A/N: Yadda yadda yadda, sorry for taking so long, yadda yadda yadda.
Anyway, I have a website for my stories and future projects - zeldroproductions dot weebly dot com. I post chapters earlier there and will also start posting MANGA ADAPTATIONS of my stories. Yeah. You wanna see a manga version of this story? That's where you'll find it. It won't be for a while before that happens, though, but it's in the works.
Chapter Six: Thunder Trek
On a remote island somewhere in the Grand Line is a marine.
He is alone.
He is scared.
A dense forest surrounds him; giant trees tower from above, and the snarls of creatures lurking in the shadows drown out the sound of his fast heartbeat. A lousy rifle and a Den Den Mushi - these are the only items he's carrying.
At one point, the Den Den Mushi starts ringing, and the marine nervously answers, wary of his surroundings.
"H-hello?"
"Yes. This is Vice Admiral Smoker, with whom am I speaking?"
"U-uh… Jonathan Reiss, sir."
"Can I speak to your captain?"
"I-I'm afraid not, we're currently separated…"
"What the hell? How so?"
"The three 'ghouls'... They forced us off the ship at an island… It's a jungle-island, with huge creatures… A giant attacked us not too long ago and we were separated…"
"Where are you right now?"
The marine scans his surroundings. Giant leaves and shrubs dominate the forest floor, along with very big and nasty bugs. Up from above are layers of branches, leaves, and wood; he can barely see the canopy from where he's standing. There are no predators in sight, but he's sure there's at least one stalking him.
"In the middle of the forest, I'm not sure where I am on the island, exactly."
"And you say those ghouls dropped your crew off on that island?"
"Affirmative, sir. The tall one threatened to use lethal force."
"Nishiki… The one with the largest bounty. Well, hold tight, and keep me updated with your current situation. No other Den Den Mushis would answer my calls, so let me know if everyone else is okay. I'm currently on my way to the island they're probably at… where I'll beat them to the ground."
"W-what island is that, sir?"
"I'd assume they're headed for a winter island southeast of you. Drum Island."
. . .
"So, what makes regular compasses not work, exactly?"
"I don't know, all I know is that this type is the one we're supposed to use. It's called a 'log pose.'"
"It just points to the 'next island?' Why is there a 'next island?' Why can't we just go to whatever island we want?"
"I don't know, Nishiki, okay? Can we just follow it and see if whatever island it's pointing to is safe?"
"Fine, Touka. Now go be on watch, you said that's your job, right?"
Touka exits the room and walks to the front of the ship. It's cold, she thinks. Very cold. It was hot yesterday, but now it's suddenly freezing.
"T-touka…?" a little girl's voice says from behind. Touka turns around to see Hinami.
She's got a blanket wrapped around her, and she's shaking.
"Yes, Hinami?"
"I… was wondering… when can we eat? I'm hungry…"
Touka squats down and pats her on the head.
"Soon, Hinami. Soon…"
The three ghouls, with their hijacked warship they stole, are headed towards Drum Island - just as Smoker predicted. No marines are on the ship now. It's just Touka, Nishiki, and Hinami.
The air is chilly, and a gloomy fog has enveloped the ship. Even inside the ship it's freezing, so the ghouls are constantly trying to find ways to get warmer; Touka is the one who decided to keep watch on the front deck, and naturally, she regrets that decision.
Once we arrive at this island… We can rest. But only for a bit. The military - namely the man Nishiki harassed over the snail phone - are coming after us.
We can fend for ourselves, though. Unless some maniac with a body made of lava comes to terrorize and kill us, we will survive.
After two more silent, cold hours, they finally arrive at Drum Island. The pier is empty, and there are no other ships harbored. There is not another soul in sight.
Just us, she thinks; the ghoul trio.
. . .
"Luffy! It's Zoro! Are you here?" the swordsman yells as he bangs on the wooden door.
The door promptly opens, and out comes the captain.
"Huh? Oh, Zoro! Hey! And it's the eyepatch guy!"
"Yeah, yeah, no time for that. We need to leave, immediately."
"Why?"
"We're being chased. We just got back from a brawl, two pirate crews attacked us. I was almost overwhelmed. They're hurt, but they should be after us soon. Tell everyone else. Go!"
Luffy storms back inside and starts announcing to his crew that some dudes are coming after them and they've gotta go. Zoro and Kaneki head inside as well, and they both start packing their things.
Vivi gives Kaneki a look of confusion.
"What's going on?"
"That spiky-haired pirate, and another one… They and their crews found Zoro in Goddrack… They were going to kill him, or something, and so Zoro went outside and started fighting them… I joined in, and we ended up winning, but they're probably going to be coming back… We need to leave."
"Kid and Bellamy?"
"Yes."
"I knew they would be problems. Where are we going?"
"Anywhere but here," Zoro interrupts. "I don't really care."
"Shit, guys! I was in the middle making new ammo. And now you've pissed off some other rookie pirates?" Usopp complains, hopping off of his recently-repaired bunk bed.
"You're wrong. They pissed me off."
"Can we go kick the wind woman's ass now?" Luffy asks.
Zoro smirks, and says, "I wouldn't mind doing that."
"No!" Nami says. "I said we aren't messing with her. I also said no fights, but here we are!"
"You can't blame me for this. They came after me. I was defending myself. If I had properly taken care of things we wouldn't be rushing to get out of here."
Nami rolls her eyes and continues packing.
"So, this means a bounty hunter will be coming after us since we didn't finish repairing the house?" Sanji asks, lighting a cigarette. "We were either supposed to do that, or pay for the damages."
"I guess we'll have to worry about that later," Nami replies.
"What?! A bounty hunter?! Why?" Usopp questions.
"Because we didn't pay for what that asshole wind woman did, and we didn't finish repairing either," Zoro answers. "I don't think he'll be a threat though."
"I don't know, Zoro… What if he's as powerful as you? You were a bounty hunter, right?"
"Stop worrying, there are other things to worry about. I cut off Bellamy's arm, and he already wanted to kill me before then so now how do you think he feels? He probably wants all of us dead."
Usopp noticeably tenses up.
The Straw Hats rush out of the house in no time, and head towards the Going Merry. Nami, the current holder of the Log Pose, claims she doesn't want to risk the log getting messed up by going back out to sea, and instead assigns Usopp to stay and ride around the island and stop at the next harbor. Just before the Straw Hats start travelling, Kaneki stops them.
"I-I forgot to do something!" he says.
The crew looks to him questioningly.
"It's important… It'll only take a second, please."
"What is it, Kaneki?" Vivi asks him.
"Goddrack."
Vivi nods her head, and he begins running in the opposite direction. He runs as fast as he can; he has to let Racker know he's leaving. He feels bad for having to leave him, too. He and Vivi were the only employees left after everyone quit when Bellamy terrorized the bar. Leaving without a word would be a terrible thing to do.
He enters the town. The one-eyed ghoul, wearing his worn-down eyepatch, tries to avoid the pirates in the town. Some instantly recognize him and begin pursuit. Some run away in fear, thinking he'll kill them with his "tentacles." He is now known throughout the town, as is Zoro and the rest of the Straw Hats.
Goddrack comes into view. He rushes inside to see the old man standing behind the bar; instantly, he begins explaining everything.
"...a-and Zoro cut off his arm, he injured most of his crew, while I had to hold my ground against the other captain, b-but now they're g-gonna come after us and I have to go! I have to go."
Racker gives him a smile.
"Then go."
"W-what about your bar?"
"It's all good."
"Vivi is going too, is it j-just you working here now?" Kaneki quickly asks, stumbling over his words.
"Don't worry about it. If you're in danger, just go! You're a traveller, right? This should be second nature for you."
Kaneki thinks for a moment, and then says, "Bye, Racker."
He runs back to his crew, and they begin their trek across Thunder Island.
The northernmost island of the Grand Line's first islands it is; out of the many paths one can take through the first half of the sea, it is considered to be the most dangerous. Some rookies overestimate their abilities and try to go that way to "harden" themselves.
One of the main reasons the northern path is so dangerous is because all of the pirates trying to prove themselves as tough go that route and clash with other pirates, causing endless conflict. Kid and Bellamy are prime examples of these pirates. Bellamy is going this route to meet a certain man later down its path, and Kid wants to let the world know how strong he is. It has been this way for so long that many have forgotten what made the northern path the most dangerous in the first place.
This brings us to the Straw Hats, another pirate crew taking the northern path. They have begun travelling across the land, away from the pirates that are supposedly now pursuing them. If they can quietly explore the island until the log pose is set, all should be good… right?
I guess we'll find out.
"Do we not have a map?" Zoro asks.
"No, we don't," Nami answers. "Once we find another village, we need to buy one, okay?"
"I've been wanting to do this since I got here. Why the hell have we waited so long?" Luffy questions.
Zoro says, "It's because of that Kaki-wind girl that tore up our house, remember? We had to stay to clean up that bitch's mess."
Sanji winces at him. "Cool it, mosshead."
"What?"
"You shouldn't talk about a woman that way. Don't use that word."
Zoro rolls his eyes.
"Shut up, Sanji."
Lightning strikes down from above as they move toward the island's center. Nami is subconsciously leading the group towards the lightning, wanting to investigate; she is starting to believe it's somehow artificial lightning. Whoever the "god" is that people refer to on this island… he must be doing something, she thinks. What is his goal, though? What is he trying to accomplish?
So many mysteries…
A silent Kaneki is continually dragging behind the group. A lot is on his mind, and rightfully so. Tagging along with a group of pirates he met merely days before, he isn't sure what to expect anymore. He's had to meet new people and leave them almost instantly, as is with Racker. He starts to wonder if he even needs to bother getting to know the Straw Hats.
He convinces himself it is worth it, though, as letting things off your chest to people you know can be very helpful with stress. Even if it's for a little bit… If he can have a legitimate human relationship with anyone, he'll take it. At the same time, he's still reluctant to get too comfortable with anyone other than Touka or Hide, the latter who is still back in his old universe. He's already spilled the beans to Zoro, and other pirates know he's a ghoul, so it's not off to a great start. But maybe… Just maybe… He'll be able to erase his past, and move forward without anything coming back to haunt him.
For the umpteenth time he ponders over how he even got to this universe in the first place.
He knows it had something to do with him, and that he caused it, but how, exactly, he did it, he's completely unsure of. After being tortured for so long, something just… broke inside of him, and suddenly a black hole-like portal formed, and a ton of people were sucked into it.
This reminds him of the ghoul hunters. The man that was torturing him is still out there. Many of his enemies are still out there. Nishiki and Hinami are out there, too, and they must be with Touka. Hopefully, at least.
There's already too many things to worry about, he thinks, trying to catch up with the group. No sense in adding even more to that list.
They could've been apprehended back in that town where we arrived… It's a good thing Touka and the others escaped at the very least. I know they're out there somewhere...
Through the dense fog, occasional rain, thick grass, and fluctuating temperatures, the crew stays strong in their travels. They see the Going Merry passing by them at one point, and wave to Usopp; after setting up the ship, he began to bring it to the nearest dock, and once he does so, he'll regroup with the Straw Hats.
Before any of them know it the group comes across yet another town. It is a fishing-oriented town, and Usopp docked the boat there; the military there is plentiful. It seems a bit more lively than the "pirate-friendly town" they were at before, and a little less eerie. Still, it's more dangerous for them, because the so-called "lightning military" are hell-bent on stopping conflict as soon as possible, even if it means apprehending innocent people just for looking at them a certain way.
Before walking into town, Usopp returns out of nowhere.
"Oiiii! Guys! I'm back!" he shouts.
The guards looks to him questioningly.
"I docked the ship pretty close to here, and there weren't any freaky people around, so I think we're good."
The crew passes underneath the overarching gate into the town, and they're immediately greeted by its tense atmosphere and stares from almost everybody in view. Instantly, the pirates become uncomfortable, and rush inside somewhere.
The roads in the town are actually paved, and the a decent amount of the buildings are made from brick or stone, unlike the "pirate village" where everything was made of run-down wood. It's nicer in almost every way…
...unless you consider the armed guards standing on every corner.
The citizens have a constant look of worry on their faces. Like someone's out to get them. They act super-anxious around guards, and the Straw Hats notice this before entering a random store to escape the tension; however, they realize there is no escape once they see even more lightning military in the convenience store.
Racks of random, arbitrary items dominate most of the shop; from weapons, to food, to reading glasses. Usopp sees some goggles he likes, and picks them up to check them out.
"Hey! You there! Do not steal those!" a guard shouts.
Usopp, startled, drops the goggles onto the ground, and the glass of one of the lenses breaks. The guard suddenly has a furious face, and begins pacing over to Usopp.
"Come with me," he sternly says, grabbing him by the arm.
He starts to pull Usopp to the exit but Sanji suddenly appears and forces his hand of off Usopp. He gives the guard a glare.
"He broke it because you surprised him. He can pay for it, though, it's no biggie. There's no problem here."
"This does not involve you."
"It does, actually."
Sanji pulls the cigarette out of his mouth, throws it on the floor, and steps on it, smearing it into the carpet below him. He then looks back at the guard with a laid-back face.
The guard then attempts to grab Sanji's arm, but Sanji sidesteps. The guard almost falls over.
"Sanji, stop harassing the poor man!" Nami tells him as she passes by. "Hurry up and buy what you need for cooking, alright?"
"Yes, my lady," he replies, beginning to turn around.
Then, another guard appears in front of Sanji.
"Are you resisting arrest?" he asks.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Interfering with another arrest grants you one too, blondly. C'mon. You know the drill, right?"
The other guard places his hand on Sanji's shoulder.
"Lightning chair for two hours. It seems like you haven't had it yet."
"The hell are you talking about? Get your nasty hand off of me!"
Sanji slaps the guard's hand away and steps backward. Usopp nervously watches from the background as the guards start walking toward Sanji in a very calm manner, like they'd done this a thousand times.
"Three hours," a guard says.
Sanji keeps backing away.
"Four hours."
Sanji backs up and accidentally hits Zoro.
"The hell you doing?" he asks. "Stop messing with the police, moron."
"Five hours! You're just racking it up! It only takes, like, three hours for people to start begging to die. Can you last that long?"
Sanji backs up to the very back of the store. Two guards are standing in front of him, telling him he's subject to five or more hours in some kind of torture-device electric chair.
Naturally, he kicks one on the face and punches the other one. They start yelling, and Sanji darts for the door.
"They wouldn't stop pestering me!" he starts explaining to Nami. "We gotta go!"
"CODE 102!" a guard shouts into a Den Den Mushi.
Within seconds, ten more guards, all in the same "lightning uniform," start crowding the entrance of the store. Unlike the ones inside, these guys have a taser device. One tries to taze Sanji, but the cook responds by promptly kicking him in the gut, sending him into the other guards instantly. Luffy arrives on the scene, confused, but ready to fight anyway. He takes out the rest of the guards with his rubber arm, forcing them to the other side of the street, and then, the rest of the crew arrives.
"So, anybody wanna say what the hell just happened?" Nami asks.
Usopp answers, "Th-the guards freaked out because I dropped something, t-then Sanji stopped them, they threatened to torture him or something, then, well, this happened."
"Sounds about right," she replies.
"We must get out of here," Vivi says. "I was here not too long ago… The military here are very strict and brutal."
"Then why didn't you say something?" Zoro asks, bluntly.
"Cool it, mosshead," Sanji says.
Kaneki, as usual, doesn't really chime in on the conversation but instead immediately accepts the fact that the entire town's military are after them.
After fighting their way through hordes of lightning guards, the crew make it out of the city, tired and worn-down. They are officially recognized as threats to the island's government, and within a few hours of the incident, certain hunters are sent after them to collect their heads.
. . .
The travel continues. After being pursued by the lightning military, the Straw Hats walk along the edge of the island as Usopp steers the ship next to them. The clouds are dark, and there is a peculiar lightning storm to the left of them. One that piques Nami's interest.
"Oi, Usopp, keep riding that ship around the island and park it at the nearest dock. We're gonna go check out this part of the island, aight?"
Usopp nods, and they part ways.
"Ooo! We're gonna check out the thunderstorm?" Luffy questions.
Nami gazes at the storm from the edge of the island. The ground beneath it is blocked off by trees and wooden structures, only adding to her curiousity.
She then looks to Luffy.
"Yep."
Above the most central part of Thunder Island is a big, dark cloud. It looks very out of place; even when it's not raining in any other part of the island, that same cloud is still there, constantly bringing down thunder and lightning. Surrounding the area are very tall trees, brick walls, and other random wooden structures. The Straw Hats make out a guard tower out in the distance, and suddenly wish they sent someone else to ride the ship so Usopp could take them out.
After moving closer to the guard tower, the guard notices them and immediately takes aim.
He knows not of the Straw Hats, and that they're wanted throughout the island; still, he's been ordered to fire on anyone he deems suspiciously close to the middle of the island. So, he fires his rifle, and almost instantly it hits Luffy. Then, the bullet promptly bounces off of Luffy's rubber skin, and strikes the guard in the chest.
"Nice, Luffy," Zoro says, smirking.
"Totally meant to do that!" Luffy exclaims.
The crew raids the tower. They take the guard's gun, and decide to give it to Kaneki.
At this point they're very close to the middle of the island. Nami knows something's in there…
But she just doesn't know what.
She thinks, Could it be used to power something? If so, what? This island naturally has a lot of thunderstorms, so why does it need even more?
While trekking through the forest, and sneaking her way around guard towers with the Straw Hats, Vivi starts thinking of her situation once again. She keeps eyeing Kaneki, who's quieter than usual; he's always seemed as if something was on his mind, though, but today he seems… off.
I wonder what the endgame is… She thinks. For me, at least.
Am I going to find my way back to Alabasta? Defeat the rebels with the help of the government?
Or am I going to abandon all of that and stay with these guys?
Dragon… the man leading the rebellion in my homeland… whenever he's involved, I heard, nothing ever goes well.
I forgot how I even ended up on this island. I know I hitched a ride on some ships, but I can't remember the specifics. I was probably drunk for the majority of the time.
I've been clean these past few days though, so hopefully it won't become a problem again.
With these guys… it feels like I don't even have any problems. Like there is no giant war going on where I live - or where I used to live. I love it.
Being a princess wasn't… that bad, but… I feel more free out here. Exploring the unknown. Getting into trouble. Constantly being on the move.
It's refreshing.
Vivi is taken out of her thoughts by Nami, as she points out to the front of the group.
"We're here."
A dome-like structure stands before the group of pirates. A lightning rod is extending from the dome, and from the clouds above, each and every lightning bolt strikes that rod. The electric power, with each strike, seeps down into the dome.
Is that what it's powering? Nami thinks.
The dome is surrounded by many layers of walls and security, as there are many, many guards and guard towers, so they cannot get very close. The crew hides behind a large tree to avoid being caught.
Nami spots a certain white figure approaching the entrance of the dome.
"Kakihura," she says. "Wind Woman."
"Can I kick her ass?" Luffy asks.
"I'd be willing to, but not with all of this security they've got," Zoro replies.
Sanji looks to Zoro. "You aren't kicking her ass at all! Neither are you!"
"I think I've heard of this place," Vivi says. "What was it called? Hmmm…"
"Oh! Right. The 'thunderdome.'"
Out in the distance, Kakihura starts to open the door inside the dome, but something else catches her attention.
A guard standing to the left of the entrance is asleep in a chair.
"Ooo, he's dead," Sanji comments.
"What do you think you're doing?" the woman's voice echoes through the wind.
The guard awakens, and starts to panic. Luffy and Zoro are taken aback for some reason.
"Are you asleep while guarding the thunderdome? You do know that God is almost done with his ship, and he's coming here right now? Do you know what he would've done to you?"
"Is that…" Zoro starts.
"COBY!" Luffy shouts.
The guard and Kakihura look to Luffy, running toward the thunderdome.
"Coby! It's Luffy! Get out of there, she's evil!"
The guard is none other than Coby, the small pink-haired boy Luffy and Zoro met very early in their adventures. About twenty guns are aimed at Luffy and begin firing; naturally, they don't phase him, but when they bounce off it creates a havoc. The Straw Hats start sprinting away, calling to Luffy to come on.
"What an unwise group of delinquents…" a voice echoes through the air.
The pirates aren't pursued once they reach the edge of the forest.
"That didn't work out," Zoro says, as everyone else is out of breath.
Kaneki falls to the ground in exhaustion. Zoro looks down at him and scoffs.
"Where to now?" Zoro asks.
"Another town, I guess," Nami replies. "One with less military. Not quite like that pirate town, but definitely not like the last one we visited."
After some rest the pirates start travelling once more - this time, in an unknown direction. The sky above them is blue once more, and the sun hangs overhead.
Once we find a town we can buy a map, which will help us with our next course of action. We'll send half of us to go find Usopp and have him bring the ship closer to wherever we are, and then, maybe, just maybe, we'll have at least a day of no trouble.
That last part is unlikely, though, Nami thinks.
Zoro looks to Luffy as they continuously walk through the lush grass, away from the forest behind them.
"What the hell was Coby doing there?" Zoro asks.
"I don't know! He's working for that wind woman, I know. But is he being forced to, or something?"
"Maybe. In any case, we have to come back here…"
"And do what?" Sanji asks.
"Rescue Coby. And, if these lightning-bastards keep causing us trouble, we can take them out at their main base."
"Who the hell's Coby?"
"This boy Luffy and I met. We don't know how he got here… but it can't be good."
"Fair enough, I guess. These guys are annoying…"
. . .
"New rule: If somebody's going out, they have to bring at least one person with them. No loners," Nami explains.
"Fine," Zoro says, standing up from the bed. "We still don't know how safe this town is. When are we going to find Usopp?"
"We can send a few people out tonight. It's still daytime, but it's getting pretty close to dark."
"Dibs on going to find Usopp!" Luffy says.
The Straw Hats have found another town; it is one that is exactly what they wanted. Not filled with murder-hungry pirates, but also not overtaken by military. It's somewhere in the middle.
Naturally, Kaneki says, "I'm going out," just a few minutes after arriving at the new room they're staying in.
"Where?" Nami asks.
"Just to walk around, I guess."
"Who's going with you?"
Vivi's face perks up for a moment, ready to volunteer, but Zoro steps in before her.
"I'll go," he says.
And so the two go outside and begin walking. Kaneki would rather be alone, but hey, he'll take whatever he can get. Zoro doesn't really like him anyway, so they weren't going to talk that much, right?
Wrong.
"Where are we actually going?" he asks.
"What?"
"Where were you going to go if I hadn't come along? Something else you're hiding?"
"No! No. I promise, no. It's just, there's a lot on my mind, and I just wanted to walk around. Maybe find a bookstore. I swear."
"What's on your mind?"
"Everything," he replies, sighing.
They walk along the stone road, passing by merchants trying to sell items and people running about with their friends. It's a very lively town. There aren't many pirates, but the ones that are there aren't causing havoc.
The two take a seat on a bench in an alleyway.
"Tell me everything," Zoro says.
"If I do, you'll say I'm lying."
"Then tell me the truth."
"I did back then, and I will now. I'm an open book. I'll start from the beginning…"
"This isn't storytime, eyepatch. Just tell me why you're here with us and what you want."
"In order for you to understand, you have to listen… okay?"
"Fine."
"So… I was in a coffee shop one day, with my good friend. There was this girl sitting at another table - a very beautiful girl, one I couldn't take my eyes off of. Not only that, but she was reading a book by an author that I loved."
"Where the hell is this going?"
"Just keep listening. I work up the courage to ask her out at one point, and we go on a date - it was a good date indeed. When we were walking home after the date, she asked if I could walk with her into a dark alley she had to go through to get home, because she was scared… Naturally, I did. Then, it happened…"
"What happened?"
"She was a ghoul."
"Like you?"
"Not back then. There were these monsters we called ghouls that solely ate human flesh, and sometimes coffee. She ended up being one, and she tried to kill me, but I ended up surviving and was put into the hospital. I was dying, though. The ghoul ended up severely injured as well, on the verge of death, and since we had the same blood type some of her organs were transferred into my body."
"You serious?"
"...Yes. That's how I ended up becoming a ghoul. I was… scared. Everything tasted weird. I suddenly wanted to eat other humans. I found a group of ghouls that took me in as their own, ghouls that didn't harm humans but instead feasted off of suicide victims. I stayed there for a while - it ended up being the coffee shop I was originally at. I started working there, too, but as life went on we made enemies. Lots of them. I got entangled with very shady people. At one point, I was kidnapped, and was being endlessly tortured…"
"This is here? In this world?"
"Just listen. As I was being tortured, something… broke inside of me. I was utterly destroyed by the pain that I… let something out of me. Somehow, some way, I created a black hole, and I was sucked into it along with my friends, who were trying to rescue me, and my tormenter and his allies… I woke back up in that town, Loguetown. Then… I met you guys."
"Is that it?"
"Yes."
"Holy hell, kid. Are you expecting me to believe all of that?"
"Not really."
"What are your goals?"
"To find my friends, and make sense of all of this."
"You're from - what, a different planet?"
"I don't know. I just know I'm far away from my home…"
It feels really good to get it all out, Kaneki thinks. All of it, off my chest.
In the midst of thought Kaneki hears a woman's screams at the end of the dark alleyway. He stands up, and sees three men surrounding her, backing her into the wall. Without thought, he runs toward them and instantly starts punching and kicking them - not using his powers, though. The men aren't affected much by Kaneki but are distracted enough to let the woman get away. One punches Kaneki, and another kicks him to the ground, but Zoro steps in, slicing them with ease. He looks down to the white-haired ghoul.
"You were pulling your punches."
He helps Kaneki get up, and asks, "You wanna go to a bar or something?"
"...Yeah, that'd be great."
The woman hugs Kaneki and gives him some of her extra beli, saying he saved her life. She then disappears. The two find a bar, sit down, and begin talking about life.
Zoro doesn't exactly trust Kaneki. After all, he's shrouded in mystery, even after telling his backstory. Still, it's one step in the right direction for him, but Zoro thinks he should tell the entire crew if he's not lying.
As the day comes to an end and the sun disappears from the sky, a certain pirate enters a bar on another part of the island.
"You!" he shouts. "Where are they?"
"What do you mean?" the bartender asks. "Who?"
"Luffy and his crew. The Straw Hats. The white-haired freak worked here, right? Where is he?" Kid asks.
"I don't know."
Bellamy enters from behind. He now only has one arm.
"I'm going to kill Zoro. Where are they, Racker? Tell us!"
"If I could tell you, I would, but I don't know. Kaneki came in earlier this morning telling me he's going to travel the island. He did not say where."
"Shit," Kid says. "Well, boys," he starts saying to his pirate crew, still injured from Zoro.
"We're going after the Straw Hats. And we're gonna kill each and every one of them. You and your crew in, Bellamy?"
Bellamy smirks. "Hell yeah."
A/N: Longer chapter. I liked this chapter. It got quite a lot done. Thanks for reading.
twitter: byzeldro
website: zeldroproductions dot weebly dot com
Review Responses will be combined with next chapter's.
