#parallel fic

“Sorry it’s a bit small,” Zoro said as he leaned against the doorframe. You shrugged your bag off your shoulder and set it down on the bed. “It’s no problem. I was in the crew quarters with thirty people on the Baratie.” You smiled to yourself, “It’s crazy to even have my own space again...”

Zoro nodded and moved to leave, but you put a hand out to stop him. He looked back at you, one brow raised. You dropped your hand, “Uh, sorry. I just wanted to ask- I hope it’s okay that I- I mean, I guess what I’m wondering is…” You blew a strand of hair from your face and looked down at the floor, stomach tightening reflexively as you forced yourself to ask, “How do you feel about Sanji and I joining your crew? Considering you were… not really around for that…”

Zoro turned back to fully face you, standing in the doorway. One hand resting on the hilt of his sword, he said, “I could take or leave the cook…” You suppressed a smile, and he continued, “But Luffy told me all about you when I woke up. You’re a devil fruit eater.” You bit your lip and nodded slowly, confirming what he said. “Does that bother you…?”

“Not one bit. Luffy trusts you, and I trust him, so we’re good.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that…” Something about his gaze when he said it made you look away. Then he added, “Also helps that I liked you anyway.” You sneaked a glance at him, “Really? I was just a waitress…” Your fingers absentmindedly started picking at the bedframe behind you. “Sounds like you wanna be more than that,” Zoro said as he leaned against the doorframe, “That’s why you’re here, right?”

The thought made something swell in your chest, maybe excitement, maybe anticipation for what might come next. You nodded once. “Great,” Zoro turned to leave, but he stopped short, inhaling sharply, his hand going to his chest. 

You shot forward, concern washing over you. “Hey, whoa, are you sure you should be up, actually?” Your hand reached out to his shoulder, steadying him.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Zoro tried to wave you off. He straightened again, but still winced. 

“Mhm, sure,” your lips pressed into a thin line, “Maybe you should rest a bit more until we get to wherever we’re going?” Zoro just shook his head. “I’m fine,” he insisted. You sighed, your hand dropping from his shoulder to rest on your hip, “So that’s how it’s gonna be?”

“Yep,” he smirked, “Welcome to the crew.” Then he stepped out of your cabin and left you to unpack. You shook your head and turned back to your bag on your bed, heavy with everything you owned. 

You started unpacking, pulling out a few books and clothes that you’d managed to collect over the years. You found a place for everything. It wasn’t much, anyway, so it didn’t take long. Then you peeked your head out of your door and looked both ways down the hall. No one seemed to be around. You wondered where to go next. You were pretty sure you remembered how to get back to the galley, and then up to the top deck from there, but you wondered if it was worth it to explore the rest of the ship by yourself. 

You shrugged to yourself and struck out to go look around. But you didn’t get far into the ship before you heard your name being called from a room you’d just passed. You stopped and backtracked, tentatively peeking your head into the room. 

Sanji pointed, “Ah! You-” He got up from where he was sitting, “You and I need to have a talk.”

“About what?” Your brows furrowed together.

“Well, for one. About the explosions of light coming out of your hands.”

“Mmm, no, it sounds like you understand it just fine.” You put your hands behind your back, grabbing your wrist as you continued, “I ate a devil fruit. Now, glowing spheres come out of my hands. Easy.”

Sanji scoffed, “Yeah, okay, sure. Secondly, what are you doing here?” He gestured vaguely at the whole ship around you. You pursed your lips and tilted your head, “What do you mean?”

Sanji crossed his arms, “Wellll,” he drew out the word, “It kind of looks like you’re following me…” He smirked down at you. Your mouth dropped open and you laughed, “As if! Sanji, I am not following you around like some lost puppy. I told you, I was invited. By the captain. Same as you.”

“If you say so…” His smirk didn't move from his face. You threw your hands in the air and walked away, saying, “You’re not nearly that charming, you know.”

“But I am charming!”

The next morning, you went up on deck to check on how things were progressing with the clown head, whom you now knew was actually called Buggy. He was supposed to be directing you all toward Nami and Arlong’s pirates, mostly because he wanted to reconnect with his own body again, which was apparently being held captive by Arlong. So, his motives aligned with all of yours, for now. 

However, when you joined Usopp by the ship’s tiller, it didn’t seem like Buggy was being as helpful as he claimed he would be.

“But you said five degrees starboard…” Usopp argued. 

“Yeah, the other starboard, captain shitastic!”

“I thought clowns were supposed to be funny…” Usopp muttered under his breath. Apparently, Buggy still heard him, flipping his decapitated head around to shout back, “Why don’t you say it to my face!” You rolled your eyes and turned your back to Buggy. Facing Usopp, you mimed gagging, making him crack a smile. 

“Hey! Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing, missy!” 

You spun back around, putting on your most innocent face, “Who, me?” You gestured to yourself by splaying both hands on your chest.

“Yeah you, you little-”

Just then, Zoro sauntered up the steps to join you all and Buggy switched gears, enthusiastically greeting him. “Morning champ!”

“I know Luffy made a deal with you to find Arlong, clown,” he picked up Buggy by his hair and swung his arm over the side railing of the ship, “but if you’re even thinking about screwing us over…”

“Hey! Hey! Zoro, buddy!” Buggy pleaded, “Honor amongst pirates, right? How about I sing a nice sea shanty to pass the time?” Zoro pulled Buggy’s head back onto the ship, but as the clown started warbling a song that began disparaging Nami, Zoro opened the closest barrel and dropped the head inside. You could just hear Buggy whining about his nose as Zoro closed the lid.

“Thank. You…” you said as Zoro passed, on his way to talk to Luffy at the front of the ship. You could see Luffy conversing with Sanji while the latter attempted to catch some fish. Meanwhile, you turned to Usopp, “So, do you think we’re heading in the right direction? Or is the clown full of it?”

“I honestly have no idea… But I guess we have no other choice, right?”

“That is true. And, I mean, if he ever wants to see his body again, he can’t be too far off,” you jerked your head toward the barrel nearby. A thump and muffled sounds told you that it wasn’t entirely soundproof.

“I miss our navigator,” Usopp sighed. You lifted your hand to block the sun from your eyes as you scanned the horizon in the distance. You didn’t disagree.

Finally, you arrived at the Conomi Islands. The five of you secured the ship on one side of the island where Coco Village was located before you made your way to the village itself. However, as you walked through, you couldn’t help but notice the burned husks of buildings and flipped over huts. The village was wrecked. Inspecting some of the burned parts of a cart as you passed, you remarked, “This doesn’t look recent…”

All of you approached what remained of the main square, where you noticed the villagers huddled together around a mustachioed man holding a wooden box. 

“We don’t have much time, and we’re short again this month,” he was telling the people gathered there.

“Are you sure we don’t have time to get some more?” One of the worried villagers questioned.

“No,” a cold voice called out. “You don’t.” Everyone turned and immediately stepped out of the way of… Nami.

Luffy took a step forward, but Zoro’s arm shot out and caught him, silently urging him to wait, and watch.

As Nami walked through the row of scared villagers, only one woman stepped out to meet her. The woman with blue hair and curling tattoos on her dark skin looked down at Nami and said, “You’ve got a lot of nerve showing your face here…” Her and Nami locked eyes, until the blue-haired woman leaned over slightly and spit at Nami’s feet. Then, with a furious glare, she turned away and left the village. You watched her go. It seemed like if anyone here knew Nami, she might be the one to ask…

Other than the woman in question herself, who had collected the money and then noticed the group of you standing off to the side. The dejected villagers dispersed as Nami angrily stalked up to Luffy. When she was close enough, she demanded, “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Luffy calmly responded. 

“This is where I belong.”

“I don’t believe that… Nami, if you need our help-”

“No, I don’t need any of you!” Nami raised her voice, addressing all of you, “Arlong wanted the map, and I conned you into getting it for me. That’s all this ever was.” She stepped up to Luffy and looked him directly in the eye as she finished, “Now, take the rest of these clowns and sail away from here. I never want to see you again.”

With that, she spun on her heel and left. 

After an awkward pause, Usopp piped up, “Sail the hell out of here? Okay, fine by me.”

“No, there’s something else going on here…” Sanji mused.

“Agreed,” you crossed your arms.

“I think she was very clear she wants us to leave,” Zoro argued. 

“You don’t know women,” Sanji retorted, “They never say what they mean.”

“As the only woman currently here, I do have to disagree with that particular statement,” you cut in. Sanji spread his hands in front of him, “You mean to say you’ve never hidden your true feelings?”

“I never said that. But you can’t say that women never say what they mean either-”

“Don’t you get it?” Usopp interrupted, “She’s one of them. She’s a bad guy. The villagers are terrified of her.”

Luffy finally turned around then, “Not all of them… The girl with the blue hair wasn’t.” You straightened up, “We need to find her and ask her what she knows.”

After a brief exchange with the town’s only guard, Genzo, you all found yourselves trekking down a row of a tangerine grove, your feet sliding every few steps in the sandy earth. 

“I think I got more of a boat body than a long-journey-on-foot kind of body,” Usopp said, slightly out of breath. “Anybody else missing the ocean?”

“Not particularly,” you responded, while also struggling a bit to keep up. Damn those boys and their longer legs…

Usopp kept going, “You know, I could bring the boat around if we don’t want to walk all the way back…”

You were about to maybe agree with him when you all came upon the edge of the grove very suddenly. And just as suddenly, the blue-haired woman, Nojiko, came out of a little house with her shotgun pointed at all of you. She gestured with the gun, “Turn around and leave. Now.” You all stopped short and took a step back. You put up your hands placatingly, while Usopp inched his way behind Zoro. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji seemed frustratingly unfazed by the gun being pointed at them. 

Luffy and Nojiko exchanged a few words, Luffy trying to convince her to let you all in and help you help Nami. Nojiko refused, warning you all that her sister didn’t have any friends. That prompted Sanji to speak up, “Sisters? That makes sense. Both as beautiful as each other.” He gave her one of his charming smiles. Nojiko was unfazed. From behind Sanji, you mouthed a silent apology to her. But then he offered to cook for her, which did get her attention. 

“An exchange of sorts, for your valuable time and information,” Sanji suggested. “Best cook in the East Blue,” Usopp hesitantly chimed in. “You’ve never tasted anything better in your life. Usopp’s word!” 

Nojiko narrowed her eyes at them and then glanced back at you. You nodded earnestly in agreement, hoping she believed you. Fortunately, she did. 

“Fine,” the shotgun lowered, and you all were invited inside. 

After dinner, Nojiko sat you all down and explained why Nami is the way she is. She told you all how they were both adopted by a retired Marine who took them in and settled down in Coco Village. Then the Arlong pirates came, and although Belle-Mere tried to hide them beneath the floorboards, Arlong discovered her ruse. He demanded an extra 50,000 berry for each girl, on top of the 100,000 he’d already collected for her tribute. She told him she had no more to give, so she asked Arlong if he would take the 100,000 berry as tribute for her daughters. He agreed. And then he killed her right in front of them.

Nojiko took a shuddering breath as she finished her story. You put your hand over your mouth, swallowing your horror. 

“Wait,” Usopp slowly said, “Nami is working for the pirate who killed your mother…?” Nojiko nodded. Everyone sat in silence for a moment, trying to absorb this information. Luffy stood up and silently left the hut. After a minute or two, Zoro wordlessly followed him. 

You let the captain and his first mate talk things out. Meanwhile, Usopp got to work at the table, building things. Unfortunately, Buggy’s head was back out of his bag and making obnoxious comments. It was clearly getting to Usopp, so you tried distracting him by asking, “What’re you making?”

Without looking up from what he was working on, Usopp replied, “These are smoke bombs…”

“Smoke bombs?” Buggy echoed, “Makes me think of how long it’s been since I’ve had any smoked fish…” He glanced at Sanji, “Please?”

“No,” Sanji answered shortly. 

“Aw, screw you guys!” Buggy whined, “Arlong’s gonna bite the shit out of you anyway. You know you don’t stand a chance against him and his army!” Usopp set his tools down with a shaky breath, but Buggy kept harping on. “You ain’t gonna do anything against that stupid-” Suddenly, Sanji walked over and shoved a tangerine into Buggy’s mouth, whole. He leaned down and said, “New guy shuts up the clown head.” He winked at you and went back to the counter where he’d been preparing dinner and now dessert. 

You suppressed a smile and looked away. Then you noticed someone else was missing.

“Where’s Nojiko?”

A commotion drew you outside. Luffy and Zoro climbed down from the roof of the hut, also having heard the yelling in the distance. Something felt wrong. It sounded like Nami. 

Suddenly, from off in the grove, a blur ran down one of the rows, a blur with orange hair. You looked at Luffy. His face set in determination, he said, “Everyone wait here.” Then he took off in the same direction as Nami, down the row of tangerine trees. 

You, Usopp, Sanji, and Zoro stood waiting at the end of the grove. It was quiet for a while, and you worried that Luffy might not have been able to catch up to Nami after all. But then you heard it. Luffy’s voice echoed over the trees, “Of course I will!”

He came striding down the row again not a minute later, and said, “Let’s go.”

“Right!” You all responded in harmony, joining your captain as he rounded the corner. Usopp noticed it first, “What’s that?”

“Oh gosh, oh gosh,” You muttered under your breath, shuffling forward through the door next to Nami, both of you holding one of Zoro’s legs. Luffy and Usopp were in front of you, each carrying Zoro by the arms. 

“Put him on the table!”

“Why is he so heavy?”

“Careful, careful!”

“Watch his head!”

Finally, the four of you managed to set Zoro’s unconscious body on the table in the center of the room. Everyone stared down at him, seemingly at a loss for what to do. There was a lot of blood.

Luffy started rambling, spiraling with worry. 

“He needs a doctor,” Nami insisted. Usopp chimed in, “Where do we find a doctor out here?”

“Zeff!” You blurted, “No, I mean- no, not a doctor, but- He’d know what to do! I’ll go get him!” You darted back out the door. 

“Well! You’re the captain! Go with her,” you could hear Nami shouting behind you. Then Luffy was beside you, the two of you flying down the dock to the Baratie. You led him around back to the kitchen door, where the two of you burst through, breathless and shouting. 

“Help! We need help!”

“Zoro! He got cut! He’s bleeding bad!”

“My friend is dying…”

Sanji dropped what he was doing, but Zeff cut in, “What’re you doing? I don’t see how this is our problem.” Sanji snapped back at him while raiding one of the cabinets for ingredients, “You always told me to feed anyone who’s hungry. I don’t see how this is any different.”

Zeff let out a frustrated sigh, whipping off his arpon, “Fine!” He started barking orders. He looked at you, “Get me my kitchen knives and our best bottle of scotch.” Then he pointed at Sanji, “You get me yellowtail from the cooler. The bigger the better.” He finally turned to Luffy, “Bring me to your friend.” 

Luffy nodded and took off with Zeff following not far behind. You and Sanji split off to gather what Zeff needed. Then you brought Sanji over to the ship you’d just come from. 

The two chefs quickly got to work, clearing a space and setting up the yellowtail. Zeff took a swig of the scotch and started preparing the fish. As he worked, Sanji helping and passing him what he needed, he explained to you all that fish skin is an old sailor’s trick to bind the skin of the wound together again, encouraging it to heal faster. 

In a few minutes he was done. When the crew wondered if he would be okay, Zeff told them that he was now between life and death, and they needed to give him a reason to stay in this world.

You helped them move Zoro into another room, where they laid him down on a suspended bed. Nami’s room, apparently. She stayed to look after him while the rest of you went back to the galley. When you came back, Zeff was gone, but Sanji was still there, preparing the rest of the unused yellowtail. 

You stood awkwardly off to the side, unsure of what else to do with yourself. It had been a harrowing few hours since you’d woken up this morning, and now it felt strange to just go back to your regular life. 

Meanwhile, Usopp leaned against the counter in the middle of the room, while Luffy sat at the table by the window, furiously cleaning Zoro’s remaining sword. He began rambling about what Zoro might need. More rest? Food? Water? Sanji spoke up, “You know, Zeff once told me that making tough decisions is what separates a captain from his crew, and he was one of the best pirate captains that ever sailed the seas…” 

Hearing this, Luffy excitedly asked, “Really? Zeff was a pirate captain? How did you even meet him?” He came up to the counter next to Usopp. You realized you’d never heard this story either, and you slotted yourself next to Luffy as well. Sanji continued cooking while he spun his tale of how he met Zeff nine years ago. 

Once he finished his story, he said, “You know what that’s like? Having someone give up a limb to save your life?” You, Usopp, and Luffy all stared at him from where the three of you leaned against the counter. Sanji continued, “He could’ve let me die on that rock. Instead, he acted like a captain. He made a tough call…”

“I’d eat both arms and legs to save Zoro,” Luffy muttered under his breath. You glanced at him, “Um…” Then Luffy slapped the counter with both hands, “I’m going to check on Zoro.” He disappeared deeper into the ship, leaving you and Usopp and Sanji in the galley. 

You looked at Sanji again, “All that about how you met Zeff… You’ve never mentioned it…” He threw the kitchen towel over his shoulder, “Doesn’t tend to come up…” 

“In two years?” You quirked an eyebrow at him. He shrugged and offered you a piece of the cooked yellowtail. Wordlessly, you took it and ate it, still pondering how you could have worked with someone for years and still not know that much about him. But then again, he didn’t know anything about you…

A few minutes later, Nami stormed out of her room, brushing through the galley and out of the ship without stopping. You all exchanged glances. Then Usopp piped up, “Something tells me I should check on Luffy…” He then receded down the hallway.

You stood up straighter, looking around, suddenly realizing that you were just… on someone’s ship. You had a sinking feeling that you didn’t belong.

“Nervous about something?” Sanji asked, cleaning up some of the dishes he’d been using, not really looking up. You winced, “Uhh, yeah, but when am I not…” Sanji chuckled. 

“What?”

“Nothing,” Sanji smirked, wiping down the counter, “Just good to know you’re self-aware.”

“Hey!” You picked up a discarded sprig of herbs and threw it at him. He expertly dodged it. Before you could demand to know where that comment came from, you heard Nami shouting. 

“Luffy! Luffy!”

“What’s wrong?” You asked as Nami ran in and Luffy and Usopp appeared in the galley to meet her. 

“The Arlong pirates are at the Baratie. We have to leave, now.”

“What? Why?”

“They’re looking for Luffy.”

Sanji dropped what he was doing, “If the Baratie is in danger, I need to be there.” He began moving toward the door. You nodded in agreement and followed close behind. Luffy put out a hand and said, “I’m coming with you.”

“What? No. Did you not hear me? They’re looking for you,” Nami insisted. Luffy argued that they needed to return yours, Zeff, and Sanji’s kindness by defending the Baratie. Nami tried again, her eyes glistening in the light from the window, “Luffy, we need to go. Now.” Luffy’s voice softened, “It’s gonna be okay. You stay here and protect the map. We’ll be right back.” He gave her one more smile, and then the rest of you took off for the Baratie. 

“I’m Monkey D. Luffy,” the young man addressed the dining room when you all entered the Baratie. Down below, a purple fishman was menacing one of the patrons. Luffy continued, “I heard you’re looking for me?”

“That I am…” The fishman backed away from the older man he was threatening and turned to address Luffy, “So this is the pirate I’ve heard so much about…” You followed Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji down the stairs into the dining room. They exchanged a few terse words, the tension building. Luffy questioned how Arlong found him, and to your shock, one of the other fishmen pulled a talking head out of a bag. You swallowed what you assumed would’ve been a very embarrassing squeaking sound and tried to compose yourself. But unfortunately, that didn’t last, as one of the talking head’s ears wriggled its way out of the ribbon on Luffy’s hat and flew back to rejoin the head. 

“Ew,” you muttered under your breath. Apparently, the clown head had been listening to everything on the ship, which is how Arlong knew everything. Arlong demanded both the map to the Grand Line and 50% of their future takings as tribute, which Luffy refused, saying, “If you want it, you’ll have to fight me for it.” 

Suddenly, a shot rang out. You gasped, your eyes darting to where Zeff stood, holding a still smoking pistol, pointed at Arlong’s very much uninjured back. One of the other fishmen roared and jumped up, kicking out Zeff’s peg leg. He crashed to the ground, hard. Sanji shouted in anger and lept across the dining room. Jumping off a table, Sanji’s kicks landed squarely on the fishman’s face and chest. Suddenly, you saw the other fishman get up from the table and lunge for Sanji’s back.

“Hey!” You conjured a glowing sphere in your hand and threw it across the room at the fishman’s face. It made contact, exploding into a bright flash of light. He cried out, stumbling back. Unfortunately, the other fishman Sanji was fighting took the opportunity to grab Sanji by the leg and hurl him across the room, sending him tumbling into one of the tables and knocking it over with a crash. A frightened Usopp crawled out from where the table previously hid him and darted back over to the stairs. There, you met back up with Sanji as he limped over to the bottom step. He looked up at you, “What the hell was that?!” You winced and shrugged helplessly, “Doesn’t tend to come up…”

“In two years?!”

But before you could respond, Arlong and Luffy’s fight smashed through the door of the Baratie and onto the docks. You helped Sanji up. He winced but stood on his own. Thankfully, he didn’t look too hurt. Then, you, Sanji, and Usopp rushed out after Luffy and the Arlong pirates. 

When you came out into the sun, you saw Luffy land a few punches on Arlong. But just as it seemed like he could have the upper hand, Arlong leaned down and sent a wave of seawater crashing onto him, knocking him over and sapping his strength. Arlong grabbed Luffy by his shirt and pulled him into the air. He threatened to tear out Luffy’s throat with his teeth. Just as Usopp raised his slingshot and you were forming another sphere, you all heard Nami’s voice call out over the docks, “Arlong, wait!” Everyone stopped. 

“I have the map. I got it for you, just like I said I would.” 

When you saw the sawfish tattoo on Nami’s shoulder, you exchanged a look with Usopp. You mouthed at him, “What?” He looked just as perplexed as you. 

Arlong was about to return to shredding Luffy to bits, and you stepped forward. But at the same time, Nami snapped at Arlong, “Why waste your time killing a devil fruit eater? Let the sea do it for you…” She turned and walked away. Arlong smirked. With one shove, Luffy dropped into the ocean. 

“No!” You whipped around, “Sanji! He’ll drown!” Instantly understanding, Sanji stripped off his shirt and dove off the docks. You didn’t breathe again until Sanji and Luffy’s heads broke the surface. The fishmen and Nami were long gone by the time you and Usopp were dragging them both back onto the docks. Sanji placed Luffy down and you turned him over on his side, patting his back until he coughed and spit up seawater.

The first word out of his mouth was Nami’s name. 

“She’s gone,” Usopp told him, quietly, “She’s a member of Arlong’s crew…”

“No,” Luffy murmured into the wood beneath his cheek, his voice hoarse, “She can’t be…”

He seemed completely despondent, staring off into the distance. Your heart was breaking for him, but there wasn’t anything you could do about Nami, not now… But you could help in other ways. You looked up at Usopp, “He needs to be dried off. I’ll be right back with towels. Can you get him back on your ship?” Usopp nodded, beginning to pick up Luffy. 

“Come on, man. It’s gonna be okay,” you heard Usopp telling Luffy as you rushed back to the Baratie to grab towels, sheets, tablecloths, anything dry, really.

While you were in the linen closet, grabbing towels off the shelves, you became aware of a presence. You turned your head slightly to see a dripping wet Sanji behind you, still shirtless. The towels in your arms tumbled to the floor. 

“Ah,” you squeaked, immediately bending over to gather them up again. 

“Think you can spare me one?” Sanji huffed, swiping his wet hair from his face.

“Mhm,” you tried hard not to look at his abs, his arms. You threw one of the towels squarely into his chest. Trying to find anything to take your mind off of it, you said, “Zeff is gonna kill you for dripping all over the floor.”

Sanji chuckled, “I think he can excuse it just this once, given the circumstances. The dining room is trashed anyway.”

“Right,” you looked anywhere else, “Tell Zeff that as soon as I’m done helping Luffy, I’ll be back to help with that too.”

“Yeah, sure,” Sanji began toweling his hair. You closed your eyes and darted back through the restaurant. You banged your hip into a table. 

“Ow,” your eyes snapped open. What is wrong with me? You stumbled and kept going.

Finally, you made it to the ship with the ram’s head where you’d now spent most of your day. You found Usopp standing over Luffy, who was sitting limply on the deck, leaning against a crate. He was still staring off into space. 

You handed a few of the towels to Usopp and dropped down to your knees beside Luffy. You took one of the towels and wrapped it around his shoulders. Usopp placed another over Luffy’s head. 

“Do you all have anything he could eat?” You peered up at Usopp who was scruffing up Luffy’s hair with the towel while you patted down his legs. “I’d offer something from the Baratie, but,” you scratched your head, “the kitchen is kind of closed for the foreseeable future…”

“Uh, yeah,” Usopp nodded. “I can find him something. Luffy loves food, that should help cheer him up.” You smiled at him as he retreated below decks. 

Then you went back to drying Luffy off, removing his shoes and dumping the seawater out of them. 

“You’re like me…” Your head whipped up at the sound of Luffy’s voice again. It was still hoarse, but his eyes were more clear. He was coming back, “A devil fruit user…”

You nodded, “Yeah. So I know how important it is to get you dry again.”

“I haven’t met anyone else like me before… Other than Buddy, the Clown.”

“That weird talking head?” You laughed. 

“And the rest of him, but I don’t know where that is.” 

You shook your head, smiling faintly. Then you reached up with another dry towel and dabbed at Luffy’s cheeks. “I’m glad you’re okay. Your crew is lucky to have a captain like you.”

Luffy scoffed, “I’m a horrible captain. Zoro is dying, and Nami is gone.”

“Hey, hey,” you placed a hand on his shoulder, “Listen. I might not know her as well as you, but… I think- I think Nami was trying to save your life.” Luffy looked up at you, apprehensive, eyebrows drawing together. You continued, “Back there on the docks. She stopped Arlong from killing you. Twice.”

“She told him to throw me in the ocean,” Luffy protested. You paused, “Okay, yeah, but!” You bit your lip, “I think she knew we were there. I mean, she knew your friends would save you, so maybe- maybe don’t give up on her yet…”

Luffy stared at his hands in his lap, lost in thought again. You began pulling wet towels off of him, hoping the sun would help dry the rest. Then Luffy spoke up again, “I think you should come with us. Be a part of my crew.”

“What? Why?” You stared at him, bewildered. Luffy shrugged, “I like you. And you’ve helped us a lot. I think you’d be a good crewmate.” He said it so matter of fact, you let yourself imagine it for a moment. Running off on a pirate ship, travelling the world, seeing and doing the unimaginable. Everything you’d ever dreamed of since you were a little girl…

You blinked at him, “Do- do you mean that? Really?”

Luffy finally cracked a smile, “Of course.”

“Like, now? Leave with you? I- I mean, I’d have to tell Zeff, but I think, I think it’d be fine. I mean, I’d love to-” You head was spinning. You sat back on your heels. You whispered, more to yourself than anything, “I’d love to…”

“Great!” Luffy shook a few droplets of water out of his hair and stood up. He put his hand out and you took it, letting him pull you up as well. “Meet us back on the ship when you’re ready, okay?”

You nodded and noticed Usopp coming back onto the top deck. He had a plate of food in his hands. Luffy turned to him and smiled, “Y/N is gonna join the crew!” He noticed the food, “Is that for me?” He stretched over and snagged the plate from Usopp, who still looked a little surprised by what Luffy said. 

“Uh,” Usopp blinked and processed everything, “Awesome! Okay, and yeah, that’s for you. Glad you’re feeling better.”

You realized you were grinning. You were used to the usual churning in your stomach and tightness in your chest when anxiety took hold, but this was different. It felt more like waves rushing up to meet a ship on a windy day. It felt like something was buzzing inside of your chest. Excitement? Hope?

“I’m gonna tell Zeff, and pack my things, and I’ll be right back!” You ran off the ship, yelling over your shoulder, “Don’t leave without me!”

Back inside the Baratie, everything was quiet. Most people had scattered after the fight with the Arlong pirates, but you knew if Zeff was anywhere, he’d be in the dining room, putting things right again. 

You took a deep breath, trying to psych yourself up for what you were about to say, practicing it in your head. But when you came closer to the dining room, you could hear shouting. You slowed down as you approached, instantly recognizing one of Zeff and Sanji’s arguments. 

“Look, do you want me to quit?! Is that what you want?”

“Quitting is staying here! It’s one thing to have a dream. It’s another to go after it…”

“Well, the staw hat captain offered me a place on his crew. Maybe I should take it!”

“Fine!”

“Fine!” Plates clattered.

“Fine!”

“Fine!” Something thudded loudly. 

You peeked around the wall to see Sanji storming off. Zeff’s shoulders slumped, and after a moment, he said, “Keep an eye on that idiot for me, will ya?” You stepped out into the dining room, whispering, “How- how did you-?”

Zeff turned around to look at you. He sighed, “It was only a matter of time ‘til you kids moved on…”

You darted forward, wrapping Zeff up in a big hug. He was taken aback. You felt him tense, but you just squeezed tighter, saying, “Thank you, Zeff. For everything.”

Zeff relented, quickly squeezing you in return. Then he cleared his throat and pulled away, back to his gruff self, “Now, you’d better go and get all your crap out of here. Quarters are for crew only, and you’re not on my crew anymore.”

You blinked away the tears forming in your eyes and nodded, “Yes, chef.” Zeff sat down at the table again and watched you disappear into the Baratie’s halls. Dammit, he was gonna miss those kids…

“Heard you guys need a cook,” Sanji said as he climbed up onto the Going Merry.

“Yeah!” Luffy shouted, pumping his fist in the air, “Yes, we do!” He hopped down from the rigging and clapped Sanji on the back, “Welcome aboard.”

From down below on the docks, you called up, “Room for one more?” They both looked down at you. Sanji’s brow furrowed, “Did the old man put you up to this?”

You grabbed the ladder and climbed up, snapping back, “I was invited, actually. By the captain.” You glanced at Luffy, who smiled and nodded. “Yep! Y/N is a devil fruit user, and I thought she’d be a great addition to the crew, so I asked her to come along.” They both reached down and helped pull you up the rest of the way onto the ship. You nodded your thanks and Luffy welcomed you aboard too.

When you hopped down onto the deck behind Sanji, you were surprised to see Zoro up and conscious.

“Zoro! You’re alive!”

The corner of his mouth quirked up, “I am. Did you doubt I would be?”

“I’m not gonna lie, I was a little concerned for a minute there.”

Zoro smirked and put out his hand, “Welcome to the crew. Hope this means I get a chance to make up for last night.” You tried not to blush as you took his hand and shook it, “Thanks, and- yeah, maybe… I mean, as long as you don’t challenge anymore warlords.”

“No promises.”

You laughed and Zoro tilted his head to the stairwell, “I can show you your cabin if you want to unpack.”

In the morning, with the full Straw Hat crew all together again, you all returned to Coco Village to see what happened and what Arlong’s pirates left behind. The village was in an even worse state than it was before, with more of the remaining buildings turned over or burned. One small fire still burned at the bottom of a husk of a cart. Usopp grabbed a bucket of water and ran over to put it out. You did your best to help people gather up what belongings they still had and convene in the village center.

Genzo marched up to the crew with a small group of villagers behind him, Nojiko standing beside him. Genzo told Nami that Nojiko explained everything to them. That they now knew why she had left her village and worked for Arlong. He asked for her forgiveness on behalf of the village. Nami told them there was nothing to forgive, it was her home.

Then Genzo expressed the village's intentions to fight the Arlong pirates themselves. Nami tried to talk them out of it, but they were determined to retake their home or die trying. Luffy and the rest of the crew agreed. You placed a hand on Nami's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, trying to reassure her that everything would be okay.

And before you knew it, you all set off to Arlong Park.

Once you reached the gates, everyone paused. Usopp pulled out his newly made smoke bombs and passed a few to each Straw Hat.

"Okay," Usopp whispered to everyone, "They should all explode on impact, so just throw them high and far, over the walls, and this should give us some cover."

"Got it," Luffy nodded. He looked around, "Everyone ready?"

You gingerly held the bombs in your hands and nodded along with everyone else. Then, without further warning, Luffy wound up and chucked his smoke bombs over the gates. The rest of you followed suit, instantly hearing the impact of the smoke bombs and the cacophony of confused shouts from the fishmen.

Luffy kicked the doors of the Arlong Park open and the Straw Hats stepped into the smoke.

"Fishmen! Stand by to defend borders!"

Zoro's thumb flicked up on the hilt of his first sword, popping the blade up from the sheath. Sanji cracked his neck. Usopp raised his slingshot, the slightest tremble in his hands. You felt more than heard a rushing in your ears. A buzzing feeling crackled under your skin. You shook out your hands and lifted them up in front of you.

"Where's Arlong?" Luffy stared down the fishmen in front of you all. Nami quickly responded, "He's probably in the map room."

"You two go get him," you said, "We've got this."

With that, the Arlong pirates let out vicious yells and charged the Straw Hats. You, Sanji, Zoro, and Usopp split off.

A fishman came swinging at you with a fist. You ducked under his arm and threw your hand up to his face. Light exploded from your hand. He cried out, blinded, stumbling back. Your leg shot out, connecting with his knee, making a snapping sound. He crumpled, his head hitting the ground with a thunk.

You looked up to see if Nami and Luffy made it through, but pain shot through your head and you were jerked back. Another fishman had caught you by the hair. You snarled and threw your elbow straight back into his ribs. He grunted but didn't let go.

His arm wrapped around your neck. You threw your leg back to try to kick him, but felt nothing. Your feet were slipping on the wet rocks. You could feel his hot breath on your cheek and heard his satisfied chuckle.

Anger swelled in your chest, flooding your veins. The buzzing rushed back into your hands. With a feral cry, your hands shot up to grab at his face, nails unable to find purchase on his clammy skin. The buzzing intensified.

You pulled your hand back, summoning the glowing sphere to blind him, but this time, it felt different. When you released it from your hand, the glowing sphere snapped with electric energy.

Instantly, you slammed it into his face. The pirate jolted and gurgled and went limp, sliding to the ground, releasing you.

You stared down at your hands, the crackling feeling lingering in your palms. You slowly smiled to yourself. Then, you heard Sanji and Zoro arguing.

"I had that one."

"If you had him, then I wouldn't have gotten him," Sanji smirked at Zoro.

"Boys!" You shouted across the pool at them, "Focus!" You pointed at the second wave of pirates running toward them. They looked at each other and then split off, running across the stone platforms.

Several fishmen dove into the pool. Two glowing spheres of electricity gathered in your hands. The fishmen cut through the water toward you. You plunged your arms into the pool. Electricity erupted across the surface. The fishmen convulsed in the water and went still. Steam rose from the pool as the sparks fizzled out.

You pulled your hands out of the water and clapped, only a little shocked that your plan actually worked. But while you were celebrating, you didn't notice the fishman charging toward you until you heard him yell. You whirled around to see his short sword swinging down toward your head. Before you could even lift your hands to try to defend yourself, another sword clashed with the fishman's.

Zoro was there. He blocked the blade and twisted his wrist, quickly disarming the fishman. Then in one swift movement, he flipped the blade around and stabbed it into the fishman's gut.

"Looks like it's your turn to focus, new girl," he teased as he stood in front of you at the edge of the pool. Just as you were about to thank him, he grabbed your right wrist with his left hand and spun you outward, just missing another fishman's cleaver. He dispatched the next fishman, dropping your hand, and then the next. After the third, he dropped to one knee, his hand going to his chest.

Across the way, Sanji shouted at him, "You look tired!" He kicked a fishman in the chest, "Maybe you should take a break!"

"Sanji!" You scolded him, throwing an electric sphere into the chest of the next fishman who ran up to you.

Zoro just stood and stabbed the fishman behind him, growling out, "Maybe you should get back in the kitchen…"

They kept arguing, but you didn't have time to stop them. Another pirate grabbed your arm. You grunted, kicked off the nearby wall and flipped to the other side of the fishman. From behind, you crafted a glowing sphere and slammed it into the side of his face. The bright flash exploded in his eyes. He groaned and you pulled all your weight down as hard as you could, dragging him to the ground. Then you grabbed his head and bashed it against the rocks.

When you looked up again, Sanji was taking Buggy's head out of the bag he'd been carrying around. The head flew out of his hand and over to one of the park's game booths, where you saw that the rest of the clown's body was strung up. Once his head was back in place, Buggy easily escaped his bonds and hopped down to the ground outside the booth.

You stepped up beside Zoro and Sanji as Buggy gave you all two middle fingers, "Hey, so, um, I'm gonna get outta here."

"Clown…" Zoro warned, taking a step toward Buggy. The clown took a step back, "Sorry, kiddos! I'd love to make things right, but it's time for me to exit stage left…" Then he took off.

You sighed, not really surprised that he would pull something like that. Then a deep voice called back your attention, "How dare you cut down my brothers!" You spun around in time to see a very large fishman dive into the pool.

You darted forward, sparks expanding into a sphere, but just as you reached the edge of the water, the massive fishman exploded out of it. You were knocked back so hard, you went flying. Your body slammed into the stone wall, all your breath forced from your lungs.

Stunned, you couldn't move. The edges of your vision blurred, but you could see Sanji tackled by the fishman. Zoro jumped in with his sword, but the fishman blocked it with his arm, his tough skin not even taking a scratch.

Zoro was thrown across the park and landed hard. Sanji got a few kicks in, but the fishman had a drop kick of his own, sending Sanji landing next to Zoro.

The stun your body suffered finally seemed to alleviate. You heaved in a deep breath, air filling your lungs once again. You coughed, "Ow. That sucked."

"Nami is a fool to have her faith in such week compatriots," the fishman sneered. Sanji jumped up, "Don't you dare bad mouth Nami…" He stripped off his suit jacket and threw himself at the fishman.

You finally managed to pull yourself to your feet. Sanji finished off the massive pirate with a series of kicks and battle cries you'd never heard before. The fishman crashed through one of the park game booths and didn't get back up.

When you caught up with them, Zoro was begrudgingly muttering under his breath, "Yeah, you're gonna fit in just fine…" Sanji didn't seem to notice. As soon as you were close, he gently grabbed your arm, concern written all over his face as he asked, "Are you okay? You really took a hit back there." His hand found your back and you winced, but you shook your head, brushing him off, "I'll be okay, I think." You stretched your back muscles tentatively, but quickly stopped as pain shot through you. "Ah, okay, maybe it's gonna leave a bruise…" Sanji looked like he was going to say something, but then Usopp ran back into Arlong Park.

"Never fear! The Great Captain Usopp is…" He looked around at all the bodies littering the ground. "Oh, you guys did pretty good in here…"

The three of you turned to him. You threw your hands out to the side, incredulous, "Usopp! Where have you been?!"

"Um, so there was this pirate, and he was shooting alcohol like bullets, and I was running through the forest, but then I had this idea-"

Sanji interrupted Usopp's story, shouting, "Nami!" He threw up his arms for a hug. Nami blew right past him, exclaiming, "You're all okay," as she embraced Zoro and Usopp. Sanji dropped his arms to his side with a sigh. You elbowed him in the ribs and shook your head, "We just got here, idiot."

"Mm, touche," Sanji opened his arms toward you instead. You laughed and went in for his hug. But when his arms wrapped around you, you gasped, "Ow, ouch."

"Oh, right, sorry," he released you quickly.

Then a violent rumbling caught all of your attention. The ground started to shake. The huge, tiered building at the end of Arlong Park began to crack and crumble. Nami gasped, "Luffy!"

You all watched in horror as the building broke apart, collapsing in on itself. With Luffy still inside…

You shielded your eyes from the wave of dust, and as soon as it cleared, you peered intently at the wreckage, your heart clenched in your chest. You held your breath.

A fist shot out of the rubble, followed by a whole person. Luffy, jumping out of the debris and landing on top. He breathed in and then bellowed out, "Nami," his voice washing over the remains of the park, "You are our friend! We are your crew!"

With Arlong and the fishmen defeated, Nami and the rest of Coco Village were finally free. And the villagers were kind enough to host all of you for a celebration.

Sanji graciously offered to cook for everyone, and after Nojiko vouched for him, the villagers gladly accepted.

The party kicked off and you all finally got to enjoy the peaceful side of Coco Village. People chatted openly, someone played a soft melody near a crackling fire in the center of town, and children chased each other around and laughed. It was lively and joyful in Coco Village, and you were proud to have been a part of making that happen.

However, when you tried to help Sanji serve the dinner he made, he refused.

"No. No way," He took the ladle from you.

"What?"

"Take this," he shoved a plate full of food toward you, "and go sit down, yeah?"

"Why? If anyone should be serving, it should be me," you placed a hand on your hip, "Kind of trained in this sort of thing, aren't I?"

"You need to rest. You had a nasty fall today."

You scoffed, "Oh, come on, I'm fine!"

"Yeah?" Sanji's finger darted out and poked your back. You hissed and recoiled. He smirked down at you, "Totally fine?"

"Okay! Okay! I see your point!" You took the plate of food from him. "But are you sure I can't-"

"Go!" His finger kept poking at your back, sending spikes of small pains through your muscles.

"I'm going! I'm going! Sheesh, you don't have to be so mean," you whined, scurrying away. From over your shoulder as you stepped away, you could see him smiling to himself.

You looked around for a place to sit. With all of Coco Village out and about, the center square was more crowded than you'd ever seen it before. Although it was nice to see that the people didn't need to cower in their homes or flee for their lives, it did make it a bit harder to find a seat… Finally, you spotted one.

"Mind sharing your spot with me?"

Zoro looked up from where he sat on a log by the fire. He shrugged, "Sure." Then he slid over slightly so there was a bit more room on the log for you to sit.

The two of you were very close, your knees bumping against each other as you ate what Sanji made. After a bit of silence, you spoke up, "Oh, uh, thanks for saving me today." Zoro glanced at you, brow raising. You swallowed a bit of food and clarified, "Earlier? I almost got cut in half," you mimed a chopping motion with your arm. "It was a nice save."

Zoro laughed, "Right. No, no, you were doing great on your own." He gestured to your hands, "I think I caught a bit of your devil fruit in action. Pretty impressive."

You perked up, "Oh, yeah! I actually…" You waved one hand, wiggling your fingers dramatically, "Found out I could do something new."

"New? You couldn't electrocute guys before?"

You shook your head, "No, but I guess I hadn't needed to? I'm not sure…"

"Sounds like you need more practice," Zoro said, pointing at you with his fork. "We should spar sometime."

"Like, fight? Me? Fight you?" You laughed, "I'm pretty sure you'd kill me."

Zoro smiled, "I'd go easy on you, promise." You pursed your lips, pretending to think about it. Then you shrugged, "Alright. Next time we get a chance, maybe you can teach me how to fight properly."

"It's a date," he smirked and stood up. "I'm gonna get seconds."

You looked down at your food to cover your blush. You were completely at a loss for what to do about Zoro's… flirting? You weren't used to being flirted with. Except by Sanji, but that didn't count in your head. He flirted with every woman he met, so it didn't really mean anything.

You sighed to yourself, trying not to think about it, and instead finished your meal by the fire. You'll cross that bridge when you get to it. If you get to it.

When you finished your food, you got up to return your dish to the long table at the edge of the square. From there, you noticed Usopp standing under a tree, one foot propped up on a stump. He was telling the villagers gathered there about his heroic encounter in the woods, against a terrifying fishman who shot fire from his mouth.

You moved to stand at the edge of the crowd, soon joined by Zoro, who sat in front of you on another stump, then Luffy, Nami, and finally Sanji, who all stood beside you. When Usopp finished his dramatic tale, there was a stunned beat of silence from the villagers. Beside you, Luffy spoke up, raising his voice to say, "Three cheers for our fearless captain Usopp! We couldn't have done it without him!"

The villagers gathered all broke out into cheers and applause, and you clapped along with them. Usopp looked around and smiled.

But the moment was interrupted by a different voice shouting, "Form lines!"

Everyone turned around to see Marines, nearly thirty or so, marching into Coco Village, muskets in hand. You could feel the tension in the air shift, the villagers withdrawing from the celebration. They were on edge once again.

An older marine you'd never seen before came forward, commanding his subordinates to arrest you all. Surprisingly, one of the marines (a boy with pink hair) rushed forward and argued on the crew's behalf, insisting that Arlong and his pirates were to blame, not the Straw Hats.

You leaned over to Nami, whispering, "Who are they?" She nodded subtly to the older man, "Luffy's grandfather, Vice Admiral Garp," then she tilted her head slightly to the boy, "And that's Koby."

"Luffy's what?"

"Yeah, that's what I said."

The man in charge, apparently Luffy's grandfather, didn't listen, reminding the young marine of his orders. The young man stepped in front of him, refusing. Even when Luffy's grandfather told him there would be severe punishments for defying direct orders.

"I disagree with those orders," Koby said, defiantly. Another marine stepped up next to him, adding, "Me too."

Vice Admiral Garp looked dismayed and turned to the rest of the marines, raising his voice and asking if any of them would like to follow suit. They did not. However, just as you prepared yourself for another fight, Luffy stepped forward and challenged the vice admiral himself.

You stepped back, along with the rest of the Straw Hat crew, to let Luffy and his grandfather have their confrontation. Garp gave Luffy one more chance to back down, give it all up.

"That's not really my thing," Luffy responded. Then he wound up and threw a punch toward the vice admiral's head. Garp easily dodged, and in a split second, his fist shot out and hit Luffy squarely in the chest. Luffy went flying. You gasped and flinched as Luffy crashed through two different structures. How can a normal old man have a punch that strong?

Garp kept coming at Luffy, and your captain couldn't land anything on his grandfather. All the while, Garp lectured Luffy about being a pirate and the dangers it would bring him. He couldn't possibly be ready.

"But I'm never giving up on my dream," Luffy spit out from where Garp held him in the air by his red vest. "I'm going to the Grand Line. I'm going to find the One Piece. And I'm going to be King of the Pirates." Luffy let out a half-crazed, almost maniac laugh. Suddenly, Garp dropped Luffy, turned around, and ordered the marines to stand down.

You blinked in astonishment. Garp marched past all of you, commanding his men to give chase after the Arlong pirates. Then he turned back to Luffy and explained that he needed to make sure Luffy was sure about who he was and what he wanted, to be sure he was ready for everything that would come next.

"You're on your own now," Garp told him, holding him by the shoulders. The vice admiral stepped away, but Luffy called out, "No, I'm not." Garp looked back. Luffy smiled at all of you, "I have my friends." His grandfather nodded once in acknowledgement and followed his men out of Coco Village.

You let out a breath of relief, and as the marines receded into the night, the tension melted away from the village again. Now, you could all get back to celebrating.

The next morning, you helped Sanji, Usopp, and Zoro pack up the ship. Nami was saying goodbye to her home, and Luffy was… somewhere. But that was fine, as you spent much of the morning helping the crew prepare the different surprises for the two missing crew-members.

Three tangerine trees from Coco Village were graciously gifted from the groves, carefully transplanted into pots, and secured onto the aft of the ship. Then, you all helped paint the Going Merry's sail with the Straw Hat colors, a skull and crossbones with a straw hat proudly situated on the head. It took quite a bit of time, but you were sure Luffy and Nami would love both.

Sometime later in the day, a little bit after Nami, Luffy clambered back onto the ship, excitedly waving around a piece of parchment. When you all gathered down in the galley at his beckoning, Luffy proudly showed everyone his bounty poster.

"I'm famous!" Usopp exclaimed.

"What're you talking about, it's Luffy's poster, not yours," Sanji laughed. Usopp pointed at the picture on the parchment, "Not just Luffy…" You peered closer to see what Usopp meant. You snorted, "That's just the back of your head!"

Usopp shrugged with a smile, "Still…"

"30,000,000 berry, though. That's crazy high. I think it's the highest in the East Blue," you directed at Luffy. Zoro chimed in, "With that price on your head, every bounty hunter in the East Blue is gonna be coming for you."

"Not just Luffy," Nami added, "They're gonna be gunning for all of us."

A somber hush fell over the group as you all contemplated the danger you were now in. But before things could slide into too much gloom, Luffy piped up, "Then it's a good thing we're not staying in the East Blue…"

After the crew revealed the surprises to Nami and Luffy respectively, the ship cast off, leaving the Conomi Islands behind. Everyone was up on the top deck, busy finding supplies to tie down or sails to readjust or the Grand Line map to analyze. But then, while you were in the midst of climbing down from the rigging, you heard Luffy call out over the wind, "Straw Hats! All hands on deck for a cast off ceremony!"

You hopped down onto the deck and made your way over to where the group convened, around a barrel at mid-ship. You stood in between Sanji and Zoro, across from Nami. Sanji looked around at all of you, and then swung one leg up onto the barrel, heel striking down purposefully as he said, "I'm gonna find the All Blue."

Eagerly, Luffy followed suit next to him, adding, "I'm gonna be king of the pirates."

With a small smile, Zoro put his leg on the barrel next, saying, "I'm gonna be the world's greatest swordsman.

"I'm gonna draw a map of the world," Nami said confidently, adding her heel to the top of the barrel.

As you looked around at these new friends you'd made, you couldn't believe you were finally going to do it, the one thing you'd been dreaming of since you were a little girl. You put your leg up on the barrel and said, "I'm gonna find The Lost Lighthouse."

Usopp looked around a bit nervously, "And I…" He hesitated, but then he set his jaw and shouted, "am gonna become a brave warrior of the sea!" He threw his leg up on the barrel next to Nami's.

A rush of exhilaration swept through all of you. You let out a laugh, that excitement feeling contagious as Luffy said, "This is it, crew. The Grand Line." He threw his fist in the air and bellowed, "Nothing's gonna stand in our way! Yeaahhh!"