.: I believe I am out of my writing slump now. I was working on something else to at least keep writing and inspiration going, and I think it worked. Something finally just clicked. As for the next chapter, I have a feeling I'll have a difficult time getting everything flowing smoothly; however, I want to go on a little misadventure that has an antagonist for the Straw Hats. I don't think it'll last long, but it's important for Aurilee's character development. We'll see how it goes and how long it'll take me to post it. :.

The Girl with A Half-Soul

Chapter 16:

Basis Of Happiness

The wood of the ship slightly creaked with the gentle movements of ocean currents swaying it around. It had lulled her to sleep, but now it was rousing her awake. The cabin was dim and barely had any air flow going through it. As the sun grew higher, heat began to settle in and make closed spaces muggy. Robin knew her nap would have to end here or else she would feel like she was suffocating or burning up.

She sat up and dangled her legs from the hammock before dropping back down to the floor. If the ship was this quiet (and it never was) that could only mean her crewmates were off and exploring that island they said they were. She stripped off her current clothes in exchange for a crimson swimsuit and threw on a tanktop with khaki pants that extended down to her shins. After tying a denim jacket around her waist, she slipped on some sandals, grabbed a book to read, and headed up to the deck.

The first thing that caught her attention was the sound of Luffy and Chopper laughing. It was distant, but no mistaking it for anything else. Looking over the wall had her seeing the pair with some giant beasts. Luffy was on his hands and knees on the back of a tusked hog, making it angry as it ran around and bucked trying to get him to fly off to no avail. The little reindeer had grown into a more human form and held Twitchy under his elbow. To his ears, the hog was cursing Luffy and threatening all kinds of violence.

The archaeologist realized they were completely alone. There was no sign of anybody else being with them. Crossing her arms across her chest, she sprouted many pairs of hands on the beach surface to push the dinghy into the water. Once it was floating, she made a new pair grab the oars and row itself to the Merry. Neither of them even noticed for the longest time.

"Hey! Robin!" Luffy called in the midst of his fun. "Glad you're up!"

She smiled as she made the hands row her to the shore. The dinghy was practically pulled right back where it had originally been. "What are you both up to?"

"We're kind of bored," Chopper admitted. "These hogs came from the jungle. Luffy's been fighting with them ever since."

"Mehhhh!" Twitchy bleated from his hold. Luffy was galloped away to the other end of the beach, his incessant laughter growing quieter.

"Where are the others?" Robin asked next.

"Nami went snorkeling. Ussop and Aurilee went to go exploring. Sanji took Zoro and went to follow them, I guess."

The cook and the swordsman? That duo was odd. She was a newer crewmate, but one thing she definitely picked up on was how much those two bickered with each other. They were good in fights, though.

Luffy came galloping back, trying to keep riding without holding on with his hands. But he ended up getting bucked off and hitting the sand. Laying flat on his back, the young captain grabbed his straw hat as it tried to flip away with the breeze. His stomach audibly growled. "I really hope Sanji comes back soon," he voiced, his tongue lulling out with fatigue.

"At least we have a source for food. He might bring back some fruit to go with it," Chopper spoke.

"Looks like we have no choice but to wait," Robin reasoned as she held both of her elbows and looked toward the jungle. It looked ordinary from their perspective, but who knew what it was like inside. Hopefully the others were okay.

He did not want him to, but Zoro was taking the lead on this one. Sanji just could not let his sight off Aurilee until he was sure things were safe again. He walked next to her, matching her pace, growing more and more worried. She did not want to say anything aloud, but she was clearly starting to struggle. Her face said it all. Her pace was slowing. The uneven terrain and long distance were causing a strain. For the fourth time since the three of them joined up, Zoro was called to slow down. "For the last time, Moss Head!"

He irritably paused and looked behind him to argue back. His eyes were big and lacking pupils, and his jaw dropped down low to reveal sharp teeth. "How much slower do I have to go?! Just carry her!"

"I'm sorry," Aurilee said as she looked at the ground. It was not that her legs were tired. It was her back that was giving her problems. And she wanted fresh painkillers for her wound, too.

"No, it's fine!" Sanji tried to alleviate. "I would be more than happy to carry you or help you in any way I can."

She finally just stopped walking altogether. "I don't know if I need to sit down or what. My back is just killing me right now."

"Hold on, Moss Head," he called as he also stopped. "Your back, huh? That's all it is?"

She nodded, resting her hands on her lower back to try finding relief.

He looked over her disproportionate body and knew what the obvious culprit was. Three babies, afterbirth, and fluid; that was a lot of weight – and she was still weeks away from being free of it. The cook pursed his lips as he thought what to do. There was one idea, but Aurilee might not be up for it. Only one way to find out. "Am I allowed to try something? I promise I'm only trying to help," he forewarned.

The caution in his voice made her wary. But out of all the Straw Hats, Sanji was one who showed time and time again that he had her back. He was a male who she found herself able to trust more so than others. Hesitating from the unknown of his scheme, she relented. "Sure."

He appreciated her trust in him and stepped behind her. "Just tell me to stop if you're uncomfortable, okay?" With that, he pressed himself to her back and reached around her.

She almost immediately ripped herself away. The feeling of being touched like that sent her mind back to past events. But his hands only gently went underneath her belly and slowly lifted it for her. Suddenly, all of the pressure in her back was gone. She felt lighter on her feet, like she could relax.

Sanji waited for her to protest. He did not even know if it was working. What he did know was that her belly was really heavy. Women were so amazing to physically endure this kind of stuff to bring new life into the world.

Her head fell back until it rested against his chest. "Oh my god. I feel like I'm on a cloud," she commented with bliss.

He realized how he was practically hugging her and instantly had hearts emitting into the air. "You want me to keep going?!" he happily questioned with a blush on his cheeks.

"Yes, please."

Zoro watched them both with second-hand embarrassment. It was starting to look and sound more sensual than anything else. Aurilee kept her arms hanging limply at her sides and her mouth was a little slack. The kinky cook was just riveting in the moment as if he would never have an opportunity like this again. "Get a room," he muttered.

His ears seemed to have twitched from a particular noise. Taking his attention away from the other two, Zoro nearly unsheathed one of his swords. But he waited. There were all kinds of activities going on around him, from animals moving and calling out to plants being blown by the wind. What he thought he could vaguely detect could easily be mistaken as one of those things. "Sanji," he voiced calmly but sternly, "be ready to run."

Hearing that got both of them on edge. He gently released Aurilee and kept his eyes and ears peeled for anything that might sneak up on them. Aurilee pulled her bow free and nervously got prepared to take something out. What could possibly be lurking where they could not see? A predator?

But soon all three of them could hear it clearly. Very desperate and terrified screams that could only belong to one person. Usopp busted through the constrictions of the jungle with tears soaking his face and on the verge of collapse. He stumbled between the group of the three, realized he had found part of the crew, and frantically cowered with his hands over his head. "A-A-Are they still following me?" he questioned.

"What's following you?" Zoro responded.

"J-Jaguars."

Both Zoro and Sanji looked up at the trees. With all the vines, twisted branches, and foliage, predatory cats like jaguars could be anywhere. There were too many ways for them to ambush them or corner them. Despite the swordsman and cook being able to easily handle such a threat, there were still people they had to protect.

"Let's go back," Sanji suggested. "We found Usopp."

Zoro went up to Usopp and lifted him by the back of his rashguard. "Come on. Walk."

His knees were shaking as he forcibly took steps to follow them all. They had no idea how close he was to being mauled a few minutes ago. It freaked him out. It was hard to believe he and Chopper defeated Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas just a couple weeks ago. They were a duo that had devil fruit powers and inhuman strength, yet it could be a feral cat that ended up being his demise?! No thank you! He would gladly head back to the beach and never enter this jungle again.

Where there was rock, there was coral, and coral was very colorful and bountiful at this island. With a mask and snorkel keeping her face submerged, Nami viewed and listened to the sea life. The constant clicking and crackling sounds informed her that the coral reef was very healthy and alive. There was soft coral, hard coral, sponges, anemones, fan-like structures, tube-like structures, and so much more. Fish of all shapes, sizes, and colors swam and darted through open space and hidden crevices, revealing other creatures that claimed this area as their home. Sea stars, urchins, crabs, clams, and sea cucumbers were all over the place. She even dove down to a hole to poke a pair of lobster antennae just to watch it pull back in defense.

All she could think was that Sanji would have a field day fishing in this spot. She would have to tell him about it later. But something she wanted to do before heading back was find Chopper a seashell like she promised. That meant she needed to find more sand than rock. There was actually a sandy bottom below the reef, but it was a deep dive, and she was not sure if she could swim down that far in one breath. She would not know until she tried, though. After inhaling to fully inflate her lungs, she thrust herself down under and began forcibly kicking her legs.

Her limbs were not as strong or long as Sanji's were. Not having fins did not help, either. But slowly, the bluish bottom turned whiter, and she found little shapes on the surface. They looked like flowers etched into stone. Holding her nostrils closed and pressuring her eardrums to pop, she opened her eyes and got a better look. It turns out the little stones were flat and made of calcium carbonate. Holding one in her hand let her identify it as a sand berry. Maybe Chopper would be satisfied by it.

By now, the breath in her lungs was not sufficing anymore. Nami kicked off the bottom to propel herself back to the surface. The pressure in her ears faded and crackled a little bit. But her fingers gripped the fragile sand berry too hard, and it suddenly crumbled away. She looked down to see the fragments drift down. When her head broke the surface, she pulled the snorkel from her mouth and took in fresh breaths. "Dang it," she voiced. Maybe a sand berry was not a good shell to bring back to Chopper after all.

She dove back down after a minute. There had to be something else down there. Hovering over the bottom horizontally, she scanned the area. This would be a good place for sting rays to bury themselves, so she stayed cautious. Floating so carefully that the sand was not disrupted, she approached the bottom of the reef. The lively clicks got louder. Her eyes pinpointed a big shell that was hiding just out of sight. Resting against where the reef met the sand, the shell was pointed on its front and flowed down the side. A conch shell! It was perfect for Chopper!

Nami reached to grab it, but it suddenly scooted to the left. She almost thought her head was playing games with her. But she tried again only for it to scoot once more. The conch shell still had its conch, it appeared. She finally caught it and turned it over to find the sea creature tucking itself deeper out of fear of a predator having captured it. Its little foot-like structure was squishy when she poked it.

Well, looks like you're coming with me, she thought. There was no crumbling away when she swam back up to the surface. In fact, it was pretty heavy. Starting to swim back around to the beach, she could feel it weighing her down. Water splashed into her snorkel, causing the disgusting salty taste to wash over her tongue and try to suffocate her. For a moment, she wondered if picking something like this was actually a good idea. She did not want to drown or die this way. She repeatedly had to stop and blow water out before she could inhaling again.

The reef slowly transformed into sand again. She lifted her eyes to see the Merry was now in view. Not long after, it became shallow enough to stand and she trod until she could rest on her knees. Her breaths were labored but relieved. She was never so grateful for the warm sun that glistened against her moist skin and clear skies that provided the freshest air.

"Nami's back!" Luffy announced. He ran up to her and squatted. "I see you got Chopper's shell. How was it?"

"It was…pretty. And…far away" she panted, rolling it over to show off the conch inside. "I also got us…a little bit of food."

"Nice!"

Chopper arrived to see the big beautiful present Nami brought back. It was a deep pink with orange tints. And it looked twisted as if the ocean had tossed it around ruthlessly for many years. There were some impurities to be had, like some barnacles and algae, but it could be polished and turn shiny one day. "OOH! IT'S SO COOL!" his pitched voice exclaimed excitedly. He jumped and hugged her around the neck, forcing her cleavage apart. "Thank you!"

She held him with one hand and smiled. "You're welcome. But…it's still got something living in it, so it needs to stay in the water for a while."

"Oh, what perfect timing," Robin commented farther up on the beach.

The jungle opened up to reveal the rest of their crew emerging. But they did not look like the lively group that left a couple hours ago. Zoro was prying Usopp off of him as he frantically looked behind them. Sanji looked fine, but Aurilee looked completely exhausted. All of their legs had mud plastered on them.

Usopp fell onto the sand. "I don't know what gods actually exist but thank you!" he praised.

"There were no jaguars in there," Zoro pointed out with annoyance.

"I was attacked by two of them!" he argued back. "They were as big as the Merry! With their beady yellow eyes and blood in their teeth. And they cornered me and then pounced on me!"

"If they pounced on you, you would definitely be dead on the spot."

"You weren't there! How could you possibly know what happened to me?!"

Aurilee stalked past Robin to go to the shoreline. She wanted to sit and cool down, also wash off the mud. "How was it?" the archaeologist asked her.

"It started fun, but then I got so tired," she answered.

"I can see that."

Sanji ran over to Robin so fast that he kicked up sand. His hand held hers very tenderly. "You're awake! Are you fully rested, Robin dear?"

"Not fully, but I feel better," she replied calmly and not giving in to his doting affection.

"I bet you'll feel better with some lunch!" Looking over his shoulder and letting go of her hand, he yelled "Cut down one of those ugly boars for me, will ya, Moss Head?"

"Do it yourself," Zoro shut down, finding a sturdy palm tree to press his back against and nap.

Suddenly, Nami cried out in pain that made everyone turn their attention to her. She had stood up from the water to avoid an incoming hog as it waded in the shallows, but it decided her backside looked delicious enough to take a bite out of. Its teeth scraped off some skin and sent her jogging away. "OWW! You stupid ugly swine!" she cursed as she checked her butt cheek for any bleeding.

"Hey! You can't do that to our navigator!" Luffy objected. He yanked an arm back to stretch it far enough that it would come flying back and totally blow back the hog. It got sent tumbling away and started to panic.

"I know which one we're turning into porkchops now!" Sanji bellowed with fury. He sprinted toward the hog and helped Luffy take it down.

"It's just a scrape," Chopper told Nami as he inspected the wound. "Let me get my bag to disinfect and bandage it up."

Aurilee watched all of the Straw Hats. There was a constant mixture of happiness, annoyance, and fellowship whenever all of them were together. Different personalities coexisting in stable chaos all the time. There probably was only a small crew because any more people would cause issues. Luckily her presence was not going to last long.

She used sand to help loosen the mud as she sat in the cool saltwater. A plume of the debris surrounded her, prompting her to move. But the refreshing temperature had to going deeper and deeper until she was neck deep and standing. She had not thought about it before, but the buoyancy of the ocean took off the weight from her back and had her feeling relief just like when Sanji helped her out in the jungle. It did not matter to her that her clothes were soaked as a result. She even dunked her head underneath the water to wet the rest of her hair and brush it down her neck.

The sound of a vessel lightly splashing in the water startled her as it came up beside her, but she was met by Luffy with his arms hanging over the edge of the dinghy. "Are you trying to go back to the ship?" he asked her.

"N-No. Just floating."

"Oh, okay. You looked like you were struggling a little bit." He grabbed the oars to go back to the shore, but Aurilee stopped him.

"W-Wait, Luffy," she said, reaching and grabbing the edge of the dinghy to pull herself up a little bit.

"Yeah? What's up?"

She tucked her arms to anchor herself halfway out of the water. The captain looked down at her with an unreadable gaze. He was not sad or angry. It might have been contentment staring back at her. When she thought about his outburst during breakfast, she could hardly match the temperament with his face. The same could be said about his role as captain. It was odd that such a young kid was viewed as a leader. The same could be said about her becoming a mother soon, though.

Luffy waited for her to say something. Something was either on her mind or was bothering her. Whatever it was, it did not influence her emotions. Her mosaic face remained steady yet conflicted.

"I'm sorry for not smiling enough," she finally spoke.

Her choice of words confused him. Before he could question it, she continued.

"I am happy. I'm happy that I'm safe, and that I have food to eat. I just…don't know how…"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

She grew confused. Was that not the whole reason why he was mad at her at breakfast? That she was not having a good time like everyone else was? Surely he did not forget.

"I'm not mad that you don't smile enough. I just think you hold yourself back when you shouldn't."

She did not respond.

"Yeah, you cry because people hurt you. That's fine. It helps you move on. But crying won't make you happy. It'll just keep you sad."

His words moved her. For someone so childish most of the time, he sounded wise with that kind of advice. Luffy watched the glossiness of her eyes shift with awe. She made a connection with what he said.

"You won't truly be happy until you make yourself. Smiling is an easy way to do that, but I think there're other ways, too." He patted her head, feeling her hair already starting to dry. "I know you can it figure it out."

That was the last thing he said to her, or at least, it was all she needed to hear. She let go of his boat so he could go back to the beach. Sanji was freeing the hog of its thick hide to begin preparing it for lunch. Usopp was helping Nami free the conch from its shell. Chopper took hold of the now empty shell and held it proudly over his head. Zoro was sleeping with Robin reading close by. And Aurilee? She was floating. Damaged, but still functional. Her peace was coming eventually. There was just seeking that needed to be had.

That evening, all of the Straw Hats were cozied up around a fire. A couple of them were sunburnt, some were finishing up the meal Sanji prepared, and the rest were enjoying the silence. They had spent the whole day enjoying having a beach to themselves. The middle of the day consisted of a volleyball game that tired everyone out. Sanji collected the little seashells on the shoreline and made little trinkets for the ladies. Then Nami took him, Luffy, and Usopp to the reef she visited so they could fish for their next meal. Now they were sitting under the night sky, and the air had grown cold. They had to pull out blankets to keep warm for when the fire smoldered out of life. There were no plans on returning to the Merry just yet. Why not sleep under the stars together?

Nami adjusted the log pose on her wrist to see it was still not ready. Maybe after they all slept, it would be ready for them to move on. Although it was nice to have a place for themselves, it would only slow down all of them from achieving their goals. And they were still on a time crunch for Aurilee's sake.

The two enjoying the silence the most were the ones sleeping. Zoro had his legs crossed and his hands behind his head as he snored like usual. Aurilee was laying on her side with a blanket hiding her midsection. The moment Luffy tossed a bare bone that was devoid of meat, he was also down for the count. He fell flat on his back and fell asleep with a distended stomach, already thinking about his next meal. Twitchy tucked all his legs underneath himself to lay down next to Luffy. The body heat was irresistible to the baby goat.

The rest were not as eager to follow suit. Chopper yawned. Robin, who was usually the quietest out of everyone besides Zoro, was keeping a conversation going with Usopp. He told her all about the snorting sounds that led to a little hunting trip with Aurilee that went bad. How they got separated and found out what he was hunting all along were never hogs to begin with. "They were these big capybaras," he said, disappointedly. "Not the most exciting thing to catch."

Sanji rubbed the hairs on his chin. "Capybaras, huh? That might be good meat for a stew…"

Robin pictured the cute animals and how low in the food chain they were. Harmless herbivores in the rodent order of mammals. They all would have much rather had those appear on the beach than the hogs, who disappeared back into the jungle eventually and left them. "At least you solved the mystery," she reasoned. "Was there anything else you found?"

"Well, they were swimming in a hot spring. There might be more in that same area since it was near the volcano," Usopp answered without enthusiasm.

"Ooh, a hot spring? I could go for a dip," Nami thought aloud as she imagined the steaming water refreshing her skin.

The thought of Nami having a nude dip in a hot spring got Sanji all giddy. He got all hot under the collar and blushed. "We need to find that hot spring," he bolstered with a squiggly grin toward the sky.

"No way!" Usopp rejected. "I'm never going back in that jungle again."

"Oh, you were completely fine. Quit acting like the jaguars actually hurt you," Sanji snubbed.

"Guys, shhhh," Chopper whispered. He looked nervously at Aurilee as she slept. She was disturbed by the noises and let out a little moan.

But Nami recognized it. "Oh no," she voiced, pushing her blanket off her lap. "She's starting to have another nightmare."

All the awake crewmates watched as Aurilee would stir a little, settle down for a minute or two, and then let out another moan with more stirring. It was slowly building up.

"What do we do?" Sanji worriedly questioned.

"I guess I'll just have to wake her up again," Nami alerted, almost ready to get up to do just that.

But something happened that nobody was expecting. Luffy, almost as if he sensed one of his friends was in distress, unconsciously lifted his hand and touched it against the center of Aurilee's back. One last moan drew out, and then she fell silent. There was no more stirring to be had. Her nightmare eased miraculously.

The sight made Robin smile. "Captain to the rescue," she quietly narrated.

Chopper could not believe it. To have gone from an uncomfortable confrontation that morning to practically reconciling by sundown. Luffy really was special. He cared about his friends. Hopefully by now, Aurilee saw that, too.