AN:

Pacing is kind of weird for me to plan out. I want things to move quickly so we can get to canon, but I don't want to just gloss over stuff, so I'm trying to take my time. I mentioned that I enjoy reading about growth, that being said, I also like reading about Luffy smacking down on people. Hopefully, I manage to get the give-and-take down. If not, well I guess you're just gonna have to deal with it.

Here's chapter 5. Enjoy.

Chapter 5: Friends

"Hey! That's mine!", Luffy yelled in annoyance, holding his large piece of meat high above his head where the little meat thieves couldn't get it. "White! Come get these little brats off me! They are trying to steal my meat again! They aren't even hungry, they just do it to be meanies!", the boy screamed, being practically bowled over by a multitude of white forms. Said White padded her way over and brushed the smaller wolves away from Luffy, something like scolding in her eyes. All the white forms gazed at his piece of meat, before running to various places around the trees, their eyes, unlike their mother's, dancing with laughter.

Crisis averted. For now.

The pups had grown considerably since the day Luffy had met the pack. He'd only been in the forest for a short while and it was by complete chance he came upon them, as he'd already gotten lost. Well… maybe not by complete chance. As the boy gazed into the forest and ate his large piece of raw meat, memories of his meeting with White and her pups floated through his mind.

It hadn't been long since Spencer and Luffy had parted ways and the teenager was already lost. He didn't know which way was North, so, he didn't know any of the other directions either. He'd gotten distracted climbing through the trees. Well… he'd been chasing some monkeys and they had led him on a wild goose chase... Or monkey chase. So much so, that they eventually escaped the boy's sight and disappeared into the canopies above, leaving him lost and lonesome.

"That was stupid! Now I don't know where I am!", the straw-hatted teen yelled into an empty forest, sighing, "Plus, I'm getting kinda hungry.". His stomach grumbled loudly. He was definitely going to need food.

'PROTECT'.

Luffy gasped, grabbing his head in unexpected pain. That word. It wasn't even really a word, more like… An instinct... Yeah. It sounded right to the boy.

Said boy heard a faint snarl in the distance and didn't even stop to think before immediately sprinting his way toward it. It didn't take him very much time to reach the location of the noise. As he looked into the small clearing where the sounds were coming from, Luffy immediately noticed a large white wolf that appeared to be standing over a litter of pups. It was baring its fangs at a grey-colored bear, three times its size. The bear had various bleeding bite marks and scratches littering its body.

Luffy wasted no time. He sprinted his way into the area at seeing the large bear getting ready to lunge at the wolf. With little time to act, he pushed his right foot off the ground in the middle of his sprint and jumped toward the grey beast. In what would seem like an instant to most, Luffy's, now enhanced, knee smashed into the side of the monstrous bear's head. The impact caused the animal's skull to recoil and a crack was heard throughout the clearing. The force with which Luffy had propelled himself continued to drive the appendage further into the side of the bear's skull. Soon enough, the beast's head began to give way and its skull was crushed, as Luffy rode it to the ground.

The boy gingerly stood from his place on top of the dead animal, "SCORE! DINNER!".

The bear was huge and he was really hungry. Although, it was getting dark. It was hard to eat in the dark and he couldn't get any wood for a fire. He'd tried to cut down one of the trees with his haki but it had just bounced off! Why had no one told him you couldn't cut the trees down?!

Now that the wolf pack was safe, Luffy began to ponder. He'd gone fast. Like really fast. The boy smiled to himself. He'd already gotten stronger since leaving home. All that sparring with Zoro had actually helped... He had just been doing it because it was fun. The teen looked to where the growling was coming from, earlier and noticed that the large white wolf, still standing guard over her children, had various spots of red staining her snow-colored fur. "Hey, you alright?", Luffy asked the she-wolf. He assumed it was a she. Who else could be the mother of the pups under her?

The wolf pointed her nose in the direction of the dead bear and the teen immediately understood. "You're a fiery one, aren't ya?", he asked, laughing. The wolf had obviously gotten her licks in. She only gave a blank stare and it just made the boy laugh more. With the large animal now looking right at him, Luffy noticed that her eyes were completely black, as were her pups'. He thought that was kind of weird. Cool… but weird.

The wolf then pointed her nose to the bear again and, much to the black-haired boy's chagrin, he understood that too. She wanted him to share. "Finnneee. I'll share, I guess. I should probably do some sharing before I become a pirate because, after that, I'm not sharing with anybody!", Luffy said to the large white wolf in front of him.

The she-wolf began to pad her way toward him, her little pups following closely behind. As she approached, the wolf brought her muzzle to Luffy's face and gave it a lick. "Yeah, yeah, I guess we can be friends.", he smiled, pulling away from the large animal, "But if you're gonna be my friend, you need a name.". The boy eyed the white wolf and all of her identical pups, a simple name popping into his head, "You're White!".

The large wolf practically tackled the young boy and began to lick his face once again, much more aggressively this time. Her young pups weren't far behind, beginning to climb all over his prone form. "I get it! I get it! That tickles!", Luffy laughed, succumbing to the 'attacks' of his new friends.

Once the group of wolves had halted their assault, they began to make their way toward the bear on the ground. It was feeding time.

"Hey, White?", the black-haired boy asked, getting up from the forest floor. The wolf turned, looking at Luffy expectantly. "Can I hang out with you guys for a little while? My frien-", the boy was interrupted by the wolf approaching and putting her face next to Luffy's, nuzzling him in confirmation. "Thanks, White!", he laughed and hugged her neck. The two then walked together toward where their next meal was as friends. Who knows, maybe she could even help him find the cave!

Luffy was brought out of his musings by his teeth hitting bone. He tossed his bare meat stick into the forest and got up from his place against one of the forest's many large trees. "White! How much further, till we reach the cave?", the boy asked, looking at his companion.

She was currently resting against another tree, curled around her pups. Night had fallen and they were getting ready to rest. It had been a long day of traveling and hunting. The she-wolf raised her head from her position on the ground and looked at Luffy as if answering his question. "We're almost there?!", he asked, excitedly jumping in the air. The wolf continued to look at Luffy, confirming her answer, then wrinkled her nose and pointed her muzzle in, what would seem to most, another random direction in the forest.

"I do not stink THAT bad!", Luffy argued in protest, sniffing himself. Nevermind. He needed a bath and he needed one NOW. He grimaced. It was a miracle he hadn't smelt himself sooner. His nose actually kind of hurt. Wait… could he smell better? Now that he thought about it, as he looked around the forest, he thought he could see a little better too. Not further, well, not enough to notice, but just... sharper, he guessed. He wondered if his other senses had been 'trained' a little bit too. That would be SO cool!

The she-wolf only turned away, disagreement evident in her eyes, and laid her head back amongst her children.

"Finnneee! I'll go find the pond and take a stupid bath!", the boy huffed, ending the one-sided conversation. Well, most would think it was one-sided. Luffy would just tell them they weren't listening. He turned and began to walk toward where the animal had 'pointed'.

The wolves had been leading him around the forest for what the boy thought was almost a month. He stayed with them after their fateful meeting and, in that time, he had done everything with them, ate, slept, hunted, etc. If the wolves did it, more than likely, Luffy was doing it too. In the teen's mind, he was just hanging out with his friends. Of course, there was also an added benefit. White, did in fact happen to know where the cave he was looking for was. He had asked her about it the same day they'd started traveling together.

The one thing wolves didn't do that Luffy desperately needed to, according to White, was bathe… He was starting to stink. Like… bad. The wolf pups, who were not so small anymore, were starting to keep their distance from him... When they weren't trying to steal his food, of course. The straw-hatted boy continued to make his way through the forest until, he came upon a small body of water, a little waterfall standing at its opposite edge. Green grass, blue water, a waterfall... What more could he ask for? It was the perfect place for a bath.

Without even thinking about it, Luffy sprinted his way to the edge of the water and cannonballed his way in, clothes, hat, and all. A large splash echoed through the area, as soon as the boy's body hit liquid. The warm temperature brought a content smile to his face as he rose from the depths and broke the surface. "This feels amazing.", Luffy sighed, taking a look at the small waterfall in front of him.

He swam forward and found the water rather shallow below the moving liquid. The boy looked around the area, before stripping out of his clothing, and began to wash the items under the light pressure of the water streaming into the small pond. Makino had taught him how to wash stuff, so, he liked to think he was pretty good at it. He didn't have any soap, but the pressure from the waterfall would, probably, be enough to rid the items of their stench.

A yawn broke through Luffy's lips. He was getting a little sleepy. He glanced at the warm water below him and couldn't help but think that it felt like a great place for a nap. The water would be like a nice warm blanket. Yeah. He was definitely taking a nap. With his mind made up, Luffy sat stark naked, excluding his hat and necklace, under the waterfall washing his clothes in quiet contentment. The boy wasn't shy about any sort of nakedness. Let's be honest, there wasn't a shy bone in his entire body. So, when he heard a startled scream from the land behind him, he immediately turned around, searching for the source.

The screaming only grew louder as his naked front faced the shore.

Zoro took a runner's stance with his legs and bent at the hip, eyes at his feet. He laid a hand on Wado Ichimonji and grasped it tightly, but not too tightly. With his eyes peering forward, a straw dummy standing in front of him, the swordsman's image flashed. In a split second, he was behind the dummy, slowly sliding his single-sided blade into its white sheath. A small click was the only sound made, as the tsuba connected with the saya.

The verdet stood from his bent position and turned, satisfied by what he saw. There was no cut anywhere on the dummy, even though he had used the sharp side of his katana.

"You didn't even cut it.", came Saul's voice, an unimpressed look in his eye. The older man would often come out to watch Zoro train and it just happened to be one of those times.

Zoro smirked at the blacksmith. "That's the point, old man.", he replied, resting his hand on Wado's hilt, "This katana will only cut what I want it to, nothing more and nothing less.".

"Whatever, brat.", Saul said, eyes still hanging on to his unimpressed look. "And where do you get off callin' me, old man?! I gave ya a place to eat, sleep, AND WORK! So show some respect to your elders!", the man yelled, crossing his arms and heading back to his forge. He'd had enough of watching the brat NOT cut anything.

As the door closed behind Saul, Zoro continued to stand in the small yard behind the shop. He'd been going there to practice every day since the old blacksmith had let him start working. It had taken a lot of convincing but the younger boy eventually managed to get the dark-skinned man to hire him… As a pack mule.

In the beginning, Saul had absolutely refused the verdet every time the boy had come to the shop. Which happened to be every day. But, Zoro had been adamant and after a week of non-stop pestering, Saul finally cracked. Now, he worked every day doing various things around the shop.

He did do other things, but Zoro's main job was moving the large mounds of metal Saul often purchased out back and breaking them apart. The teen didn't mind the work. The heavy metals made for a good work out and he was always looking to get stronger. Be it getting stronger physically or in other ways, it was all the same to the swordsman. Strength was strength.

Immediately after he was hired, Zoro asked Saul if he meant to teach him forging. To his immense surprise, the blacksmith had, once again, refused him. The why of it still baffled the boy as he thought about what the older man had said to him back then.

"Come again?", Zoro asked the blacksmith, mouth gaping like a fish. He'd thought for sure the man would teach him if only he could get hired. It was why he stopped asking to be taught and instead just asked to work.

"I said… I'm not teachin' ya.", Saul replied, finality oozing from his voice.

"Well then, WHAT THE HELL'S THE POINT OF WORKING HERE?!", Zoro yelled at the man, teeth sharper than a shark's.

The man laughed at the anger he could see in the verdet's eyes, "I never said… I wouldn't let you watch.".

"HOW. THE HELL. IS THAT ANY DIFFERENT?!", the swordsman screamed incredulously, frustration clear on his face. First, the man had made him wait a week and now he was being all confusing. Zoro hated confusing.

"QUIT SCREAMIN', BRAT!", the man yelled back, growing tired of Zoro's loud voice.

The boy had the decency to at least look scolded.

"I'm not teachin' ya, because of those eyes...", the man started, looking at Zoro, "Those ain't the eyes of a blacksmith. I would know.", he pointed at the swordsman's eyes, "Those… are the eyes of a demon.".

Zoro just looked at the man like he was crazy and decided to continue letting him explain himself. Maybe it would start to make sense if he let him talk more.

"I've known a few demon's in my time. And ain't one of 'em was a blacksmith.", Saul stated like it answered all of Zoro's questions. "Although, Garp was more monster than demon. His son though…", the blacksmith whispered to himself.

'Garp?', the verdet thought. He hadn't heard of that name before. "So, you won't teach me… because you think, 'I have the eyes of a demon'.", Zoro sweat dropped, looking at the older man. He'd decided to ask about this Garp later. He definitely wouldn't forget.

"You don't get it, kid. I'm helpin' you here. You aren't meant to forge steal. Those eyes, they tell me… You were meant to use it.", Saul siad, sagely. "I've seen eyes like those before and I just got a feelin'.".

Zoro paused. He kind of liked the sound of that. Plus, at the end of the day, he never really wanted to forge weapons, anyway, he just wanted to know how it was done. Being taught would have been the best way but being able to watch would have to do. "Fine, old man. Whatever. As long as I learn what I came here to learn.", he acquiesced.

And Zoro had learned. He learned the process of forging, specifically, forging blades. Without actual teaching, he could try his hand at it, but he wasn't too keen on actually being able to make a suitable katana for himself. However, he knew the process and everything that went into it, and, as he predicted, it enabled him to better use his sword. However, it was in a slightly unexpected way.

Saul loved forging weapons, but he was always reluctant to let Zoro very close to the forge. The first time he did, watching the man work it was obvious that the man forged with not only his hammer but also his heart. The metal took the exact shape that he wanted, almost as if he could will every hammer blow to do exactly what he needed to make his creation. He had the confidence and skill to know that every strike would meet its target. Zoro watched Saul forge many weapons over his time with the blacksmith but he never let him see the finished blades. It was almost as if he was keeping a secret from him. A secret the man didn't think he was ready to learn yet.

The swordsman eventually came to understand the fruits of his labor after Saul had finally deemed him worthy enough to watch the creation of a blade and, subsequently, examine it. A katana.

The weapon the man made, had a 'personality', per se. That was the best way Zoro could describe it.

It wasn't quite a personality. It was more like a fleeting breeze, faintly whispering in the air. He barely felt it but it still raised the hairs on his skin. He had a feeling that the reason he felt something from the blade at the time was that he now knew and understood the katana through watching how it was made, the knowledge he had gained from watching Saul during his time in the shop. It had also been when the blacksmith told Zoro that his sword had a name. At the time, when "Wado Ichimonji" first left his mouth it almost felt like the katana had begun to hum, the same whispering feeling from Saul's blade breezing across his skin.

He had spent weeks trying to figure out what it all meant and it clicked one night as he was sharpening his newly dubbed Wado Ichimonji, a whispering of 'air' lightly singing across his skin. The weapons he would use were to be his and his alone. They would help him reach his goals and if they didn't want to, he would prove to them why they should. He already felt it with Wado Ichimonji. They would act as one. The blade would do EXACTLY as he willed. It would cut whatever it was he needed to cut and the opposite was also true. It was devoted to Zoro, and Zoro in turn was devoted to his sword. As weird as that may sound…

There was still more to learn on the island, though. The verdet just knew it. He didn't know if Saul would be the one to lead him there, or if he would find the knowledge on his own, but Zoro was excited regardless. He was already stronger than he was before. How much stronger could he get before he left? And how strong was his friend already?... He was excited just thinking about it.

"PERVERT!", the girl yelled from the shore of the small pond, shielding her eyes and running behind a nearby tree, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING NAKED IN THE FOREST?! YOU IDIOT!". She sounded like she was blushing.

"YOU'RE THE ONE PEEPING ON ME!", Luffy yelled back, indignantly. The girl had just walked up and screamed! Who the hell did that?! He was only trying to take a bath! He just didn't want his nose to hurt anymore!

"I WAS NOT PEEPING! I JUST HAPPENED TO STUMBLE ON THIS PLACE WHILE…", she paused before she could finish her thought, "YOU KNOW WHAT?! IT DOESN'T MATTER! JUST PUT SOME DAMN CLOTHES ON!".

"THEY'RE WET, SO I CAN'T!", Luffy exclaimed, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. He was gonna stand his ground. Besides, what did it matter, it was just skin. Nothing weird about skin.

There was a pause in the air.

"So, just put them on anyways…", the girl responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, her voice drastically dropping in volume.

Luffy held his position unflinchingly. "I refuse.", he stated in reply. He was going to get clean. Plus, the water felt great! He wanted to relax for a while longer before heading back to the wolves and that nap sounded really good right now.

"WHAT THE HELL?! WHY?!", the unknown girl questioned, volume increasing once again.

"Cause! I don't wanna!", Luffy yelled in return. And he really didn't. The girl could join if she wanted to, though. He wouldn't mind that. He used to share a bath with his brothers all the time. You know what, that wasn't a bad idea. "Hey! Why don't we just share it!", offered the straw-hatted boy.

"WHAT?!", the girl screeched.

He laughed at the funny noise the girl had made. "You obviously came here for a bath! And to peep! Why don't we just share it? You can peep all you want!", the black-haired boy joked, his smile gracing his face. Makino had taught him about all that stuff. It had been pretty embarrassing at the time. Right now, though, it didn't really interest him, that was later stuff. Though, he didn't get why she screeched like that. He thought everyone knew about it.

"WE ARE NOT SHARING…", she abruptly stopped, "Unless…". Her head flashed around the tree, berri symbols in her eyes, "You pay me. Fifty thousand berries a second to be in the same bath as me."

Luffy's eyes snapped open. Wasn't that like... a lot? He noticed that the girl had shoulder-length orange hair and her eyes had berri symbols in them. He thought she was pretty, even with the weird eyes. Cool. But weird. Before he could examine her further, however, her words registered. "I don't have any money…", the boy replied, sweat dropping.

The orange-haired girl's eyes immediately went back to normal as she ducked back behind the tree and Luffy thought he saw a flash of brown. "Well then, no deal, bucko! Either put some clothes on or leave!", she yelled.

There was another pause before the boy spoke again. "I refuse.", Luffy repeated. There was no way he was going to let a peeper drive him away from his relaxing time. Plus, he was here first!

"You're impossible!", the girl huffed in annoyance.

The screaming match paused again and there was quiet in the area for a moment. It was longer this time. The girl was more than likely thinking over his offer.

"Finnneee… But, only if you promise not to look.", she said eventually, breaking the silence.

Luffy laughed at the irony in her words, "It's me, who should be worried about someone peeping!".

"I WAS NOT PEEPING!", she continued to yell back incessantly.

"Don't believe you.", replied the black-haired boy, sticking out his tongue. He turned and grabbed his clothes from their place under the small waterfall, laying them out to dry along with his hat. Once he was finished he closed his eyes, turning back toward the girl's direction and submerging his body up to his waist, "You can come out now! My eyes are closed I promise!".

There was another pause, the girl was probably gathering her courage. "If you look... You're gonna owe me some serious money.", she said, peeking around the edge of the tree.

Luffy only laughed at her words, "Whatever! Just come on in! The water feels great!". The black-haired boy heard some shuffling and the rustling of clothes, then, a splash.

"Ahhhhh. You were right, this does feel nice.", the girl sighed, head breaking the pond's surface.

"I know, right?!", Luffy exclaimed, beginning to float on his back, eyes still closed as promised. Being who he was, he didn't realize he was definitely showing his bits. Well... He did, he just didn't really care.

"Can you… not, do that?", the girl asked, something like embarrassment in her voice.

Luffy sighed in relaxation. "If you don't wanna see, don't look...", he began to giggle, "But, I know you wanna, you peeper!".

"I was NOT peeping!", the girl argued.

"Was too.".

"Was not!".

"Was too.".

She huffed and Luffy heard her swim further away from him. "What's your name, anyways?", he asked, in the direction of the retreating noise.

"Why do you need to know my name? We'll probably never see each other again...", she found a spot further away from Luffy and glanced at the boy's closed eyes, beginning to make her way down before she caught herself and turned away, a slight blush rising to her cheeks, "Well, I'll never see YOU again.".

"What the heck! You don't wanna be friends?!", Luffy asked as he began lazily paddling his way around the pond, instinctively avoiding the girl. Getting too close might just get him killed...

"Why would you even ask that?", she questioned.

He continued to float on his back, his muscles starting to feel as if they were melting. "Why not? You already know me pretty well.", he giggled. The boy's eyes were beginning to grow heavy, even in their closed state, and his paddling was starting to slow. He felt real good. The water's temperature was just right. The girl's voice mixing with the waterfall was kinda nice to listen to. It was all just so relaxing. "Also,", he yawned, "I like making new friends. And I like to think that's a pretty good reason.".

"Well… I think that's stupid.", the unnamed girl said, a frown in her voice.

"Well, why do you think it's stupid?", Luffy asked, curiously. He was too tired to get mad that she had, in a way, called him stupid.

"Because I can't TRUST you. Being friends is all about trust.", she began, "You say you like making friends, but, that doesn't make me trust you."

Luffy's mind was getting foggier by the second. "So until you can trust me… we can't be friends?", he asked. The girl could do whatever she wanted. She wasn't gonna hurt him. He just had a feeling. He didn't have anything to say about all this trust business right now. He'd figure it out when he woke up.

"That's exactly right.", the girl stated and then paused for a moment, "But, that doesn't mean we can't team up.".

Luffy perked up slightly at this, the brain fog receding a little. "Team up?", he asked, curiously, sleep still obviously on his voice.

"Yeah, you know. You help me I help you.", the girl stated, simply.

"Isn't that what friends do?", Luffy asked, still floating carelessly in the water. The girl was confusing him and it was just making him more tired.

"Yes, but friends expect nothing in return for helping each other. I, on the other hand, want at least ninety percent of whatever it is you help me find.", she answered, sounding very haughty about it.

"Ninety percent?", Luffy questioned. Wasn't that almost all of it? Plus, he didn't even know what it was she was looking for!

"Yeah, ninety to me and ten to you. Seems pretty fair to me.", she said, in an, almost, genuine tone.

To be fair, Luffy would have usually said yes to something like this, however, he was on an adventure already. Plus, the old man had wanted HIM to get the treasure, so he didn't want to share it. "I'm good.", he answered eventually. He wanted to find the forest guy and get their treasure before he started a new adventure and it seemed like the girl wanted to take him on one, friends or not.

The orangette took a moment before replying, "Your loss. I heard the place I'm looking for is guarded by a protector. That means it must be guarding something worth tons of money!".

"Protector?", Luffy asked, something nagging at the back of his mind. Why was the word protector making him feel like he was forgetting something important?

"Yeah! Apparently, a ton of people have tried to take its treasure. But, none have been able to succeed. I've even heard that some people have died trying to get it.", the girl explained.

Luffy shot straight up. His upper chest was the only thing above the surface of the water as he pointed an accusatory finger at the orange-haired girl, still managing to keep his eyes closed. He was good at keeping promises after all. "No way! That's my treasure! And I am so not sharing!", he declared. It had finally hit him as he let her talk. No way was he going to share! She was looking for the same treasure he was!

"Wait, you already know about the cave?", the girl asked, curiously.

"Duh! An old man told me to go get the forest guy's treasure and I'm gonna get it! No one else!", he stated, proudly. That old guy was super cool and Luffy wasn't letting anyone else get the treasure. He felt he owed it to him, he was the one who sent him on this awesome adventure after all.

"Well, just because you want it doesn't mean I can't get it before you do…", the orangette reasoned.

The urge Luffy had to open his eyes and give the girl he was talking to a glare was so strong he had to put his hands over them just to make sure they didn't open. "No way! I can't remember that old guy's name but he wanted ME to get the treasure! So I'm gonna get it! And I'm keeping it!", he yelled.

The girl didn't reply immediately. Instead, she paused, as if thinking. "Ok ok, fine. You seem to want it pretty badly... So, you can have it.", she replied eventually.

The boy ungrit his teeth. "Really?", he questioned in surprise, "But, I thought you wanted to sell the treasure for money or whatever?".

"Well yeah. I still do, but it wouldn't be fair if I just barged in on your find.", the girl said.

Luffy smiled and brought his hands back down to his side, sighing, "Now, that's a relief!". He laid back in the water and began floating again. Now that he didn't have to worry about the girl stealing his treasure, it was finally time for a nap.

"Yeah, I'm definitely NOT gonna still go after the treasure.", the orangette announced, rolling her eyes.

Luffy smiled at her words. "Well, thanks! You had me worried for a second!", he replied, ignorantly, finally letting sleep take him over. In his floating position, the water acted as the perfect bed. Plus, he could just talk to the girl when he woke up… Right?

"Well, thanks! You had me worried there for a second!", the black-haired boy said, a sleep bubble beginning to form in his nose.

Nami scanned the boy's face. Yep. Definitely asleep... What an idiot.

The orangette quickly scrambled out of the water and dressed. She had to find the cave and quickly. She obviously wasn't going to let the idiot boy get the treasure she'd been looking for. For days no less! She was about to give up and head back to the city when she finally found the clearing the cave was in.

She had only wanted to get some rest and wash up before she tried to steal the Forest Lord's treasure. Nami didn't know who or what it was, but she thought being clean couldn't hurt and the rest was much needed. How was she supposed to know a person would be there?! Now she couldn't even rest! She had to get the treasure before that weird guy!

She blushed, other images of the young man coming to her mind. Quickly gathering herself and wiping all thoughts of the boy she had met from her mind, the orange-haired girl turned in the direction she knew the cave was. She had to get the treasure. For Cocoyashi.

Nami took off at a sprint in the direction she was facing, determination written all over her face. She had already snuck past and stolen from many pirates already, so why not add a lord to the list? How hard could it be?