So, this is chapter…5? 6? I've honestly lost track. This is the chapter after the last one I posted; y'all should know which one it is.
Wow…it's been a while. Look, I'm sorry, but I gotta make this official; I'm extremely lazy, and while I do want to write…stuff gets in the way. (Homework, tv shows, etc.) Plus, I'm a member of the crew for the shows that my school puts on, so that's even more time lost… Bottom line, I'll post when I can, but please don't get your hopes up. However, do not worry; I am not giving this story up, I have it planned out for a long time ahead.
Review Responses in reverse order!
OnePieceDoesExist: Thank you! As you may notice, I like puns and double entendres, they will be prevalent throughout the story!
Cerxer1: I do not know if there will or will not be; as of yet I have not decided, though I have a few ideas for pairings.
Apocalyps24: Ummmmm…well, that was nice to know…I may use that at some point in the story as a magma manipulation, though that's not how it worked for the Magma Magma Fruit and for Akainu's powers…but we'll see, you've given me a few ideas. Also, thanks!
Phoenix821: Thank you, I generally don't like OP characters, but in OP you gotta see that some of them ARE going to end up a bit OP! The correction to this situation is…make the villains of OP OP too! (Did you catch all that?)
Anyway, welcome to chapter 6!
Disclaimer: I don't own nuthin. I didn't see nuthin, I didn't do nuthin, and this speech hasn't been rehearsed.
Speech – "I'm going to be the Pirate King!"
Thoughts – 'I'm going to be the Pirate King!'
Technique – "Gomu Gomu no…Mushi!" (Gum-Gum Whip)
Letters/Notes/Anything written – 'Welcome to Saobody Archipelago!'
"I still can't believe that you beat all of those guys!" Usopp said in awe several days later, as they sat at the tavern. The entire crew looked a little worse for the wear, with Usopp having come out looking like a mummy, except for his face. Conversely, Nami only had a few scratches, and even those were from tree branches and particularly sharp leaves.
Luffy grinned widely in between swallows of the steak he was currently chomping on. "It was easy!" he said happily, before grabbing a stick of kebab and shoving the whole rod of meat down his throat (that could be misconstrued), before pulling out again and licking his lips.
Nami shook her head at the sight of her ravenous captain, before turning back to look at Kaya. "So, is Merry ok? Sabo said that the poor guy got hurt pretty bad by that hypnotist fellow…"
"Mmm!" Kaya nodded and smiled. "He's doing great, he's already back on his feet. The cut wasn't as deep as it seemed, Merry was wearing a very thick shirt that day."
Ace barked a laugh.
"Well, that's certainly lucky." He said shaking his head in amusement.
Kaya smiled again, even wider. "Yeah, it was." She then turned to look to Sabo, "So, what are you guys going to be doing now?"
"Well, we still need to get a ship." Sabo mused, "That little boat isn't going to fit the 5 of us."
Kaya's smile grew, impossibly, into a massive grin. "I think I can help with that."
"Merry! Are you there?" Kaya called, as the pirates along with her and Usopp walked into the mansion.
The white-haired butler stuck his head out of another room, before smiling at the sight of his mistress and limping out. "Ōjo-sama! It is good to see you up and about!"
Kaya smiled cheerfully at the lamb-themed man. "Yes, I just had to get out of that bed and let go of my grief. Thanks to Usopp-san, I am now perfectly healthy."
Usopp blushed, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "W-well, of course! I the brave warrior of the sea Usopp-sama c-could make anyone feel better!"
Kaya giggled. "Of course you could, Usopp-san."
"Kaya-sama, I assume that you came to talk about that, yes?" Merry interrupted the couple, amusement evident in his voice.
"A-ah, yes Merry! Thank you for reminding me!" Kaya stammered, smiling in embarrassment. Turning back to look at the group of pirates, she waved for them to follow. "Come on, I have something to show you guys!"
She turned to look to Merry. "Lead the way, Merry!"
The bandaged butler bowed, and gestured for them to follow him. They walked out of the mansion, chattering as they did, and made their way to the east beach, where they saw…
"A caravel!" Sabo cried out in surprise.
Merry smiled and nodded. "When I was a younger lad, I wanted to be a shipwright. This was my crowning glory – I designed her a few years ago. I've been building her for the past couple of months as a luxury vessel for Kaya-sama." The butler explained.
"I want you to have it, Luffy-san, Sabo-san, Ace-san. You saved my life, and you helped me get better." Kaya said beatifically. "This was the only way I could think of repaying you!"
"Well, you could actually rePAY us…" Nami insinuated quietly. Zoro shushed her by putting his hand over her mouth.
"Don't do that to me!" Nami screeched, biting the offending limb, causing Zoro to sharply retract it.
"Oi, what's your problem, crazy lady?!" he barked, nursing his injured palm.
"Don't just put your hands over people's faces!" Nami screamed at the swordsman, slapping him over the head several times.
Zoro grumbled a little more, but didn't respond besides glaring at the back of the navigator's head.
"Anyway…" Merry sweatdropped, "As Kaya-sama said, we would like you to have her for your journeys. Her name is…Going Merry!"
"Well, it's time to set sail! Is the ship fully stocked?" Sabo called down to Zoro, who was loading up the final crate into the ship's hold under Nami's supervision, who was making sure that every iota of treasure that they had accumulated thus far was stored.
"It is now, Captain!" Zoro replied, wiping the sweat off of his brow, as he sat down on one of the crates, pulled out a bottle of sake, and took a swig. "Speaking of setting sail, where's the long-nose?"
"Oi! Oooooooooi!" the crew suddenly heard. Turning their heads, they saw Usopp running towards them, an overstuffed backpack on his back. Said backpack proved to be his undoing, as his momentum finally overpowered him, and he transformed from a running man into a rolling man, tumbling forward at greater and greater speeds.
"Oi, if we don't stop him, he's going to hit the ship!" Nami called in fear. At once, Luffy and Zoro leapt forward, hands thrust forward. Seconds later, the human bolder slammed into the two. However, the strength of the pirates proved to be greater than Usopp's velocity, so he was stopped in his tracks.
"Ohhhhhhhh…" Usopp groaned as he got up to his feet, rubbing his head in pain. "Thanks for that, that was almost very bad."
Luffy laughed uproariously. "No problem!" he grinned, before turning back to look at Ace and Sabo. "Everybody ready to set sail?"
"Yep." Ace replied, popping the 'p' as he sat on the railing of the ship.
"Wait, Luffy!" Usopp said suddenly, as he took off his backpack to take a breath.
"Mmmm?" Luffy hummed inquisitively, as he turned to look at the sniper.
"I wanted to say thank you! Thank you for helping me find my courage, and thank you for helping me defeat Kuro!" Usopp said passionately. At this, he turned to look at the three children members of the Usopp Pirates. "Men! As of this moment, I am setting sail on the open sea! The Usopp Pirates are disbanded until such a time as I return! You will stay here on the island and protect it from any and all that would seek to harm it!"
"H-hai, captain!" Ninjin saluted, Piiman and Tamanegi following suit, all three boys doing their best not to cry, and failing miserably.
Turning back to face Luffy, Usopp was also doing his best to maintain his composure. "W-well then, Luffy, I guess this is goodbye! I hope that we meet again on the open sea, when you and I are famous and feared pirates!" He said, his voice cracking a bit.
"…Heh?" Luffy asked, a confused expression on his face, before turning his head to look at Ace. "What the hell's he talking about?"
"…Y-you're so cruel, Luffy-san!" Usopp began to cry, before being surprised by the sound of laughter. Raising his head, he saw Luffy and Ace roaring with mirth, while Sabo and Zoro just chuckled. Twisting his head back and forth, Usopp tried to understand what the hell was going on, and why everybody was laughing at him.
"Get on the ship, idiot." Zoro said, shaking his head in amusement.
Usopp felt his eyes tear up. "R-really?!" he squeaked out.
"Yeah, get on, Usopp! Get on, so we can get going already!" Luffy cried out from his spot atop the sheep figurehead.
Usopp nodded. "R-right!" he said, wiping the tears from his eyes, before running up onto the ship, and turning to face the island. "Good bye, everybody! I'll miss you!" he shouted, as the ship got farther and farther away from the island. "I'll return one day, when I'm famous throughout the entire world!"
"Oi, Luffy!" Sabo called to the perched boy from the ship's deck. "Now that we're all reunited and have a large enough crew, we should come up with a crew name and a flag!"
Ace nodded forcefully in agreement, before suddenly passing out.
"Ah!" Usopp screamed in fear. "Is he alright?!"
Luffy waved it off. "He's fine, he just really likes sleeping." He said, before walking up to his older brother and slapping him awake.
"Gah!" Ace croaked, jumping in the air from the sudden attack. "What'd I miss?!"
"We're about to pick a name and a flag, sleeping beauty." Sabo said, shaking his head in despair.
"Oh, right." Ace said in a tone of realization. "Kay. Let's get to it then, what're we sitting around here waiting for?"
"WE WERE WAITING FOR YOU SINCE YOU FELL ASLEEP DUMBASS!" Zoro and Nami screamed in tandem.
Luffy laughed uproariously again. "Come on guys, huddle up!" he said, joy evident in his voice.
"I think we should be called the Spade Pirates!" Ace volunteered once everyone was sitting in a circle.
"No, that sounds dumb." Sabo disagreed. "I think we should be called the Goa Pirates, so that everybody knows where we come from!"
"No, no!" Luffy cried enthusiastically, slamming the heels of his sandaled feet together in excitement. "We should call ourselves the Straw Hat Pirates!"
This idea was immediately shot down by both Ace and Sabo. "We're not naming OUR pirate crew after YOUR dumb hat!"
"Hey!" Luffy yelled in anger. "Take that back, my hat is not dumb!"
"It's SUUUUUUPER dumb, Luffy!" Ace teased playfully.
"Why you…!" Luffy growled, before launching himself at his older brother, arms stretched out, ready to throttle the one who was insulting his precious hat.
Fortunately (or unfortunately, depends on who you ask), Sabo was in the way.
"Enough!" he said calmly as he stuck his foot out, causing Luffy to trip and faceplant on the deck of the ship.
Zoro, Nami, and Usopp collectively shook their heads at the stupidity of their captains.
Sabo stared at Luffy and Ace, amusement evident in his eyes, though his face was curved into a grimace. "We decided what the crew was going to be named years ago, guys. Why are we even having this argument?" the blond asked in exasperation.
"Cuz it's fun!" Luffy said happily, Ace nodding along before suddenly falling unconscious. Without changing position, Luffy stretched out his arm and punched Ace in the head.
Grunting with surprise, Ace threw his head up sleepily and gazed around him.
"What'd I miss?" he asked blearily.
"Nuthin'." Luffy replied, grinning. "We're just naming the crew still."
Ace nodded, before turning to the rest of the pirates. "A few years ago, when we came up with the idea for having a pirate crew, we also came up with a name," the boy explained.
"Ok, so what is it? And why are we spending so much time on it if it's already a done deal?" Zoro asked impatiently.
Sabo shook his head. "Cuz my brother is an idiot," he said, bonking Luffy on the head lightly.
"So, what's the name?" Usopp demanded.
Luffy, Sabo, and Ace exchanged glances before turning to look at their crew with an unusually serious facial expression.
"The crew name is a sort of homage to the thing that probably kept the three of us together when we were kids," Ace said. "Our Devil Fruits…together they're a set, commonly known as the Fruit of the War Gods, so, we decided years back that any pirate crew that we founded together would be called the War God Pirates," he recounted, a gleam of nostalgia entering his eye.
Usopp and Zoro stared at the fedora-clad captain, before Usopp's mouth fell open and a gleam entered his eye. "THAT'S SO COOL!" he gushed. Luffy and Sabo grinned, as Sabo nodded in agreement.
Nami sighed in relief. "Alright then, there's that issue settled. Now we need a Jolly Roger."
Sadly for the poor girl, this sparked another round of arguments.
It took a fair bit of time, but eventually a flag was decided on.
"Ahahahah! This is a great idea!" Luffy said happily as the crew gazed at the flag that Usopp had painted.
At first glance, it seemed like a regular Jolly Roger, but a closer look rendered it very different. The skull wasn't exactly a skull; the circular top part, where the eyes and nose were, bore a resemblance to a moon, with faint white beams of light radiating off of it. Certainly it looked like a skull, but it wasn't exactly. The traditional bones behind the moon-skull were replaced with lightning bolts, and the entire picture was set against a backdrop of a fireball. (Kinda like the fireball from the Fire Nation in A:TLA)
(Incidentally, if anyone is willing to draw this for me, I'd be very grateful )
"Well, that turned out well!" Usopp said, smiling proudly.
"Now that we're done with that, let's get moving." Nami ordered. "We have a long way to go if we want to reach the Grand Line."
"Oi, Usopp, mind if I talk to you for a bit? There's something I wanna show you." Sabo asked Usopp as he walked up to the sniper.
"Sure, what is it?" Usopp asked, as he followed the captain below deck. "Oh, look at the cannons! How many do we have here…let's see, 1, 2, 3…2 on each side, woohoo! Oh, and there's another one in the front~!" Usopp gushed as he ran to and fro, inspecting his new toys, before suddenly coming to a sudden stop and gazing at his captain with apprehension. "Why do I get the feeling that this isn't the only reason you called me down here?" he asked with a worried expression.
Sabo sat down on one of the cannons and placed one leg on another.
"Luffy told me about how the two of you met, and the conversation that you shared." Sabo said calmly, leaning forward a bit. Usopp nodded nervously, trying to figure out where the captain was going with this. "Here's the thing…" Sabo said, pausing a bit before continuing. "A slingshot isn't a weapon. Not really. It's a toy."
Usopp's eyes narrowed. "Are you calling me a kid? After everything we've been through?! Didn't you see the Ginga Pachinko's power?!" he said angrily.
Sabo shook his head in a placating manner. "Calm down, Usopp. I'm not calling you a kid, I'm just saying that a slingshot isn't the most effective weapon in the world." He explained, before patting the metal next to him in the universal expression for, 'Come sit down.'
"Listen, Usopp." Sabo said thoughtfully. "I'm guessing that you like to invent stuff, am I right? Different types of ammo, gadgets, that kind of stuff?"
Usopp nodded slowly. "Y-yeah, that's what makes the Ginga Pachinko so dangerous!" he said, a nervous energy suffusing his voice. "I can shoot all kinds of stuff from it, not just bullets!"
Sabo nodded agreeably. "Yeah, I know. Plus, nobody expects a slingshot to be so powerful, do they?" he said.
Usopp nodded again, gaining excitement as he thought that perhaps Sabo could be convinced.
"Here's the thing though," Sabo continued. "Purely on a level of force, your fingers and some rubber are never going to give the same punch as a gunpowder-based pistol. No matter how powerful the actual ammo is, a pistol will get the payload to the target faster than a slingshot, which means that there's less time for the opponent to react."
Usopp hesitated… "I-I guess you're right…but…" he trailed off.
"You want to be known for something other than your father, am I right?" Sabo said, smiling.
Usopp's eyes widened. "H-how did you know about that?"
Sabo chuckled. "Please, of course I know who Yasopp is. My brother spent a year getting to know the guy, for kami's sake. Anyway, here's my idea." He said, leaning forward and steepling his fingers together. "How about you become better than your father?"
Usopp's face morphed into a mask of confusion. "What do you mean?"
"You can use a gun, Usopp, as long as you're better at it than your old man." Sabo explained. "Think about it. If you master the gun to an extent where even your father will have to admit his defeat, you won't be known as Yasopp's son, Yassop will be known as YOUR FATHER. All you have to do is step out of his shadow, and beat him at his own game." Sabo urged.
It is said that there is one instant in every person's life when they change into something else, and become an entirely different person from what they were before. It must be counted as fortunate that Usopp had not had that moment before, or else this may not have worked.
"You're right." He whispered, before raising his voice a bit. "You're absolutely right. I'm going to top him. I'm going to beat my dad, and I'm going to be the best damn sniper in the entire world. I'm going to do it." At each sentence his voice grew louder and louder. "I'm going to be the greatest goddamn sniper in the world!" he screamed the last sentence.
Sabo's smile grew with each word that Usopp uttered, before he was full on grinning. Suddenly, Nami poked her head below deck, an expression of annoyance on her pretty face.
"Oi, what's with all the ruckus?" she asked, her voice promising pain as payment for an unsatisfactory answer.
"Oh, nothing." Sabo said innocently, before turning back to look at Usopp. "Say, do you wanna check out the cannons?"
Usopp stopped his jumping around for a second to look at Sabo, as a massive grin split his face. "I completely forgot about those! Let's go play with them!"
The cannons were promptly brought above deck and set up as Usopp and Luffy jumped around them, oohing and awing in amazement, while Ace and Sabo looked on in obvious interest, though slightly more subdued than their younger brother and the sniper. Meanwhile, Zoro was napping, and Nami was already getting annoyed, though there was little reason for it at the moment. But that wouldn't last very long, would it?
"Ok, let's take aim at something at see how good we are!" Luffy cried out, trying to turn the cannon.
Usopp slapped his hands away. "No, I'm the sniper, I get to use the cannon!" he argued.
"Hey, I wanna use it!" Luffy protested, pulling the cannon his way again.
"No, I wanna use it!" Usopp repeated angrily, turning the cannon back.
This would've continued for a while, but since Nami now had a good reason to be pissed, she also now had a good reason to beat the shit out of her annoying crewmembers. Yay for her!
"Shut up, both of you!" she screamed, punching them in the heads simultaneously. "Usopp's the sniper, so he gets first dibs, and then take turns. I swear to god, you're like goddamn little children. Why did I join this fucked up crew…" she muttered the last two phrases, while Luffy and Ace laughed uproariously.
Usopp, happy that he had won, turned the cannon and took aim at a nearby cliff, an outcropping of rock coming out of the sea. He loaded a cannonball, lit the fuse, and…
KABOOM
An earthshattering noise split the sky as the cannonball crashed into the stone and shattered it into pieces. The crew stared in shock for a second, before Usopp began to jump up and down in glee.
"Ahahahahaha! Did you see that? Did you see that?!" he cheered enthusiastically, grabbing Luffy by the shoulders and thrashing him as the captain laughed in excitement as well.
Nami gaped at the destroyed rock formation, before snapping out of the state and walking up to Usopp. "Well…good job…I guess?" she said hesitantly, picturing her insane captains playing around with such a dangerous weapon.
Meanwhile, Zoro just glared at them all for waking him up from his (in his opinion) well-deserved nap. Settling in again, he drifted back off to sleep as memories and dreams mixed together and he remembered his youth…
Flashback Start
The sound of grunting in union was heard coming from the dojo in the middle of the sweltering day. Inside, one could see an entire group of young children practicing with their shinai (bamboo practice katanas), moving in unison as they practiced their katas, as the smiling dojo owner, Koshiro, watched.
"Oi!" he suddenly heard a voice coming from the door! "Oi! Is anyone there?!"
Walking up to the entrance to the training hall, Koshiro's smile never faded as he gazed at the young intruder. "Hello, young man. And who might you be?" he asked gently.
"I'm a dojo challenger!" the green-haired boy replied fiercely. "My name's Zoro! I'm here to challenge your dojo! Is there anyone strong here that I can fight?"
Koshiro nodded seriously, his smile still on his face. Maybe he's high, that's why he's always smiling… But I digress.
"It's rare to see a dojo challenger these days." Koshiro responded, as he looked Zoro up and down.
The boy scowled. "Don't underestimate me just cause I'm a kid!" he yelled aggressively. "I'm undefeated in all the nearby towns!"
Koshiro laughed lightly. "That's alright then. We accept your challenge."
"If I win, I take your signboard!" Zoro exclaimed, as all of the students stuck their heads out of the doorway of the training hall to listen to the conversation.
"And if you lose?" Koshiro asked with amusement. Zoro was stymied for a moment, before regaining his tempo and replying.
"If I lose…then…then I'll join your dojo!" he fired back, boyish rudeness evident in his voice. Koshiro nodded again.
"That is acceptable. Come inside." He said, gesturing for the boy to follow him into the dojo. Once in the training hall, Koshiro wordlessly motioned for the student to sit properly at the far wall to observe the coming bout. He then turned to face the staircase that lead to the upper floor and called, "Kuina!"
The sound brought forth a girl about Zoro's age but taller. She descended down the stairs gracefully and walked up to her father, a calm expression on her face.
"E-eh?! What is this, you're not going to fight me yourself!?" Zoro screamed in outrage. Koshiro laughed again.
"Kuina is better than any of the adults at the dojo, so you shall be fighting her." He said, "Is that alright?"
"Hmph." Zoro grunted. "I guess…"
Kuina took her place at one end of the training hall, as Zoro turned to look at the barrel of shinai. He grinned. "I can use any of these, right?" he asked gleefully.
Koshiro nodded. "Yes, you may." Zoro's grin got a bit wider, and he picked up 9 swords – three in each hand, and another three in his mouth. By the time he walked up to face Kuina, he'd already dropped one.
"Bow to the gods!" Koshiro commanded and the trio did so, Zoro dropping yet another sword out of his mouth.
The two children turned to face each other, Kuina taking a one-sword style pose, while Zoro just…sort of stood there. Kuina was the first to attack, rushing forward with impressive speed and aiming with a vertical chop that Zoro managed to block, but the second was stronger and faster and slammed Zoro directly in the forehead, causing him to topple like a bag of sand and drop all of his shinai.
Kuina began to laugh slightly, "Is this really everything you can do?" she smirked, stepping back into the battle pose. Zoro scowled from the ground, before aggressively grabbing two swords and taking a pose.
'That pose…!' Koshiro was shell-shocked at seeing such an advanced pose from such a young boy.
"Have you been trained in Nitoryu (Two-Sword Style)?" Kuina asked in surprise and trepidation.
"This is the first time in my life that I've ever held shinai in my life!" Zoro replied rudely, before running forward in an attempt to hit Kuina, but was promptly stopped with a sharp hit in between his eyes by Kuina's shinai, causing him to fall again, this time finally defeated.
"Ow…" Zoro groaned as he rubbed the red area going down the length of his face from his forehead to his chin, before glaring up at Kuina.
"What? You wanna go for another round?" Kuina asked mockingly.
"Tche…" Zoro scowled. "A loss is a loss." He replied moodily, before turning to look at the dojo master. "I'm joining your dojo. Any problems with that?"
"None." Koshiro responded, still smiling.
"You!" Zoro then said, pointing at Kuina, who was about to walk away. "You! I'll train and train and train, and then I'm going to beat you! Count on it!" he said, the challenge evident in his voice.
Kuina was silent for a moment, before smirking once again. "Good luck with that." She said derisively.
Cue Zoro Training Montage! (I really feel no need to describe it; just picture a shōnen training montage.)
"Match start!" the referee of the dojo called as Zoro and Kuina faced of for the 2000th time (I swear to god, that's not an exaggeration, it really IS their 2000th time). The pair stood there for a second, before Zoro rushed in to attack, as usual. And, as usual…
THWACK.
"One hit! Match!" the announcer called again; Kuina's shinai had once again struck Zoro clear across the face, giving the girl victory.
Kuina smirked. "Still weak, aren't you Zoro?" she asked. Zoro growled, and wiped the sweat away from his face.
"Oi, Zoro's not weak, is he?" one of the watching male trainees asked another quietly. The other shook his head.
"If he, a boy, can't beat me, a girl, then he's weak." Kuina's voice rang out, scaring the boys silent.
Zoro merely scowled and went outside to wash his face.
"It's remarkable. Only a year, and such progress!" the announcer later said to Koshiro as the pair sat in a private room together. Koshiro nodded agreeably. "But, Kuina's gotten much better too." The announcer continued.
Here, Koshiro's face grew grim, and the smile that was ever-present on his face faded. "Yes…she has. Unfortunately, a swordswoman faces many challenges in her path to success…I may not be able to let her inherit the dojo."
They were then interrupted by the sound of the sliding door opening with a loud and angry slap.
"Father! What the hell are you talking about?!" Kuina screamed angrily.
Koshiro took a sip of his tea. "You shouldn't eavesdrop, Kuina." He remonstrated, setting down the hot beverage.
"I'm going to become the greatest swordsman in the world, Father!" the girl replied angrily. "Then you'll see!"
Koshiro was silent for a moment before replying. "A woman…can never become the world's best swordsman." He finally said emotionlessly.
Kuina was struck dumb by the flat and crushing simplicity of the statement. She stood stock-still for a moment, before slowly turning around and running out of the room.
Zoro stared at the dark sky as he walked down the path, two metal swords in his hands.
'Kuina…this will be our last fight,' He thought.
Turning his head down, he saw an odd shape. Walking forward a few steps, he realized that the odd shape was Kuina.
"Oi, what're you doing out here?" Zoro asked, shaking the girl roughly. With a twitch, Kuina leapt up, hastily wiping any trace of tears out of her eyes.
"Z-zoro! I should be asking you that question!" she said, a quiver in her voice that Zoro didn't catch.
"Huh…I'm here to challenge you to another fight!" Zoro proclaimed. "Our last fight!"
Kuina blinked slowly, before wiping her eyes again. "Our last? Are you finally giving up after this one?" she asked.
Zoro scowled and shook his head, before thrusting forward one of his katana. "This is our last, because we're using real steel this time!" he said with an aggressive enthusiasm.
Kuina's eyes widened, and for a moment she said nothing. Mistaking her silence for hesitation, Zoro continued. "You have a metal sword, don't you?" he asked.
Snapping out of the trance state, Kuina nodded slowly, before smiling sadly.
The door to the family storeroom slid open as Kuina walked inside. Stopping in front of the family shrine, she reverently picked up the sword that lay on it. She slowly withdrew the sheath a little, and gazed at her reflection in the blade's reflection.
'Wado…Ichimonji…'
The two children faced off as the wind blew softly and a nearby owl hooted. Kuina stood in the typical pose – sword out, held in two hands. Zoro, meanwhile, had taken a two-sword stance. A bead of sweat could be seen slowly sliding down his temple. Then, in a flash of light and motion, the two still warriors burst into action, the metal blades colliding again and again. Neither could overpower the other; Zoro went for a side slash, but Kuina was too fast, parrying the hit. Kuina tried an over-head cut, but was trapped by the 'X' of Zoro's crossed swords.
The clang of steel on steel continued for a minute before the pair leapt apart, Zoro panting heavily, while Kuina's breath was only slightly elevated.
"Those two swords…they must be heavy." Kuina said, smiling at Zoro's consternation. "You still need to work on your stamina."
"S-shut up!" Zoro said in embarrassed rage, as he raised his swords to attack again. He never got the chance.
Moving faster than the boy could react, Kuina rushed forward with an upward slice, knocking the two blades out of Zoro's hands and causing him to fly in the air, landing on his back. Before he could even blink, he saw Kuina above him, ready to deliver the finishing blow. He had a second to brace himself before the gleaming sword came down…next to his head?
Turning very, very slightly, Zoro realized that Kuina hadn't stabbed him; she'd stabbed the ground next to him. In that same instance of him turning, his two swords plunged deep into the earth, several feet away.
For a moment, all was still. There wasn't a single sound. Not the wind, the birds, the insects. It was as if all of creation was waiting with bated breath, waiting to see what would happen…
The silence was broken by Zoro's anguished yell. "God damn it! I can't lose again! Not again…!" he yelled in childish and yet somehow mature rage.
He heard Kuina chuckle above him, and suddenly he was being pulled to his feet. Standing up straight he saw Kuina smile a sad smile.
"It's alright Zoro…it's alright that you couldn't beat me now." Kuina said consolingly, a melancholy tone in her voice. "It's alright because…in the future, you're going to keep growing and getting better and better. You're going to become strong, but me…" at this Kuina choked up. "I'm just a girl…and a girl can never be the world's best…" at this Kuina began to cry outright, tears pouring out of her eyes as she sniffed and coughed from sadness.
Zoro was quiet for a moment, and the only sound to be heard was Kuina's wordless lament.
"That's bullshit!" he suddenly cried out, interrupting Kuina's waterworks. She looked up in surprise to see him glaring angrily at her, fists clenched. "That's total bullshit!" Zoro continued. "Strength isn't determined by whether you're a boy or a girl! You've kicked my ass 2001 times over the course of a year, and you're the strongest person I know! Stop with the pity party!"
By this point, Kuina had stopped crying and was gazing at Zoro with unabashed surprise. However, he wasn't done yet.
"You are stronger than me, and in the future, you may still BE stronger than me!" Zoro said passionately. "It doesn't matter if you're a boy or a girl!" He stopped abruptly for a moment to look up at the sky, at the stars. "I'm…I'm gonna be the world's greatest swordsman." He said, his voice now quiet. "I'm gonna kick everybody's ass, and I'm gonna be the world's greatest swordsman." He looked down to stare Kuina straight in the face. "But I can't do that if my greatest rival just gives up before I've had a chance to beat her!" he said fervently. "You and I…we're going to compete for the rest of our lives. One of us is going to be the world's greatest swordsman. I challenge you, now. If you give up…if you surrender, I will lose all respect for you." Zoro said, panting heavily, having finished his rant.
Kuina stared at him in shock for a moment, before a small smile crept onto her face as very slightly, almost unnoticeably, she nodded, a gleam of enthusiasm, a gleam of fire present in her eye that hadn't been there for the entirety of that last spar that she and Zoro had fought.
Zoro grinned.
"No…no, you're lying!" Zoro cried in shock. "You're lying to me! She can't…she can't be dead!" he screamed in anguish. Koshiro bowed his head.
Kuina had gone down to the basement to find her whetstone so as to sharpen her katana, but due to the darkness of the room and the unevenness of the steps, she had tripped and fallen. She died on impact. As far as deaths go, it was fairly anticlimactic, even banal. One such as her deserved far more. One such as her deserved to have her name sung by the bards for hundreds of years. One such as her deserved an honorable death, a great death, a death born of battle against insurmountable odds. Life is ironic in that way. Perhaps that was its cruel little joke at Kuina's expense. Or perhaps it was something else…
Zoro stood dressed in all black, gazing at the tombstone that marked the final resting place of his friend. It was pouring rain, and everyone else had already gone home to be with friends and to celebrate the joy of Kuina's life instead of the tragedy of her death. Zoro was not one of them. He couldn't feel anything other than a soul-crushing inescapable void in his heart. What was he supposed to do now? His rival was gone. His reason for being was gone. His…his friend was gone. What was he supposed to do now?
Slowly, Zoro stood up, his knees protesting the sudden change in position. He walked resolutely towards the dojo, his head hung low. As he entered through the doors, he saw that the hall was empty of all except one.
Koshiro sat on a mat in the center of the training hall, meditating. For all intents and purposes he seemed utterly calm and resolute, and yet Zoro saw a single tear in the corner of his eye, threatening to fall and break the man's iron composure.
"Koshiro-san…" Zoro said softly as he walked up to the grieving father. Koshiro looked up quickly, caught off guard by the quietness of the boy.
"Ah…what can I do for you, Zoro?" Koshiro asked, a sad smile spreading on his face. Zoro was quiet for a moment, before dropping down to his knees and bowing deeply.
"Koshiro-san…please, let me take Wado Ichimonji!" he burst out suddenly. Koshiro was stunned.
Mistaking the man's silence for refusal, Zoro lifted his head and gazed at the man, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Please, Koshiro-san! Let me take a piece of Kuina with me! I will be the greatest swordsman in the world…so…so let me carry her hopes and dreams with her!" Zoro implored, choking on tears.
"…Alright." Koshiro whispered. It was so low that Zoro barely heard it. Raising his head, Koshiro looked at Zoro, who was dumbstruck to see tears freely flowing down the usually composed man's face. "Y-you can take it." Koshiro said, his voice barely audible. "Just promise me one thing…" he sobbed… "Promise me…that you will become the greatest swordsman!"
Flashback End!
(Wow that was a long one…)
Zoro was awakened from his slumber by the sound of shouting.
"Oi! Who the hell do you think you are to shoot at us like that?!" he heard a man scream.
(Switch perspective to the other War God Pirates. And yes, I will be referring to them as such.)
Luffy, Sabo, and Ace stared at the strange sunglasses-wearing intruder, as he angrily brandished a weapon at the surprised crew.
"Oi, Johnny, what're you doing here?" Zoro asked blearily as he sat up and stared at the hitherto-unnamed man.
The now-named Johnny's eyebrows shot up at the sight of the green-haired swordsman.
"Zoro-aniki?!" the man shouted in confusion and dismay. "What the hell are YOU doing on a pirate ship?!"
Zoro kept staring at Johnny for another few moments, before rubbing his eyes in annoyance, as well as to get the sleep out of his eyes. "I'm here because I'm on…on…on the pirate crew, Johnny." He explained, yawning mid-sentence.
Johnny's eyebrows shot up even more, if that was possible. "Y-y-you!? "Demon Hunter" Zoro are a…a PIRATE!?" he screamed in shock.
"Oi, Zoro, you know this guy?" Sabo asked curiously. Zoro nodded without turning his head.
"Yeah, we used to team up for bounty hunts before I joined you guys." He said, before narrowing his eyebrows a little. "Speaking of which, Johnny, where's Yosaku?" he asked in confusion, as usually the pair of bumbling swordsmen were inseparable.
At this statement, Johnny deflated, as if all of the air in him suddenly exited through an unexpected hole in his body, and began to sob.
"H-he's dying!" he cried out, staring sorrowfully at the crew, as Zoro's eyes bulged in surprise.
"Dying?" he repeated blankly. "Of what?" he asked.
Johnny sobbed once more. "I don't know! That's what the worst part is, I don't know!" he said hysterically, before turning to look at the other pirates. "We were resting by a large rock outcropping, and I was trying to nurse him back to health, when suddenly, something attacked us!" he explained frantically.
"Ah…ahahaha…." Usopp coughed quietly, attempting to get away from the center of attention, edging slowly towards the ship cabin, before suddenly being grabbed by the arm.
"Ah, that was Usopp. We're really sorry about that!" Ace apologized cheerfully, while Usopp attempted to stop his moronic captain from revealing who exactly had been wielding the ship's cannon at the time. Unfortunately, was unsuccessful, and by the end of Ace's matter-of-fact statement the poor sniper was shivering as if he had suddenly been transported into a freezer.
Johnny slowly turned to look at the hapless teen, a murderous expression on his face. However, carnage was prevented by Sabo's next statement.
"You should bring him on board. We might be able to help him!" the blond offered magnanimously, his eyes surreptitiously glowing a bit as the third captain looked Johnny right in the face.
The swordsman's grimace melted into a slightly dopey smile, as he nodded enthusiastically and rushed off to fetch his sick partner.
"…Huh?" Usopp asked confusedly, staring at where the angry Johnny had been, before turning to look at Sabo.
Sabo smiled slightly. "The Tsukuyomi fruit lets me use my eyes as a very weak mind control medium," he explained. "I can use it to, shall we say, influence weak-willed individuals. It's not as powerful as some of my other techniques, but for a guy like Johnny, it gets the job done."
"Huh…" Usopp said thoughtfully. "Well, in any case, what are we going to do when they get here?" he asked.
"We check him out, see what's wrong with him," Sabo replied matter-of-factly. "Duh."
Usopp had no choice but to sweatdrop slightly at the bluntness of the statement.
"Here he is!" Johnny called as he lugged his partner up onto the deck. The sick man did not look good at all; his face was green, he was moaning, and it looked as if he was barely conscious. The crew gathered around to look at him, while still maintaining a healthy distance in case whatever Yosaku had was infectious. Nami looked at the sick man for a little bit, before narrowing her eyes.
"Oi, Sabo," She ordered without turning her head, "Go get me some limes, will you?"
Sabo nodded without a word, heading into the cabin and retrieving a few of the green fruit. Nami took them with a nod of thanks, before retrieving a knife from her belt and cutting a few of the citrus fruits into halves, while the rest of the gang looked at her in confusion. The orange-haired girl plopped down next to the moaning Yosaku and began to squeeze the limes over his mouth, allowing their tart juices to seep down his throat.
"Oi, nee-chan, what're you doing?" Johnny asked in apprehension.
Nami shook her head in exasperation, turning to look at the crew while still squeezing fruit juice into the sick man's mouth. "He has scurvy," the girl said plainly. "It happens a lot at sea, it's caused by a Vitamin C deficiency. Citrus fruits, like limes," at this she emphasized the fruit in her hand, "have a lot of it inside. He should be fine in a few days."
By the time Nami had finished with her explanation, Johnny's glasses were beaming, (which shouldn't be physically possible, btw, but, the power of shonen is stronger!) and he looked ready to hug the teenage girl.
Luffy and Ace simply nodded, before saying simultaneously, "So, it's a mystery disease."
"IT'S NOT A MYSTERY DISEASE YOU IDIOTS!" Nami screamed at the clueless captains. "PIRATE CAPTAINS SHOULD KNOW WHAT SCURVY IS AND HOW TO TREAT IT!"
Sabo shook his head in exasperation, while Johnny jumped around in joy.
"Y'know, we should really get a chef," Ace remarked as the group ate sandwiches with a now-recovered Yoskau. "As is, we're not going to survive very long. None of us know much about well-balanced diets. Luffy, Sabo, and I basically subsisted on meat and whatever vegetables we could find back in Goa," he reminisced.
Luffy and Sabo nodded along in tandem. "Plus, a chef will be able to make us all sorts of tasty food!" Luffy said, grinning widely.
Yosaku groaned slightly, still not fully healed from his scurvy, and turned his head to look at the three captains. "If you guys want a place to find a good chef, I'd recommend the floating restaurant Baratie," he offered. "Johnny and have been there a few times. The food they serve there is amazing."
Sabo hummed tonelessly for a moment before turning back to look at Ace and Luffy. "What do you guys think?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.
Luffy and Ace exchanged glances, before Luffy shrugged and Ace turned back to look at the blond. "Sure, seems like a good idea." Ace agreed.
"Alright then!" Luffy cried out excitedly, springing to his feet. "Onwards, to the floating restaurant Baratie!"
Within a matter of hours, the group was within eyesight of the Baratie, when suddenly a large shadow found itself overtop the pirate ship.
"Oh, who are these guys?" Luffy asked curiously as he stared at the larger vessel that was now parallel to the Going Merry.
"Those are Marines, you idiot!" Nami hissed, as she pulled him and the rest of the crew down so as to not attract attention.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
"Oh, who are these guys?" a pink-haired man dressed in a pinstripe suit mused from atop the Marine warship, unknowingly mirroring Luffy's question.
"Ah, Fullbody-san, we do not recognize that pirate flag! They must be rookies!" a lower Marine reported to the lieutenant. Fullbody hemmed in response.
"I don't recognize them…except those two!" he said suddenly, pointing in Johnny and Yosaku's direction. "Oi, you two!" he called down, getting the two bounty-hunting swordsmen's attention.
"Hmmm? Us?" Johnny pointed at himself and Yosaku in confusion. "What do you want with us?" he called back.
"I know you two! You're Yosaku and Johnny, aren't you? The bounty-hunting tag team duo!" Fullbody said loudly.
Johnny and Yosaku's chests puffed up with pride. "Yeah, we are! Who're you?" Johnny replied arrogantly.
"My name's Lieutenant Fullbody," the man replied, before his tone shifted to a mocking lilt. "What're you two small fry doing all the way out here? There are some high-level bounties this close to the Grand Line, you might find your weak asses in a world of hurt."
"Small fry?!"
"Weak?!"
Johnny and Yosaku roared in rage simultaneously, before Johnny reached into his coat and pulled out a large stack of papers, tossing them at the Marine ship.
"These are the types of bounties we hunt, asshole!" Yoskau roared as papers flew everywhere. Fullbody smirked and turned away, satisfied at having pissed off the pair.
Meanwhile, Nami focused on a specific bounty poster. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers and her skin went pale as milk. She clenched her teeth and fists and began to shake.
'Arlong…' she thought to herself, struggling to get herself under control, before turning back to look at the sea and sky.
Fullbody had already rejoined his date at the helm of the ship, where he nonchalantly turned to a lower-ranking sailor. "Sink that ship," he ordered carelessly. "It's an eyesore, and it's a pirate ship to boot."
"Yes sir!" the sailor saluted, before running to fulfill his officer's command, while Fullbody and his hot date loaded up onto a boat to dock at the Baratie.
The War Gods exchanged glances before shrugging and getting back to business, Zoro dragging still-irate Johnny and Yosaku away from the starboard bow. However, just as they were about to keep going onto the restaurant, Luffy heard an explosion on the ship next to him, and immediately flipped into action.
"Storm Winds!" he yelled, breathing in deeply and releasing a massive gust of wind at the oncoming cannonball, completely engulfing it and reversing its course. Crashing into the Marine ship's mast, it snapped the wooden pole to bits before continuing on its path and falling into the ocean several hundred meters away.
"Any of the rest of you guys wanna try fucking with us?" Ace asked calmly, staring at the dumbstruck Marines, who as one shook their heads no. Ace smiled. "Good!" he said cheerily, before turning back to the front of the ship.
"Right this way sir and ma'am, we'll show you to a table right away," a tall blond, dressed in a black suit and smoking a cigarette said, bowing deeply and gesturing towards a table with a view.
Fullbody nodded rudely, before taking his date by the hand and leading her towards the dining room.
As the pair settled in, the blond brought them their menus and they quickly ordered soup to start.
Turning to look towards his date, Fullbody pulled out a bottle of wine from his coat. "This is a very good vintage Moodie, it should go well with our meal," He said arrogantly to his date as he set the bottle onto the table. "Oi, waiter!" he called, snapping his fingers and gesturing towards the bottle. "Bring us a bottle opener, we want to let the wine decant a bit."
The waiter bowed his head and withdrew a bottle opener out from his coat and approached the table, setting it down on the table and picking up the wine bottle to inspect it while putting two bowls of soup in front of the customers.
"I would not recommend this particular vintage; it is of low quality and will not pair well with the soup," the man said calmly as he set the bottle back down on the table. Moodie began to laugh lightly, while Fullbody's face rouged in embarrassment and rage.
"Are you insulting me, waiter? Do you know who I am?" he asked lowly.
The waiter's expression did not change as he picked up the bottle opener and placed it back into his coat. "You are somebody who does not understand wine. Please enjoy the soup," the blond said, bowing again and beginning to withdraw. Unfortunately, Fullbody was not going to let things go as he surreptitiously slipped a bug into the soup.
"Oi, waiter, wait a minute! What is the meaning of this?! Why is there a bug on my soup?!" he called in fake outrage. The black-clad man sighed imperceptibly before turning back to the lieutenant once again.
"Yes sir, you must've gotten lucky. Some of the others got stinkbugs, it's our specialty," he said in a deadpan tone. Fullbody's eyes bulged in rage as he clenched his hands and suddenly lashed out with his iron knuckle-clad fist, aiming to punch the errant serving boy in the stomach.
Alas, it was not to be.
Faster than Fullbody could react, the waiter's foot was off the ground and had collided with the lieutenant's attacking appendage and moved forward, slamming into the marine's chest and throwing him into a wall. Groaning slightly, Fullbody lifted his head, his vision blurring as he attempted to reorient himself after the unexpected counterattack. His vision was filled by the black-clad man who had his hands in his pockets and was now walking towards the rude Marine. By now, the dining hall was completely silent as people looked at the spectacle.
"First of all," the waiter said as he loosened his tie, "I'm not a waiter, I'm the sous-chef. We just have a few sick people today, so I'm filling in." He put down the tray and lifted his leg in preparation for a second kick. "And second of all, my name is Sanji."
Aaaaaaaaand, that's a wrap! Wow, this took a while to write! In any case, next chapter: the War God Pirates land at the Baratie, Gin appears, and the battle with Don Krieg begins!
I know I generally don't do this, but I would really appreciate a review or two. It helps me improve my writing as I get to see people's critique, plus it helps me know that people actually
