Second Wind

12

"Fallen...?" he repeated dumbly. "Who..." he trailed off.

"The Arlong Pirates were taken down by another pirate crew," Nami said, conveniently leaving out the fact that said pirate crew was standing right in front of him.

Luffy stepped forward. "That would be us," he said. Zoro laughed and Nami looked at him in concern. The commander just stared at him.

"And who would you be?" he asked carefully.

"Monkey D. Luffy," he replied.

The commander's eyes widened slightly at the name, but then he looked down and placed his hand over his eyes in shame. They had been so indecisive. They had appeased Arlong so long, and the people of this island had finally been forced to rely on a grudge match between pirates for salvation.

Then he looked up. There was only one thing he could do at this point. If the Arlong Pirates had time to recover, it would start all over again. He was arresting them right here and now. His orders hadn't accounted for the fact that Arlong would be incapacitated, after all. He signaled to his squad and they split into two groups, one bringing Nezumi's squad back to the ship and the other heading in the direction of Arlong Park.

Once the Marines left, the celebration really began. Other villages had been informed of Arlong's defeat and Cocoyasi soon became one giant festival. Luffy ran through the streets in the direction of Sanji's aura. He stopped when he spotted him taking the last bite of a melon. "Ah, that hit the spot," Sanji said in satisfaction. "Cooking is great, but sometimes it's nice to just sit back and do the eating."

"Hey, Sanji!" Luffy yelled. "What was that melon you were eating just now?"

"Ah, that? That was ham melon. They basically take a melon and then cover it in smoked ham. It's really—"

"Where'd you get it!?" Luffy interrupted in desperation. Sanji sweatdropped.

"Someone was walking around with it, but I doubt you'll find them in this crowd..." Luffy dashed off into the crowd, eager to prove him wrong. This time I'm eating that ham melon for sure! he thought with determination. He reached out with his Observation Haki, trying to find the aura of someone who was walking around with ham melon. Goddammit. What the hell did that even feel like?

"He sure is enthusiastic," Sanji commented.

"Oh, Luffy? He's usually like that," Zoro said plainly. He had suffered through the excruciating pain of having his wound sewed up properly after leaving it alone for a while. That was not pleasant. At least he was looking less pale and livelier now, Sanji noted.

Sanji stood up and stretched. "Well, now that I'm full..." He ran off towards the crowd. "Time to flirt!" he yelled unashamedly.

Zoro leaned back and yawned. "Time to sleep," he said before dozing off.

In the middle of the crowd, Usopp stood on top of a tall stack of tables and yelled into a megaphone. "It is I, Captain Usopp, the proud warrior who triumphed over an officer of the Arlong Pirates! Let's all sing a song in honor of my bravery!" The drunken crowd cheered and applauded before submitting to the ludicrous request.

Usopp sure knows how to work a crowd...Sanji thought as he sat in the middle of several women who were asking if he really took out both of Arlong's best officers. He leaned his head back in bliss. He wouldn't mind staying here for a couple days himself...

Luffy walked up a hill in a mix between satisfaction at the ham melon he was currently chewing on and exasperation at the villagers that kept pulling him aside. He had already had a talk with 6 of them, each of them asking what his intentions toward Nami were. He had replied to each of them that she was his navigator and his close friend, and they had all accepted this after making the same request: take care of Nami. He had promised each one that he would.