Nick was not a happy camper, no siree. After his defeat the previous night, Nami celebrated her victory with a two-hour long bath.

Two hours!

He tried to wait for her to finish, he really did, as he wanted to wash the salty grim off of him. Especially his hair. Who knew sailing got you so dirty, or the salty sea air was so bad for your hair. Nick knew. He found out the hard way.

And he couldn't even wash it out, because someone decided to take forever. After an hour and a half, Nick fell asleep on the hard, half broken couch. It wasn't a pleasant sleep, and his back protested his choice of bed loudly and angrily.

"I said I was sorry. Let it go already," Nami said, walking next to him. She glanced at him, admiring his new look, like a sexy outlaw. But not a pirate, never a pirate.

Not a Marine either. It took some doing, but she eventually managed to convince him to leave the Marine coat back at the house. It was way too flashy, and they were on a stealth mission.

Nick grumbled in response. She was one to talk. Not only did she get the bath, but she also got to sleep in a nice, comfortable bed. She didn't know his pain!

Actually, considering the size of her chest, she probably knew back pain personally. Totally worth it, in Nick's opinion.

They were sneaking around the abandoned city, using the light of the full moon to make their way toward Buggy's ship. It was early, so early the sun wasn't up. They had about an hour before dawn and wanted to make the most of it.

Sneaking on board a pirate ship when the pirates were asleep was much easier than when they were awake. That was the plan they made last night and that was assuming there were any pirates still on board anyway.

Thankfully they made it through the ghost town unimpeded. Nick wondered when the pirates finally stopped partying last night, or if they even had. They were loud enough that he could hear them across town.

As they approached the harbor where they saw Buggy's ship anchored, it was blatantly clear which ship belonged to the circus themed crew. "Gee, I wonder which one it is," Nick said sarcastically.

It was a very thematic ship, complete with a big top. If the flag wasn't a clear indicator of who this ship belonged to, that certainly was.

They didn't see anyone patrolling, which was good. Guards would have made the job harder. They were either asleep or passed out with the rest of their friends.

Unfortunately there was no ramp. "So what do we do? Jump?" Nick asked, facing his companion. It was about a ten foot jump, not something he could have done in his own world, but with anime physics on his side, he just might make it.

"Not much choice. Unless you want to take a dip and climb up the anchor rope?" she said.

"I do not."

"Then jumping it is."

Both of them backed up to get a running start. Nami went first, easily making it on board. Seeing this, Nick began to hype himself up, "Alright Nick you got this. If she can do it, you can do it. If she can do it, you can do it."

Running full boar, Nick took a massive leap…

And nearly whiffed it. He grunted as his ribs impacted the railing. He would be feeling that in the morning. Oh wait, it was the morning.

"Nami, a little help," he pleaded, quietly, as he held on to the side of the ship. He could feel his grip slipping. The wood was surprisingly slippery. Maybe it was the early morning dew clinging to the wood, or perhaps it was just because it was a ship on the water.

"Geez, you're hopeless. Is all that muscle just for show?" she griped, peering down at him.

"Nami!" he whispered/yelled.

"Alright, alright. Geez."

With that, she grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled. She struggled a bit, considering he weighed around 220 lbs, but managed to help him on board.

Huffing the two of them lay sprawled out on the cool deck, catching their breath.

"Infiltration successful," Nick said, sitting up. He glanced at Nami, watching her take in gulps of air. Or more specifically, watching her chest. He was becoming more and more convinced they had a mind of their own. Why else would they move so much from simply breathing?

"No thanks to you," Nami quipped, glaring at her accomplice. She expected more from him, considering how well he's handled himself so far. Or maybe his only worth was fighting. If so, his presence here would only slow her down.

"Well sorry I don't have your mad hops," he groused. That was the farthest he's ever been able to jump, and it wasn't enough. The world was definitely making him stronger though. Another month and he'd be Captain America.

Which was undoubtedly a good thing. Nick didn't remember a whole lot from the show, but enemies don't get weaker in anime. Today's boss is tomorrow's mook. He would need all the power he could get. He would protect Nami.

And her boobs.

He stood with a groan, and held out his hand for the beautiful ginger, a cocky smirk on his face "What are you waiting for? Let's go rob a pirate."

She stared at him for a moment, before a small grin lit up her face, "Now you're speaking my language." She grabbed his hand and he easily hauled her to her feet.

"Our best bet is the Captain's quarters. I doubt a pirate like Buggy would trust his crew with his treasure," Nami stated, dusting imaginary dirt off her skirt. It wouldn't be the first time that turned out to be the case. Turns out, most pirates didn't trust each other, even ones on the same crew.

Nick agreed, "Right, makes sense. Now all that's left is to find it. In the dark." And wouldn't that be a bitch and a half. They should have planned for this. They knew they would be searching the ship at night, so why didn't they think to bring a lantern or something? They may have been able to see outside thanks to the moon, but inside would be a different matter entirely.

"Ah, is widdle Nick afraid of the dark? Do you need to hold my hand?" Nami teased, holding out her hand. If she thought he wouldn't call her bluff, she was dead wrong.

Before he could think it through, he grabbed her hand. He didn't really notice before, but her hands were soft and smooth, with a pleasant warmth. The night air seemed a little less chilly.

Nami was surprised, "H-huh, what are you?"

"You offered, right? Don't tell me this is too much for you? Guess despite your appearance, you're just a little kid at heart."

Nami didn't know if it was the taunt, the cocky smirk on his face, or a combination of both, but her pride wouldn't let her back down. Giving her own smug grin in return she said, "Of course not. If that's what you need so you won't be scared, I don't mind. Not one. Little. Bit."

Emphasizing her point, she squeezed his hand even tighter. Both of them shared a light blush, but neither could see it in the dark. On that note…

"W-well now that that's settled, we still can't see anything. So unless you glow in the dark, we're still screwed," Nick said, cursing himself for his voice cracking at the beginning.

But it was true. Unless Nami could see in the dark and holding hands let's her share her cat burglar vision, they would need to find something to light their way. Giving her a glance, he was surprised by her, I know something you don't know, grin.

Maybe her boobs functioned like headlights? And twisting the nips turned on the brights. If so he was more than willing to operate her heavy machinery.

"As it just so happens I suspected neither one of us could see in the dark. So… I nabbed a lantern from that house. That should shed a little light on things."

It would indeed, but Nick just had to wonder one thing. Where was she keeping it? He didn't see it on her earlier. Granted it was still dark out, so he could have missed it, but with the jump they made to get on the ship and how close they were now, he should have been able to see it.

Was this just another anime thing? Or did she hide it in her boobs? They were big enough, that's for sure. Best not to think about it, and best not to ask. Just accept what is and move on.

Even if he was disappointed that her boobs wouldn't be illuminating their path. Oh well, he could dream.

Quickly making their way toward the circus tent, they found out it was just a decoration, covering a wooden structure. In the center of said structure was the ship's steering wheel. No treasure here.

They then headed toward the large, circular building in the back of the ship. Nick opened the door and Nami lit the lantern. The light was dim, but they could still make out the room. It was a lounge area, with plenty of seats and a bar.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

The flickering light caused eerie shadows to dance along the walls. It was silent, except for the ocean's waves. Nami was suddenly much happier about the warmth and comfort Nick's strong, rough hands provided.

That thought almost made her trip. Almost. Instead, she just stumbled a bit. Nick cast a curious glance her way, but she just shook her head. She definitely wouldn't be sharing her thoughts at the moment. Besides, they needed to be quiet in case there were people on board.

Just because they hadn't seen anyone yet, doesn't mean they weren't there. Yep, that was the only reason. Nothing more, nothing less.

Making their way through the building, they spotted another door in the back. Opening it, they discovered it led further down into the ship. Perfect. As quiet as a pair of mice, they descended into the bowels of Buggy's ship.

Reaching the bottom, Nami held her light aloft, illuminating their path. Several doors lined either side of a narrow hallway. At the end of the room was another door, more ornate than the others. That was most likely Buggy's.

As they made their way down the hall, they peaked inside some of the rooms that had opened doors. A storage room, cannon room, makeup and costume room, nothing of note in any of them. Unless you count some of the costumes.

Who knew clowns liked to cross-dress?

When they reached their destination, Nick tried to open the door, only to find it locked. "Looks like you're up," he whispered to his companion. She nodded and moved to the door, only to realize she had a problem. They were still holding hands.

"Um, Nick?"

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Could you?" she asked, raising her hand. Oh right, he had completely forgotten about that. Was he really that comfortable holding her hand? Sure, she was lust (and greed) given form, but still, he barely knew her. So, was he really that comfortable with her hand in his?

Yes, yes he was. And that wasn't an emotion he was ready to deal with at the moment. Besides, it was probably just the emotional upheaval of multidimensional travel and his unresolved issues regarding it. Yeah, that had to be it.

"Oh right. Guess you need this back huh? I'll trade you for the light," he said. Neither one wanted to admit that they didn't really want to let go, and once they did, felt a sudden chill that hadn't been there before.

Nick held the light up so Nami could see what she was doing. Like last time, he made sure to admire her… skills in thievery. Her perky, voluptuous skills.

It only took a few minutes, but every scrape of her lockpicks sounded like a gunshot. Geez being a thief is stressful. The last click, the one signifying her success in picking the lock, was the loudest of them all.

As she swung the door open, she asked for the lantern back. Nick watched her enter first and saw her stop dead in her tracks. Curious as to what would make her react in such a way, Nick entered the room behind her.

And what a room it was. Clowns. Clowns everywhere. Paintings of clowns, sad and happy, angry and… horny? Ew… There was one painting of two clowns just straight up fucking. Nick wasn't sure he would ever achieve an erection again.

The covers on the bed were decorated with red balloons. That set alarm bells off in Nick's head. If IT popped out from under the bed, he was done. Game over, thanks for playing.

On the table, dresser, and numerous shelves were dolls. Creepy fucking clown dolls, all lined up in a row, staring at them like they wanted to eat their souls.

Buggy was one sick son of a bitch.

Unconsciously, their hands drifted to one another, seeking some kind of comfort. It helped, but only a little. Nick wanted a bath more than ever. He felt dirty, unclean.

The worst part was that they still needed to search the room, and neither one was looking forward to it. Who knows what other terrors awaited them in the lair of Buggy the Clown?

They decided to check the table first, walking closer to each other than was strictly necessary. Looking over the papers on the desk, it was mostly circus routines and jokes. A few, more important documents, were mixed in with them. Things like how much food they had left, what towns they hit, things like that.

The drawers were filled with miscellaneous items, like whoopie cushions, seltzer bottles, and fake teeth. They hoped they were fake anyway.

As they continued to check the desk, Nami's fingers traced a peculiar indention. "Hey, shine the light closer will you. I think I found something."

Nick acquiesced, and Nami peered at it closely, fingers tracing the smooth, polished wood carefully. She couldn't push it in, so maybe…

Nami grabbed the spot and pulled. It came out with a smooth thunk. Next she tried twisting it, first to the right, then to the left. It turned counterclockwise a full 180 degrees. Nami then pushed it back in, and another thunk was heard.

A secret compartment opened up, revealing a piece of parchment. Nami's eyes lit up, "Yes, here it is! The map to the Grand-" She stopped her celebration short. Wondering what was on the paper, Nick leaned in. It wasn't the map to the Grand Line, but it was something rather special.

It was a treasure map. An honest to God treasure map. Well that was something alright. Looks like canon just got kicked in the teeth.

"Huh, how about that? I don't think Buggy will miss it, do you?" he asked the stunned navigator. Nami turned to him with Beli in her eyes, "Who cares what the clown thinks? This treasure is all mine now, hehehe."

The giggling was creepy, and the even creepier decor of the room was not helping. Nick rolled his eyes at the greedy girl, "That's great and all, but we still need to look for the map don't we? Unless you're satisfied with that one?"

That snapped her out of it, "Of course not! I won't even be able to find this treasure unless I can get to the Grand Line. That map is more important now than ever." She was sure fired up. The promise of riches was a real motivator it seemed.

She also hid the map between her boobs. Nick couldn't believe he was jealous of a piece of paper, but here we are. Life sure was funny sometimes.

Nami reset the mechanism hiding the treasure map, but only after replacing the parchment with another piece of paper. It wouldn't fool him if he checked the paper itself, but if all he did was check to make sure the paper was still there, it should buy them some time. Time enough to steal that treasure right out from under his big, red nose.

The ginger haired beauty checked the rest of the room with a pep in her step. She no longer seemed bothered by the numerous clowns in the room. She even stopped holding Nick's hand. And it was all that map's fault.

Nick sighed as he shut the dresser drawers, shaking away the murderous thoughts he was harboring for the map. Nothing but socks and underwear anyway. No matter how soft they may be, he wasn't interested in Buggy's hand-me-down undergarments.

"If I was a psychotic clown, where would I hide my valuables?" he mumbled to himself. Looking around the room for anything that stood out, his eyes gravitated to the paintings. "He really has no taste. These are the tackiest things I've ever seen. Hm?"

As he gazed at the paintings, one stood out. The singular piece of "art" that depicted clowns fornicating. It was so disturbing it made him want to look away. "And maybe that's the point," he mumbled.

Gathering up his courage, he approached the picture. Their eyes seemed to follow him, taunting him, inviting him to join them in their debauchery. He would sooner castrate himself then let them have his hole.

Reaching for the frame, it felt wrong. Like everything that was once good in the world had vanished, leaving only corruption and despair. Was he being melodramatic about touching a painting? Yes, yes he was. Did he care? Not even a little.

Grabbing onto the tainted thing, he gave a little pull. The painting swung open from left to right, revealing a safe. "Bingo. Hey Nami, I got you a present."

Curious, she came over to see what he was yapping about, "What is it- A safe! You found a safe? Awesome!" She grinned happily as she jumped on him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He was so stunned by the move he barely got his own arms around her slender waist before she jumped back off of him.

"Alright, just give me a minute. I'll have this baby open in no time."

Nick barely heard her, still in shock. Never did he know he needed something so badly and not know it until he received it. Her hug felt good. No better than good. It was like finding an oasis in the middle of the desert. And he was thirsty.

It was also the first time he was able to smell her perfume. Like fresh flowers with a hint of citrus. A summer scent if ever he smelled one, and he found it to be his new favorite aroma. Now he just had to figure out how to sniff her and not get caught.

Staring at her, he couldn't help but notice how she looked while concentrating. Her face was scrunched up and her tongue was sticking out of one side of her mouth. It was cute. She idly licked her lips as she listened to the clicking of the safe as she turned the knob.

After about a minute, Nami started to sway her hips back and forth to a tune only she could hear. Like a cat watching its prey, Nick's eyes were laser focused, darting left and right in perfect sync with her shapely backside.

"Ok… Almost got it… And… Done!"

At her proud exclamation, Nick was snapped out of his trance. The hypnotic spell cast by her perfect ass was broken. How long was he out? He remembers her start to sway her hips, left and right, back and forth…

He snapped back to reality. Just the memory alone was enough to entrance him. "What a dangerous power…" he mumbled

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Uh, so, w-what was in the safe?" he stuttered. Nami narrowed her eyes in suspicion. He refused to meet her eyes, looking in every direction but hers. What was that about? Ah who cares, she has bigger things to worry about.

"Let's see… Some Beri, that's mine. A bag full of jewels, also mine. Buggy Balls? What's that? Aw who cares. Wait, what's this? A chest? Let's just take a look shall we…" Nami snatched the small chest and tried to open it, only to find it locked.

"Damn it. If you think this'll stop you have another thing coming," she said, taking the chest over to the desk, and began using her level 10 thief skills to pick the lock. Something she's been doing quite a bit lately. She'll be a level 11 thief in no time.

Nick, however, was more interested in Buggy's Balls. Wait, that came out wrong. Buggy's special cannon balls, the ones that blew up half the town. That's what he meant.

It was something he distinctly remembered from the show. That pathetic clown themed asshole had such a powerful weapon at his disposal, and to be frank, Nick didn't think he deserved it.

Looking at the sheet of paper with formula on it, he noticed it also had notes on how to make it smaller. Buggy called them Muggy Balls. It wasn't complete yet, but if they found someone who could complete it, it should prove to be invaluable.

"Ah ha, got it. Now let's see what you were hiding," Nick heard from behind him. Looking over at Nami, he could see that she got the chest open. Inside was a rolled up piece of paper. When Nami unraveled it, her eyes lit up, "This is it! The map to the Grand Line!"

She was practically bouncing up and down at this point. That was easier than expected. Nick expected to have to face Buggy, but maybe that wouldn't be necessary. Does that mean they wouldn't run into Luffy? That was kind of important.

Oh well, no use thinking about it now. They got what they came for, so it was time to skedaddle. Before they made their daring escape, Nami decided to play a prank on the clown, and drew a picture of herself blowing a raspberry, then placed it back in the chest, and returned it to the safe.

Buggy was going to be pissed, and Nick loved that.

"Alright, we got what we came for. Let's get out of here," she said. Nick didn't plan to argue, and the two made their way out of the ship. As they reached the lounge area, they could see the sun was rising through the window, bathing the room in its warm glow.

"Guess we don't need this anymore," said Nick, gesturing to the lantern. "Guess not," she agreed, blowing it out. The two of them made their way across the room.

"But hey, if you ever get scared of the dark again, I'll be happy to hold your hand," Nick quipped, a bit of mirth in his eyes. Nami raised an eyebrow, "If I remember correctly, wasn't it you who was scared of the dark?"

"No, that doesn't sound like me."

"Oh please, you were practically shaking in your boots."

"You must have me confused for someone else. I've never felt fear in my entire life."

"Oh really? Guess you won't need to hold my hand again. Too bad."

"Let's not be hasty…"

The two continued to banter quietly as they walked, light chuckles escaping their lips. Distracted as he was, Nick was caught completely off guard when his face met the floor.

"Ah fuck! That hurt," he complained. You'd think having more light to see would have made it easier to get around, but you would be wrong. It just made it easier to get distracted by the bombshell next to him.

"You ok?" Nami asked, holding back a laugh. Did she find the pain of others amusing? Sometimes. But in this case, it was more the indignant squawk he made as he face planted.

"Yeah. What did I trip over?" he asked, looking behind him. What he saw nearly gave him a heart attack. And Nami wasn't far behind.

It was big, furry, and none too happy to be woken up.

"Nami?"

"Yes Nick?"

"Is that a bear?"