Gateways: First Coming
Chapter Ten ::: Battle of the Beach :::
Aka ::: Information Based :::
Later, while Zoro, Nami, and Luffy were out searching for Usopp, Ryuuji and I went back to the other beach.
We managed to find a small cove to stash our boats in, but it wasn't big enough to hold much else. I left my electronics and jacket back on the girls' boat and swam back to shore with Ryuuji. I didn't want my stuff getting damaged, after all, they're my only connection to home.
The moon had risen by the time I met back with the others. Ryuuji stayed back at the other beach and would come to us when the pirates started to arrive. We had taken Usopp's idea and covered the slope with oil like I'm sure we'd do to this one. After all, it was good to cover all of your bases. However, don't ask how we got the oil. Just. . . Don't.
"I love this village! I've got to protect my neighbors!" I grinned to myself. Just in time to offer my help. I quickly schooled my features into something more serious. Usopp buried his face in his hands. "There's not much time to plan. But I refuse to let everyone get murdered."
And that's all it took to get Luffy's attention. So, we offered our help. . . And made the poor guy cry. But, hey, you can't have everything.
After that, I dragged Usopp off to the side and discussed a few battle techniques with him. We agreed on the 'oil slick' plan among other things. Eventually we broke apart and turned to the others.
"They'll attack from this beach." Usopp pointed out the slope as we walked back up it. "And this is the route to the village. They'll have to come up this pass. Everywhere else is just sheet cliffs. So, if we can defend this path, the village will be safe."
"However," I broke in, catching everyone's attention. "We couldn't leave out the possibility that they might attack from the other beach we arrived at. Ryuuji's over there now and will come to us if the pirates show. So be prepared to fight here and at the other beach if that's what we need to do."
Usopp nodded. "So, what can you guys do?"
"I cut."
"I stretch."
"I steal."
"I transmute."
"I run and hide."
Luffy, Nami and Zoro jumped on him for that.
Once we were done spreading the oil over the slope, I sat myself down on the edge of the cliff and stared out at the water. There was a rustle as Zoro sat down beside me. For a moment, there was silence.
"So, what exactly are you?"
I smiled to myself. I'd been waiting for this question ever since I met him.
"It is a little weird isn't it? My abilities?" I didn't look at him, but felt him tense. He really was sitting close to me.
"You died. Twice."
"You're short a death but that's alright." I peered at him from the corner of my eye. "I don't know what I am and I can't tell you how I got this way, but I /can/ tell you that I'm not at all happy about it."
"Hn," Zoro grunted.
"I freak you, don't I?" I laughed a bit, quietly. "I'm sorry."
Zoro was quiet. Then. . .
"Just a little."
That tore another laugh from me, but my good humor was cut short with Ryuuji's arrival.
"They're coming!" he howled. I leapt to my feet, Zoro following my example.
"They're at the other beach! Hurry guys! Zoro, which way to the beach?"
"Hm, that way." I nodded and pointed in the opposite direction he wanted to go in.
"Right then, head that way!" The swordsman bristled at my orders. I grabbed his hand and started dragging him to the other beach. "Don't want you getting lost, do we now?"
"Screw you, Kim!"
When we finally reached the beach, we were all out of breath and somewhat annoyed. After all, we'd been waiting at the wrong beach. Well, that's what they were annoyed about. I was pissed because I kept having to turn around and drag Zoro-baka in the right direction.
"Good Gaga we need to get you a good GPS."
"There's already an oil slick here!" Usopp exclaimed. I flashed him a grin.
"Great minds think alike and all that jazz, right Usopp-san?" He gave me an odd look and I got a little worried by that calculating gaze. Usopp may be a coward and a liar, but he wasn't stupid. He might actually learn some stuff about me that I don't want him to. Well, if he can do that, good for him. But if he tells the others, I chop his nose off.
"Pay attention! We're about to fight here!" Nami snapped. Usopp and I jumped to attention.
"Hai, Nami-sama!"
The Black Cat pirates took the shore with swords drawn and louds shouts of 'Argh'. The six of us spread out to make a line just before the oil slick. If slippery black liquid didn't stop them, we would.
The first wave of pirates were taken care of easily enough. They slipped and slid on the oil slick and knocked into each other enough to knock each other unconcious and cause some pretty nasty bruises.
"Hold on!" Jango shouted, making his crew stop and look at him. "They're the ones who overheard our plans! What do you want?"
"Leave this island and never come back! We're a fiercesome army with a hundred million others waiting to back us up!" I sweatdropped along with the others at Usopp's lie. Luffy and Ryuuji turned to him with awestruck looks.
"Awesome!" they squealed.
"Lulu! Ryuuji-san! Focus!" I snapped.
All of the Black Cat pirates saw through Usopp's lie with the exception of Jango. But he's an idiot. He doesn't count.
Usopp was shaking in his boots and jumped a mile when I attempted to ruffle his hair.
Guh, the curls. I want them. What? I like guys with curly hair. Like Darren Criss. Yum. . .
Ah! Back to the point!
"Don't worry about it, dude!" I grinned, mimicking Luffy's trademark smile. "You've got us fighting with you. We haven't lost a fight yet!" That seemed to toughen him up a bit, but not by much.
"Kim-san," Nami murmured, coming up behind me. "Where are the boats?"
"Hidden in a safe cove in the cliff wall. Don't worry about them. Think about the treasure waiting in the big ship."
I could almost hear Nami's mental register ding and I moved away from her as her eyes turned into Beli signs. Creepy. . .
"Money!" she drooled. At least she was motivated.
Jango seemed fed up with us because he pulled out his little blade thing and began to swing it. That caused Nami and I to go around slapping the guys and giving them explicit orders /not to look at the pendulum/! Seriously, they were just standing there staring at it. Luffy and Ryuuji I can understand. They're kind of stupid. But I thought Zoro and Usopp had a little more sense than that!
However, this action caused some arguments to rise amoung us. Zoro and I were shouting at each other about his moronicness and lack of direction, Nami and Usopp were arguing over who was more frightened, and Luffy and Ryuuji were arguing about the best kind of meat. The little dog was fighting a loosing battle there.
"They forgot about us," the Black Cat pirates mumbled. They shook off the shock and charged up the slope, digging their weapons into the ground and dragging themselves up it.
Zoro, Luffy and I knocked back the first twenty or so when they tried to get in a few swipes at us.
"DON'T INTERUPT OUR FIGHTS!"
"Geez," I growled, cracking my somewhat sore knuckles. "How rude!"
"Take this!" Usopp and Nami shouted, throwing a dozen little spiked balls down the slope. They were extremely effective, causing the pirates to let go of their weapons in favor of their feet and fall down the slope.
"Good work guys!" Lulu and I cheered. Usopp swelled with pride and loaded his slingshot.
"Namari-Bashii!" he shouted, letting the bullet fly. It hit one of the more stubborn pirates in the face and sent him backwards.
And so, the fight began! I could also here the first opening theme playing around us!
The Gate was in an uproar.
One of their souls had escaped.
Akako scowled as he set off into the whitespace. Honestly, how many places could a soul hide when there was no place to hide?
After several hours of straight walking, he came across a splash of color.
Damn, the escaped soul had discovered a way out. As he peered down into the world below, he felt like swearing up a storm. However, he was an emotionless bastard so that would be extremely out of character for him.
Instead, he made a disapproving noise in the back of his throat as he jumped down into the blaze of humanity.
The Homunculus glared at the many humans bustling around him in a happy chatter.
Louge Town. Of all places, why did the escapee flee to the one place where he could hide.
Akako's job just got a little tougher.
First Kim escaped him and now that blond bastard too? Maybe he was losing his touch.
Taking care of the pirates was pretty easy. One blow from Luffy and Zoro sent about twenty of them flying at once. I could deal with about ten at the most and compared to those two monsters, it wasn't very impressive.
Jango growled at us.
"We don't have the time to waste here! Since our opponent is strong, we must become stronger. Watch my pendulum and after I say '1, 2, Jango' you guys will become stronger and your wounds will heal!"
"Using hypnotism to make his men stronger, bah!" I snorted. "What a dirty way to do it!"
Zoro grunted his agreement.
"This is absurd!" Nami cried in disbelief. "Hypnotism isn't real!"
"UWOOOOOH!"
"Nami you asshole!" I shouted as the Black Cat pirates raced back after us, the oil seeming to no longer hinder them. "You jinxed us!"
"No way!" she screeched, hiding behind me. Usopp clung to my arm. I winced at his slightly painful grip.
"'Fraidy cats." I grumbled, prying the sniper off of me. He re-doubled his efforts when one of the mindless pirates broke part of the cliff wall.
"He crushed the wall!" Zoro bellowed, one hand over Luffy's eyes. The rubbed captain swatted him away and turned to look at the damage himself, brown eyes wide. "How did they gain so much strength?"
"Awesome!" Luffy shrieked.
"GO GET THEM!" Jango shouted. Zoro unsheathed his sword.
"You two go back up the slope." he ordered the two cowards attatched to me. "We'll take care of this."
I glanced over at Ryuuji and found him on the ground, paws firmly over his eyes.
"You too, Ryuuji-san!" He barked and ran to sit with the navigator and sharpshooter.
Once they were safely out of the way, the three of us charged the hypnotized pirates, cutting them down and bashing them unconcious. Half-way down the slope, I transmutated myself a baseball bat and started taking them out with that. One good blow to the head seemed to do them in, like zombies, but less dead. I didn't hit hard enough to kill. Getting trapped in the whitespace and seeing the guys I killed get sucked into the Gate would have done me in. I only hoped that Zoro and Luffy didn't kill anyone either.
"Hey, Luffy!" I shouted. He turned away from his fallen opponents, a result of the Gomu Gomu Gatling Gun, and waved to acknowledge that he heard me. "Try ripping the bow off and using it to take some of them out!" He grinned happily and let out a loud yell as he charged down the slope. The Black Cat pirates fled from him with tears in their eyes.
Everyone stopped to stare at him as he ripped the bow off, muscles bulging in his arms, veins popping with the effort.
"Go Luffy!" the three at the top shouted.
"Wahh! He's destroying our ship!" Jango wailed.
"Captain! Help us!" The pirates cried, running from the excited rubberman.
"Luffy! Take out Jango! But don't look at him!"
"Alright!" he laughed, squeezing his eyes shut and swinging at the oddly dressed man. Jango screamed as the cat head hit him and sent him flying up the slope. He disappeared into the woods, crashing into trees and bushes.
"Alright!" I yelled, pumping my fist triumphantly.
"Nyaban Brothers!" Jango shouted weakly from the forest. "Take the swordsman and the dark haired girl out!"
I grinned darkly to myself.
Finally, some real action!
Back in Louge Town, the blond who escaped from the Gate slumped down an alley wall, panting in exhaustion.
"You look like shit." a strange voice said bluntly. The blond stared at him blankly. "You got a name, man?"
Did he? Have a name? He couldn't remember.
The blond shook his head.
"Hm," the stranger hummed, shoving his dark brown hair out of his eyes. "I'm Rollo. Mind if I call you Sabellius, seeing as you ain't got a name an' all?"
The blond's lips quirked up in a smile.
"Sure, nice to meet you Rollo."
Rollo grinned and offered the newly dubbed Sabellius a muscular hand.
"C'mon. Let's get you cleaned up. And some clothes."
A/N: Yosh! I'm pumped up now! Next chapter should finish up this arc and then it's on to the Baratie! Expect to see more of Rollo and 'Sabellius' in the future. Sabe's gonna be really important later on:)
SBS!
Thank you for Favoriting and Alerting: Alexsasha, nightange1, and kenegi!
santa-san: Ouch! My forehead!
Ryuuji: *wags tail* Thank you~! Yum!
Kine X: Thank you:)
kenegi: Nah, Hidan's too cool for her:) But she and Nami do fight, and Nami's the money lover of the bunch . . . And she won't abuse the whole lead into gold thing (too much). And the Gate's like a big cellphone tower, which is why the phone works.
nightange1: I'm getting kind of impatient for them to go to the Grand Line myself. Maybe I need to speed things up some:)