Hello again everyone! Hope you enjoy!

I, once again, apologize if I missed any errors and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Please, don't mind letting me know what you think! I like the fact that some people read this!

I do not own One Piece as that belongs to Eiichiro Oda, Toei, and whomever else owns it.


Knowing Luffy would damage his precious hat, Ace had taught him some basic sewing skills, allowing the rubberman to repair it.

Nami had offered to do it. She didn't expect Luffy to have those kind of skills, seeing how destructive he was, but Luffy declined.

Nami had declined to joined his crew, so she wasn't allowed to touch his hat.

It had been a few days since they had left Orange Town. Luffy and Zoro had begged Nami constantly for some food, which she reluctantly gave them.

She neglected to mention that she would be charging them for it later. With extra added on interest.

Luffy sighed. It was kind of interesting sailing with Nami. She always wanted them to do stuff. She told them it was to get them to where they needed to go, so Luffy obeyed. She was really interesting when he told her that he left some of her money behind to help repair the village.

He didn't know she could throw a mean punch.

Zoro was afraid of Nami. He didn't want to admit it, but she terrified him. Whenever Luffy said that Nami was interesting, he could only remember the horrendous beating Nami had given him when he told her that he had left a bag of money for the Mayor to rebuild his village, but he was glad when she told him he could take a nap.


Nami had managed to get them to an island where they met a strange idiot named Gaimon. He looked like his hair was made of grass and it was styled like an afro. He had fallen into a small treasure chest and had been trapped within it for twenty years. He had been stuck on the island inside that box because he saw a bunch of treasure chests on top of a plateau and wanted to see what was inside them. His crew had abandoned him on this island a long time ago.

Gaimon shot Luffy multiple times for eating some of the animals on the island. He told Luffy and Nami that they were his only friends for all these years, which caused the rubberman to hold off on eating all of the little creatures that fled from him.

After some deliberation, they had helped Gaimon with his goal. There were a bunch of treasure chests on a plateau that he couldn't reach, so Luffy had rocketed up to the top.

He confirmed that there were five treasure chests, but he didn't want to throw them down. Nami had been outraged, thinking he was going to take it for himself.

But Gaimon had understood. He had wondered why the treasure chests were left out in the open, and had been afraid of the answer. Luffy told them that the chests were empty when Gaimon asked him if they were, and he thanked the two for helping him. They had been the first real, kind people he had talked to for what seemed like eternity.

He still shot Luffy a few more times for eating his precious animal friends.

As they sailed away, Nami looked at the rubberman in a different light. He may have been a pirate, but most people wouldn't have helped the man, knowing there was no reward involved.

Perhaps she could tolerate the man for a little while longer.


"Huh?" Zoro woke up as they left the island, "Did I miss anything?" he asked Luffy.

"Nah, you didn't miss anything." Luffy told him as he munched on a bit of fruit Gaimon gave him so he would stop his poaching.

"Wait! Where did you get that?! Let me have some!" Zoro lunged at Luffy. He wasn't sure if trying to take food away from Luffy was a good idea, but they didn't pick up any supplies as they had left Orange Town.

"Oh my..." They heard a feminine voice. Nami's muffled screaming could be heard in the background.

"What a lively bunch you are."

Luffy and Zoro looked up to see a black haired woman wearing purple cowgirl clothing. She was sitting on top of the cabin on Nami's boat.

"Who are you?!" Zoro shouted as he drew his swords. He hadn't sensed the woman.

"Wow! What a huge turtle!" Luffy enthused as he looked at the giant turtle next to their ships.

Zoro couldn't stop a sweat drop rolling down his face. How did they not notice that? It was as big as one of their ships.

"I go by Miss All Sunday." She said as she crossed her legs, "You were impressive in that fight you had with Buggy the Clown, Straw Hat."

'More like downright frightening.' Zoro thought. Buggy had been obliterated by Luffy.

"My name is Luffy. Who's Boogy?" Luffy began to pick his nose. He vaguely remembered smashing a few faces in Orange Town, but couldn't remember which one was Boogy.

Zoro couldn't help but notice that Nami had gone missing. Maybe she was guarding her hoard of treasure?

"Did you do anything to our Navigator?!" He asked the strange woman named Miss All Sunday.

"I noticed she had a penchant for restraining things..." She looked at Luffy.

"...So I wanted to let her know what it feels like."

Miss All Sunday continued to give them a small smile. "We could use strength like yours. Would you be willing to consider joining our organization?" She jumped down and began to walk towards the two as they stood in their boat.

"No. I would only go if I get to be the leader." Luffy said as he pulled a booger out. He wasn't paying too much attention.

Miss All Sunday noticed his lack of attention and used her ability to pull the straw hat from Luffy's head.

She didn't have much time to grab it as she was shoved against the mast of Nami's boat. She gasped as air was forced from her lungs.

A white hand had held her neck against the mast and she stared into the eyes of an enraged Luffy.

"Don't touch my hat." He said as he squeezed a little. It didn't seem like he wanted to suffocate her, as she was still capable of breathing. It was more for intimidation.

She would be lying to say that it didn't work at least a little.

"Fiesty, aren't you?" She muttered as she couldn't speak louder than a whisper. The hand was too tight.

"Which fruit did you eat?"

"The Gum Gum Fruit. I'm a rubberman. Now give me back my hat." Luffy was getting impatient. He squeezed a bit more.

Miss All Sunday felt an invisible pressure begin to push down on her. It was beginning to rise in intensity.

"Fufufufu...alright, rubberman." She set the hat back on Luffy's head.

Luffy's mood changed fast. He let go of her as his hand turned back to normal.

Zoro had noticed the pressure as well, but didn't say anything as he sheathed his swords.

Luffy appeared to have this under control.

"I don't want to join your group." Luffy told her as she walked back to the turtle. If she stayed any longer, he wasn't sure if she get off of the ship unharmed.

"Oh my, what a shame." She got sat on top of her chair located on the turtle. She turned to look at the two. "It would have been interesting. I'll see you around, rubberman."

"Lets go, Banchi." The turtle started to swim away from the two ships.

Miss All Sunday could hear in the background something about cool turtles. She smiled a little, but it diminished as she cleaned a booger off her face.

This,"Luffy", had surprised her. She felt something off about him before she confronted his group. She knew why now.

He had awakened his devil.

She laughed. She certainly hoped to see them again.


"Ah...it's gone." Luffy sighed as he leaned over the edge of Nami's boat. That turtle was cool.

Nami came running out of the cabin. She looked to be out of breath and she was sweating.

"What happened?! What was that?!" She asked. She saw Luffy leaning over the side, "Hey! Get off my boat! You know the rules!"

Luffy found himself sailing through the air. He then felt his head land on the deck of his boat.

"Where did you go, Navigator?" Zoro yawned, "You just missed something interesting."

"I was just checking the treasure when I got tied up by something! I was freed a few seconds ago." Nami was beginning to calm down. It seemed everything was alright.

"Tied up? By what?"

"I don't know! There wasn't anything around me..." Nami trailed off. Being around these two brought too much trouble.

"Oh! Nami! There you are! Where did you go?" Luffy picked his head off the deck.

"Jeez, I just told you!" Nami sighed as she sat down. "We're coming across a village named Syrup Village. It's to the North. We can get more supplies there. She eyed Luffy and Zoro. She had told them that they needed a bigger ship, and they agreed, not really paying too much attention.

"Where'd all this fruit come from?! What the hell happened while I was asleep?!"

Those two didn't plan anything out and it drove her nuts! It didn't help that they ate most of their food supplies.

Nami raised her interest rate. They would pay for making her drag them across the sea!


The group eventually arrived at the island. It seemed pretty peaceful. The scenery was tranquil. The waves rolled against the cliffs as they docked on the island.

"Who's that over there?" Zoro pointed towards four figures in the distance.

"Ah! We've been found!" They heard them scream. One of them stepped forth and stood before them.

"I am the great pirate fleet leader, Ussop, who is in charge of the security of this village!" He crossed his arms and yelled. His voice was pretty loud. "I'm also known as Captain! Captain Ussop!"

This, "Captain Ussop" looked pretty scared. His knees were shaking as he announced who he was. He had a very long nose, about half a foot long. His shaggy hair and brown overalls didn't do much for his image as he tried to look intimidating.

Zoro thought Luffy looked more intimidating when he ate, which was a memory he would be haunted by for the rest of his life.

He boasted about his great legion of men, but Nami and Zoro saw through his lies. Ussop's face had a greatly exaggerated shocked look each time his lies were dispelled. Luffy laughed. This guy entertained him as he laughed at another one of his expressions.

Ussop learned that they were peaceful pirates and decided to treat them to a meal. He led them to a restaurant in town. Ussop also found that Luffy was looking for companions for his adventure to become the Pirate King, but first, he needed a larger ship.

He told them of Kaya, a rich lady who had just lost her parents and was going through great sorrow. Nami decided to look somewhere else for a better boat. Luffy agreed, but he wanted to stock up on meat supplies. He had a good idea, but she needed to get more than just meat.

Ussop left, telling them that he had somewhere he needed to be. Luffy had ordered some rare meat, unknowingly adding to the bill.

Nami would be pissed.

Three children came into the restaurant. They wielded wooden swords and ran up to Luffy's group.

Luffy was busy devouring his meat. Blood splattering in almost every direction.

"Hey! Don't get that all over the place!" Yelled Nami as she kicked Luffy leg from under the table. He didn't notice as he kept chomping into the meat.

"What did you do with our boss?!" The kids yelled while eying the man with the bloody meat in fear.

"Ah! This is delicious!" Luffy exclaimed as he lifted his head. Teeth sharpened and stained crimson.

The kids paled as they looked at the monstrous Luffy.. They looked close to fainting on the spot. They gasped and sputtered as they asked the group what Luffy had done to their Captain.

Zoro put on an evil looking smile. He turned towards the kid and told them, "Your Captain...we ate him!"

The kids screamed as the looked at Nami and called her a witch.

Little did they know by doing that they would make Nami much scarier than Luffy.

The kids dropped cold to the ground. They had fainted on the spot. Nami scolded Zoro, saying that was a mean thing to do, but she couldn't help but laugh.

The kids woke up some time later. Luffy had cleaned the plate as well as his face and looked like he didn't just consume his meal.

The kids told them about Ussop's lying and about Kaya. He went there every day to cheer her up with his fake stories. Nami and Zoro were a bit impressed that he would do that kind act. Luffy wasn't listening though. He asked if the lady was feeling better and the kids said that she was. Luffy then told his crew that they were going to go get a boat from her, which they had objected to.


Luffy, Nami, Zoro, and the three kids arrived at Kaya's mansion. The kids brought them there to go see Ussop. The saw Ussop telling a story to a blonde woman inside a mansion. Ussop sat under a tree across a window which the lady leaned out of.

After Ussop told Kaya that they were his subordinates and some objections from Luffy, Kaya's butler, Kurohadol showed up. The man wore a black suit with glasses that he would constantly push up with his palm. He denied Luffy's request for a ship and started to harass Ussop. He continually insulted Ussop, but when he started to disgrace his father for being a pirate, Ussop punched Kurahadol as hard as he could.

Kurohadol was knocked to the ground.

Kaya begged Ussop to stop. She told them that Kurohadol was a good person, and he was just trying to protect her. Ussop looked betrayed. He didn't expect her to take Kurohadol's side. Kurohadol demanded Ussop to leave, which he did while saying he would never return.

Luffy, Zoro, and Nami looked on along with the three kids. It wasn't any of their business. Kurohadol then directed his frustration towards them, demanding they leave as well.


"Oh? So you were here?"

Ussop was surprised and turned to see Luffy walking towards him. Ussop had run off to the coast. He liked watching the waves from the cliffs. It calmed him down.

"Don't scare me like that!" Ussop wanted to be alone. He didn't expect anyone to find him here.

"Your father is Yassop, right?" Luffy asked as he sat next to Ussop.

"Huh?! Yeah, he was! How do you know him?" Ussop asked. This guy was just full of surprises.

Luffy began to tell Ussop about his father. How he was a great shooter, how he loved his son, and that he was a great pirate. Ussop felt glad to have met Luffy. He had cheered him up.

"I'm really proud of my father." Began Ussop as he stood up, "He had the courage to go out to the great sea despite the many dangers."

"That man insulted my father! I hate him!" Ussop finished. It felt good to say these words.

"I hate him too." Luffy said. The man insulted Yassop, and Luffy liked Yassop.

Ussop sat down. They stayed silent for a while.

"Are you going back to see your friend again?" Luffy asked. Ussop had looked pretty upset back there when he said he was never going to return.

Ussop sighed. "I'll go if that stupid butler apologizes to me." Ussop claimed though it was a lie.

He wouldn't stop visiting Kaya just because of some idiot who didn't know what he was talking about.

"Oh? Here's your chance. He's right down there." Luffy pointed down the cliff.

"What?!" Ussop yelled with a surprised face, his eyes popping out. "What's he doing here?!" he muttered to himself.

Luffy laughed next to him. Ussop's face was really weird.

They listened to Kurohadol talking to the strange man named Jango. It was revealed that Kurohadol was actually Kuro. A famous pirate that was said to have been executed.

Kuro was telling Jango the plan he had set into motion 3 years ago. He originally wanted a normal life, but became bored of it, and planned to take Kaya's wealth.

"It seems like you don't remember the plan at all, Jango." Kuro said as he pushed his glasses up with his palm.

"Don't be stupid." Jango muttered, "Can't you just kill the girl and inherit her money? We'll kill everyone else so no one would know that she was unwilling."

"No one would accept that she would just give her money to someone who wasn't part of her family." Kuro had a wicked gleam in his eye.

"You just have to hypnotize her to obey my every command. I'll order her to marry me and I'll get her fortune this way. Besides, it would be wasteful to just get rid of her. She can be...very usefull..."

Ussop was shocked. He had just overheard something very bad.

"Hey, what are they talking about?" Luffy asked. "I don't really understand. What's "marry" mean?"

"They're talking about killing the village...they're going to hurt Kaya!" Ussop was sweating. He couldn't believe this. What could he do? He didn't want Kaya to have to go through this! This was just way too much!

"What?!" Exclaimed Luffy. That girl seemed nice, but he wanted a ship! He couldn't get a ship if she was hurt!

He'd feel bad.

"Don't you hurt that girl!" Luffy shouted from the cliff. Jango and Kuro looked up at him.

Ussop was beyond afraid now. Tears fell from his rolled up eyes as he held up his hand in silent protest.

"Oh? It's you." Kuro said as he looked up at Luffy. He was a bit surprised, but he would be taken care of.

"Hurry! Get down before they see you!" Ussop exclaimed to Luffy. He stood up next to Luffy.

"Ussop's there as well?" Kuro said aloud.

Ussop froze and looked down at Kuro. He quickly tried to hide himself against the ground, but it was too late.

"So, you heard everything?" Kuro asked. He was going to kill them anyway, but he wanted to know.

"I heard everything." Luffy left out the part where he didn't understand any of it.

"Don't tell them that!" Ussop smacked Luffy's foot. "They'll kill us!"

Jango decided to take care of them, so that he could show his captain he could be useful. He carefully explained his technique to them. If they knew what he was going to do, they would be caught more easily.

"Luffy! Look away from the ring!" Ussop cried as he shut his eyes. He had his eyes covered with his hands for extra protection.

"Jango!"

Luffy instantly fell asleep. He wanted to beat the technique, but was too weak to mental manipulation to put up much resistance.

"Hey, wake up. You still didn't take care of the problem." Kuro prodded Jango. What kind of moron got caught in his own hypnotism?

He was interrupted by a nearby thud. Luffy had fallen from the cliff and laid in a small crater.

"I didn't want to kill you that way, but it looks like you fell off the cliff. That was your own fault." Jango snorted as he woke up, noticing that Luffy had fallen. It looked like his technique was a success.

Ussop felt stunned. He liked Luffy and he had just died in front of him. Tears began to start falling from his eyes again.

"Should I kill him as well?" Jango asked Kuro as he reached for his rings. He was going to show off another tricked he had learned.

Ussop was scared. He didn't want to die! He needed to tell the whole village about Kuro!

"Don't bother. It's not like anyone will believe this one." Kuro said with a smirk. It might have been a small problem, but it was dealt with. He didn't like problems in his plans.

Kuro began to walk away, reminding what Jango should do the next morning. The fortune would be his.

Ussop was deeply saddened. He knew that Kuro was right. No one would believe him, but he was still going to try!

He needed to! For Kaya!

Ussop ran towards the village. He loved this village! He loved the people! And he never said it aloud, but he loved Kaya as well!

He saw his crew loitering around with Zoro and Nami. They had questioning looks on their faces as they looked over at him. He didn't know, but his appearance was very panicked. His motions were jerky as he forced himself to move as fast as he could.

"Everyone!" He yelled as he ran by, straight to the village center. "Everyone! Danger! The pirates are coming!" He screamed. He needed to get these people out of here! Ussop didn't want anyone to die!

Some of the villagers approached him. They were getting tired of his constant lying. He tried his best to convince them, but they were unmoved.

"Don't bother. It's not like anyone will believe this one." Kuro said with a smirk.

Ussop kept remembering the words of Kuro and how he looked when he said that to him. It was the sinister look of someone who knew he had won.

Ussop continued to plead with the villagers. He couldn't let them die! He had to get them away!

He continued his begging as the more ill-tempered villagers closed in, makeshift weapons in hand.


Luffy continued to sleep, blissfully unaware as a woman in purple cowgirl clothing watched him nearby atop a rock.

She sighed. It appeared that his mind was too susceptible to tricks.

He stirred in his sleep. His face beginning to frown.

She wondered what was so special about this man. A weird feeling bloomed in her heart whenever she was around him.

Miss All Sunday had confronted many powerful people in the past, but she had never felt this before. It wasn't fear, and it certainly wasn't awe.

She got up and walked closer. The feeling just got more intense.

His face was scowling. It appeared he was having a nightmare.

She knelt next to him and watched his face, not noticing that the skin on his legs and arms began to turn white.

She sat there for a few minutes. This, "Luffy", was certainly a strange guy. Judging from his actions, he seemed to be selfish and rude.

But she saw how he always protected those he liked. He had stopped Buggy multiple times from harming Roronoa Zoro and he stopped the Mayor from going to his death. The man had even go so far as to help an absolute stranger discover he had been fooled for twenty years.

Luffy's eyes shot open just has his skin suddenly transformed.

This caught her off guard, she attempted to get up but found a clawed hand had wrapped around her neck as he slammed her against the ground.

She would have laughed and made a comment about trying to meet in different circumstances, but she was unable to as a fearsome grin blocked her eyesight.

The feeling was stronger than ever. It consumed her. It was overwhelming her very being.

She saw weird slits had formed on his face. It was absent of anything but the grin and the slits. Even his hair had disappeared.

She felt a tinge of disgust as she also noted that his clothes disappeared, but the figure was mostly plain so there were no noticeable features were present on this creature.

The slits began to open. Something that looked like pure darkness had seeped from his eyes.

This was beginning to frighten her. She didn't know what it was, but she was scared to peer into the void that this thing could call eyes.

Miss All Sunday didn't have a choice as they opened completely.

Her whole world was filled with terror as she shook.

She felt like she was going to pass out. The feeling was too powerful as it violently ripped through her heart and throughout her body.

Never in her whole life had she felt this much fear! It felt like this thing was consuming her spirit!

Struggling to hold onto consciousness, she managed to resist the thing's ability.

It was taking too much out of her though. She felt exhausted as it felt as if her energy was being drained from her.

Miss All Sunday couldn't see the creature's grin grow wider. Her world grew darker and darker till she finally lost consciousness.


"What?! Pirates are actually coming?!" The kids cried.

Zoro and Nami were beginning to worry where Luffy was. They asked the kids if they would take them to where Ussop frequented when he felt down.

There they had found Luffy passed out on his back. He had a slight smile on his face.

That quickly disappeared when Nami hit him on the head. He screamed and put his hands on the welt that was started to form.

After some confusing explanation from Luffy, they managed to discover Kurohadol was Kuro and he was planning on harming Syrup Village and Kaya.

"Yeah." Luffy said as he got up. "Didn't Ussop tell everyone?"

The kids looked down. He had told the village, but nobody believed him.

"Why were you just sleeping here then?" Zoro asked as he cracked his neck. It had been a while since he got some exercise. All the sleeping he did was getting to him.

"Um...I don't know. I was standing at the top of the cliff. Then I just fell asleep." Luffy said with some sweat running down his face. He didn't want to tell them he had been tricked.


"The worst person is you!"

Ussop ran out of the village. He was covered in scratches and bruises, but he kept running.

Kaya's words rang through his head. He had stopped by her mansion to save her. Some bodyguards got in his way, but he took them out. He needed to save Kaya!

Ussop put a hand to his face. A red mark had formed in the shape of a hand. Tears formed in the corner of his eyes.

Kaya didn't believe him. He just wanted to protect her...

He slowed down as he reached the edge of the village. He looked back at it.

Kuro's words joined Kaya's. He began to be overwhelmed by the memories.

Ussop wanted to save the village! He wanted to save Kaya!

Tears flowed down his face.

But...he just couldn't!

"Captain!"

He heard the voices of his friends. He wiped the tears away.

"Oh! It's you guys!"

He was shocked to see Luffy with them. He thought he had died, but it looked like he was alright. They began to question him about the pirates.

He tried to hide his arm. Blood flowed freely from it from a particularly nasty wound.

Ussop smiled as wide as he could. He told them that it was just a story he made up about Kurahadol for being mean to him.

Luffy, Nami, and Zoro were confused. Zoro and Nami believed Luffy. He was too stupid to lie to them.

The kids took off, merrily wondering about the rest of their day.


Later that night, Ussop had asked Luffy and his crew to meet with him. They arrived to see Ussop sitting on the ground.

He told them about his lie about lying about the pirates and Kuro. He was planning on waiting for their arrival on the shore. He told them about his love for the village even though they had attacked him. Ussop didn't want to do nothing about the pirates! He wanted to protect his home!

Luffy remembered Shushu and how he had died fighting against a force must stronger than it.

He looked at Ussop's face. Luffy could feel the fear emanating from the man in waves, but he was still going to fight for the things he loved.

"We'll help you too."

Ussop looked at Luffy. He didn't expect him to actually offer help.

"Don't worry, Ussop! We won't let you fight alone." Zoro grinned. He thought Ussop was a pretty good guy.

"I'll help as well, but I get to have all the treasure!" Nami exclaimed.

" Jeez, you don't do anything for free, do you?" Zoro sighed. He had expected Nami to be a bit of a better person.

"You guys are actually willing to fight with me?" Ussop said with tears in his eyes. He kinda ignored the injured looking Zoro behind Nami. "Why would you do something like that?"

"Because you're outmatched and outnumbered." Luffy said. His hands cracking as he popped his knuckles.

"Cause you have fear written all over you." Zoro said as he got up. Nami could probably take on them just by herself.

"Fear?! I'm the great Captain Ussop! I'm not scared!" Ussop exclaimed while he stood up. He couldn't stop his knees from shaking. He had sat down so he could keep them restrained, but he got caught up in the moment.

Luffy and his crew just stared at him as he tried to regain control of his body.


They went over their battle plan as they awaited morning. Kuro and his gang would attack from the slope as it was the only way into the village. He had asked what their specialties were and was a bit unimpressed with Luffy and Nami. What good would stretching and stealing be in this situation?

They waited till morning, and yet there was no sign of the pirates.

"Is it me, or can I hear someone shouting "Go!" in the distance?"

"Oh crap!" Ussop panicked. He forgot about the entrance located to the North.

He quickly told Luffy, Zoro, and Nami that they needed to head North, and he ran off.

Ussop arrived just in time to see the pirates heading up the slope. He took aim with his slingshot. He fired, hitting several of them and causing the rest to stop.

Ussop exclaimed that he had made preparations for their arrival and that he, Captain Ussop, was going to stop them.

Ussop started to sweat. He made such boasts, but couldn't really go through with it. He wondered what had happened to everybody.


Luffy ran all around. He didn't know which way North was. Ussop should have told him which way to go.

Zoro looked up at the slope. He knew he could defeat this! If he didn't, he couldn't call himself a man!

He unsheathed two of his swords, choosing not to draw Wadō Ichimonjil. He looked up again.

Using his swords, he managed to climb up the slope Ussop had prepared for the pirates. It was covered in oil which prevented him from climbing it without his swords.

He ran, sheathing his swords as he did so. He hoped he would make it to the battle before Luffy had taken them all out. He just needed to go North!


Ussop was lying on the ground. He had just been struck with a stone mallet one of the pirates had been carrying.

Memories of Kaya and the village flashed through his mind. It was so peaceful...

Ussop grabbed the one that had hit him. The pirate protested against this and began to swing at Ussop with the mallet, wanting him to let go.

"I won't allow..." Ussop began. He glared at the pirate as he looked up. "I won't allow any of you to pass this slope! I may have been a liar my whole life, but I won't allow you to taint this village with your evil!" He yelled at the pirates.

Nami watched as he said this. This guy was just trying his best to protect his home.

"Just shut up already!" A pirate shouted as he ran towards Ussop with a sword drawn.

Ussop was just about to be run through when Nami attacked the pirate, swinging her staff as hard as she could into the man. The other pirates had been taken by surprise, but one of them tried to cut her.

Nami blocked the hit, but was sent flying into the side of one of the walls that lined the slope. She grunted as she felt pain course through her back.

The pirates wore lecherous smiles. She may have been young looking, but her body didn't look too bad.

Some of them drooled.

"Hey! Just get into the village!" Jango yelled as he approached the group from the bottom of the slope.

"Did you all forget what Captain Kuro's plan was?! He'll kill us if we don't get in there!" Jango was sweating. They were a bit late and Kuro had a vicious temper.

The pirates stopped and realized what he said was true. Captain Kuro would murder them all if they didn't follow his plans exactly. They rushed past the injured Nami and Ussop.

"W-wait!" Ussop cried as he grabbed one of the pirates passing by.

"Hey! Let go!" The pirate yelled as he hit Ussop repeatedly. He didn't want to die.

"Don't kill anyone!" Ussop shut his eyes. They were all just running by him and he couldn't do a thing.

He heard a commotion and looked up. There were a bunch of people flying past him.

"Don't know if I can do that, but I guess I could try."

He looked ahead and saw Luffy and Zoro standing ahead, blocking the path to the village.

"Don't just leave me next time, you witch!" Zoro shouted at Nami.

"Ussop! I went where it was colder but I still didn't get here! This isn't North, idiot!" Luffy shouted at Ussop.

Everyone was surprised to see them.

"Wait! North isn't just where it gets colder! Don't put that on me!" Ussop cried out. Luffy stuck his tongue out at him.

When they had showed up, Luffy and Zoro had sent the pirates down the hill. Most were unconscious, others didn't move at all.

"Y-You were that strong?" Ussop stuttered, finally looking at the scene they had caused. It was a combination of shock and pain that had caused his stutter.

Nami appeared upset. "What took you so long?" She had gotten up and headed towards them.

"You should know why!" Zoro was angry. She had used him as a platform to avoid slipping down the south slope.

"You should have led me here, Ussop!" Luffy huffed. He had followed the road from the village and it had led him here after he had run all over the town.

"You ran first, I thought you knew." Ussop muttered. He was fast, but Luffy was in a class of his own.

"They still want to fight?"Asked Luffy as he looked past Ussop. The pirates were struggling to stand up. Most of their number had dwindled due to Luffy and Zoro's attack.

Jango had said a few words and they realized he was trying to hypnotize his comrades to become stronger and faster. Their wounds would heal as well.

"One, two.."

Ussop ran as fast as he could and clasped his hands around Luffy's eyes. Luffy cried out in alarm as his world became dark.

"Jango!"

The pirates got up in a hurry and rushed towards the group. They appeared to have become mad as they rushed with reckless abandon. One of them punched the wall and the group looked on in horror as it cracked.

"Oh no, this is bad!" Ussop shouted. The Black Cat Pirates were closing in on them and they didn't have much time to do anything.

Luffy bopped Ussop in the head. "Why'd you do that!" He shouted, not noticing the approaching pirates. "You surprised me!"

Zoro unsheathed his swords. He was getting excited at the prospect of a fight.

After leaving Ussop alone, Luffy walked with Zoro towards the pirates.


The Black Cat Pirates didn't stand a chance. They were massacred as they were met by Luffy and Zoro.

None of them were really strong, so they had no problems reaching Jango, who looked nervous.

Jango quickly called out the Nyanban Brothers, their names being Buchi and Sham.

At first they acted weak and scared of the two, but suddenly Sham stole two of Zoro's swords and jumped back.

"Let's see how you do without those swords!" Sham laughed as he retreated, not noticing Luffy heading for him with his arm stretched out.

"Gum Gum Pistol!"

Sham lost his footing as a fist propelled him some feet backwards. He landed in the dirt and was still.

Buchi became frightened. Their scheme to steal the swords had failed as he looked at his brother. He couldn't fight these two, he would be-

"Tora..!"

Zoro had retrieved his swords while had Buchi trembled.

Slashes appeared on his stomach. He wasn't even able to consider running away as he slowly fell to the ground, defeated.

"...Gari!"

Zoro looked around. None of these people were very strong, he realized. All the pirates except Jango had been beaten.

He and Luffy started approach Jango, who was still at the bottom of the slope.

"Ah!" Jango exclaimed. "That feeling...-!"

Kuro had arrived. He demanded to know why his plan wasn't in action! It had long since passed dawn and they were still at the North slope?!

He had moved past Luffy and Zoro in a blink of an eye. He looked at his defeated subordinates. This was getting too tiresome, Kuro thought as he finished off Buchi and Sham.

Not many had seen Kuro move. Zoro could barely see a figure move through the air.

Luffy stood still. A blank look had crossed his face. He had expected something a little more exciting than these dopes, but a look of surprise crossed his face as he witnessed the Nyanban Brother's death.

He really didn't like Kuro now.

Suddenly, a ring made of metal flew into his head.

Jango had taken this opportunity to try to kill off one of the two monsters, so he threw the ring at the one he thought was the weaker of the two. Captain Kuro could take care of the stronger one.

"Ouch!" Luffy cried. "That really hurt!" Blood gushed from the wound on his head. His hat was becoming stained with his blood.

"Kurahadol!"

Everyone except Luffy looked to the top of the slope, who had taken his hat to look at it.

Kaya had arrived. Kuro rushed up to meet her.

"I heard everything from Merri." She told her former butler.

"Oh? He's still alive?" Kuro replied. He was too consumed by the crescent moon last night to have checked Merri's condition. Kuro didn't need any loose ends. He would go back and end him later.

Kaya turned to Ussop, who had taken refuge near the top of the slope and apologized with tears springing forth from her eyes.

She said that even though the village had hurt him, he continued to fight.

Even after she had hurt him, he fought to protect her.

Kaya offered her wealth to Kuro. She told him that he could have it as long as he left the village.

"You don't understand, Kaya." He told her, "I don't want just treasure."

Nobody noticed Jango getting demolished by an enraged Luffy in the background. Jango's body thudded against the ground as Luffy destroyed him.

Kuro told her about their past together. He reminded her of all the good times and the bad times they had. He told her he was a patient man, but he couldn't wait any longer.

Kaya was confused. She didn't understand what why he was saying these things.

Kaya was sweating. If he didn't want treasure, what could he want?

"I don't just want your wealth, I also want "peace"". Kuro smirked evilly. If she was willing to give him her money, maybe she would be willing to give more than just that.

"Get out of here, Kaya!" Ussop was running towards them, "Just run away!"

"Give yourself to me, Kaya!" Kuro demanded, "Let yourself be hypnotized and give me everything!"

Kaya started silently crying as she realized what Kuro wanted. She thought of Merri and the villagers.

She thought of Ussop. If she wanted them to be safe she would have t-

"KURO!" Ussop shouted as he ran towards him. His face was raised in the air to strike him.

Kuro merely sidestepped Ussop as he attempted to hit Kuro.

"Ah, I remember. You hit me back in the village, didn't you?" He raised one clawed hand up. "I think you owe me something."

Kaya looked on in horror as she saw him start to bring it down upon Ussop.

Kuro didn't get to say much more as a fist slammed into his face, sending him stumbling to the ground.

Ussop stared in wonder at how Luffy's arm stretched so far to hit Kuro.

He changed his mind, stretching was a great skill!

Luffy was walking towards him as his arm returned. A bored look on his face. He had just smashed that idiot hypnotist into the ground for hurting his hat.

Thinking on that, that was actually the most exciting thing that happened to him today.

Kuro slowly stood up. He had been sent flying past Kaya and Ussop, but he didn't care about that. He had bigger troubles to deal with.

Kuro walked past Ussop and Kaya. There was no point in dealing with any of the weak trash at the moment.

He did give Ussop a good kick in the side before he faced Luffy. They stood a few meters apart.

"You got that skill eating a Devil Fruit, didn't you?" Kuro asked. If he did, then this would be bothersome.

"Yeah, I ate the Gum Gum Fruit. I'm a rubberman." Luffy told him.

Zoro walked away, sheathing his swords. This was now his captain's fight.

He thought it was odd that Luffy took every chance he could to tell people he was a rubberman.

Kuro looked to where Jango lay. He was going to have him hypnotize Kaya, but it looked like Jango was in critical condition.

Kuro would kill him later. He looked back at Luffy.

"Tell me. Why are you fighting me?" This straw hat guy had just shown up at of nowhere and ruined his plans. Kuro wanted to know what possible reason this guy could have to oppose him.

Luffy grinned. "Because I want to protect someone." He got in his fighting stance.

Kuro frowned. That was the reason? So stupid.

Kuro charged towards Luffy. He had to drop to the side for Luffy's left fist to miss.

Luffy saw that he had missed and as his arm hit a tree, he grabbed it. He did pulled himself to the tree while his other arm as in position so he would clothesline Kuro.

"Gum Gum Sickle!"

Kuro grunted as Luffy's arm rammed against his neck, causing him to hit the ground with a thud. Luffy had come to fast for even him. Luffy didn't stop as he flew into the forest.

The Black Cat Pirates couldn't believe what they were seeing! Their seemingly invincible Captain Kuro was being defeated!

Kuro stood up shakily. He hadn't even taken more than two hits and he was already in a bad shape! All of his plans were being wasted by this one man! Three years and careful planning!

Two feet shot from the forest and almost impacted Kuro's body. He tried to slash the legs, but they went back into the forest.

"Gum Gum..." a brief pause filled the area.

"...Rocket!" Luffy shouted as he flew out of the forest.

Kuro moved to the side as Luffy went past him.

Luffy skid across the ground, twisting and stretching so his leg was headed towards Kuro's lower body.

With a cry of "Gum Gum Whip!" he tried to strike Kuro's legs, but he jumped into the air.

Luffy turned and stretched his fist back as he aimed at Kuro's form in the air.

"Gum Gum Pistol!"

His fist headed for Kuro, but he disappeared before it hit.

Kuro stood atop Luffy's arm, but Luffy had already started to retract his arm causing Kuro to fall awkwardly to the ground.

"Captain Kuro!" The Black Cat Pirates cried. They were getting on Luffy's nerves.


Ussop ran to Kaya and checked to see if she was alright. Aside from being a bit traumatized by Kuro, she had a slight fever. He needed to get her out of there as soon as possible!

He looked to see Kuro's fall and couldn't help but laugh.

Ussop began to check to see where Zoro and Nami were. Zoro was sitting to the side, watching the fight and Nami was gone. He would have wondered where she went, but he needed to get Kaya out of there.

Zoro looked up to see Ussop take Kaya out of the area. He thought that was well thought out. Having her here was dangerous. Kuro's goal was to hypnotize her, after all.

He watched Luffy pull a section of the ground and block Kuro's swords with it. He proceeded to destroy Kuro's "claws".

The reason why he was so feared in East Blue was because there wasn't much opposition. Everyone here was weak.

'Well, not everyone.' He thought as he watched Luffy backfisted Kuro into a wall. They were down in the middle of the slope now.

Luffy hadn't transformed the entire fight. He actually had a smile on his face as he hurt Kuro.

The only time Zoro was able to notice his transformation is when Jango did something stupid and paid for it. Luffy's fists had turned white as he pounded Jango's head into the ground.

Some time had passed during Luffy's fight. Zoro didn't care as Kuro said he would kill his crew. He kinda expected a rotten thing from him.

What Zoro did care about was that Kuro disappeared and gashes formed in the walls.

One of those gashes was too close to Zoro's neck for comfort so he decided it would be better if he jumped to the top of the wall.


Nami had just finished raiding the Black Cat Pirates' ship and was disappointed to find almost nothing.

No wonder they were willing to work with a freak like Kuro. They were dirt poor.

She watched as Kuro's crew were suddenly ripped to shreds.

'What's happening?!' She thought. They might have been pirates, but she didn't believe people had to die!


"What does your crew mean to you!? Stop this!" Luffy shouted, his voice was a bit warped.

Kuro obliged. "I'll stop when you die, straw hat!" he told him.

He took a glance at his dying crew mates, "But since you didn't die in that attack, it looks as though you've prolonged their torture." Kuro mocked, "But don't worry! You'll perish in this next wave!"

Luffy said nothing, a frown beginning to adorn his face. He stood still as one of his fists turned white.

Luffy was done. No more playing around.

Kuro did his technique, but wasn't able to hold it for long since Luffy grabbed the clawed hand that was inches away from his chest.

"What? But how di-" Kuro watched as Luffy's hand crushed the blades like they were nothing.

He grabbed Kuro's shirt, his hand's fingers wrapping around his entire body.

"Let's see you dodge this, caretaker." Luffy brought back his white fist and smashed it into Kuro's head.

What remained of Kuro's glasses were shoved into his eyes. The shards cutting the soft flesh. Blood poured from his head as Luffy's fist continued to grind against his head.

Kuro dropped to the ground with a wet smack.

"Good job, Luffy." Luffy heard Zoro say from higher ground. He looked up and smiled.

"Yeah, but he sure did like to talk a lot." Luffy checked his hat for any damage. It still had the scuff from Jango, but other than that, it was fine.

He looked back to Kuro. Luffy thought of something fun to do.


"Take this back!" He shouted to the Black Cat Pirates as they were picking their beaten and bloodied bodies off the ground.

The pirates screamed as they saw their former captain flying at them. They thought he had come back to kill them.

Luffy laughed as he watched Kuro's body hit the ground head first while his crew ran away. They ran past Jango as well in their fear.

He saw Nami come towards him. They both sat down at one of the walls.

Nami looked at Luffy as they got settled. "What made you so upset a while ago? You got really pissed before you beat that "Kuro" guy."

"I hate him. He misled his men." Luffy replied. He started to lie down on the ground. "I'm tired. I want to eat meat."

Nami watched as he picked his head off the ground and looked at Kuro and Jango's bodies that were left where they were.

Nami pulled Luffy up by the ear and dragged him back to Meshi, the restaurant they had eaten at.

There was no way she was going to let him eat them. She would have nightmares for weeks.


"Wow!" "Oh?" "It's a caravel!"

Luffy, Zoro, and Nami exclaimed as they were shown their new ship.

"Its name is the "Going Merry"! I designed it myself!" Said the strange looking man that looked like a goat.

"I thought that the people that had beaten the Black Cat Pirates should have it." He smiled at them.

"Now I'll explain how to steer it." He began as he went to Luffy.

Nami pulled him aside. "He doesn't understand that kind of stuff. Just tell me."

"I also prepared some supplies on the ship as well." Kaya told the group with a kind smile.

"Ah! Somebody stop me!" The group turned to see Ussop roll down the hill with a comically oversized backpack.

His face met Luffy and Zoro's shoes. "Thank you very much." Ussop managed to groan.

The shoes were sticky with something that Ussop was afraid to think about.

Luffy, Nami, and Zoro boarded the Going Merry. They were getting prepared to sail out.

Nami was anyway. Zoro was looking for a place to sleep while Luffy headed into the kitchen area.

"When I come back, I'll tell you about the great adventures I had!"

"Okay! I'll wait for you here."

Nami thought Ussop and Kaya's goodbyes were cute.

She had seen how he tried so hard to stop the pirates from attacking the village.

He was braver than she had originally thought.

Luffy came out of the kitchen with some meat in hand.

Seeing this, Nami thought that they might need to go back into the town to buy more food as she bashed his head into the deck.

They heard Ussop wish them the best out at sea and that he hoped to one day meet with them again.

"Shut up and get on the ship, Ussop." Zoro told him from his sleeping position.

"You're not coming? I'm sure I offered you to join my crew already, right?"

Ussop heard them say it, but couldn't believe it. Tears formed in the corners in his eyes.

"I'm the captain!" Ussop shouted as he boarded the ship. He could hear Luffy raging in the background.

He didn't let his tears show. He was just so happy.


Miss All Sunday awoke to darkness. She was laying down in the forest and it was currently nighttime.

As she picked herself up, she could...feel the things around her. She felt many..."presences" coming from the village, and several smaller presences around her.

It was hard to get her balance. She needed to get out of here.

She heard some rustling behind some bushes. It was some sort of weird man with glasses. He had weapons of some sort on his hands. He was planning on attacking her as he held his hands in the air.

Miss All Sunday put a hand to her head. All of this information came to her, but she didn't remember making an eye to see who it was. She just knew.

She walked away while she formed some hands on the man. Waking up this late in a weird location was getting on her nerves.

Did Luffy just dump her in some ditch? How rude.

As she performed her trademark clutch, she left the forest.

Kuro's body would later be found in the forest ripped in three pieces. It looked like something had torn him apart.

She arrived at a hidden cave near one of the beaches on the island. She hid her turtle, Banchi, inside one of them.

Miss All Sunday boarded Banchi and he swam off. She laid down in her chair, thinking about what had happened that day.

Luffy had surprised her. It seemed there was much more to him than she had originally thought. Another encounter would be an interesting experience.

Even if she did feel a little fear in meeting with Luffy again, she couldn't help but feel excited.

Miss All Sunday hadn't felt like this in a long time. It seems, the future still held some interesting events in it for her.


Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

If you have any questions, feel free to send a PM! I'm not sure if I'll let you in on future developments, but I'll be glad to answer any questions!