Clarity returned to Sanji's eyes, and he slowly sat up, wincing. Damn it, that girl could really hit. He grabbed his nose and snapped it back into place with a grunt.
"Alright, Sanji, it's time to swim," she said, using the rope to securely tie her bag to the life preserver. It wouldn't keep her clothes completely dry, but it was better than trying to sneak out soaking wet. The girl grabbed the other end of the rope and tied it around her ankle.
Sanji reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a cigarette. "Would you mind throwing my cigarettes in that f-?"
"Not at all. I don't want my things to smell like smoke. It's harder to sneak around." The girl ignored the dark cloud that appeared above her head and carefully tossed her life preserver over the railing in front of the rocks. "Don't forget, Sanji. If you steal more treasure than me, I'll give you a kiss." Nami turned and winked at the chef. The wind whipped her hair back as a body flew past and plunged into the water. She turned and watched Sanji swim furiously toward the island with a grin. Laughter erupted when she began to hear his loud roars of what he would probably call passion.
The orange climbed onto the wooden railing as her laughter echoed in the air and one last thought crossed her mind before she dove in: "It's time to steal some treasure! "
Zoro groaned, his eyes opening with difficulty as he slowly lifted his upper half to sit up and look around, sighing.
No.
The swordsman didn't see it anywhere. Great... Just great. He stood up and turned to look at the island behind him, recognizing that the volcano-like mountain was where Nami had said the treasure would be. If Luffy had gone anywhere, it was most likely in that direction. He turned back to face the sea, gazing out at the distant waters and then at the horizon. However, he saw nothing but the shimmering blue of the ocean.
The forest lord groaned. Without Merry, there was no Nami or Cook. And with Luffy nowhere to be seen... He seemed completely alone. Oh well... There was nothing left to do. He shrugged and returned to the ground, starting to walk toward the tree line. As his feet carried him into the forest, he smiled to himself. A fight was coming... Somehow, he could sense it. He was excited. He wanted to improve his swordsmanship, and for that, he needed to fight strong opponents. Swordsmen would be preferable, but Luffy had shown that he needed experience facing all kinds of opponents. The Lord of the Forest confirmed it.
Zoro felt Wado and Kitetsu vibrate slightly in their scabbards, praising his way of thinking. His smile became more genuine as he looked at Wado, resting in his white scabbard. It was strange to think that there had been a time when he couldn't "hear" his swords. He glanced at his second sword, and his smile softened even further as he remembered his ebony-dark skin and grayish hair. The swordsman was grateful to have met him. He owed him much of his recent growth. The swordsman pushed those thoughts away, and his bloodthirsty smile slowly returned. The time for memories had passed.
"Come on, walk. Do your thing and take me where I need to go," he said excitedly, moving away from the sea and deeper into the forest.
Sanji emerged from the water and reached into his jacket pocket. His hand bumped against the soggy cigarette pack lying there, and he groaned as he pulled them out. The chef took three from the pack and tossed the rest, then pulled his lighter from his black trouser pocket.
"Sanji, what on earth are you doing?" Nami asked breathlessly, getting out of the water beside him. Swimming hadn't been so bad. She'd always been a good swimmer. The short training session, in fact, had been quite enjoyable. Maybe she'd accept Luffy's offer to swim more often... A knot formed in her stomach... Ah, yes... She shook her head. She had a treasure to steal. However, even though she pushed those thoughts from her mind, she couldn't completely shake the feeling that made her squirm.
The chef turned around and his eyes fell on the figure of the girl in a bikini, and his eyes immediately went towards the hearts.
"Sanji," the redhead growled. "This isn't the time."
The hearts vanished from his sight instantly, and he returned to his cigarettes. Message received. "I'm drying these. The others are fried," he replied to her question. He let the flame of his lighter dry the white cigarettes, and when he was satisfied, he put one in his mouth, lit it, and tucked the other two behind his ears.
Nami sneered at the boy as she pulled her backpack out of the ocean. It was time to see if Operation: Keep Clothes Dry had been a success. The orange-haired girl grabbed the life preserver and untied her backpack, opening it to see its contents. She pulled out her clothes and was surprised to find both garments completely dry, and quickly began to get dressed. Once she was dressed, she took out her backpack and pulled a piece of paper from one of the pockets, examining it carefully. She had tried to draw a map from the description Carina had given her the last time she saw her, but it was rudimentary, at best.
The redhead scanned the paper for a moment longer until she was convinced she had a rough idea of where they were going. She folded it and tucked it between her breasts. What?... It was a handy place to keep things! Nami zipped all the pockets of her bag shut and slung it over her shoulder. "Alright, Sanji. I have a rough idea of where we need to go. Let's go!"
...
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 🤩