Chapter 3: Meeting Brief
Us Strawhats were currently walking through the jungle on the way back to Merry, led by a map reading Nami.
"Oi, oi, where are you going, Nami?" Luffy asked in a disappointed tone.
"If you like those Ordeals of Hell so much you can go back and do them yourself. Count me out." She snapped back. Though I must admit, Nami did look a little lost, and that was weird, because Nami NEVER got lost when she had a map.
"Oi, oi..." Luffy pouted.
"Nami!" Chopper called, making her stop and look around.
"By the way, where are we?" Robin asked. "Are we lost?"
"Ehhhh!?" Usopp face faulted.
"Then where did we leave the ship?" Nami thought aloud.
"We don't know anymore!" Usopp gasped.
"Oi, oi, oi." We all sighed.
"I think it's this way." Sanji pointed.
"No, it's gotta be that way." Zoro pointed.
"Okay then, everyone go this way." I gestured in the opposite direction to Zoro.
"Urusai, Skinny!" Zoro yelled at me.
"Don't call me that!" I yelled back.
"Everyone calm down! Let me see..." Nami instructed, but with panic in her voice. "Where are we?"
"We don't know!" Usopp emphasised.
"Then there was no point in bringing this map!" She said angrily.
"Well, even if we are lost, Nami will get us out." I reassured him.
"I agree with Beanpole." Yeah...Sanji got THAT one from my hatred of peas. "Nami-san will figure it out."
"Err, right, of course I will." She said with wavering confidence. Her eyes (and subsequently mine) where drawn to Chopper, who found...a picnic blanket? "Huh? What's that?"
"It looks like someone was having a picnic!" The Zoan user told us.
"On this island?" Nami sweatdropped.
"The better question is WHO would picnic here." I pointed out.
"There's no accounting for taste." Sanji said as he examined it.
"Leave that stuff alone!" The navigator told the pair. "Anyway, let's keep moving."
"That's right." Sanji agreed. "We have to reach the beach first. We'll get there eventually."
"Namiiii, let's go back." Luffy whined.
"Urusai!" She responded.
"Namiiiiii!" He whined louder.
"I told you to shut up!" Nami growled, making me take a step away as we walked.
"Ah! We're almost out of this forest!" Usopp said as we walked through some foliage to be met with a giant stage.
With Baron Omatsuri and that silent guy standing in the centre, Omatsuri laughed slightly darkly as he saw us. "I've been expecting you, courageous pirates!"
"Oh, Flower Ossan!" Luffy called happily.
Nobody else was happy to see them.
"N...Nani?" Nami stuttered in disbelief.
"We can't enjoy our vacation..." Sanji sighed.
"We can't get off this island..." Zoro growled.
"The only thing we can do is..." Robin started.
"The Ordeal of Hell!" Luffy finished in excitement.
"Part two!" The Baron cried, making lights flash on and people with paper fans prance on, they were most likely men. "Ladies and gentlemen! I shall announce the next ordeal! It will be...Ring Toss!"
"Ring Toss?" We were all baffled by his choice. 'Are these ordeals or carnival games?' I thought with a sweatdrop.
"Each team has two boats with two people onboard." The Baron explained, accompanied by a depiction. "The first team to ensnare all their opponents in rings wins! Now let me introduce my confidants, the Four Wise Men!"
From the stage, four pillars rose and spotlights fell on people wearing frog hats, with, of course, sprouts on their heads.
"The leader, Keroji!" The Baron announced. "The man striker, Keroshot! The repair extraordinaire, Kerodeek! And the youngest, and only female, Keroko!"
'Kero means frog...' I thought as I looked at their hats. "And how can you be called the Four Wise Men if one member is a woman?'
"What, are they seriously calling this a competition!?" Nami asked in disbelief. "They're a bunch of old geezers!" Bit harsh...
"From my point of view, your a bunch of snotty kids!" Keroji said casually, I take back the harsh bit.
"Snotty!?" And there's demoness Nami. "You've got some nerve! You may be right, but what's with rhe attitude!?"
I comically fell over. "You agree with them!?"
"She's angry." Keroshot observed. "The girl has a short temper and lack of maturity." Okay, that was...kinda true.
"Well excuse me for having a temper! That's my personality! And what's WITH that attitude!?"
"My, my, I'm quite tired. Can I go to sleep?" Kerodeek yawned.
'Lazy frog.' I thought. 'Who the hell would go to sleep at a time like this?'
"Don't sleep! Are you serious about this!?" Nami yelled.
"Your pretty arrogant for just being a little younger then us." Keroko mused.
Well, they're dead.
"I'M NOT A LITTLE YOUNGER!" The demoness screamed, making us all back away. "I'M WAY WAY YOUNGER!"
"Now then, who among you will enter?" Omatsuri ignored the argument.
Luffy began to volunteer, but Nami backhanded him. "ME! Let me handle it!" She roared.
"Nami got fired up all of a sudden." Usopp mumbled.
"If Nami-san is entering, maybe I should too." Sanji muttered as he gained a smile. "Robin-chan, will you enter too?"
"Give it a rest, will you?" Zoro said in annoyance.
"I didn't invite you." Sanji growled.
"Who would accept an invitation from you?" Zoro grunted as he started walking.
"Half-wits are better off on the sidelines." Sanji nodded.
"Who do you think your talking to!?" Zoro shouted, running back and starting a usual argument between the two.
"Who else would I be talking to!?" Sanji retaliated.
"Calm down, guys! Stop, stop, stop!" Usopp said as he broke them up.
xxxOmatsurixIslandxxx
Somehow we came to the conclusion of Nami and Usopp and Sanji and Zoro entering, you have NO idea how hard it was to get THOSE two to pair up.
As for me, Luffy, Chopper and Robin, were all checked into a hotel. And I'd been given some new clothes too! I now wore a dark green shirt with only the left sleeve intact (I think it was some kind of new fashion) and dark grey shorts that were torn around the edges.
"I wanted to play Ring Toss too..." Luffy pouted.
"Please give it a rest, captain." I sighed, Luffy may be my best friend and captain, but he can't half push it some times.
"Let them handle it, we can rest in the meantime." Robin told him.
As the two went off to explore, I heard a faint noise and looked at my captain, who was rubbing the side of his head. "Are you okay, Luffy?" I asked.
"I think I felt something." He told me, just as a small rock hit the side of his head.
"Hey! Someone's throwing rocks at you!" I said in shock.
"Nani? Rocks?" He thought aloud, before another rock hit him on his hat. We both turned to where the rock had come from, but no-one was there.
I raised an eyebrow. "Is someone messing with us?"
Just as I said that a rock hit Luffy's head once more. "Who's there!?" Luffy asked with growing frustration. "Where are you!?" We spun around and looked, but nothing. "Stop hiding and come out!"
We both then felt a presence behind us, and turned to see a shadowed figure holding up a rock the size of a watermelon. "There you are!" We both yelled.
The figure started to run off in fright. "Hold it!" Luffy shouted as we gave chase, the figure wobbling left and right from the stones weight. "Stop that! I said hold it!" Luffy repeated as we climbed the stairs and ran after him. "Hey, stop!"
"If he's not gonna stop from one 'stop', why would he stop for a different 'stop'?" I said.
"Nani? That's stupid." Luffy said as he tilted his head.
"EXACTLY!" I shouted as we continued running.
The figure had dropped the rock by now and led us on an elaborate race through corridors and rooms, (which for some reason made me feel like I was in some kind of skit) until we finally cornered him in a large circular room with a pond in the middle.
Now that I got a good look at him, he was quite short, and dressed in some kind of explorers outfit.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Luffy shouted.
He turned to us, revealing a pair of circular glasses, a toothbrush moustache, and a cocky grin. I didn't know it at the time, but this man would help me more then I could ever imagine. "I'm happy that you both could join me."
"Huh?" Luffy said plainly.
"I braved many dangers to reach this mansion and make you a wonderful proposal." He smiled.
"Many dangers?" Luffy echoed.
"Who are you?" I properly asked.
"Ah! Forgive me, allow me to introduce myself, I am the captain of the Toothbrush Moustache Pirates, Brief!" At least he was polite.
'Toothbrush Moustache Pirates? Really?' I thought with a half-lidded look.
"I'm a brave man who has organized a resistance movement against Baron Omatsuri's tyranny!" Brief declared.
"Tyranny?" I echoed. "Everyone I saw looked pretty happy."
"It appears I shall have to explain that." He continued to smile as he adjusted his glasses.
"Huh? You got snot hanging from your nose." Luffy interjected.
"Luffy! It's not snot!" I yelled in disgust, seriously, this is what I have to put up with!
"This is my toothbrush moustache!" Brief pointed at it proudly. "It's proof that I'm part of the Toothbrush Moustache Pirates! By the way, we have a special meeting amongst our crew. Watch this. Moustache!" He held his forefinger to his nose like a moustache.
Neither of us were impressed.
"Well, cool, huh? Try it!" He offered us.
Luffy wasn't convinced, and I had my pride.
"What's wrong? You do it like this! Moustache!" He sounded disheartened, so I momentarily swallowed my dignity.
"Moustache..." I mumbled as I raised my forefinger to my nose, looking off to the side.
"No, no! You have to do it with more passion!"
'How can I make THIS passionate!?'
"What's your proposal?" LUFFY got back on the subject, photo opportunity!
"Oh that's right." Brief said as for some reason he looked at Luffy through his binoculars. "You have six nakama, plus this one here, am I right?" He shifted his gaze to me and slightly creeped me out.
"Yeah." Luffy confirmed.
"I saw them, they're really a superb team." Brief praised us.
"Yeah, that's right!" Luffy said proudly.
"Arigatou!" I smiled.
"They are wonderful nakama." Brief continued.
"Naturally." Luffy beamed.
"The best ever!" I added.
"Their teamwork is perfect!" Brief piled on the compliments.
"That's nothing!" Luffy proclaimed with his big smile.
"Your really kind to say that." I complimented him back with my own smile.
He put his binoculars down. "That's the thing, listen to me. Will you two be my nakama?"
We both stopped at that, that was NOT what I was expecting.
"Will you join the Toothbrush Moustache Pirates?" Brief pressed on.
We both gave him blank stares. What kind of question was that? After complimenting our nakama, he's asking US, to join HIM!? It was like he was insulting our nakama!
"Hey! Did either of you hear me!?" He yelled across the room. "I'll say it again! Will you join the Toothbrush Moustache-"
He was cut off as Luffy stretched his arm over and grabbed Brief by the collar, pulling him to our side of the room. "Please! No violence!" He pleaded.
"No." Luffy said right to his face. "Why would we want to be your nakama?"
He chuckled, obviously knowing something we didn't. "Everyone has that attitude at first. But if you stay on this island, you'll change your mind before long. Let me give you a piece of advice. Beware of Baron Omatsuri, he seperates nakama."
Luffy stared at him for a minute before releasing him and walking off. I turned to follow him. "Your interested, aren't you?"
I turned to look at Brief. "What are you talking about, now?"
"The Baron's assistant...I've seen you looking at him. You find something wrong with him..." He looked up at me. "He is dangerous, that much I can tell you."
"I was already thinking that." I said through gritted teeth. "I've got my eye on the both of them." I turned and started walking.
"Matte! That's not it! I know two things you don't!" He called after me.
I looked at him over my shoulder. "Nani?" I asked with slight annoyance.
"His name is Nitok." Brief said. "...And he wasn't always Baron Omatsuri's assistant, he has had many. Men, woman, even children...but they all had one thing in common..."
Becoming interested I turned to face him fully. "What did they all have in common?"
He looked at me with grim seriousness.
"They all wore that same flower."
Dark foreshadowing! What could this mean!? Sorry, but your gonna have to keep reading to find out! Also, ELLIX! WHY DID YOU ATTACK THEREALEVANSG!?
Ellix: He should consider himself lucky! I deliberately aimed away. Normally if Rokuogan is used on a normal person their ribcage explodes and their heart tears open.
...Good to know...
Ellix: Oh, and HikariLight00? I haven't eaten the Dori Dori no Mi yet, that sea stone won't help you...*Grins evilly*.
Does she know WHEN you ate the Dori Dori no Mi?
Ellix: Has she read One Piece OC Film: Strong World?
How am I supposed to know that?
Ellix: Fair point. Also, thanks for the sandwhich, Zusenheim and Law! I LOVE bread!
Wait, you actually ate that?
Ellix: The one with the bomb in? Yep. I'm not stupid, I ate it in my Nightmare Form, didn't feel a thing.
...You could be making enemies out of every reviewer, you know that?
Ellix: Nani!? Gomen everyone! Gomen! *Tears streaming down face*.
Big baby, thank you for reading! Reviews are always appreciated!