Review, because I'd really appreciate it. Though I am definitely happy with the attention this story is getting so far. So to the reviewers, followers, and favorites so far, thank you, you've all made me very happy. Also I'd like to apologize for taking so long with this chapter, hopefully next time won't be as long a wait.
Note: I don't own pirates of Caribbean and there will be some reference early in this chapter, thank you. Also this chapter while mainly being about the syrup village arc will also contain some before and after so they should be reaching syrup village around the middle. This is gonna be the longest chapter yet.
One piece revised!
By
Monk D. drgn.
Noble liar & the man of 1000 plans!
" If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything. " - Mark Twain.
It was a Sunny day, all was good. On the permanently unnamed ship our favorite Pirates were all doing their own thing. Zoro was as usual Taking a nap, Nami was drawing a mad of the the island that orange town was on, Luffy was standing at the bow over looking the Ocean. Mike was nowhere to be seen. It had been like this for about the whole morning since they had breakfast. This however changed when Mike came to get Nami and Zoro & asked them to come with him to the treasure Room. Once they got there Mike began to talk.
" Now I've brought you to down here so that I may give you your pay. "
This took a moment for them to process. Zoro was the first to ask ... " Pay? "
Mike just sighed at this.
" Yes Zoro, pay. You know that thing that is received upon doing ones job. " The calm way he was speaking made it seem like he was talking to a child which of course pissed off Zoro.
" I know that, I meant that I was surprised that we get paid "
Mike raised an eyebrow at this.
" Really, let me guess, you never heard of the code have you? "
" Code? What code? "
Mike sighed again and then said " The Pirate Code. "
At this both of them just stared at him which causes him to sigh a 3rd time.
" As in the code that stands as the only existing law of pirate kind. "
At this the two took a moment to process for the two armatures of piracy, It was Nami who expressed the most shock.
" You mean that pirates have a laws!? "
Mike took a moment to stair and then said ...
" Yes, it is an ancient code though, calling it a legal system is a little far Fetched "
" And what does it involve exactly? " asked a stern faced curious Zoro who wanted to know.
" Well I probably couldn't tell you the entire code since there are about 1,000,000 different little rules. While that stand more as guide lines than actual rules, most pirates follow a couple of the original rules, Most pirate crews however have their own set. But there almost always partially based on the base code. One of the most prominent & oldest rules is that of parley, which entails that if some one is captured, that should they say the word, literally, then they will be taken to the captain of the crew were they shall negotiate a deal of release. Wether there a fellow pirate or civilian, of course most civilians don't know about the code. And even those who do rarely know what it entails. "
" So, what that have to do with us getting paid? " Nami ask this one as she was confused.
" Simple, According to the Code the crew must be paid after every successful raid or when a profit is simply made. This is what happened at orange town, now your pay is based on the crews current account balance which is about 22,000,000 berries. Since the captain appointed me treasurer I get to decide pay. Now ... " he was then interrupted.
" Wow, wow, wow! When did Luffy make you treasurer!? " asked an exasperated, and just a little bit miffed, Nami.
" Last night. "
Zoro then asked " And so you now Bosun, Treasurer, and captain's assistant, isn't that a bit much? "
" Not really, I mean being bosun doesn't exactly keep me occupied, and besides an occasional snack request the only thing I help Luffy with is the Log. So treasurer is a welcome position. "
For Zoro only one thing caught his attention and that was ... " We have a Log. "
" Of course we have a log, now do you want your pay or not? " asked Mike who was starting to Sound annoyed.
" Uh, yeah. " the 2 said in union.
" Okay, then for Nami we have 1,001,115 berries, For me 1,001,075, and for Zoro, 2,001,120. "
The high #,s of their pay shocked them and they where silent for about a minute! Then Nami asked a simple question.
" Why are we getting paid so much, and if this is supposed to be for the whole crew then why isn't Luffy here? "
Mike once again sighed & answered " it's so much because we can be of aford to be paid so much and it's also based on the amount of work we do. As for why Luffy isn't here, he's the captaIn. According to the code as such he basically owns the ship and all the treasure on board is until distributed among the crew, everything that's left is his. "
Mike then left while they were still in shock so that he didn't have to answer any more questions.
Later:
After everything settled down for awhile the crew sat down to discuss their next move. The usual table was set down on deck with east blue maps and Nami's navigational equipment, along a snack of finger sandwiches and Zeppoles. Luffy was of course trying to eat it all, While Zoro was asleep and Mike was waiting patiently for Nami to begin. Seeing that they couldn't begin without Zoro awake so he whacked him on the head to wake him up, this of course got a reaction out of Zoro.
" OW, What the hell!? "
Nami was the one who answered him " Because as annoying as it is, We can't make a decision without you! So pay attention! " Luffy & Mike were starring awe, she knew how to take control, Nami once again started.
" Now Since we're all Finally awake, let us begin planning our next stop. Obviously our supplies are certainly not near depletion yet, but as pointed out by the ships bosun we and I quote " Need a new ship as this is to big & and we need trade it in for the cash " end quote. "
" And why do we need a new ship? " asked a confused and curious Zoro.
Mike of course answered " Cause this was a marine ship, and we can make a lot of money, and this just isn't the Ship for us. Case closed. "
" Okay, any way we have 2 islands to choose from Either Gecko island or, sourdough island. "
" Gecko island " said Mike.
" Why? Sourdough seems more populated. From what I understand Gecko has just the one village. "
" Let's just say that I've been to sourdough, not a place you want to visit. Trust me. "
The 3 other pirates just stared at him for some. In the end they decided to take his word for it.
" Alright then, I guess were going to Gecko. "
" YEAAHHH! Onward to Gecko! "
3 Shouts of " You got it Captain " erupted followed by every one changing the ships course. After all the Business of getting the ship moving towards Gecko everyone went about doing their own thing. Luffy decided to practice with his sword for a little while, Zoro decided to join him in Training. Nami went about looking over her maps and Mike said he'd be meditating.
With Luffy and Zoro the 2 found that they had very contrasting styles of fighting. While Zoro used a very eastern style were as he used katanas and by combining the known style of Kendo with his use of three swords he was able to invent the 3 sword style and a host of moves to go with it. Kendo for which his training is based basically instructs a heavy balance of defense, and offense. 3 Sword style or 'Santoryu' takes this in account by using all three swords as a constant defense while the majority of the style has to do with offense. Luffy on the other hand used a more eastern style based on strength and brute force. It appeared to be a mix of a Viking style and the style primarily used by sailors, mostly Marines and Pirates, with just a smidgen of fencing for flair and a heavy effaces on applying extreme force to deliver maximum damage with very little effort, he had nearly no defense techniques. Mostly because Luffy was primarily a offensive fighter, and cause had little regard for injuries. As they began to to spar using their basics with Zoro using just the Wado Ichimanji. Seeing an opportunity Zoro decided to start conversation.
" So what do you think of Nami? "
" What do you mean what do I think? I let her on my crew didn't I "
" So your telling me that you don't find it strange that a thief who strictly stole from pirates just ups and joins a crew? "
" Don't sweat the small stuff, there's no point in getting worried. Just focus on what's happening right now. "
" If you say so captain. I just hope it doesn't blow up in our face's. "
" Shishishishi, you worry to! Now come on, let's fight. "
At this the two continued to spar.
Meanwhile:
As captain first-mate sparred the navigator went looking for the bosun. It took awhile but eventually she found him in the crows nest. He was as he said meditating in the classic lotus position. There was incense and a string of medallions on the floor And to his left was a tea-set with steam coming off the pot. It seemed an eternity as she just watch him. Eventually just as she was reconsidering her decision to come up the silence was broken.
" You just gonna stair or did you come up here for a reason? "
This startled her and she nearly fell but caught herself.
" Wow! Mike you scared me, And I came up to talk to you. "
" I Apologize. "
Curious Nami asked " So, how did you know I was here? I mean no offense but aren't you death? "
" Hath death, and my sense of smell is just fine " said the bosun with some irritation in his voice, Though he hid it well " So what brings you to my humble domain? " with a slight bit of curiosity in his voice.
Nami was slightly nervous as something about the young man unnerved her, somehow though she fought her apprehension and joined him in the slightly cramped crows nest.
" Well, I kinda need to talk to you about something that you said, you know while we were in orange town. "
As she said this she was rubbing her neck nervously while trying to find the words to express her concerns.
" And, what are your concerns? "
This of course startled her ' Huh, did he just read my mind? ' were the thoughts going through her head. And of course, he replied.
" Yes I did, and yes I can read minds. And I suspect that that's part of the reason you've come to talk to me " while this may have sounded like a question it really wasn't.
" Right, well that's kinda what I wanna talk to you about. You said that you could read someone down to the molecular level, what exactly does that entail? "
At this Mike just grinned " Entail? My, what a fancy word. If you want to know about my reading powers then okay but don't go spreading it around, you never know what unsavory types might be listening " here she just nodded so Mike continued " alright, well I can with my powers read a persons Immediate thoughts, that is to say I can read what their thinking but only so long as it's in their head. I can also tell if someone's lying or if their hiding something, however You're afraid I can see into you're past, which I can. However I have no interest in that unless someone wants to tell me. After all it's kinda like rifling through someones stuff without permission And that's just rude, besides it's much harder anyway and can tire someone quickly if there not careful. "
While Nami was relived she couldn't help but comment.
" And you're not Rude? " she said raising a skeptical eyebrow.
At this Mike seemed somewhat offended " Hey! I have manners, I don't often use them but I Got them And I'm certainly not as bad as Luffy, don't even get me started on Zoro! "
At this they both laughed because it was true that Zoro didn't seem to have any manners.
Breaking through the Laughter Mike said " You know, I haven't laughed this much in a long time, but being with this crew just kind of makes me want to guffaw. "
Nami who was calming down just nodded and smiled. She then got up to go back to her maps. As she got to the latter she decided that the conversation needed some parting words " Thanks, you've managed to put me at ease " she said with a smile.
Mike smirked which on him looked like a smile " no problem. You ever need anything just come and ask " and so he went back to meditating.
Somehow despite her problems he hat manage to make her stop worrying, though deep down she knew he wasn't the only one. Once his offer became clear she thought she would, and she knew he heard.
Things proceed pretty normally though they decided to raise a plain Jolly Roger and the crew makes it to Gecko the next day a little before noon. They weighed anchor and set foot on the beach. The beach slowly rose until they came to a cliff that had to be at least 40 feet tall. To their right they could see as lobe that while still steep would Lead them to the path that would take them to one syrup village.
Mike seeing the cliffs felt the need to comment.
" Well aren't them some steep cliffs, makes me wonder why they'd settle here. Then again I suppose it would make a nice defense. "
He then proceeded to sniff the air and said " we're being watched " he the turned his head to the right.
While Nami seemed surprised Zoro was on-guard, Luffy though had his hand on his hat covering his eyes and said " I know " his voice deadly serious and far away from his usual joking laid-back self.
Following Mike's line of sight they saw a young man about Luffy's height. He was lean to the point of being scrawny. He was wearing overhauls and had a satchel over his shoulder And a pair of focus goggles on his head, he had curly hair under a golden mustard colored bandanna. His most notable feature was his 3 inch long nose. He had his arms crossed with a serious look on his face. He soon spoke.
" You should leave Pirates! This island is under my protection, i'm known around the as the harbinger of death, accomplisher of many impossible feats, they call me captain Usopp! "
By the looks they were unconvinced and staring him down. Usopp was beginning to loose his nerve but he wouldn't give up yet.
" Didn't you hear, I said leave! Or else my 80,000,000 men will Kill you! "
He then proceeded to fire pachinko at Luffy's feet with a sling shot which he ( Luffy.) dodged effortlessly. Still this showed a great bit of power and skill in his shooting. As this was done a bunch of flags popped up from behind the bushes.
" And now you see I'm better this slingshot then anyone with any pistol! Step lightly pirate. "
At this everyone was Still quite and Luffy now had his hand on his hat again covering covering his eyes. While Nami and Zoro seemed mildly impressed Mike just looked on with a blank expression and said.
" You sir are a terrible liar and I didn't even need to read you. You're ridiculous # of men is apparently really only 3. Care to try again. "
As he said this was smirking exposing his fangs and at this 3 young boys screamed and ran away. Usopp looked somewhat surprised at this but set aside his fear and pulled out his slingshot again.
" Well maybe I don't have a great many men, but I am Usopp the proud and I will not stand here and let you trample my village. "
" Now that you've drawn you're weapon, are you willing to use it? "
This was Luffy who despite his mild tone sounded and looked quite intimidating with one eye visible under the brim of his hat. " What? " Said a scared Usopp who was now sweating in fear.
" Weapons aren't for threats, there for actions. "
Catching on quickly Mike and Zoro decide to join in.
" I can assure you that we're real pirates. Choose your next move very carefully. " said Zoro.
Mike spoke next " He's right, it would be unwise to tangle with us, if you want to live. " he said with sadistic glee.
At this point Usopp was on his knees crying just a little " They're right, pirates can back up their words with allot more punch to em. "
with this they couldn't help but laugh Hysterically which surprised Usopp.
" Shishishishishi! I stole those words from red haired Shanks! " Replied a more cheerful Luffy." Hey, you're Usopp! right. That means that you're dad's name is Yasopp, am I right? "
This surprised the Boy so much that he tumbled down the hill near the shortest part of the cliff were he was standing on which only caused more laughter.
A little later...
After establishing that they weren't there to pillage and plunder Usopp welcomed them and lead them to a local diner were they had lunch, at which point Luffy explained how he knew usopp's dad.
" No kidding, you really met my dad? "
" Yup! No doubt. I heard enough about you to make my ears bleed. And he was a great Pirate. "
Usopp seemed very happy with this.
" Yeah, I'm real proud of my old man. He went to live out an adventurous life on the open sea. "
This of corse managed to bring a smile to the others faces and Mike spoke.
" It's kinda amazing though that you 2 would meet ten years later like this. It's like ... Fate, or something. "
" Shishishishi, Yeah I guess so. Shishishi "
Nami then had a thought.
"Hey, maybe you could help us! We want to get a new ship and sell the old one. Do you know anyone in town who can sell us a ship, or even anyone who'd like to buy one even?"
At this Usopp seemed to get real nervous.
" No, I don't know anything about that "
At this Zoro mentioned something he had seen earlier.
" What about that big mansion up on the hill, can't we ask the person who lives there? " As he said this he was pointing backwards towards with his thumb as you could see the mansion through the window.
" You stay away from there! "
This startled everyone at the table.
Usopp himself had a really surprised look on his face and then said " Aahhh, I just remembered I have somewhere to be, so stay as long as you like. Everything's on me, I'm real well known here so, bye! "
He then rushed out.
" What was that about? " Asked a befuddled Nami.
Luffy was the one to reply, as he was gnawing on a fish bone.
" When you got to go, you gotta go. "
Mike spoke next. " Yeah but even so, that was weird. "
Just then 3 boys burst into the restaurant screaming about saving their captain. Zoro leaned over and recognized them " hey aren't those the kids who was hanging out with Usopp? " Mike also recognized them. " yeah I think you're right. " The kids then walked up to them and pointed wooden swords at them.
" You stupid pirates! What have you done with our beloved captain?! " this was said by the one who resembled a carrot.
It was of course at this moment that Luffy decided to Speak and freak the boys out. ( Possibly on purpose. )
" Ah, that was some good meat! "
This caused the boys the hold onto each other and the onion headed one to ask "what meat?" The shaking boy asked.
At this Zoro and Mike got sadistic smiles on their faces.
" If you're looking for Your captaIn? " as he said this Zoro's face looked absolutely chilling " We ate him " then Mike added " and he was delicious " and at this the 3 boys clingGED together. The 3 male pirates laughed at this and even Nami had an amused smirk, at least until the boys called her a demon witch, Then the boys fainted. Once they woke up the straw hats told them the truth and explained to Them that Usopp had left in a hurry, the boys then explained how ussop went up to the mansion to tell lies and cheer up the girl who lived there. Having cleared that up Luffy came up with the idea that they should talk to her about getting a new ship. At this Mike brought something up.
" Actually Luffy, I was wondering if I could go try and sell the war-ship. "
" Uh, but why? " asked a befuddled Nami.
" Cause, acquiring a new ship does not reacquire the entire crew and we can't have two ships. So I'll go find someone to buy her for a Reasonable price, that alright with you captain? "
" Yeah, no problem "
At that Mike silently left. Usopp had said that the town was small as well as the only village on the island, small was an understatement. This town was so small it wouldn't stand out if you tried to sight it from the sky. It seemed to be a fishing town which was useful to him seeing as all fishing towns had a boat shop, and low & behold there it was. He walked through the door and was noticed immediately by the owner and he put down his newspaper.
" Hello young man, what can I do for you? "
" Hi, what's the biggest boat you've got? "
" That would be the seiner, about 33 feet. If I may ask you're clearly not from around here. So shouldn't you have a boat already? "
Mike seemed to sigh at this " That's why I'm here. You see my captain feels that we need a new ship, so while he handles that I'm here to sell the ship we have to you. "
The man seemed intrigued " What kind of ship? "
" A retired navy warship, decommissioned. You can do with it anything you want. All you have to do is buy it. "
This shocked the man who couldn't believe that someone could own a government ship or that they would sell it, which was why he was suspicious.
" And why would you sell such a ship? "
" Well the captain thinks that we need a smaller ship as we're a small crew and there's just to much room. So he's getting us a new ship while I sell the old thing. "
The old man had found the sale strange, but he just couldn't find himself to doubt the young man so he decided to trust his instinct.
" Alright, how much? "
" How about, 50,000 berries? "
Once again the old man was surprised, this time at the extremely low price for such a good quality ship, but he decided to not look a gift horse in the mouth.
" Alright, I'll give you the money now and I'll come down and look at her when I have the time. "
" Ok, good bye "
The old man then handed him the money and Mike turned and left, with a smirk on his face. What the old man didn't know that he had just been manipulated, through sorcery. While Mike's main training was in alchemy this did require a certain equal understanding of magic and science. However only magic has a simple direct means of influencing people. While full blown mind control is technically forbidden, adding suggestions to weak willed and minded individuals was quite simple. Now he just had to find the others, he also wondered why he had the sense that something happened, he'd figure it out.
A little while later:
He eventually found them at the side of the road, strangely one person was missing from the of kids, and trio of pirates Individually. he asked Zoro and was told that Usopp got insulted by the rich girls butler and that Luffy had gone after him, and he had no idea where onion was. One of the boys commented that onion sometimes disappeared and came running screaming about something. Then, as if they'd rehearsed it, Onion came running screaming about a weirdo walking down the street backwards. Once he reached them his friends screamed " LIAR! " but he denied it and pointed behind him.
As it turned out he was telling the truth, because there was in fact a weirdo coming down the road. Mike who had seen and done a lot of things Decided to comment.
" For some reason this reminds me of something, I can't tell what but something. "
Nami was a little more blunt.
" He's right! It really is a weirdo! "
Then he stopped in his tracks, and faced them " Hum, What?! Weirdo! I'm just a run of the mill ordinary hypnotist! "
At that the kids wanted a demonstration of his skills. At first protested, but almost immediately said that he didn't have to show off his skills to a bunch of brats. Then he pulled out a metal ring and said.
" At the count of 1, 2, Jango! And you shall fall asleep! Now, ONE, TWO, JANGO! "
And the boys fell asleep, Along with the hypnotist...
Zoro was the first to speak " Well, that was weird " he said the with befuddled facial expression. Nami just looked shocked, while Mike had raised an eyebrow and said...
" Indeed, Come on Zoro. "
The green haired swordsman turned to his friend and asked " Where are we going? " At this Mike pulled a bottle from his satchel and flipped it in his hand as he said " we're going to cheer up Usopp, the old fashioned way " now Zoro had a raised an eyebrow questioning his friend.
" And that would be? "
" To get drunk off our asses. "
Nami then noticed she wasn't included.
" Hey, wait! What about me!? "
Mike turned to to her and replied " Sorry Nami, this is a guy thing. Map the island or something. I promise to make it up to you later! " he then turned and walked away. Truthfully he felt bad for excluding Nami. But what was about to take place was strictly a guy thing.
Meanwhile with Luffy and Usopp...
Luffy had found Usopp on the south cliff overlooking the south shore. So far they had been discussing the butler and how much he'd infuriated Usopp.
" I don't understand, why don't you just hit him again " asked a confused Luffy.
" Sigh, Cause that would make me look like an immature Asshole, I hit him cause he insulted my dad. Hitting him now would just make me seem just the way he said I was. "
Luffy just looked at him for 5 seconds and then said " I still don't get it. " Usopp sighed again at this. " You're real dense, you know that " then the two heard a noise at wich point Luffy went on guard and Usopp Started to shake like a leaf.
" Whoever's there come out! "
" Ye..ah, yeah! And I have an army that's 100,000 strong! So back off! "
At this Luffy just looked at him questioningly. Then the possible attacker just laughed. Mike and Zoro just walked out of the brush finding their individual reactions amusing. Since they now knew who it was they both relaxed. Luffy then asked about their arrival.
" Hi Zoro, hi Mike! What are you doing here? Did you find someone to buy the ship?! " He directed this last question to Mike specifically.
Mike dutifully Answered " Sure did captain, got a nice reasonable price for it to " as he said this he had a smirk on his face like something was funny. " Any way, we're here to help cheer Usopp up." At this the long nosed sling shop user seemed mildly surprised that they would go to that kind of trouble, then just smiled at how fast they had all become friends.
" Thanks guys. "
Mike smiled " no problem. "
The two then sat down joining their friends on the ground.
" So, how are you guys gonna cheer me up ? " asked an anxious Usopp.
Mike replied " Simple, we're gonna get drunk off our asses, by playing a game of I never in the order of me, you, Zoro, Luffy, and continue with this pattern till you're laughing so hard you go unconscious. " At the mention of being drunk usopp started to look slightly nervous but then he relaxed a little, Mike thought it was slightly strange but wouldn't pry if not necessary. Mike then pulled out 4 shot glasses and from behind his back a bottle that was labeled ' Serpent's Spit Wine ' and on the label next to the name was a snake with a grape in it's jaws.
" Ok, everybody ready? " the other 3 nodded and Mike filled their glasses and said " Then let's get started " I have never broken a single bone in my body. " Interestingly Zoro was the only one to take a drink at this statement.
Usopp amazingly was the first to comment on it.
" What? Really Zoro, you're the only one out of all of us whose his bones broken! "
Zoro just shrugged at this and said " It's no big deal, I broke my right let Training as a kid. It only increased my determination. "
At this no one spoke a word and decided to just continue with Usopp going next. He had to think about it for a second but then had it.
" I never been sick before! "
At this only Mike drank his shot. Once he put down his glass he saw that he was the only one and said. " Ok, this better not become a running theme. "
Next was Zoro. " I've never attacked an opponent when their back was turned. "
Luffy and Mike drank to this one. While he may not do it, Zoro didn't object if others felt the need to use dirty tactics. After this Luffy went.
" I've never had any kind of formal education. "
At this all 3 of them drank. It was Mike's turn again.
" I've never had kids. "
at this no one else drank
" Dammit! I was hoping for a bastard child! " said Mike as he took the penalty drink.
Moving on Usopp said " I've never kissed another guy. " Usopp of course expected to take the penalty drink, instead Mike and Luffy took a shot. After this there was a moment of absolute silence. It seemed to stretch on forever until finally Usopp said " You two have kissed other guys? " he said this really quite surprised.
Mike responded first while also rolling his eyes. " Only while I was drunk, and it's not like it meant anything " at this Zoro raised an eyebrow and said " then is it really a good idea for you to be drinking. Once again Mike rolled his eyes " It was one time! I'm not gay, not that there's anything wrong with that. But I'm not. " and so once that was done the 3 turned to Luffy for an explanation. He just shrugged and said " I'm bisexual. " The others jaws dropped at this and they slid back a little. Luffy laughed at this and said "don't worry, I won't make a move on you guys. Unless you want me to! Shishishishishi!" They relaxed a little though they still seemed ready to run if he tried to make a move on them.
After this they continued to play for awhile. The four were in differing states of drunkenness. Usopp was, though his tolerance was at least average, at this point looked like a headless chicken who could still talk, if chickens could talk. Unbelievably Zoro appeared to be next in line as he was mumbling incoherently. Mike seemed okay except he kept twitching and bringing up the weirdest things like the devil being a woman, and god being a giant goldfish in a bowl talking in literal bubbles, ( god, not Mike. ) and for some reason how death was a bitch that needed to be slapped. Luffy who was the best was just barely slurring and his movements being off just so. At this point the game was definitely over.
For some reason at this point Zoro was telling a story about the fact that he apparently beat up a guy and the reason was ...
" So I'm a virgin. So what?! Woman are a distraction anyway! I MEAN, WHAats the point. I prefer the company of men anyway. " and then he took another shot from the ne'er by empty bottle, empty.
While it was unintentional this last statement was a lot funnier while they were sloshed. Zoro of course miss-interpreted their laughter being about his virginal status.
" HEY! SHUT up! There's nothing wrong with it! "
Usopp of corse was the One to try and placate him.
" Hey maaaann, no reason to get testy. We're just laughing cause it's funny. There's nothing wrong with being a virgin, i'm one so I ada know, right guys? " he turns to the others asking about it. Luffy says he doesn't know as he's not one and that it doesn't matter. Mikes response on the other hand was " Virginity is an allusion that we all fall prey to. I stripped my self of it long ago, it changes nothing " this would confuse the others if they were sober, but there not so Usopp's response is " see, it changes nothing. " at this point Luffy shushes them saying that he's trying to listen. At this the others just look at each other and as if sharing a thought get onto their stomachs and crawl to the cliff to see what got Luffy so focused. It turned out to be Kaya's butler talking to the weirdo hypnotist.
As it turned out the butler was really Kuro, a infamous pirate who sailed the seas 3 years ago and was supposedly Killed (after being captured By Morgan, just a little side note. ) after being captured by the marines. While the other three were shocked Mike wasn't as even while drunk he recognized Kuro from an incident 5 years ago were he had seen him in person. He then pushed down Luffy and Zoro because getting caught in this situation, while they were drunk, was a bad idea. Usopp didn't see this as he stood out and called them out on this, followed by him running off to warn the Village. Mike thought at this point that despite everything, Usopp had balls.
After this Mike waited until the two men left to drag his crew mates to find Nami, and administer a sobering method, of course when they find Nami things kinda go like this.
" Nami! Big BLACT CAATTTT! Planning to eat Kaya, Tear apart Vallag. " ( and yes, I've written this way on purpose. )
Needless to say she didn't understand Mike as he failed to realize that he was still drunk, so he sobered up and gave Luffy and Zoro the capsule with some orange juice which he pulled out of his bag. Interestingly he had a separate capsule for hangovers. Once the 3 where sober they explained the situation which shocked Nami and the 3 boys, not long after Usopp showed up, this is how things went.
" Captain! Captain! We know everything and we want to help! " screamed a exuberant Pepper. He was followed shortly by carrot. " Yeah captain, we can help kick the pirates ass! " Usopp of course hid his wound from being shot and lied saying he was just drunk, the kids didnt think it was very funny. They forgave him though and left but they were clearly disappointed.
Once the kids were gone Mike began bandaging the wound.
" So, why'd you lie? " Asked a curious Zoro.
Usopp avoided eye contact and said " Nobody believed me because I lied everyday, why should they believe me now? "
Zoro gave him a poignant look and said " Cause it's the truth. "
Usopp just continued to look down and seemed to have something on his mind. Mike who had it particularly easy to read his surface thoughts as he was practically screaming them in his head, however he would let him voice them as it was rude and it was bad enough that he couldnt deliberately ignore them with Usopp's emotions being all over the place.
Finally after what was maybe a minute Usopp spoke up.
" I've decided, tomorrows just gonna be a normal day! They think I lied, well let them think that! I'll fight them my self! "
They all looked at him with respect in this moment and came to a silent decision. It was Mike who voiced their shared opinion.
" Well then, I guess you're gonna need some help. So why don't we lend you a hand? "
For a moment Usopp seemed extremely surprised and said " You guys would do that for me? No wait, forget it! If you're doing this out of pity then I'm better off by myself! "
" You dumb-ass. " said an annoyed Zoro.
Luffy followed with " You really think we'd risk our lives out of Pity? " He to looked annoyed.
Mike finished with " We're doing this cause we respect you, and cause you god Balls, big ones. Not as big as the Monsters behind me, But you're pretty close to my size so we'll give you a hand. Jut remember, we're boulders, they're mountains. "
Usopp at this point was crying into his arm brought to Tears with the revelation of their help and he said " Thank you guys! You don't know what this means to me! " Blubbering like a baby at this point it seemed almost comical.
Once they worked out what everyone was capable of they decided to lay a trap on the slope and planted an oil slick. At this they ended up waiting for hours as the sun rose for the black-cat pirates to show up. Once the sun rose Hathaway above the horizon they started to get worried. It was Mike who voiced the concern they were feeling.
" You know, I almost feel like they're not coming, which doesn't make sense. So obviously we have some other problem for why our enemy is not yet here, so what is it? "
" They're definitely coming " said a defensive Usopp.
Zoro then followed " That not what he's saying, we were there to. So the question is were are these guys? "
" Yeah, I mean, it's almost past dawn! So where are they? " asked a exasperated Nami.
Luffy who had been silent for once had a hand to his chin and a thoughtful look on his face. Finally he spoke " Hey, didn't we come in from the opposite shore? "
" Yeah " said Mike " we did Captain, I don't see the relevance. "
Nami now had hands around her ears as though trying to listen, she then said " I hear stomping from the opposite shore. "
At this there was a slow realization as they all screamed " THERE COMING FROM THE OPPOSITE SHORE! "
Nami then punched Usopp and said " HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW THEY WERE COMING FROM NORTH!? "
" How was I supposed to know?! They met here so I just assumed! "
" That doesn't matter now! " Zoro exclaimed " What matters is we get there and stop them! "
Once he said that Zoro ran for the shore, in the wrong direction. Usopp & Luffy left next, Luffy actually managing to find north, while Mike kinda just jumped and disappeared. Nami just kinda stood there for a moment completely frozen, then realizing what happened ran to follow the boys.
2 minutes later
The first to arrive was Luffy. When he got there he saw that the black-cats were headed up the slope. As they stomped up Luffy waited for them to be close enough to strike. Before that Mike and Usopp showed up within seconds of each other, Mike just appearing, and Usopp Panting out of breath.
It was at this point that the black-cats noticed 3 people standing on the slope. They soon began to scream out and ask who they were and why they were stupid enough to stand in their way, idiots.
Luffy of course addressed them politely, as he could manage.
" If you know what's good for you, you'll stay were you are. "
For once Luffy sounded deadly serious and his voice was like ice, unfortunately the black-cats didn't seem to understand this and continued to advance. It was at this point that Usopp pulled out his sling shot and Mike turned his scythe turned into a bow and set of arrows. They then proceeded to unload there perspective ammo into the enemy. Eventually though even all that couldn't keep them at bay despite the impressive number of wounded. Seeing that the initial defense hadn't worked as well as they hoped, Mike asked ...
" Well, what's next? Cause I'm ripe for ideas. "
Usopp shook his head, while Luffy just continued to look forward at the oncoming pirates like a wolf stalking his prey. He then gave a simple Order.
" You guys step back, I'll handle this. "
While Usopp questioned this, Mike had a feeling that stepping back would be a wise move.
" Come on Usopp, let's give the Captain some room " he said as he grabbed the sniper and moved back about 5 feet, at which point they noticed Nami standing farther back out of sight. At this they both sweat dropped at her position.
Nami seeing their stair said " What?! Did you think I was gonna get involved directly in the action? "
Their replies were as follows.
Usopp " Yes. "
Mike " I had hoped. "
Nami glared at them at this. Their impromptu starring-match ended when they heard Luffy's voice called out his attack followed closely by another familiar voice.
" GUM GUM GATLING! "
" ENBIMA YONEZU! "
With this all the black-cats were all knocked down earthier bruised, or cut up, or both. The cuts were explained as Zoro was standing next to Luffy with swords drawn and in their proper positions. Meanwhile Usopp was freaking out as Luffy's arms had stretched. The 3 male straw-hats ignored him, so Nami explained about Luffy's devil fruit. While this all happening the black-cats were trying to get up and complaining to their acting captain jango about how they couldn't beat these guys. Jango seeing that they were doomed if they couldn't get done what Kuro had ordered, so he pulled out his chakram and said.
" Listen up! We can't afford to loose here, so I'm going to hypnotize all of you! Now pay attention to this ring, when I say 1 2 JANGO! You shall all become stronger and you're wounds shall heal! Now 1, 2, JANGO! "
Meanwhile the straw-hats were quietly observing. Curiosity drove Luffy to ask " Hey, what are they doing? " Nami was the one to reply.
" He's hypnotizing them into thinking they can fight back, how stupid! Like that could actually work! " she said this with som scorn in her voice.
Usopp however had other thoughts.
" Ah Nami, I wouldn't be so sure about that. "
His point was proven when one of the newly recovered black-cat pirates punched the cliff and a portion of it collapsed. Suffice to say to say two fifths of the straw-hats had their jaws dropped while the other 3 had raised eyebrows. The pirates then began to run up the hill again. Seeing they were in trouble Mike stepped forward and said...
" I'll handle this one, every just braise yourselves. "
He then stepped a little down slope and then once he was at a fare distance took his scythe and this time turned it in a trident, not a normal one mind you. While the end touching the ground was a 6 inch blade, the body was a long thin piece of metal covered in a jade colored vine, it also had blades instead of prongs and they were shaped in a triangle instead of the usual straight line, finally in the center was a round pearl that was as black as night.
Following it's appearing the blades came together to form a triangular spear. He then held the staff in both hands and pulled it back over his head. Once the pirates were close enough he screamed.
" YOU, SHALL NOT, PAASSS! " ( I couldn't resist. )
He then brought down the staff which caused winds to spread in all directions but specifically knocking down the oncoming pirates.
Needless to say his friends were impressed, and the pirates were scared shitless.
at this point the pirates were not willing to go up the slope again regardless of Kuro. So Jango was understandingly anxious. He had little choice, he had to bring out their trump card if they wished to come out of this alive with any kind of profit. He had to bring out ... ... The Nyaban brothers.
So he called out his so called secret weapon, the straw-hats weren't impressed. Perhaps the only exceptions were Mike & Luffy, neither were fooled do to haki and being psychic. While Luffy felt no inclination to warn them, Mike did.
" There lying, don't underestimate then. "
Mike then stepped out of the way of the one running up the hill, sham, and let him run at Zoro who pulled one of his swords despite not taking his crew mates warning seriously, he soon regretted it as sham got serious and managed to get behind Zoro long enough to steal his other two swords.
" Told you so " said Mike in a deadpan voice.
Zoro was not having this.
" Shut up if you're not going to help! "
Seeing that he was being ignored sham began to talk.
" You shouldn't be concerned with what your crew mates have to say at a time like this. So pay attention, now say goodbye to your swords. "
He then went to take the swords off his back to throw away when he realized they were gone. As everyone had been watching they were astonished as those who had been watching sham a second ago had been even more surprised as they could swear they had been there just a moment ago. They all then had a strong urge to turn and looking in Mike's direction, and to their even greater surprise the swords were on his shoulder as he leaned against a tree. He then smirked and said " can I talk now? Since I've been so helpful. " he said this rather condescendingly as he tossed Zoro his swords which he just barely caught.
Zoro ignored the tone and said " sure, and thanks. "
" No problem, try not to loose them next time. "
Zoro nodded and turned to face his opponent when he felt a sharp pain his chest. while words were being exchanged sham had stepped forward and attacked Zoro with his claws leaving five scratch marks down his chest.
At this Mike face palmed and said " Idiot, pay attention! First he let's the guy steal the swords, then he gets attacked. How annoying! "
Meanwhile sham was talking again saying that it didnt matter that Zoro had his swords back or not, cause he would die either way. At this point he grabbed Zoro and held him down as his brother jumped in the air prepared to crush zoro into dust, but missed when Zoro narrowly evaded the move causing a crater & a huge set of cracks in the slopes. He then finally managed to get out his two remaining swords and put them into position. He the moved into attack position and screamed ...
" TIGER HUNT! "
This sent the Nyaban Brothers flying landing at the base of the slope were they began to bleed out. At the sight of their strongest fighters being taken down the pirates just freaked out screaming how they were doomed. The straw-hats on the other hand were just focused on getting them to leave. Meanwhile Buchi of the Nyaban brothers crawled to Jango so that he could be hypnotized, which he did. Buchi and Zoro would have continued their battle had Kuro not shown up when he did.
" WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!? "
As his presence was made known the pirates froze, terrified of their former captains wrath. While this was happening the straw-hats just stood back and watched.
" WELL! Care to explain Jango? "
At this point the acting captain of the black-cat pirates felt like his soul had left his body.
" Um, you see captain, we ran in to these, kids and we can't seem to get past them. " He knew this wouldn't slide, but their lives were on the line and lying would simply do him no good.
At his explanation Kuro just glared down at him and said " My, how the mighty black-cat pirates had fallen. On your knees before a bunch of children. "
At the insult Buchi was about to attack when Zoro finally finshed him off by knocking him out with hilt of his sword. someone then called out Kuro's new name. As it turned out it was the girl, kaya, who had come to persuade Kuro to leave with her money and leave the village alone, for which He said no.
" I ... I don't understand, if you don't simply want the money, then what do you want? " asked a panicked Kaya.
At this Kuro simply pushed up his glasses with his palm as usual, especially now that he was wearing his cat claws. He then spoke " Simple Miss Kaya. Besides your fortune, I also want peace of mind. You see, ever since I've got here 3 years I've built a reputation as a good respectable man, and I don't want to give that up. So you must understand I'm also doing this so that I will never have to come up with another plan for these barbarians ever again! "
As he finished his little speech Kaya pulled out a pistol and tried to threaten him into leaving, it didn't work as he simply went to swing at her with his claws ignoring the gun. Then being brave and stupid Usopp tackled Kaya to the ground. He then grabbed the gun and attempted kill Kuro but the man literally dodged the bullet. He then held Usopp hostage with his sword claws, and complained about how he had hit him earlier and that he would return the favor, he then got hit himself by a rubber fist.
" Hey jerk, if you want a fight I'll give you one! "
In the background the pirates were freaking out as they had finally noticed Luffy's ability to stretch. It was at this point that the Usopp pirates came to apparently help carrying a bat, frying pan, and shovel and proceeded to beat the temporarily unconscious Kuro over the head after their boisterous entrance. Usopp seeing that their lives were in danger told them that they needed to run and take Kaya with them. They refused until Kuro got up and addressed Luffy after seeing his power knew he had eaten a devil fruit. Seeing how things were going he ordered Jango to follow the kids and Kaya and to kill and make Kaya write a will leaving everything to him. Luffy then countered that order by having Zoro go after them and protect them seeing as he had already finished Buchi a 2nd time. Since he didn't know the woods ( and his terrible sense of direction. ) Usopp would go with him. Seeing them depart Kuro asked ...
" And who said you could leave? "
" I did! " Luffy said as he took another swig at Kuro. " Zoro! Usopp! get going and protect them, I'll handle things here. "
Usopp and Zoro just looked at him and said " right. "
Kuro of course was Occupied with Luffy and they got away.
" Well it's seems you intend to interfere completely. Tell me, why are you getting involved in this villages business for? "
" Simple, there's a man in that village I don't want to die. "
Kuro frowned at this and said " Simple enough, and are you okay with that being the reason you die? "
Luffy just smirked and said " Yup, but I'm not gonna die. "
" Hm, we'll see. "
He then began to run towards Luffy while Luffy pulled out his huge Cutlass and he himself Began to run. When they met in the Middle there was an impressive shockwave That caused great winds and sent dust flying.
" Well it seems your skill ligh in more than simply stretching. " he said this with a grimace as the heavy blade and the strength behind it pushed him back.
Luffy returned banter with " You have no idea. " and then took a step back swinging his Sword from the left trying to hit Kuro in the chest. This was blocked with the left cat claw while the right was used for a swing of its own. This went on for awhile neither opponent tiring. Finally Luffy decided to switch things up as he once again stepped back and began twirling his sword like a wind mill and ran forward to try and cut Kuro up, but this was blocked by both cat claws which caused a Huge cluster of sparks. As they once again were in a battle of wills Luffy did something unexpected and rapped one of his legs around Kuro's waist and then swung the rubber appendage with enemy pirate into the cliff face.
While Kuro got back up he looked like he was on the brink of a nervous break down and ran at Luffy once again. Luffy once again did the unexpected stabbing his sword into the ground, then he reached back with his rubber arms and grabbed a huge boulder using it as a shield with Kuro ending up with one of his claws getting stuck.
Luffy then proceeded to crush the boulders sides to get a better grip and snapped the blades like twigs. He then exclaimed ...
" You know Kuro, I've noticed you're just after the Money! Well while you're just greedy, I HAVE AMBITION! "
He then proceeded to hit Kuro with what was left of the boulder. Kuro further proved how tough he was by getting back up and slicking back his hair that had been messed up.
" My you are impressive, but it's over. I'm through letting you have your way. So prepare for the, OUT OF THE BAG ATTACK! "
He then disappeared from sight as scratch marks started to appear in the stone and on some of the pirates. Luffy despite getting a few scratches himself remained calm and said " You're right, it is over " and then stretched back his right arm which turned partially Black, he then appeared to pull Kuro right Out of thin air with the left. " Now get ready! GUM GUM RED HAWK! " as he said this his fist became in cased in flame and let it come crashing forward in to Kuro's skull who was screaming how no IMPUDENT rookie was going to ruin his plans.
And that was ... That.
Kuro was defeated and was taken when his crew escaped. Following This Usopp decided to go out to sea and become a pirate like he had always wanted. Meanwhile Nami and Mike's disappearances were explained as Nami had gone to rob the black cats ship while Mike broke the Rudder and made holes in the ship, in 6 different places.
2 days later.
The straw-hats had decided to rest and then leave. They were currently eating lunch in the diner that Usopp had shown them 3 days earlier. They were then surprised when Kaya showed up with a newly recovered Merry who had been attacked and Knearrly killed by Kuro.
" Hey there Ms! " said an enthusiastic Luffy.
Nami followed asking " How are you? Have you finally recovered? "
" Uh hm, yes I feel much better thank you. I realized that my sickness the past year was caused by the sudden death both my parents. But thanks to Usopp's help I've been recoverIng. So I've decided to become a doctor to help people like me get better. As for why I am here, well I have a gift I'd like to give all of you. "
" Really? What is it?! " asked a now ecstatic Luffy.
" You'll just have have to wait and see. "
A little while later at the shore.
As it turned out the gift they were talking about was a ship, a Caravel to be exact. It was small but sturdy and it looked brand new and yet was clearly an older model with a sheep's figure head. It was Kaya who proceeded to explain about the ship first.
" It's fully loaded with provisions and all your stuff has been moved on board. "
Merry then began to give them the technical specks and told them it's name was Going Merry, when Usopp came rolling ( yes, literally rolling. ) down the hill attached to a huge backpack, which appeared to be filled with everything that he owned except for the kitchen sink, or maybe the kitchen sink.
It was Luffy & Zoro who stepped forward and put one of their feet in place each to stop him, with said feet landing in his face. He thanked them anyway.
After Usopp removed himself from the backpack they all decided to make their goodbyes. The straw-hats made a brief goodbye and thanks to Kaya and Merry. Usopp then went to make his goodbye to Kaya when Mike had one last thing to say.
" Um, before we go I'd actually like to give you and Usopp both a gift. If you don't mind. "
he then blew a whistle with his fingers and out of the sky came two unique birds. They were nearly identical both of them having feathers in a grouping pop out of the crown of their heads and Crests on both their foreheads. The also had pure sapphire eyes and blood red talons. Their feathers were pure midnight black and the only real difference was the color of the crest, one a deep purple/bluish color and the other a grassy green.
At the sight of their gifts Usopp looked flabbergasted while Kaya looked very much overjoyed.
" You're giving these to us?! " assked a ecstatic Kaya.
" No, i'm lending you their services, I could never give them away. There like family. "
while Kaya looked kinda disappointed Usopp looked kinda relieved.
" Oh, what are their services? " asked a cautious Usopp.
" Well there basically delivery birds like the news-coo. There so you to can keep contact over long distance, as in the two of you. " At his words both blushed ever so lightly. " Anyway, the green crested one is Philip while the other is Aurora. So Basically they'll stay with Kaya at first, then when she wants to send Usopp a letter And then vice versa. You got me? "
At this they both nodded until Usopp stopped for looking contemplative and then said " Wait! Philip and Aurora, like in the fairy tale sleeping beauty? "
At this everyone froze amazed, and a little intrigued by the revelation.
Mike looked a little annoyed but answered anyway " Yes, I name all my animals after literary characters, Got a problem with that!? " Mike sounded like if Usopp didn't give an answer he liked he was going to hurt him,badly.
" No, No! Not at all! I think it's very inventive. "
Mike looked at him hard, then nodded, smiled and said " GOOD! " in his happiest voice. " I'll just leave you two to say goodbye then, Oh! " He said this in what was probably the loudest voice any of them had heard, yet. " Also Usopp ... You have good taste, if know what I meen. " He said this while winking and once again Usopp and Kaya blushed as he was teasing them.
After this things went smoothly followed by Usopp's attempt to say goodbye to the straw-hats with them telling him to come on board as he was now one of them, this ended with his response going something like this.
" I did it! I'm finally the Captain now! "
At this all the other straw-hats laughed and Luffy yelled ...
" Don't be stupid Usopp! I'm the Captain! "
Usopp then got on board as they continued to laugh celebrating a new ship, and a new crew-mate.
About one day later ...
Everyone was now just a little more subdued from yesterday, and just relaxing. Nami was sitting back in a custom orange lounge chair reading the newspaper, Luffy was sitting on the figurehead which he had designated his " special seat " while Zoro just Took a nap by the mast. Usopp was Checking his ammo and other supplies, and finally Mike was reading a book, or had been reading a book until ten minutes ago when he started to look contemplative. Curiosity giving out Nami decided to ask.
" Hey Mike, what's got you so thoughtful over there? "
This got the rest of the Crew's attention, even waking up Zoro. Mike did not at first respond then took his hand off his chin and finally turned to Nami.
" Well it's not really important but, " during his brief pause he turned his head to Usopp " I don't think you paid the tab for the meals we ate while in the Village like you said you would. "
At this everyone paused, then 3 things happened. 1 Nami's jaw dropped, 2 Zoro and Luffy burst out laughing, and finally 3, Usopp screamed so loud it could be heard all the way back in Syrup.
" AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! "
Once again I'd like to apologize for the wait is I just registered for college and I'm getting ready to graduate high school.
Now please review and express your opinions to me, no matter how harsh!
so hope you enjoyed this chapter, see you next time.