The ship had sailed for most of the night, and the glow of the fires on the mountain behind them had vanished completely.
The sea grew calm, moonlight spread across the water, bright as scattered silver. Usopp was the first to give out, falling asleep draped over the railing, his snores loud enough to shake the heavens. Chopper curled up in a corner, hugging his hat, his little hooves still trembling as he mumbled something in a half-dreaming haze. Zoro leaned against the mast, breathing evenly, but his hand never left his sword hilt.
Sanji sat on the railing and finished his last cigarette. He stubbed it out, tossed it into the sea, and got up to head toward the stern. He paused as he passed Luffy. Luffy sat cross-legged at the bow, eyes open, gazing out over the endless sea ahead. There was no telling what he was thinking.
Sanji left him alone and walked to the stern, sitting down beside Naruto. The two remained silent for a while.
"You could've stayed aboard tonight," Sanji said suddenly.
Naruto turned his head and glanced at him.
"When you were leading everyone out, you ran at the front. But you didn't keep either of your two Shadow Clones around." Sanji looked out at the sea. "I could see it clearly from up there. You were afraid your clones would give away your position, so you used your real body the whole way."
Naruto didn't deny it. "The woman in red was watching me. The moment I used chakra, she could sense it."
"That's why you were the last one aboard. You waited until we'd all pulled out, then stayed behind those rocks alone, waiting for an opening."
"Yeah."
Sanji went quiet for a while, then pulled a crumpled cigarette from his