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MOVIE 4: Dead End Adventure
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The Straw-Hat gang arrived on Hannabal Island with towns infested with pirates young and old after escaping from a fleet of marines. They found a small bar hidden between an ally towards one end of the island. Before they entered the bar, they found their wanted posters hanging on the walls outside. They thought nothing of it considering the island was nothing but pirates. As they sat themselves down in the bar, they ordered food and gathered their strength.
"Ahh~ I'm stuffed!" Luffy patted his belly with a mountain of plates piled up in front of him.
"I bet you are." Zoro scowled at him. "You ate a ton."
He laughed. "I still have room for more."
"That's enough!" Usopp ordered him.
Sanji let out a sigh as he finished the last bite to his meal. "Those were some simple, yet delicious dishes. Nami-san, Robin-chan, Jenka-chan, would you ladies care for some dessert?"
"I'm fine, thank you." Nami replied.
Jenka nodded. "I'm good."
"I'll have some coffee." Asked Robin.
Sanji got up with a smile, walking towards the bar. "Certainly~."
"I'll have some more food!" Chopper asked.
"No fair!" Whined Luffy.
"No more for you!" Nami yelled at her captain.
"Eeeh?!"
"Don't 'eeh' me! If no one stops you, you're going to eat forever!"
Sanji sat back down at the table, giving Robin her cup of coffee. "Are we running low on money, Nami-san?"
She sighed. "We haven't exactly earned anything yet... After we stock up we'll have almost nothing left."
"Eh... That's just great."
"What the hell?" Luffy gasped. "Oi, let me say this as your captain. You guys are spending way too much money!"
Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp all whacked Luffy in the back of the head, planting his face onto the table. "IT ALL GOES TOWARD FEEDING YOU!!"
"ANYAA~??"
Sanji sat back in his chair and sighed. "Takkun... Anyways, this is a pretty big problem."
"Mou... anything will do." Nami sulked. "Isn't there any way we can make some quick cash here?"
"Well, I didn't see a casino or anything on this island. I guess we'll just have to hope the next island has more to offer." Sanji noticed Nami staring at the bar tender. "Doushita?"
She shook her head. "I-It's nothing."
While everyone talked amongst themselves and Luffy and Usopp where fighting over food, Jenka noticed a pirate sitting down at the bar. She saw him place some coins on the table to show to the bar tender. At that moment, the bar tender brought the pirate to the back room, with him being the only one coming back out. She was curious to know what happened to the pirate...
"Doushita, Jenka-chan?" Sanji asked, noticing Jenka's stares.
She shook her head. "It's nothing, really."
"The guy who walked in just now. Probably a pirate." Zoro stated, leaning back in his chair with his arms folded. "Plus, he had a suspicious exchange with the barkeep. Sou darou?"
Jenka tilted her head. "Zoro, you were watching him?"
He shrugged. "More like I caught it out of the corner of my eye. What do you think?"
"Beats me. Something seems to be up."
"What about you, Nami?" Zoro asked her.
She blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb." He smiled. "You smelled it, right? The scent of your beloved money."
"Nani o?" Nami asked innocently. "Are you calling me a money-fiend?"
He closed his eyes, still smiling. "Am I wrong?" While they were talking, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper where fighting over left overs while several small bones flew into Zoro's forehead, ignoring them. Jenka began to yell at the boys for throwing the food everywhere.
Sanji knelt forward defensively. "Teemee! What did you say to Nami-san?!"
Nami interrupted him with a wide grin. "You got it! My favorite things are money and tangerines. I'd never pass them by~." She turned her attention to the others. "Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, Jenka!" They stopped fighting to pay attention to her. "I smell an adventure. This isn't a time to be fighting."
While eager stars glittered in the boys' eyes, Nami got up and walked over to the bar keeper to place a bargain with him. She told him of their money troubles and were looking for a way to make a lot of quick cash. She learned that the barkeep was a generous man who didn't want them to simply throw their lives away, especially since they were so young, but Nami tried to explain to him that they were used to these sort of underground schemes and know of the situations they get themselves into, aware of the dangers they place their lives on.
Everyone got up and joined Nami at the bar, gathering up their things. Zoro placed his swords back into his haramaki. As he walked passed Jenka, he gave her a light bop on the head. "Oi, iguso."
She rubbed her head and nodded, finishing up her drink fast and grabbing her kotachis. She joined the others as the barkeep explained the situation to the crew. As soon as they joined Nami, she was in the middle of asking him to please share some inside information about making money.
"Where is the smell of money coming from?" She asked with a confident smile.
The barkeep chuckled. "There's no cure for idiots and pirates, is there?"
Luffy turned to Zoro. "Did he call you an idiot, Zoro?"
Zoro's brow twitched. "Why me?!"
"Because I'm the pirate."
The barkeep continued. "Now I'm positive you want to die young. Follow me."
"We're in!" Luffy and Usopp shouted, slapping each other a high five.
They followed the barkeeper into the back room where they discovered was really a long dark tunnel. The barkeep lite a lantern for them, revealing the long empty tunnel.
Usopp's smile disappeared. "Oi, it's pitch black in here."
"Keep going straight ahead." The barkeep instructed.
"From here?" Jenka asked.
He nodded. "You'll get to where you want to go."
"Chotto matte!" Nami shouted. "You haven't told us anything yet!"
"This is as far as I go. You'll understand if you keep going." He said with a smile.
Luffy giggled. "Ok! We will!"
Usopp hung onto Luffy. "Baka Luffy! This way is too fishy! It's got to be a trap!"
The barkeep stepped in front of them. "If you don't want to do it, just quite. Then I can sleep more peacefully."
"I'm going!" Protested Luffy. "This smells like an adventure~!"
The barkeep closed his eyes and smiled. "An adventure, huh?"
Nami lowered her eyes at the barkeep. "You're certain that we can make some money there, right?"
"I don't lie. But I can't tell you the details."
Usopp hunched over and mumbled. "Uh-oh. My chronic I-shouldn't-go-through-this-tunnel disease is acting up again..."
Jenka sweat dropped. "Why must you always make up some lame disease to get out of going somewhere or doing anything?"
Zoro placed his hand on Usopp's shoulder. "Give it up, Usopp. The captain has made up his mind to go."
"The fact is that we don't have any money. What choice do we have?" Sanji asked.
Usopp sighed. "Uuuhh... I've got a bad feeling about this..."
"Adventures are waiting for us up ahead, na~?" Chopper asked with his cute little smile.
"Ah!" Luffy replied. "Yosh! Now let's go! To get my food money~!!"
"Is that all you care about?" Usopp asked.
"Show two 100 berry coins at the end of this tunnel. That's the password." The barkeep instructed them.
"Arigatou, Ossan!" Luffy thanked him.
Zoro took the lantern from the barkeep and led the way into the tunnel. After walking for several minutes, something caught Zoro's attention up ahead.
"Hmm?"
"Doushita?" Jenka asked.
"Iiya, it's nothing." Zoro replied. An ugly lite face appeared suddenly in front of Zoro, catching him off guard. He yelled, nearly dropping the lantern from his surprise. Zoro bobbled the lantern in his hands, finally catching it. After a couple seconds of holding it the wrong way, Zoro yelled again, burning his hands from the light. He fell backwards, forcing Sanji to catch the lamp this time with his leg.
"Oi, Zoro! What the hell are you doing?" He stopped, staring at the face Zoro had seen. He noticed it was really a man guarding a door. "Who the hell are you?"
"Chotto matte Sanji-kun!" Nami stopped him, stepping over the fallen swordsman. "Zoro, you're in the way." She faced the man. "No need to be on your guard. We've got the password right here." She pulled out the coins and winked at him. "Ne~?"
The man backed off, opening the door to them without ever saying a word. A bright light showed within. They entered, having a whole new fortress being revealed to them. They had to be about 10 stories if not more in the open fortress. There were pirates everywhere, drinking, eating, fighting, and just partying in general. Pirate flags hung everywhere around the railings, showing off the different pirate gangs in the arena.
Luffy leaned over the railing in awe, just like Chopper, Usopp, and Jenka. "What is this place~?" He laughed.
Jenka smiled from ear to ear, enjoying the sight of all the pirates. "Pirates from all over are here for us to face!"
Chopper pointed above them. "Ooh~ There's a ship hanging from the ceiling!"
Zoro finally caught up to them, blowing on his hands. "Man that thing was hot...!"
"What's all this?" Nami asked. "There where only a few ships at the port when we got here."
"Oi, babe." A pirate called out to Nami. "You come here to bet? The bookmaker's on the top floor."
Nami blinked. "Bookmaker?"
"Huh? You mean you're here to enter the race?"
Her eyes widened. "Race?"
"No way, don't bother! You'll just be wasting your lives doing that."
"Ah yes, so this is the place." Robin said, stepping forward. "It's been a while, so I didn't recall it at first."
"What Robin?" Jenka asked.
"I was here once before with the captain of the pirate ship I'd boarded. It's not regular, but they hold a race once every few years." She explained. "Organized by pirates for pirates, the anything-goes Dead End Race."
"By pirates?" Sanji repeated.
"Eh, ex-pirates , to be precise. All the citizens of this town were once pirates."
Luffy and Chopper nodded their heads. "Ah, sou desu ne~."
Robin continued. "The goal is different every time. But the starting point is always here. Participants sail via an Eternal Pose adjusted for the final goal. The rules are simple: whoever reaches the goal first is the winner. Then the winner will receive the prize. And whatever should occur in the route is your own problem. Sou... no matter what happens."
Zoro nodded. "That's easy to understand."
"As simple as figuring out what's going to happen next." Sanji commented.
Jenka threw her fists into the air out of excited frustration. "Gaah! This is going to be incredible!"
Nami sweat dropped. "Why are you so excited for this race, Jenka? I've never seen you so happy."
"She lives for the rush of facing other pirates in battle." Usopp explained.
Jenka nodded. "Got that right! Pirates from all over the world are here entering this race and we're going to be the one's to show them that we're the strongest and the best! I can't wait!"
Nami sighed. "The race sounds pretty dangerous. Well... it might not be so bad for a crew like ours... And it looks like you and Luffy's eager to join..." She looked up at the man who informed them of the race. "Ne, who else is entering the race? Do you know?"
The man laughed. "Nani? Are you really going to enter? Well, I'd say about a third of the guys here are entering."
Nami smiled. "Ah~ That's a lot of people!"
"The guys at the bottom floor are the third favorite."
Usopp looked down. "Below?"
"See those big guys?" The man asked. "They're the giants Bobby and Pogo." The giants had old fashion armor on that looked like they were made out of wood and metal. They wore helmets that resembled Vikings as they ate and drank merrily.
Usopp smiled, remembering his encounter with giants before back on Little Garden island with Alzabub. "Ah~ So there's giants entering~!"
"And on the terrace in front of us, an old rival of Arlong and the second favorite, Grampus Merman Willy." Willy, who was surrounded by other mermen, looked like an older fatter version of an Orca whale, with white messy hair and long fangs. He wore an open shirt and torn shorts with goggles over his slit eyes.
Nami laughed nervously, remembering the horrible Arlong and his mermen when they once ruled her home island. "Eh heh heh. Even mermen..."
Luffy was overjoyed. "Uwaah~~ This is great~! There are so many people entering~! I'm really excited~! I wonder who's coming after us~!"
Nami quickly ran over to her captain and twisted her fist on the side of his head. "Wait just a minute, Luffy!! We haven't decided yet if we're going to be entering in the race! Besides, there's no point in taking part in a crazy event like this! Listen!!"
Robin walked up to the man. "Ne, how much is the prize money this year?"
He held his head up, remembering. "Etto... If I remember correctly, it's $300,000,000 berries this year."
Nami spun around with her fighting fist punching the air with determination. "YOSH~! We are entering the race~!"
Everyone cheered. "HAI~!!"
"OI!!" Usopp and Zoro shouted.
As Nami and Sanji went to sign up, place a bet on themselves, and grab the Eternal Pose for their destination to Partia Island while the others went to grab food in the lounge. Robin stayed behind and sat at a table while sipping coffee. When Nami and Sanji returned, she learned that the favorite is General Gasparde. Soon after that, Nami learned that the food here was free and didn't have to worry about Luffy and the others pigging out without spending a dime.
The others gathered around an empty table where Luffy and Chopper instantly began to eat, already placing piles of dirty empty plates in the middle of the table. Usopp and Zoro grabbed drinks as the others ate. Jenka on the other hand was happily polishing her kotachis and knives.
Zoro sweat dropped. "Why are you so excited? It's just a race with other pirates." He asked Jenka.
She smiled. "I told you. Competing against other pirates and beating them in this race will show me how strong we are and giving us another step up in power in this pirate totem pole~!"
"The pirate totem pole?"
"Yeah. You know, it'll show other pirates that we're stronger making us more powerful and dangerous. It'll show other pirates and the navy that we're unstoppable!"
"I don't get you..." He turned his attention to Luffy, gazing upon his animal-like eating behavior. "Weren't you full earlier as well?"
"Nope! That was only about 60%."
"E-eh... ok."
"The race starts tomorrow, right?" Luffy asked with food in his mouth. "I gotta get myself charged up for it"
"Gotta!" Chopper repeated.
"You don't have to echo him." Usopp teased.
Chopper's eyes went wide. "EH?! No I don't!"
At this point, Luffy began stretching and taking food from other tables and out of the waiter's hands. "Heehee~! I love this place~! The food just keeps coming and coming~!" Luffy muffled between food.
Zoro sighed. "Matakku.. You're stomach's bottomless... Ah?!"
Suddenly, Zoro's eyes went wide and he stood up at lightning speed, grabbing his swords. A man came up behind Luffy and slammed his head into the table, snapping it in two. The man wore a yellow jacket with two black sports stripes down the sleeves. He wore black pants that were rolled up just before the ankles, showing a bit of his tan legs before meeting his boots. His hair was wavy and short, almost shoulder length with a light color of auburn. A lone tattoo that looked like a sideways hook trailed across his left cheek.
Jenka's eyes began to swell up with tears. "My cleaning utensils!" She glared angrily at the man. "Kisama...!! You'll pay for this!"
"What was that for?" Zoro asked very calmly.
The man shook his fist. "What was that for? What was that for?! What was that... what was... THAT'S WHAT I SHOULD ASK!!"
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!!" Zoro shouted back at him.
"URUSEIYAI!! He stole my food stretching his arms like that!! Just because his arms can stretch doesn't mean...! His arms... can stretch..." It finally clicked in his mind. "HIS ARMS CAN STRETCH?!"
Usopp and Chopper swung they hands to the side. "A little too slow..."
Luffy got up, wiping his face from the food. "Yosh... You know what I'm gonna do, right?"
The man stood tall, staring at him with low eyes. "Omae... You have the ability of the Devil's Fruit?"
"So what?"
"Oi, oi, oi, oi tee mee rou!!" Some angry pirates called out to them from behind. "Don't get cocky just because nobody's been saying anything about you stealing all the food! Do you even know who we are?!"
The man turned around to face them with an annoyed face. "Eh?!"
The pirates laughed. "We're part of Gasparde's crew. Do you think you could piss us off and get away with it?!" The man walked over to the pirates. "We'll kill you guys before the race even starts." They were now face to face. "What's this? Going to apologize? Hee hee too late!"
Jenka's eyes went wide. "Did he say... Gasparde...?!" Zoro was the only one that heard her and just gave her a curious look.
"Oi!" Luffy walked behind him, grabbing the man's shoulder. "You were about to fight me!"
One of the pirates shot Luffy, sending him stumbling backwards. Their leader, who was face to face with the mysterious man, laughed. "Keep quiet." He looked at the man who had his eyes looking curious at the stumbling pirate. "Oi, pay attention to me!"
Luffy smiled. "Heh! That won't work. Because I'm rubber." The bullet bounced back at the pirates, shooting into a wall and perfectly missing all the other pirates. As everyone stared with slacked jaws, Luffy yelled at the pirates. "Oi! Why the hell did you do that?!"
The pirate who shot him stuttered. "Maa... I was going for more than just a startle... Who the hell are you?"
"Ore? I've eaten the Gum Gum Fruit. I'm a rubberman!" With that said, Luffy used his Gum Gum Pistol to knock some pirates over, sending a few against a wall. Luffy's arms pulled back into place and he smiled with his fist out. "How was that, morons~?"
"Bakemono!!" Some pirates called him. "He has the ability of the Devil's Fruit? Just like Gasparde-sama!"
The pirates attacked the man and Luffy, only to fall against their amazing fighting skills. Luffy was doing well stretching and punching the pirates, while the other man defended perfectly with such swift movement as if he was light as a feather on his feet. Not forgetting the others, some of the pirates turned their attention to Zoro and the others, blocking them into a wall. Zoro stood tall in front of the pirates, while Jenka stood ready and Usopp and Chopper crouched behind them.
Usopp shook. "T-they're coming!!"
"They're coming!" Chopper repeated.
"Zoro! Sic 'em!" Usopp ordered.
Zoro sweat dropped. "Omae...!"
The men rushed towards him without a warning. Zoro simply grinned evilly at them and pulled out his swords. When they all swung at him at once, Zoro blocked them all perfectly with his Santouryu technique. "I don't feel like cutting you up, so don't make me." Zoro warned.
"W-who the hell is this guy?" One of the pirates asked nervously.
"Yosh~ good!" Usopp said as he and Chopper hid behind a pillar with thumbs up.
Zoro's glared at them. "You're over there?!"
"Gasparde's entering the race...?!" Jenka said, still dwelling on the thought. She caught some men's attention and they began to run after her as well. They swung at her, but she blocked with ease as she quickly unsheathed her two kotachis. She smirked. "Do you think I'm helpless just because I'm standing here with a drifting expression?" She swung away from them, forcing the men to fall back a step. She ran at them and sliced her way back towards through the group, cutting the men along the way and dodging as she went.
Luffy and the mysterious man continued fighting the others until they trailed the fight all the way to the top floor and disappeared. It wasn't until about half an hour later when Luffy finally returned. He informed the crew that he had met a man named Gasparde, which he was later informed that he was the favorite for the race. He also told them about the mysterious man from before who's name was Shuraiya, a bounty hunter. He also said Gasparde had invited him onto his crew, but of course he refused.
Jenka swallowed a nervous gulp. "Gasparde..."