Ben, Zala, Marguerite, Robin, and Alvida stepped out of the cave. Zala and Marguerite wore their new suits and Ben's blue shorts caught the midday sun.
Alvida leaned back. Her eyes traced the way the blue fabric stretched over Ben's thighs. "My love, have I told you about your assets?" she teased. "It's almost a distraction for the enemy. Or a gift," she said.
Ben gulped. "You have said it a few times," he said.
Robin let out a soft, knowing chuckle ."I suspect the 'distraction' works just as well on your own crew as it does on the enemy," she said.
Zala adjusted the high-tech gauntlet on her forearm. "It's definitely a distraction," she muttered.
Marguerite looked from Zala to Ben. "It is a distraction," Marguerite said. "I have heard some women taking days off after a glimpse," she said.
Ben thought that does not sound right.
"And did that apply to you?" Alvida teased as she reached out to flick the edge of Marguerite's yellow cape.
Marguerite straightened her posture. Her heart-shaped window on her chest heaved as she took a breath. "I am a Kuja warrior but I was under the weather," she admitted.
Ben walked towards Marguerite. He put his hand on her forehead. "You are okay now," Ben said. "But since you are part of the crew, you need to let Kaya know," Ben added as he let go.
Marguerite touched her forehead where Ben`s hand was. She smiled.
"She will be getting a temperature now, my love," Alvida remarked.
"UWWWWAAAAAAHHHHHH," a scream was heard. A red and yellow blur plummeted from the clouds.
Before anyone could draw a weapon, the blur slammed directly into Ben's chest with the force of a cannonball. The impact sent Ben skidding back several feet.
Ben looked forward in genuine confusion. "Luffy?" he grunted. He thought finally. Ben thought why does Luffy somehow always crash into me.
"He certainly has a gift for accuracy," Robin remarked. A mysterious smile played on her lips.
"Does this happen often?" Marguerite asked as her yellow cape fluttered as she stared at him. "Is that another man?" she asked. "On the island of women?" she questioned.
Alvida leaned against the tree. "Don't worry, honey. That's just a friend of Ben's. A very loud, very bouncy friend," she said. She thought if it was anyone else then they would have been two feet under by now.
Luffy looked up. "Ouch, that bastard sent me flying far," he said. "Where am I?" he questioned as he adjusted his straw hat. He turned around and saw him. His face split into a massive, toothy grin the moment he realized who he had hit. "Ben, It's you! Shishishi," he said.
Luffy's arms stretched out and wrapped around Ben's torso three, four, five times until they were practically fused together. "I'm so glad I found you! I thought I was gonna land in the ocean," he said.
Ben laughed. "It's good to see you," Ben said. "But you're a long way from the Sabaody Archipelago," he remarked.
Luffy's expression suddenly shifted from joy to frantic urgency. He started trying to untangle himself. His rubbery limbs flailed. "Ben, I can't stay," he said. "I have to go. I need to get back to the others," he said. "They're in trouble," he added.
"Wait, slow down," Ben said as he grabbed Luffy's shoulders. Ben thought defeat like that is devastating. "Tell me what happened," he said. He knew the Strawhat Pirates were not here or nearby. He thought of Kuma.
"A big bear-man waved his hand and poof," Luffy shouted. "I have to get out of here right now," he said.
"That does not sound good," Zala remarked as her cape moved slightly in the wind.
"No, something big must have happened," Alvida said.
"Luffy?" a voice cut through the panic. Uta stepped forward. Her two-toned hair swayed. Her eyes locked onto the Straw Hat boy, and for a second, the world went quiet.
"Uta?" Luffy blinked as his jaw dropped. "Uta! You're here too?" he questioned.
Uta's eyes narrowed. Her hands moved to her hips. "Luffy! You idiot," she said. "You never came to see me," she added. "I was almost captured by those monsters, and you were nowhere to be found," she remarked. Uta then gestured toward Ben. "But Ben was there to help and save me," she said.
Luffy's frantic energy dipped for a second. He looked at Ben, then back to Uta, and bowed his head deeply. "Ben, thank you. Thank you for saving Uta," he said.
"She's part of the crew now, Luffy," Ben said. He smiled at Uta.
Luffy gave a quick, determined nod. "Okay. We can play later, I promise," he said as he looked at Uta. He turned to Ben. "I really, really have to go," he added.
At that moment, Kaya, Mikita, Honey, Nojiko, Vivi, Marianne, Saphir, Conis, Raki, Maya, Kalifa, Ashivra, and Perona arrived with Hancock, Sandersonia, Marigold, and Gloriosa behind them.
"Captain, we saw something flying," Marianne said as she panted.
"Are you all okay?" Saphir asked as she looked at them. "Oh Luffy is here," she added.
Kaya stepped forward. "He fell from the sky? Ben, is he injured? His bone structure is rubber though," she said.
"I am fine," Luffy replied with a smile on his face.
"Luffy, how is Nami?" Nojiko asked as she looked around. "I don't see her," she added.
"That bear man made her disappear," Luffy said as he clenched his fist.
"She is fine," Ben responded. "I know it," he stated.
Ben and Luffy looked at each other. Their eyes locked and they both nodded.
Nojiko smiled. "My sister is a tough one," she remarked. "She will be fine," she said.
Mikita looked at Zala. "Well, well. Look at you, Zala," she said with a smile. "It's a bit tight, don't you think? I hope you can still breathe in there," she teased.
Zala didn't blink. "It's built for mobility and strength, Mikita," she said. "And my Captain gifted it to me," she said.
"My love has one for everyone," Alvida remarked.
Mikita smiled. "I can't wait for mine," Mikita remarked. "Althought, I have my Gauntlets," she said. They both smiled at each other.
Vivi looked at Marguerite`s yellow cape. "The cape looks different," she remarked.
Raki looked at her cape as well. "Yes, the material is different," she remarked. She looked at the Zala cape as well. "She has the same one as well," Zala added.
Kalifa adjusted her glasses. "The structural integrity of the heart-shaped chest windows seems counter-intuitive for armor," she said. She then glanced at Ben's blue shorts and the visible bulge, "Given the Captain's current attire, maybe it is suitable," she added.
"He is a pervert," Kaya remarked.
"Did you not pick something similar the other day?" Nojiko questioned with a smile on her face.
Kaya's eyes widened. "Well, we chose it together," Kaya responded. "And it was Conis` turn today," she said.
Conis gasped. Her eyes went to his shorts. She saw the bulge. "It was a team`s choice," she quietly said.
"Team choice," Honey said.
Maya looked at Zala and Marguerite. "I wonder if mine will look like how Ben said," she remarked. She thought of the Goddess.
Ashivra smiled. "So he is that Luffy," Ashivra remarked.
Luffy turned his attention and waved a rubbery hand. "Hi, everyone," he said.
Hancock froze the moment she saw the scene. Her eyes bugged out as she saw a strange boy literally wrapped around her beloved Ben. She felt her heart shatter into a million pieces.
"No..." Hancock gasped, dropping to her knees on the ground. "Not another one," she said. "Ben, are you leaving me for him?" she asked.
"That is not it, you dramatic girl," Gloriosa snapped, though she looked equally perplexed. "Why is there another man on this island? The law is absolute," she added.
"Hancock is funny," Ashivra chuckled.
"She has a good sense of humor," Honey agreed.
"She is better than before," Kaya remarked with a smile.
"He's the friend I told you about, Elder," Ben called out. He looked at Luffy. "Luffy, we can help you. But you have to tell us exactly what happened," he added.
Luffy let go. He took a shaky breath and nodded. "Okay, I'll tell you. But we have to move fast. My crew is in trouble and I need to get back to them," he added.
"This is going to be interesting," Zala remarked.
Alvida just nodded.