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RUMBLE!	By : TreeStar Category: +M to R > One Piece Views: 7991 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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RUMBLE!

26

No Dice

Chopper looked toward the refrigerator hopefully. �We could always as Nami if she�d be willing to-�

�I think Nami has her hands full with the weather and this map,� Zoro interrupted. �She seemed pretty stressed out earlier.�

�Then cooking will take her mind off of it!� Luffy redeemed.

�She also took watch all night long last night,� Usopp threw in.

Chopper looked down in disappointment. Nami was a good cook, and she could make all kinds of stuff. The fact that she used mikan in several of them was just a bonus, because those mikan were treated as a ship delicacy.

�What about Robin?� Zoro asked. �Her position on the ship involves studying and� studying. She can take a break from reading for a few minutes.�

�OR,� Luffy spoke up excitedly, �we could make our own lunches!�

Chopper smiled at the idea. The other two didn�t look so confident in their captain�s �great idea�.

�No no! just hear me out!� Luffy waved his hands defensively. �With Sanji and Nami not in here, that means we can make whatever we want and no one can yell at us for it. We can also hunt around to find all those treats Sanji has hidden in here someplace. You know, the ones that just sort of appear out of thin air sometimes? Those ones!�

�Sweet things?� Chopper said in a high, excited voice. �Like candy and popcorn?�

�Aa!� Luffy cheered, throwing his arms up in the air.

Usopp looked at the cabinets with a small smile. �I have always kinda wanted to invent some dishes on this ship��

�And it would piss off the cook later,� Zoro said. No matter how sick Sanji was, a rivalry was a rivalry and Zoro could never pass a change up to drive that moron apeshit. It was just too funny.

�Sanji can do it. How hard can it be?� Luffy scoffed.

�I can cook,� Zoro claimed.

�REALLY?� Chopper looked at Zoro like he was their savior.

Zoro scratched his head. �Just hang something raw over a big fire. That�ll cook about anything.�

�Sounds yummy!� Luffy agreed.

�Oi oi oi!� Usopp protested. �We�re indoors. And have you ever seen Sanji light a fire that big in the kitchen?�

�He just didn�t think of it because he�s an idiot,� Zoro answered easily.

�We can�t just eat something big and raw,� Usopp tried again. �We�re almost out of meat!�

�That�s right!� Luffy suddenly remembered in horror. Usopp almost sighed in relief. �We�d better hurry and eat it before it�s gone!� the captain finished.

�Is there anything in here we can burn?� Zoro asked casually.

Usopp nearly fainted. �You can�t burn the ship! We�ll sink! My Merryyyy!� he began all but sobbing.

Luffy got a clue. �Heeeyyy, that�s right! ZORO! You can�t burn the ship! What are you thinking!�

�Then we can�t eat meat,� Zoro shrugged uncaringly.

Luffy did a one eighty. �We must start a fire!�

�That�s the stupidest thing I�ve ever heard!� Usopp objected. �We can still eat meat. Just not a slab the size of a dinosaur thigh or whatever the heck you guys are thinking about. Think smaller.�

�Small dreams are for small men,� Zoro replied.

Chopper couldn�t figure out a good side to be on.

Luffy�s stomach growled again.

Zoro looked as Usopp as if he was the one starving them all.

Usopp rolled up his sleeves and headed for the refrigerator. �Okay. We�re going to be inventive and make something normal sized.�

�Yeah!� Chopper cheered.

�FOOD!� Luffy bellowed, no longer caring what it was so long as he could eat it.

Zoro already looked bored.

Usopp started unpacking random things from the fridge. �We�ve got peanut butter, pickles, barbeque sauce, rice, potato chips, orange glaze, pickled plums, a pineapple, those fruits we picked yesterday, banana chips, fish, whatever these yellow things are, shark fins, bread sticks, ice cream, fermented soybe-�

�Let�s not go over everything on board and stick to what we know,� Chopper suggested.

�I can make shish-kabob,� Usopp suggested.

�I�ll make something different,� Zoro said, denying them any further explanation.

�Meat?� Luffy pleaded.

�Candy?� Chopper added.

�Yes, shish-kabob with beef, veggies, and fish. Sound good?�

�Can I eat all that, Zoro?� Luffy looked to his first mate.

Zoro shrugged. �I don�t know, can you? You didn�t like pickles, and I know you can�t eat beef yet. Stick with mild foods on his, Usopp.�

Luffy looked eagerly at the empty stick that would soon have food on it while Usopp wheeled out the grill out onto the deck and got it going right outside the door.

While Usopp cooked the food outside with Chopper helping put things on the sticks, Luffy turned back to Zoro to watch what he was making. It looked yummy!

�There,� Zoro announced when he was done.

�What did you make?� Chopper asked excitedly from the grill.

�Something good,� Zoro answered. �It�s a sandwich. And that stupid cook thinks he�s all that because he can slap food together.�

�What�s on it?� Usopp asked.

Zoro took a bite and chewed it a couple times before turning slightly green and moving for the sink, leaving Luffy to answer, �Bananas, cream cheese, peanut butter, pickles, tomatoes, chicken, and red things that might have been radishes!�

Usopp and Chopper looked disgusted. Without even asking, they got another shish-kabob ready. Zoro ended up eating that for lunch instead of his masterpiece. Luffy couldn�t understand what the problem had been with the sandwich.

�Will we have to do this for dinner, too?� Chopper asked before taking a strip of beef off his stick.

Usopp shrugged. �Don�t know. The girls might not be privy to eating what we try to make, so they might make something instead.�

�This is good Usopp!� Luffy announced around a piece of cucumber that could batter a door down by his proportions.

Usopp smiled, exceptionally proud of himself. �Of course it is. This isn�t the first time I�ve had to cook something delicious in order to save people�s lives, you know?�

�No one was dying,� Zoro put in, but it was overlapped by Chopper�s �REALLY?!� and since that was louder, and because Usopp had selective hearing, that was what he responded to.

�Yes,� he replied magnanimously. �It was during my early travels that I survived a dastardly shipwreck and washed up onto the shore of an island covered that had once been the home to many natives, but a plague had blown through and killed all of the men, leaving only beautiful young women.�

Zoro had to wonder if Usopp was making up for Sanji�s absence somehow.

�The young women were in a crisis when I arrived, for only the men had known how to cook, and they were all gone. So since I was a man, they asked me to graciously make them a feast. I accepted, of course, for this was no challenge for me, and caught a huge blowfish with nothing but a long vine and my bare hands. I inflated it before cooking it, and it fed the village for a week. Then all the women thanked me the only way they knew how to,� Usopp�s smile grew into an odd expression for him, reminding Zoro that Usopp was biologically seventeen and making him step in before the younger boy could say another word.

�Usopp, no. Just no. We�re eating. Are you trying to turn us all away from food for the rest of the journey?�

The two youngest looked confused.

�What�s wrong?� Luffy asked. He turned back to Usopp. �They probably built you a ship, didn�t they?�

If Usopp�s face was a little more flushed than normal, no one commented on it as he stuttered, �O-of course, yes. That�s exactly right, Luffy.�

Luffy nodded cleverly as Chopper made a sound effect of wonder and Zoro rolled his eyes and ate another cut of beef.

Then Zoro swallowed and said, �I need to get some training done.�

Luffy�s eyes were on the table beneath him instantly, his jaw stopped chewing.

Usopp nodded. �Makes sense. We can�t have you getting weak or there would be no one to protect Nami and Robin with Sanji down for the count.�

Zoro smirked at him. �So nice of you to consider the well-being of the girls.�

Usopp stuck his nose in the air snobbishly. �I don�t need protection� he informed.

�Good,� Zoro shrugged easily, making Usopp look a little uncomfortable.

Chopper smiled. �I think it would be good for you.�

Zoro watched Luffy out of the corner of his eyes as he told Chopper, �I�ll do some after lunch then.�

Luffy slumped, but said nothing.

----------

Expectations become tricky things when relationships get complicated.

The way that someone is expected to take bad news, accept change, or get excited could all becomes totally unpredictable as soon as the predicted response goes unachieved.

At that moment Luffy was managing to do a lot of things that failed to meet expectations by doing something so innocent that it was almost definitely guilty.

Zoro had gone outside a few minutes before, and then brought his weights inside to begin training in the galley where they would just have to hope he didn�t destroy everything. Luffy was to sit by the sink and help wash the dishes where he could, and as that would involve swinging around a wet sponge bigger than he was and creating a huge mess with soapy water, no one thought be would decline. But he was surprising them by showing no interest at all, and instead was distracted by something else completely. Something he had seen at least three hundred times before, but never really focused on. Beside him Usopp was wondering how hard Luffy would blush if he were told that he was watching his first mate the way a hunter watches a prize stag in the wild. Usopp could detect a definite desire to bring him home and do something with him in Luffy�s eyes� which was more than the sniper wanted to visualize, but at the same time it was somehow relieving to know that his captain wasn�t completely asexual.

Luffy, for his part, could not look away. Zoro was really strong. Luffy was stronger, of course, but Zoro was still really strong. And he handled dangerous things with care. As he watched Zoro handle the weights expertly, but roughly due to their weight and clunky shapes, Luffy drew a mental contrast to how Zoro handled his swords. They would get into all these serious situations in battles--dangerous situations that could lead to certain death--yet Zoro never slipped up or overreacted with his blades. He never squeezed them too hard or hurt the blades badly in a clash, his motions fluid and smooth. He took down whatever came at him easily, and maintained with the same level of seriousness for every opponent so as not to under or overestimate them. He took care in landing light blows to the weak, and incredible blows to the strong or cocky, always accurate in assessing strength and weakness, timing each strike impeccably.

Luffy knew these things to be fact, but there was still a lot that Luffy had yet to learn about Zoro. He could massage really great, which, Luffy realized in hindsight, shouldn�t have been a surprise to him at all. His opponents always ended up right where he wanted them, and pain wasn�t the only way to fell an opponent. What else was he skilled at?

As Zoro swung around weights that weren�t as heavy as he wanted them to be--this meant he would have to do more reps to make up for it--he felt his captain�s eyes on him. He�d never been nervous about being watched before because he knew he was just that awesome, but then Luffy didn�t usually scrutinize like he was doing now. Zoro couldn�t figure out what Luffy was looking for in him, and that put the slightest bit more pressure on his performance and made him sloppy.

But Luffy continued to watch, oblivious to any other activity. At first Zoro had just brushed it off to Luffy being entertained by odd things, but when he finished his sixth repetition, he panted, �What�s up, Luffy?�

Luffy looked surprised at being addressed. �What?�

�Do you need something?�

The (very) small boy looked quickly toward the sink, having just realized he�d been gawking while Zoro had looked like.. Well, he�d looked like that and it was� it made Luffy feel different. He also took notice that he was sweating in a not-so-hot room.

RumbleBalls were weird like that, he thought to himself.

Zoro let it drop and went back to his training, and Luffy tried his hardest to distract himself in the soapy bubbles.

-------------

After lunch Usopp and Chopper decided they�d better get some fishing in if they wanted to still be eating well the following day. This was where things got complicated.

Luffy insisted that he wanted to go with them. Outside. Fishing. With his own pole.

Now, fishing was usually the safest sport there was. It was safer than golf, even. Usually. Not on the Grand Line. On the Grand Line, fishing was a suicide game where the phrase �we�re gonna need a bigger boat� was taken seriously by most people. When the Going Merry was smaller than any animal they would dig out of the sea, the word �fishing� became synonymous with �playing chicken with death�. This was an exaggeration for Luffy�s crew, but for Luffy himself at the moment, it was not. Zoro could see how hard Chopper was trying not to have a visible attack at the suggestion, but he WAS trying, and Zoro was proud of him.

He was proud, but didn�t change the fact that Luffy was not going to be fishing on the deck that afternoon.

Luffy was less than thrilled to hear that.

�But Zoro!!! I want to fish, too! Why can�t I fish? That�s stupid!�

�Luffy, you know why. Don�t fight with us on this.�

Luffy pouted and plopped down on the table. �I need to DO something! I�ve been like this for days and I can�t be cooped up anymore!�

�That�s rich coming from a man who almost died yesterday.�

�Usopp! Take me with you!� Luffy commanded.

Usopp shrugged. �Okay.�

Zoro sighed in exasperation. The boy was so damn stubborn! The other night they had watched the stars for two minutes and Luffy�d had something like a seizure. Was Luffy trying to hurt himself? �If so, why should Zoro care so much?

Though stubborn, Luffy was also the captain, and a few minutes later he was sitting in his hat which was resting in Usopp�s lap on the ship�s railing.

Luffy was wrapped in his �blankets� with his head poking out to watch the lack of action that was happening around him. He didn�t seem to mind that it was quiet, but this was not really so unusual. Fishing was one of his favorite pastimes on a boring day because of its potential to make the day suddenly more exciting when he caught a shark or something.

Zoro had stood right behind Usopp until Luffy had finally turned around and told him to �relax, it was okay�. Now Zoro was in one of his favorite napping spots in the sun, still close to the boys, but far enough away to get some space he hadn�t realized he�d needed. Being with Luffy around the clock was an unsurprisingly exhausting job. Plus he needed some alone time to sort out the thoughts he�d had over the last few days.

Luffy had always been able to make the world better for Zoro� when he wasn�t making it intolerably worse. He loved danger, thirsted for adventure, and craved affection. And he was vocal in his own way about getting all three in mass amounts. But everyone had another side, and Luffy was the same. He feared loneliness, hated rejection and failure (so he refused to accept them), and kept his skeletons as secret as the next person. Maybe more so. Zoro wasn�t sure whether that was what made him so accepting and forgiving, but he did know that it made him very human.

Zoro had always known it was his duty to protect his captain from enemies when they were too much for him, but before this vulnerability had been exposed, he�d never realized that what Luffy really needed was to be taken care of. He didn�t need protection. He could protect himself with few exceptions.

And the biggest exception, Zoro realized, was that Luffy was his own worst enemy.

�I�ve got a bite!� Usopp crowed, pulling Zoro from his thoughts.

�Hooray, Usopp!� Chopper cheered.

�Pull it up!� Luffy shouted.

�It�s heavy!� Usopp said, voice straining as he pulled his pole. �It must be enormous!�

Chopper�s eyes were wide as saucers as Luffy suddenly got a suspicious look in his eyes. �Wait a second. You said that last time and you pulled up a minnow.�

�Hey!� Usopp huffed. �It�s bigger this time, really!�

The boshi-bed joggled in his lap as he pulled, and Chopper reached over to take it so the sniper could brace himself properly and pull the �great titan� aboard.

�

�Turtle?�

At Luffy�s curious statement, Zoro sat up to better see what was dangling off Usopp�s hook.

A sea turtle. Not a huge seaking of a turtle, but just a normal, not quite fully grown sea turtle. It was green with seaweed-colored black scaly patches on it�s legs and head like all turtles had. It was flatish and ovular with a shell about the length of Zoro�s chest, but wider.

�At least it�s not a minnow,� Zoro congratulated.

�You�re hurting her!� Chopper accused.

�Don�t leave it dangling, moron,� Zoro said. �Bring it in.�

�Can we eat it?� asked Luffy.

Chopper got down on the deck and started talking to it. After a few minutes it was established that the turtle was lost. She was friendly, so Chopper wouldn�t let Luffy eat her, and had been traveling hard ever since a huge wave had come and knocked her off course in her breeding cycle. She was trying to find a certain beach whereupon she laid her eggs every year, but she didn�t know how far away it was now, though she knew the direction, and she worried that if he didn�t find it in the next few days, she would be forced to lay her eggs at sea to stay alive and her babies would die.

Luffy, in all his great wisdom, decided to call her Mama-turtle and then agreed to help her find the place he so aptly named �Turtle Beach�.

After this was decided, Zoro resettled on the deck to watch the three boys play with the turtle, and his thoughts wandered back to where they had been.

What was �care�, anyway? It occurred to Zoro as he laid there that he had not protected Luffy one time since all this had started. In fact, he�d never had to protect Luffy. He�d guided him, he�d watched his back, he�d looked after his well-being, but he�d never protected him. It hit Zoro like a baseball bat when he realized that caring for Luffy during those rare opportunities to do so--opportunities he�d never realized he looked forward to before--was what had made his voyage with the young captain so happy. It was what had made the last few days with Luffy in-Rumble so fulfilling and emotionally draining, because before the RumbleBalls Zoro had never gotten to care for Luffy as he got to now.

He loved taking care of Luffy. He loved it more than anything, because�

Because why?

What did it matter? He was happiest when he was with Luffy, and that�s what was important. He would cling to these days until�

Until Luffy got better, at which time the tender moments would go back to being short with long distances between them.

Until Luffy didn�t need him anymore.

Riding past his feet on the back of the turtle and wrapped in one of his miniature blankets, Luffy turned to him and waved, eyes full of laughter. �Hi Zoro!� he called, sounding like a little boy on a carousel.

Zoro could have said �I�m right here, moron, you don�t need to wave�, but instead he found himself smiling a little sadly and waving back. �Hi, Luffy.�

------------

The turtle couldn�t stay on the deck for long without drying out, so they had to let her go back into the ocean and swim along side the ship after Luffy called Nami out to tell her about the change in destination.

It hadn�t been hard to convince Nami that they had to help the turtle. Part of what Nami loved about Luffy was his willingness to help others, prejudiced.

After she�d �reminded� Luffy that they would be leaving the Log Pose�s guide in order to find this beach if they went, but more important to her was making sure that Luffy understood that there was still a storm coming their way, and that, by changing direction, they would no longer be going directly away from said storm and it was highly unlikely that it would miss them. After stressing these points for a while, Nami had finally thrown her hands up in the air at her captain�s insistence and asked Chopper to translate for Mama-turtle and find this beach.

Now they were sailing off course in some random direction with a pregnant sea turtle tied off the back in the ocean to help her keep up with the ship.

�How weird is this job?� Zoro had said to Usopp as their navigator plotted a course in translated sea turtle language.

�I was just thinking that, too�� Usopp had answered pensively.

After taking Luffy to the bathroom to wash off the salt water from the turtle shell that had dried and given the sensitive skin of his legs a rash, Zoro and the suction cup in human disguise entered the galley yet again to find Usopp sitting at the table with straight thick twine and small rectangular blocks of wood in front of him. He and Chopper were working together to bend the strips of twine into odd shapes. In the corner Luffy noticed that the Great Divine Super Mega Ultra Blue Usopp Star Creator (whose name had grown by leaps and bounds) was in use as told by the scent of burning rubber coming from the corner. He tried not to gag.

�What are you making?� he asked instead.

�Mousetraps,� Usopp said offhandedly without looking up from his work.

�Mousetraps?�

�Nami saw a rat earlier!� Chopper said matter-of-factly.

�I knew it!� Luffy declared.

�You knew no such thing,� Zoro rolled his eyes. �Stop faking.�

�No, I did know it! I mean, I know I heard something last night! Remember how I told you I heard something last night?�

�How could I forget?� Zoro answered tiredly.

�Wait,� Luffy said as comprehension overcame him. �That means Going Merry has a rat?! Merry can�t get rats!�

�Oh yes, she can,� Nami corrected irritably, sitting down. �Where�s Sanji-kun? It�s getting a little late, shouldn�t he be cooking?�

�He�s taking a long overdue nap,� Chopper informed.

�He looked dead,� Luffy put in helpfully.

�Like a zombie,� Usopp added. �And I should know, seeing as I�ve had to deal with several especially unfavorable ones in my time.�

�What�s the matter with him?� Nami asked as Robin came inside.

�So long as he takes it easy for a while, nothing,� Chopper said, but the a tinge of worry in his voice did nothing to waylay concern.

�What have you guys eaten today, then?�

�Usopp made shish-kabob,� Chopper said, smiling at the memory. �But then we didn�t catch any fish, so I don�t know what we can have tonight. All we got is a turtle.�

�Yeah, and more time at sea to starve while we look for its island,� Nami frowned.

�It�ll work out,� Luffy grinned as he sprawled sleepily across Zoro�s hand.

Robin walked over to the coffee maker to make coffee, because there was little else she could do with such a thing, and Luffy found himself yet again watching her every move. Or he would have been if she hadn�t been blocking the way.

�Is it just one?� Zoro asked, getting back to the rat problem.

Nami shrugged. �I only saw one, but you know that means nothing with rats.�

�Hm,� Zoro agreed. He looked down at Luffy, who was hugging his thumb and lying in his hand, positively exhausted from a hard day�s play. He would have to watch him more closely from now on if there was a rat on board. Luffy�d barely survived an encounter with a toucan; he couldn�t be expected to handle a rat or two on his own.

�Let�s play 'Liar',� he suggested to give his mind a rest as well as distract Luffy.

Everyone was enthused by this, and Robin went to get the dice from her room while her water boiled.

A few minutes later found them all sitting around the table, its round shape being perfect for the game. Usopp put his mousetrap supplies aside, and Robin passed out cups.

�Everyone should know this game by now, but because I know there are a couple people here that either love to cheat-� she glanced at Usopp, �or completely miss the point every time-� she looked at Luffy, �I�ll go over it one more time.

Everyone gets a cup and five die. Put the die in your cup and shake it, then slam it on the table and don�t let anyone else see what the numbers on your die are. You can look at them yourself, but they�re secret, get it, Luffy?�

Luffy nodded. �Wakata yo! Why do you always pick on me?!�

�Because you always show your stuff to the world and defeat the point of the game. Next we take turns in a circle guessing how many different number of die are on the table. Start low. You have five die to yourself, but there are a total of six players since Sanji-kun�s out, so that means there are thirty die on the table in total. When you make your guess, remember that your guessing how many 2s or 4s or whatever are in play on the whole table. And remember, 1s are wild. You only know what you have, but if you listen carefully to other guesses, you can guess how many of a certain number other people have and make guesses based on that. You can bluff. The game is called Liar for a reason.�

Nami continued to explain the rules, coming finally to how someone won, which was all Luffy ever cared about. He made up his own rules for other games (making his crew believe that he didn�t have much of an understanding for them, which wasn�t really true), but followed these carefully. He wasn�t sure why Nami had clumped this game in with all the others he goofed around in. Shanks� crew used to play Liar with him because it was a real pirate�s game. That�s what Shanks said, anyway.

�Make sense?� Nami�s voice finally said, pulling Luffy back from memories of Party�s Bar.

He stared blankly at her because he hadn�t been listening. Sure, she had probably been talking about the game, but she could have gone off of a tangent about stampeding rhinos for all he knew.

She must have taken his blank stare to mean that he hadn�t understood a word because she rolled her eyes and said, �Let�s just play. First one with no dice left loses.�

�Fine,� Zoro said, eager to just start.

�Sixteen 4s,� Luffy guessed before anyone even cast their die.

�LIAR!� Usopp crowed.

�Are you guys done?� Zoro frowned.

�I was only kidding�� Luffy pouted while Usopp looked put-out about not being able to call Luffy a liar. He knew it was ladies first even when Sanji wasn�t around.

The game was fun. Usopp couldn�t bluff at all, but Chopper, who had the turn after his, was terrified of calling him a liar no matter how ludicrous the guesses became, so it worked out alright for the sniper until Robin traded places with him and he was suddenly next to Zoro, because Zoro wasn�t a bit afraid to call him a liar. But this didn�t end up being so bad, either, because Luffy was a surprisingly good bluffer and Usopp had been afraid to call him on anything when he�d been on the other side of the table. Chopper wasn�t as afraid to call Luffy on a lie, as backwards as that seemed.

Zoro was glad to see that the captain and his doctor were clicking so much better now. No medical jargon had been thrown at Luffy all morning and the only advice that had been given was to Zoro, telling him to keep on top of Luffy�s sleeping schedule because it was useless to tell the captain anything of the sort.

The captain hadn't even listened to reason when Zoro wanted to cast his die for him. Sure, the game was about luck of the numbers, but did it really matter who cast it in the long run? Apparently so, to Luffy. Luffy had great luck and didn't trust anyone else�s, so he had a heck of a time shaking his cup. He could grab it and lift it easily enough with his superhuman strength, but when it came to shaking without a large hand to keep the die from flying everywhere on he first shake, it was an exasperating thing to watch at first, but eventually Luffy worked out a weird system of his own and did fine. Luffy was very adaptable, after all.

They were on their ninth round and all laughing when Sanji came stumbling in the door with a headache.

�What�s going on?� he slurred.

�Hi, Cook-san. Feeling better?� Robin smiled gently.

�Are you sure you should be up?� Nami asked.

�You�re all white,� Luffy assessed innocently.

�I�m fine,� Sanji told them. �My head woke me up.�

Luffy�s eyebrows scrinched up. �How does that happen?� he asked Usopp.

Usopp shrugged.

Sanji was too tired to glare at them for their brainlessness. �Whaddaya say, doc? Can I have more drugs yet?�

Chopper went over to his bag and got out some of the powder he�d made earlier. �It�s been almost eight hours, so it�s past time, but I didn�t want to wake you up earlier. Stir this into some juice and drink it.�

�I�ll make it for you, Sanji-kun,� Nami offered, getting up and taking the pouch from Chopper.

Sanji was too sore to do more than smile at her. �Thank you, Nami-san. You�re too good for me.�

�I know,� she agreed as she poured him some of the apple juice that was usually reserved for Luffy. Now that the captain couldn�t drink the strong flavor, someone else had to finish it before it turned into apple vinegar.

�What did you fools eat for lunch?� Sanji asked after taking a swig of juice.

�Usopp made shish-kabob,� Chopper said again.

�What�d he use?�

�Beef, chicken strips, a few of those fruits we found yesterday, and some veggies,� Usopp answered.

Sanji snorted. �Probably tasted like shit, but still� good job,� he praised.

Usopp smiled at the praise, but it wasn�t one of his usual huge smiles. It was a small, almost shy smile that tinged his cheeks pink. Sanji did not give out congratulations easily. Especially not on other people�s cooking. Of course, Sanji wasn�t proud of the sniper�s cooking, but he was pleased with his efforts, and that was enough for Usopp.

�I�ll make up dinner when the medicine kicks in,� Sanji breathed tiredly.

�No you won�t,� Usopp corrected. �We can get by on our own for one night. You take it easy.�

�I love cooking,� Sanji argued weakly.

�Take it easy.� Nami was the one saying it this time, and Sanji had no choice but to sag in defeat.

�I�m sorry you have to see me like this, Nami-san, Robin-chan��

The navigator barely reacted to the weak grip on chivalrous testosterone that he couldn�t let go of. �Hai, hai,� she said offhandedly.

�I�ll tell you what to do,� he insisted.

�I can cook, Sanji-kun,� she frowned. �I�ll make something I like.�

�But can you make something balanced that Luffy can eat?�

Nami hesitated and her frown deepened in realization.

�I�ll tell you what to do,� Sanji said again.

�Fine,� Nami nodded.

Sanji started talking about the ingredients she would need, and Nami got them out as they were called.

�Nami-san,� Sanji said in the middle of striking off foodstuffs, �have we drifted off course? I don�t mean to second guess you, because you�re superb and wonderful, but the Log Pose looks a little off.�

�It�s a lot off, actually,� Nami corrected, �But no, we�re on the course that the captain has set us on.�

��What?�

�Usopp caught a sea turtle earlier and we�re helping her get to Turtle Beach to lay her eggs on time,� Chopper informed.

�She was an amazing catch,� Usopp verified. �Too bad she wasn�t a fish.�

�When life gives you lemons, eat them,� Luffy said.

A few eyes turned to look at him, but the group was used to ridiculous declarations like that, and made no comments.

�How far is it to this �Turtle Beach� place?� Sanji asked.

The ship lurched violently all of a sudden, and the only thing that kept everyone from toppling out of their seats was Robin�s quick thinking and even quicker bloom of hands.

�Not too far, I�d wager,� Zoro said carelessly as they all realized they weren�t moving anymore.

Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper burst out of the galley door immediately� to see ocean on all sides of them.

Nami was bewildered. If they hadn�t run aground like they�d first assumed, then what was�?

Realization hit her like a giant snowball rolling down a mountain.

�Oh, you've got to be kidding me.�

A rather cliché line, to be sure, but upon discovering that one�s ship has gotten stuck on a rock that's arbitrarily sticking up out of the middle of the ocean, perhaps there is no better phrase.
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RUMBLE!