AN:

I'm back! It's been a while, I know, but I needed to take a little time away and let my creative juices recharge. But we are back now! I'm excited to get this chapter out because I've had the next couple of chapters in my head for a long time so I'm really eager to write them. Also, we pass 200K words with this chapter which is absolutely crazy!

This chapter may pan out differently than you expected, but I hope it still satisfies. I might come back and add a little more to it later, but for now, I just really wanted to get this one out. I hope you guys like it!

Thanks again for all the likes, follows, and comments. Would love to hear what you think about the chapter!

Without further ado, here's chapter 32. Happy reading!

Chapter 32: Outmatched

"Like the old geezer said… I gotta go take out some trash.", Sanji said, turning away from the woman as she rushed to the moss ball's side. Hopefully, she'd be able to do the stitches on her own. He really didn't need the shitty swordsman dying on him… Luffy would be pissed… He shook the thought away and made his way through the entrance of the Baratie, stepping over broken pieces of wood.

Gin rolled out from under his captain and groaned, slowly bringing his body into a sitting position before making to stand back up. His hazy eyes found a person walking out of the entrance of the restaurant and they eventually cleared enough for him to make out a head of blond hair.

"DAMN IT!", Krieg screamed, slamming his fist into the wood, "Who the hell are these damn kids?!". He spat blood from his mouth and scowled at the approaching figure as he also stood to his feet, brandishing his golden shield in the chef's direction.

"The name's Sanji.", the blond said stopping a short distance away from the two recovering pirates. He sent the men a teasing smirk before making to bow, "Chef of the…".

Sanji paused when he realized he didn't know the name of the pirate group he'd joined, his cheek reddening slightly. It was probably something he should have asked his captain… The boy shrugged to himself and straightened back out, his small smirk still in place. He'd just have to guess for now… "The Straw Hat Pirates.", he said proudly. It sounded good at least… He'd ask Mosshead if he was right when the idiot woke up... You know what... Maybe he'd just wait until Luffy got back... He didn't need to give the shitty swordsman a reason to make fun of him...

Krieg watched the chef rise from his bow and growled at the insulting gesture, "So you're with the brat in the straw hat… Just like the injured kid.".

"Don't lump me in with that shitty piece of moss.", Sanji scowled. He quickly wiped the expression from his face and replaced it with something more neutral. Mosshead could wait. He had more important things to take care of at the moment. "Here's what's going to happen. I'm gonna nicely ask the two of you to leave.", he started, eyes thinning into a glare, "And if you refuse… I'm gonna beat the shit out of you.".

Krieg's expression turned more violent at the words if anything, his hand tenderly holding his bruised face.

The chef could tell his words angered the pirate captain but he shrugged uncaringly. Instead of trying to reason with Don Krieg, Sanji sent the man's first mate a pleading look, "Sure you don't just want to leave?". He felt like he probably had more of a chance of getting through to Gin rather than the man's captain. He looked like the more reasonable of the two… That being said, Gin didn't look all that happy either… "I take that as a no?…", he awkwardly asked.

Silence reigned for a long moment before the blond sighed, the tip of his right boot beginning to tap on the wood. His hand reached into his coat pocket and he pulled out a cigarette, placing the white stick in his mouth before lighting it. He took in a deep breath and blew the smoke from his lungs, leaving himself with a pleasant buzz. Nothing like a nice cigarette before a fight.

"Alright.", Sanji sighed once again. His boot was beginning to tap faster and his muscles started to tense, "Let's get this over with.". He looked up, his blue-grey eyes meeting those of his soon-to-be opponents, and they suddenly shadowed, a scowl rising to his lips. "Last thing.", his muscles tensed even harder as he prepared to jump in the direction of the two pirates.

"You said you were gonna take this ship?... Well, let me tell you something...", the chef's foot suddenly stopped in its tapping and he wasted no time in launching himself off the ground, his eyes alit with a fiery anger, "NO ONE TOUCHES MY DAMN RESTAURANT!".

"Faster, Levi!", Luffy shouted while he kept a tight grip on the sea monster's reins. The Merry suddenly lurched forward at the words and the boy turned to look behind the ship, his face visibly paling.

The dark clouds painting the sky black had come a couple of hours after they began sailing and were quickly catching up. It felt like no matter how fast they went, the darkness continued to gain on them.

The straw-hatted teen groaned, turning back to the water in front of him. If they got caught up in the storm, it was sure to slow them down a good bit… He didn't even know if Levi would be able to continue following Nami's scent through the rain. He glanced over his shoulder at the wall of water somehow still gaining on them and sighed, his eyes moving back to the horizon.

"As fast as you can, Levi.", the boy commanded, his black orbs hardening. They needed to make as much progress as possible before the dark clouds caught up because, after that, traveling would be much slower. He looked down at the figurehead of the Merry and sent the wooden lamb an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Merry.", he said, reaching down to softly place his hand on the wood, "But I know you can handle it. It'll only be for a little bit.".

Luffy didn't think they were going to be able to escape from the storm's grasp with the way things were looking. Eventually, it was going to catch them and when it did, they'd have to slow back down… This was as far as he was willing to go when it came to risking his precious ship. Trying to sail this fast through an obviously bad storm was more than he was willing to put Merry through.

The vessel seemed to almost vibrate underneath his palm as its speed drastically increased and he smiled tenderly, "Yeah… She's important to me too.". The boy went to lift his hand but before he could, he realized something and was taken aback momentarily, his eyes as wide as saucers.

"M- Merry?", Luffy asked softly, shock still apparent on his face while he stared at the hand still connected to the ship's white wood, "Did… Did you just talk?…".

"NO ONE TOUCHES MY DAMN RESTAURANT!", Sanji roared, flying through the air with his toe pointed in the direction of his adversary.

Gin's eyes widened and he barely had time to duck, the chef's form sailing over him and ruffling the hair on his head.

"Gin.", Don Krieg said, his hand coming out of the inside of his coat holding two small black cylinders. He tossed them in his first mate's direction without another word and rushed toward their adversary. He'd been made a fool of enough today… It was time for someone to pay…

The pirate caught the items his captain had thrown at him before the man burst in Sanji's direction with a roar. He eyed the small cylinders and immediately knew what they were, pressing the buttons on the bottom side of each. Small mechanical sounds came from the two black pieces of metal before they both began to largen. Before long, two fully extended metal batons rested in his hands. He would usually screw on the ends to make them into his tonfa, but the large metal balls had been left on the ship, so he'd have to make do with what he had. Hopefully, it would be enough… But for some reason… He wasn't so sure it would be…

Sanji's leg knocked an arm careening toward his face off course and he slid into the guard of his opponent, his foot rising from the ground in a flash. The black boot slid past the shield Krieg was using to protect himself and connected with the center of his chest, a groan of pain coming from the pirate captain's mouth as he slid backward a couple of feet.

The boy smirked at the growl he could hear coming from the man's lips and turned in the direction of a pair of rapid footsteps, finding Gin rushing at his back with his two weapons held above his head. Sanji watched the pair of batons closely and in the same moment that the pirate brought the weapons downward, his leg shot up in front of his body.

The black metal connected with the blond's guard and he pushed against the weapons, sending the man holding them careening backward. Before he could follow the stumbling pirate, he felt a tickle on the back of his neck and immediately bent forward. A fist flew over his head and he continued to lean, his right leg shooting backward like a viper. The bottom of his black sole buried itself into the right side of Krieg's hip and the man was thrown from his feet before he could even so much as blink.

The pirate captain's eyes widened when he felt his body rise into the air, his side aching even through the thick armor he wore underneath his shirt. He roughly landed on his back and was almost immediately on his feet, a guttural growl leaving his lips as he brandished his shield once again. He was already wishing he hadn't left all his useful weapons on the ship... His eyes glanced down to the golden metal resting in his hand... At least he still had that. He shook his head and sprinted his way back into the fray. He'd look for a good opportunity to use it but, right now, all he really wanted to do was punch this kid.

Sanji sprang from the ground, two batons passing underneath his feet and bent his body backward in the air to dodge a golden shield passing over his head. He landed on the wood below and his eyes were immediately met with black metal. His body folded and he brought his right leg up with as much strength as he could muster, the tip of his black shoe finding the underside of Gin's chin.

The man's eyes widened before he was suddenly launched into the air, his teeth slamming against each other as his mouth was kicked shut. Blood was spat from his mouth when his body roughly landed on the wood and he groaned, tucking into a roll. He stood to his feet and spat out another glob of crimson liquid while watching his captain attempt to land a hit on the blond chef.

Sanji's right leg cracked through the air in Krieg's direction, the man managing to parry the blow with his shield and find his way inside the blond's guard. His eyes widened when he felt a fist bury itself in his stomach and he gasped, his feet skidding against the wood while he slid backward. His eyes came back up from the ground and he grinned at the two men sprinting in his direction. "Is this all you got?", the chef insulted.

Krieg growled at the words and pushed himself to move even faster. He was going to make this stupid brat eat those words.

Darkness suddenly gave birth to light as Zoro's eyes peeled open and he groaned in pain. His chest felt like it was on fire.

The swordsman's hand came up to gently probe the area and he hissed when his palm made contact with the slightly wet cloth covering his upper body. He rode out the pulsing ache he'd left himself with and laid his hand back by his side, continuing to squint for a moment while his eyes adjusted to the light. Along with his slowly focusing vision, the haze in his mind was beginning to recede as well and he glanced around, looking for the woman who'd fixed him up.

"How the hell are you awake right now?!", a voice questioned from above.

The swordsman turned his head in the direction of the words and found the person he was searching for. Her green dress was soaked in, what he assumed was, his blood and she was staring at him with a pair of wide brown eyes. He smirked at her, ignoring the question and groaning as he lifted his body off the ground to sit up, "Thanks for taking care of me, doc.".

The woman continued to gape for a moment before moving to help the boy. She had absolutely no clue how he was conscious right now…

"Where's the cook?", Zoro asked, looking around the dining area for the stupid perv. The fact that he wasn't dead meant the idiot wasn't completely useless…

"He's outside.", she said, pointing at the broken front door while still staring incredulously at the verdet, "He said he had to go 'Take out some trash.'.".

The swordsman looked in the direction she was pointing and now that he was paying more attention, realized he could hear commotion coming from outside. "Are they still fighting?", he asked curiously. If they were, it might be a good chance to see if the cook could actually be useful when they made it to the Grandline.

The woman cautiously nodded her head, not exactly sure why her patient would want the answer to that question.

Zoro kept his eyes glued to the broken entrance, listening to the quiet sounds of the fight going on outside. "Mind helping me stand?", he asked.

"What?!", the woman questioned. What was he even talking about?! He shouldn't even be conscious right now, let alone standing!

The swordsman peeled his eyes away from the door and a few pained chuckles came from his lips when he saw the expression on the woman's face. "I said, do you mind helping me stand up.", he repeated. He pointed in the direction of the door, "I wanna go watch that idiot fight.".

The woman looked between the door and the swordsman before going back and forth a couple of times, her face still showing a slight bit of shock.

"If you don't help me, I'm just gonna do it myself.", he reasoned. He looked down at his chest and then back to the woman, "And I would hate for you to have to redo my stitches because I tore them…".

The words seemed to be the right ones because she sighed and bent down to hang Zoro's arm over her shoulder. She shot the verdet a glare. As a doctor, she didn't condone people with his kind of injuries moving right after 'surgery', but she knew he was serious when he said he'd do it himself… And she really didn't want to redo those stitches...

Zoro groaned when the two moved to stand but he was eventually on his feet and the woman led him in the direction of the door. As they neared, the sounds of fighting began to become louder and the swordsman had to resist the urge to scowl at the part of him that was a little excited… What! He liked watching people fight!…

The two crossed the threshold of the restaurant and their vision was immediately met with Sanji's form rapidly falling through the air while smoke poured off his right leg.

"Smoked Épaule!", the chef roared, bringing his smoking right leg down on Don Krieg's shoulder.

The man attempt to raise his shield above him but was nowhere near quick enough, his enemy's smoking black shoe slamming into him unimpeded. He hissed when he felt the armor covering his right shoulder crack, his body crashing into the ground.

Gin wasted no time worrying for his captain, rushing in behind the blond with his arms lagging behind his body. "Skull Crusher!", the pirate yelled, whipping his hands forward with his target's head in between his batons. His eyes widened when the chef's upper body snapped forward and his metal batons connected with each other sending painful vibrations through his arms.

Sanji's smoking leg snapped out behind him and found Gin's right knee, the man crumbling to the ground to avoid having his leg broken in half. He continued to lean forward and his hand found the wood below as he pushed himself into a handstand. "Smoked Côtelette!", he shouted, rotating on his hand. His right leg flashed out into the ribs of the man making to attack him again and an audible crack rang out into the air before he flew in the opposite direction.

The blond flipped back to his feet and watched the pirate captain scramble to stop himself from rolling into the water, turning to face the man's first mate rushing in his direction once again. He stood still while he watched his adversary's approach, his mind thinking on the fight so far.

It hadn't been an even match from the beginning. That wasn't to say they weren't good fighters. They were obviously both experienced when it came to battle. Gin was fast and, against most people, those batons of his were sure to be lethal. Don Krieg was strong and the armor he wore would have more than likely made him more or less invulnerable in most cases. It wasn't until Sanji's legs had heated up a little bit that he could even crack it.

The biggest gap between them was the fact that the blond felt like he could read them both like a book. He didn't even really know why, and he couldn't tell exactly what was coming when one of them attacked, but... He always knew SOMETHING was coming. With that being the case, it all boiled down to speed… And that was something neither of them could match him in. He shook his head as he dropped to his knees and slid underneath a pair of batons smashing through the space he'd previously occupied. He sprang back to his feet and he used one of his legs to push himself into the air and rotate his body, the outside of his still-smoking leg finding the right side of Gin's neck.

The man's eyes widened when he saw wisps of smoke floating by the side of his face and wasted no time in diving forward, the tip of a smoking black shoe glancing off of him and sending him tumbling to the ground. He held his neck in pain as he rolled back to his feet, eyes wide. If that had fully connected…

Gin gulped, his hand massaging his bruised skin. He didn't even really know what was happening. It shouldn't have been a fair fight… And it wasn't… But… The thing was… It wasn't a fair fight for THEM. They'd managed to land a couple of solid blows, but most of the attacks he and his captain had thrown at the chef had either been dodged or parried... Something they couldn't say for themselves... He looked down at his battered form before his head came back up to watch his captain and the blond chef clash once again. For what felt like the millionth time that day, he began to wonder... Just who exactly were these kids that he'd met?...

Don Krieg screamed in frustration when his fist was met with air once again. Why couldn't he hit this damn kid?! "Gin!", he growled, choking on his words when he felt a leg slam into his left side. The armor protecting him cracked in the same way the opposite side had earlier and his body found the ground, the wood shattering underneath his heavy form.

The man groaned but wasted no time in rolling to the side to dodge a smoking foot smashing into the ground where he'd previously been. He quickly stood to his feet and made to attack once again but stopped when he heard something rattling against the wood at his feet. He looked down and his eyes widened at seeing pieces of his golden armor beginning to fall out from under his shirt. He looked closer and realized that the heavy pieces of metal were accompanied by dripping blood.

The sound of rapid footsteps made Krieg look up and his vision was suddenly consumed by wisps of white smoke. Time seemed to slow down for the pirate captain as he watched the smoking black boot inch ever closer… It felt like his life was flashing before his eyes… Suddenly, his shirt was grabbed from behind and he was pulled out of the way, Gin stepping in front of him and catching the blond chef's attack on his batons.

Sanji hung in the air for a moment while the two fought their battle of strength, but Gin's arms gave out soon after and the boy's leg smashed into the side of his face sending him to the edge of the dock.

The blond landed on his feet and looked at the two men sprawled out on the fin of his restaurant in an almost apologetic manner. In another life, one where he hadn't traveled with Luffy... One where he hadn't already fought a pirate much stronger than either of them... Maybe they would have stood a chance… Maybe they could have even won… However, fighting Psycho P all those months ago, and even the training he'd done in the months after, had forced him to grow far beyond anything his current opponents could handle.

Sanji watched the two pirates slowly rise to their feet, Gin wiping blood from his lips and his captain shedding his shredded top to reveal the cracked and crumbling armor underneath.

Krieg eyed the brat standing opposite of him and could feel liquid rage running through his veins. Nothing had gone right ever since they went to the Grandline. First, he'd lost his entire armada to one man, and then, just when he thought he'd found a silver lining in coming across Red-Leg Zeff, he'd been treated like a rag doll by a kid half his size. To top it off, when he'd tried to kill the kid's friend and ease the rage he felt in his chest, one of his other friends began treating him and his first mate like they were a pair of punching bags…

The pirate captain removed his hand, now stained red, from underneath his armor and let it drop down to his side as he stared down his opponent. The sound of footsteps came from over his shoulder but he made no move to turn, already knowing it was his first mate coming to stand with him. He saw Gin stop out of the corner of his eye and focused back in on their opponent. This wasn't over… It wasn't over until he killed everyone that had made him look like a fool…

"Leave.", Sanji demanded, standing with his back straight and returning the stares of his opponents. There was no point in continuing. "I don't like the idea of killing someone I just fed… So leave.", he added, gauging the two for their reactions.

"Not before I kill you and take this ship.", Krieg answered in defiance, oblivious to the looks his first mate was sending him.

The chef sighed at the words, "Let's finish this then.".

Silence reigned over the area for a moment, the three staring at one another as Zoro and the doctor watched on from the deck above.

Krieg glanced down at the inside of his shield and made sure everything was set correctly. His opposite hand reached into his coat and pulled out his mask. He'd been looking to do this since the fight started, but there hadn't been a good time. Now though… It was time for people to start dying... And he wouldn't be taken by surprise this time. He glanced at his first mate before shrugging. He had the antidote so he probably wouldn't die… His eyes found the object of his ire and he didn't even have it in him to grin at the idea of the brat's death, he was so angry.

The man took one more glance at the inside of his shield before suddenly raising the golden metal in the direction of his adversary, his eyes glowing with a maniacal sort of anger. Just as he went to pull the trigger on the inside of his shield, he realized that he'd lost target. Where the hell had he gone?!... He'd been right there not a second earlier!... His eyes wildly looked around as he searched for the chef, his heart almost jumping out of his chest when he heard words coming from above his head.

Sanji's form fell through the air on a direct course for Don Krieg and he began to flip, adding as much momentum as possible to his smoking leg. In the blink of an eye, his rotating form stopped and accelerated in the direction of his opponent's head, smoke billowing off of him like he was a raging fire. "Collier:", he yelled, the wind howling around his body and whipping his blond hair around his face.

The pirate captain rose his shield above his head as quickly as he could, his eyes as wide as saucers. He managed to get it up in time and grinned a bloodthirsty grin, his finger beginning to pull the trigger to his secret weapon, "MH-".

"SMOKE SHOT!", Sanji screamed, his smoking foot connecting with the golden shield being held above Krieg's head. The force of the chef's weight combined with his accelerated momentum caused the metal to cave in on itself, a massive crack coming from the arm holding it sounding into the air.

Don Krieg screamed in agony when he felt all the bones in his right arm violently shatter, the appendage seeming to somehow shrink in on itself while Sanji's leg continued to force it downward. Before the man could so much as blink, the shield smashed into his own face and his screams immediately ceased, his consciousness fading from the waking world.

Sanji's momentum kept pushing him forward until his opponent was smashed into the wood below and he roughly landed, his foot still embedded in the golden metal he now stood on. Without even looking down at the person he'd smashed into the ground, the chef looked up and gave his one still-conscious opponent a hard stare, white wisps off smoke still curling off his foot.

Gin looked from his captain's unconscious form to the blond standing on top of him and couldn't help but freeze under the look being shot in his direction. This wasn't a fight he could win… He knew it... Especially not by himself... It hadn't even been close when the Don had been conscious... His arms dropped to his side and it felt like the strength was sapped from them. Even if he could have won, he didn't know if he'd have had the will to continue. He hadn't really wanted to fight the chef in the first place...

The two opponents stared each other down for a moment, tension hanging in the air along with the silence as they stood unmoving.

Blue-grey eyes narrowed. "Leave, Gin.", the chef eventually said, stepping off of the shield and the man he was standing on, "Take your captain and never come back here again.". He stared the pirate down for a second before breaking eye contact. He didn't wait for an answer and turned around, beginning to walk back in the direction of the Baratie.

"I need a boat.", Gin said, sighing and bending down to peel the shield off of his captain's face. He paled when he saw the bloody mess underneath. His eyes found what he assumed was his right arm and his stomach roiled at the sight. It was just an unrecognizable lump of bloody meat... He didn't even know if his captain would be able to use it again... He tore his gaze away, not being able to stomach the sight anymore, and looked at the man's still face, nervously. Just in case, he brought his ear to his mouth and relief filled him when he could hear small breaths.

Sanji pointed to the edge of the Baratie's fin where several small crafts sat, "Take a cargo raft.". He turned and flashed a glare in the pirate's direction, "And I mean it Gin… Don't ever come back here.".

"Don't worry Sanji.", Gin replied, slowly picking up his unconscious captain and unceremoniously throwing him over his shoulder, "I'll make sure of it.". At the nod of the blond's head, he made his way in the direction of the rafts, softly dropping Krieg into one of them. He stared at the unconscious man for a moment, still slightly in shock at the turn the day had taken, before shaking his head and beginning to untie the small vessel from the restaurant.

Sanji went to make his way up the steps but, before he could, Gin's voice stopped him and he turned in his direction.

"I really am sorry, Sanji.", the man said, preparing to jump into his small raft, "I never meant for any of this to happen…". He sighed, looking down at his captain once again before turning to send the chef one last smile, "I just want to say thank you one last time.". The pirate bowed in the direction of the boy who'd saved him from starvation and he put as much sincerity as he could into his next words, "Thank you for the meal, Sanji.". He looked up and smiled at him one more time before turning away to face the sea, "It was the best I've ever had.".

Sanji didn't reply as he watched the ship sail away, smiling lightly before he turned to the steps behind him. Gin was a good guy. It was a shame his captain was so shitty…

"Surprised you survived, Cook.", Zoro said, watching the cook ascend the stairs. He'd honestly been pretty impressed but, as usual, he'd never be caught saying that out loud.

"I could say the same to you, Mosshead.", the blond scowled cresting the steps.

"I think it's about time I head out too…", the woman standing next to Zoro said. She'd had way more than enough excitement for one day… Honestly, she wasn't sure she'd have a crazier one for the rest of her life…

Sanji's eyes turned to hearts and he twirled to the woman's side, "So soon?! But Ms. Doctorrr.", the boy moaned. A lecherous smile suddenly spread across his lips, "I hate seeing you leave, but I understand.". He shuffled closer and went to whisper in her ear, "However, I think I may have gotten some injuries in that fight… You wouldn't mind… Giving me a… Check-up?… Would you?…".

The woman laughed at the obvious attempt at flirting, stepping away from the chef and sending him a teasing eye before making her way to the steps, "I think you're gonna be just fine Mr. Chef. It didn't look like you were having much trouble out there.". She stepped down the first step and sent him a smirk over her shoulder, "Besides…". She flashed her hand in his direction, the diamond resting on her ring finger glinting in the sunlight, "I'm spoken for.". She had to resist the urge to laugh at the sad puppy look that overtook the blond's face. "If you really need a check-up…", she pointed at Zoro, grinning in humor, "You could always have your friend do it for you.".

The reaction to her words was immediate. "WE ARE NOT FRIENDS!", the two shouted simultaneously.

The woman turned away with a laugh on her lips and waved goodbye over her shoulder, making her way in the direction of her small boat. "Green boy!", she said turning to address Zoro, "Change those bandages out every day or your wound will get probably get infected. Got it?".

"You got it, Doc.", Zoro answered in reply, he sent her a small smile, "Thanks again for patching me up.".

The doctor waved the words away and stepped into her small vessel, "It's my job. Don't sweat it. I'm just glad I was here.". She turned and addressed both the boys one last time, "If you're ever around Katina Island and need some doctoring, look me up.", she said, turning to face the sea, "The name's Serene.". Without another word, she pushed off and began the short journey back home with a crazy story to tell her husband when she got back.

"Will do!" Sanji screamed in reply as he and Zoro watched her boat sail away from the restaurant. They sat in silence until it left their sight, eventually turning and walking back through the broken entrance of the Baratie.

"Hey, Mosshead.", Sanji said as they stepped over the broken pieces of the front door.

"What?", the swordsman replied with a scowl. Now that the excitement was over and done with, it was finally hitting him that he'd be stuck with the stupid chef for the next couple of days... Hopefully, it wouldn't be any longer than that...

"Where the hell did Luffy go?", the chef asked. With everything dealt with, he wanted to know why he'd been left there with the stupid swordsman.

"Went to go get Nami.", Zoro answered, shortly, smirking at the look of indignation coming from the other boy's face.

Sanji's jaw hung open and his feet rooted in place when he heard the words… His captain had gone to find his goddess and he was forced to stay here… With Mosshead?… His blue-grey eyes looked up and they found a head of green hair walking through the door to the kitchen… Likely to go steal booze… His gaze rose to the ceiling and he groaned before stepping in the direction of the swinging door, "Damn you, Luffy… I hope you're having a miserable time…".

Nami eyed the horizon in anticipation. She'd been traveling for close to two days and Conomi Island was sure to be appearing soon. She was making incredible time. It almost felt like the winds could sense her urgency and were aiding her in her travels… The trip had honestly reminded her how much she loved sailing and navigation.

Navigation...

Why was it that every time she thought about it a straw hat appeared in her head?... It was so frustrating... And yet... Every time she saw that hat in her mind's eye she could feel hope suffuse through her body... It was such a strange feeling... She didn't know what it made her hopeful for but… She liked it nonetheless…

As the orangette eyed the horizon for any sign of her island, for the first time in what felt like forever, she thought about what she might do after her village was free. For so long, she'd never really known what she was going to do after being done with Arlong... She'd never even really let herself think about it… But after meeting Luffy... She hated the fact that deep in her heart she knew what she really wanted to do... She wanted to sail with him... She wanted... To become a pirate.

Even thinking the words, the girl was shocked at the absence of any ill feelings. It was genuinely insane... A boy she'd met by sheer coincidence had forever changed her view on pirates... It was something she'd never thought possible. Before their chance encounter, she was sure she knew what it meant to be a pirate... It meant being the kind of person that tore families apart... But, Luffy was anything but that...

Suddenly, a speck appeared on the horizon and Nami's heartbeat began to quicken. Almost as if it could sense the change in her, the wind increased in its movement and propelled the small vessel faster than it had gone for the whole trip. The change in the air went unnoticed, however, determination rising to the girl's eyes. This was it…

Thunder rumbled in the direction she'd come from and made the girl turn to the opposite side of her small vessel. It had been lucky she'd left when she did. The storm would have definitely slowed her down had she been caught in it. It had been chasing her almost since she'd left and it didn't look like it was going to dissipate any time soon either. More than likely, it would be hitting Conomi sometime after she arrived. She eyed the numerous black clouds and the visible wall of rain… She did not envy anyone stuck in that…

Nami shook her head and turned back to the growing speck on the horizon, flutters rising to her stomach. This time it would be different, she'd make sure of it… This time she'd free her village no matter what.

End Note:

I know it probably seems a little anticlimactic having Sanji beat the everliving snot out of Krieg and Gin, but I wanted to make sure that it was very apparent that some of the crew are already way too much for East Blue enemies and I think this gets the point across. That being said, don't expect Luffy V. Arlong to go in the same direction ;) I've got some ideas to spice that one up a little bit. Anyways, just wanted to say that! See you guys in the next one!