the only solution was to stand and fight

The ship sailed. Nami had taken no time to get comfortable and navigate to where they were off to next. They'd somehow avoided The Marines, even with their little setback with Finn's parents.

Usopp rummaged through the cabinets in the kitchen, smiling to himself when he found what he'd been looking for. "Hello," He muttered, grabbing the glass bottle. He sat on the countertop, tossing the small pieces of popcorn in the air before catching them in his mouth. He then grabbed a huge handful from the bottle, shoving it all in his mouth at once. He was content.

Luffy sat on the top of the front of the ship, smiling at the view in front of him. He was the happiest of the group - one could easily tell - and every once in a while the crew could hear him shout out in joy.

He then turned to Nami, who'd been the only one up with them. "I told you it would all work out!"

"Yeah, well-" Nami stopped, leaning on her side. "Don't get used to it."

"Used to what?" Luffy asked.

"Being right," Nami answered in response.

Luffy didn't say anything, and instead just looked ahead again. This ended their brief conversation, the two enjoying the view.

Zoro lay on the hammock where he'd sleep each night, his mind in thoughts. Although it was impressive that Luffy had managed to get the crew a ship, he didn't feel like chatting with the others.

The only person he even briefly wanted to check in on was Finn, who refused to speak to anyone.

Of course, the girl was grateful. She was more than thankful the crew she thought left her there had come back for her, especially since Usopp was now part of that crew - and he was one of her closest friends. However, it didn't change the pain and heartache she endured in the short time her parents had kidnapped her. It didn't change they hated her and made her more than aware, making her question her entire life.

She sat alone, lying in the bed she'd been given. She was glad to be left alone, but part of her didn't want to be alone. She'd been by herself her entire life - despite having parents 'taking care' of her. Despite having Usopp and Kaya around - who barely had any idea of what was going on behind closed doors. She'd been alone, and so even though she knew the crew was simply giving her the space she needed by leaving her alone, she couldn't help but feel lonely.

The darkness consumed Finn. She felt sad, heartbroken, and any other negative emotion you could possibly feel. She constantly thought about whether her parents had gotten out of their binds yet or if they were still tied to the chairs. She thought about whether or not they'd actually find her, and take her right back to that sad excuse for a house.

Finally, Finn's eyes felt heavy. She didn't decline the sleepiness hitting her, knowing it was much better than the reality she was living in.

"Guys!" Usopp exclaimed. He walked into the room where everyone - except for Finn - sat, chatting amongst themselves. "Check it out!"

Nobody said anything and watched the boy as he walked further into the room, grabbing something from a table. "Using my unparalleled artistic talent, I made us a new Jolly Roger for the ship."

He opened up and handed it to Luffy, who had a puzzled look on his face. It was very clear that Usopp had made the Jolly Roger to his liking, putting a slingshot and the bandana he constantly wore on it. It looked nothing like Luffy's previous Jolly Roger, the one that had the straw hat on it.

"Ta-da!" Usopp exclaimed with a toothy grin.

Nobody said anything, and so Usopp continued. "I know, I know. My flair for design often leaves people speechless."

Luffy wrapped it together, shoving it back into Usopp's arms. He patted his shoulder and smiled at the boy before responding. "I already drew our flag."

"Okay, but this one is so much better." Usopp laughed as he held it out again.

"Neither of the flags are gonna scare anyone away." Zoro cut into the conversation.

"Okay, but the Jolly Roger is supposed to reflect the captain," Usopp responded, putting the Jolly Roger over his back like a cape.

"I am the captain," Luffy then said. "We are the Straw Hat crew."

"They call me Captain Usopp."

This continued on, the two of them speaking over each other as they both insisted they were captain.

Nami and Zoro watched, a slight smile on Nami's face as she looked between the two boys. She then laughed loudly, cutting their argument short.

This caused the others to laugh as well, even Zoro letting out a few chuckles.

"Okay, okay," Usopp admitted.

"You see?" Luffy asked as he grabbed onto Usopp. "This is what it's all about! From now on, it's all gonna be smooth sailing."

Nami's smile fell as she seemed to have remembered the girl in the other room. "But what about-"

The orange-haired girl was cut off. She couldn't get another word out as a loud sound was heard, one from outside the ship. Whatever it was suddenly crashed into the ship, causing everything to shake roughly.

Finn, who had been sleeping soundly in the other room, woke abruptly. She nearly fell off of the bed from the shaking, her mind a little disoriented as she continued to wake up from her slumber.

More explosion sounds were heard. She clumsily pulled herself from the bed and exited the room, just in time to see the others heading to the top of the ship.

She followed behind Usopp, who had been the last in line. Nami raced to the very top of the ship, a worried look on her face as she took in the scene in front of her.

"Marines!" She shouted out before Finn could see what was going on. "We're under attack!"

And they were. There, in the distance, was a giant Marine ship. They shot cannons at Going Merry, making it more than obvious they were the target.

Luffy looked through the looking glass, getting a good look at who they were up against as Nami went to try and take control of the ship.

"Grandpa?" He then asked, taking the looking glass away from his eyes.

Finn, Nami, Usopp, and Zoro all looked at Luffy with puzzled expressions. "Grandpa?" The four of them asked at the same time.

"Did you just call that guy grandpa?" Zoro asked as Luffy looked through the glass again.

Finn stood silent behind the green-haired boy, unsure of what to do. She was just as shocked as the others that Luffy's grandpa had been a Marine, but she wouldn't judge him for not disclosing that information with them.

Luffy wasn't required to tell them something like that, and sure, it would've been nice to know since he's going around calling himself a pirate, but he wasn't required. She didn't tell them much about her past, and how they had been going to where her 'home' was. She didn't tell them she knew Usopp and Kaya and Kaya could give them a ship, and it could've helped a lot.

So the last thing the girl would do is judge Luffy for not disclosing that information.

Another cannon was fired, landing in the water right in front of their ship. They were getting close, and Finn didn't know what to do to help.

Before any of them could react, another one was fired.

"Hit the deck!" Usopp exclaimed.

Everyone ducked. Finn flung herself to the ground and winced in pain, her body still aching from everything that happened at Syrup Village.

The cannon hit the ship, taking out some of the framework for the railing in the section where she, Zoro, and Luffy stood. She immediately looked around to make sure everyone was okay, that everyone was alive.

Thankfully, they were.

"Is everyone okay?" Luffy asked, looking around.

All of them stood back up, Finn very hesitant to do so. She was afraid to stand up and another cannon be shot their way, landing right by her.

"I think so," Nami called out.

"No. Not okay. Not even close to okay!" Usopp quickly responded.

More cannons were shot their way, angering Luffy. "Usopp, fire back at them!" He pointed at the Marine ship.

"Or..." The boy trailed, "How about we sail away as fast as we can?"

Luffy looked back, a puzzled look on his features. "Run from The Marines? No. Never!" He continued to glance from the Marine ship to the crew. "Nami, trim the... the sail thing. Let's sink their ship."

Usopp immediately started to listen to Luffy, and Finn stood there and watched. She felt useless, and she knew if she were to try anything she'd mess something up more.

"We don't have time!" Nami exclaimed in response. "They're stealing our wind. If they pull up alongside us, we're finished."

"You're the navigator. Do something." Luffy just said in response.

Nami sighed, looking at Zoro. "Zoro, sheet in and hard to port!"

Zoro listened immediately, all of them getting to work. Finn stayed put, knowing she was in the way more than anything.

What was she supposed to do? She didn't know what Nami meant, she didn't even know what half of the terms were for the ship in general. She knew nothing about being a pirate, about fighting people like this. Her fight or flight was screwed up, and if she could choose - she'd run and hide at the first chance.

Then, she remembered. She might be useless when it came to loading a cannon or fighting The Marines, but she could at least help by putting some more distance between them.

Grabbing a railing nearby to keep herself sturdy, she did her best to focus. She managed to put some distance between the two ships to buy them more time, but it was only enough for a bit.

Nami noticed, though, and nodded as she did her best to hurry.

"Which way is port?" Zoro asked.

"The left!" Nami shouted, "Usopp, load the cannon in the barrel! Light the fuse then get the hell out of the way!"

Usopp messed up, though, dropping the cannon balls everywhere before he could do what Nami requested.

"Usopp!" Luffy exclaimed, going after the boy.

The cannon balls began to roll around the ship. Usopp struggled to get ahold of any, stopping at the top of the stairs as he watched them roll about.

One of them stopped as it hit Zoro's boot and the green-haired boy just sent Usopp a look.

"Oh, man," Luffy mumbled.

"Pirate Vessel, by order of The Marines-" A voice then started, catching their attention.

Finn looked over at the ship, where the accented voice was coming from. The distance between the two ships began to close as she stopped, letting go of the railing.

"Lower your sails and submit to my authority." He finished.

Luffy, now angered, turned away from his crew. "Never!" He exclaimed, hitting the railing with the bottom of his fist lightly.

The man didn't respond, or if he did - it wasn't loud enough for them to hear. However, Finn and the others could see him perfectly.

He handed the snail over to another Marine before taking his cloak off. He tossed that to the side before grabbing a cannonball, tossing it around in his hand one or two times.

Luffy's face fell in worry, only causing more anxiety to grow in Finn's body. If Luffy was worried, then there was definitely a reason to be afraid now.

The older man then grunted, tossing the cannonball as hard as he could.

It would hit the ship straight on had it landed.

But it didn't.

Instead, Luffy took in a deep breath before beginning to grow, his rubber body morphing into the shape he needed to prevent the cannonball from hitting the ship and causing more damage.

It landed right in the center of his stomach but quickly bounced off right back in the direction of the Marine ship.

The cannonball hit the top of their ship, right above the sail. Everyone watched in shock, not having expected the move from the boy.

Their ship began to slowly fall apart, angering the older man. He grunted before screaming out in frustration, staring at the ship in shock and anger.

He then began to laugh like a maniac. Even the other Marines who stood behind him looked concerned, but nobody said anything.

"That was... amazing!" Usopp exclaimed. "You saved us!"

Finn smiled, looking from her friend back to Luffy. They had done it, and although it wasn't much of a fight it was something - and now they were getting away because of it.

"You didn't tell me you could do that," Nami then said.

"I didn't know I could," Luffy honestly spoke with a smile.

Usopp ran down the steps, hugging Luffy. Finn pressed her hand over her mouth, relief washing through her as they somehow managed to get through this attack.

The two boys jumped together in circles, laughing at their victory.

"Nami, get us out of here!" Luffy then spoke, looking at the girl.

"On it," She said. "Let's disappear."

She did exactly as she spoke, moving them in the direction of the fog. The other ship grew tiny as they left, putting a nice, safe distance between them.

Finn knew it was only temporary, but she was fine with it. The longer it took The Marines to get a new ship and to come after them, the further they could get.

Zoro examined the ship the further they got into the fog. He walked up to where Nami was sailing the ship, sighing.

"How's the ship look?" She asked.

"Broken railing. Minor damage. Could've been a lot worse," He responded.

"Could've been better," Nami said.

Finn glanced away from the two, making her way down the steps. She leaned against one of the railings that hadn't been broken, looking down at the water.

"You holding up okay?" A voice asked.

Finn looked over to see Usopp standing next to her. She glanced around to see Nami standing by herself where she usually did, navigating the ship. Her eyes then landed where Luffy sat, Zoro standing behind him.

She looked back at Usopp, shrugging. "Wasn't that bad of a fight."

"I'm not just talking about the fight, Finley." Usopp mumbled, "You haven't really given any of us the time of day to see how you're doing after the situation in the Village."

Finn didn't respond. She didn't want to talk about it. As much as she cared for Usopp and the others, it was pointless to spout about her feelings when she knew they were just doing the humane thing and checking in on her. She didn't want to waste her breath explaining how not- okay she was.

Thankfully, she didn't have a chance to respond. Luffy had cut her off before she could begin, causing her to grow grateful.

"You guys smell that?" He asked, holding his finger in the air.

"Smell what?" Nami asked in return.

Finn inhaled a few times, trying to smell what Luffy was talking about. She got the faint scent of something - but it wasn't anything she could pinpoint.

"There's something on the breeze," Luffy said as he sniffed again. "Smells like butter-" He then moved around. He followed his nose, continuously taking sniffs to figure out what it was he was smelling.

Finn and Usopp shared a look before looking back at the boy.

"Soy sauce," He then said. "Meat."

"I can't smell anything," Usopp said.

"Think he has brain damage?" Zoro asked as the group began to walk forward.

Finn trailed behind the others, smelling to see if she could see what Luffy was on about.

"I think that every day," Nami said.

"Look, Luffy, playing follow the smell is fun and all, but- we really gotta get out of this fog," Usopp spoke as he rubbed his forehead.

"I know, but I smell food." Luffy responded, "Which means there's someone somewhere cooking."

"Which means we're not the only ones out here," Finn muttered under her breath.

Nami began to follow Luffy's direction as soon as the boy told her to, and he sat on the figurehead as he followed his sense of smell.

"No! No!" He shouted out, "Three degrees back to port."

"Add food to the equation and suddenly he knows how to navigate," Nami muttered under her breath.

Finn stood on her own, watching the fog. She couldn't really see anything, nothing but cloudy whiteness preventing her from seeing in front of her.

"What is that?" Zoro asked, catching her attention.

She glanced over to see where he was looking. A few lights were seen through the fog in the distance, showing that Luffy's sense of smell had been right all along.

"Is that land?" She couldn't help but ask.

"Can't be," Nami responded. "There aren't any islands anywhere near here."

Luffy began to chuckle, catching everyone's attention.

Finn made her way next to Usopp, the two staring at lights they grew closer to.

"What's a..." Usopp trailed, struggling to read the sign.

"Baratie?"

++

We're about to meet Sanji, hope you guys are as excited as I am <3