Oh man, guys.
I'm SO SORRY this chapter took so long to write. I really don't have any excuses.
But with this passing time, I can only hope that my writing style has improved. I'm now enrolled in an advanced creative writing course, so here's hoping that pays off!
With the current arrangement, I went back to reread the chapters and have decided to go back (yet again) and edit them. I'm probably going to make a habit out of this (as my writing style goes through dramatic changes), so I'll try to keep you guys posted with the changes! From the looks of things, I might end up doing a clean-up every ten chapters or so.
And since this is chapter ten, throughout the week, I'll be making minor edits and changes to the chapters. I won't alert you guys like last time (cause that was a bit annoying), but if I make any major changes, I'll make sure to let you all know!
I'll try not to mess with the chapters any more than these clean-ups, and I know this might be annoying, but I can't help myself. I always think there's room to improve, and going back to read the previous chapters, there was a lot to be improved.
Again, thank you all for the support and praise for all this time! I cannot express how much this means to me!
Happy Birthday to Chibi Spitfire! I hope you have a good one, babe! :)
Thanks to Gameprince33, 2, StarHobbit, TheBloodyMadQueen, Magic126, Gift Rose11, BlueFightingPanda, Rinnie-chama, WhiteLily.R and TheSuperMario for adding this story to their favs~
More thanks to Gameprince33, Gene1917, 2, StarHobbit, Life Dealer, TheBloodyMadQueen, Tsukino Aisuru – A, Magic126, Gift Rose11, Dark Conspiracy, BlueFightingPanda, nafara and lucasxdgamersx for adding this story to their alerts~
Special thanks to Gameprince33 for adding me to their favs~
SUPER SPECIAL THANKS TO scarlett key FOR ADDING ME AND THIS STORY TO THEIR ALERTS AND FAVS!
QuirkyKit: Lol, you keep changing your name and I keep forgetting it's you. XD Thanks!
FlyingCatDemon13: Thanks! It means a lot that you like it this much! :)
scarlett key: Thanks for the praise and support! It really means a lot to me! :D
Disclaimer: I can dream I own it, right? I mean, I think all of us have secretly (or not so secretly) thought about what it was like to own One Piece. I also don't own the references and Lori. I only own little ol' me and this idea I came up with as a joke that (shockingly) got this far.
Intro Theme: Fight Together by Namie Amuro
Everyone watched as the two swordsmen stared each other down, both refusing to back down. Zoro suddenly tensed and pushed Cabaji back, sending him skidding back a couple feet. As they both prepared to fight, I felt an excited shiver run down my spine and barely held back a loud squeal.
I get to watch one of Zoro's fights! In person!
I moved out of their way and looked for a good place to sit and watch the action. I found a couple barrels resting against a nearby house and hopped on them, sitting back against the wooden panels of the house. Lori noticed me and frowned, "What're you doing?"
"Getting a good seat for the show!" I responded, crossing my legs on the barrels with an excited grin stretched across my face. She shook her head and leaned against the building next to my seat. I smiled at her before turning my attention back to the fighters, unable to hear the conversation between Zoro and Luffy.
"Acrobatic Special: Old Man's Flame!"
I watched as Cabaji took a deep breath and breathed out fire, the flames licking Zoro's face. Zoro leaned back with a wince, avoiding the brunt of the fire. Cabaji took the opportunity to kick Zoro right where he'd been stabbed. Zoro cried out in pain, his legs giving out as he clutched his bleeding wound. I winced, watching him shake from the pain.
"What's wrong?" Cabaji goaded, earning a glare from me, "I didn't hit you that hard."
Zoro didn't respond, taking deep breaths and trying to ignore the pain.
I grit my teeth and held myself back. I knew he'd get pissed if I tried to help him, and it wasn't like I could do all that much anyway. My first aid wasn't that good to begin with, and I'd never treated a stab wound before.
"Acrobatic Special: Murder Under a Cloud of Smoke!"
Cabaji twirled his sword until dust was swirling around them, obscuring them from sight. I waited, tensing when I heard Zoro scream again from within the small cloud. Zoro tumbled out of the cloud, clutching his wound tightly. His face was getting paler by the second, and I was struggling to hold myself back. If things got any worse, he'd pass out form the blood loss again.
"Have you realized it yet?" Cabaji called, watching Zoro draw himself up shakily, "It's foolish to go against the Buggy crew!"
Nami, who had been stewing in anger, whirled on Luffy with a nasty glare, "What're you doing?! He's going to be killed!"
Luffy ignored her, staring at Zoro instead. Zoro's head was lowered, his bandana shadowing his eyes from the brutal sunlight. I glanced at Luffy and saw his internal struggle. He was gripping his arms so tight his knuckles were turning white.
He wanted to help, but Zoro said this was his fight. We had to respect that.
I grit my teeth and leaned back against the building, turning my attention back to the fight reluctantly.
"Is hitting my wound…" Zoro mumbled, trailing off a bit.
He raised his head, showing his pissed glare as he continued, "…That much fun?!"
Cabaji flinched a bit at how ferociously he said that. I smirked, relaxing a bit in relief. He stood up, the veins in his neck pulsing from how tightly he was clenching his teeth. Cabaji recovered from his scare and glared at him, pedaling forward quickly. He raised his sword and stabbed Zoro in the same place he'd been stabbed before. He smirked, thinking he'd won.
Except this time, Zoro didn't even flinch.
Cabaji's eyes widened in shock. Zoro turned to face him, not even bothering to cover his gushing wound, "Are you satisfied now? I'm ready to show you the difference between you and me!"
I squealed in excitement, laughing as I punched a hand in the air, "Go, you stubborn marimo~!"
Luffy's eyes widened a bit, "Whoa~! Cool~!"
"What a stubborn idiot," Lori mumbled. I snickered at that, watching in excitement as Zoro drew his three swords.
"This is the real Roronoa Zoro," Cabaji said, watching Zoro clench Wado Ichimonji between his teeth, "I underestimated you."
"You got that right!" I called.
Lori face-palmed, letting out a heavy sigh, "Haru, you're not helping."
"So what? He needs to know I support him!"
"No he doesn't."
I glared at her, but she ignored me in favor of watching the fight. I crossed my arms and huffed in anger, turning back to the fight myself. Zoro had straightened himself up, holding his other two unnamed swords tightly in his hands. He glared Cabaji down, as if the pain from his wound was nonexistent.
"My goal is to become the world's greatest swordsman!" He announced, his eyes glowing with pride as he continued, "I can't be defeated in a fight! Not even once!"
Cabaji snorted, readying his sword, "I see. You want to show me your strong will. You can't beat me with just that."
I glared at him as he smirked, "Don't worry. It can be your excuse for why you lost."
"Don't screw with me!" Zoro snapped, startling Cabaji. The marimo glowered at him, "If I can't defeat you even with a wound like this… I can't imagine what future I would have!"
Luffy cheered, ignoring the tension in the air, "Go, Zoro~!"
"Yeah, you got it, you crazy bastard~!" I added on, beaming happily.
"Haru. Shut. Up."
"You can't make me!"
Lori glared at me, but this time, I ignored her. I heard her huff and smirked victoriously. I was watching the two swordsmen until I noticed Nami leaving out of the corner of my eye. I frowned as she ducked behind a building and vanished from sight.
"Now it's time for my best acrobatic special!" Cabaji announced, drawing my attention back to him. He smirked and held up his hand to reveal spinning tops.
I rolled my eyes and cupped my hands around my mouth, calling, "Y'know, it's not really 'acrobatics' if you're on the ground!"
If looks could kill, he would've obliterated me on the spot. Luffy was laughing in the background, but I didn't dare to look away. I smirked back at him, daring him to challenge my logic. Finally, Cabaji turned his glare off of me, his cheeks reddening a bit. I puffed my chest out in victory, tipping my head back a bit with a bigger smile.
It's sad to think that that's one of the only times I've won an argument.
And it wasn't even a real one.
"Acrobatic Special: Hundred Spinning Tops Whirlwind Attack!"
Cabaji threw the tops at Zoro, the tops spinning even faster. Zoro glared at them and tensed, changing his stance for defense. He swung his swords at the tops, easily slicing them all through the center. Cabaji took advantage of the distraction to start pedaling up the side of the houses.
"Acrobatic Special: Climbing the Mountain!"
"What the hell, how is he doing that?!" I yelled, pointing at the man with wide eyes. I turned to Lori for an explanation, "That defies the laws of physics, doesn't it?!"
"Haru, this is One Piece," Lori commented, watching the fight with a blank expression, "Nothing is impossible here."
I hesitated before shrugging in agreement and settling back into my seat.
Zoro finished cutting through all the tops and turned his attention to Cabaji, who'd wheeled himself so he was hovering over Zoro. He crouched and sprung up; bouncing in the air so high the sun shadowed his body from sight.
"Acrobatic Special: Rising Fireworks!"
I squinted, covering my eyes with a hand to try and block some of the light. It was blindingly bright, and it was annoying how long it was taking Cabaji to come down.
Luffy let out a yell of awe, covering his eyes as well, "Whoa, that's so high!"
"Single Flower Vase!"
"What were you guys smoking when you named these attacks?!" I questioned, throwing my hands up in exasperation. Lori snorted, nodding in agreement. Cabaji started falling down, and I could now see his sword pointed straight down, falling towards Zoro at increasing speeds. Zoro crouched and got ready to dodge when Buggy yelled out an attack of his own.
"Crawling Bara Bara Cannon!"
Buggy launched his hand at Zoro, who wasn't excepting the ambush at all. The hand latched onto his leg, throwing him off balance. Zoro's eyes widened and he looked down at his feet, where the unattached hand gripped his leg tightly.
"I'll hold him down!" Buggy called, "Finish him!"
Cabaji smirked, "As you wish!"
I tensed as Cabaji continued to fall, his sword pointed right for Zoro's head.
Zoro glared, raising his swords in an attempt to defend himself, "You bastards…!"
Before I could get up to help, Luffy sprang forward, his hat shadowing his eyes. He stomped on Buggy's hand as hard as he could. Buggy screamed out in pain, clutching the arm with the missing hand and releasing his grip on the swordsman, "That hurts!"
Zoro, now free from Buggy's clutches, jumped to the side. Cabaji stabbed his sword into the ground instead, narrowly missing his target. Cabaji glared at Luffy, angry that he'd missed his chance. Zoro turned to his captain in surprise, "Luffy!"
Buggy glowered at the boy, "You…!"
Luffy stepped down harder on the hand, eliciting another yelp from the clown captain.
"This is Zoro's fight," Luffy stated, tilting his head back a bit so Buggy could see his furious expression, "Don't interfere!" Buggy glowered back at him, absolutely furious. I cheered loudly, punching a hand in the air, "You go, captain~!"
They all ignored me as Cabaji pulled his sword out of the ground, pointing it at the green haired swordsman.
"I don't need the captain's help to defeat you!" He declared, charging forward.
Zoro finally snapped out of his shocked state and let out a heavy sigh.
He brought up his swords again, "I'm tired of this."
I nearly squealed in excitement as I watched Zoro shift to a familiar stance. Cabaji, oblivious to Zoro's stance, let out a hearty laugh and continued on, "You've finally given up? I'm amazed you've fought with that wound for so long!"
"I'm saying I'm tired of your useless acrobatic specials!"
I laughed at Cabaji's offended expression, nearly falling off my impromptu seat in the process. Cabaji glared back at Zoro and pedaled even faster, "Then I'll take you down with my True Sword Technique!"
Zoro crouched lower, readying his attack as Cabaji yelled out, "Die!"
"Oni…"
Zoro lunged forward, a psychotic glint in his eye.
"…giri!"
I watched in amazement as the two swordsmen clashed in a flurry of sparks, passing each other and stopping after a few steps.
My eyes darted between the two men, anxiously waiting for the deciding fall.
A few more seconds passed, and Cabaji finally fell from his unicycle.
It clattered on the ground next to him uselessly as blood seeped from his wounds. He groaned in pain, turning his head away in shame, "The Buggy Crew… Defeated by a nothing more than a couple of thieves…"
I cheered loudly, punching my hands in the air in my excitement. Lori smirked to herself, relaxing a bit. Luffy let a huge grin spread across his face as Zoro sheaths his swords.
"Not thieves…" Zoro grunted, letting his bandana slip off as he fell back on the ground himself.
Cabaji glanced at him in confusion. Zoro smirked to the sky, squinting a bit from the bright light.
"We're pirates!"
I laughed shortly, nodding in agreement as his bandana fluttered to the ground next to him. Luffy's grin seemed to grow even wider at those words.
"Luffy, I'm going to sleep," He announced, closing his eyes. Not even bothering to wait for a response, Zoro was asleep within seconds. His loud snores cut through the empty streets as his chest rose and fell with each deep breath. I shook my head, an amused smile on my face, "I gotta remember to ask him how he does that…"
Lori nodded in agreement, eyeing him with envy.
Luffy grinned at his first mate before turning back to the angry clown. He punched his fist into his other hand, his grin growing as he said, "Leave the rest to me!"
I cheered again, cupping my hands around my mouth, "You got it, Luffy!"
Buggy, who'd had enough of our nonsense, was glaring down the rubber boy with the most malicious glare he could create. I could practically see his veins trying to pop out of his neck with how tightly he was clenching his teeth. Buggy closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"You guys are pirates?" He growled out, trying to keep a lid on his temper. Luffy nodded, oblivious to the anger in Buggy's voice, "Yeah! We're heading to the Grand Line!"
"That's not some place you guys can casually go, fools," Buggy scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Even if you enter the Grand Line, what are you going to do? Go sight-seeing?"
As if it was the funniest joke he'd ever heard, Buggy started cracking up, letting out a couple ugly snorts. I scrunched my nose, staring at the hysterical man in disgust. Luffy stared at the laughing man, tilting his head a bit in confusion.
"I'm going to become the Pirate King," He declared as if it was the most obvious thing.
Buggy stopped laughing immediately, his head tilting as his face froze in a mix of laughter and exasperation.
Finally, he snapped.
"Stop fooling around, you idiot!" He yelled, glaring Luffy down, "You're going to become the Pirate King?! Then I'm a God!"
I snorted to myself, trying to bite back laughter as I shook my head.
Ah, if only he knew what was to come…
Buggy continued on his rant, his face growing redder with each passing second, "The one who will become Pirate King and own all the treasure in the world is me!" Luffy twitched in response, and I watched his shoulders grow tense. Unaware of the growing tension, Buggy continued on, "Stop dreaming! You talk too big for a person so small!"
Luffy, for once, grew serious as he stared Buggy down with an expression I'd never seen on his face. He crouched down and clenched his fist as he drew his left arm back slowly.
"Bring it on," He ordered, his expression unwavering. Buggy glared right back, unfazed. He reached behind himself and pulled more knives from his back pockets, clenching them between his fingers. He shifted his gaze up a bit and his glare grew harder.
"Whenever I look at your straw hat, it reminds me of that man..." He growled out, eyeing the hat with distaste, "That despicable, red-headed bastard!"
Luffy perked up a bit, his serious façade breaking into surprise, "Redhead? Did you say Redhead? You know Shanks?"
Buggy seemed a bit surprised as well, but he tried to cover it with suspicion, "So what if I do?"
"Where is he now?!" Luffy asked, excitement growing in his eyes. I smiled at the boy's antics, trying to hide my amusement. While it was made pretty obvious in the manga, it was still really heart-warming to see how much Luffy looked up to the idiot of a warlord.
Buggy, however, didn't seem to pick up on this.
Said clown tilted his head, thinking out loud, "Well, to say I know him when I do… But to say I don't know him when I don't…"
…
Okay, even I couldn't follow that train of thought.
I stared at Buggy in confusion before turning to Lori, hoping she knew what the hell he was talking about. She looked back at me and shrugged, just as lost as I was. I looked back at the two to see Luffy relax out of his fighting pose with a blank look.
"What are you talking about? Are you an idiot?" He asked.
Buggy glared back at him, "You're the idiot!"
"Wow," I commented, blinking in surprise, "That's just as bad as saying 'Your face is stupid!'."
Lori let out a short laugh, but I was too focused on the conversation to respond.
"Like I'd willingly tell you something you need to know!" Buggy snapped, veins pulsing in his forehead, "I'm not that nice of a guy!"
Luffy frowned and raised his fists, "Then I'll beat it out of you!"
I snickered at that, my dirty mind twisting his words. Lori glared at me, "Don't you dare."
"I'm resisting~!"
Buggy let out a sinister chuckle, raising his own fists, "You'll be dead before you get to ask." To try and intimidate the boy, he tapped the point of his shoe on the ground. A knife sprung from its hiding place, glinting menacingly in the light.
"Rubber can't bounce back knives," Buggy observed, doing the same to his other shoe. Luffy nodded, "Yep. Not possible."
Lori let out a heavy sigh and face palmed, "Why would you tell him that…?"
I shrugged, "Hey, it's not like Buggy didn't know."
As I watched our rubber captain bounce around to evade the attacks of the separation man, I wondered when I got over seeing fighting in person. Back in our world, I couldn't stomach the sight of watching people beating each other up. I couldn't even watch fight scenes in movies without cringing. I remember when I was in high school, a fight broke out right in front of the class room I had lunch in with my friends. When I saw one of the fighters pull back a fist, I gagged and ran into the back room.
Come to think of it, how does Lori deal with seeing these fights? I mean, as far as I knew, she hadn't seen any real fights. After my class graduated from high school, the only 'fights' I'd ever heard of breaking out were cat fights. So, according to what I'd heard, these would be the first fights she'd ever seen. How was she not freaking out like I had?
Man, why did people have to fight? I can understand now, 'cause they're pirates and they have to fight for what they want, but back in our world? The only fights that broke out were because of (to my knowledge) stupid reasons.
"Haru."
I snapped out of my inner monologue at the sound of my sister's voice. I looked at her to find an annoyed glare directed at me.
"…What?"
"The fight's over, idiot." She said, "Stop spacing out."
"Wait, what?!"
I looked over to the rubble to see our captain standing alone, staring at us in a mixture of confusion and amusement.
"No way!" I whined, childish tears welling up, "I missed it?!"
"That's what you get for being a space cadet." Lori snorted, shaking her head. I groaned loudly and threw my head back, covering my face in exasperation.
"This sucks!"
Ending Theme: Demons by Imagine Dragons
(No songs this time!)
Man, this really brings me back! It feels great to come back to you all!
I don't know when I'll be able to get the next update out (what, with school and tests just around the corner), but hopefully I'll get that out soon for you guys!
With summer coming up, it looks as though I might be in Minnesota for the majority of it. And with all the spare time I'll have while I'm up there, I'll put myself to work writing this!
Thanks again for being so patient and understanding!
Love you all~
Haruhi
