"Why are we doing this again?"

Nami pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to stave off the coming headache, "For the last time, Luffy's face is too well known. Thus, the disguise."

The navigator waved vaguely at their disguised captain, indicating the ruffled monstrosity of a dress he was currently sporting with little complaint (his complaints, actually, came only when Nami continued to steer him away from the buffet tables with hisses of "You'll ruin the dress!" and "You're a girl, remember?! Try to act civilized for once!").

"Not that—" and here Zoro paused as he wondered if it was bad that Luffy in a dress wasn't a cause for concern in his mind, before clarifying "—I meant why are we here. At a ball."

"It's not a ball, it's a masquerade. And I told you already: there's a rumor going around that the duke of this island has some kind of special treasure and I plan to find out what."

Nami's eyes gleamed as she imagined the kinds of treasure the wealthy duke might be hoarding. Her visions, however, disappeared in a blink as Luffy tried to sneak past, once again headed for the tables of food against the far wall. A hand snaked out, grabbing an arm and yanking the whining captain back so she could snarl into his face.

"For the last time. Knock. It. Off."

"But—!" Further protests were silenced as Luffy's mask was shoved into his face, the navigator growling to herself as she handed their resident trouble-maker over to Zoro.

"Do NOT let him near those tables. I'm going to see if I can find the duke," she snapped, turning to comb the crowd for their target.

"Why the dress again?" Zoro asked absently as he fumbled to help Luffy keep his balance.

"It was cheaper than another dress coat. Just be glad they didn't have one in YOUR size, Zoro." And Nami disappeared into the gathering with a smirk.

The rubber pirate finally managed to right himself, pushing his mask out of his face and smiling up at the other as he offered his thanks.

"Don't worry about it."

Zoro glanced about the room in a vague sort of way, hoping to spot the duke and put an end to this ridiculous night. The room, however, was far too crowded with dancing guests to make out individuals. Another thought occurred to the swordsman, then.

"Hey, Luffy…You wanna dance?"

There was a long pause as the question was considered.

"Only if we can dance near the food."

With a laugh, Zoro agreed.

fin