoulders sagged simultaneously and pushed her elbows further into her bare thighs. The balls of her feet pressed against the cold tiles of the bathroom floor while one heel bounced up and down rhythmically as another deep breath left the pinkette.

During all of her life, she had never felt more disappointed in herself. What had she even been thinking?

Zoro's snores reached into the claustrophobic, tiled room as another reminder of the previous night's adventures flooded her mind. Every look, every touch, every sound he had made caused the pink in her cheeks to darken as she recalled their heated sessions in between the sheets.

Sakura let out a groan as she forced herself up onto shaky legs and gripped the porcelain faucet. Icy water filled her palms moments later before she splashed it over her flushed face and met her reflection in the mirror with a deep exhale. The woman staring back at her wasn't somebody she knew. Never in her life had she fallen into temptation as easily she had last night.

'It was the sake,' she told herself. 'Mixed with chakra depletion and lack of sleep,' she continued as if that would justify the act, and brought another wet hand over her features in an attempt to wash away the look of judgment her reflection shot back at her. Another sag of her shoulders mirrored the heavy-hearted guilt she tried to suppress while reaching for the tap. What a fiasco of a ninja she was. Drip… Drip…

It would be morning soon and another day awaited them. She would have to find Dr. Kureha and possibly bring the idiot with her for a second assessment of his condition. 'Pirate hunter,' If it turned out he had in fact been fighting the straw hat boy - there was a chance the kid might still be on the island. Perhaps leaving the village as early as possible was the best bet in order to prevent a possible reunion between the two. If she could avoid a potential fight between them, she'd make sure to steer Zoro away from it as best as she could.

She glanced at the bathroom door, reached for a towel and dabbed the fluff against her wet face. A heavy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as she realized he was no longer snoring. Another deep exhale escaped her as she hung the towel on a hook and reached for the door. 'Fuck my life,'

"Breakfast," Sakura called out and nudged the door shut with her toes before placing the tray on top of the bed.

Zoro emerged from the bathroom moments later with his pants hanging low on his hips. He seated himself cross-legged on the bed near the wall while she occupied the foot side of the it. A steamy bowl of rice was handed his way while he plucked up his chopsticks and grabbed a fried fish.

They ate in silence - each of them lost in their thoughts until Sakura couldn't stand the guilt gnawing on her insides.

"About last night," she began and saw him pause his chopsticks halfway from across the bed. "It was unprofessional, and I apologize for taking advantage of you,"

Zoro said nothing and continued to eat in silence. She spooned a mouthful of rice down her throat. The sticky, unflavored grains crawled down her pipe like a sticky slug in slow motion. His lack of response only fueled the discomfort in her belly - gradually increasing in size until it threatened to consume her wholly. Lukewarm tea filtered through the grains in an attempt to dissolve the lump in her throat. She swallowed once more and reached for the plate of fried fish.

The bed dipped as he reached for the sake. The muscles in his toned arm flexed in her peripheral vision as he lifted the bottle from the floor with ease. Pink dusted her cheeks as she remembered how those same arms had pinned hers against the mattress only hours earlier.

"You seem uncomfortable," he finally said and she cursed herself for the tingle that ran up and down her spine by the sound of his voice.

She forced down a piece of her fish in hopes of calming herself before replying. "I- it's-… I'm not-… What I mean is-…"

"There's nothing wrong with being promiscuous, Sakura,"

"I am not promiscuous!" she half-shouted and met his smirking face while feeling her cheeks darken under his gaze.

"Ah," he grinned and tipped the bottle of sake against his lips, savoring every drop of the alcoholic beverage. "I guess that makes me special,"

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but felt her lips thin around her chopsticks instead as she glared at him and chewed on the fish - the previous discomfort momentarily forgotten. What did she even see in him? He was an ass.

The bottle of sake thumped against the floor as he let it back down before he went back to his bowl of rice. "I like you better when you're feisty," he declared with a smirk.

"You're an idiot," she muttered and felt the burn in her cheeks intensify, if that was even possible.

Silence stretched between them once more. Sakura glanced at the rolled up posters she had snatched from the front desk while picking up their breakfast. Was this the right moment to discuss the matter? Probably not, but she needed to get it out of the way.

"I found these," she began uncertainly and handed him one of the posters while assessing his expression as he unrolled it.

His lips twitched into a grin. "Pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro. Bounty 60,000,000. You could turn me in and earn some extra beri,"

Sakura huffed with a shake of her head.

"At least I'm not a shitty marine," he continued while she handed him the other rolled up poster.

His brows furrowed as he laid eyes on the young boy with the straw hat. "Monkey D. Luffy,"

Sakura placed the fish-plate back onto the tray. "D-do you recognize him?" she questioned while gauging his reaction. "Is he the one you saw? The one with the hat?"

Zoro thought for a moment before reaching for the sake again and gulped down the last of it, much to Sakura's irritation.

"You really shouldn't be drinking with a concussion,"

He eyed her for a second while savoring the burn. "It could be the same hat. As for the boy," he trailed off.

Sakura hummed and downed the rest of her now cold tea. The porcelain cup clinked against the plates as she set it down.

"I have a theory," she started and spared him a brief look. "I think maybe you fought the straw hat boy before I found you and the marines were here to assist you,"

Zoro quirked a brow and glanced at the young boy before letting the poster roll itself together on top of the bed. He leaned back against the wall with his hands tucked beneath his head and closed his eyes.

"Your theory is plausible, however-" he cracked one eye open and found her gaze roaming his bare chest. Unable to hold back his growing grin when her face flushed as she realized she had gotten caught ogling, he shut his eye and continued. "The boy doesn't strike me as a threat and the marines tried to kill us, remember?"

"Hmm," Sakura sighed and drew one knee toward her chest, and rested her chin on top of it while circling her arms around her shin. "Maybe they were after your bounty?" she offered quietly.

"Kill two birds with one stone,"

"Yeah," she replied thoughtfully.

"So the straw hat pirate and the marines are my enemies," he stated rather than asked and felt the bed dip.

Sakura collected their empty plates from their breakfast along with the ones from the night before and piled them up on the two trays. Her eyes fell on the untouched bottle of sake before flitting over to Zoro. She suppressed a sigh and pushed the bottle closer to her bag. 'He might as well keep it,'

"What do you want to do?" she asked as she headed toward the door with the trays piled on top of one and other.

"You mean besides you?" he shot back with a smug grin.

Sakura turned on her heel with a fixed glare. The plates rattled in the process. "Don't," she warned and cursed her own body for instantly warming at the suggestion. Heat pooled in the her nether region at the mere sight of his topless form. And when he casually slid off the bed and stalked closer to her, closing the distance between them and trailed a finger along the curve of her spine, she clung to every last strand of her sanity. She needed to keep their relationship professional. "Just don't,"

Zoro towered over her while she backed away, only to have him lean in closer to her ear. "Or what?" he questioned just above a whisper.

Goosebumps erupted across her neck as his breath fanned over the exposed skin. Sakura bit the inside of her cheek and felt him lean in closer and closer until his lips pressed against the side of her throat. Her heart thumped viciously against her ribcage - knuckles whitened as she gripped harder onto the trays before she heard the door click open behind her back. His fingers trailed across her lower back and hip as he retracted his hand from the door.

She sucked her bottom lip in between her teeth and glanced up at his half-lidded gaze before realizing the lip biting had only fueled his desire. She pushed the door open with her foot and slipped out of the room. Fast paced footsteps echoed through the empty hallway as she hurried toward the front desk. Perhaps he should lay off the sake after all.

Luffy and Usopp were fast asleep in their beds. Snores filled the otherwise silent room while they were fighting monsters and eating unlimited amounts of meat in their sleep. The sound of a door slamming shut further down the narrow corridor suddenly woke the two occupants, and the shriek that followed signaled the redhead of the group was the one behind the ruckus.

"Nami-swan!~" the muffled voice of their cook seeped through their door. "I've brought you breakfast in bed~"

"Then bring it to my room and not to the bathroom, you pervert!"

Luffy bolted upright with a wide grin on his face.

"Breakfast!" he exclaimed happily and slipped out from the covers before darting towards the door. He stopped abruptly before reaching for the handle and turned toward Usopp who was still heavily bandaged in his own bed.

"Aren't you coming?" Luffy questioned, his grin still visible on his features.

"I can't move, you idiot!" the long nosed pirate spat heatedly while trying to wiggle free from the restraints around his broken leg.

"Oh, right," the captain murmured. His expression darkened for a second as he regarded his nakama, but soon brightened again while his lips turned into a fully toothed grin. "Guess I'll have no choice but to carry you then! Gomu gomu no…-"

The sniper's eyes widened at the sound of his captain's rubber-attack and he threw his hands up in defeat. "Wait! Luffy, NO!"

"Amidori!"

Luffy's right hand stretched forward in high speed and grabbed a hold of the sniper's bandaged arm before tugging his arm back while holding onto his comrade.

"Luffy!" the sniper cried, tears running down his cheeks when he was roughly tugged out of bed and was sent darting through the room.

The straw hat captain only grinned and flung the door open and ran out of the room with Usopp screaming his lungs out as he was forced to helplessly tag along.

Sanji stood put outside of the bathroom with a tray in one hand, containing a cup of tea, some bread and freshly pressed orange juice for the navigator of the crew. The navigator peaked over the side of the door with a horrified expression on her face. Their captain was an idiot, no doubt about it.

Zoro readjusted the katanas hanging from his right hip while Sakura forced another bottle of sake into her overstuffed sling-bag with a grim expression on her features.

"What?" he asked while the alcohol still streamed leisurely through his veins. The soft buzz of apathy it filled him with was soothing and he couldn't understand why she was so stuck up about it.

He felt his lips tilt downward into a frown as she sent him another look of disapproval. It wasn't the first one she had given him since he had woken up.

A sigh escaped the pink of her lips. Her breath came out as a foggy cloud in the freezing temperature outside of the inn.

"You're fucking up everything I worked so hard to fix," she retorted and tried to close the bag to no avail.

He peered at her for a moment. For some reason the disappointment in her tone rubbed him the wrong way, but he couldn't understand why.

"It's just sake," he reasoned and felt her judging stare weigh against the side of his face while he fixed the last of his three katanas in the sash around his waist. "Besides, she gave it away. For free,"

"Because you kept giving her your death glare,"

"Tch. You're overreacting, woman,"

Snow crunched beneath her feet as she stepped closer and pushed a finger into his side.

"I spent hours of my chak- medical knowledge just to heal you, and you're basically pissing me straight in the face by undoing everything just to get a buzz out of it," she accused.

"I'm pretty sure I undid you without piss," he stated wryly and felt her fist bump against his bicep.

"Seriously, you're pissing me off!" she growled. Her chest rose and fell aggravatingly beneath the marine's coat she was wearing.

"It's just sake," he repeated and heard her mimic his last statement with a goofy voice as she trudged along the snow-clad road from the inn. "I don't sound like that,"

"Tch, you do, to me," she called over her shoulder and hoisted the sling-bag further up over her hip while the sake bottles clanked together with each of her steps.

"Tch," he echoed and fell into step beside her. One marine-clad arm rested against the hilts as they made their way through the street of the opening shops.

"We need to find a sleigh," she stated after a couple of minutes of silence, and he found himself watching as she tucked a piece of her pink strands behind her ear.

"Why?"

She stopped in her tracks and pinned him down with an incredulous stare. "You're unbelievable," she sighed and returned her focus on the shops aligning the street they were currently on.

A thank you lingered at the tip of his tongue, but judging by her mood and the atmosphere hanging heavily around them, he figured she wouldn't appreciate the joke, so he stayed quiet and followed her lead.

White-clad men jogged in their direction while the pinkette decided to head to the right and busied herself with a newly opened shop. Green eyes swept along the jewelry adorning the hooks and shelves of glittering crap while he took in the scenery from her side.

The woman in charge of the shop chatted eagerly about her jewelry while Sakura smiled out of courtesy. Zoro bumped his shoulder against hers as he returned to the road again and heard the pinkette excuse herself with an obvious fake tone to her voice.

"Why do you do that?" he questioned and felt her gaze upon him.

"What do you mean?"

"Fake interest in something you don't want,"

"I don't," she replied with a puzzled look on her face while falling into step with him. The double-meaning did not fall on deaf ears.

Zoro spared her a glance, not at all satisfied with her answer. The pinkette glanced back at him for a second before averting her eyes.

"You're afraid of me," he stated with a frown and felt her fingers wrap securely around the arm resting over his swords.

"I'm not afraid of you,"

"Because I'm a clawless kitten trying to roar," he repeated her words from days earlier, and found himself grinning at the leveled look she sent him.

"You can't kill me,"

He recalled the moment they had gotten shot and she had ended up healing herself along with himself before speaking. "True. But you fear getting close to someone,"

Sakura fell silent. His words couldn't be more right. However, she had a mission to complete and getting involved with him again would only end badly. "I need to find someone," she finally declared as they neared the outskirts of the village and turned to their right in search of someplace to rent a sleigh.

Zoro silently followed as she lead the way. The way she kept avoiding the subject was unnerving. But he couldn't forcefully make her exploit everything he wanted to know when she clearly wasn't on the same page.

"Roronoa Zoro," he heard a snickering voice call from down the road. The pinkette stiffened by his side before she retracted her hold of his arm and fell into a defensive position while he extracted two of his katanas. "We meet again. Where's the rest of your crew?"

A flicker of confusion passed through Zoro's eyes at the question, but he forced it away. The marine grinned expectantly as he drew a sword of his own while his comrades followed his example. Sakura took a step back while sweeping a hand over her kunai holster only to realize she had left left it in the marine's skull when they got attacked at the cabin. 'Fuck,' She shrugged off the sling-bag and dropped it onto the snowy ground and made herself ready to assist if needed.

Battle roars filled the otherwise calm morning while Zoro charged ahead and sliced through the chests of the two closest marines with a graceful swing of his arms before he slalomed his way along the rest with a wicked grin painting his features. His fighting style was rough, yet surprisingly elegant as he sidestepped an attack only to slice his other blade across a marine's throat and shoved the katana through the chest of another marine. Blood splattered onto his face and Sakura felt her knees buckle at the sight until they buried into the white snow beneath her with a crunch.

Zoro turned to face her while sheathing one of his katana's with a satisfied look on his face. She returned it with a half smile of her own until a shadow appeared behind the green-haired-swordsman which forced her into action. He watched as her faint smile switched into an aggravated frown as she flew across the beaten soldiers and buried her fist in the face of a marine and sent him crashing through building after building until nothing but smoke was between his body and their position. An old man yelled aggravatedly from further down the road, while merchant's slowly circled around the ruckus to see what was going on. Maybe she used a little too much chakra.

"Oi," he muttered and glanced at her panting form. Emerald eyes switched to his while she breathed vigorously, as if there was no tomorrow. "I could have taken him,"

"I have no doubt," she retorted and grabbed onto his arm as he stumbled slightly before sheathing the last of his katana and pulled her closer.

His breaths fanned across her cheek as he circled a hand around her neck. She took an involuntary step backwards and felt a firm wall press against her back.

Emerald peered at him through her dark lashes - eyelids half-hooded. A gasp left her lips as he pinned her hands against the wooden wall and hovered his lips just over hers.

"Do you have any idea how sexy you were just now?" he whispered and felt her breath fan over his lips.

"Speak for yourself," she retorted and felt the hold on her wrists constrict harder.

Zoro lowered his lips onto hers in a heated kiss which made her knees buckle while warmth bloomed in her chest.

"You're amazing," he whispered as he pulled away from her swollen lips and leaned his forehead against hers. The grip around her wrists loosened. He brushed his thumbs over her silky skin and leaned in for another kiss only to get interrupted by another voice calling his name.

Dark eyes narrowed as they scanned over another platoon with both swords and rifles. Sakura placed a hand on his clothed chest and slunk under his arm.

"It's not worth it," she stated and ran to pick up her bag. "Let's run," she shouted over her shoulder and disappeared in between two small shops across the street while bullets rained into the wall close to where she had disappeared.

"Tch," Zoro clicked his tongue in annoyance, but slipped in between the closest shops for cover as splinters of wood ripped from the wall as the bullets penetrated the painted surface.

He glanced to his side and saw the pinkette point forward and to the left before he nodded and sprinted through the small houses while the marines yelled behind him.

"Aah! That was a good meal," the captain complimented and placed both of his hands over his expanded belly, while the rest of his crew witnessed his abnormal appetite with horror etched on their faces.

Sanji inhaled another drag of his cigarette while his foot rested on one of the empty chairs by their table. The clinking and low murmurs behind him fell on deaf ears as he exhaled slowly while trying to piece together the memories of their arrival at the island. The shitty swordsman had to be alive somewhere. But where?

"Thank you, Sanji-kun," Nami grinned and shoved her empty plate across the table before leaning back against her seat.

"Was it to your liking, Nami-swan?~" he asked. His previous musings forgotten for the moment.

The navigator's eyes crinkled as she gave a swift nod while a smile stretched across her lips. "Mm,"

The blond cook clasped his hands together while heartfelt eyes gazed upon the navigator. "I'm glad you liked it~"

Nami forced another smile before gazing at Luffy and Usopp who were sitting across from her. Her gaze switched into a sympathetic one when noticing their sniper's untouched plate. Her fingers twitched as she fought the urge to assist his bandaged arms by feeding him herself, before her eyes widened as their captain reached for the plate and emptied it with a satisfied laugh - much to the sniper's disappointment.

"Luffy," the sniper whined, but their captain paid him no mind.

Dr. Kureha appeared by their table with a bottle in her hand while a small reindeer followed closely behind. Nami tilted her head as her eyes fell on the strange animal with a pink hat perched between his horns.

"Old lady," Luffy started and completely missed the perched brow on her face. "Have you seen a green haired swordsman?"

"Shi-shi-shi-shi," the lady laughed while beckoning him closer. "Who are you calling old?" she asked before thrusting her fist into his face and sent him flying across the room.

Dust whirled around him as he fell onto the floor after hitting the wall. He got up on two feet and brushed the light-grey powder from his shoulder before stalking toward her with a determined look on his face.

"My nakama is missing. We need to find him,"

Dr. Kureha took a long swig from the bottle while the reindeer cowered behind her.

"Luffy," Nami started but shut her lips when he fixed her with a glare.

Dr. Kureha stared at the young boy over her nose before a smirk clad her lips. "Chopper, prepare the sleigh,"

"Hai, doctorine," the reindeer affirmed before sprinting off.

Stars shone in Luffy's eyes as he trailed the retreating form of the small animal with his gaze. "It speaks! That's so cool!"

"Your friend might be dead," the doctor called over her shoulder as she left their table. "So don't get your hopes up,"

"Tch," Sanji lit another cigarette. The idiotic swordsman couldn't be dead.

Sakura stared to her left, then to her right before focusing her gaze down the empty street in front of her. The idiot was nowhere to be found. She shrugged her sling-bag further up her shoulder with a sigh. 'Don't tell me he's lost,' she inwardly growled as she slowly descended the empty street in front of her.

Her directions had been clear. An academy student would have been able to follow her lead; up and to the left. Her stomach flipped with a sinking feeling at the thought of his wounded body. Snow crunched beneath her boots as her pace quickened while the bottles of sake clinked against one another in her bag. 'Please be okay,'

She halted for a second while seeing a green-haired person fighting a group of marines near the cliff ahead of her. Gunshots echoed through the narrow street as she watched in horror as his frame faltered before his blades sliced through their bodies. She left her bag behind once more and pushed chakra to her feet in order to move faster and pushed a marine into the freezing water once she reached him while he sliced another marine in half.

Her fists came up in front of her as she stood by his side.

"You should have followed my directions," she stated flatly and twisted on her leg while sending chakra to her foot as it connected with the marine's chin and sent him flying across the cliff.

"I would have if you didn't give such lousy hand-moves," he retorted and scissored two swords against another marine.

"Excuse me?" she blatantly questioned while avoiding a sword swung against her throat and shoved her fist against the marine's stomach in an upper-cut while he spluttered blood onto her face from the impact.

Zoro thrust one katana into the skull of another marine who was trying to damage his lover and used his foot to kick him away.

"You suck at directions," she spat and lowered herself onto the snowy ground to spin her leg around and had the marine loosing his footing before Zoro's katana sliced across his throat.

"That's not what you said last night,"

Her fist collided with his bicep as she glared at him before her senses tingled dangerously. She tackled him to the ground while a gunshot wheezed past her head. "We can't stay here,"

"I'll kill them all," Zoro replied confidently as she rolled off of him. He saw her glide over the frozen ground and forced her foot against the side of the shooter's knee. The marine screamed agonizingly as his bone pierced through his pants before he fell to the ground while she kicked his rifle away.

Sakura hooked her arm around Zoro's and half-dragged his resisting frame toward her bag while bullets rained around them. "Sometimes it's better to flee,"

"After them!" somebody roared behind the pair.

"Here," she panted and pulled him in between two buildings while throwing the sling-bag over her shoulder. The inn appeared in front of them. "Are you hurt?"

Zoro peered down at her as he ran alongside her. "It's nothing serious," he replied and caught the furrowing of her brows.

"How bad is it?" she questioned while shots echoed from behind.

"Don't let them get away!"

"Fuck, we can't stay," Sakura exclaimed. "Why are there no fucking sleighs in this village?!"

Zoro caught sight of something looking like a sleigh further up the road. "How about that one?" he panted.

"We can't steal a sleigh," she half-wheezed and felt a stinging sensation shoot up her calf. "Fuck!"

Zoro glanced her way as she limped slowly after him. The marine's were closing in on them and if he and Sakura didn't get away within the next couple of seconds, there was a big chance they'd both end up dead. He shoved his katana into the sheath and wrapped his arms around the pinkette while she yelped in surprise as he held her against his chest. Her arms circled around his neck as he pushed through the snow.

"Steal it or get caught?" he asked her as another gunshot wheezed past them.

"Fuck, steal it!"

His lips stretched into a grin. A groan left the pinkette as she landed roughly on the wooden floorboards while Zoro grabbed the reins and forced the two bears to move.

"Are you okay?" Zoro called over his shoulder once they had made it out of the village.

Sakura's hands shook as she tried to get the bulled out of her calf. A curse escaped her lips when she accidentally scraped the tweezers into her flesh when the sleigh bumped over the uneven terrain.

"I'll be fine," she retorted and stuck the tweezers back into the hole. "It's just difficult to get out,"

Zoro peered back at her for a second before refocusing on the road ahead of them. "I could chop off the leg if you don't get it out," he offered and felt her palm smack against the back of his head.

"I sometimes wonder if you were dropped on your head as a baby,"

Zoro's lips tugged into a grin. "I sometimes wonder if you would drop onto my head and allow me to make a baby with you," Her palm reconnected against the back of his head while he chuckled.

"Idiot," she muttered while trying to control the blush spreading across her cheeks. "You're distracting me,"

"Oh? Because you're considering the offer?"

"Zoro!" she whined while her cheeks burned of embarrassment. Pink hair fell over her face as she ducked her head so he wouldn't notice.

The sleigh came to an abrupt halt and finally allowed her to grasp the bullet which had pierced her flesh. She flung it into the snow and drew her brows together. "Why did we stop?"

The swordsman scratched the back of his neck while tsk-ing in annoyance. Sakura looked ahead of them and felt her teeth clench painfully as her eyes landed on the village's entrance. Slender fingers clenched and unclenched while Zoro muttered something about how every tree looked the same. Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose while taking a calming breath before jumping over to sit beside him and snatched the reins from his hands. This would be a long ride.

Three of the four straw hat pirates were currently occupying the sleigh they had borrowed from the violent, plum sake loving doctor residing on the highest mountain of Drum Island. While sliding down the snowy path of the mountain in high speed, the captain of the crew whooed in excitement at the velocity they were traveling at. A hand pressed down on his signature straw hat in an attempt to keep it from flying off from the force of the wind, and a large grin adorned his face, showing off his pearly whites. The redhead was hugging her knees in agony, terrified they would hit a tree on their way down while the blond did his best to comfort the only woman on their crew. Four reindeer's were pulling the sleigh, their quick legs carrying them swiftly over the frozen landscape.

Hours passed in a blur before the first sign of life met them. Eight bear-paws stirred up the snow as they forced their way up the mountain with a sleigh fastened around their strong bodies. Pink hair danced in the wind around the marine-clad driver.

"Oooi!" Luffy shouted with a wave of his arms as they sped closer.

The pinkette's eyes widened as they fell on the boy with the straw hat, but she said nothing in return.

"She's a marine, Luffy," Sanji growled as he fought to keep his cigarette in between his lips.

The captain only laughed and fell back onto his seat.

Sanji resisted a sigh and turned his head to catch a final glimpse of the pinkette when a mop of green hair rose from the backseat. The cigarette dropped from the chef's lips and landed on his thigh.'Marimo with a girl?' There was no way. He must have been mistaken. The sudden burn on his thigh forced his attention back and he whacked his palm repeatedly against the glowing cancer-stick. Blond brows furrowed as he urged the reindeer's to move faster.