Hi there folks! Pamplemoose here with the first chapter of my second ever fanfic!
Another already used plot, but again I hope to bring it into my own with my fic. I've been having so much fun writing my other fic Price of Freedom, when this came into my head, I just started! I hope to make it a bit darker than my other fic, a bit more mature. I don't know it that will work though!
Anyway, here is chapter 1! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't, and never will, own One Piece.
Cosa Nostra
A Fanfic by Pamplemoose
Chapter 1 - The Bad Times in the Big City
Things were tough in the Big City. In these days of prohibition, times were hard and people were desperate. It was only natural that crime had been the major player for some time in the City.
It had spread across the country; gangs were rising up in the smaller towns and cities. But the Mafias were the big hitters. And everyone knew there aint no place more run by the Mob than the Big City.
But the Big City was in Big Trouble.
The head of the top Mafia, Roger, was dead. Any protégé he left behind had long fled, establishing their own power in other cities across the country. These protégés had all aged, and were now Capo di Capi Re (King Boss of Bosses, a respected senior) themselves. The gaps they created left space for the smaller families to rise up.
And that's just what they were doing.
Nine families stood highest. Powers that were incomprehensible to normal people were within their grasps. These families names were known all over, whispered in fear, admiration or disgust.
And the nine were now establishing their strength, all making their way to the highest seat in the Big City. This was the start of the final stand.
--
Monkey D Luffy was just a squirt – a kid in the world of men. But the kid had dreams, and the balls to back them up. When he said he wanted to be the Capo Di Tutti Capi (Boss of all Bosses) in the Big City, he meant it. And people knew it.
Right now, he was strolling through the city with his Caporegime and old friend, Ussop.
"Mnaaaaaa, Ussop, I'm hungry! Can't we go get some meat?" Luffy seemed to slide down to the floor in starvation
"Ah come on Luffy, we have an appointment to keep! The pirates have work to do too, you know?" Ussop opened the door to the grocery store and took off his hat as he entered.
"Morning Kaya!" Ussop bowed politely at the frail blonde behind the counter. She smiled shyly
"Hello Ussop-san, the boys are waiting for you upstairs. Luffy-san, it's a pleasure to see you"
"Ahh, Hi Kaya" The boy didn't take off his straw hat (despite the lack of manners it showed), he just looked bored, dejected and hungry. Kaya blushed, knowing the boy too well.
"A gift for you, Luffy-san" Luffy found himself presented with a large slap of cooked meat, wrapped up in brown paper for him. The boy ginned as he took the package.
"Thanks Kaya! You're the best!" As he and Ussop walked to the back of the store, she answered after him.
"Anything for our saviour in these times, Don Mugiwara"
--
Three boys sat waiting for their boss nervously. Fondly nicknamed Onion, Pepper and Carrot, were some of the main players of Ussop's 'pirates': a small fraction of the Mugiwara family. After doing some research at their Bosses request, they now waited anxiously for him. But they were more terrified about meeting their Boss's Boss, Monkey D Luffy. It wasn't every day they got to meet the Don.
They stood in greeting as Ussop walked in. Dressed in a smart dark pinstriped suit and a hat in his hands, his black curly hair was tied back in a ponytail. His most prominent feature was his unusually long nose, which currently framed the smile that flashed at his boys as he walked into the room.
"Onion, Pepper, Carrot, I hope you're all okay. Of course, you know Monkey D Luffy…"
The formal introduction was unnecessary. Luffy was the Don of one of the nine big families, and was the three's uppermost Senior. Even those who weren't in the Mugiwara family knew of him.
Luffy walked in on the introduction, gnawing on some meat. The boy made no attempt to blend in; a white pinstripe suit flashed from under his long dark coat that draped his shoulders. And the straw hat from what the family was named was constantly on his head.
"Hey guys! Man, this meat is good!" The three sweat dropped, even if he was their Don, he was still an idiot.
"Um, Luffy? Shall we get down to business then?" He gestured to the available seat and Luffy sat, the others following. The meeting began.
"So, what did you find boys?" Ussop enquired. Pepper ruffled through his papers
"Well, the families are all busy. Kid and Law are both working hard. Law's earning big bucks with some shady smuggling through to other countries. Kid is just using scare tactics." Ussop nodded.
"Onion, what about you're three?" The boy pushed up his glasses and began,
"Capone is doing things properly, at least. He's doing some dealings in the city, and is meeting with Bonney next week to form a deal for land. She meanwhile is just being greedy, as usual. I didn't get to see her much; she was off on the West coast meeting with the Don Whitebeard." Ussop piped in
"Whitebeard? Why is she meeting with him?"
"Old friends, apparently. It'll help her establish links across the country." Luffy swallowed the last of his meat
"Na, I can just talk to Shanks, right?"
"True, she's not the only one with connections." Ussop agreed, and Onion continued
"Apoo is trying to throw his weight around too, but the Cops are onto him. You ask me, he'll be down within the end of the month". The boy's glasses flashed as he finished, his ginger haired friend Carrot began.
"Drake is doing well, but is struggling with the Cops. His old bosses are on his tail, I think he's paying them off with some info at the moment. But the family is still small, and he's too busy with the business with the cops to get involved in our business. Hawkins is getting the family prepared; they're gonna strike Apoo to take them out. Clearly their runners ain't too good, they didn't even get that the cops are in on Apoo. If they're not careful they'll both get taken out at once."
"And Urouge?" Ussop was scribbling notes down as he asked.
"They're the interesting ones. The family have the cops watching them too, after one of the Caporegime took his boys and shot up a diner. Idiots didn't know the joint had cops in it. 10 dead, 17 injured apparently." Pepper whistled at their foolishness and Carrot nodded "I know, right? But here's the best bit. Guess who the Cop chasing them is?" Onion and Pepper frowned at him for an answer
"Roronoa. And he's on the warpath as usual." Ussop groaned
"When's he gonna give it a rest? The man's too dangerous. Not even the other cops like him!" Luffy (who showed he was paying attention, despite appearing asleep) spoke to Ussop.
"Coby said that down at the station people pretty much avoid him, they think he's just as dangerous as the criminals."
"Coby said that? Well I can see why, he's always so serious, and he's getting too involved with the mob. Any wise police give us space, but he's in deep enough to kill him." Pepper turned to his Boss
"I heard someone from Kid's family down at a Bar, said Killer wants his head." The long nosed boss hummed in agreement
"I can understand that, Sanji wants a piece of him too, right Luffy?" The don laughed
"Yea, he hates him. But I don't know why, Zoro seems so nice!"
"Nice! Luffy he wants all the mafia dead! He's a monster!"
"You're exaggerating Ussop! He's not that bad really. He seems so determined…" "To make us dead" Ussop interjected
"…Well, yea…but about everything to. He's just trying to achieve something." The long nose blinked and Luffy continued
"Listen to the stories, he arrests a lot of people right? But none he kills, and I hear once they've been questioned he drops the cases. That's why he's still a low rank – others take the convictions and look more impressive. Seems to me that there's just something that he has to do." Luffy smiled at his explanation and the others in the room lapsed into silence. They would dare to complain, but Don Mugiwara was well known for his compassion. And it seemed that the Don favored the crazy cop. Carrot cleared his throat.
"Well, anyway, he's been sniffing around the diner case for a while, and over the past couple of days he's been stretching further. Conis, you know, works at the bakery over on 7th? She told me she saw him spying on Urouge's HQ four days ago" Onion choked
"He found the HQ? And he got away unscathed?"
"Apparently so. Who knows for how long though."
Just as his sentence ended, the room downstairs was filled with the ringing of a telephone.
--
Murmurs filtered through the floorboards as Kaya answered it. The five heads followed the sound of footsteps crossing the grocery store and ascending the stairs to their location. Ussop had risen and opened the door for Kaya before she had a chance to knock.
"Luffy-san, a phone call for you sir"
Luffy reached for the phone and picked it up. Shortly after a click filtered down the line, registering Kaya putting the phone down. He spoke up
"Hello?"
"Greetings, Captain-san" Luffy's face split into a grin
"Robin! How's things?"
"Very well thank you Captain-san. I have some news for you though."
"Ne? What?"
"Apparently, Roronoa Zoro was caught by the Urouge family last night." Luffy was silent for a while.
"How'd you find out?"
"One of their Associates came to the easy last night, shortly after his capture. He mentioned they'd keep him for interrogation for a few days before clearing things up."
"Did he mention where?"
"No, but I'm aware of a few places they use for such business meetings. I would say he'll either be at the docks, the factories by the airport or in oldtown." Luffy nodded down the line
"Call the others; get them to yours in an hour. Thanks Robin"
"Certainly. Goodbye, Captain-san"
Luffy hung up the phone and turned to Ussop
"We gotta go Ussop. Thanks for the info guys, keep up the hard work!" Luffy waved in goodbye to the three boys, and Ussop winked at them
"Later guys"
As the Pair left, the three sunk into their chairs with a sigh. No matter how many times they did it, no matter how nice he was, meeting the crazy Don terrified them.
--
It was difficult to see where he was through the dark. Ears strained to hear telltale signs, some clue to his location. No waves, no planes. Just, quiet. Tranquility… That meant somewhere empty, and that must mean oldtown.
An attempt to move caused him to bite down and avoid the low moan. His arms ached, one felt broken. No use trying to get those to work then. Any further attempts to move were hindered by the pounding headache and the realization he was in fact tied up. He sat kneeled on the floor, feet and hands tied behind his back. He tried to think about what happened, but his mind was still hazy. He dimly recognized the warm trickle down his face as blood, and figured he must've been found from his spying spot. And got a few good cracks to the head when he was.
A door opened, and a shaft of light pained his eyes – too used to the darkness. He glared at the source of the light, assuming that a figure worth glaring at would be standing in the doorway.
Whoever, it was silhouetted against the light as they gave a low chuckle, and closed the door again without saying a thing. Back in the familiar darkness he closed his eyes and silently cursed.
Today was not a good day.
-.-.-
Woo chapter 1 down! So, a gangster fic! I have read a few and really liked them, but none have finished! So I thought I'd write my own!
I love the whole atmosphere of stories like these, I hope I can make it all work. I warn now, I don't plan to make this a happy ending.
I would love it if anyone had any questions or comments please review and tell me what you think...it'll really help me alot.
Oh, and any questions about the italian (sicilian?) language involved in the title or titles of characters, I got it all from wikipedia. Not original, but they work and sound pretty cool.
Thanks for reading! - Pamplemoose