Steel Heart

Ch 66 - The Sea Forest

"Ohhhh! This is beautiful!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly as Megalo carried him, Shirahoshi, Chopper, a physically wounded Hatchi, and an emotionally-injured Sanji, with his tie bound firmly around his eyes. They sailed over the underwater forest where trees grew as plentiful as the coral, "So this is the Sea Forest."

"I always wanted to come here," the large and beautiful Mermaid Princess breathed daintily.

"You should see this, Sanji!" Chopper said enthusiastically. He gave a nudge to Sanji, "Look at how pretty everything is."

"Pretty?" Sanji moaned. His head was hung in shame and buried in his hands. He pressed his disheveled tie firmly against his eyelids. "I don't deserve to be in the presence of pure beauty let alone be able to admire something that is 'pretty'."

"Oy, Sanji, what's gotten into you?" Luffy asked with a curious frown, "You didn't even look at Coward when we found you guys and I thought you'd be excited to finally see the Mermaid Princess."

The rubber man stretched his arm over towards the cook's tie. "Here. Take this off and-"

"NO!" Sanji cried and jerked away from Luffy's hands, "I don't deserve to see...I don't deserve to enjoy anything when I know somewhere out there Nana is hating me!" he sobbed.

"I don't know if it's the blood donors," Chopper sighed, "But Sanji has gotten very emotional ever since he got back up on his feet."

"I can't believe I'm here...Thank you, Luffy-san," Shirahoshi sniffled tearfully.

Luffy frowned at Sanji and then turned back to the princess. "What is up with this island? Everyone's just turning into cry babies."

"Shut up!" Sanji snapped, 'You don't understand, Luffy! Nana's very upset because I-"

Luffy picked his nose. "Because you were close to dying and she couldn't help. Just like when she found me at Marineford. I know."

Sanji blinked at him. "I was going to say because I was an idiot...but...what did you say?"

"That's what Nana told Nami and Usopp," Luffy said with a shrug, "I only heard a bit of it and then got bored but that was the part I heard."

"I told you, Sanji," Chopper said, "You scared us. Nana, most of all."

"Oh hey!" Luffy shouted excitedly as he pointed down on the sea floor, "I see the Sunny!"

Chopper leaned over to see and he smiled. "And Franky!"

"Oy, Franky! I didn't know you were here!" Luffy called down as Megalo began to swim down towards the ship.

Franky lifted his sunglasses and gaped at the incoming crew. "Luffy?! What the hell?! You're with quite a pin-up girl!" he said when his eyes fell on the pink haired royal mermaid.

"Let me introduce you guys," Luffy said as he leapt down from the shark and flung an arm towards the Mermaid Princess, "This is Coward."

Franky smiled. "I see. So you're Coward. That means you have to get tougher, don't you, Sis?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. My name is Shirahoshi," the Mermaid Princess breathed.

"She's like the super opposite of the brat, don't you think?" Franky asked, glancing over at Sanji. He tilted his head to the side when he saw Sanji's blinded state. "What's up with him?"

"Er...I'm not too sure," Chopper called down from the top of Megalo, "But Nana gave him back his necklace. Can you give me a hand with Hatchi?"

"What?! What happened between Sanji and the brat? And what's the octopus guy doing here?" Franky asked as Chopper dropped Hatchi into his metal arms.