Adversaries

As they got closer to the center of the town Tashigi noticed that the wind was blowing harder and clouds were gathering.

'This is Nami's work, isn't it?' She asked Robin.

'Yes. Our Navigator knows a lot about the weather.'

'Impressive.'

'Indeed. I'm looking very much forward to hear what nickname you're are going to give to out opponents this time.' Robin smiled and made Tashigi glare.

'I don't nickname everybody! Only those I have to fight and only in my head.'

'Oh. What did you use to think about me then?'

Tashigi mumbled something.

'What? And what about Zoro?'

'I...I didn't really fight Zoro before I found out who he was. But always Stupid Swordsman, I think. You, I think, were Crazy Flower Bitch or something like that.' Tashigi answered raising her voice and looking away. She didn't know if she should apologize or remind Robin that she was a pirate.

'Funny. I'm glad you've changed you mind. Ah. We're here.' Robin said.

The entered a square where most of the buildings was already in rubble or severely damaged. A flailing object hammered into a nearby wall just behind Robin and a grinning Luffy scrambled out of the hole. He waved happily to all of them.

'Hi Captain. What's going on?' Robin asked.

'Hi everybody! I was actually getting a little bored with the amazing view from that building over there, but then these guy turned up and started bragging about winning and becoming the best pirates or something like that and they were shooting at me from all sides which tickled. So I started fighting them. You can fight them too, if you want!'

'I don't know.' Sanji said and looked around. 'Both Chopper and I've finished getting supplies, and Franky says the Sunny is ready to go. Maybe we should just teach them a lesson and then get on to the next island.'

'I agree! I've got some interesting clues about a Poneglyph on the next island. I'd like to go and take a look.' Robin added.

'Hi! Who are you?' Luffy low attention span had him grinning at Tashigi and waving happily. She looked uncomprehending at the other Straw Hats, they all just shrugged and Sanji mouthed something. Ogre-thing? Sogeking? Oh yes, bad with faces. Tashigi smiled weakly at Luffy and waved back.

'You must be one of Zoro's friends, right? He never told me that he knew any girls.' Luffy babbled on grinning. 'Well except from that Marine he's always not talking about at all, who don't want to be a pirate.'

'Um, why do you think that?' Tashigi tried and stopped herself from glaring after Robins snigger.

'You have a sword, duh! Are you any good with it? Hey, I have a great idea. You should come with us instead of the Marine girl.' Luffy ginned at her.

'Eh. I really have to get back to my own...eh tonight. My...eh...Dad expects me home.' Tashigi tired.

'Luffy.' Robin interrupted.

'Too bad. Just say if you change you mind!' Luffy continued oblivious to his crew mate.

'Luffy!' Robin tried again.

'But then again, the marine girl might come to her senses and...' Luffy chattered on

'LUFFY!' Both Robin and Sanji yelled.

Luffy looked at them questioningly.

'What?' he asked.

'There is seven pirates pointing at us with at least sixteen guns, Captain!' Robin said dryly.

'Oh.' Luffy looked around and Tashigi also noticed they were starring into a lot of guns a few steps away.

A small squat man with a dirty hat and extremely triangular chin nodded to Luffy.

''Glad to have your attention. Hi Mr. Straw Hat. Goodbye Mr. Straw Hat!' The squat man said and pulled the trigger.

Tashigi tried to get Shigure out and dodge at the same time and ended up on the ground. When she realized there were no whistling bullets flowing around her head she looked up. All the Straw Hats still stood where she remembered, as if they hadn't bothered to move. In front of them Luffy has stretched himself as a giant rubber sheet bouncing the bullets away.

'Whee! That tickles!' Luffy laughed and rewound back to his normal stature. Then he glared at the squat captain with pointy chin and punched his fist into his palm.

'You tried to shoot my crew! You deserve a smacking!' The Straw Hat Captain growled and with that the whole Straw Hat crew went after their opponents.

Tashigi tried to keep up with the Straw Hats. Their chaotic assault pattern worked, strangely enough, like a well greased hell-machine attacking and crushing the other pirates. She was the outline, the one that didn't quite fir and had to find her own way of fighting with them. And with bullet flying around her head.

'I hate guns.' Tashigi mumbled to herself and ducked and slashed after a large pirate. She got away, jumped quickly to one side and knocked out a guy fighting against Robin's multitude of arms.

Tashigi stopped and looked around trying to decide where to set in. Luffy was beating up the captain of the other crew. Gusts of wind were helping Robin immobilize most of the other crews snipers and Sanji was in the middle of lecturing two big louts that big mean only cried when onion peeling, while giving them a good kicking. There where clangs from sword fighting and explosions from stink and pepper bombs. In one corner she even saw a man hopping on one leg trying to get a furious green badger off his other leg.

There was a steely sound just by her head. Tashigi looked around. Zoro was standing by her, only two swords in use and an unhappy frown. Two halves of a bullet aimed for her head was falling to the ground.

'Mariners.' He just said and went back to the fight.

Tashigi looked towards the harbor. Mariners were running towards the fighting pirates and she could hear Commodore Smokers bellow in the background. She hurried into the smallest ally she could see, crouched down behind a garbage bin and found her trousers. She got them on under the skirt, pulled the annoying cloth off and then she shrugged into her Marine jacket not bothering to change blouse or shoes. Just before she left the ally she remembered to pull the hair bands out of her hair and shaking her locks back in their usual place.

Lieutenant Tashigi of the Marine found Commodore Smoker just before he entered the square of fighting pirates. She stood attention and saluted her superior.

'The Straw Hats!' Smoker grinned through three cigars. 'And some other pirate riffraff! It's going to be a good day.'

At the end of the day the Marine had managed to get their asses kicked by and then beaten in a chase with the Straw Hats. The got to run halfway across the island, where Smoker arrived just in time to see them jump onto their ship and sail away waving. Smoker had fumed and marched back to his own boat, which, unfortunately wasn't ready to sail for at least four hours. He angrily ordered Tashigi to take care of the other pirate crew and then stomped round angrily until he finally decided to grab his motorbike and take on a run.

Tashigi got her Mariners to help the townspeople while she got the other pirate crew arrested. They pirates were the Pyramid Pirate crew and actually had some pretty decent bounties on them. Tashigi decided to let the town have the bounties, to help rebuild the square and houses the two pirate crews had destroyed.

Tashigi was weary when she returned to the Marine ship and she longed to just sit down in a quiet corner but she was summoned to Smokers office immediately.

Smoker was sitting by his desk leafing through disorderly papers, files and pieces of notes. Smoker looked up at her and nodded towards another chair.

'We're leaving as fast as possible. We'll catch up and then get them, eh?' Smoker said and dug out a new file.

'I've been asking around getting new info about the Straw Hat pirates. They seem to have acquired a new crew member so they might be up to ten now. No good pictures yet, though. What do you think, Lieutenant?' Smoker handed her a stack of photos and a few notes. Tashigi stared at them. Blurry pictures showed the Straw Hat crew along with a girl in a blue skirt and pigtails. Her mouth went dry.

'A bystander overhead them, seems like the new member has family here. We might still find them. They could persuade her to help us, or maybe to come to her senses. But she seems to be close to Nico Robin and Roronoa Zoro.' Smoker continued and started looking for a new cigar.

Suddenly Smoker stopped. He stared at Tashigi, especially at the short striped top stretched over her chest. She blushed. Smoker looked down on a few more pictures.

'You're not wearing your standard multicolored shirts, Lieutenant.'

'No, Sir.'

'Hmm. I think. I think that I can get most of these originals destroyed. It's probably just a random civilian.'

'Very good, Sir.'

'But you might want to keep this. Think of it as a gift from...your Dad.'

Smoker handed her a photo. It was in a funny angle and somewhat out of focus, but it showed a green-haired man embracing a girl in a blue skirt. Tashigi didn't know where to look.

'Next time you dress up as a cute pirate, remember to look out for people with cameras! Dismissed.'

Tashigi got up like a spring, saluted and hurried towards the door.

'And really Lieutenant...Pigtails?' She heard Smoker wonder behind her.

End

A/N This installment finished :) Thank you for reading.