Aboard the Marine vessel

"If ya wanna say ya love her, do it in bloody English!" - Toga

Toga wrinkled his nose as a rope ladder fell from the mist above. Its dangling steps were beckoning for them to climb. "I dunno 'bout you lot," he murmured, "but I don't like this crawlin' feelin' in me gut." He grabbed his abs to emphasize his point. "Like I got a whole lot'o millipede-things tryin' to get out."

Nami grabbed a wrung; the rope was harsh against her cold skin. "That's really gross," and she started her ascent.

The blacksmith went after her. "That's me gut. I ain't told ya 'bout me bladder…"

"Look, if you want to live Toga, shut up!" Nami hissed fiercely.

Toga winced. "Sorry!" He pulled his blacksmith body higher into the fog and muttered: "Brr! Damn cold too."

Nami felt the end of the ladder rather than see it, which in this case was a good thing – if she didn't see nobody, then nobody saw her. Feeling her way along the ships ridge, her hand came across a lump of ice cold steal. Taking back her hand, Nami held her breath.

"What's the matter?" Toga croaked.

"There's something metal along the deck here," she whispered back, a cold sweat breaking over her forehead. Her eyes were straining themselves in hope to see a flicker of what it may have been. "I don't know, but it might be a cannon or some contraption."

The blacksmith held onto the rope with one hand and rubbed his freezing eyeballs. "Metal, ya say? Were they round and smooth?"

Nami nodded. "Yeah."

"Keep goin' then. Trust me, Im'a blacksmith, it ain't any cannon."

She shook her head. "Tell me what it is first." Below her she heard him snort.

"It'd be Sirence's shoes. Just tap 'em," he tugged on the ladder. "No offence or anythin', but can ya please hur'y up, me body parts are freazin' off!"

Ignoring her fellow sailors' plights, Nami edged her hands out and, locating the shoe, tapped it sharply with her knuckles. They clanked dully. A white glove appeared through the mist, its palm held open. With a grin she grabbed it and was gently pulled over the railings.

Her feet touched firmly with the wooden boards of the marine deck. She rubbed her hands, cupping them together and blowing into the hole, warming them up.

"Oi! Oi! Oi!" Toga objected quietly, as his older brother hauled him over the railings. "Jeez!" He snapped the moment his feet was set firm on the deck. "It's not like I can't do it meself."

Nami grabbed his shoulder before he could storm off.

Bronze's robotic arm clicked away as it climbed up to the ship's deck, taking its user with it. The old man accepted Sirence's hand graciously and boarded the ship. He blew a mist full of air through his nose, summing up the situation. He turned to Nami, whose orange head was a welcoming beacon in the greyness. "What now captain?"

Hearing the question, the navigator started to look around herself. Besides the railings, there was really nothing else to see. "It wouldn't be smart to go blundering around on deck," she whispered. "But we need to get our bearings and some place to hide."

Toga nudged her. "There's somethin' o'er there, missy-mate." He pointed towards it. "I'm thinkin' it was a sailor."

Bronze scratched his hair. "I don't see anything…hmm?" he turned to Sirence, who had suddenly broken out into various languages explaining something that they couldn't understand.

Nami looked at him. "What?"

Toga fumed through his ears. "If ya wanna say ya love her, do it in bloody English!"

The linguist frowned, grabbed his younger brother by the front of his jacket and hauled him away into the fog. Within two feet they disappeared.

Nami started after them, a bronze arm blocked her way. "Leave them," said the barman quietly. "They're not idiots. We'll wait for them."

Resisting the urge to thunder after them, Nami waited.

In the end, it wasn't a long wait. Toga came battling through the fog declaring that they, he,had found a way into the ship and had uniforms ready and waiting for them.

Nami managed a faint smile of relief before asking: "Can you get back there?"

Toga waved away the question. "Sure I can, Nami. Bett'r hurry though. Sirence was freakin' me out with the gibberish, sayin' how much 'e loved ya an' all."

"Probably about the thinning mist," Nami thought aloud. "Anyway, lead the way this once Toga, take a wrong turn and I'll pommel you the next spare moment we have."

The young man grinned. "I'll tell Sirence it's a date!"

Nami pulled down a marine's jacket and measured it against her figure, tutting about how it would look.

"Honestly Nami," groaned Toga, "you'd look good in anythin'. Wouldn't she Bronze?"

"Yep," nodded the cyborg.

Toga turned to his brother. "Eh Sirence, what'd you think – look good in anythin'?"

Nami watched the dark eyes emerge from behind the volume which he was engrossed in and look at her.

He lifted his glasses higher onto his nose. "Kajin," he said softly, lowering his head back into the pages of his book.

At that moment, Nami felt a little self-conscious.

"Well," snapped Toga, "I hope that doesn't mean ugly, 'cause –"

The door flew open with a crash, splintering the wood and denting the brass handled. A marine, wide mouthed in fright, ran into the room soaked in sea water.

Nami jammed herself into a uniform, hoping she didn't look too suspicious.

The marine had grabbed a mountain of dry clothing, and exchanged it with his own wet ones. He was speaking hysterically to the surrounding occupants. With his new garments on, he muttered what sounded like an apology and flew out the door.

Toga made a whining sound, his eyes threatening to spit out his eyeballs, and finally spoke. "That was so close," he collapsed, to his brother's surprise, into Sirence's lap. "Oh brother! For a fleetin' few secs I saw our dear ol' ma, god rest 'er soul, and I was sayin' 'I'm a comin' ma! I'm 'ere!" He sat upright. "Bloody awful experience, but there ya hav'it."

Sirence stood up and dumped his sibling onto the ground, dusting his marine uniform.

Bronze eased the door open a fraction and peered down the white corridor. "All's clear." He beckoned the others out into the open.

Nami took the lead. "Now," she warned the men quietly. "Natural, we want to look like we've walked down these corridors a thousand times."

Toga nodded. "Thousand times, got it."

"Stay quiet, if anyone comes, I do the talking." She gave the blacksmith a stern glare.

"Don't look at me!" he replied, slightly hurt. "It's 'im ya gotta worry 'bout," he pointed back at Sirence.

Nami sighed and lead the way.

Giri: Well, I hope this Chapter was longer! Next chapter we're on CLINK ISLAND! YAYS! Enjoy & Review!