Alright, Chapter 4 is finally done! This drill is pretty old by now but it's important *shrug*. All One Piece characters, setting and original plot belongs to Eiichiro Oda. I did not receive any payment or revenue for writing this fan fic. All dream sequences are italicized and underlined for your convenience. Enjoy Chapter 4!

Magina forced herself to lay back in one of the lawn chairs off the ship. Last night, Nami tried to convince her that taking it easy for once was a good idea. She still wasn't sure but Nami's arguments were persuasive.

"If the boys want to spoil you a little bit, then you should let them. Of course, Sanji-kun would pamper you like crazy only Zoro won't let him. Zoro won't be a very good boyfriend unless he spoils you a little. Every girl wants to be treated special by the one they love. Right, Robin?"

"I suppose that's true," Robin agreed with a smile.

Magina thought about that conversation quite a bit lately. She wasn't entirely convinced. Of course, when she thought about being spoiled, the only pictures that came to mind were the extravagant gestures that Sanji showed to every lady. Magina couldn't picture Zoro doing anything like that. And when she tried to imagine it; she was either disgusted or laughed so hard that her sides hurt.

The sun beat down on her gently, relaxing her to the point of drowsiness. Still, it might be nice if Zoro spoiled her. In small doses. And definitely not like Sanji. Magina's eyes fluttered close as she dozed off.

…

Another island winked at the crew like a glittering jewel. Nami was excited once she saw the clothes stores had some new designs in the windows. She and Robin went shopping together. Sanji and Chopper decided they wanted to search for rare ingredients and medical supplies, respectively. Usopp and Luffy's goals were completely different but they figured out a way to check out new gadgets and the best restaurants together anyway. Only Zoro and Magina were left on the ship. It wasn't long before Zoro hopped down as well. He grinned at her.

"Come on, siren. Let's go!"

"Go? Go where?" she asked confused.

"We're gong on a date, away from everyone else. You didn't want to?"

Magina smiled brightly. A real date with Zoro, just the two of them! As soon as she came ashore, Zoro grabbed her hand and led the way. They walked together for a long time, talking, laughing and slowly getting to know each other better. Generally, the Straw Hats never asked questions about the past, the present always took precedence. Still, it was fun to hear stories about Zoro's adventures and Magina had to admit that it felt great to listen to his laughter when she talked about her childhood. They probably would have continued walking down the streets if her stomach hadn't complained. Zoro chuckled when she blushed in embarrassment.

"I guess it's time for a snack. What do you want?" Zoro asked.

"Hmm, I can't decide. Yakisoba sounds really good but so does tako…yaki?" Magina paused in confusion as a cold white speck landed on her nose. "Look, Zoro. It's snowing!"

"That damn Love Cook! He told me that the weather was going to be nice."

Magina shivered as the wind picked up.

"Wait here. There's a shop nearby. They'll have a coat," Zoro said before dashing off.

Magina tried to stop him but Zoro moved too fast. She waited where she was for a while but she was getting colder and she couldn't help but think that something was wrong. Zoro probably got lost again. Magina shook her head. Honestly, what was she going to do with him? At least she had an easy way of finding him. His song would lead her straight to him. There! He was just a block or two west of her. Magina hurried to the man bending over to look at the wares at the corner stall.

"Zoro, you didn't have to take off like that…" she started to say before the man turned around.

"Magina-san? Did that marimo bastard leave you all alone? I knew he wouldn't be able to handle a date with a lady. He's an unrefined gorilla after all. Magina-san? What's wrong?" Sanji frowned worriedly.

Magina trembled, panic filling her heart. Where did he go and why was she having problems hearing his song? Sanji's song didn't sound anything like Zoro's but she thought that it was him up until the second Sanji turned around.

"I'm sorry, Sanji. I have to find him! I lost him and I…Anyways, I have to find him!"

Before Sanji could say anything else, Magina dashed away, concentrating on finding Zoro. She was led to member after member of the Straw Hats but still, no Zoro. The light snow fell harder and soon became a blizzard.

"Zoro! Where are you?" she called, trudging through drifts of snow.

For a moment, Magina caught a strain of Zoro's song. Warily, she headed in that direction. She groaned when it led her to somebody else that wasn't Zoro.

"You're very resourceful but you still won't find him. My mimicking skills are unparalleled among our people."

Magina tried to swallow against a dry throat. Mimicking? Was that why she couldn't hear Zoro?

"What did you do with him?" Magina managed to ask.

"Do you mean Zoro-sama? Don't worry, half-breed. He's safe with me. You should just find someone else to thrust your affections upon. Cook-san looked amiable enough. Leave Zoro-sama's happiness to me," the shadow smirked.

Magina sprinted forward, ready to fight. She passed right through and the shadow disappeared; leaving only mocking laughter ringing in Magina's ears.

"No! Give Zoro back!" she shouted into the snowstorm.

…

Magina woke up with a start. That was strange. She shivered, still feeling cold. Magina glanced around. Where was everyone? Looking at the sky, she guessed that it had been at least 2 hours since they left. It wouldn't take the Straw Hats that long to forage for more food. She turned toward the coastline. Everyone was that way. Something must have happened.

Magina bit her lip in anxiety. Zoro was going to get so mad at her. She jogged in the general direction of the crew's songs. She felt much better after that nap. If the others didn't need her help then she would return quietly to the ship. They were not going to leave her out of something important though.

It wasn't long before Magina entered a grassy plain. She saw her nakama all standing and looking fine. She sighed in relief until she noticed the tall stranger among them. She was still too far away to hear what was being said but her nakama's songs made things perfectly clear. Magina's heart lodged in her throat. Anger mixed with anxiety was the general emotion the crew was feeling. Only Robin sounded absolutely terrified.

Magina jogged faster and arrived just in time to see the man bend over, pluck some grass from the ground and toss them into the air. He took a deep breath and blew the air out gently. The blades of grass froze in midair into an ice sword. Magina's eyes widened in shock.

"ROBIN!" Chopper screamed.

"Watch out!" Magina shouted when the man swung the blade at Robin.

She wouldn't make it in time to block it! What was going on? Why was this man attacking Robin? Something flashed in the late afternoon sun. Clang!

…

Clang! He reacted without a second's thought as the blade bore down on Robin. Of course, Love Cook wouldn't let him be the only one to help Robin. He just had to step in. Sanji kicked the sword away with little trouble. Even though this Aokiji was an Admiral, he didn't seem to be a difficult opponent.

"Gomu Gomu no…"

Luffy could finish him off, they'd all return to the ship and he would insist on carrying Magina back. Aokiji suddenly grabbed his shoulder and Love Cook's leg. Zoro tried to squirm out of the Admiral's grip but he couldn't budge at all.

"Pistol!"

Luffy connected solidly in Aokiji's stomach, he could feel the vibration. Before anyone could blink, or even shout a warning; Aokiji hit them all. He froze Sanji's leg, Luffy's arm and his shoulder. The pain registered seconds later as all three of them fell to the ground. Zoro was partially aware that Usopp and Chopper were already panicking. Magina and Nami were probably shocked speechless. Robin…where was Robin? Aokiji had targeted her after all. Zoro positioned himself just in time to see the Admiral freeze Robin from head to toe.

"ROBIN!" Luffy shouted desperately.

"You don't need to scream. She's not dead. She'll be okay if you thaw her out," Aokiji said in a bored tone, "but you have to be careful. If any part of her breaks, she'll die. So if I were to do something like this for example!"

He punched. Zoro scrambled up as quickly as he could but he knew he couldn't get there in time. Still, even though he expected to hear the crackle of shattering ice when Aokiji punched, there was no sound. Did that mean that Robin was still safe?

"That was close," Luffy breathed a relieved sigh. He wrapped himself around Robin and ducked before the Admiral's fist could connect.

"You're just delaying the inevitable," Aokiji said as he brought his foot down to smash Robin again.

But the Admiral remained thwarted as Usopp snatched Robin away from Luffy and ran towards Chopper.

"Guys! Get Robin back to the ship! Save her!" Luffy yelled from the ground, still pinned by Aokiji's foot.

Chopper and Usopp hastily complied as they ran as fast and as carefully as they could. The Admiral wasn't going to give up so easily. He started casually walking towards the fleeing pair.

"The world would be a better place if you guys didn't save a woman like her," he stated lazily.

He was close to Magina and Nami now. Zoro swore quietly under his breath. There was no way either of them wouldn't try to interfere after Aokiji attacked their roommate.

"Just a thought. Wouldn't that apply to any pirate?" Nami asked, sweetly sarcastic as she swung up her Clima Tact to stop him.

Magina also had one dagger at the Admiral's throat and the other poised to stab his heart if he moved.

"You nee-chans seem to understand the way things work," Aokiji replied as he easily pushed both of them to the ground.

Love Cook was not the only one who rushed into action. Zoro quickly unsheathed his katana. They were both about to strike at Aokiji when Luffy stopped them.

"Don't attack him!" Luffy commanded. "Go back to the ship and make sure Robin is okay. I'm going to finish this myself."

Zoro wasn't the only one who recognized that tone of voice. There would be no reasoning with Luffy once he made a decision like that. There was no time to worry about the possible ramifications of his order. Zoro ran straight towards Nami and Magina and then back to the direction of the ship. He grabbed Magina's hand while Sanji ran very close to Nami. There were no light-hearted teasing or jokes today. Robin's life was hanging in the balance and their captain was fighting against someone he probably couldn't beat.

Zoro glanced at Magina who stubbornly ran next to him. She kept to his pace…barely. What possessed her to come and find them, to attempt an attack on that ice bastard as well? She was being reckless. After a few more minutes of running, Merry finally came into view.

"Chopper!" he called from shore.

Magina and Nami collapsed to the ground, both of them panting for breath. Chopper quickly came out. He glanced around for a second.

"Wait. Where's Luffy?"

"He stayed behind. We're going back in a minute but first, you have to get this ice off," Zoro answered hurriedly.

"Right. You have to douse the frozen areas in water but right now Robin's in the shower room. We don't have another one…" Chopper was explaining.

He jumped into the sea. Sanji leapt in a second after him.

"Will this do?" Sanji asked from the water.

Chopper nodded. "Once the ice thaws, rub the area to help the blood circulate again. Nami, help us with Robin. Magina, gather towels and clothes for me. We're going to need them once the ice melts."

Nami and Magina sprang to their feet and sprinted on board. Zoro tread water silently, relieved that Chopper managed to keep Magina occupied with a job that wouldn't strain her too much. He scowled. She was being stubborn again.

"You're wearing a really ugly expression, Marimo. It's a miracle that Magina-san finds you attractive at all with a face like that."

Zoro growled at him, "This isn't exactly the time for this argument, you damn Love Cook."

"I know. I have some time though. I can't exactly go back for Luffy until this ice has melted. Until then, I'm stuck with a shitty swordsman for company," Sanji retorted.

"What do you mean that you're going back for Luffy? Obviously the one who should get the idiot captain is me!" Zoro argued vehemently.

"Well, then let's have a competition! Whoever's ice melts first will be the one who returns for Luffy!" Sanji challenged.

Zoro's blood boiled at the thought of losing to the cook.

"Alright. You're on! My ice will melt the fastest!"

"You two are unbelievable," Magina's voice spoke from over the side of the ship.

"Magina-san! Are you alright?" Sanji asked enthusiastically.

Zoro ground his teeth in a probable vain attempt to not throttle the cook. He wanted to know the answer to the question only he doubted that Magina would answer Sanji honestly.

"I'm doing alright. I had to grab all the towels and washrags from the kitchen though. You'll be out until we clean and dry them again," she answered with a small smile.

"It's fine. They're being used to help save Robin-chan after all," Sanji replied, trying to look cool.

Zoro rolled his eyes. Of course, anything would be fine if it was for one of Sanji's ladies. He snuck a look at Magina. She was still pale and if he looked very closely, he could see her hands shaking. She probably just undid all of the rest gained from her nap with that little stunt of hers.

The ice finally stopped steaming. It was only a matter of time until it all melted away. Eventually, the ice became clear enough for him to see his shirt underneath. When he touched his shoulder, the ice complained with one last pathetic Crackle! and fell away entirely. His shoulder felt as numb as if the ice was still there but it was finally gone!

"My ice melted off first!" he shouted at the same time as Sanji.

"It's obvious I was first!" they yelled at each other again in unison.

"Hey, cut it and get back on the ship. Chopper said you needed to start rubbing the numb areas right away. He's using most of the towels and rags for Robin but I found one for each of you," Magina said.

Nothing more was said. They both hurried onboard the ship. Zoro gratefully grabbed the towel that Magina held out to him. Rubbing his numb shoulder was annoying at first but it didn't take long for the pins-and-needles sensation to wear off. Zoro rolled his shoulder once, testing to make sure it worked correctly.

"O-oi. Where's Luffy?" Usopp asked, carrying an armful of wet towels out of the shower room.

"Luffy said that he was going to finish the fight himself," Sanji replied as he lit a cigarette.

As soon as Usopp heard the answer, he and Sanji were going to argue about leaving Luffy by himself. Zoro put a stop to it. Luffy was a reckless guy who made stupid mistakes and gave inadvisable orders but he was captain. Even if Luffy gave a ridiculous order on a whim, it didn't matter. An order was an order. It wasn't the time to explain why they had to follow orders or whims though. It was time to rescue the baka and hope that he was still alive.

"Come on, Sanji. Our ice melted at the same time. We're going back for Luffy!" Zoro barked as he jumped off the ship, running in that direction.

"Shitty swordsman! That's not the right way! Just how bad are you at following directions?" Sanji yelled back after also jumping off the ship.

"Be careful! Zo-!"

"Aye, Magina-swan! I'll be extra careful and return back to you quickly!" Sanji interrupted Magina before she could finish calling his name.

"Damn Love Cook! She wasn't talking to you!" Zoro gnashed his teeth angrily.

Zoro turned his head once before the Going Merry blinked out of view. Once he and baka Cook returned with Luffy, he was going to really sit her down and convince her to slow down a little. Hopefully, she would listen this time. He shook his head silently; that was as unlikely as Sanji finally leaving the two of them alone.

Zoro was determined to make it happen though. Magina would listen to reason even if Sanji wouldn't. Later. Retrieving their baka Captain was the first and easiest of Zoro's two objectives. Convincing a stubborn siren not to push herself any further when she was utterly determined to; that was the real challenge.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I want to apologize for how long it took to update. Writing has been a little like pulling teeth lately. Writer's block is a real pain, isn't it? Lol. Anyways, thanks for reading, thanks for reviewing or adding this story to your favorites. Review if you wish; I always love reading what you think! Hee hee. It might be a little bit for Chapter 5 but hopefully not too long. Until next time!

Nee-chan- miss or elder sister

Baka- idiot or stupid

Marimo-moss ball or moss head, one of Sanji's favorite insults for Zoro