Straw Hat Luffy: The Black Fist

Chapter 17: Treasure

AN:

Me, again! I'm kinda on a roll this month.

Another little setup chapter here but at least this one has a little action in it. It's a little graphic, but nothing I think you guys can't handle. With this chapter, the stage is pretty much set so expect the next one or two chapters to take some time to write. After I finish with the next three or four chapters we should be at canon or at least really close to it. My goal was to get there around chapter 20 and it looks like that's gonna happen so that's pretty cool. When I first started this story, I didn't think the pre-canon part was going to be anywhere near this long but I'm glad it ended up the way it did. I'm really happy with where we are at.

With this chapter, we cross 100k words, which is kind of insane. I know it's probably not quite at that mark yet cause FF counts these notes in their word count, but we will definitely be there after the next chapter. So, big cheers to that!

As always thanks for the favorites, follows, and comments. You know I am very appreciative. :)

Here's chapter 17. Hope you like it.

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Chapter 17: Treasure

"This is it, Sanji.", Nami said, crouching next to the wall of the mountain she'd led them to.

It had taken the two of them some time searching along the base of the mountain but they'd found it. The map Nami had made turned out to be relatively accurate, but they'd searched every nook and cranny just to make sure. Eventually, the two came across a small dirt path, created from the many stepping of shoes, leading them to the same place that was marked on her map.

Something was bothering the orange-haired girl, though. If this was supposed to be a 'secret entrance' like Carina had said... Why was there a footpath leading directly to it? Secret, implied not a lot of people would know about it... If that were the case then why did it look like tons of people had found it? As she was thinking about it, a lot of things were starting to seem weird but one thing was sticking out... How could have Carina come across all this information in the first place?

"So, how do we open it?", the chef's voice came from above the girl. He tapped his boot against the smooth face of the rock in front of him. "Want me to kick it?", he asked, genuinely.

The orangette looked up at Sanji blankly. He'd obviously never stolen anything before... "No, Sanji. Kick rock. Big bang. Loud. Not sneaky.", Nami explained like she was talking to a child.

"Oh, Nami-Swan! You're even gorgeous when you're making fun of me!", the boy swooned.

The girl scoffed to herself and ignored the chef, looking intently at where the entrance to the hideout was supposed to be. Regardless of how Carina had come by the information, it was all they had to go on. Everything she'd told her had been true so far so... Nami's hand slid on the stone and found what she was looking for. If she didn't know it was there, she probably would've never found it. Her hand pushed into the mountain and a click sounded through the rock.

The two teens stepped back as the wall of rock slid into the ground with a hiss and revealed a long dark hallway. They looked at each other before turning back to the entrance leading into the mountain and starting forward. As they passed through the doorway, the rock slid back up from the floor, blocking their exit, and lights lining the walls of the passage flicked on, illuminating the long hallway.

"Well, no way but forward.", Sanji mused. He smiled teasingly at his companion, "Unless you want me to kick it.".

Nami laughed as she took her first steps toward where she hoped a big pile of treasure was waiting for her. "Come on already, Cook.", she teased back.