"The pain I feel now is the happiness I had before. That's the deal." -C.S. Lewis, quoted from Getting Over it With Bennett Foddy. I accidentally rode the Snake.
Disclaimer: Me No OWn One Peice.
Chapter 4: Rebuild, Redesign, Reclaim
A quiet breeze blew across the ship as Luffy sat on its deck meditating in the night. He offered to take watch, claiming that Zoro needed some sleep, but the real reason was because he couldn't himself.
Luffy rewinded the day in his head with each breath. After leaving Orangetown yesterday, they sailed onto an island filled with bizarre animals. They were all pets of a man named Gaimon, who had been guarding the island's treasure for 20 years. When it was revealed that the treasure chests that he had been guarding were all empty, Gaimon surprisingly thanked them for the truth, and the Straw Hats sailed off in search of the next island.
The night was another sleepless one for him. Luffy hadn't actually slept since they first left Shelltown a few days ago. Call it whatever you want, but ever since Zoro told him that nightmares were just that; dreams, he was reluctant to speak to Zoro about them again.
But what should he do when the nightmares are so intense that rattle his soul? He thought back to his most recent dream, just last night in fact.
Blood. Fire. Bodies. Luffy couldn't believe his surroundings. A cough and a groan came from the body cradled in his arms.
"I'm sorry I couldn't let you save me properly…" the voice said with a wry chuckle, but his heaving breaths told Luffy that he was anything but alright.
Luffy couldn't see his face, but he recognized that voice. It couldn't be.
"My only regret is that I won't see your dream come true… but you'll get there… you're my brother after all..."
He wanted to scream, call for help, anything. But all he could do was hold the limp body that was slowly dying.
"I was good for nothing my whole life…"
Luffy couldn't hold back his tears. The echoes of cannonballs, gunfire, and battle cries numbed his senses as the body slowly slid off of his arms.
"Thank you guys for loving me!"
With that said, the body went limp, rolling off of Luffy's shoulders. That was when his face was fully revealed.
Ace.
"NO!" Luffy shouted into the night, as a wave of power washed over the seas. The water rumbled in response and the sky broke into heavy rain.
Huffing and puffing, Luffy attempted to catch his breath as rain soaked the deck. His head slumped forward as he finished reliving his dream.
"What… was… that?" he thought as he looked to the sky. Did he do that? Whatever that was, adrenaline fully flooded through his veins. it looked like he wasn't going to sleep tonight either.
Little did he know, another figure sat sleepless in a room directly below him. That was Conqueror's Haki.
"Good. Keep at it," Zoro said as he danced around Luffy's sword with his own. Weaving and parrying through Luffy's strikes, he sent a small wind blade in his direction. Luffy leapt backwards creating distance between them.
With Nami navigating the ship, this left the Captain and his First-Mate with an opportunity to spar.
"You're offence is improving greatly, Captain. How about your defence?" Luffy grinned before Zoro blinked to his location and their blades clashed again.
Zoro was fighting at a fraction of his usual power, but it was still a nice surprise that Luffy could keep up with him. Well, not really.
Luffy was by no means a genius in the traditional sense-in fact, Sanji once bluntly called their beloved Captain "as dense as a rock"- but Luffy always had an unbelievable prowess in battle. Quick and dexterous in the heat of battle, Luffy's calculated unpredictability had made him deadly on the battlefield. He never made plans prior to their battles, they were always made them up on the fly.
All these things factored into the sword style that Zoro decided to teach.
"Wudang Style," Zoro said as his sword clashed with his Captain's again. "It makes use of your agility, quick thinking, and the environment." By the time Zoro finished his sentence, Luffy had struck him 4 more times.
"The only weakness is that the strikes are often light, but power moves can be added if you practice enough. Your swordsmanship will only be as strong as you are capable of thinking," Zoro shocked Luffy as he disappeared in a blur appearing right in front of him.
"Like this, for example..." he said as his blade made contact with Luffy's, sending him crashing to the ground. "You've got to be at least 2 steps ahead. Think as you fight."
"I can always count on you to make anything homework, even fighting…" Luffy grumbled as Zoro helped him up. He was grateful for the opportunity to spar with his captain. Zoro had to adjust to the one-sword style given his previous use of three swords. Power wise, he was as strong as an Emperor, but his swordsmanship kept him at the level of a Vice-Admiral. Zoro waved him off before he set out to find Nami by the ship's wheel.
"Mornin'!" she greeted as Zoro met her with a smile. "We have an island coming up in about an hour. It's a settlement called Syrup Village, if I'm not wrong."
"Don't get us lost, witch," Zoro said as he began meditating on the deck. Luffy was off getting his fishing equipment he pawned off of a sketchy-looking character while they were still in Orangetown. Whenever they weren't sparring, or doing anything interesting, he could often find his captain sitting on the ship's railing with a rod in both hands and singing a horribly off-key tune.
"Lost is what you guys would be if I didn't join, Broken Compass," Nami shot back with her new nickname for the swordsman, A tick appeared on Zoro's forehead.
"NOT A CHANCE! YOU THINK WE CAN'T TELL UP FROM DOWN OR SOMETHING?!"
"Yes," Nami answered flatly. It was at that moment that Luffy joined the two on deck.
"Hey! Give us some credit!" Luffy objected taking his usual seat on the railing. "We were already halfway to Orangetown before we met you!"
"...You guys sailed 8 kilometers in the opposite direction,"
Complete silence fell on the trio of pirates as they each quietly reevaluated their life choices.
Nami entered the ship's kitchen to find Zoro… cooking...
"Uh… Zoro?" Nami finally spoke up as she got over her shock. "Can I talk to you in private for a second?"
"Unless you want me to burn the water, go bother the Captain instead." Zoro answered without facing her. Suddenly, his pot of water caught fire and a brief moment of silence occurred.
"...Yeah, I think I could use a break," he said as he motioned for Nami to follow him on deck.
"Luffy! Dinner is your job now," Zoro said and Luffy began packing up his fishing equipment.
"Well, you guys are lucky enough to experience my Grampa's famous fish stew tonight!" Luffy shouted as he carried his bucket of very, very, (very) unappetizing bucket of fish to the kitchen.
Zoro and Nami took a moment to shudder, thinking about the disaster that would be awaiting them.
"So, you wanted to talk to me?" Zoro started. Nami nodded.
"I'm a little worried about Luffy. He hasn't slept in days and I don't know why."
"Did you talk to him about it already?"
"No, not yet. I figured he would listen to you better." Zoro sighed at Nami's explanation. "At the very least if Luffy isn't sleeping tonight, do you think you could take the night watch with him?"
"I'll see what I can do."
If Luffy's dinner was interesting(?), that was nothing compared to the talk that Luffy and Zoro were having at the moment. Nami had called it a day, telling them that they should hit Syrup Village tomorrow afternoon before entering her room. Zoro joined Luffy on the deck.
"Can't sleep either, huh?" Luffy asked seated in his usual spot. Zoro gave no response as he sat beside him. "I'm sorry for worrying you guys. I've just got a lot on my mind."
"Nightmares again?"
"Yeah," Luffy responded. "Sometimes I can't tell whether they are really happening or if I'm just dreaming. They seem so real and I can't do anything in my dreams."
"And you're scared that they'll come true, right?" Zoro asked, looking Luffy directly in the eyes. Luffy met his eyes briefly before his head sank low in defeat.
"Yes."
This caused Zoro to laugh, catching Luffy off-guard. "Here's a simple solution. Take the nightmares as motivation and make sure they'll never happen. Now that we know your fears, we can work on overcoming them. All we have to do is get stronger."
This caused Luffy to pause. He had never thought of things this way. Maybe these nightmares had advantageous to them as well? It gave Luffy great comfort that he had a chance to make sure whatever was coming, he had the ability to steer its direction. Maybe Ace wouldn't die after all? And the woman named Robin?
"You're smarter than you let people think," Luffy responded finally. "I thought the only thing in your head was a broken compass."
Zoro scoffed, letting the comment slide. If it offered any comfort to his captain, then what the hell.
"If you're not sleeping, it looks like I've got to stay up with you in case you do anything stupid," Zoro said in which Luffy met with a grin.
"Crazy strong, sort of wise, and can get lost walking in straight lines," Luffy laughed, holding out his fist. For the first time this week, he felt the weight lift off of his shoulders. "I couldn't ask for a better First Mate!"
Zoro shared his captain's laugh and the two bumped their fists.
"Now why should we do that?" Luffy said as he cracked his knuckles. In a tree above him crouched a man in a green cloak and an ornate, wooden mask.
"Because I'll kick your asses if you don't! I will defend my village to the death!"
Zoro had to admit, he was slightly impressed. The previous Usopp would have shivered, and made outrageous lies in hopes of scaring them off. This version, while still nervous, was more confident in his skills and stood his ground.
And he actually ditched the slingshot. The man before them was looking down the scope of a highly customized rifle.
No one could predict that their day would begin with landing at the peaceful village of Syrup Village only to be stopped at the village gates. Luffy accidentally let it slip that they were pirates and the whole village mobilized to challenge them. Zoro flared his ominous Haki and drove all but one of the villagers back to their homes. Only "Captain Usopp" stood between them and the village.
A loud bang attracted everyone's attention as the man flinched slightly. Smoke slowly filtered out of the pistol that Nami held in her hand.
"We're not playing games here," she said ominously. Make that two people who have grown a spine.
The man, who had narrowly dodged the bullet, nervously held up his rifle. "Do your worst!"
A sense of tension was in the air as each waited for the other to make the first move. Zoro looked on with disinterest as his eyes flickered to his captain.
"What's the plan, Luffy?"
Luffy looked at Nami, then Usopp, then back to Zoro. "Can you diffuse the situation? I want to talk to him." Zoro nodded in response.
"We invoke the rule of Parley," Zoro said as he motioned for Nami to drop her pistol. "Our captain wants to talk to you man-to-man. Do you accept?"
After a brief moment of consideration, Usopp nodded and both parties dropped their weapons. "Alright then, what do you pirates want?"
Luffy always had a knack for cutting tension, and this situation was no different. "Hey, you're Yassop's son, right? Want to join my pirate crew?"
No one could have predicted his response to such a sudden request.
Usopp simply shrugged. "Sure, why not."
Usopp had the state of emergency lowered in the village, claiming that there was no longer any threat. Unlike before, he actually seemed quite popular in the village as he was met with both gratitude and and relief. After that was taken care of, he excitedly offered to give the crew a tour of his village.
"Wow!" Usopp said shouted. "I can't believe you know my dad! And he's the sniper of the Red Hair Pirates?!"
"Yep!" Luffy replied enthusiastically. The two were alike in so many ways, it was unsurprising that they warmed up to each other so quickly.
"I always knew he was incredible! Do you think I could be as strong as an Emperor one day?"
"Who knows?" Luffy responded. "Never know unless you try."
It was mostly Luffy that did the talking as they walked. Zoro and Nami simply followed, and only asking the occasional questions.
From what Zoro gathered in their conversations, Usopp was the village's "guardian." His mother never died as his father caught word of her sickness and returned with a cure just in time, allowing this version of Usopp to grow up with a normal childhood. The Red Hair Pirates had to set sail briefly after that, but Yasopp had just enough time to teach his son how to use a rifle.
From what Zoro could tell, all of this happened shortly after Shanks had left Luffy about 10 years ago. He noticed that a lot of good people who met untimely deaths in the previous timeline were alive in this one. He wasn't one to smile that often, but this thought warmed his heart.
"Anyways, here we are!" Usopp proclaimed as they arrived at an enormous mansion. "Ever since I was appointed the village guardian, I took residence here." As Usopp guided them past the gates he continued, "There are some very special people I would like you guys to meet."
Usopp entered the mansion and was greeted with a large hug from a dark-green haired woman. "Usopp! Welcome home!" she said with affection in which he returned the hug.
"Hi Mom!" he replied with a warm smile.
A series of fake coughs came from the group in which Luffy threw in the words "momma's boy" amidst his fit. This earned a glare from Usopp, in which his Luffy bursted out laughing.
"This is my mother, Banchina!" he introduced, in which she waved at the group with a bright smile.
"Are these your friends, Usopp?" she asked in which he nodded. "Yep. They're inviting me to join their Pirate crew."
"You're leaving already?" came another voice who entered the room.
"Kaya!"
"It's fine, Usopp. You've always wanted to follow in your father's footsteps, right? There's no better time to leave than now."
"Thanks, Kaya!" he said as he walked over to hug the other woman. "Take care of my mom for me, alright?"
"You got it, Usopp," she replied. "I only have one request before you sail off. A few kilometers from here, there's a pirate base that's threatening our village and our warriors aren't strong enough to deal with them on their own. Can you and your crew clear it out before you leave?"
"You betcha!" he shouted with pride, pumping a fist in the air.
"Thank you so much, Usopp. I'll have Merry take you to the Going Merry. Good luck on your journey!"
After a series of heartwarming goodbyes, Merry, Kaya's butler guided them to the docks on the other end of the island.
"It's not much compared to the higher-end ships, but it can outrun your old ship anytime," he said as he took them on board to show them around. "As we are giving you our only naval vessel, I only ask that you give us your old ship. Don't worry, you'll see improvements in sailing immediately."
As Merry was finishing his tour of the Going Merry, Zoro took the time to admire everything about their old home, from the red and white striped rear sail, to the familiar sheep figurehead on the mast. She probably wouldn't make it past Water 7 like last time, but he was do everything he can to keep Merry sailing as long as possible.
"Once you defeat the pirates, you can keep sailing onwards. We'll take care of everything else," Merry said with a large smile and a formal bow.
"Who are the pirates that we'll be fighting?" Nami asked.
"They're called the Black Cat Pirates. They're lead by the notorious Captain Kuro and their base is a few hours from here, north-north west. We have caught word that they might attack our village in a few days, so please hurry."
"You can count on us, Sheep-ears!" Luffy shouted. "We'll kick their asses!"
"Thanks for everything, Straw Hats. We definitely owe you one." Merry then said something that confused all the Straw Hats as they sailed off. "And good luck on your journey, Pirate King. There's no better time for you to reclaim your throne."
While they all celebrated Usopp's induction into the Straw Hat Pirates, no one could shake off his words. Least of all, Luffy, who's mind wandered around the idea throughout the day.
A/N: If anyone feels that the Syrup Village Arc was a little rushed, it's only because I feel the only interesting part was the confrontation between the Straw Hats and the Black Cat Pirates, which should be coming up next chapter. If anyone wants to see more of Kaya, or Banchina (Usopp's mom), I'll have them appear in later chapters. Otherwise, please feel free to review, follow, favourite, or flame. Idc lol.
I also plan on making this fist-bumping thing between Zoro and Luffy their official "bro thing."