Ch. 8- Nekomamushi
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard, Jupiter, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Lucky, and Hoeru © Me
Hercules © Me and Gakuto1991
Color Spread: The Straw Hats, as well as Wanda, Carrot, and Hoeru in bikinis, playing on the beach. Wanda is playfully licking Nami, who tries to push her off, while Luffy laughs. Aika sits with Hoeru, drinking pineapple juice, provided by Sanji, who is slicing up some more. Carrot giggles as she and Chopper watch Usopp doodle on a sleeping Zoro's face, while Kumi lies on Zoro's stomach, also sleeping.
"One of Caesar's weapons caused the Minks to lose?!" Usopp questioned.
"That's right," Chopper answered. "It was terrible!"
"If not for that, we would've won and driven those invaders off," said Wanda. "Isn't that right, Your Grace?"
A pause...but then Inuarash began drooling as he stared at Brook, who yelped in dread.
"Oh, no...!" he squeaked.
"That's one...delicious-looking savior," said Inuarashi.
"Yes, I know," Wanda answered. "I think he's amazing, as well...but you're still in recovery, so...not now."
"NOT NOW OR EVER!" Brook barked.
"Come on, man, have a heart!" Franky quipped.
"Are you daft?!" Brook questioned. "I don't need a whole pack of dogs chewing, sucking, and licking on my bones! It's bad enough that Blizzard does this!"
At that moment, Blizzard seemed to chuckle sheepishly before he made a slurping sound, licking his chops as he did.
"GAH! YOU SEE?!" Brook shouted. "HE'S DOING IT NOW!"
"Caesar's the one who made the weapon," Robin noted. "Doflamingo sold it...and it made its way up to Kaido..."
"Rrrrgh! Damn that Caesar!" Luffy cursed. "He makes me so mad!"
"Me, too!" Aika added while Kumi growled in agreement.
"Enough about that," said Inuarashi as he looked at Luffy. "Boy...that straw hat really suits you-gara."
"Huh?" Luffy muttered in confusion, putting his hand on his hat.
"A long time ago, I and...ahh...who was it, again?" asked Inuarashi. "That stupid cat..."
"Nekomamushi, Your Grace," Wanda pointed out.
"Right," Inuarashi grumbled. "That one. He and I went out to sea at one time, and met a young man wearing such a hat...he went on to become one of the Four Emperors, Red-Haired Shanks."
"You know Shanks, Dog Storm Pops?!" Luffy asked in surprise. "That's so cool!"
"Sheesh...it's like everybody we meet knows your hero, these days," Blizzard mused.
"Actually," Luffy started, "I'm just holding onto this hat for Shanks, and I promised to give it back when I-"
Without warning, Inuarashi suddenly just conked out, asleep!
"HE'S SLEEPING?!" Luffy questioned.
"Well, now you know how he feel," Blizzard quipped.
"Come to think of it, it is about 6 o'clock at night, now," said Wanda.
"It's only six!" Usopp shouted. "He's not a little kid!"
"Hey, wake up!" Luffy yelled as he began to jostle the duke around, tugging at his mouth and pulling his ears. "I thought we were gonna talk about Shanks! Wake up, already!"
"Luffy, leave him alone!" Chopper cried as he tried to pull him away. "He still needs his bed-rest!"
"How come Mr. Doggy Storm is asleep?" asked Aika.
"Ah, yes," said Wanda. "As I had said, earlier, the Mokomo Dukedom is ruled over by 2 kings at all times. The official sovereign is Duke Inuarashi. However, Master Nekomamushi, charged with protecting the Whael Forest over the generations possesses equal authority."
"What does that have to do with the duke falling asleep, though?" asked Usopp.
"Well...you-teia know the saying that cats and dogs don't get along, right?" asked Wanda. "Well...these two take it very seriously. It's so bad, that if they even caught sight of one another, they just might fight to the death."
"Wait, what?!" Usopp questioned. "Why?!"
"That, I don't know," said Wanda as she and Nami sat down on the bed. "In the past, they were very good friends...but when they are in a fight, they are equal in terms of strength! Their bickering is so bad, that they choose not to ever seeing each other. Thus, while Duke Inuarashi rules the country from 6 in the morning to six at night, Master Nekomamushi rules from 6 at night to six in the morning. They split their hours so as not to over lap."
"Whoa!" Usopp exclaimed as he spotted Tristan and Miyagi. "Even those two are sleeping!"
"Everyone at this fortress is usually sleeping, by now," said Wanda.
"Grrrr...!" growled Sicilian. "I'm getting quite tired, myself."
"Huh?" Franky muttered. "Wait, who are you again?"
"I'm Sicilian!" Sicilian barked as he began to nod off. "The shifting of day and night...has an effect on us, too. The townsfolk are active in the day while the forest-folk are nocturnal. It was the same in that battle, earlier."
Before long, he conked out, too.
"I'll take it from here," said Wanda. "You see, it was like this..."
Flashback
The Minks were trying their best to hold off Jack and his men in Kurau City, trying to stop them from destroying their homes and shops. Just as it seemed that they were beginning to lose, however...
"Hey!" called a male Dachshund Mink. "The Musketeers have arrived!"
"Oh, good!" said a female Bear Mink. "Leave it to them while the townsfolk retreat!"
Soon after this, several more Minks appeared, dressed up in musketeer uniforms...among them being Wanda, who wore a white hate with a red feather on the rim.
"Minimize the damage!" shouted a male Bull Mink. "Focus on seizing their weapons!"
"Right!" the other Minks exclaimed before they charged into battle.
"These warriors," said Wanda as she and several others cut them down with their Electro-charged swords. "They seem so strange. An unfamiliar species of human, maybe?"
"Look out for the ones with the black horns!" cried a Monkey Mink as he pointed to one of the Gifters...whose left arm turned into the head of a vicious gray wolf!
"Wolf Grip!" he shouted as the head lunged for Wanda, who gasped in shock.
"A wolf grew out of his hand?!" she questioned.
"Look out, Wanda!" Sicilian cried as he jumped in the way and cut down the Gifter and his wolf hang, both them of them yelping in pain. "You-gara stay back!"
"Sir Sicilian!" the other Musketeers exclaimed as their eyes fell upon the Three Inuarashi Musketeers, consisting of Sicilian, a Fox Mink, and a Zebra Mink. "The Three Inuarashi Musketeers have arrived!"
"Any of you Musketeers who have their hands free," Sicilian called, "aid the townspeople to the forest!"
"Who the hell are they?!" Jack questioned as he spotted them.
"You-gara, there! Jack, is it not?!"
At that moment, Jack looked up on and saw...Inuarashi, charging in on a Croccie, wearing a plumed helmet and wielding a rapier. The townsfolk all gasped and cheered upon his presence.
"It's the duke!" exclaimed a male Rabbit Mink.
"Duke Inuarashi!" cried a female Leopard Mink.
"Stop this senseless destruction and violence, at once!" Inuarashi ordered. "As god as my witness, the man you-gara seek is not in this land! This battle is meaningless!"
"...You are the ruler of this land?!" Jack asked as he stepped forward...while Inuarashi threw his sword to the ground, much to everyone's confusion.
"Your Grace!" called a St. Bernard Musketeer Mink. "What are you doing?! Why did you drop your sword?!"
"Search this land...this island!" Inuarashi shouted. "Search all you wish for this 'samurai' you speak of! We will not resist! Just stop with all this destruction! This place place has a long history!"
"...I refuse," Jack answered as he swung his trunk at Inuarashi.
"Look out, Your Grace!" cried a male Moose Mink...just as Jack's trunk seemed to collide with the duke.
"No!" cried Tristan. "Your Grace!"
However, as the dust cleared...it was revealed that Inuarashi was not only alive...but he had stopped the impact of Jack's trunk with just one hand!
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHH?!" the Beast Pirates questioned.
"What is up with that dog guy?!" asked one of them.
"He withstood Master Jack's attack with only one hand!" cried another. "I didn't think they actually had a guy this strong!"
"I always thought this was just some fantasy land with fluffy animals!" added one more.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" yelled a fourth. "There isn't a single soul in the New World that doesn't know about our boss, the great and powerful Master Jack! Hell, his bounty is a whopping 1 BILLION BERRIES!"
The Minks all gasped in horror and disbelief. They've heard rumors about those who had bounties in the billions...but they didn't actually believe them until today!
"So don't get too full of yourself, Dog Man!" shouted the subordinate.
"...Enough of your fucking babbling about me," said Jack.
"As if I was full of myself," Inuarashi said...although, he seemed to be panting a bit.
"I'll just say this," said Jack. "If the samurai we seek is here, we'd just leave this place alone...but if he's not, it's a crime! One punishable by death!"
Inuarashi gasped in horror, as did the rest of the Minks, while the Beast Pirate all snickered evilly.
"Another thing," Jack added. "I'm someone who gets a thrill out of destruction...so I don't give two shits about your homes or whatever history is behind here!"
"...Then you truly live by your moniker," Inuarashi quipped as he picked up his sword. "You truly ARE a disaster!"
And with that, the clash was on! While Inuarashi fought with Jack, the Musketeers, including Wanda and Carrot, fought off the Gifters, using their natural gifts of fighting with Electro, as well as using the Eruption Rain to their advantage. The battle lasted for hours...but when the clock struck 6 pm...a monstrous roar suddenly shook the sky.
"MRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWRR~!"
"Uh-oh!" exclaimed a male Weasel Mink. "Sounds like Master Nekomamushi is waking up, now!"
"Damnation," Inuarashi cursed, covered in scratches and bruises. "I lost track of time...now HE'S coming out. Musketeers! Pull back!"
"But Your Grace!" called the Fox Mink Musketeer. "Wouldn't it prove more fruitful if we fought alongside the Guardians!"
"Switching is our best benefit," Inuarashi rebuked. "This way, the enemy will not have time to rest through day or night. Now, withdraw!"
"Yes, sir!" the Musketeers saluted before they turned and ran.
"Jack!" Inuarashi exclaimed, panting heavily. "Do not believe that you-gara are the only stubborn man who refuses to listen to reason!"
"Hmm?" Jack hummed inquisitively.
"In every nation," said Inuarashi, "there are always a fool or two to be found!"
With that, he turned and fled...just as the rumbling of approaching feet was heard. Jack and his men turned, only for the lesser members to gasp upon seeing...a giant Cat Mink with yellow fur with brown stripes, a wild mane, a broad mouth full of sharp fangs and a kiseru pipe sticking out, a huge scar going down the left side of his face, as well as a white shirt, a red kimono robe with yellow circles, a pink haramaki, and beige pants, along with woodblock sandals.
He is Master Nekomamushi, the King of Night.
"MRROOOOOWWRRGH!" Nekomamushi yowled as he and his guardians, including Pedro, Roddy, B.B., Hoeru, and several other Minks came charging towards the Beast Pirates. "When the moon is out, this country belongs to me! These invaders will not escape!" He then lunged towards Jack, taking out any of the Beast Pirates as he did. "You won't get away alive!"
"AAAH!" screamed one of the Beast Pirates. "A huge cat monster!"
As Jack prepared to swing his trunk, once more, Nekomamushi leapt into the air and grabbed, hoisting Jack over his shoulder before slamming him against the ground!
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHH?!" the Beast Pirates questioned in shock. "MASTER JACK?!"
"Boss!" called Hoeru, wielding her sword. "Look at the town!"
"I know, Hoeru!" answered Nekomamushi as he smoked his kiseru. "I know the story...Jack, right? I hear you're looking for some samurai from Wano. Bah! I wouldn't let someone like that into our land! And even if one tried, I'd tear him, limb-from-limb! I am Nekomamushi, the one who waits for the dawn of the world!"
A pause...but then, something emerged from the rubble that Nekomamushi threw Jack into. However, instead of a giant mammoth...it looked more humanoid, sending a glare at Nekomamushi, who nonchalantly licked his paws and groomed his whiskers.
"You...damned pussycat...!"
TO BE CONTINUED...
Things are about to get intense, here.
Review, please!
