"The Gathering" Arc: The First Two Crewmates, pt. 3

Chapter 3: First Bounty! The Return of an Old Enemy

Wealth, fame, power. All of these, as well as the ultimate freedom, have once more gone up for grabs. Why? The pirate king, Monkey D. Luffy, wanted to see men once again go after dreams and hopes. Fearing that his acquiring of the throne was ending piracy in the Blue Sea World, he stepped down from it and hid all his gold on a previously undiscovered island at the very end of the New World. Now, hopeful people in all of the Blue Seas have once more begun to search for the ultimate treasure… the fabled One Piece.

On a fine summer's day, five days after the start of summer vacation, a certain straw-hatted girl and her newest crewmate were sailing the seas, heading for the famous Syrup Village, home of Sniper King Usopp, when a seagull landed on the side of their ship, releasing a newspaper he was carrying.

"Thanks, News Coo," said Lucy, who paid the bird.

The seagull squawked in response and flew off, leaving the oversized fishing boat in its wake.

"Any good stories in there today?" asked her friend, Justin. He was her firstmate, as well as an expert sniper whose dream was to surpass even the legendary Usopp's long-range weaponry skills.

"Nah, just a new wanted poster- Wait, that's me!"

"What?"

Lucy's eyes shown with excitement. "I've got a bounty on my head now!"

"How much?"

She held up the poster, which depicted her raising her arm for a punch, and she had a big victory grin on her face. "Must've been taken during my fight with Captain Toby," she decided.

"Monkey D. Lucy, wanted dead or alive for 27,000,000 berries." he smiled. "Man, that's almost as much as Luffy's first bounty! Congratulations!"

"Thanks!"

"By the way, did you say you defeated a Captain Toby?"

"That's right. How else do you think I got ten million berries to spend?"

"Then things could get bad from now on."

She frowned. "Why?"

Justin stared incredulously. "Huh? You haven't heard? Okay, well, you remember how in the old stories, Straw Hat Luffy defeated Captain Dog Krieg in combat at the Baratie?"

"Yeah."

"Well, Krieg has been rebuilding his fleet ever since that day, and he hates Luffy and those close to him. So if he sees your wanted poster, and sees that your name's Monkey D. Lucy, then you can bet for sure that he's gonna come after us-especially after you took down one of his underlings."

"I did? When?"

He sighed. "Captain Toby."

Lucy still didn't get it. "What about him?"

"HE'S DON KRIEG'S UNDERLING! Duh!"

"He is?"

"Oh, forget it," said Justin with a sigh. This girl was getting on his nerves. "The point is, Krieg's not gonna stop chasing us until either you defeat him in combat, or he kills us."

"I see."

"You do?"

"Uh-huh. All we gotta do is kick this guy's ass. Easy."

The poor sniper felt like crying. She's hopeless, he thought. We're totally screwed!

-Four Hours Later-

It was noon now, and boy, was it hot. They'd finally landed on Usopp's home island and were walking up to town through the coast, which was extremely rocky and had a path leading up through two cliffs, when suddenly a bunch of dark shapes rose up from the woods and a boy looking to be about 13 or 14 stepped out onto the path, wielding two swords. His hair was black and had the buzz cut style. His nose was abnormally long, reminding Lucy of somebody she knew.

"What the-" Lucy began, but was quickly cut off by the newcomer.

"My name is Chopper! I'm the captain of 8,000 men and I shall not allow you pirates to set foot in this village!" He shouted bravely.

Lucy's eyes sparkled. "Whoa! You've got 8,000 subordinates! THAT'S SO COOOOL!"

Justin facepalmed himself, and proceeded to hit the top of his captain's head. "Idiot," he said. "It's obviously a lie."

"Ow! Why'd you hit me?"

"'Cause I felt like it."

Up on the top of the path, Chopper gulped. Crap, they're on to me! "Alright, you got me," he said. "In reality, I've got 10,000 men!"

"WHOA! AWESOME!" Lucy yelled excitedly.

"Idiot," her sniper groaned.

"Where are they?! Can I meet them?!"

"IT'S A LIE!"

"Ow! Why'd you hit me?"

"Oh, forget it!"

For pirates, the swordsman thought, they sure are carefree.

"Hey, do you know where Usopp is?" Justin shouted. "I'd really like to meet him. It's my goal to become an even better sniper than him!"

Shit, Chopper cursed. They might be after my dad's bounty!

"We'd also like food, if you know any good restaurants in Syrup Village," Lucy said. "My name's Monkey D. Lucy, and-"

Smack! "You're such an idiot," Justin hissed. "What if he recognizes your name from the wanted posters?"

"They only came out a few hours ago. "Anyway, if you could lead us to a restaurant, we'd be very greatful, and we'd also appreciate it if you took us to the man who made the Going Merry!"

"Did you say your name was Monkey D. Lucy?" Chopper asked. The name sounded familiar to him. Some story his dad used to tell... and the fact that this girl was wearing such a familiar straw hat...

"Yeah!"

"Are you related to Monkey D. Luffy, by any chance?"

"Yeah, I'm his younger sister. Why do you ask?"

Chopper's eyes widened. "No way! Then the story dad used to tell was true!" He ran down the stone path, smiling widely, and shook a very surprised Lucy's hand when he reached her. "Usopp's my dad," he told them. "He'd tell me stories about his travels, and one of them was about finding Luffy's sister in Foosha Village! I can't believe you're actually real!"

Justin narrowed his eyes. "So you're dad's really Usopp?"

"Yeah! He married his childhood friend Kaya a few months after he came home and they had a kid-me!"

"Then why're you a swordsman?"

The boy started leading the pirates up the path. "Well, to be honest, I was never that good at long-range weaponry. For some reason I didn't inherit Yasopp or Usopp's skill. Instead, I discovered that I was really quite remarkable with swords. My father named me 'Chopper' after the reindeer-tanuki thing of the Straw Hats, wo was his best friend during those voyages."

"I see," Lucy said, laughing. "Would you like to join our pirate crew, then?"

"Huh?"

"You're a swordsman, and your long nose is funny. I've already decided you're gonna be my nakama, so just say 'yes' and that settles it!"

"YOU CAN'T DECIDE THOSE KINDS OF THINGS FOR OTHER PEOPLE!" Justin and Chopper yelled angrily, in unison.

"Ow! Why'd you guys hit me?"

"'Cause we felt like it."

"Hey, dad! I'm home!" Chopper called. "And you'll never believe who I brought with me!"

The trio had made their way through Syrup Village and were now at a large, white mansion. It was beautiful and well-kept. A garden surrounded the walls, teeming with plant life.

"This place is awesome!" Lucy told Chopper. "Do you live here?"

"Yeah. It's the place my mom grew up in. Dad moved in when they got married."

The double doors opened, revealing a man wearing a white suncap. His hair was curly and black, and he had the same length of nose as Chopper. High-powered goggles hung about his neck, and a five-string slingshot was strapped to his back. A blue and white striped wristband was strapped around his arm, and a red satchel hung at his side. This was Usopp, the legendary "King of Snipers".

"Hey, Chopper. You were gone a while today-" the former sniper of Luffy's crew noticed Lucy and Justin and gasped. "That hat... that face... no way! It's you, isn't it?"

Lucy grinned and laughed. "That's right! It's me, Lucy! Long time, no see, Usopp!"

The liar laughed and ushered the trio inside. "It's good to see you again. How's Luffy doing?"

"He's still going strong. He's been training me in combat ever since you guys left!"

"Is that so? Ha!" He looked up a flight of stairs and shouted, "Hey! Kaya! The girl I told you about's here! She has a friend, too, so I assume she's setting off for the Grand Line!"

The door to a room at the top of the stairs opened, and a short woman with blonde hair came out, smiling and laughing. "Really? Wow!" She saw Lucy, Justin, and Chopper, and ran down the stairs. "Hi! I've heard so much about you from Usopp. So you're finally setting out to be queen of the pirates?"

"That's right! And I ate the Gum-Gum fruit, too!"

This surprised the whole family. "WHAT? NO WAY!" they gasped.

Lucy stretched out the corner of her mouth. "Now I'm a rubber woman!" She released the corner and it snapped back into place.

"This makes you almost exactly like Luffy," said Usopp, laughing. "Ah, this brings back memories."

-Meanwhile, Somewhere in the Grand Line-

A man with golden armor pinned the wanted poster onto the side of his ship, nearly steaming up with anger.

"So," he growled. "The Monkey D. family sent another member out onto the seas. And she wears that same damn straw hat!"

"Y-yes, sir!" His subordinate said nervously. "She also beat Captain Toby with one punch, sir, as well as a Marine assassin." He gulped and scooted farther back in case his captain went into one of his rages.

"Bitch." he growled. "I want her brought to me... so I can take her head."

"Y-yes sir!" The pirate gulped again and saluted, then quickly left the captain's quarters. He wouldn't want to be Monkey D. Lucy at this moment; Not now that she was on Don Krieg's hit list.

"So, is that old guy still around?" Lucy asked, biting off a piece of the hamburger and chewing it hungrily. "I mean, the one who built the Going Merry."

"Oh, you mean Merry!" said Kaya brightly, sipping a glass of wine. "Yes, he's doing well. He began making ships for a living now."

"That's awesome! We need a ship to get to the Grand Line."

"I'm sure he'd be glad to build you one!" Usopp said. "He and Kaya still feel that they're in debt to him after helping to save the town from the Black Cat Pirates."

They were in the same restaurant Usopp, Luffy, Nami, and Zoro had eaten at so long ago. The food was amazing, and Lucy, as usual, simply couldn't get enough of it. She ate until her stomach had stretched out wide enough to touch the edge of the table, and she was still hungry.

"Geez, you even eat like Luffy!" The ex-pirate laughed.

"I know!" said Lucy. "We had an eating contest once, and it was a tie. Hahaha!"

The door to the restaurant opened, and an old guy with weird, white hair walked in. He was smiling and carrying a wanted poster.

"I heard Mistress Kaya was in here-Oh, there you are! Did you see the wanted posters? A new Monkey D. is on the seas!" the old man said, walking up to their booth. He noticed Lucy and blinked. "You look familiar, dear girl. I feel like I've seen you somewhere recently... where was it?"

He tapped his chin in thought before Kaya answered it for him. "This is Monkey D. Lucy, Merry. Her goal is to become the Pirate Queen, following in her brother's footsteps."

"Oh, Luffy's her brother?" His grin widened and he shook the female pirate's hand. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Lucy."

"Same here," she laughed. "Hey, old guy, can you build us a ship? I know you built Luffy's first ship, the Going Merry, and I want one like it. After all, a pirate queen shouldn't have anything but the best!"

Merry nodded. "I'd be happy to do anything for Luffy's friends and family. Consider it done!"

Usopp looked at the wanted poster and gave an 'oo' of appreciation. "That's pretty cool, Luce. Twenty-seven mill isn't something to be disappointed about, especially since it's your first bounty!"

"Yeah!" Lucy agreed. "I've only been a pirate for five days, too! Heh heh heh!"

"You must be really amazing!" said Kaya, drinking the last of her wine.

"Yup! And I'll be even more amazing when I find the One Piece and become Queen of the Pirates!"

Usopp sighed. "You're just like my old captain."

After a few moments, Merry said, "As a matter of fact, young mistress Lucy, I have a boat prepared at this moment. It's the same style ship as Luffy's was, ironically, and it's really quite a nice boat. Would you like to see if it's satisfactory after you finish your meal?"

"Sure!" said Lucy, taking another huge bite of meat. "Say, Chopper, have you decided yet?"

Usopp, Kaya, and Merry all looked at her, not understanding what she was talking about. Chopper looked down at the floor and fidgeted in his seat.

"Decided what?" Usopp asked.

"If he's gonna be my nakama or not."

Usopp and Kaya exchanged excited glances and looked at their son expectantly.

"I... I'm not really sure," Chopper admitted. "I'd like to see the world, but... I'm not sure if I want to go as a criminal just yet."

Usopp groaned and hit the top of his son's head. "Don't be stupid!" the sniper admonished. "If Luffy trained Lucy, then she must be really strong! You should definitely go with her!"

The boy looked up. "Y-you really think so? You wouldn't me being... a pirate?"

Kaya smiled. "Of course not! Usopp here was one, after all!"

"That's true, I suppose."

Lucy readjusted her straw hat. "If it's my strength you're worried about, then I can assure you I'm one of the strongest pirates you'll meet for a long time. And if you're still not convinced, then how about we have a duel? If I win, you join my crew. If you win, you can do whatever you want."

Chopper narrowed his eyes and smiled, smelling victory from a mile away. This brat sure is cocky, he thought, but there's no way she can beat me. Not after my promise. "A duel, huh? You've got yourself a deal, Lucy!"

This was gonna be fun.

Chapter 4 is complete at last! Get ready for the first long battle of the series, because both Chopper and Lucy are unusually strong. Also, a little spoiler: Chopper was trained under Roronoa Zoro himself, though only for a month, when the swordsman came to visit. (he had to call Nami on a Transponder Snail to do so, because of course he has no sense of direction whatsoever. lol)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Sorry if some things in this chapter got a bit repetitive. Please review and be sure to spread the word about The Adventures of Monkey D Lucy! I'd love for this to get popular, but it isn't needed. Also, remember to give me any characters you can think of using the form in the first chapter. I still have two slots left for crew members, but that could change at any time.

Note: Just updated this chapter. I realized that when Lucy picked up her Wanted Poster, I accidentally wrote, "Monkey D. Luffy" instead of "Monkey D. Lucy." So I fixed this problem.

-EvanSG