Okay, hello my penguins ^3^ I have been working on this little fic for a while, and I have the next three or so chapters written. I'm still working on the fourth or fifth chapter, but I am hoping to finish it soon, so you shall have regular updates! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this first chapter, and I want to thank my friend Megan for being my first reader, and for her encouragement on this story. Go check out her deviant art and read her manga! It's fab!

So, enjoy, and Megan, I dedicate this to you ;)

Chapter 1: A Storm to Beat All Storms

"Furl the sails! Tie down the crates! For god's sake, somebody wake up Zoro!" Nami's desperate voice was barely audible over the roaring of the vehement sea, the screaming of the wind and the rain crashing down on deck. A clap of thunder boomed around the heavens and a brilliant white flash illuminated the Going Merry in a harsh light. The Strawhat crew were frantically running around the ship, trying their utmost to avoid disaster. Despite their best efforts, they were still just powerless ants in the face of this storm- no, typhoon bearing down on them which seemed intent on reducing their ship to mere planks and nails tossed in the waves like driftwood. Everybody was doing their part; Robin was lending everybody a hand-literally- with the help of her devil fruit powers, Sanji and Usopp were below deck tying down any crates or barrels in danger of tipping over, Nami was stood on deck shouting orders to everyone, Chopper was in his biggest form trying his best to keep the Merry on course and Zoro and Luffy were battling with the sails.

Half an hour ago you would have found a much more relaxed scene with everyone going about their business, whether that be sleeping, reading or playing games in the sun. However within what seemed a split second the weather turned, and one of the biggest storms Nami had ever seen had blown in. They had been fighting it since then and everyone was beginning to tire. The roiling black clouds were churning above, unrelentingly spitting fat rain droplets down at the crew and occasionally lit with streaks of stark white as more lighting flashed across the sky. The ship was being violently rocked from side to side, tossed by brutal waves and the crew didn't like it.

"Nami! I don't feel so good!" Usopp's wavering voice trailed out from below deck, followed by a low groan. "Hang in there guys! Just a little longer!" Nami shouted back. A round of grunts and nods from the rest of the crew ensued, each too preoccupied with their current tasks for any other form of encouragement.

Luffy was helping Zoro secure the sails when, quite by chance, he glanced up and saw a three storey wall of water heading towards them. His dark chocolaty eyes widened in fear, or what was as close to fear as Luffy could feel, and he span around to his green and black haired companions. "Zoro! Robin! Grab onto something! You too Nami!" he shouted, before turning back to face the monstrous wave. Sensing what was about to happen, Zoro and Robin ran over to the mast and held on tight, while Nami gripped onto the railing so tightly her knuckles turned white, quite in contrast with the light shade of blue her cold fingers had turned.

Luffy stretched his arm back as far as he could and after an almighty cry of "Gum Gum Pistol!" he snapped his fist forwards with so much force he was thrown backwards a good few feet. Zoro's heart thundered in his scarred chest, hammering against his ribcage as his dark eyes followed Luffy's attack, fearing the consequences if his captain did not succeed. A flash of lighting lit the dire scene eerily white, the grim expression on Luffy's usually cheerful face sharply defined by the severe brightness. After a second of this the lightning flash faded and the crew was once again plunged into the darkness of the storm.

Upon collision with Luffy's fist the wave broke apart, sending a wall of cold, salty water cascading down onto the Merry. A twice as wet and twice as cold Zoro breathed a sigh of relief and let go of the mast. If the Merry had been hit by a wave of that size it would surely have been destroyed. "Good job Luffy!" Zoro shouted with a smirk. Luffy turned to face him and returned his smirk with a lopsided grin of his own, before turning to Nami who was also grinning from ear to ear, water dripping from tangled strands of her ginger hair. "Nami! I think we should head inside for now!" he shouted. Nami nodded vigorously, eager to warm up, and retreated into the kitchen where she was sure Sanji would be more then willing to make her a hot chocolate. Robin followed suit, a similar thought occupying her mind. She stopped when she reached the door to the kitchen and turned to look back at Zoro and Luffy, her dark hair plastered to her scalp. "Captain! Swordsman! Come inside before you catch a cold!" She called, her dark blue eyes narrowed with concern. The two nodded and hurriedly walked over to the wooden stairs where the archaeologist was waiting. They were just a few metres away from the door which was being held open by Robin, warm yellow light spilling out onto the soaked deck when a strong gust of wind caught them off guard. Before he had a chance to react, Luffy's precious straw hat had been blown clean off his head. He cried out in surprise and reached up desperately to catch it but missing by an inch. Zoro was dumbfounded by his captain's sudden change in demeanour, shifting from calm and collected to desperately groping at thin air, and watched as his friends treasure was blown away by the wind. An image of Shanks' face as he entrusted Luffy with his hat flashed through the young devil fruit users mind, and his body moved of its own accord, acting on instinct.

Robin and Zoro cried out, their jaws falling open as their captain sprinted across the deck after his hat and launched him self over the side. A flash of lightning painted the entire scene white as Luffy fell through the air, his fingers stretching out to grip familiar yellow straw and red ribbon, and tumbled down towards the cold water. Without hesitation, Zoro sprinted after him and leapt off the side of the ship after the dark haired boy, mind running at one hundred miles per hour and adrenaline pumping through his body. Robin stared after the two of them powerless to do anything, restricted by her devil fruit abilities. Her heart lurched to a stop as she heard first one, then a second loud splash.

"Luffy! Zoro!"

So, what do you think? :) It's just the very first chapter, so it wont be getting to the main chunk of the story for another chapter or so but I hope you enjoyed it none the less! :)

Please drop me a review telling me if you liked it and if you think theres anything I could improve on, and as an extra little insentive, I wont upload the next chapter untill I get five reviews! :)

See ya next time! ;D

King Pingu, OUT!