08.02.2014
Sorry guys. This is actually a SUU~PER late update. I wanted this up on the 5th but we went on a midweek vacation. A friend of ours is a general manager at this new hotel that opened up in the tourist area here and we stayed a night. They had giant fancy-ass beds with fluffy blankets and shit. I swear it was just like in Skypiea. My beef with the place was that the bathroom is nothing but glass and I'm sharing a room with my parents! I have to wait until my dad goes up to the rooftop pool/bar to smoke just so I can pee! It's great if you're alone or with your partner, but NOT with family. I am a grown ass (wo)man! I don't need my father seeing me squat on a toilet! The shower had a steamer and double spray heads, so I was happy about that. I didn't bring a laptop, because I don't have one. And a tablet is such a bitch to type with.
And then my internet went out. TWICE. But here's a SUU~PER long chapter to make up for it all, so… Happy happy joy joy!
Warnings:
Mature language, Japanese language, gomu-ningen* violence, marimo-ningen violence and animal violence. Yet another chapter of written out episodes with my own shit thrown in.
Disclaimer:
I do not own One Piece, nor any of the media references made. I probably don't even own the plot. I thought I came up with it one night cuddling alone in bed but who knows, I might have stolen it from Usopp. ('H')
Chapter 3
Sanji was woken from dreams of rocks, bread, mustaches and peglegs by shrill screaming. Luffy, who had slept on the deck, stretched an arm through the hatch and blindly grabbed for one of his crewmates. He and Usopp were fortunate to have been sleeping in the upper bunks, leaving Chopper, who slept on the couch, to fall victim.
The little reindeer doctor was reeled in up to the deck and greeted by a bouncing Luffy, gleefully cheering to start the search of their navigator and swordsman to begin. Usopp hurriedly climbed up the mast after him.
'Is that monkey like this every morning?' Sanji groans, tucking his feet into his shoes.
As he was putting on his jacket, out of the corner of his eye, he could see something wriggle and writhe. A long, pinkish, fleshy, snake was making its way around the cabin.
'That's not a snake!' he mentally screams as he clambers away from twitchy fingers. The appendage wraps around his waist, hand gripping into his shirt and pulls him up.
He's soaring up and over the ship, howling in terror. "SANJI!" he hears below, above? He feels the arm tauten and he's suddenly yanked back down. "ASA MESHI~!" He crashes directly into the already busted up mast. Screams fade in and out around him as Usopp and Chopper run in panicky figure-eights.
"Kuso yaro! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" the cook screams at the shitty gomu, swiftly delivering a kick to his elastic head. "You don't just throw people around, aho! I could have died!"
"You never had problems surviving before." Luffy counters, shoe-shaped face molding back to normal with a snap. "Anyways, let's get to breakfast. Make something easy, like pancakes, jelly filled donuts and beef brisket! And those lemon and cream tarts things that taste so good! We need to get going, and soon!"
"Okay, okay. But Luffy, none of those dishes are easy. You basically named the foods that take the longest to make. How about I make something else?"
"Yosha*! Everything you make is great, Sanji! I'll let you handle it." The boy then turns to his doctor and sniper. "Yosh, first! We must devise a plan to…" Sanji tuned out the moron, knowing whatever it was was just going to turn into a game or something silly and unproductive.
'Something quick and easy,' he thought as he made his way to the galley. 'yet able to feed the black hole.'
Set oven to 200 degrees celsius*
Bring five cups of red kidney beans to a boil.
Chop, dice, and slice ten plump tomatoes, a handful button mushroom, three bell peppers, two large onions, half a head of garlic, half a cup of black olives, a head of lettuce, six cups smoked ham (Found In Pantry), two chorizo links, some leftover grilled chicken (Found In Fridge), six bananas, and a handful walnuts and almonds.
Whisk a dozen large eggs in three separate bowls, four in each. Season first bowl with buttermilk, warmed honey and cinnamon. Second and third with mayonnaise, salt and pepper.
Saute garlic and onions, once golden add vegetables and meats in large pan. Reserve one cup of ham. Season with a handful of chopped cilantro, cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper and a cup of lemon juice.
Soak twelve thick slices of bread in first bowl.
Drain beans and rinse with cold water. Smash in a large bowl until lumpy. Season.
Add day old rice and tomato paste to veggies and meat to pan. Reduce heat and cover.
In another pan, fry second bowl of eggs. Toss and divide until fluffy and crumbled.
Set out a stack of flour tortillas (F.I.P.), layer beans, meat and rice mixture, lettuce and eggs then wrap tightly. Line six foot-sized rolls into baking pan and cover with heaping piles shredded cheese. Bake in oven for 7 minutes.
On a large buttered skillet, cook soaked bread, four at a time, for three minutes or until edges are golden. Flip and sprinkle with brown sugar.
Remove tray from oven, set aside to cool.
Pour the last of the eggs into already used frying pan. When egg is firm, sprinkle in ham, cheese and thyme. Flip, cut it half and plate.
Finish the rest of the toast. Plate with jam (F.I.F.), sliced bananas and nuts. Serves two.
Mix generous amounts of jam with greek yogurt (F.I.F.). Layer bananas, yogurt, and granola (F.I.P.) in two tall glasses. Top with more bananas, jam and nuts. Serve with eggs.
Chopper & Usopp - French Stack with wild berry jam, bananas and nuts. Total time - 10 mins
Robin & Sanji- Ham and Cheese Frittatas with Berry Banana Parfaits. Total time - 5 mins
Luffy - Everything Burritos*. Total time - 20 mins
"Breakfast is served!"
A gentle breeze, a rolling roar of white water, a flicker of silver, and a heavy splash. The hunter spies his prey and dives.
After recovering from Landing-on-islands-make-my-heart-stop diseases and building canoes, the Mugiwaras made their way to the island.
The town was small, yet quaint. The houses and buildings that seemed to have been built within the hills were made of stone bricks and wooden frames and arch ways. The red tiled roofs and chimneys were covered with an overgrowth of vines and moss. Benches carved from stone and troughs of various herbs and flowers were scattered around on the stone and grassy streets.
They ask passing villagers if they had seen any sign of orange haired ladies, or green haired men. No such luck was found.
"Hmm… What was I doing yesterday?" the man says. "I can't seem to remember anything about yesterday."
"Not you too!" Usopp cries in frustration. "Jeez! What is with these people?! Not a single one of them remembers a damn thing!"
"It may not be a mere coincidence." Robin says thoughtfully beside the groaning sniper. No sooner than she said that, a low rumbling grows louder and Nami, on her Waver, drives towards them.
Luffy calls out to her but she U-turns and hightails it back the way she came.
"Matte*!" Luffy yells, shooting out an arm and pulling her back. 'Why do you keep running away, Nami?"
"I'm not letting you have this!" she commands, clutching at the bag of gold she snatched from the ship. "You won't get to it even if you kill me!"
"That's unthinkable!" the cook shouts, fist clenched tightly. "No beautiful lady should ever come to harm! I won't lay one finger on you!"
"Even though I'd really like to…" he finishes, cheeks flushed and heart eye popping out.
Nami scoots down the bench, trying her best to discreetly move away from the ero-blonde. 'Agh, he's such a creep! I don't want him touching me!' She turns back to Luffy, "Okay, how about we make a deal. I'll give you 10% of my treasure if you take me back to Cocoyashi Village."
"Dame da*." Luffy says firmly.
"Okay, how about 20%?" Nami negotiates only to get the same answer. "30%?!", "Dame da." She grits her teeth. "Fine! It'll kill me, but I'll give you 50! 50%!" Still. The man refuses her offer.
She jumps up from her seat in frustration. "RAHG! Just how much will it take to satisfy you?!" she screams into Luffy's face.
"None." Nami's stunned, 'None?' "There's no way you'd give me even one belly. You really love your treasure, Nami."
"Eh? How did you know what I was thinking?" She snaps a hand over her mouth, 'Shimatta*!'
"I know you! We're nakama!" Luffy replies with a smile.
"Nani? Why would I be your nakama? That's absurd! Ja*." She hops back into her Waver and turns to leave, but Luffy stands in her way. "Please move." she says unimpressed.
"No. Nami, you're coming with us."
"Jodan janai wa yo*! Why would I want to go with you?" She was prepared to run Luffy down when Robin stepped in.
"Koukaishi-san. When you came ashore, you noticed something unusual about this island, did you not?"
Nami froze, remembering the events from the day before. "The townsfolk had fought over a newspaper, it was like they all went insane. Then a boy showed up, he seemed … normal. Normal compared to the rest of the town. He had a strange horn that looked like a seahorse."
Luffy flexed his arm with a cheeky grin on his face. "I got a good hit on him, shihihi! Then some smoke came out of the horn. When it went into my body, I got my memories back!"
"Thats ridiculous." "No," Chopper said next to her. "It's true! I saw it with my own eyes." He said, pointing at his eyes.
'What the hell is that thing?! A tanuki?"
"I remember seeing that shitty brat two nights ago. He's definitely involved in all of this, but why did he come back?"
"Perhaps because he couldn't steal all of them at once. From what I know, you have been on many adventures during your journey. Perhaps he got hungry again and came back."
"Ooh! Are memories tasty?" "So that boy did this?" "Yosha! Let's go beat that kid up and get everyone's memories and Zoro back!"
"It won't be easy but we need to give that pissant a good beatdown." "Can't we just forget about Zoro, even if he gets his memories back how are we going to be comfortable sailing with the Pirate Hunter?"
"Zoro is our swordsman, Nami is our Navigator. They are our nakama!"
"How can you say that?! Why would I be your nakama?!"
"I'll be bothered if you don't come. You can't sail a ship without a navigator!" Nami backs down after hearing this. "Robin, do you know where to find the chibi*?"
"Well… there is one place I think he might be. We can check there."
"Yosh! Ikuzo*!" Luffy cheers. He grabs Nami by the hand and starts down the road.
"Matte!" Nami yells, looking back at her waver. "My gold!"
"Don't worry my lady!" Sanji spins with flourish. "I will carry your luggage!" He grabs her bag and runs after them. "If I can be with Nami-san, this is but a simple task!"
"Oi, Chopper. You think you can make medicine for that guy?" "I'm afraid not, Usopp. He's a lost cause."
'Hm?'
Zoro is sitting near a waterfall, eating his catch of the day.
'Strange. I know it's good, it tastes just fine. It's cooked, no weird stuff in it, but why do I feel like this isn't good enough?' He takes another bite, and stares at the beast grilling over his small fire. 'Ha!' he laughs to himself. 'I'm actually wishing a restaurant was nearby. A big juicy steak with potatoes and gravy would be great right now. Or curry… Fuck, what else have I forgotten?'
A rustle in the bushes ahead of him makes his ears twitch, He feels the same presence he felt the night before. He looks up as a young boy with a cape and spiny pink toy approaches him.
"If you're hungry, help yourself." he says to the boy who sits a few feet away.
"I'm a bit hungry, but I don't eat things like this."
'Things like what? Food?' Zoro wonders as he looks between the boy and the fish. "So ka*?" is all he replies and continues eating.
The boy looks at him with lazy eyes and a soft smile. "Aren't you curious as to who I am? You haven't asked me yet." Zoro ignores him, not like who the kid is is that important. He's probably just a curious little runt watching a cool, tough, swordsman - such as himself - train and refine his skills. "Well," the boy continues, "the people of this island don't even remember their own names, but you probably didn't bother asking them though."
'What's that supposed to mean, brat?' still pointedly ignoring the kid as he eats.
"You're on a journey to become the world's strongest, aren't you Nii-chan*?", 'This kid knows me?', "In that case, I think Monkey D. Luffy would be just the opponent for you."
'Luffy? The kid from the ship.'
"You mean that straw hat wearing idiot?"
"Hmm, I would have thought that Roronoa Zoro could see a man's strength. Was I wrong, Nii-chan?"
The kid goes on and on about gyojin*, shichibukai*, gods and marines as he dances around laughing maniacally. "I've never seen a pirate like him before!" Zoro isn't as impressed.
"Don't fuck with me, brat! I ain't in the mood for your bullshit fairytales."
The kid leans in close, eyes wide and sinister. Even his doll thing is staring at him. "Ne, you feel like fighting Luffy now, right?" The starfish looking doll starts to glow and hum loudly. Zoro moves for Wado but suddenly freezes. He can't seem to look away from the starfish thing. His body feels heavy, he can't move. The boy is snickering at him, like he's just accomplished an evil plan. A bright light flashes before his eyes, then as quickly as it all started, it stops and he blacks out.
They trekked through the forest and winding paths. Birds chirps as they flew overhead, butterflies and ladybugs fluttered around from flower to flower. Some floating by and around the travelers, some falling prey to a hungry orb weaver's silky net.
The strapping young lad with the pack on his back couldn't help but be in awe of his surroundings. The sights, the sounds, the lovely flame-haired beauty that kept flicking glances his way. Everything was enchanting, minus the creepy crawly multi-legged monsters.
'Nami-san keeps looking at me, this can only mean one thing!' his blush darkens and little hearts fly around him. 'She's fallen in love with me!' His shoulders shake with love-struck excitement. He turns towards her and shoots her a flirtatious wink. 'Back at ya!'
She kyas* with a shy-school-girl-talking-to-her-sempai*'s cuteness. 'Ah! She does love me! We'll be so happy together!'
'W-what?!' Nami takes a step back and turns away, not wanting to look at the blonde. 'Does that mean he's about to make off with my precious gold?! This guy is freaking me out!'
Robin stops ahead of the herd and kneels down to study a runestone* at the entrance of a tunnel of trees.
"Did you find something, Robin?"
"I believe I have, Senchou-san. The real memory thief has been unmasked."
"You mean that shitty kid isn't the one who stole them?"
She gently smiles at her crew. "Come, let's go to the Palace of the Sea God." She turns and beckons them to follow.
"Is he really here?" Chopper worries at the back of the group. "It feels a bit tranquil here."
"D-don't let your guard down, Chopper!" Usopp says next to him. "This is that shitty brat's base!" he states with false bravery. 'Why does a brave warrior sound so much like that ero-cook?'
"He probably has some huge and terrible monsters for henchmen!"
"Eh?! M-monster?!"
"Yeah! Monsters are known to sneak up behind you and then…" Usopp contorts his face into that of a laughing jackle's, "GWAAR*!", Chopper jumps two feet into the air at the sudden scream. "They eat you up in one bite!
"Oh, that's right." He then says thoughtfully with a smug look on his face, palm wrapped around his chin. "I was once ambushed by many a beast during my journeys across the sea."
There's a rustle in a tree branch behind him, but the pathological liar doesn't seem to notice. But the young doctor does. His fur stands straight up and sweat begins to fall into his eyes when he sees it. It was big, it was scary, and it was PINK! "Oi! Behind yo…!"
"Eh? What's wrong, little buddy?" he giggles at the shaking boy. "Did you see a monster or something? That trick's not gonn-
"YIIIAAAH~!"
The large pink boa* wraps its length around the "warrior's" body, tightly constricting to suffocate his meal.
"AHH! Get it off me!" Usopp cries, tears streaming down his cheeks and sliding against and underneath the snake's smooth scales as they rub against his face.
"NO WAY!" Chopper yells back, running away from his helpless and terrified new friend. "Get away from me!"
"Wait! Please!" Usopp chasing after the reindeer, "It's just a snake! A snake, I tell you! HELP ME!"
Chopper trips over an unearthed tree root, causing Usopp to trip over him, and both boys roll down a bumpy hill, crashing into brush and boulders until finally coming to a skidding stop in a small clearing.
"Oh," Chopper slowly sits up, rubbing tears and dirty from his small furry face. "I'm so dizzy."
Usopp jumps and pats down his body looking for any remnants of the infernal reptile that almost took his life. Finding none, he begins laughing in triumph. "Mwahahah! Take that, you snake! Flee in terror of the great Capta~in Usopp!"
"Oi!" He turns to find Chopper clutching at a tree, hiding half of his face. "We've lost the others, kono yaro! What if more monsters attack us?!" Tears begin to fall from his big brown eyes once again.
"Oi oi, I was just joking about that. There aren't any monsters here." Usopp confesses with a gentle smile. Chopper sighs a breath of relief. "Yokatta*. It was just a joke. Oi, teme! You were making fun of me! Kono ya-" His rant is cut short when a bush nearby rustle and a figure emerges.
"It's a monster! Here! Eat him! He's only a tanuki, but he's delicious!" Usopp yells, holding up an equally frightened Chopper as a shield and offering.
The figure approaches the two and just glares at them. "Oh, it's you, Zoro. You scared Chopper." "What about you!" Chopper, who he's still holding onto tightly yells at him. 'Why is he staring at us like at?' he gulps in fear. "W-well, if you changed your mind and decided you want to join my crew then I won't mind being you Capt-"
His words reach deaf ears as the man walks away from them. "Wait!" Chopper runs after the swordsman, "Do you know where the others are? Don't leave us behind."
The two follow Zoro in hope of finding the other pirates.
'… Mugiwara no Luffy …'
Robin is leading her group along the path when a voice is heard behind them.
"Oi! Matte-kure!" They turn and see Usopp running towards them. In front of him are Chopper and … Zoro?
"It's that shitty swordsman, again." Sanji grinds his teeth into his cigarette. 'Damn, I was hoping that guy wouldn't come back.' He sees something in the man's eyes, they seem blank but menacingly dark. 'He's…?'
Luffy greats his crewmate with a gleeful smile, "Did you decide to join us? I knew you'd come back, Zoro."
Zoro's narrow eyes widen, determination fills his features and he strikes. Boshi* falls off and flies in the wind. From where Robin and Sanji stand, their Captain, the man who claimed to be the next Pirate King, has lost his head. Screams fill the air. Pirate Hunter Zoro attacked and killed a man right before their eyes.
"Ara? Zoro?" Luffy, who had ducked his stretchy neck down, catches his hat and turns to his crewmate with a meek smile, "What was that about?" His smile falls when he sees the look in Zoro's eyes. He's different, something is wrong. Zoro is not being very Zoro-like. Luffy senses the danger, but doesn't act quickly enough as the swordsman unsheathes another katana.
Robin is about to interfere when Sanji stops her. "Hang on, I don't think you should do that. Something is wrong with that guy. He's acting completely different than before. You don't think…?"
Zoro breaks into a run towards Luffy and slashes for his midsection. Luffy quickly dodges to the right and stretches up into a tree. "Zoro, that's dangerous! Stop it."
The swordsman ignores him and with a quick flick of his left wrist, cuts straight through the tree trunk, bringing it and the boy pirate down. The others run clear of the falling timber's path. "You're being reckless, Zoro!" Luffy calls out from somewhere inside the brush. He peeks his head out and looks at his friend. "Maa, I guess telling you to stop isn't going to work." Zoro growls at his carefree tone.
"What's gotten into him?" Usopp questions from behind a tree. "It seems to be some form of hypnosis. I think that kid did this to him." Chopper answers from his not-so-hiding spot in front of a tree.
"If thats the case," the cook queries as he sets Nami's bag down. "he's going to be trouble. We should put him down together."
"Stay out of this." Luffy states as he cracks his knuckles sharply. "You guys go ahead and find that kid. I'll take care of things here." Speechless, the others leave in search for the memory thief.
Zoro zeros in on Luffy, striking out at him but his blade only meets wood and leaves as Luffy leaps into the air.
"Gomu Gomu no…" he pulls his arm back high. "Pistol!" Zoro deftly evades and his fist pierces through the fallen tree, sending bark, dust and rubble flying in all directions.
No one notices the young boy watching them from afar. "I'll leave him to you, Roronoa Zoro." He walks off into the forest, snickering to himself jovially, looking for his next puppet to control.
Zoro unsheathes Wado and slips her into his mouth, teeth grinding into the worn leather-wrapped tsuka*. He lunges at Luffy, eyes filled with enmity and lashes out with a backhand slash. Luffy swiftly dodges it and follows with his left, only for the rubbery boy to leap out of the way. The straw hat vaults up and back flips on his hand out of Wado's path to charge back at Zoro fists clenched tightly at his sides.
"Gomu Gomu no…!" Zoro surges towards him. "Gatling!" His arms shoot out to fiercely fast, it gives the illusion that he grew multiple arms. Somehow Zoro knows this and easily evades the flying fists, sliding side to side and ducking when needed. He bobs and weaves through the fury, inching closer and closer until he's able to deliver his blow. Two swords come crashing down, he takes another mighty swing at Luffy with his white katana. Luffy barely dodges the third, the tip of the blade grazing him. The first drops of blood of the battle slowly drip down his right cheek, mirroring the scar on his left.
Luffy grins with mirth, he seems to be having more fun than anything else. Zoro can't understand why this kid was enjoying himself. They are in the middle of a battle to the death. 'Why does this feel so wrong?' Zoro crosses his arms and crouches low. "Oni … Giri*!" Mugiwara doesn't see it coming as the swordsman, all speed and power, careens past him. Swords spread wide, Wado's blade gleaming high.
Luffy drops to his knees and clutches at his chest. Two shallow slices cross over and cover his torso. Any deeper and he was sure he would be bleeding out all over the earth. 'Zoro…? He held back.' Luffy stands and looks at a glaring Zoro. 'He's still in there.' Luffy pulls an arm back and shoots his pistol at his nakama's stomach, sending him hurtling into a tree.
Three more trees fall in their wreckage and Zoro gets trapped under their crowns. A call of "Gomu Gomu No Stamp" and a leg shoots into the brush. He crosses his arms and blocks it just in time. Zoro leaps out into the open, hand swords pulled back and cross over Wado, and brings his Tora Gari* down onto the nimble boy, slash after slash is expertly dodged and avoided. They race through the tree lines down a slope looking for their next opening. Luffy finds his first.
Luffy throws another punch but misses Zoro vaults sideways and sends another Tora Gari his way. Luffy hops up and spins between the blades that glide through a tree with ease, slicing it into three pathetic pieces of timber. They turn back and stare each other down, trying to read one another's advances. They both know its useless. They have reached a stalemate. Each attack useless against the other. But the swordsman's not finished yet.
He shifts his stance, "Santoryu…Ogi!" He brings his hand swords up, hilts together and begins to rotate them slowly, gradually gaining speed. Luffy throws his arms back, stretching as far as he can. "Gomu Gomu No…" Twin blades spin faster and faster, dust kicks up and brush flutters in the force of the turbine, a small vortex forming behind the man. Both men charge at each other in unison, but Luffy is the first to attack.
"Bazooka!"
"Sanzen Sekai*!"
Flesh meets leather as Luffy's hands pound into Zoro's hilts, sparks fly as metal meets stone. The pressure between the two opposing attacks build up until the force pushes them apart, sending them crashing in to the earth.
"Sometimes, unexplained events occur on the Grand Line. You've heard stories about sailors losing their memories while at sea, haven't you? It was written on the stone marker. A story of a beast that ate the memories of people in order to live. It seems he has made this island his home. It's nothing more than a legend, but that explanations makes the most sense."
They had arrived at a gulf on the remote side of the island. Pools of crystal blue water layered along the cliffs, white stone and coral pillars towered out from the water and tree lines
"Memories are created everyday." The tall, black haired archeologist continues. "He must be steadily eating the memories of this island's inhabitants."
"I see." Sanji says beside her. "It's like raising broiler chickens." He puffs on his cigarette a few more moments before speaking again. "It's a lot to take in, but the fact that our memories are at stake remains."
"Stop right there!" a voice calls from over head. They look up, and see the boy standing on top of a grassy pillar. "Pirates just don't know when to quit! But I'll control you, just like I did that pathetic swordsman…" He removes his hood, and holds his seahorse horn out. "...and have you kill each other." The seahorses eyes glow an eerie red, a hum echos through the air.
"Oh no!" Robin crosses her arms and sprouts arms out of either side of Nami and Usopp's heads, who were standing near the child. They begin to panic when her hands clamp down on their face and shield their eyes.
The boy points the seahorse at him and Sanji surges forwards and leaps into the air. A flash of light beams out of the seahorse and Sanji quickly closes his eyes. 'It's not the kid!' He extends a foot out and kicks out in front of him to where he thinks the memory stealing bastard is.
All three fall to the ground from the impact. Bright blue mist escapes the seahorse's mouth and flows into the boy's sinuses and lips. He raises himself up and is frightened to see the people standing in front of him. "P-pirates?" Sanji gives him a dark look that sends the boy running back to town.
"Cook -san. The boy was being controlled."
Sanji looks down at the horn and puts two and two together. Evidently, two and two equals one dead shithorse. The seahorse hops up onto his curled tail and makes a break for it, only for Sanji to cut him off and kick him back to the clearing. More blue mist flows out of its mouth as it crashes into a stone tower and floods into everyone's, except Robin's, senses. Sanji continues to deliver kick after kick. "I'm still not done with you, kuso tako!" With one final kick the seahorse is sent into the sea and all stops.
The dust settles around them and Zoro is the first to rise. As he sheaths his katanas, he finds a straw hat pin down by some rocks. He looks around and finds a swatch of red off to the side. He approaches to find the boy crushed under a few large boulders. He stares at the hat in his hands before resting it on the head of black hair. He turn to leave and find his next victim.
'Just stay there Captain. I'll take care of this.'
Usopp, Nami and Chopper come racing after him crying out cheers.
"You did it!"
"They're back!"
"We go our memories back!"
Robin questions if he, too, regained his memories, resulting in him spinning around in his usual noodly-dance, hearts flying around his head and eyes.
"But of course I'm back, my lovely ladies~!" he cooes out. 'Perfect...' the four other pirates sweatdrop. "You're both beautiful even when I have my memories~! But..." He straightens and puts on a more serious face. "We don't know if the marimo idiot's gotten his back."
And speaking of the devil, the swordsman appears behind them, black bandana shadowing his features. He slowly unsheathes his katanas and places Wado in his mouth. Around him the Mugiwaras worriedly question Luffy's whereabouts and Zoro's mental state.
Sanji, lit cigarette in hand, steps up to the approaching marimo. 'Even after all that he's still being controlled? Useless son of a bitch!' He stands tall, ready to defend his precious ladies.
A splash behind them and Zoro spots the memory stealing bastard surface on the waters. The thing squawks and Chopper translates for them to hear.
"I still have my last resort! Cut them apart, Roronoa Zoro!"
Zoro's eyes narrow and he charges forward, but the stupid ero-cook gets in his way and surges for him. "You shitty swordsman! Why are you always making things difficult?" The blonde leaps and spins. "Collier...Shoot!"
Zoro barely blocks the kick, the force of the attack crumbling the ground beneath him. He looks up and growls out at the blonde. "Jama* suru na… kono aho-cook!"
Sanji's scowl falls and avoids the man's gaze. 'Oh. Nevermind.' He drops his leg down and steps aside. He's about to say something when the marimo suddenly crashes into him and sends him flying. A familiar laugh rings in his ears as he crashes into a boulder.
"ZORO~!"
Amongst the rubble, Sanji and Zoro straighten and look down at the dusty, cut up Captain laying in their laps. "Damn it, Luffy! What the hell was that for?!" Zoro yells, smashing Luffy's face into the ground.
"Oi, aho!" Sanji says behind him. "Get that evil look off your face!" He wraps his fingers around Zoro's face and stretches his lips and cheeks out. "When you get your memories back you should have a big smile on your face! SMILE, you idiot!"
Zoro snarls and jerks his head out of the touchy-grabby-ero-cook's hands. "Shut the fuck up, asshole!" he barks at him, using his Captain's head as a mallet and sends the dumbass to the ground. This causes Luffy to temporarily lose his memory before yelling at him for using him like some sort of weapon against his nakama.
"Asshole! Quit messing around!" Sanji jumps up and knees him in the ribs.
"You're the one messing around, retard!" Zoro retorts, punching the cook in his shoulder blade. The two continue punching, kicking and pulling each other's hair before a splash reminds them of their current foe. Zoro spots the seahorse trying to flee under water and dives in.
"TEME! How dare you try to control me! When I catch you, I'll gut you and serve you for dinner!" He grabs hold of the dragon horn and tries to wrestle it out of the water. Through the struggle and splashing he can hear a certain long nose spewing nonsense again.
"Oh, so you saw me!" Luffy starts, his voice in a higher register.
"Hey, you won't catch me!" Usopp continues with an equally high voice.
'So ka? Just wait!" Usopp drops his voice much lower than his own. He continues switching between low and high registers, creating a monologue for the scene before them.
"Haha! Too slow!"
"Yosha! How about this?"
"I'm over here~!"
"Ehh? How?! I'll cut you apart" The other pirates behind him try desperately to contain themselves.
Zoro finally grabs a hold of the fish-faced bastard and yanks him out of the waters.
"Ahaa! I've got you! You're not getting away from me this time." And with that, the others burst out in mirth. Even Robin couldn't control herself and let out a jovial laugh from behind the hand.
Zoro wades in the water and looks straight at the sniper. "You're next, Usopp!" No one heeds mind to his words but cease their fun when the seahorse speaks again.
"Now for my last resort?!" Chopper iterates in fear. The seahorse spews a purple fog around them and soars up onto a nearby pillar. "You meddling pirates have caused me to lose all the memories I took from the villagers, but yours seems to be just enough for me to finally transform."
"Transform?" Sanji questions behind him. "Into what?!"
"I will not be denied!" Chopper says as the seahorse releases a bright orb of white light. The Mugiwaras freeze as blue glittering mist seeps from their bodies, and float towards the slowly growing memory thief. The seahorse's small figure begins to bloat and swell as the memories fill him. Once the last of the mist has been absorbed inside him, the light dims down revealing his body that has become 500 times* its original size.
"What the hell is that thing!" Luffy yells out at the floating pink blob."And…who am I?" Around him the five other people question the same thing. A green haired man surfaces in the water, gasping for the air he was starved of. "Oi, drowning guy! Do you know who I am?"
"How would I fucking know?!" he snaps. 'I don't even know who I am!'
Above them the big pink floaty thing honks out, a small brown thing with a pink hat speak ups. "Finally! I've become a Sennenryuu*!"
"Whoa! You understand it? What are you? A talking tanuki?" two boys pound the small creature with questions.
"What?! I'm a tanuki?!" apparently being the most important information the little thing processed.
The seven confused people each go through their own series of mental questions of whys and hows. The boy who first spoke seems to be the least concerned of the group.
"Sugoi! A dragon? I want to ride it!" He backs up trying to get a better view of the flying thing, but his foot gets caught between two rocks and he falls back and off the cliff. Amazingly, his leg stretches and slinks him back up like a bungee cable and he's sent sailing towards the "dragon".
"Ooh! I stretched!"
"H-H-He stretched!"
"How can he stretch?! Is he a monster?!
"MONSTER! IYA!"
He lands on the dragon with a heavy thud, arms and legs shooting around it's form and hugging it tightly. "My arms and legs are stretching! Kakkoii*!"
The impact causes the dragon to spit up some weird blue smoke right into his face. The flying beast tries desperately to shake him off but it only makes the boy boy hold it even tighter. "Let go, dammit! The memories are spilling out!" The other people here this and stare at the talking tanuki. 'Memories?'
More blue mist spills out and surrounds the rubbery boy. He snorts up the sweet sparkling dust and growls. "You just can't stop, can you?! Bastard!"
"I've finally become a Sennenryu! Don't try to stop me!"
"What was that?!" Luffy releases his arms from around the dragon horn. "You can't steal other people's memories! If you want to be a Sennenryu, make your own!"
"I will end this!" Chopper says from below. The dragon wannabe prepares another flash but Luffy acts quicker.
He throws his arm back and fires. "Gomu Gomu no Pistol~!" He follows through with a Gomu Gomu No Stamp and send the seahorse flying far into the distance. The force flattens it and the blue memory mist comes spewing out once again, and hopefully, for the last time. The seahorse disappears in the sky, a glint of of sunlight reflecting off its skin the last of it seen.
The drifting fog fill the remaining Mugiwaras' lungs and sinuses, their eyes blurring slightly before becoming brightly clear. They got their memories back, and they wishfully hope they never lose them again.
Sanji's mind floods with memories of ships, seas, storms and rocks. Starvation hits him hard but its quickly pushed aside when he recalls his life on the Baratie; when he first tasted Zeff's cooking; when he sliced him thumb wide open peeling apples, thrice, at the same time*! When his old man made him Sous Chef, when his old man accidentally called him his son. When Luffy burst through his restaurant and dragged him out on an adventure to find the greatest treasure in the world; his being All Blue. Then he remembers Zoro. Their fights, their arguments, specifically the most recent. It's not fun losing your memories. It had felt horrible not knowing who your own self was, what more being controlled. Suddenly, Sanji feels very guilty.
Zoro's mind flood with memories of the first time he held a katana, his first fight, his childhood rival, her death and how it affected him. His promise, still alive and true. He'd never forget it ever again no matter what happens, no matter who tries to steal his memories. He remembers starving for days and needing to becoming a bounty hunter. He remembers how bounty hunter got him in trouble and caused him to starve even more. He remembers being in that Marine base and Luffy recruiting him. He remembers meeting each of his crewmates and the great times they've had together. He remembers the cook. That faggot, pansy ass ero-bastard that finds a need to piss him off on a daily basis. He remembers the Davy Back Fight, how they nearly lost their lives as Mugiwaras and almost became Foxies.
He's completely pissed at the moment and is equally confused when the Guru*-Cook leans over the bank and extends an arm out to him.
"Oi." Sanji says in an almost apologetic voice. Zoro frowns at this. "You're gonna catch a cold, come on." Zoro takes his hand and climbs out of the cold water.
Behind them, Luffy laughs triumphantly. "Shihihihihi! I kicked his ass!"
Spirits are high as they make their way down the mountain back to the small village. It had been a rough couple of days but as the sunsets, the Mugiwara crew couldn't feel like anything could spoil their evening.
"Well," Usopp says with a wide smile. "I bet those villagers are excited to see us! After all, we saved the day and got everyone's memories back! They'll give us a hero's welcome!"
"Heh! I could cut loose on the booze, again haha!" Zoro laughs, it had been a while since he had a good bottle of sake. 'The last one had been, what? The Davy Back Fight? Long time.'
"Got something you want to forget, eh Marimo?" Sanji says offhandedly beside him.
"Urusai, teme." The thought actually sparks something in Zoro. 'What if…? Nah. That's just stupid.' "Don't think stupid crap. Maybe you should straighten out that freakish eyebrow of yours. It's obviously fucking with your brain.
"What was that you piece of shit?!" Sanji throws a knee at Zoro's back, making the man stumble slightly. "You're the freak with your parasitic algae! You're the one who needs to get checked out!"
"EH? You wanna go twinkle toes?!"
"Let's go, Tennenkinenbutsu*!"
Their fight gets cut short when Nami's fists land on their heads. She calms the tick in her forehead and tries to focus on the villagers. "I hope we get a reward! A big one! In CASH!" She says excitedly, Belly signs shining in place of her eyes.
The rest of the crew discuss the things they would like to get while they party in the village. It's exciting to be treated like heroes for once. After all they are pirates.
They arrive to find the whole town gathered to greet them, but the strange thing is the boy who they had had problems with during their whole escapade on the island was standing in front of the crowd.
"I-It was them!" The boy cried, clutching at a woman who looked strangely like him. "They stole our memories!" Someone in the crowd yells and the mob suddenly charges at them. They Mugiwaras quickly figure out what's going on and make a break for it.
"Hold it right there, you filthy pirates!" an outraged citizen yells. "You memory thieves! And you, girl! Pay for your room!"
"Looks like we're leaving empty handed," Zoro chimes. "but it can't be helped!
"They left us only one choice!" Nami says when she finds her waver sitting next to a fountain. She grabs her bag of gold from Sanji and mounts her vehicle. She revs the jet dial and speeds off running down the charging people, clearing a path for her nakama back to the Going Merry.
They unfurl the sails and raise anchor. They didn't stay long enough to set a log so Nami say's they'll just have to find another electro-magnetic path to follow along the Grand Line.
"My huge bronze statue…" Luffy whines from his seat on the mast.
"Would you shut up about that god damned statue!" Nami screamed at her moping Captain.
"But Nami! I was so~ close. It would have been a dragon. A real dragon. A cool~, dark, bronze statue~."
"But, man…" Usopp says from where he sits on the upper deck of the prow. "Losing your memories sure can cause you a lot of trouble"
"Got that right." Sanji pipes up as he lights a cigarette. "We had someone scheming to form his own pirate crew"
Usopp starts doing a creepy, anti-seductive belly dance. "Sanji-kun, you can still join. Join! C'mon, join! Join! Join! Join!"
Sanji sighs "And come to think of it, some other shithead beautifully got his mind and body taken over."
"What was that, curly bastard?" Zoro growls next to him by against the main mast.
"If you had kept watch like you were supposed to, none of this would've happened in the first place. Aho Marimo."
Zoro flinches. 'Kuso, he just had to bring that up, didn't he?' "Shut up! I was sleepy!"
"If you like sleeping that much, just sleep for the rest of your life!" Sanji teases.
Zoro grabs the front of his shirt and snarls in his face. "If you like bitching that much, why don't I help you sleep with the fish?!"
They toss a few fists and feet before Nami comes in and separates them. "That's enough bickering! Or should I give the both of you another dose of amnesia?"
Robin smiles at her crewmates, happy to see them back to their normal selves. She thinks back to how she felt when the seahorse eat her memories and a sullen look fills her eyes. Chopper, who was standing beside her, sees the melancholy and asks if she's alright. She looks down at him and smiles gently at the concerned doctor. "I'm fine, Sei'ni-san*. I'm just a little tired."
"I don't blame you. Robin-chan didn't get to sleep at all during that whole ordeal. Yosh, I'm going to prepare an extra-special barbecue dinner tonight!" Sanji heads for the galley to start dinner.
"Yaa! Sanji, meshi!"
Robin had slept, Nami added to her log, Zoro trained, and the boys had reenacted all of their adventures the few short hours it took for Sanji to prepare the meal. They still had some fresh produce from Long Ring Long Land to go with their mealbut they'll be needing to restock soon considering their Captain's diet. The Mugiwara Kaizoku Dan had a very late dinner that evening but would have started sooner if a certain alcohol-tolerant neanderthal didn't barge in demanding grog.
Zoro had entered the galley as Sanji prepared marinade for the meats and fish, and dug through the pantry looking for sake*. Sanji had made an offhand comment about Zoro drinking his problems away, possibly wanting to forget something, and the swordsman nearly bit his head off. And that was something that bothered Sanji. Normally, the swordsman would snarl at the cook for not minding his own business and they'd start another one of their usual bickering wars. Zoro had a short fuse, much like Sanji did and could easily be irritated, much like Sanji. But this time, Zoro was eerily quiet. He had ignored Sanji and continued his search for bottles.
"Oi, aho. You go deaf or something?" Sanji commented as he made vegetable kabobs for Chopper and the ladies, but Zoro didn't answer. His stance was very tense, jaw set tight and a deep scowl furrowed into his green eyebrows. He looked like he was inches from having a conniption. "Hey, don't hurt yourself there."
Sanji assumed it was about him falling asleep and getting controlled by that shitty seahorse, and didn't push the matter. That was, until Zoro demanded for the stronger liquor.
"No way, Marimo. Drink that cheap shit you got left in the storeroom." he had said. The refusal seemed to have pushed the swordsman over the edge. The swordsman slammed the pantry door shut causing Sanji to jump slightly and nearly drop his knife. He shoved past the cook and stormed out of the galley.
When it came to their snarky bickering, Zoro never got too violent, but there was something definitely wrong here.
Whendinner came, they had fought about extra servings and not savoring food, they fought about Zoro's monstrous drinking capacity and how that he wasn't allowed to have any of their better bottles reserved for the ladies. Their arguing turned physical when the jackass marimo flicked grains of rice in the curly-cook's hair,gavea half-assed "sorry" and claimed he had "slipped"; but Nami put swiftly ended the dispute before it got out of hand even further.
Usopp was assigned to watch duty that night; the others worried if the seahorse would turn up again, they would need a watchful eye on look out. Zoro had taken slight offense to the insinuation, which turned into full on rage when Sanji made yet another snarky comment about his awareness capabilities, and slept on the deck.
Author Notes and Glossary
And that's my first action scene. I'm happier with how this chapter went, though it did take forever and the ending could have gone a bit better. I want to put recipes in now and then, some full some partial, but my beta says that it's boring as hell and irrelevant! Yo! I'm not paying you with food so you can bitch about food! Cuz to me, that's bass ackwards! I pay you with food, you should be fucking happy. Yes, I pay my beta. Why? Because he wouldn't do it otherwise. Why with food? Because that's how you get to a man's heart. Not just through his mouth with your fist! Well, we fought about that for days. ('H')
Editor in Chief, Sinn-sama, notes:
Sinn: Speaking of punches, did you know she punched me in the jaw once, and caused my wisdom tooth to become inflamed? I couldn't eat solid food for TWO whole weeks. Had to go to my dentist to get the swelling down. :-/
BDM-Sensei: I punched you in the throat that time you KNEED ME IN THE FACE, YOU SHIT!
S: You started it!
B: Don't make me Dos Fleur Grab yer junk!
S: Gomen yo, Sensei. *bows*
B: What kind of 30 year old man still has his wisdom teeth, anyway? Freak…
S: Look who's talking, Miss 22-and-still-has-two-baby-teeth.
B: You bitch!
ANYWAYS! Thank you so much for reading! Please review! Next chapter suu~per coming out soon!
Gomu-ningen - rubber (gomu), human (ningen). Hito also means human, but it's more like saying 'person' and not an actual species.
Yosha - or yosh. The proper term is Yoshi. OK, alright, yeah.
200 C - roughly 400 fahrenheit
Everything Burrito - I'm half as addicted to Adventure Time as I am to One Piece.
Matte - wait/hold it.
Dame da - as explained before, dame means no. Da is like 'desu' but casual. A bit masculine, sorta, I guess? Nami says it sometimes, but from what I know it's too informal, so most women don't use it. From what I know, Robin and Brook don't use da.
Shimatta - though translated as 'damn it', it actually means 'it happened'. Like an 'oh no' or 'oops'
Ja - bye. Ja na and ja ne are the same.
Ne - considered feminine or cutesy, but both sexes can say ne. Chopper, Luffy and Usopp say ne a lot, but I think it's because they're cute and innocent. Sanji does because he's the ero-cook. I don't think there's an actual rule, but if you're a guy and you have asshole friends that know japanese, don't say ne. Say na. Because I have asshole friends, and they are assholes.
Jodan janai wa yo - "Stop joking!" "Don't kid around". Joke (jodan), negatory (janai), femininity (wa yo). This was infamised by Bentham aka Mr. 2 Bon Kurei. (I love screaming this in public)
Chibi - small, little, mini, tiny. When used like Luffy does, he means little runt.
Ikuzo - 'Let's go!'
So - 'so desu' = "That is so/That is right.", 'so desu ne' = "Isn't that so? Isn't that right?", 'so ka' or 'so desu ka' = "Is that so?". It's like saying "really" or "for real". 'Ka' makes it a question.
Nii-chan - Means brother, but can also be used to refer to an man, whether older or not. A much older man is referred to as ji-san or jii-san, Uncle/Gramps respectively. Chan - is used to be friendly, childish or cute.
Gyojin - fishmen
Shichibukai - "Seven Warlords" / "Seven Warlords of The Sea". Shichi = seven.
Kya - love-struck screaming. Think back to when you were in the 5th grade and you discovered Backstreet Boys, Westlife, F4, the Jonas Brothers, or Big Time Rush. I'm 22 and I kya'd at Steve Burns from Blues Clues. Yeah, I was a perv back then too XD He's the reason why green is my favorite color. Zoro intensifies my love for green things.
Sempai - Upper-classman. Think you're a freshman, and he/she's a junior.
runestone - raised stone with a runic inscription. I have no idea what the next on the stone in the episode is, it does look like poneglyphics, but why would you put poneglyphics on a regular old rock, and talk about Sea God Palaces? That didn't seem right to me. Runic is it!
Gwar - an awesome mock rock band. They dress in monster costumes, totally WoW shit. My top 5 Gwar songs are Saddam-a-Go-Go, Slaughterama, Have You Seen Me?, Fucking An Animal and Back In Crack.
Pink Boa- First of all, the snake was orange in the anime. Second it looked an awful lot like Nola from Skypiea. Third it's a Spongebob reference, and FOURTH, can you imagine Usopp wearing a fluffy pink feather boa? Sexy ain't it. I request someone to draw it. Onegai*!
Onegai - short for onegaishimasu. Formal and polite way to say 'please'. Kudasai/kure are casual, chodai is feminine (I think), dozo is used when offering, like "Please have a seat."
Yokatta - comes from the word ii, which means 'good'. Yokatta means 'that's good', 'what a relief', 'thank goodness', and 'I'm glad'. If this doesn't make sense add "you're safe" at the end of each example.
Bōshi - means 'hat' and is what Luffy calls his straw hat. Oddly, Mugiwara alone means 'straw', so technically, they are the Straw Pirates and their Captain is Straw Luffy.
Tsuka - katana hilt
Oni Giri - Demon Slash
Tora Gari - Tiger Hunt
Santoryu Ogi: Sanzen Sekai - Three-Sword Style Secret Technique: Three Thousand Worlds
Jama - a hindrance, obstruction, obstacle, disturbance. Suru(to do) na completes the sentence. Basically, "You're in my way and annoying as fuck!"
500 times - I guessed him to be about 2 cubic feet big (1f x 2f) so 500 times would roughly be 27 cubic meters (10f or 3m on all sides), as big as a small bedroom. Math bitches!
Sennenryuu - Millennium Dragon. Refer to Warship Island Arc.
Kakkoii - cool
Apples - I've read this in so many fanfics and fandom sites but I can't find a single wiki where Oda actually claimed this! If anyone out there knows where Oda said this; SBS, interview, anywhere! Please tell me. I need hard facts! Thanks!
Guru - curly, twirly, spinning, rotating, going round and round.
Tennenkinenbutsu - "natural monument". Marimos are Japan's National Treasure.
Sei'ni-san - Doctor-san. There's a lot of different ways people claim Robin to call Chopper. Some say Sensei-san, Isha-san, Sen-san, etc, but everytime I hear it it sounds like Sei'ni-san. So I'm just going to put that and be done with it.
Mugiwara Kaizoku-dan - Straw Hat Pirate Crew. Dan means group, association, team.
Sake - rice wine. The term can also refer to any alcohol or spirit; wine, brandy, rum, vodka, etc.
Sinn: Kudos to you if you actually read everything up to this point. You're either bored or don't have anything better to do. -
BDM: The fuck you talkin' bout Willis?
S: - You can't imagine how happy BDM is, she was so excited to have 3 followers. I mean, she went bonkers!
B: WTF! SHUT UP!
S: What I mean to say is… you fangirls have made my life a living hell! I did NOT sign up for this shit! I do NOT need to read the same chapter 7 times trying to proof read! I work graveyard and have shit to do! I can't do this every half-fucking-hour! I need sleep!
B: I'll ordered ribs, Sunday?
S: Ah! … Thank you all so much for reading! Come back for more! We-uh-She loves you all! The next chapters are good! Trust me, I helped!
B: Yeah… he's the genius behind this project (-_-)
Sinn: I demand a raise! *BDM throws taco* Whoohoo!