A/N:
I`d once more like to thank anyone who`ve reviewed! I get really happy whenever someone does! I appreciate it, since it means that someone took the time to say a few words. Also, please tell me if there is anything in particular you`d like me to include in the story, like "more Kuina!". I will try to fit it in
Question: would you prefer for me to go into detail about Luffy`s past, or should I just run through it? I`ve planned for some of it will be explained a bit before he leaves East Blue, but really, I just looooove being secretive, so I`ll leave the details for later.
Warnings: mild gore this chapter with a small fighting scene. And I`ve realized that I`m crappy at writing fighting scenes, but I try *shrugs*.
PS: Mr. Fuzzy Mane will get explained, so don`t get hung up about him.
xxx
Chapter four - Mikan
xxx
Kuina bumped down on her chair, while Luffy returned to the table.
"Zoro~, have you got any cloth on you? Mine`s in the dinghy." Zoro sighed, though he still grabbed an old piece of cloth from his pocket and threw it at Kuina.
"Thank you!" Kuina then proceeded to dry of the blood from her blade.
"Zoro, clean up after Mr. Fuzz, `kay" Kuina continued.
"Huh?"
"The dog, Mudball-brain, the dog."
"…You named the dog Mr. Fuzz? Like in Mr. Fuzzy Mane?"
"Exactly like Mr. Fuzzy Mane. We need something to call him, you know."
"To name a corpse… Yeah, whatever." Zoro sighed, and gruffly started dragging Mr. Fuzz`s corpse away. On his way though, he couldn't help noticing the state of the restaurant; or rather, the townspeople. And in the middle of it, a happy humming Kuina, whom already had dragged Luffy into a one-sided conversation about lollipops.
"…You`re pretty oblivious, you know."
"Huh?" Kuina blinked. The entire restaurant stared at her like Luffy stared at any vegetables that somehow ended up at his plate; with shock, confusion and fear.
"What?" She raised an eyebrow.
All at once, the townspeople pressed themselves to the walls or ran out the door. She snored. "Wimps."
"Thank you!" Kuina blinked. Bowing before her was Ririka, her eyes glittering with unshed tears.
"Thank you for saving my daughter!"
Kuina smiled friendly.
"It`s fine, don't worry `bout it." Having finished cleaning her sword, she threw the cloth carelessly back at the now returned Zoro, whom, to her dismay, effortlessly caught it.
Ririka didn't take no for an answer though.
"It isn`t much, but please, the food is on the house." She then placed their order on their table. Or rather, as much of the food that fit on it, without it spilling all over. Hopefully, Ririka wouldn`t be regretting treating a bottomless pit`s dinner…
"… Sure, that`d be nice."
Many plates, an even more terrified crowd, and one awestruck Rika later, the food was digested by a very hungry black hole.
All the while, Luffy kept an eye on the girl in the corner.
xxx
When the dog had charged, she was already half out of her chair. Not because she had been afraid and panicked. It took a lot for her to be that, now. No, when it had charged, she had fully intended to attack the monster, even with her mere staff.
No, that wasn't right. She was cunning and she was smart. But she wasn't strong. So it wasn't an intension, more of a… reaction. A reaction of seeing a young girl`s terror as a monster closed in, that reminded her all to much of her sister`s face the day tha- No, she thought, cutting her thought half way through.
No, not now. You can grieve later. When Cocoyashi is safe then… then you can grieve.
She never got a step closer, before the dog had been over the girl. And it hurt. She didn't know the girl, but still, a child should never ever feel terror. She`d gotten pale, eyes widening…
White.
A white sword.
That was the first time she thought of a weapon as beautiful. She saw how a light blade, kept sharp and deadly, had been trussed forward, radiating barely withheld power. The dog had died the moment the blade touched its skin, as graceful as a hawk as it grasped its pray.
The dog felt no pain.
No needless blood had stained the restaurant`s clean floors.
Wielding the sword was a woman, barely older than her, having a grace that rivaled her weapon`s. Long, raven hair had flown around her, her silver eyes shining as sharp as her blade. A green haired man sat behind her, a careless expression on his face, but he still stayed watchful, waiting for having to interfere.
Following the girl, the reaper disguised as a beauty, came her quiet companion. Looks meant nothing in this world; she knew many infamous pirates whom were known for their… unusual quirks, like a certain pirate, infamous for his taboo-to-mention red nose…
But that didn't prepare her for that boy. A so very thin and small boy, dressed in clothes usually worn by farmers, and a smile that had lit up the room even from where she sat. The innocence had disappeared from the boy as he approached the blond idiot. His punch didn't have that wild, but controlled grace as the Raven, but held something else. It held… the sun, she realized. That boy was the sun. He was warm, emitted life and light, but he could just as easily take it away, burn what needed to be burned. The feeling couldn't be categorized, couldn't be put into words, and brought out so much tenderness behind the punch.
The boy didn't see himself as a deliverer of justice like the Marines, but rather saw it as a… burden, a task that had to be done, so why not by him, he who was strong enough to do so? It was beauty, and it was ugliness, two sides of a coin, and she felt privileged to be able to see it.
While the townspeople gawked over the swordswoman, she watched as the boy, quiet as always, returned to his table, being acknowledged with a brief nod by the other two.
They had made eye contact. In that moment, she had felt as if all the responsibilities to save her island got lifted of her shoulders, and wanted nothing more to join them as they ate.
She didn't.
But Nami managed to smile at the boy, one brief, but true smile, and as she saw how the boy`s face lit up, she knew it was worth it.
xxx
They were on their way out of the restaurant when Zoro voiced his thoughts.
"You want her to join." Luffy remained expressionless, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Still, Zoro seemed to understand either way. Kuina didn't really know what Zoro meant, but refrained from asking. She knew it would be met by an eye-roll and blank look by her oh-so-very-precious brothers.
"What are we gonna do `bout him?" She asked instead, referring to the dead-to-the-world blond still lying unconscious on the restaurant`s doorsteps.
Luffy answered Kuina`s question by starting to drag him indifferently behind him as he walked.
They walked down the street in silence.
Quickly getting bored by the stretching silence, Kuina dragged Zoro into a discussion about the first thing that came to her mind, which in this case were… turkeys.
"I wonder if there exists blue turkeys." She said dreamily.
"Huh?"
"Blue turkeys, Zoro, blue turkeys." Kuina said as if it explained it all.
"…"
Luffy chuckled by Kuina`s glee as she dragged the Marimo into complete confusion, all the while leading their way towards the Marine Base. The sibling both noticed, but refrained from questioning it. They would follow their Captain, their brother, wherever he might go, after all.
"Wait."
Luffy turned, meeting the gaze of the orange haired girl before him. Kuina saw how Luffy`s expression lit up as he saw her, a sunny grin already on his face. She had to wonder why it was there. Luffy was kind and gentle (though he was merciless against his enemies), but weren't overly fond of strangers.
Get me wrong; Luffy could make a friend out of everyone and everything. Zoro still had scars from when Luffy somehow befriended a mountain lion, and kept it as a pet for two weeks. It was very cuddly with Luffy and herself, but not overly fond of the Marimo. Kuina was certain it was because Mr. Fuzzy Mane preferred cute things. And Zoro was many things, but cute was not one of them. Luffy just laughed at the whole ordeal. He`d probably never gotten rid of Mr. Fuzzy Mane ever, really, if the villagers hadn't starting to boycott the meat to get it out.
Why was this girl worthy of Luffy`s smile already?
Luffy stared the girl down. As she didn't know Luffy`s body language and didn`t recognize his sign for her to continue speaking, Kuina swiftly spoke for him, as she had many times before.
"Yes?" Too her credit, the girl didn't comment.
"I`ll make this short. This town is being controlled and terrorized by Marine Captain Morgan. Who, conveniently, is the father of that guy." She said, waiving a hand absentmindedly at the battered form of Helmeppo.
"You`ll be in trouble if you don't leave soon." She finished, watching their Captain, analyzing his expression. But if anything, Luffy`s expression lightened even more.
"Why, thank you. It`s very nice of you to tell us!" Kuina said, though the girl`s eyes were singularly on her Captain.
"Now we know who`s ass to kick!"
The girl smiled at hearing Luffy`s sweet voice. She heard the slight strain in it, understanding what a rare gift she was given.
"Yes, now- " The smile turned alarmed, however, as she registered his words. "Wait, what?"
Without further ado, the Straw hat-boy turned around, continuing towards the Marine Base. His companions were quick to follow, leaving the girl behind.
"O-Oy, I didn't tell you for you to go get yourself killed!" She screamed.
Luffy giggled, turning his head slightly towards her, and simultaneously convincing Nami that he really was crazy. And maybe she was too, for being there to begin with. She turned to the other two, looking for support in a last effort. What she found was two identical, predatory grins, making shivers spread through her body.
"…You`re mad. All three of you!" Luffy continued to smile, and Nami knew that she was trapped.
xxx
"Captain Morgan, sir." A large man, dressed in the Marines` usual blue and white, was seated in an extravagant office, his back against his officer.
"Yes?" The cold voice of the man answered.
"Sir, there seem to be some commotion in town. An eyewitness has informed about some dangerous individuals at the restaurant known as Food Foo. They seem to have harmed your son."
The Marine Captain snored. "That sound like that shrimp. Seeing himself as so great, while we all know the great one is me!" A sharp laugh followed. The Marine soldier sifted uncomfortably on his feet.
"… Sir that is hardly the poi-" A large hand smacked into the desk, making a slapping noise roam through the room. The marine immediately became silent, fear starting to spread through his body.
"You dare, you dare…" The man breathed in heavily, tension building in the air. "Little shit, you dare looking down on me?!"
The marine wavered, his eyes widening in fright. Marine Captain Axe Hand Morgan stood before him, his eyed filled with irrational anger. But before he could try to flee his sure-to-come death, a knocking noise interrupted Morgan`s wrath.
Following the noise came some fierce whispering-noises in a not-so-quiet argument, before the door opened wide, revealing the same people the Marine had tried to warn his Captain about.
A straw hat-wearing boy entered the room, nonchalantly dragging the unconscious son of Morgan after himself. Unsurprisingly, Morgan didn't seem overly worried about his son`s condition.
"…And who are you?" The Marine Captain`s voice was low, barely controlled, his face slowly turning red from the effort of keeping his common sense intact. Well, the little he had.
"Lu-chan, the man who will become Pirate King!" A Raven girl behind in the little group exclaimed, referring to the boy effortlessly holding Helmeppo up with on hand. The boy was all smiles and sunshine, somehow managing to ignore Morgan`s barely controlled anger.
Or, the marine thought, as the boy started picking his nose, maybe he simply is so dense?
"We`re here to return onion-head back to you." Zoro`s voice drew the Marine Captain`s attention to him. While he spoke, Luffy threw said onion-head into the nearest chair. Remarkably, Morgan laughed at this. The noise was nothing like the merry chime from the townspeople's joy. It was stony, cold, without a hint of humor.
"What is the infamous Pirate Hunter doing here? Are you going to collect a bounty?"
Zoro`s eyebrow twitched. Why did those stupid Marines give him that name, anyway? It wasn't his fault that that damn fish boat, with him in it, had floated away from Shimotsuki`s harbor while he slept. It wasn't his fault that those fucking trees always moved when he passed them (cause he didn't get lost, damn it!). Some of them had gotten the worst end of Zoro`s temper, leaving tree-corpses and orphaned acorns in his trail.
And it wasn't his fault that all bandits and pirates alike had been in his way on the way home, though Luffy never complained. More money to the Pirate Fund, anyway. The whole experience hadn't done any good to Zoro`s steadily growing brother complex, either.
"Don`t call me that."
"Hit a nerve, did I? Well, not like it matters. Even the infamous Pirate Hunter won`t get away with causing disorder in my town!"
Now, the Marine solider wasn't a very clever man. But he remembered what the panicking eyewitness had told him. He remembered that it was the Raven girl that killed the dog with one strike and the boy that hurt Captain`s son. And Pirate Hunter, a man feared as the Demon of the East Blue, hadn't even interfered, hadn`t needed too. All three of them were strong, and the Marine feared for his Captain.
Oh, it wasn't like he liked Captain Morgan, but… but as a Marine, could he really just say nothing? No, he decided, no I can`t just watch.
He yelled out a warning.
"Captain, I believe it is unwise to-"
Well, intended to, anyway.
The Marine watched in morbid fascination as blood stained the wooden floors.
He wondered what brought it there, even as he fell to his knees. His eyes were on the silver axe of his Captain, now stained as red as the floor; his vision slowly faded, until it disappeared entirely.
Oh. It`s my blood.
"I`ve already told you! Don't look down on me, you low scum! And you-"
He turned abruptly to the three siblings, fire and arrogance glowing in his eyes.
"-people too! I am Marine Captain Axe Arm Morgan! I am way over some lowly wannabe pirates!"
As he spoke, he stepped closer to the three of them, bringing his axe up towards the closest. Zoro. It never hit it`s target. Morgan, arrogant, thickheaded Morgan, felt his axe, his arm, being caught by a… black hand?
"…Why did you hurt your nakama?" Luffy muttered, the sound being nearly inaudible.
Morgan saw the small brat before him, one half his height, a fourth of his weight, and suddenly he felt his stubbornness waver. He felt his instincts scream at him to answer the damn question. But that didn't stop him from answering unwisely, not understanding his own gut.
"He dared to give me, Captain Morgan, an order? To question my authority?! Know your place! Remember that rank means everything in this world!" He growled out, the fire back in his eyes. With that, he renewed his effort to bring down his arm-
"Wrong answer." Zoro muttered.
-only to feel a pressure, a so very small fist against his stomach, making him fly backwards, his body smashing against his expensive desk.
He didn't scream.
His lungs would have needed breath for that.
As his body slowly started to betray him, he recalled that his son had been taken down by one mere punch. But he was so much greater than his son… How couldn't he take more?
Growling, he raised too his feet, ignoring the dreadful pain, sending a murderous glare at the Strawhat-boy.
"W-Who are you?" The boy blinked innocently, and shared a glance with his companions.
"Luffy." All three said in unison. And that was that. It was so simple. It was so difficult.
Zoro unsheathed his sword, muttering under his breath.
"Santoryu; Oni Giri."
Morgan fell too the ground.
xxx
"Well done." Kuina jumped at the sudden noise, already forgotten the girl that had waited for them outdoors. A now calm Luffy snickered behind his hand, while Zoro smirked at her.
Jackasses.
She turned around, and saw the girl leaning against the doorframe. Her expression was one of confidence and mild arrogance, but after years of reading Luffy`s expressions, she knew that it was something underneath that. There was something there, and it wasn't pretty. It was insurances and fears for the people before her, the boy - no - man that had now beaten two men with one punch each. It was an even deeper hidden scar from something, something breathtakingly horrible.
And Kuina felt a desire to help this girl, who reminded her all too much of her little brother, and as she shared a glance with Zoro, she knew he felt the same.
"You have defeated the rulers of this island, and freed it. Congratulations, you`re a hero. Happy?"
Luffy blinked. Then he gave her his famous are-you-a-fucking-retard-look while tilting his head curiously to the side. Seeing Luffy wasn`t up for explaining, Zoro voiced their shared thoughts.
"We`re not heroes. We don`t do anything for anyone else, or the goodness of our heart, or anything hypocritical-shit like that. Luffy did it to protected Na and I, and for his own morals."
Name blinked. She… hadn't expected that. Her eyes narrowed in sudden suspicion.
"That sounds like something a pirate would say. You aren`t…" She trailed of as she saw the siblings` identical grins.
"So you are pirates!" Her cold, if slightly dumbfound expression disappeared. Anger took it`s place, making her act like a cornered animal, ready to lash out any moment.
"Pirates… You were meaning to take advantage of me, right?! You know of my navigation skills, right?! Well, I ain`t helping you!"
Kuina couldn't help it; she burst out laughing. She was rolling around on the floor and everything. Nami stood there, anger getting replaced by confusion, as Kuina weren't stopping anytime soon.
Zoro rolled his eyes.
"What the heck are you laughing at now?"
"S-she is-s too cute! All angry and red, and at Luffy off all people! It`s hilarious!"
Kuina dried the tears from the corners of her eyes, a few chuckles escaping her lips.
"I will never understand your humor."
"Hopefully, since you don`t have any."
"Stop ignoring me!" Nami growled.
"Ah sorry." Kuina said, mock-bowing for the effect.
"Can`t you be serious for one second?!"
"No can do. Zoro is serious enough for all of us."
"Shut up."
"See what I`m dealing with? Can`t even take one small joke. Geez."
Nami calmed down slightly as Zoro growled back. It turned into a sweat drop as they started having a yelling match, Kuina using the most unrelated facts to try to get her point across, and Zoro trying to keep his temper in despite of them.
Luffy giggled at the scene, before getting serious once more (despite of Kuina`s overdramatic and random tears).
He took a deep breath, as to will his voice to last.
"We`re pirates." He began, his voice steady, if low. "We do what we want for ourselves, for our freedom." He was looking straight into Nami`s eyes. Nami couldn't help but feel like those eyes looked through her, through all the fake confidence and strength, and saw into the crying girl over her mother`s corpse. It was terrifying, breathtaking, but Nami still felt… safe. Safe like Luffy would, despite of all that, accept her demons and ugliness, and keep her warm during the cold storm called life.
"We live like we want, do what we want. The sea is beautiful and we want to be a part it. We do what we do for our dreams and ambitions, for our nakama and ourselves. That is the kind of pirates we are."
"T-That`s-"
"What`s your name?"
"N-Nami…"
"Nami. Let me show you my world."
xxx
Just to clarify, Nami was with them to steal the Grand Line Chard. Also, I hope I didn`t make her to OOC…
And I know they don`t usually spell out their feelings and stuff, but I like writing like that so meh.