Holy crap, is this an update?! It's been quite a long time since I've updated this story and I don't really have any excuses. It's just that I went into a long writers block and for a long time lost the urge to write anything. I just couldn't think of anything to write and decided to just take an unintentional break. I've been doing a lot since the last update that had kept me from writing. I've been working more than a lot and just couldn't find the urge to write though deep down I knew I still wanted to. But I am back with a new chapter and another very shorty-hopefully.
It took me a while to think of this chapter, though I had half of it already thought up. I need to think of some filler ideas so I don't just go from one big event to the next, I don't want to rush this story and want to take my time on it and develop it more, which is probably why it took me so long to publish it. I want to make it perfect-or as perfect as it's going to get for all of those who had waited so long for me to update. So I won't waste anymore time with my banter and get on with the chapter.
Chapter 9
"Don't they ever run out of energy?" Asked Nami aloud, staring at Luffy, Chopper and Usopp as they ran ahead of the group 'owing' and 'awing' everything in sight. The Straw Hats had all met up one after another as they all looked around town until they were all together again traveling as one, which allowed them to keep an eye on Luffy and keep him out of trouble.
Robin chuckled, shaking her head. "I don't believe they do, but we shouldn't be surprised really." She said with a smile on her face as she stared after the three boys. After all the time they had spent together Nami should have known that Luffy was the last person to run out of energy, it just wasn't in his nature. Behind them the other boys looked quietly around at the stands, all except Zoro. He didn't know why but he just had a feeling that they were being followed or watched. It wasn't like the feeling he usually got when they were on a new island and the islanders stared at them, this was a different feeling and he didn't like it.
Keeping his hand on the hilt of his swords he kept his eyes on their surrounding and on his idiotic captain who was running around without a care in the world. He knew that Luffy didn't sense them being followed or watched, which was reasonable seeing as how he was preoccupied with all of the food that was being sold around them. He didn't know if the others felt what he was feeling, so until something happened –if something happened –he would keep a sharp eye out.
The two figures stood on top of a roof of a nearby building staring down at the group of pirates that were walking down the street. It had been easy locating the said group they were following, seeing how three of them were running around the streets. They kept their distance as they watched the group travel. As soon as they arrived they had split up to search the island for said person and the loud yelling had brought them to where they were now. The two had been following them for several minutes before they were noticed. They should have known they would be noticed easily, they were told that they needed to be on their guard with this one, seeing as to what he did in the past wasn't something to forget.
"Why are we going this way?" Zoro asked as Luffy continued to lead them through the streets of Armarose. Somehow they had ventured off of the main streets and were now walking down side streets where less people were. The feeling of being watched still hadn't left Zoro, and them walking off of the main streets didn't give him such a good feeling either, but Luffy was being Luffy and didn't sense anything was wrong and still continued on his way, without a care in the world.
Sighing Zoro, who had taken to the front of the group behind Luffy, followed close behind, still keeping his hand on his swords. He was probably just being paranoid but he was cautious all the same. Being with Luffy over the years taught him that it was better to be cautious than not, especially with the way his captain liked to have adventures. He kept his sharp eyes out for anything suspicious, but so far nothing came across his vision.
Up ahead Luffy was humming softly to himself as he swung his arms by his sides, slightly skipping as he went. Zoro shook his head at him, how Luffy was so carefree all of the time was beyond him. But then again, Luffy was Luffy and after all the time he had been on his crew he still couldn't figure him out.
Luffy hurried ahead, yelling for the others behind him to hurry, which they all did none the less. As they turned the corner Zoro's hawk eyes didn't miss a beat and noticed the threat coming towards them, or better yet, his captain.
"Luffy move!" He yelled, grabbing Luffy and throwing them both to the ground, just as a sword swung just where Luffy was standing, and it would have sliced his neck if he hadn't been fast enough and grabbed him.
"What the hell?" Sanji yelled, who was as shocked as everyone else at the sudden assault. They all looked around the empty street, wondering where the cloak clad figure went, and they all tensed as the figure appeared a few feet before them, and this time he wasn't alone.
"Who are you?" Asked Luffy, once Zoro helped him to his feet. He eyed the hooded figures blocking their paths, one of which who was holding the sword that had tried to harm him.
"Who we are is of none of your concern." The smaller of the two spoke in a definite female voice. "What we have come for is Roronoa Zoro."
"If you do not hand over Roronoa Zoro we will take him by force." The other, this one male, spoke in a tone telling them that they were quite serious about their threat, and they instantly knew who they worked for.
Sanji took a drag of his cigarette and laughed, taking a step forward. "By force? I highly doubt that." He glared angrily at them. "As much as I hate the marmio we aren't handing him over to the likes of you two."
Zoro nodded, hands on his swords. "If you want me you'll have to fight me." He gave them a dark look, daring them to take him up on his challenge. If they wanted him they were going to have to drag him to Kazuo unconscious, and that was if they got through him and the others. Luffy and Sanji stepped up on either side of him, also ready to fight.
"You guys can't have Zoro and if you keep trying I'll kick your ass." The brim of Luffy's straw hat shadowed his eyes, which was a sign to his crew that he was finished playing. "Zoro is my first mate and you can't have him." He yelled as his arm shot out, flying towards the two figures at full speed.
The two quickly jumped to the side, dodging Luffy's fist with quick reflexes. Luffy snapped his arm back, ready to throw another punch, but just as his arm snapped back into place the cloaked man was suddenly standing in front of him, startling everyone else. Neither Sanji nor Zoro had any time to react before the man punched an equally shocked Luffy in the face with enough force that sent him flying backwards.
"Luffy!" They yelled as he crashed through a nearby wall, burying him in the rubble. Nami, Usopp and Chopper ran to help him as the others joined Zoro and Sanji, glaring darkly at the man who quickly jumped back from the swipe of Zoro's sword. He landed besides his partner who had yet to make a move. Behind them the trio were half way towards Luffy when he suddenly jumped out of the rubble. His hat had been knocked off in the process, revealing a large cut on his forehead that had blood dripping down his angry face.
"We told you to give us Zoro." The girl said before turning her head towards Zoro. "If you do not decide to come with us on your will peacefully, I will not be able to guarantee the survival of your crew."
Zoro smirked, drawing a second sword. "You think that's going to scare me?"
"And you better stop underestimating us." Said Sanji. "It'll take more than the two of you to scare us. We've survived far more then this and we aren't going to stop now."
Luffy climbed out of the rubble and went to stand in front of his crew. "Tell Kazuo that can't ever have Zoro, because he's my first mate and we won't let you have him. Ever!" He yelled and a blast of haki burst forward, crashing into the two before them, knocking them a few feet back. Their hoods were knocked off of their heads, revealing their faces.
The girl with pink hair smirked. "Well it looks like you possess some very powerful haki, this will be interesting. But don't think that will be enough to beat us and stop us from getting our hands on Roronoa Zoro, we also have tricks of our own." She smirked. With that the boy pulled out a dagger and suddenly appeared before them slashing out. This time Luffy managed to dodge the attack and Sanji swung his leg towards his head at the same time. But the boy was faster and dodged. But Zoro was watching his movements and shot out with his sword, smirking when he managed to slice his arm.
"Looks like you aren't so great after all."
The boy landed back besides the girl, inspecting the shallow cut on his arm. "Good shot." He commented. "Too bad that'll be the only time your sword ever touches me. Now, before we decide to go all out and destroy your crew willingly come with us Roronoa Zoro?"
Zoro shook his head. "You can unleash whatever it is you want because I'm not going anywhere."
The girl smirked and stepped forward for the first time. "I didn't want to use this, but it looks like I have no other choice." She said and raised her hands –that were beginning to turn red and began to steam. Everyone prepared themselves, none of them knowing what was going to happen.
"We need to get back." Robin spoke up. "She's a devil fruit user."
She chuckled, her hands still glowing red. "My, aren't you a smart one? But you are correct, I am a devil fruit user. I ate the Burst Burst fruit meaning that whatever I touch explodes. I can completely demolish a wall with a simple touch, I wonder how a human body will hold up." She smiled. "Shall I try it out on the reindeer? Or how about the rubber boy?" She took a step forward, causing Chopper to shriek in fear and hide before an equally terrified Nami.
But before anyone could blink another figure suddenly landed between the girl and Luffy. Everyone stared at the newcomer who was also hidden behind a hood, but it was the two swords strapped to her back that they knew who it was.
"Looks like we meet again, Mr. Future King." Standing up Kutana pushed her hood off her head and flashed the Straw Hats a bright smile.
Luffy returned the grin. "You're back!"
"Who are you?" Asked the girl eyeing Kutana. Her hands stopped glowing, turning back to their normal color as they fell back to her sides.
Kutana smiled. "Me? Oh, I'm just a simple traveler passing by. But I will be the one to defeat Kazuo." She said, pulling her swords out from her back, losing her smile as she gripped the hilts tightly.
The boy laughed. "I knew you seemed familiar somehow. It's a surprise that you're still alive seeing as how –."
"Shut up!" Kutana yelled as she ran towards the two, swinging one of her swords at the boy's neck, which would have done a lot of damage if it had connected. The boy barely managed to dodge the attack which surprised them all, especially the boy who had looked slightly taken aback by her fierce attack. "Say another word and I'll kill you." She spat out.
Behind her Chopper whimpered as he clung to Nami's leg. "S-she's scary like Zoro." He whispered.
Usopp nodded, trembling as well. "Y-yeah." That earned them a dark glare from the swordsman himself, which had them both cowering behind Nami.
The boy laughed. "You almost got me. It seems that you've improved a lot."
"Shut up." She snapped. "You're lucky I missed. And you can tell Kazuo that if he wants anyone he can come himself instead of sending his lackeys."
Behind her Luffy nodded. "Yeah! I want to kick his ass for trying to take Zoro from us."
The girl smiled. "Oh don't you worry, after all of the information we'll be telling the Captain will be more then pleased to hunt you all down himself. Enjoy your time –and your lives –while you can Straw Hats, for the time of Captain Kazuo will be upon us. Be prepared." And with that warning the two vanished, leaving Kutana and the Straw Hats alone in the alley.
Sighing Kutana went to put her swords back in their sheaths, but before she could she suddenly had a pair of thin arms wrapped around her tightly. "Wah!" Looking over her shoulder she saw a very happy Luffy hugging her. She smiled. "Hello again Luffy!"
"I didn't think we would meet again so soon!" He said happily, looking up at her with a large grin plastered to his face. "So will you –?"
"Temporarily." She interjected, already knowing what he was going to ask her.
He frowned, the tight hold on her loosening. "What? Why?"
She smiled. "Like you said, I didn't think we would meet again so soon Mr. Straw Hat, and I just don't think I'm all that ready to join a pirate crew just yet full time. But I will join you all –if you'll have me –until we have defeated Kazuo. That is my main goal that I need to finish. It was the reason while I set out on my journey and I won't stop until I've defeated him."
The rest of the Straw Hats looked at her, wondering how she knew Kazuo and wanted him dead so bad. They weren't sure what Kazuo had done to her that would cause her to hunt him down all these years, and seeing as how his two henchmen had known who she was surprised them even more. She had a story behind that smile of hers and they were curious to hear what it was.
"But you'll still join right?" Asked Luffy, not giving up on the idea of having her join his crew. He thought it would be awesome to have a female swordsman on his crew, it would make it complete.
She nodded. "For now." She smile when Luffy let go of her and began to cheer happily. The others shook their heads at their captain who didn't fully comprehend what Kutana had told him. But when the time came for them to part ways Luffy would get the picture and they would be there to help him understand, for now they just let him have his moment.
"It's super to have you with us." Franky said, stepping forward, holding out his hand, which she shook once she put her swords away.
Brook stepped forward. "Yohoho, welcome aboard. But first; may I see your panties?"
She smiled. "Not in this lifetime skeleton boy." She looked around at the group standing before her. "I have a feeling being with this crew is going to be quite the adventure." She laughed.
Sanji sauntered over to her, hearts already in his eyes. "Don't you worry Kutana dear, I'll protect you from now on." He said, clasping his hands over his chest, his body turning into a noodle as he blushed happily.
Zoro sighed. "Cool down shitty cook." That caused Sanji to snap out of his daydream, sparking a fight between the two, causing Kutana to shake her head at them and laughed. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed this much in a short period of time.
"Alright guys." Nami stepped forward, taking charge of her annoying crew mates. "We're all happy that Kutana is temporarily apart of our crew, but we can celebrate later. For now, we should probably deal with what just happened to us." She said, handing Luffy his hat back, which she had picked up a while back.
Luffy stopped his cheering and nodded. "Yeah, I want to kick their asses."
"I'm sure they're long gone by now." Kutana stepped in. "But like they said, we'll probably be seeing them again real soon, and this time the two of them won't be alone and we all know who'll be with them."
"Kazuo." Answered Zoro, though they all knew who it was going to be, and that was what scared them the most –or at least some of them. They had no idea who this Kazuo person was but they all knew that it was beyond dangerous and that he wanted Zoro no matter what, even if that meant going through them, which they were sure he would do without hesitation.
Chopper squealed, grabbing onto Robin's leg. "You mean Kazuo is really going to come after us?"
Kutana nodded. "He is, which means that we're going to have to keep our guard up at all times. If there's one thing about Kazuo is that he's the master of sneak attacks." Everyone stood still, taking in her words. This was serious, more serious than anything that they've faced yet.
"Is everyone alright?" They all turned at the newcomer's voice and saw Mayor Edgar rushing over to them, a worried look on his face. "There was a loud noise, and many people heard fighting." He said, and stopped, noticing the hole in the wall, which was made by Luffy when he was thrown into it. "Are you all alright?"
Kutana nodded. "We are, sorry about all of the trouble, we just met some people who weren't very happy to see us." She smiled. "But please let us pay for the damaged wall as an apology." She said, causing Nami to look at her with wide eyes. They had never paid for any damaged they had done before and the thought of spending money on a simple wall had her almost fainting at the thought.
The mayor shook his head, a smile returning to his face. "It is a simple wall that can easily be fixed, please keep your money. As that matters is that you all are fine, and I don't believe I've met you yet dear." He said, looking at Kutana, that ever present smile still on his face.
"We haven't. I had just arrived a little while ago when I had run into my new temporary crew. My name is Kutana, nice to meet you." She held out her hand.
The mayor smile and shook her outstretched hand. "Welcome to Armarose. I do apologize for the trouble you all have endured today."
She shook her head. "You do not need to apologize, the people who attacked us are not from this island, I am afraid to say that we were the ones that brought them here seeing as how they were following us."
"But they are already gone." Robin added when the mayor looked at them worried.
He nodded. "I see, well I do hope the rest of your stay here is uneventful and peaceful. Please do be careful." He waved goodbye before he turned and left, no doubt on his way to tell his citizens that there was nothing to worry about, once again leaving Kutana and the Straw Hats alone.
"Boring!" Luffy suddenly yelled, breaking the silence. "Let's go back to the Sunny and have a party. We have a new crew member!" Chopper and Usopp joined in the on the cheer, breaking the tension that had built up around them.
"You have a temporary crew member, captain." Said Kutana, but her words went unheard by her said new captain who was too busy cheering with happiness.
Nami sighed. "Don't worry about him, he's always like this. He won't get it until the time actually comes. So for now, welcome to the Straw Hats."
Kutana looked at the new crew mates and smiled. "Thanks for having me."
"What's taking them so long?" Whined Marta from where she laid on the couch in Kazuo's office, bored out of her mind. It had been almost a day since Tress and Karla had gone out on Kazuo's orders and the blonde was getting bored waiting for them.
Kazuo, who was behind his desk, smiled at the girl whining on the couch. "We need to be patient Karla, this will not be such an easy task, though I am sure that they will not succeed." He said, startling the girl on the couch.
Karla sat up and looked at her captain with wide eyes. "What? You knew that they wouldn't be able to bring Roronoa Zoro and yet you still sent them?" Just what was her captain thinking?
He nodded. "I did. I sent them so they could bring information for us to use. Seeing as how Roronoa Zoro is now with the Straw Hats, a pirate crew who has caused a lot of trouble these past few years, I want information on them."
Karla stared at him, eyes still wide. "You're so smart captain!" She suddenly yelled, a large grin spreading across his face. "But can't you easily beat the Straw Hat pirates? They don't seem that strong to me." She said honestly.
He chuckled. "And that is where you are wrong my dear, they are someone not even the Marines can get a hold of. But it doesn't mean that I can't beat them, with the plan that I have for them they'll be at their weakest that they won't even have any fight left in them."
She blinked. "What plan Captain?"
"You'll see in due time Karla, no one is going to see it coming, not even the Straw Hats themselves."
So what did you guys think? Was it worth the very, very long wait. And now we're finally getting on with the main story. The crew had finally made contact with two of Kazuo's men and Kutana made a permanent appearance. I took into consideration that Luffy wouldn't ask Kutana to join his crew right off the bat, which is why I made it so she was a temporary member of the crew. But we finally got to an action scene and what does Kazuo have in store for the Straw Hats? I'll leave you all on this cliff hanger and again, if you have any ideas for some filler chapters or anything you want to see happen between main action parts I am always open to suggestions and right now I could really use the help.
So until next time.