A/N: First off: I am unbelievably sorry for taking such a long time on this update. As Master of the Shiwase Punch very well knows, I went into deep moral questioning on whether to post this chapter or not, as it leaves a pretty bit cliff.

Disclaimer: I don't own, so you don't sue. Lovely arrangement, eh?

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

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Chapter 8 – "Of Fighting, Findings, Betrayals, and Other General Annoyances"

By VirgoMaiden

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

At six-fifteen, the square the fountain could be found in was almost completely deserted except for a crowd of pigeons and the old man sitting on a bench, feeding them.

"Less witnesses," Zoro said as he took off his shoes and stared into the fountain. "Good. How deep is it?" he called to Sanji whom was a mere twenty feet away, taking off his jacket, folding it carefully, and placing it on the ground.

"I wouldn't know. Try jumping in," he shouted back, placing his cigarettes and lighter fondly on top of the jacket.

Zoro groaned and stepped onto the ledge. He spared a curious-looking Luffy a quick glance and said instinctively, "You're not getting in unless it's up to my ankles," before jumping in.

Goose bumps exploded on his skin as water rushed over his head, causing his shaggy green hair to float like Medusa's snakes, obstructing part of his view, as the fountain's current began pulling him downward towards the large drains. He let himself drift like that for a moment, counting—twenty-three, before starting to kick his feet, propelling himself upward towards the bright light. He surfaced, and his starved lungs greedily inhaled air. The crew watched him as he tread for a few moments before he finally caught his breath.

"So?" Luffy asked eagerly. "Can I go in, Zoro?"

Zoro rolled his eyes to the best of his capability while being able to still float, and gave a firm, no-duh tone "No."

"Aaw," Luffy whined, throwing himself down onto the edge, arms and legs crossed, sulking. He looked rather childish, and Zoro tried not to smile. "This sucks," the captain muttered.

"You'll survive somehow," Usopp said, pulling out two metal devices from his utility belt. "Here." He tossed them to Zoro and Sanji. "It looks deeper than what your lungs would normally be able to handle, as well as your ears. This should help… There's about a half-hour's worth of oxygen in those things. Will you need earplugs?"

"No," the two said simultaneously. They looked at each other crossly for a moment before Zoro said, while shoving the mouthpiece into his mouth, "I'm used to pressures like these; you know, being a sailor and all."

"No problem for me either," Sanji said, inspecting the metal breather before popping it into his mouth. He jumped in a half second after, surfacing almost immediately. "I've been in deeper than this before. This'll be cake."

"Whatever," Zoro muttered, adjusting the mouthpiece as an excuse not to focus on the blonde chef next to him. "Just make sure that he (pointing to Luffy then) doesn't jump in before we've drained this thing. And you—'' he pointed to Sanji now "—just try to keep up. I'm not in a patient mood for your silly antics."

"Oh yeah?" Sanji challenged. "Then you and me. To the bottom. The one who unplugs the most drains out of—''

"Twenty-three," Zoro informed him, not missing a beat.

"--Twenty-three, wins." Sanji finished.

"It's on," Zoro said, smirking. "Robin?"

Sighing, as she had known that sooner or later that this would come to this, Robin raised her hand, giving a loud "Go!" that scared the pigeons away.

Franky and Robin both rolled their eyes at the pair of egoistical idiots before them. Even in a dire situation, the two could somehow make it a contest.

Between them, nothing's changed in the past four years, Robin thought, obediently keeping an eye on her captain whom was radiating jealousy at the skill he would never be able to conquer, no matter how hard he would try.

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

Sanji's body slowly adjusted to the temperatures as he swan deeper and deeper into the depths of the fountain. His eyes burned slightly at the water-eye contact; the chlorine didn't exactly help either. And besides, Zoro was down much further than him, obviously not concerned about his eyes. There was no way he was going to lose to that…idiot.

He swan the last length, the tile of the fountain cool under his hands. The grate, letting out less water than the fountain was spurting in, had obnoxiously small holes that he knew even his fingers could get stuck in.

Mentally sighing, he hooked the pen in his front pocket blaring the restaurant insignia onto his tie. Then, with surgical precision, he slid the pen into one of the holes, making sure that it would lay flat under the grate before pulling up.

The grate scraped on the tile, as he knew it would, and he hastily jammed his fingers under the space between the floor of the fountain and the iron grate and lifted it up. Heavier than expected, he hesitated at first, trying to thread the pen back through. After a moment, he finally succeeded, and let the grate fall to the side of the now-hole, giving a thud muffled by water.

So there are 23 of these? He wondered. This might take awhile… He snuck a look at Zoro, only to widen his eyes in surprise: the Marimo had a neat pile of four and was working quickly on his fifth.

I'm losing

Zoro noticed him staring, and gave a cocky grin, as wide as the breather would allow. Sanji had no doubt that, breather permitting, he would also be saying "Stupid ero-cook."

Sanji's eyes narrowed. With anger, he struck out at the next grate with his foot. It cracked easily, and when he hit it again (with less vengeance) it caved inward, split perfectly. He took care to pick them out and set the pieces aside before moving on to the next one. It was true that this was much more…awkward…while underwater, he didn't see how he could speed up his 'other' process, though, and continued chopping his way though the drains.

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

When there were two grates left, the water level had lowered considerably; it still went above their heads, but only by about three feet.

Zoro stuck his sword (sheathed, obviously, because he wasn't taking the risk of damaging his precious blades) into the hole of his drain and pulling it up suddenly, making a dull grating sound. The water was sucked in quickly, and the water sunk to below his shoulders. He popped out his breather (the oxygen flow had been getting pretty choppy) and gave a sigh. Not of relief, but of annoyance. The blondie should have finished now, but if he was right…

The rest of the water quickly disappeared, leaving darkened concrete and the loud sound of thunderous water.

There was a small "Pah" and Sanji stepped around the large center.

"Finally done, Marimo?" he asked.

Zoro glared at him. "Like you can talk," he growled. "It was your drain that took the longest."

Sanji snorted. "Whatever," he muttered.

Zoro smirked at him. "'Whatever?'" he quipped. "Those four years have turned you into an absolute priss, hasn't it?"

"Shut up," Sanji said quickly, getting closer to him, meeting Zoro who was gravitating towards the cook (unconsciously) as well.

"Make me," Zoro snarled. "You're back at square one; you'll have to earn your respect and place with us again."

Sanji narrowed his eyes. Their faces were mere inches apart.

"Oh, really?" he challenged.

"Yes." Their voices were almost deadly quiet; a stark contrast to the many fights that the two had had before. "Especially in Nami's eyes."

Zoro saw the flash in Sanji's eye and knew that he had hit way below the belt. But even then, it felt so satisfying.

"That's a lie," Sanji choked out. But Zoro wasn't fooled. He planned to win. To tell what the crew had gone through when he had abandoned them like last year's blonde.

"You left her, Sanji. Twice. Why do you think that she's going to forgive you in the first place? You left her in tears twice, you're marrying a bitch… See a pattern?"

Sanji paled. And Zoro's smirk became wider. But only slightly.

"And how do you think the rest of us fared?" he questioned, pressing in farther. "Even Luffy's slightly bitter. And you know how hard that is."

Sanji and Zoro simultaneously stole a glance at the group then. Franky and Luffy were currently helping Robin, Chopper, Usopp, and Dabelle down. A wide smile was spread across Luffy's smile and the two could hear his signature laugh clearly.

Zoro receded, turning his back to the cook and approaching the group whom was currently scaling down the wall.

"Think about it," he called over his shoulder.

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

Robin pretended not to notice the fight that Sanji and Zoro had had seconds before she and the boys (and reindeer) had made it to the bottom. Sometimes, ignorance really was bliss. Especially since Zoro had probably said half of the things that she had been thinking for a while now.

She supposed for a minute that that was why Luffy was so happy all of the time, but she quickly brushed it off, trying to believe that his carefree attitude came naturally to him. She knew that there was a possibility that her "reasoning" was faulty, but she preferred it to Luffy playing dumb when, honestly, he didn't need to.

Sanji had joined her while she was in the midst of her rambling thoughts, standing on the edge of the group, he hung his jacket over his shoulder, strangely without a cigarette. Hesitantly, she gave him a small smile in an attempt to cheer him up. He gave a tentative one back, and Robin's brow creased.

Odd…

"Roo-bin! What's the plan?" Luffy whined, his arm resting neatly on Chopper's hat despite the latter's vehement protests.

She smiled again, this time directed at the captain. "Of course, Luffy-san," she said pleasantly, taking out some of the blueprints that she had found earlier that day out of Chopper's bag. They were difficult to read in the waning light, so they would need to work fast. She unrolled the blueprint.

"The fountain?" Usopp asked.

"Hai," she said. "But notice here…two pathways and an unusually large – and hollow – 'spout'."

"Yeah? So?" Franky asked, coming closer to her for a better look.

"These parts lead to a chamber," she said, pulling out the other ones. "Or should I say, chamber."

"One for Nami and one for Buggy, right?" Zoro asked, crossing his arms.

She shook her head. "Wrong. There's a third, but…I don't know exactly where it leads. I think that it may be some sort of…connection with the fountain, first two chambers, and the outside world. It could be a possible escape route."

Luffy nodded, even though he probably had no idea what she was going on about (He did, however, earn brownie points for paying attention). "So we're splitting up?" he asked.

Robin nodded. "It's necessary that we do. Chopper, who knows the routes like I do, will be with Dabelle, Zoro, and Luffy. They will be the ones in charge of finding and taking down Buggy."

"So you, Sanji, Franky and I are going to be the ones to find Nami?" Usopp asked.

Robin nodded, rolling up her blueprints. "Hai, Usopp-san. The Buggy-squad will need to be composed of mainly brute strength. The Nami-squad will rely on cunning and the ability to ad lib when needed. However, I'm sure that you, Sanji, and Franky will be able to do your share of brute strength, Usopp."

Unlike his usual quivering self, Usopp nodded gravely. She smiled inwardly at his confidence and plowed through the rest of the plan, now obviously competing with the sun for light and time. "The chambers may have changed, considering that those blueprints are about 60 years old, but I doubt that they would; it's hard to renovate underground."

"So now what?" Dabelle asked, stretching his overly-muscular arms.

"Now we get to break the fountain open."

Luffy and Zoro looked at each other knowingly.

"Define 'bust it open,'" Zoro said casually, unsheathing one of his swords and giving it an unsuspecting once-over. "Are we going for 'complete destruction' or 'nice clean hole all the way through'?"

"A nice clean hole," she said briskly, trying not to smile at her crew mate's simplicity.

"Okay… That's you, Luffy," Zoro said, gesturing grandly to the large structure before them. It was quickly appearing to be taller in the rapidly darkening sky.

"Yosh!" Luffy raised his hand triumphantly. The group moved away quickly, giving the…flamboyant…captain the space that he would need.

He cracked his knuckles and tensed up a moment; then, almost faster than what her brain could process, he shouted "GOMU GOMU NO…PISTOL!"

There was a resounding crack in the air and the sound of crumbling stone. Chunks of rock flew everywhere and there was a puff of white dust on both sides of the fountain. It quickly mixed in with the still-falling water and continued down into the drains, making the water a now milky-white.

Luffy's arm retracted quickly and he examined his fist, blowing off white dust and small pieces of rubble. There was some red in there and Chopper rushed forward, quickly cleaning and bandaging it, muttering all the while about possible infections.

Usopp and Franky rushed forward, searching the center.

"It's hollow!" Usopp exclaimed, patting the insides. "There's a hole in the middle! Look!" He disappeared for a moment as he climbed down the previously mentioned hole, his yells of excitement growing fainter as he did so.

"So…" Robin barely registered the fact that Sanji was speaking, he was so quiet. "We're ready now?"

She nodded. "Yeah…" her words seemed almost unbelievable. "We're coming. Ready or not, Buggy, here we come."

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

The hole was dark and damp. A sort of residue was left on his hands after they left the bars of the ladder. There was an echoed murmur below him: Chopper and Usopp, most likely discussing strategies and tactics, even though they wouldn't be teamed up together.

He slipped momentarily and cursed his clumsiness. He was acting like an idiot enough already, and he certainly didn't need any more help with it.

"How long is this tunnel?" he heard Luffy while. "We've been climbing forever!"

"Three minutes," Zoro grunted. "Keep climbing!"

It was quiet for a few more moments before there was the sound of clamoring, a loud "Ow!" and "Wait!", and Sanji's foot met with Chopper's hat.

"What happened?" someone called out. "Why'd we stop?"

"It's Luffy!" Zoro shouted back. "The baka stopped!"

"What?!" Usopp exclaimed. "Luffy, keep going, you moron!"

"I don't wanna," was his simple reply.

"Then how are we going to get out of here, Captain-san?" Robin asked with the clear patience of a saint.

"You can climb," Luffy informed her. "I'm jumping down!"

"You're mad," Franky replied calmly, "but okay."

"You're joking," Zoro deadpanned.

"He can't possibly hurt himself," Franky reasoned.

"Yes, but…" Chopper stuttered, "he could—''

"Yahoo!" Luffy shouted, presumably letting go and falling down the hole.

"—hurt someone else," Chopper finished lamely.

"Should we go after him?" Usopp asked.

"Depends," Zoro replied. "Wait for him to call. If he does, he's okay and clearly doesn't need us."

"…And if he doesn't?" Sanji asked, almost unnecessarily.

"Then you'll need a new captain," Dabelle said calmly.

"Hey, guys!" It was Luffy's voice. It didn't sound too far off.

"See? He's perfectly fine," Franky said, a bit smugly.

"There's a ton of people down here!"

The cheerful mood generated by the Straw Hats at their captain's unpredictable stupidity vanished instantly and they stopped their chattering.

"Does that mean…?" Sanji asked, again unnecessarily.

"Crap," Zoro muttered. There was a sound of shoe scraping against metal and soon enough, there was the clashing, familiar sound of Zoro's swords.

Sanji sighed. Couldn't they at least be on solid ground before having to fight, protect their dignity, honor, and all that jazz? "Coming down!" he yelled, and quickly became the third to shove off.

Suspended in the air for a moment, it felt unreal as he fell. Then his feet made sudden contact with the ground, causing him to stumble a little. It was a bit awkward, as there was also little light to see by.

"Sanji! Left!"

Not missing a beat, he swung around quickly, and with his usual amazing precision, gave a fearsome kick to the body that he had been running towards him. There was a thump, but it was nearly unheard as their weapon clattered to the ground. "Thanks!" he called to his unknown helper.

There was a sudden flash, and the hole was flooded with a sudden bright light. He yelled out in surprise, shielding his eyes from the unforgiving. For a moment, all of the action stopped before people began to slowly recover from the shock. It was then easier this time, as he was able to see the mix of clown-pirates and what appeared to be ex-marines. The rest of the crew had made their way down, gracefully or not (Usopp, after all, had been the one to set up the light).

This was his other element – the one not as influenced by his mannerisms. He could be rude to the other fighters (permitting that they were not women, of course), which was usually not a wise move when cooking and that the one you were insulting had a cast-iron skillet to their disposal. He had learned that lesson early in life, thanks to Zeff.

One of the foolish ex-marines had decided to take him on, one-on-one, and he was proving himself to almost be a worthy opponet.

"Cook-san!"

Sanji turned around to see Robin frantically at him. She said something, but he didn't hear, and moved closer to her slightly. His opponent, thinking this as an excellent time to turn the odds in his favor, struck while Sanji's back was turned. He didn't expect Sanji to whip back at the last second, though, knocking him out and sending him flying into the fray.

"Bastard," Sanji muttered, staring after the man's body. "Fighters like you make me sick."

"Cook-san!" he heard Robin shout again. He turned and although she was a bit closer, he barely heard her "We need to go!" over the crowd.

"What? Why?!" he yelled back.

"The others can handle it from here! Our group needs to go now while they're distracted!"

He didn't bother responding to this, but instead began running forward, through the crowd, kicking anyone that got in his way. Robin ushered him quickly through an entrance, and they ran through the tunnel.

"So where should she be?" Usopp yelled. The splashing was causing quite a noise, giving away their "stealth" option.

"Just up ahead!" she replied. "It shouldn't be too far away, but there's no doubt that along the way that we'll probably have some –''

"COMPANY!" Franky shouted, jumping in front of Robin and swinging his arm into the stomach of the pirate who had about to attack her.

They stopped for a moment after that, each trying to judge where he had come from, before Usopp spoke.

"You guys can go on," he said. "There will be more coming without a doubt. I can hear them. We don't need to waste our time on this." He was right, too; there was a faint splashing from not so far off behind them, and the murmur of voices. Sanji knew that in a few seconds, they would be able to see the shadows of the group, bouncing off from around the corner, far enough from the others that they wouldn't notice or wouldn't have the time for them.

"Are you – ?" Sanji began, but was cut off by Usopp.

"Go! Nami needs you guys! Sanji, didn't you want to 'redeem yourself'?" Usopp turned on him now, putting his goggles on over his eyes, and with it came an extreme sense of déjà vu. He could see that there was no stopping him now. The diamond twinkled on his ring's golden band, and Sanji, for a split second, and surely not the only one, thanked Kaya for her agreement to marry the man.

Sanji smiled. "Don't screw it up, then," he said decisively. He then turned to Robin and Franky, staring at the two with a smirk of satisfaction that didn't quite register in his mind.

"What are you waiting for?" he demanded. "C'mon! Like Usopp said, Nami needs us!"

"Good luck!" the sharpshooter called after them before turning to face the large group of people belonging to the shadows that snaked around the bend. He got some explosion-balls our from his pocket, and then smiled.

"The Great Captain Usopp will teach you to mess with his friends," he said before throwing one behind him, sealing the way the trio had gone just moments before.

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

Nami was risen from her half-sleep by the large, crescending booms sounding strangely far away.

If I didn't know any better, I would swear that they were fireworks, she thought, sitting up and shaking her head. But I do, and there is no mistake that that was Usopp's doing. SO that must mean that they're all here and coming for me.

They're all here and coming for me. This thought, at this point a well-known fact, strangely sent a rush of warmth through her body, causing her to shiver.

Must be the reality of the situation, she thought offhandedly; she waved off the speculation that the rush was because of a certain ex-pirate was with them unconsciously.

There was a loud clanging outside of her door, and she struggled to her knees, absolutely euphoric. They were here that quickly?

The door opened, but instead of one of her crew mates, what stood before her appeared to be either an ex-cabin boy for the marines or an incredibly unimaginative-looking clown-pirate.

Her state of euphoria evaporated and she frowned at the newcomer.

"Who're you?" she spat. She got no answer, as instead the youth before her crossed the floor in four long strides, taking a black tie from his back pocket. Despite her protests and arm threats that were meant to be taken as serious threats, he tied it around her eyes tightly, causing the darkened cell to become even blacker, to the point that it seemed she was looking into the black of outer space. He then forced her up and steered her out of the room, managing to knock her shoulder in the process.

"Ow! Hey! I asked who you were! Now answer me!"

More silence.

She scowled as if it would make all of the difference as she was forced down the hall, tripping over loose slabs of stone, jostled by the boy. She finally couldn't take it.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To the last safe place; where the master is," he answered shortly, suddenly turning her around a sharp corner.

"Then why am I tied up?" she protested.

"The master still does not wish for you to see him."

Nami groaned. Such theatrics! Really, she would see it sooner or later; why not make it the former?

"Stupid," she muttered, stumbling for the again for what seemed to be the umpteenth time.

"Pardon?" the Jostler asked.

"Nothing!" she said loudly, feigning innocence. "Just wondering how much bloody longer we have to go!"

"Not much," he grunted. "We stop right…here." Without a word of warning to her, he then turned her from him and forced her to the ground. She fell awkwardly, hitting her elbow and knee on the ground, causing the two to throb and her tights to rip once more.

"Ow! What the –'' she shouted, sitting straight up, whipping her head to where she thought the offender was, as if that would help her see him. "Take this off of me!"

"No," he said simply before closing the – what seemed to be heavy and iron – door and locking it behind him.

"Bastard!" she shouted after him. "Come back here, coward!"

Her demands were not met, and she was once again stuffed into a cage of sorts, unknowing of who had it in for her. She hated feeling helpless like this; like her first and her last days with Arlong, when Bellemere died…

Slumping over, she concentrated on getting her shoes off, treacherous heels that they were. Shoving it off with one foot, the other gasped in relief as she shook it, getting the pain and kinks out of it, as well as the blood flowing freely again. She repeated the process once more, and soon she was reclining against the wall, resting her cold feet atop of one of the large boulders. Then, she set her shoulders and sighed, awaiting the Straw Hats' rescue.

Her moving was of no concern. They would still find her. She was sure of it.

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

Zoro surveyed the fallen sailors before him. There were many, and he was almost glad that Luffy had constantly reminded him that killing the "extras" was not the real objective.

"Where to now?" he heard Luffy call out.

"The opposite direction from where Robin went," Chopper chirped.

"A solid wall?" Dabelle asked skeptically. Zoro had to refrain from rolling his eyes, figuring that an idiot that didn't comprehend what had happened above them wasn't worth it.

"Psh. Easy," Luffy scoffed. He drew his arm back, and sure enough, not two seconds later, there was a crack and an echoed thunder as the wall collapsed. The hole, he saw, revealed what was a previously-built tunnel, identical to the one behind him that Robin's team had run into had been sealed prior to their coming.

"Think it was intentional?" Chopper asked, standing near the entrance uneasily.

"Obviously." Zoro snorted, strolling into the dark tunnel easily. "You got a light like Usopp did, Chopper?" he called out, staring intently at the darkness.

"Y-Yeah," Chopper replied nervously. He began to dig in his red backpack, drawing out a torch about the size of his hat. Zoro marveled at how he was able to carry it.

Dabelle noticed the obvious space that was left in the backpack and drew attention to what could hardly be considered a concern: "Where's Nami's Clima Tact?" he asked.

"I gave it to Robin," Chopper answered, warily switching on the light (with good reason – last time, it had shined him right in the eyes, causing him to walk around nearly blind for half a week). He shone it into the tunnel and slowly made his way in. "Well? Come on!" the deer shouted. The four – most notably Luffy – complied instantly.

There was water in the tunnel, Zoro began to notice. Muddy, higher-than-ankle water. Unconsciously, he shifted his precious swords away from it, even though they were in no real danger to begin with.

"Why is this taking so long?" he heard Luffy complain. He felt that he had to agree with him on that. We're going at a snail's pace here, he thought. Even I'm getting bored. He echoed Luffy for what could possibly the first time in Straw Hat history that that had happened :Yeah. How much longer?" he called out. Had Usopp been with them, he would have suggested the log that he and Chopper were currently writing – The Book of Things That Would Cause Hell to Freeze Over.

"Not much," Chopper said, silently struggling against the water that was almost up to his knees. "But would somebody mind taking my backpack? I'm getting swamped here."

"Sure," Zoro said unconsciously, taking it from the grateful deer and slinging it around his shoulders. "Oi! Dabelle!" he called out. "You keeping up?"

There was no answer.

"Dabelle?" he called again, hand straying to his swords' hilts. "You out there?"

Still no answer.

Zoro turned his head around slowly, regretfully, and sure enough, Dabelle was gone.

"The hell…?" he said quietly. He faced Chopper and Luffy; the deer's eyes were as wide as saucers, but the Rubberman's had become darker, angrier.

They really didn't have good luck with cooks…

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

The space once filled with Dabelle's large frame seemed much too open now; taunting, mocking…

"Don't tell me…" This was Chopper, his voice laced with fear and doubt.

"He wasn't spirited away, if that's what you're wondering," Zoro cut in, almost bitterly. "I can't believe that I didn't see it sooner… I spent half my life tracking criminals! Then six, seven years as one…"

"He hid it well," Luffy said faintly. It was impossible to believe… He had put so much faith in him over the years… And now he…. He left them. Was it just him, or were good, trustworthy, loyal, honest cooks hard to find these days?

"We've got to keep going," was Chopper's shaky answer. "No matter what…we've got to get to Buggy."

"Right," Luffy nodded. "So it's down –''

Thwack.

There, an inch or so in front of Luffy's face, was shiny silver knife, stuck in the stone, quivering and making off little noises as it did so. Carefully, Luffy picked it out, a few rocks falling into the water as he did so.

He recognized it instantly as something of Dabelle's. The blade winked at him in the dim tunnel light, showing his stoic reflection.

"Be on your guard," he said stoically, still gazing at the tool in his hands. The words were ones he had rarely spoken before, however, and the two others immediately tensed up; Zoro's sword handles were now firmly clasped in his hands, ready to be whipped out in less than half a second's notice. Chopper, on the other hand, had grabbed a Rumble Ball in his hand and was fully transformed into his "Heavy Point." His breath matched Luffy's heart beat; rushed, clearly on edge.

"Chopper! Your left!"

No sooner had the words left Zoro's mouth, a dark, heavy blur (quite obviously Dabelle – there was no use denying it now) came down upon Chopper, heaving two oversized knives at the deer's side. He barely escaped in the nick of time, throwing himself away from Dabelle, hitting the wall in result of that. A faint outline was left over.

Chopper's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You dare attack me first? Am I that weak to you? I'll make you sorry for the day that you joined this crew…!"

Not missing a beat, Luffy took a smooth step back and shot forward, letting his arm stretch forward. Dabelle, expecting the move, dodged; his shoulder wasn't so lucky. There was a sound, ranging from a crack to a crunch, ricocheted against the walls, amplifying it. Luffy didn't wince, though; he was used to this sort of "reaction" from his strength, and now didn't usually didn't think twice of it. He felt a pang, however, from hitting someone once so close, once a part of his nakama…

His arm retracted quickly and he shook it out, his somber expression still on his face.

Dabelle, barely visible in the light of Chopper's torch (currently three inches under the water, thanks to Dabelle's attack) smiled. It looked eerie, and with a sickening pop, he had forced his shoulder back into the socket.

"That the best that you got, captain?" he asked mockingly.

This time, Zoro reacted quicker than Luffy. Giving a yell, he rushed forward in the cramped space, slashing out expertly. "Don't you dare call him 'captain,' you damn bastard," he snarled as Dabelle's short and awkward knives met with his sleek and expert katana.

"Oh, two swords, eh? Am I not good enough for three?" Dabelle questioned in the same sickening mocking tone.

Zoro smirked. "Damn right," he retorted.

Dabelle mirrored the glare that the swordsman was giving him right back. "Two swords are better than one."

Zoro's eyes narrowed and he yelled once more, throwing himself forward again. Luffy would have thought it too repetitive, were it not for the shiny knives. The two became part of a twisted dance, Zoro gaining the occasional scrape, Dabelle getting two to match. The sounds of the silver clashing were loud; Zoro's call out to them barely audible.

"What?!" Luffy yelled at him.

"I said go! Catch up to Buggy!" he repeated. Then, to spite his opponent, he snarled, "I'll be done with him soon, anyway!"

Dabelle, immediately after the comment, threw some more vigor into the fight. "I'll make you regret that!" he roared.

Zoro gave a comeback, but Luffy and Chopper didn't catch it, as they were tearing down the tunnel, the splashing almost hiding the pounding of blood in their ears.

"Buggy!..." Luffy screamed. "I have a bone to pick with you!"

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

He crossed the room, checking to make sure that his pistols were loaded and ready as the Den Den Moshi behind him reported in a feminine, nearly sultry voice, "Sanji's there. Fighting."

He hesitated for a split second, but it was enough to temporarily throw himself off of the internal beat that he was currently moving to. Trying to keep his voice casual, he gripped the speaker tighter. "Would you consider that to be problematic?" he questioned.

There was a scoff at the other end, sounding oddly far away. "If I thought that it wouldn't be, would I be telling you now?"

He smiled wryly. "Good point."

"You know not to hurt him, right?" she asked.

He paused purposely. "…Of course I will," he replied smoothly.

"Are you –''

"Sir!" he was interrupted by one of his own men – not Buggy's, because they had absolutely no respect for his authority – pounding on the door. He reluctantly opened it, after a quick "one moment" to the woman, Mariasol.

"Yes?"

"Apparently three of the Straw Hats have arrived, sir. They are close to point B."

"You know what to do – stall them, at all means necessary."

"Yes, sir!" With that, he ran away, no doubt to tell the others of the next plan of action.

He watched his man run for a moment; only when he turned the corner did he close the door and turn solemnly back to the machine on his desktop.

"You've gotta go, right?" she asked in the far-away voice that usually accompanied talking over long distances. He nodded, but realizing that she would not be able to see, spoke quickly into the microphone.

"Yes," he said shortly.

"Remember…"

"Don't hurt him. Right," he said, hanging up finally.

He slipped his coat on and strode out of the door.

His time was now.

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

The corridors ahead of them began filling of people; she could hear it. The loud sound of boots against stone, the shouts…the sounds of rifles and swords being prepared. They knew that they were coming, and they were beyond ready.

She lifted her hand, slowing the other two. They stopped immediately a few feet behind her as she lurked around a corner, searching for their offenders. None were in sight, but the shadows cast upon the wall opposite her proved otherwise. She turned to the two behind her.

"There are twenty, thirty of them," she reported over the din. "Possibly more." She shifted her gaze between the two others.

"What's the plan?" Franky asked, crossing his arms. Sanji merely shoved his hands in his pockets. He was breathing a bit heavily from all of the running, although he was trying not to show it. She couldn't blame him, though; it had been a while since he – they – had probably had a work out like this.

"Franky, you and I will hold them back. Sanji, you're going to fetch Nami."

She saw Franky nod, completely understanding, and Sanji's eye bug slightly.

"But," he stuttered, "but I don't… That is… I have no idea where it is that Nami is being…held."

Robin smiled her "patient smile," fully aware that Sanji would soon be on his way. He's so nervous, she thought. But I really can't blame him…

"That doesn't mater, Cook-san," she said, the epitome of pleasance, although there was more than a trace of forcefulness. "I know the layout, remember? She'll be away from all of the action."

"But –''

"You'll do fine, Cook-san," she said. "Besides, I believe that you'll do more good fro her then I or Franky will be able to do."

He stared at her, puzzled. Then, slowly, he nodded, although she doubted that, at the moment, he understood what she had meant by that.

"Right," he said.

"You'll go after Franky and I have distracted most of them. I'm sure that you can get rid of the rest?"

"Got it," he said dutifully. "How much longer?" he asked.

"Not much longer," Franky reported from his new position next to the corner, peeking from around the wall's bend. Sure enough, the poundings had become louder, and the shouts had become clearer.

"Ready?" she asked again.

Franky smiled, looking almost diabolical. "Been waiting for this for a long time now…"

Robin didn't reply to that, only raising her arms and murmuring "Doce Fleur." Sure enough, seconds later there were cries of surprise and astonishment – her presence, while not fully revealed, was known. Franky then soon jumped out from behind the corner, Sanji following close behind. The two of them, from what she could hear, were already taking out their fair share of men – even though she had instructed him not to.

Robin had not used the fullest extent of her powers, or pushed the number of hands that she would be able to summon. However, "they" had defiantly taken the "soldiers" by surprise: a bit less than half of the men were currently struggling against the human hands that were strategically binding them. The other half, though, had noticed the three and began to rush them.

She lost sight of Sanji quickly, but she brushed it off immediately; he did, after all, have to find Nami.

But back to the matters at hand.

Franky was quite occupied with the business of hitting as many "workers" as possible, and he was barely succeeding– his style was more one-on-one, if anything.

She lashed out quickly at a man who had begun to go after her (Nami had taught her the technique just a week or so before she had come to the island), and he crumpled to the side, unconscious. She quickly took up his pistol, as a small precaution, and ran forward to help Franky.

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

There was a snicker somewhere in the tunnel. It bordered on the edge of hysteria, of insanity, and dread settled in Chopper's stomach. Keeping up with Luffy at this point was actually becoming difficult, and this would be sure to spur the rubberman onward.

"Luffy!" Chopper screamed, "Slow down! It's no good, blowing out all of your energy now!"

"No way!" Luffy yelled back. "I'm not slowing down for anything until I find him! This is the worst dirty trick that he's ever played by far… He's gone too far! I've let him be for too long! I'm ending this today!"

If Chopper's face wasn't covered in fur, one would have been able to see the fact that all of the blood had drained his face. There were very few people, things, that had driven Luffy to such extremes, such thoughts…

Chopper clenched his teeth and thanked the stars that he had remembered to get his backpack (which carried his medical supplies) from where Zoro had thrown it.

Something told him that this wasn't going to be pretty.

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

Sanji's shoes pounded on the floor, echoing in the hallway. Apparently, it wasn't enough to cause anyone alarm, and for that he was grateful – distractions were the last things that he needed at the moment.

He passed many cells, but he knew that, instinctively, Nami wasn't in any of them.

He was flushing darting up and down one of the hallways when he heard it; quietly, at first, but quickly growing louder. Footsteps. Heading his way.

Quickly, he darted in one of the doorways to the cell, keeping his eye out for a supposed soldier.

But when he passed Sanji's narrow field of vision, he was surprised to find that this man was quite the opposite from the many others that had attacked him and the other Straw Hats. This man had light brown hair, carefully – obviously – taken care of, an even, tan complexion, and was dressed in an expensive-looking suit that was apparently tailored well to his tall stature. On top of all of that, he was fairly calm, and it seemed that a ghost of a smile was playing at his lips.

Sanji felt an overwhelming desire to put this…bastard in his place.

As quickly as he had entered Sanji's sights, he left him, continuing down the way that Sanji had been coming from.

Keeping close to the wall, Sanji inched after the mystery man, becoming painfully aware of his walking habits even though he was at what could be considered a good distance away.

But then, he stopped at a regular cell door and began to rummage through his pockets for a key.

Even Luffy would be able to pick up on the obviousness of the situation: Nami had to be in the room that this mystery man was in the process of unlocking.

So, then that would mean that this man was her damn kidnapper.

This was not one of Sanji's more "subtle" attacks. While it was true that he wasn't screaming like the captain normally would, he certainly wasn't "keeping to the shadows" like a certain swordsman.

What happened was this: Sanji, not even fully realizing it himself until it was "too late," had started running forward. The kidnapper, sticking the key into the lock, looked in his direction lazily. Milliseconds later, Sanji's foot made contact with his head, throwing him a good fifty-something feet down the hall, causing him to end up in a crumpled up mess.

He was partly annoyed at the fact that his cover had been blown and that the ass was a bit too far away to give a good beating to and rescue his damsel in record time. To occupy his anger, he chose to focus all of his attention on the latter.

He cursed as the key – the rusted, twisted piece of metal that it was – made slow progress in unlocking the door.

But, finally, he succeeded, and he threw open the door.

"Nami-san!"

Nami's head whirled over to the direction of his voice and his heart was instantly wrenched. Her hair was mussed, her cheeks flushed and dirty, her lips chapped… there was a long scratch running down one cheek, but that was partly covered by a dirty black cloth that was currently being used to cover her eyes. His ears filled with a roaring sound, and he became instantly enraged; his dear, sweet Nami-san had been treated in such a way? How callous her captors were!

"Sanji-kun?!"

Unconsciously, Sanji's heart soared as it had all of those years – days, maybe? – ago. This situation… it was incredibly reminiscent of the ones that had been the norm, back when he was still in the crew.

But this was no time to go down memory lane. Mentally chiding himself for taking so long and causing Nami to wait the way that she was.

"Hai, Mellorine?" he said, rushing over to her. There was, quite possibly, enough time to untie her hands and eyes… Well, if he hurried.

"What… are you doing here?" she asked incredulously. "Shouldn't you… Shouldn't you be…"

"At the restaurant? Planning my wedding?" Sanji cut in, as unpolite as it might have been. "After the crew invaded the former, I really didn't have a choice but to help, now did I?"

He slipped the cover off her eyes as he said this and she gave him a smile accompanied with her warm brown eyes.

"Always the hero…" she murmured, rubbing her wrists. "Where are the others?"

"Robin, Franky, and Usopp are occupying the 'guards' that were in your vicinity. Zoro, Luffy, Chopper, and Dabelle are looking for Dabelle." He was helping her up as he said all this, but the second that he mentioned "Dabelle," she stumbled seriously. He swooped down on her, helped right her, and questioned what was wrong all the time.

"Dabelle – Dabelle is bad news!"

"Well, yeah," Sanji said. "He's really badass. Especially when he's staring you down." His attempt of humor, however, didn't go over so well with Nami, as she glared at him afterwards.

"No," she said, as if scolding Luffy. "Dabelle. Is. Trouble. He is not on our side!"

Sanji's face paled. Dabelle was an inside man? Did the others know?

"We've got to go," he croaked out, desperation slight in his voice. He began to pull Nami along, but was stopped by the sound of a cold voice.

"No, I don't think you will."

Sanji's head whipped towards the open door, and sure enough, there was the man that he had kicked not three minutes earlier, leaning against the door frame, smirking and cocking as pistol in their direction. He was wiping some blood from the corner of his mouth, and he looked anything but pleased.

"Oh my god…" Nami's voice was quiet, shaking. Sanji had heard it perfectly, however, and his attention turned back to Nami. Her face was deathly pale, her eyes disbelieving… She looked as if she had seen a ghost, or had been horribly betrayed…or both.

"What is it?" he demanded. What had shocked Nami so much about the man – her kidnapper, their enemy – in front of them?

"It's my ex – ex…" she said slowly, unsure of the words she was speaking. Then, she swallowed and continued in a wobbly voice, "ex fiancé." Then, in a hoarse whisper, added:

"It's Alexander."

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

A/N: -hides from stones and flames and death threats- Please don't hurt me. Please.

So, this chapter has had it all. Humor, action, romance, drama… It's also the longest one yet. Yes, I am very proud of that fact.

I've also spilled the beans on who this "mystery guy" really was! Alexander! (Sanji's probably fainted from the shock, poor guy…)

And it is now clear that Dabelle really is a traitor. And he's fighting Zoro! Yes, it is a match of the sword skills.

About some earlier dialogue: When Zoro was defending Luffy, there was no real romantic feelings. Not that I'm against the pairing, but that Zoro's going to have another quick pairing in this story of mine. So don't worry about it.

This chapter (and the next!) are going to be (and were) pretty action-packed. And after that, there's going to be an end-chapter and an epilogue…

THE END IS NIGH: CAN YOU HANDLE IT?

Also, I am working on chapter 9 very diligently. Although, I have a question on the ending: romantic and sappy, or humorous and romantic? For the Nami/Sanji final get together scene, y'know?

Review please! Tell me who you thought that the kidnapper was!

VM

26