A/N: HOLA! *Chuckles* Hope everyone had a nice break, um... sorry for not updating I've been kinda busy... and yeaaaa. School is very... URGH! Anywhooo hope you guys enjoy this chapter, it's kinda long! 11 pages! WHOOP! Can I get a hug? *smiles innocently*
Note: Italics are either flashbacks or thoughts! Bold is used to emphasize!
IMPORTANT: If You haven't gotten to the Skypiea Arc, there are spoilers ahead! Read at Your own RISK!
Disclaimer: Oh! If I owned One Piece would I really be stressing about school? PUHLEASE! I would be an an amazing artist with millions of fans! So no... I do not own One Piece...
Chapter 9: Don't Stop Dreaming!
The Going Merry eased into the dock as Luffy suddenly jumped off the ship to the new island.
"I'm going to investigate!" Luffy sniggered as she kicked a small pebble.
"How can you trust this woman so easily?" Zoro grunted out as he proceeded to join his captain on the land. "Would there really be an island in the sky?" Zoro questioned as he turned to glare at Robin.
"That's why we're going to investigate! DUH! Zoro, is so silly sometimes!" Luffy exclaimed like she had the perfect explanation.
Robin smiled, she was still on the ship but her eyes seemed to hold a sense of adventure.
"OH NO YOU DON"T!" Nami screeched as she managed to get off the ship. She proceeded to drag Luffy by the collar of her vest.
"I'm going with you two! If I let Zoro go with you, both of you will end up lost and heavens knows what kind of trouble would ensue!" Nami chastised.
"I wasn't going to do anything to Luffy..." Zoro unhappily said.
Nami looked confused. "I'm not worried about you doing something to him! I'm worried that you guys will start unnecessary fights! That's not what we need right now! We need to be cautious! You two and Robin are the ones with bounties on your heads! Last time I checked Luffy's was 30 million! We don't need you guys causing a scene!" That was the end of the speech as Nami proceeded to drag the two to Mock Town.
"I guess that means we're suppose to stay and fix the ship while they go huh?" Usopp chuckled out nervously seeing a pissed of Sanji glare daggers at the disappearing from of the trio.
"Um... Those monkey guys sure messed Merry up!" Chopper tried to break the tension with his small comment.
Sanji gritted his teeth. His cigarette dissolving in his mouth.
Did that marimo know?
No one seemed to notice Robin was nowhere in sight.
"Captain!" The Pirate howled, he was carrying two wanted poster in his hand. The man seemed a bit drunk but continued trudging on until he was face to face with tanned man with a crazy smile etched on his face.
"These two pirates have been spotted in town! At first I just thought they were regular nobody pirates. But then I heard this pretty lady scream at them." The man hiccuped out.
"Hn?" Grabbing the wanted papers roughly out of the drunkards hand he speculated who the boys were. "They're Straw hat Pirates? 30 million? Heh." The man then had a mad look in his eyes as he started to laugh wildly. "Let's see if they're worthy of joining us!"
"Yes, Bellamy!" His laughter rang out like a hyena as the rest of the prates around him shouted in agreement.
Luffy sat on the counter of a bar banging lightly on the table waiting for her food. A smile was spread upon her face as Zoro and Nami took their seats next to her. To her right was a bulky fat man eating contently, his black beard smothered in pieces of pie.
As soon as Luffy received her order she dug in. But, once she tasted the cherry pie, she screamed out to the bartender.
"This pie is disgusting!" Was the yell that was heard as Bellamy entered the bar. Luffy stuck her tongue out in repulsion.
Simultaneously the man next to her screamed in delight to the bartender "This pie is delicious!"
Luffy and the older man proceeded to glare at each other.
Luffy's cheeks were puffed out in defiance as she tried to glare manly.
Her opponent was glaring halfheartedly and then proceeded to chuckle. He ordered 50 pies and left. Luffy didn't know why but she didn't feel good about that man. She snarled.
Nami warned Luffy about not fighting and told Zoro to put his swords away.
"Hey Mister!" Nami spoke to the bartender nicely "Have you heard about Skypiea? We wanna' know how to get there!"
The whole bar broke out in laughter as Bellamy made his appearance next to Luffy. He ordered two drinks and scrutinized Luffy's face.
"That Pie must have been disgusting, kid!" Bellamy laughed out and slid the mug of beer in front of Luffy.
Luffy sat quietly and finally smiled out as she thanked the man.
Nami was blushing furiously at the bar's previous laughter that she didn't notice when the atmosphere suddenly changed. The bar was serious, quiet and there was a severe tension in the air as Luffy uttered the words 'thanks.'
No one had enough time to react as Bellamy raised his hand and slammed Luffy's face into the counter harshly.
Luffy gritted her teeth as she raised her face up. Glass shatters were imbedded into her skin and her forehead was bleeding, but she paid no mind to this at all.
Zoro glared, ready to cut the bastard up into ten trillion little pieces and was already formulating what move he would use when Luffy spoke up.
"Zoro, don't fight. Whatever you do... Don't fight!"
Nami gasped in shock as almost every pirate in the bar got up and started to merciless beat up her captain and Zoro.
"What are you two doing? Fight! I give you permission!" She screeched as Luffy was pushed onto the floor and punched in the face continuously.
Zoro was holding his rage in as he saw the men beat up Luffy. The only thing keeping him back was Luffy's orders. He wasn't doing that well either as various men tried to take his swords away to use it against him. His stomach was being brutally hit over and over.
The pirates finally just opted to throw the trio of Straw hat pirates out of the bar. Bellamy laughing crazily in the background.
"Idiots like you disgust me. Dreams about islands in the sky? HA! Please! And don't tell me you're going to be Pirate King as well? A weakling like you, won't survive the New Age of piracy! And who is gunna' be the head of this new age guys?" Bellamy shouted as he walked back into the bar.
"You! And Don Flamingo!" The crown shouted, retreating with the man into the bar.
Nami's hot angry tears pooled around her eyes as she cradled Luffy's head in her lap. Zoro was starting to pick himself up swiping his calloused hand over his face to stop the blood.
"Why didn't you fight you idiot?" Nami spoke hushed in an angry whisper. Luffy groggily opened her eyes to see Nami's face.
A deep chuckle came from near their position on the dirt floor.
"They won that battle, little girl!" The same man from before spoke as he shoved cherry pies in his mouth.
"Those pirates inside are the true idiots! What kind of world would we live in without dreams? The New World will come, but it won't be what those idiot pirates believe its gunna' be! No it ain't!" The man laughed, a maniac glint in his eyes as he got up and started to walk away.
"I'll see you in the New Age kid! If you survive!" Was the last words uttered by the weird man with a scruffy black beard as Luffy finally picked herself off the ground.
"Who was that?" Nami questioned as he reached to take a shard of glass out of Luffy's cheek.
The feeling of dread ran through Luffy, making her blood run cold when she heard the man speak. There was something about that man, that made her hate him. She hadn't a clue why...
"What the fuck happened!" Sanji yelled at Zoro as Luffy was carted onto the ship her face still bleeding a bit and beginning to swell.
"We need a doctor!" Chopper yelled out panicking as he ran around the deck.
"That's you!" Usopp shouted, breaking the small animal from his daze.
"What the fuck were you doing marimo? Letting her get injured!" Sanji seethed, noticing too late he let the secret slip.
"Her? In case you haven't noticed! Your precious Nami is safe! The one injured is Luffy! So stop accusing me of thing if you don't know shit, you dumb ass cook!" Zoro counter argued, just as angrily.
"It's all because we believed her! That Luffy got hurt!" Nami screamed out as she tried locating Robin.
"I'm here Navigator-san..." Robin's cool collected voice came from the dock as she got on the ship.
"There was no such thing as an island in the sky!" Nami got close to the older woman's face. "Are you proud of yourself? Luffy got hurt because of you!"
Robin's clear blue eyes traveled to the form of the small girl in the red vest. Chopper was treating Luffy's face carefully putting bandages here and there where the girl was bleeding. When the small reindeer attempted to look at Luffy's stomach; Luffy pushed him away and said Zoro needed to be seen. She was rubber after all, it was hard to break her ribs with just normal punches.
"It exist. I investigated." Robin calmly spoke taking the attention away from the persistent reindeer complaining and crying that he was a disgrace as a doctor if he had yet once treated his captain's wounds.
The rest of the crew stopped hovering around the captain to stare at the dark haired woman. They didn't believe her so willingly.
"What did you find Robin?" Luffy spoke as she cocked her head to the side cutely.
"On the other side of this island, there's a man named Montblanc Cricket, he should know about the sky island." The words came coolly out of Robin's mouth.
The Pirates tensed, not believing a word she spoke.
"Then what are we waiting for! I wanna' see this cool island!" Luffy exclaimed as she fist punched the sky, unaffected by her superficial wounds.
"Luffy..." Nami tried to speak but was cut off by Luffy.
"I don't know why you guys don't like Robin! She's nice! I've gotten hurt worse before! It's not a big deal! BLAHHH!" She finished her sentence with a silly face that made the crew laugh.
Robin smiled to herself.
A lone seagull made its way to Mock Town, in its bag was the new and updated bounty posters for pirates.
Bellamy was busy drinking with his crew when a man came running to him.
"Bellamy! You're gunna' die! Those kids, they have a higher bounty than you!" Bellamy spit out his rum at the man's remark and snatched the wanted paper from his hand.
"That kid... is worth 100 million?" A mad look in his face came to view and he laughed wildly. "PLEASE! He's barely worth 30 million! This is probably a mistake! A weakling like him? They probably meant a measly a hundred! No one has ever set foot on this island with a higher bounty than me!" He laughed out loud to himself, the pirates around him followed suit.
"Bellamy has a bounty of 55 million there's no way that puny little kid could have higher!" The pirates cheered.
"They're probably not even real pirates! HA! Hey Bellamy, have you heard about the gold out in the other side of the island! Let's go get us some! Prove that old man over there who the real pirates are!" A pirate spoke up and Bellamy laughed in agreement, his tongue sticking out like a mad man.
The salty wind played with the crew's hair as they got off the Going Merry. Luffy immediately ran into the little house on the side of the cliff, opening the door without permission.
"IS ANYONE HOME?" She screamed but got no answer and chose to snoop around instead.
Usopp complained that Luffy shouldn't be barging in to people's homes without knocking. And just in case someone scary did pop up he knocked the door and proceeded to snoop around with Luffy. Well, at least he knocked!
Nami picked up a small children's book from the floor and looked over it carefully.
"Ah! I used to read this when I was small... It was pretty popular in the North Blue!" Sanji commented as he saw Nami raise the story book up.
"It says he was a pathetic liar, this Norland guy, and he never became a true hero..." She stared at Usopp "What an idiot" She deadpanned as Ussop stuttered out if she was trying to compare him with the guy in the book.
Meanwhile no one seemed to notice Luffy was at the tip of the cliff, crouched down staring at the ocean.
The Sudden splash that came with Luffy's yelp made every pirate realize they weren't alone.
Sanji turned around abruptly blocking an aimed punch from Nami's face. A series of punches and kicks were exchanged before the strong blond middle aged man threw Sanji to the floor. Zoro ran to try and get to Luffy before she drowned but was suddenly unable to breath as a perfectly aimed punch hit his stomach.
Both of the strongest men of the crew panted on the ground as they crawled to get up.
"That BASTARD!" They both screamed, not wanting to start a fight in between them right at that moment they charged to attack the weird man that came out of the sea.
But before they could reach him he fainted and landed on the ground with a thud!
Zoro looked madly around as he realized Luffy was still in the water! He was ready to jump in and save her when Usopp came up gasping carrying Luffy in his arms!
Damn it! First that shitty cook saves her in Alabasta! And now Usopp! WHAT THE FUCK! LET ME SAVE HER FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! IT'S MY JOB!
Zoro seethed internally as he was commanded by Chopper to get the weird old man to the small house.
"Thank you for saving our Boss!" Two monkey looking guys spoke simultaneously with big tears in their eyes.
They had been the same ones that had attacked their ship earlier that day, when Luffy and the others attempted to dive and see why a ship fell out of the sky. But, they were calmed down now and seemed to be really concerned with the old man with a weird chestnut on his blond short hair.
Luffy smiled carelessly not paying attention to a word Chopper was saying about the sickness Cricket had. Dismissing it as weird sick stuff, she asked Cricket how to get to the sky island.
"If your that dude's descendant, then you should know how to get to Sky island right?" She chirped up, not listening to a word the man said about how he hated his ancestor for making him suffer so much humiliation.
Cricket finally gave up trying to explain to the idiot and sighed. His gruff voice came out tired as he looked straight into Luffy's eyes. "I lived my life trying to prove people Norland wasn't a liar, that's why I dive." he brought a huge bell made of pure gold which cause Nami's eyes to brighten up. "If you guys prove the island is real, I will lend you a hand to get there."
"Because you'll probably die without us!" The twin monkey brothers spoke and Usopp shuddered alongside Chopper at the word 'die.'
"All you got to do is get the bird!" Cricket laughed out deeply.
"BIRD?" The pirates all looked confused.
"Some animals have a better sense of direction! IF you find the bird your guaranteed to not get lost. So go to the South Forest and find that bird!" Cricket yelled out pointing wildly to a fat South Bird.
Luffy looked at Zoro carefully. Zoro tensed when she suddenly touched his arm with such fierceness.
"Zoro! Your worse than an animal!" Luffy looked completely serious as she said this then continued "Naaaa! It's okay if you suck at direction, I still like you!" She laughed out as the rest of the people exploded with laughter and Zoro kept his blush under control.
"Why am I stuck with you." Zoro scoffed in distaste at Robin who just kept on walking through the thick forest.
"It's not my fault, you didn't get to be with Captain-san. Don't be jealous Swordsman-san, I'm sure Luffy is fine without you." Robin spoke her eyes looking for the bird.
"Keep your mouth shut! I still don't trust you. You may have Luffy's trust but I won't be fooled easily." Zoro grunted as he pierced a giant centipede with his sword.
"You protect our captain so well..." Robin commented, with no emotion.
"He's mine" Zoro said without thinking.
"Ohhhh? So you're a couple? Lovers? I would have never thought that!" Robin snickered to herself.
"No! I mean! GRAH! SHUT UP!" Zoro lost his cool as he stabbed any giant bug in sight.
"I always thought, Captain-san was in love with someone else..." Robin smiled as she got Zoro riled up.
"Someone else?" Zoro repeated. Fuck! It wasn't that shitty cook was it? Because he was obviously better looking! And what the hell? He never cared about stupid looks before! GRAHH! Stupid Luffy and Stupid Sparkly feelings.
While Zoro scorned the tight feeling in his chest, Robin smiled.
A love Triangle was so fun!
While Zoro was having a love crisis and Robin taking advantage of his anger to amuse herself, Chopper was with Luffy narrowly escaping a giant pray mantis. And no... I don't mean a giant pray mantis as a little bigger than one inch, I mean it was HUGE! Like taller than Luffy!
"What kind of forest is this?" Luffy screamed as she fought insects the size of her grandpa!
Every pirate was losing hope of finding the stupid bird and had all met up in a circle when they saw the bid pop up.
The damn bird was laughing at them!
It comically fell on the ground as Robin used her powers to keep it still. She smiled to Luffy. Who complemented her with big shiny eyes, saying how cool he was.
Zoro was still preoccupied with other thoughts.
When the pirates got back to Cricket's home they were shocked to see their ship practically destroyed and Cricket laying motionless on the ground.
"What the hell happened!" Nami yelled as she ran in the house looking for the gold. Usopp didn't even have time to comment how greedy that made Nami look as he cried over Going Merry, who was destroyed.
"Who did this to you Oji-san!" Luffy cried out as she attempted to get him up alongside Sanji and Zoro, Chopper tailing right behind them to look after the man's wounds.
"It doesn't matter..." Cricket choked out. He was preoccupied with the need to fix the Pirate's ship and get them to the island in the sky. "If, you guys are to get to the island in time we need to fix the ship and go before dawn! We don't have enough time to worry about the idiots who did this!" Cricket yelled out attempting to go get his tools.
"Oi! Luffy look at this!" Zoro commented from his position. He pointed towards a tree, with a jolly roger etched on its trunk.
"That's Bellamy's symbol!" Nami said as she clutched her hands in anger.
Luffy looked to the horizon of the small island. "Ne... If I run along the side of this beach... I can reach the city?"
Robin immediately answered. "Yes"
"Oi! I'll go with you!" Sanji piped up. He wouldn't let her keep on getting recklessly hurt like this! For crying out loud they just made it out of Alabasta!
"Luffy!" Zoro cried out as he clutched Luffy's arm. She needed some back up if all the pirates ganged up on her... right?
"Let me go." were the last words Luffy commanded as she made a mad run toward the city.
"Are ya' just gunna let him go like that?" One of the monkey guys said as cradled his brothers bleeding head.
Everyone was silent.
"Luffy is strong! He has beat anybody who has ever gone by him!" Usopp was the first to break out of his daze as he sputtered out an argument.
"If Captain-san was able to defeated Crocodile, he can take this man down as well." Robin commented with a smile
Sanji sighed out a puff of smoke as he contemplated if Luffy would make it in time.
Zoro clutched his swords until his knuckles were white. His feelings were all rumbling in his head giving him a migraine.
Why couldn't Luffy understand, he didn't like her going to battle alone? It's always been him and her against everybody, since the beginning. Against the navy captain that tried to kill him, that weird clown pirate, that guy who thought he was a cat, even that fish shark thing...
Zoro clutched the hilts of his swords even harder as he remembered not being able to protect his captain, or even fight alongside her in Alabasta. And in Drum while he was guarding Vivi... Slowly it seemed that Luffy wasn't going to need Zoro. And that made Zoro's migraine worsen ten folds. He seemed to forget Luffy was the one defeating the main bad guy, while Zoro the second strongest.
Nami looked at Chopper while he busily bandaged Cricket. She ran a hand through her orange hair and hoped Luffy would get back by dawn... with the gold of course.
While Luffy ran all she could think about was Cricket's face all bloodied but still determined to help them. Memories of when she was little flooded back.
"Ace-nii!" A small Luffy yelled as she ran with her chubby legs towards a bloodied and dirty Ace.
"You didn't need to beat them up! It doesnt matter if they called me a freak..." Luffy puffed out her cheeks and pouted. "Jii-chan will get mad if you got in a fight again!" Luffy warned as she reached to pat Ace's cheek still chubby with baby fat.
Ace looked down on the small girl and flicked the too big straw hat on her head lightly. "When people make fun of me it's okay, I can take it. But no one can make fun of you, or anybody I care about! Cuz'... Cuz'... No one makes fun of the people I love! Even if they're weird!" Ace grunted out as he stretched Luffy's cheek out of size.
Bellamy didn't know what was coming as he flaunted in the bar with his crewmates.
"Did you see those nasty monkey guys! HA! P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C!" He took a lung of rum and laughed out "They look horrible with all that snot coming out their noses crying out 'Boss!'"
Just at that moment Luffy Opened the door to the pub harshly. Her face contorted with anger.
No one makes fun of the people I love!
"Get. Out. Here NOW!" Luffy bellowed as she stretched her arm to slingshot Bellamy out of the bar, slamming him on the dirt floor.
She had managed to make it on top of a tower and continued to scream at the mad hyena man.
"Return, the gold." Luffy spoke with daggers in her words as Bellamy laughed wildly.
"Gold? To you? HA! It's my loot kid!" Bellamy used his devil fruit abilities to turn his legs into springs and rocketed towards the tower. "You have no right to say that! Especially a weakling like you."
Luffy took a deep breath. "They are my friends, no one makes fun of them. And no one takes their stuff."
"Do you even know how to punch?" Bellamy laughed towards the spectators below, they all cheered him on. "You couldn't even defend against a few punches to your face!" Bellamy took no notice that Luffy didn't have any scars on her present.
A man in the crowd shook holding Luffy's wanted poster. "I'm not so sure... Bellamy should be laughing" He whispered to himself as the second in command of the Bellamy Pirates spoke up. "Ha! Please! Do you see that kid? He's puny, and scrawny, even looks like a girl! He'll be lucky to even survive after Bellamy is done with him."
At that very instance Bellamy destroyed part of the tower Luffy was standing on with his powers. He propelled himself all over, his speed was immense and no one could even see him. As he continued to damage everything around Luffy, she just stood there not moving a finger.
"I'll destroy you in a second, brat!" Bellamy howled as he decided to stop parading his powers and end the "fight" right there.
"You were the one who asked if I could punch right?" Luffy spoke as she raised her arm. The Spectators all knew Bellamy would win as the blond man rocketed towards Luffy. They didn't expect Luffy to deliver one of the strongest punches they had ever seen straight to Bellamy's face. Bellamy was left on the ground, all his teeth shattered and Luffy's knuckle dripping with his blood.
"Oi! Bellamy get up! Stop faking it!" The second in command screamed but one glare from Luffy sent everyone running for their lives.
"He's late!" Nami ruffled her hair in worry. "He probably didn't calculate how long it would take him to carry the gold back!" She muttered to herself.
"Ah... no I think he doesn't even know how to calculate..." Usopp deadpanned
"HEYYYY GUYSSS!" Luffy yelled out as she ran clumsily through the coast of the beach. "I DID IT!"
Nami sighed in relief, he got the gold back GREAT!
"I FOUND THIS REALLY GREAT BEETLE!" Luffy shouted only to get knocked down by Nami's punch.
"What were you doing all this time?" Nami screeched and Luffy had to throw the beetle at her shirt to get her to stop shaking her.
Setting the Gold bell on the floor in front of Cricket, Luffy smiled. "I got it back... hehe."
"Thanks kid." The older man spoke as he guided the pirates to their ship, watching them all board onto the improved Going Merry which could get to Sky Island.
"We'll Prove it exist old man!" Luffy waved as the ship started to sail away. Cricket let out a deep laugh in response, ignoring the tears of gratitude, he shouted "You'll definitely make it kid!"
And so, the Straw hat crew made their way with the help of the monkey siblings to Skypiea, their new adventure staring at them in the face.
A/N: HAAAA! So there ya have it! Chapter 10! WOAH! Thank you guys for reviewing, I love You all! In a non- creepy... type way? *backs away carefully* The next chapter will be in the Sky Island! Maybe a time skip will occur in the middle of some battle because this arc is just as complicated as the last... sigh... Se you soon~! Please review and Chopper will visit you in your dreams! *holds Chopper hostage*