Sanji's heart burned, and blood trickled from his nose as he thought of the redhead's words. A lascivious smile spread across his face as he imagined what it would be like. A kiss from his Nami-Swan... He tried with all his might, but he couldn't hold on any longer. His imagination had gotten the better of him. The blood pooling in his nose burst, sending him flying back against the warehouse door with a thud.
The blond chef had only one last idea before fainting, a product of his own perverse imagination. He was going to steal every last treasure from that cursed island. Anyone who tried to stand in his way... would die.
Luffy lay on the beach, breathing heavily. What a splash! He'd gone much farther than he'd expected. Well... actually, he hadn't really thought about it. He'd just jumped... The straw-hatted boy raised his head and looked back the way he'd come, his gaze lost on the horizon. He couldn't even see Merry anymore. He let his head fall back onto the sand and instantly passed out as the waves lapped at his feet, a bubble of sleep forming around his nose.
Zoro gasped as he continued to move his arms in the water, staring straight ahead and groaning between strokes. He couldn't see Luffy anymore. When had he even lost that idiot with the straw hat?... Damn that kid and his love for the water. The swordsman's muscles were starting to cramp, and it was becoming harder and harder to move the same way over and over again. How long had he been swimming? It felt like hours. Was he going to drown there?... What a terrible way for a swordsman to die. The thought spurred him on to swim harder. He couldn't die like this... Too shameful.
The green-swimmed boy swam with all his might for… Honestly, he couldn't even say. It felt like an eternity. So, when he finally felt the water getting shallower, he groaned in relief. Zoro placed his feet on the sand and climbed out of the water onto the beach, collapsing almost immediately. Damn, he was tired. He let the muscles in his neck relax and his head fell to the left. His vision was blurry from the salt water, but… Was it a person? "Luffy?" he asked. The teenager saw something appear above the figure's face and could have sworn he heard his future captain's laughter.
"What a nap!" exclaimed the boy in the straw hat, stretching his arms above his head and turning toward the voice that had woken him. "Zoro! You did it!" he said excitedly. He stood up and brushed the sand off his shorts as he approached the swordsman, observing his motionless body with curiosity. He nudged his friend with his sandal: "Zoro?" He nudged him once more: "Zorooo!"
The figure of the verdet remained motionless.
"He must be asleep," Luffy told himself. Oh well. He walked away from his friend, letting him rest, and faced the island. Nami was right when she said it was small. It couldn't have been more than three kilometers from coast to coast. Much of the sand was mixed with dirt and rock, probably from the mountain that covered most of the land. In fact, it looked more like a mini-volcano than a mountain. The teenager turned to look at his sleeping friend before turning back with a grin: "More fun for me."
She quickly headed from the beach toward the forest that covered the base of the mountain. Seeing the mountain's base peeking through the trees, she couldn't help but think it would be an ideal place to search for the treasure. She paused for a moment to think before shrugging and continuing. For some reason, she felt she remembered Nami mentioning something about the mountain...
Luffy's steps slowed as he approached a particular area of high relief. One where the slope increased exponentially as he continued to gaze upwards. His eyes kept climbing, and he couldn't help but marvel at how steep it was. Shaking his head, he refocused on the rock in front of him. He didn't have time to marvel at mountains; he had treasures to steal... Then, perhaps, she would come to pursue her dreams with him.
Nami had mentioned something, and now that I thought about it, I definitely remembered her saying... Something about the mountain... At least I thought I remembered... Yes, I hadn't been listening. What?! It was Sanji's fault for giving her the meat! She might have even mentioned how to get in... Maybe the treasure was inside?... Good! Good! Good! I should have been listening!
Luffy shook his head again and withdrew his arm, hoping to solve the problem as usual, curling the fingers of his right hand. He looked at the rocky wall, shrugging, before striking the stone with a loud crack.
His arm sank into the stone, and cracks formed at the point of impact as he slowly withdrew his hand. The cracked rock began to crumble, revealing… more rock… the teenager groaned. It seemed things weren't going to go his way. He stepped back and huffed dejectedly, staring up at the sky. He didn't want to wait for Nami! It was going to take forever! His gaze fell back on the mountaintop, and a great idea struck him.
Instead of just waiting for them, why not climb the mountain and look for them from the top? It sounded like fun, and that was more than enough to get Luffy moving again. Maybe he'd even make it to the summit!
"Sanji! Starboard until I say so!" Nami shouted from the main deck, a rock formation directly in her field of vision. The ship began to slowly turn to the right, following her command.
It was perfect, big enough to cover the entire ship. The only downside to their hiding place was the distance that still separated them from the island. It wouldn't be so bad if they had a raft... But they didn't. Orange cursed herself for leaving her old boat on Gekko Island. It would have come in very handy. She shook her head quickly to clear the thought. Even if they had been towed, it probably would have been lost in the storm.
"Alright! Get us ready and prepare to drop anchor!" Nami jumped over the railing and landed on deck. The girl approached the side rail of the Merry and watched her, making sure they were a safe distance from the rocks so as not to damage the ship, but close enough to conceal her. "Sanji, go to the hold and drop anchor!" she ordered. "And bring me a rope and a life preserver while you're there!"
Sanji rushed out of the kitchen. "Your wish is my command, my queen!" The blond man whirled down the stairs and turned to head for the storeroom door. The anchor sank instantly, and he emerged from the door with the items she had requested. "Nami-Swannn! I did everything you asked!" he exclaimed, handing her the items she had requested.
She thanked him and placed the items on the floor next to her bag, beginning to take off her clothes.
"NAMI-SWAN!" Sanji stammered, his nose bleeding profusely. What a gift! "WE CAN'T... " he almost ran out of words, "I MEAN WE COULD... BUT... I KNOW THE OTHER TWO ARE GONE, BUT-" A fist struck his face so fast he doubled over, hitting the back of his head against the wooden deck of the Merry.
Nami moaned as she pulled her hand back, blowing on her finger. "Damn it, Sanji! You broke my nail!" She glanced at the boy on the floor and mocked his expression. Even barely conscious, he was still the same pervert. She finished coddling her broken nail and started gathering the clothes she'd taken off. She didn't even know why Sanji was getting so worked up; he'd seen her in a bikini before. "Alright, you little pervert. Wake up, wake up," she whispered, stuffing her shorts and T-shirt into her bag.
...
Hi everyone, what do you think of the story so far? The book has over 300 chapters. If you'd like to download the complete book, it's available on my Ko-fi page. Here's the link: 👉 🤩 ko-fi.com/winterstar01 🤩