Legal notice: All original plot, characters, and settings belong to Eiichiro Oda. I did not receive any revenue for writing this fanfiction. Enjoy Chapter 39!

Magina recognized Zoro's 'proof of love' the moment Franky carried her into the kitchen and set her on a chair. The smell of fish was absent. She hadn't realized that Zoro knew how to gut or clean a fish. An overwhelming moment of gratitude almost had her in tears, but Magina stubbornly blinked them back at the mention of another contest. What was Robin planning now?

"So?" Zoro said gruffly, "What is the real contest?"

Robin and Nami smiled at each other. Magina's stomach roiled unpleasantly."Ah, well, it should be a fun game. Franky found a wonderful prop for this earlier. I think I hear him bringing it to the top deck now."

Everyone filed out of the kitchen. Several feet grew on Magina's back and walked her out of the room. A large stone cage with thick metal bars sat in the middle of the deck. She was marched unwillingly into the cage. The feet disappeared in a flurry of flower petals. A soft click! and the cage door was locked. Nami winked at her before taking the key and running off. She eventually took her seat on the bleachers.

"The rules are simple; you must retrieve the key, free Magina and be the last one to claim her before sundown. Breaking the cage will not be allowed. We wouldn't want Magina to accidentally get hurt," Robin said with a serene smile.

"Hmm, Robin-chan makes a good point. Luffy, Zoro, don't get so frustrated when you can't find the key that you break the cage and hurt Magina-chan!"

"Damn Love Cook! Of course, I wouldn't do that!"

"Yeah, Sanji, you bastard! I'll find the key before you anyway!" Luffy declared.

Luffy, and Sanji ran to different levels of the ship. Magina heard a low chuckle.

"Those three always focus too much on their brawn. Now, if they used their brains occasionally, then they wouldn't lose," Usopp grinned as a key dangled from his fingertips. He unlocked the cage and picked her up.

"Oh, as expected of you, Usopp. Your trickery could maybe fool the idiotic monkey and the dumb gorilla, but my love for Magina-chan won't be deceived so easily!"

"Who are you calling a dumb gorilla, Ero Cook?"

The faint growl came from her right while Sanji's voice came from the left side. This was just ridiculous! How long before this contest was finally over?

"Even a monkey wouldn't be tricked by that!" Luffy laughed behind them.

"To think that we'd all be rivals of love…" Usopp stated with a serious grin, "but I'm not letting go of Magina without a fight! Usopp's Smoke Screen!"

Magina managed to grab a quick breath before the front deck filled with smoke. She was jostled as Usopp took off at a sprint.

"Gomu Gomu no…"

"Santoryuu…"

"Quasi…"

"Fuusen!"

"Dragon Twister!"

"Queue!"

The smoke that Usopp had shot around the other three, billowed back in his direction. He stopped and tried to recover his bearings in the masking smoke. Two hands suddenly plucked her out of Usopp's arms, and she sailed backward.

"That's cheating, Luffy! Come back here and fight like a man!"

Magina heard Luffy chuckle in her ear. "Hee hee! You'll have to catch me first! Magina's mine!

"The smoke followed Luffy upwards, covering the two of them. The rope binding her wrists together slowly slipped off. He slung her over his shoulder. Magina wasn't going to let her nakama fight over her anymore! She slipped off the gag and sang her mother's lullaby directly into Luffy's ear. He slumped, and they both fell. She wasn't worried about Luffy; he was a rubber man. A short fall wouldn't hurt him any. She grabbed a rope before she also fell to the ground. She kept herself to the greatest smoke cover and waited for the next idiot to approach.

"Hey, Luffy! Are you okay? What happened to Magina?" Usopp asked, leaning over the sleeping captain.

She cautiously snuck around until she was directly behind Usopp. She knelt next to him and cupped her hands around his ear, and sang the lullaby again. The marksman collapsed soon after, snoring moved on. She found Sanji near the mast, leaning against it casually.

"You are a wonder, Magina-chan. To think that you would choose me over that gorilla!"

Magina smiled. The problem with controlling her voice was that she needed to be close for it to work. She crooked her finger and beckoned Sanji closer."I will only say these words to you, Sanji."

A familiar love-struck expression crossed his face. "Aye, Magina-chwan!"

The hearts fluttered around him. He leaned towards her, and she leaned in like she would whisper the words in his ear. Seconds later, Sanji was safely sleeping on the deck.

"You are a lot more resourceful than those idiots gave you credit for," a low voice growled behind her.

"What can I say? This might have been fun for everybody else, but it was just annoying to me. I needed to get my revenge somehow," Magina shrugged as she faced the swordsman.

"Well, I know your tricks, siren. You won't catch me unawares," Zoro replied.

"I'm not going to use any tricks with you, Roronoa Zoro."

Zoro looked dubious, but he must have seen the truth in her eyes because he grinned suddenly and turned to the side.

"I see. So, Magina, does that mean that I-"

Magina threw the punch with all the strength she could muster. She hit him squarely on the head, and he dropped like a bag of fish as the smoke drifted away. The sun slowly sank down the took a deep breath. She always marveled at how Nami was able to hit Luffy or Zoro and hurt them when Nami was weaker than she was. She never really thought about wanting to hurt any of them, but this afternoon; they really pissed her off. They treated her feelings like a game and worse yet, like she was a prize to be won! Magina wasn't going to stand for that! The spectators on the bleachers stared. Chopper's and Franky's eyes bulged out, and their mouths hung open in shock. Nami and Robin started clapping.

"I knew that you would be the winner, Magina!" Nami cheered.

"Those boys will be fine?" Robin asked.

"I sang Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji a lullaby. They'll wake up soon. Chopper, you might have to check on Zoro. I punched him hard. I'm going to rest. You can tell Sanji that I don't want supper tonight."

She turned on her heel and stalked to her room. Taking care of the four idiots by herself made her feel a little better, but the frustration rankled. She needed some alone time away from everyone to gather herself. Magina closed her eyes. What happened? They were acting strangely; like they were possessed. Sanji always fought Zoro over her affections, but Luffy and Usopp never bothered to interfere before. In fact, they usually supported her feelings. Luffy practically conceded that she was Zoro's treasure, and Usopp offered to build them a separate turned over onto her stomach and hugged her pillow. She didn't know what was going on, but now that it was over, all she wanted to do was sleep. Did she need to fish tonight? Magina mentally shrugged. It should be fine. She helped to stock the aquarium, so if she didn't fish tonight, then the crew could always get food from there. She was taking a night off!

. . . . . . . . . . .

Zoro groaned as he sat up. His head throbbed. What happened? Loud snoring broke the peaceful silence. Usopp, Luffy, and Sanji were all passed out on the deck. There were bleachers set up, Franky's handiwork, and the rest of the crew seemed to be discussing something. He got up and walked over.

"What's going on? Where's Magina?"

Nami giggled. "She got fed up with how possessively stupid you guys were being. She's resting right now."

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

The questioning looks were rather pointed. Robin was the one who spoke first.

"You don't remember having a contest with Usopp, Luffy, and Sanji to try and prove your affections? I guess Magina punched you harder than we thought."

Zoro rubbed the growing bump on his head. He didn't remember a thing. A contest?

"Who won?"

"Fisher Girl was the last one standing this round. She took all four of you out before the sun set. She won," Franky replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

That was why the others were sleeping then. She sang them to sleep. Why did she only punch him? Zoro grunted.

"Maybe it's better not to mention it anymore then. She might be upset for a while," he said.

Chopper nodded frantically. "I think so, too. She said that she didn't even want supper tonight!"

"Is Magina-san sick? I was going to make her favorite meal tonight," Sanji strolled up to them, yawning mightily.

"Make it tomorrow, Sanji. Today, she just wanted to be left alone," Nami suggested.

Luffy and Usopp joined them, and there was soon an argument about what Sanji should cook for supper. Zoro watched silently, deep in thought. Magina didn't get upset often. Was it something that they did during this contest? Why didn't he remember anything? He ate a small snack before returning to the top deck. He settled down to wait. If she was upset enough, she probably wouldn't fish tonight. He stared at the fishing poles that Luffy and Usopp left out for fun. Maybe…

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mimi stared at the wall. Jotaro slept. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't. She and Jotaro carefully watched the effects of her song. This pirate crew was ridiculous. Only the four men should have been affected by the song but the whole ship became involved. It lasted longer than Mimi expected too.

Thinking back over how the day turned out just caused her to sigh in exasperation. The half-breed was frustrated with the proceedings, but she wasn't angry enough to cut ties with Zoro-sama. The memory of the half-breed's resourcefulness was still fresh in her mind. They tied her up and gagged her, necessary precautions when going against a siren, yet she escaped.

The captain was the first victim to be sung asleep. He fell down from the mast and since he held her, she should have fallen with him. Instead, she grabbed a rope and gracefully rappelled down. She hunted the curly-haired man and the cook next. Mimi was jealous of how silently and fluidly the half-breed moved. Zoro-sama was her last prey but instead of using her voice, the half-breed clouted Zoro-sama on the head. The fact that he was knocked out in one blow was even more surprising! Mimi didn't want to admit but the half-breed was more awesome than she expected.

Mimi didn't have any other plans to try while on the ship. She would have to wait until they were on land. Then, she could call Zoro-sama away and separate him from the half-breed for good. Mimi smiled before sleep finally claimed her.

Hey, everybody! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Mimi is very frustrated that her songs are NOT working the way that she expected. She has finally decided to give up trying to interfere on the ship. That could spell disaster for Magina when the Sunny Go finally makes it to an island! I wonder what dastardly plan Mimi has in mind when the crew finally lands. I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out! Everyone, stay healthy and creative! Happy New Year!