+~*~*~*~*~*~+

"You fixed it!" Luffy's voice drags me from my slumber.

"Wonderful," I yawn, doing my best to tune out the voices.

Nami and Luffy talk for a few more minutes, but my brain isn't awake enough to tell my ears to listen. It seems like Nami was able to sew Luffy's hat, but beyond that, they could be talking about anything.

"Ouch!" Luffy shouts. "You just stabbed me."

I let my eyes flutter open, scooting out from under the seat. "Why must you two yell?"

"I was thinking the same thing, Akari," Zoro grumbles. "I can't sleep with you two screaming at each other."

"It's because he doesn't listen," Nami angerly sighs.

I sit up, looking over at the girl quickly sewing what must be a new hole in Luffy's hat. "It's called selective hearing."

"Here," Nami tosses the straw hat back at Luffy. "Please, just be careful this time."

"Sure thing," Luffy places the hat on his head, and I notice a small dot dripping blood on his forehead.

"Oh Luffy," I shake my head, standing up to stretch out.

"What?" Luffy furrows his eyebrows as he looks at me.

"Nothing, nothing," I step up to him, looking up at his forehead. "Lean down."

Luffy leans down the small amount so he is at my eye level.

"Stop getting hurt," I press my lips to his forehead.

"Ah, thanks," he grins, straightening back up. "Now, have we seen land?"

"No, and I am starving," Zoro replies.

"I would say that I am getting quite hungry too," I plop down in the middle of the boat.

"You should share some of your food and water with us," Zoro looks over at Nami.

"I am really trying to understand what is wrong with you guys," Nami shakes her head. "Do you even know about seamanship? How can you leave a town without food or water? You need to respect the sea!"

"Well, each town we have been chased out of, so getting supplies hasn't really been top on our list," I grimace.

"I think that I see something," Luffy points to an object in the distance.

"I'm surprised that you have lasted this long," Nami tosses some bread over to us.

"We've managed," Zoro bites into his bread.

"If it comes down to it, we can always fish," I nibble away at my bread.

"I think that is an island," Luffy shoves his entire bread roll into his mouth.

Nami pulls out some binoculars, focusing in on the island that Luffy has spotted. "It doesn't look like there are any buildings on it, meaning that it is inhabited. We'll just skip it."

Luffy ignores Nami's suggestion, grabbing the oars and steering us towards the island.

"What did I just say!?" Nami screams.

"There might be someone there who will join us, you never know!" Luffy shouts back.

"Maybe we can find some food there to get us better prepared," Zoro props his feet up. "We can't keep going out to sea and almost dying of starvation."

"The only food that could possibly be on that island is fruits from the trees, which is better than nothing, but it doesn't give nearly enough nutrients," I let my hand drag across the water.

"I need meat," Luffy nods.

It takes a few more minutes for us to reach the island, and it becomes quite clear that there is no living person inhabiting it.

"Well, we found a deserted island," Luffy grins. "Looks like all that is here is trees." He hops out of the boat to stand on the shore.

"I tried to tell you that, but you wouldn't listen," Nami sighs as she docks her ship next to ours. "There is no one here to join your crew."

I step out of the boat, tossing my backpack and shuriken bag back into it. "There might be a cute animal that I want to take with us as a pet, though."

"You can barely take care of yourselves; I don't think bringing along a pet would be a good idea," Nami says.

"Maybe," I shrug, walking up to Luffy. "Are we going to explore?"

"Zoro, are you coming?" Luffy looks back at Zoro who has passed out in the boat.

"Let him be," Nami says. "He needs all the rest he can get with that injury on his side."

"I agree," I add it. "Zoro has done a lot in the past few days and deserves how ever long we go exploring to rest up."

"Fine," Luffy nods. "Let's head into the forest, then." He turns and starts walking towards the trees.

"What do you hope to find?" I skip to catch up.

"I don't know, and I think that is part of the fun. Maybe there are people deep in the woods."

"I really doubt that," Nami trudges behind. "Some monster is in there ready to eat us."

"We can fight it off," I shrug.

The three of us begin to make our way through the forest. It only takes a few moments to get weird when a fox combined with a chicken walks by us clucking away.

"Hm, that is something I have never seen before," I watch the creature disappear behind us.

"Check out this crazy rabbit," Luffy chuckles.

I turn to see Luffy holding a snake with rabbit ears.

"Crazy is right," Nami's voice rises a few pitches. "Do not get that snake thing near me."

Luffy lets the creature go, and luckily it slithers away from us. "Wow, that lion is so fat," he points at a pig with a lion's mane.

"I see more pig than lion," I focus on the creature to make sure I am not going crazy.

"This whole forest has been weird so far, and I don't know how to feel about that," Nami says.

"Do not come any closer," A male's voice echoes around us.

"Who said that?" Luffy asks.

"Who is out there?" Nami questions.

"I am the guardian of the forest!" The male voice answers.

"A guardian of this forest?" I speak up. "That's kind of awesome."

"Awesome is correct! Now, if you like living, you will turn around and never come back."

The three of us stand in silence as we are trying to figure out where the voice is coming from.

"You three wouldn't by chance be pirates?"

"That's right, we're pirates," Luffy replies.

"What kind of question is that?" Nami scoffs.

"Ah, you are pirates! Do not even think about taking another step into my forest. If you do, you will face the trials that the forest holds. A risk is being dismembered! Would you risk that?"

"So?" Luffy shoves his hands into his pant pockets. "What is up with all the questions, anyway?"

"I don't really think that this forest has anything evil within it, so I doubt we would get hurt," I spin around, looking closely at everything.

"I think that there is something seriously wrong with this forest guardian," Luffy shrugs.

"What did you just say about me, straw hat?"

"Where are you, coward? Show yourself," Nami punches at the air.

"It sounds like he is over here," Luffy begins to walk deeper into the forest.

"I warned you to stay away! Now the trials of the forest await you!"

A gun shot fills the air as a bullet hits Luffy in the back, stretching all the way to the other side. It takes a moment before he can shoot it out the way that it entered. The only thing hurt is his vest which now has two holes.

"That is never fun to watch," I walk up to Luffy even if the fear of being shot is present in my mind.

"Man, that really scared me," Nami takes a deep breath, stepping up to us. "How does a guardian have a gun? Still, bullets really don't hurt you." She places a hand over her heart for a second.

"They may not hurt me by making me bleed, but they still hurt," Luffy glares at Nami. "I don't enjoy being shot."

"What are you?" The Guardian stumbles out.

"What are you?" Luffy snaps back.

"The shot was from this direction," I jog over to where the bullet came from. "Look, I even see a pistol on the ground. And a bush?" I furrow my eyebrows at the object just beyond the gun.

Nami and Luffy step up to me, then the three of us walk over to the bush-in-a-box.

"What is it?" Luffy asks.

"Who cares," Nami shrugs. "It shot at you, and it is weird."

In the blink of an eye, the thing sprints away from us, but it doesn't get very far before falling flat on what I would guess might be its face.

"Help me up!" The bush cries.

The three of us walk over to it, and I am able to see that the box looks like a treasure chest, and the bush part is really hair. Luffy and I push the thing back onto the feet sticking out of the bottom of the chest, and see the face of a man.

"A person?" Nami stammers.

"He really does look like a bush," Luffy chuckles.

"Who are you?" I cross my arms.

"My name is Gaimon, and I like to think of myself the keep of this island," the man answers. "Now, let's go find a better place to talk. I'm sure that we have a lot to talk about."

+~*~*~*~*~*~+

"Now, how did you survive me shooting you?" Gaimon asks once we have settled on a nice area of the beach. He can't really sit, so he just places himself on a higher rock.

"I ate the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit, and now I am a rubber man," Luffy answers with a grin. He's sat on a rock as well, while I lie down with my head on one of his legs.

"A Devil Fruit," Gaimon muses. "I have heard the tales, but never have I met someone who has eaten one. There is always time for a first, they say."

"It is also my first time meeting a guy stuck in a treasure chest. Are you a boxer?"

"Actually, when I was young--Hey! That was not funny! I have been stuck in this box and haven't been able to get out for twenty long years! Can you imagine how hard that has been?"

"Twenty years!" Nami gasps, shifting around on her feet as she stands nearby. "All alone?"

"How does that even happen? Are you stupid?" I look at Gaimon.

"I will kill you," Gaimon glares at me. "Twenty years is a long time. My beard and hair have not once been cut since I got stuck in this box. My eyebrow used to be two. No other person has come to this island, either, so this is my first conversation with people in a long time."

"Why don't we just cut you out of the chest?" Luffy asks.

"I don't think that will work," Gaimon sighs. "My body has grown into the shape of the box. I am basically one with the box. If the chest breaks, I am sure that I will too."

"How did you even get stuck in the first place?" Nami asks.

"You guys said you were pirates earlier, right?"

"That is right," Luffy nods. "As of the moment it is just four of us, but the crew will continue to grow."

"Believe it or not, I used to be a pirate too. It was a thrill. Going out to risk my life for treasure of all kind. You got any treasure maps, boy?"

"I have a map of the Grand Line," Luffy pulls the map out of his vest. "I am going after the One Piece!"

"The One Piece? Are you really thinking of going to the Grand Line already? With such a little crew?" Gaimon trots over to us, "So, where is the Grand Line anyway?"

Luffy holds the map out so they both can see. "I'm not really sure. Do you think you can find it?"

"I cannot read a map to save my life," Gaimon bursts into laughter.

"Really?" Luffy joins in laughing.

"Hm, I can kind of read a map," I giggle.

"Give me that," Nami snatches the map from Luffy's hands. "Now look, you know the Red Line, right?" She points at the map.

"The land that divides the oceans, of course," Gaimon answers.

"Correct. The world has more than one ocean. The strip of land that divides it is the Red Line. Now, the town at the center of the Red Line has a sea route that cuts right through it as well, and it goes around the world. That is the Grand Line! Gold Roger, known for being King of the Pirates, was the only person to ever rule that area. It is the most dangerous sea route out there."

"And the One Piece must be somewhere along it," Luffy says. "All we have to do is sail around the world."

"I don't think that it is that easy," I reach up to pinch Luffy's side.

"Listen to her, boy," Gaimon says. "The Grand Line is also known as the Pirates' Graveyard. I have actually seen those who have returned from a voyage there, and they are broken. A shell of their former selves. Like zombies. Regardless of what they saw, other pirates or monsters, it was been a terrible journey. None of them ever spoke of it, but just seeing them is proof enough. The Grand Line is horrifying. To find the One Piece is probably close to impossible, and then to come back in one piece makes it even less likely. The rumors make it hard to tell, and it has been twenty-some years since the start of the Great Pirate Era, yet no one has been able to find that legendary treasure."

"It is only legendary until someone proves it real," I smirk.

"And this treasure may not be real. It is really a fool's dream to search for it."

"Maybe, but I think that we can find it," Luffy says.

"Oh, just give it up," Nami waves the idea off. "There is plenty of treasure out there to get our hands on. Treasure that we don't have to risk our lives for."

"We will find it," Luffy widely grins. "I am very lucky, if you couldn't tell."

"Whatever, I do not know where your confidence comes from," Nami shakes her head.

"Comes from years of learning not to be afraid," I grab Luffy's closest hand to me.

"Fine, I will tell you why I have yet to leave this island," Gaimon blurts out.

"What are you saying, Mr. Bush?" Luffy asks.

"Hope. I still have so much hope."

"Hope for what?" I question.

"When I was still a pirate twenty years ago, the crew I was with docked on this island. We were told there was treasure, and we had a map. We searched all over the place for many days, and we couldn't find anything. I wanted to climb up this cliff, and I doubt that anyone had done so. It took me a while, but when I reached the top, I couldn't believe my eyes. There were five or six chests, I got so excited that I fell from the cliff, and I fell into the chest that I am stuck in now. When I woke up, my crewmates had already set sail without me. I couldn't climb back up the cliff to get my treasure, and the ship was too far away for anyone to hear me."

"And you are saying that no one has come by in twenty years?" I sit up, looking fully at Gaimon.

"No, people have come by, lots of people in fact. Mostly it was pirates looking for the treasure, and I made sure that I scared them away with the forest bit that did not faze you. That treasure on the cliff, I just cannot leave without it. If I was not stuck in this chest, I would go get it, but instead I have just had to protect it from anyone else."

"I agree that it is rightfully yours," Luffy nods.

"Gaimon, I will go up that cliff and get the treasure down for you!" Nami clenches a fist and holds it up in determination.

"Really? You would do that?"

I hop up, "I will help too."

"Man, am I glad that I told you my story. All of you are so kind."

"Why would you two do that?" Luffy tilts his head to the side.

"I may be a thief, but I am not heartless," Nami growls.

"Anything for someone who has hope," I firmly nod. "Gaimon, show us to the cliff."

"Follow me," Gaimon trots off.

Nami, Luffy, and I follow close behind to the man. There is a weird silence that settles over all of us. I'm sure we all want to see the treasure that Gaimon has told us about. I just wonder what Gaimon will do if the treasure is still there.

"Here we are," Gaimon stops us in front of a cliff face that goes straight up. "Wow, it has been a while since I have come here. Brings back memories."

"How come you didn't tell anyone else your story before us?" Luffy is standing back, hands in his pockets.

"I never trusted anyone, and no one has tried to talk to me like you guys did."

"Um, Luffy," I walk back to the boy. "I think that you need to stretch up there."

"You were so ready to do it earlier," Luffy pokes my side. "What happened?"

"I saw that it was a cliff with no foot holes, and I could never reach the top," I smile, batting my eyelashes. "Plus, you would do anything for me."

"Fine," he pats my head before shooting his hand up to the top of the cliff.

"Wow, he really can stretch like rubber!" Gaimon exclaims.

Luffy flies up in mere seconds, landing on the top with ease.

"I doubt that even if you told someone else, they would have had the guts to climb all the way up there," I squint into the sun as we wait for Luffy.

"It's a good thing that we decided to stop and check this island out," Nami states.

"Five treasure chests up here!' Luffy shouts down to us.

"Amazing, now toss them down without hitting us!" Gaimon chuckles.

"Nope!"

"What?"

"Come on Luffy, stop being stupid!" Nami shouts. "Toss them down here now!"

"No, I don't want to!" Luffy replies.

"Damn it, Luffy," I shout. "What has gotten into you!?"

"Hey, don't worry about it, girls," Gaimon says. "He doesn't want to, and we can't force him."

"How can you say that about your treasure?" Nami gasps.

"Straw hat, you are a good kid!" Gaimon shouts. "I suspected that it might be the case. I had fears, and I was losing hope, but I wanted to hang onto my hope. They're empty, right?" He has begun to tear up.

"Yeah, all empty!" Luffy answers.

"It isn't uncommon with those old maps," he is crying harder. "By the time you get your hands on them, someone else has already come along and nabbed the loot."

"All those years you have been guarding those chests, and they were empty," Nami is in shock.

Luffy bursts into loud laughter. "Don't feel that bad Mr. Bush! It is a good thing that we showed up when we did.