Ch. 13- The Message
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard © Me
Down at the village, Franky, Robin, and Brook rode into the village, or rather, what was left of it, via a grasshopper-like motorcycle.
"Damn it," Franky cursed. "We're too late!"
"What a tragedy…!" Brook gasped. "I can't believe my eyes! Although, I have no eyes. Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho!"
"Indeed," Robin chimed in. "It's just like in the front page of the newspaper."
"Yeah, well," Franky began, "if we wait too long, the East Blue's gonna get trashed, just like this place!"
"Franky," called Robin. "We better hurry and find Luffy and the others."
"Gotcha," Franky said in agreement. "YO! STRAW HAT! WHERE ARE YA?"
"MISTER LUFFY!" Brook called.
"LUFFY!" Robin cried. "IF YOU CAN HEAR US, GIVE US A SIGN! LUFFY~!"
Just then, the trio spotted something up ahead. It was the stone pillar!
"What in the world…?" gasped Robin as they stopped in front of it and dismounted the bike.
It was then that they saw Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, and Blizzard, still trapped in it.
"Straw Hat!" exclaimed Franky.
"Mister Zoro and the others, as well!" added Brook.
"Hurry!" Robin commanded. "We have to get them out of there! Luffy might be okay, but the others could be suffocating as we speak!"
XXX
About a few minutes later, Luffy and the boys were successfully dug out from their earthy prison. After they had been revived, Robin had explained everything to the group, and needless to say, they were surprised.
"So Shiki's the one behind the East Blue attacks?" asked Luffy.
"Yes…" Robin answered.
Sanji lit up a cigarette, took a drag, and then blew out of a puff of smoke.
"So, he's gonna use those monsters to turn our homes topsy-turvy," said the cook. "Damn it. We were played for fools."
Zoro gritted his teeth, disappointed with himself for not realizing sooner.
Chopper tended to Usopp and Blizzard's wounds, gently dabbing them with cotton balls and antiseptic.
"Nami," Usopp said. "She left with Shiki while we are all out…all to save our homes…and our asses."
Blizzard huffed out a sigh.
Luffy just smacked his lips, a bit. There was the sweet taste of tangerine oranges and other kinds of fruit on his tongue…one that he had been familiar with for a long time, too.
Just then, Chopper spotted something, or rather, someone from behind.
It was Xiao, her mother, and her grandmother.
"Xiao, it's you!" Chopper exclaimed. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Xiao answered, her voice sounding a bit tearful. "We hid in the trench nearby the village…everyone's okay."
"You're wrong, Xiao," said her mother before she turned to the Straw Hats. "Just now…you kids said that you were from the East Blue, didn't you?"
Luffy nodded his head, "yes".
"And your friend, the girl with the orange hair," said Xiao's mother. "She is from the East Blue, too, isn't she?"
"Uh-huh," Luffy answered.
Xiao's mother gasped in shuddered in horror.
"How could I have been so selfish?" she questioned to no one in particular, on the verge of tears. "I was so happy to hear that Shiki was leaving, that I wished he'd leave for the East Blue, right then and there! I forgot that your friend was there and she probably heard every word! What have I done?"
"Same here!" Xiao cried, furiously wiping away her own tears as she wailed.
At that moment, Luffy noticed something in Xiao's hand.
It was the Tone Dial.
"Hey, Xiao," said Luffy. "What's that you got there?"
"Huh?" Xiao muttered before she looked at the Tone Dial. "Oh, this? I picked it up from here."
"Lemme look at it," Luffy said as he approached her.
"Okay," Xiao said.
Luffy knelt down and took the dial from her hand, and then gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey," he said. "You're pretty cool, Xiao."
"I am?" Xiao questioned.
"You sure are," answered Luffy. "Even thought your home's been trashed, you worry more about Nami than yourself. I like kids like you."
Hearing that from Luffy seemed to brighten Xiao up a bit.
"This isn't your fault, you know," said Luffy as his grin fell into a scowl. "The real bad guy is Shiki. I'll make sure to beat the living crap outta him, twice as hard, for you and your mom. So buck up, okay?"
Xiao nodded her head in understanding.
"Thanks, Mister Luffy," she said.
Luffy grinned again, ruffling up Xiao's hair. Blizzard soon followed by giving the girl a big, slobbery kiss, causing Xiao to giggle.
"Poochie…!" she said.
Luffy turned to the rest of his crew. They instantly recognized the Tone Dial in his hand.
"Hey!" Usopp said. "Isn't that the Tone Dial from earlier?"
"Yeah," Luffy answered before he pressed on the apex.
"Everyone…I'm sorry. Forgive me for not saying goodbye to you all, personally."
Everyone gasped.
"That's Nami voice!" Chopper declared.
"I'm going to be a part of Shiki's crew, from now on. Please, try to understand. Shiki is a very legendary man, and he's just too powerful, even for Luffy! If you all fight him, you'll just be needless sacrifices."
Suddenly, Luffy's hand started to tremble, followed by his whole body. His muscles tensed up. A large, angry vein appeared on his forehead. His teeth grinded so hard, that if they weren't made of rubber, they'd certainly break.
Physically speaking…Luffy was pissed.
"So…let me just say this…"
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS BULL CRAP?" Luffy roared, questioningly, at the very top of his lungs.
Blizzard and Chopper yelped as they covered their sensitive ears. Usopp backed away in fear of Luffy's sudden burst of rage. Xiao simply fainted, again.
"WHAT THE HELL IS SHE SAYING?" Luffy questioned. "WHY WOULD SHE LEAVE THIS TRASH FOR US?"
"H-hey, now, L-Luffy!" stammered Usopp. "S-s-simmer down!"
"SHE'S MAKING IT SOUND LIKE WE'RE WEAK!" Luffy kept yelling. "WHY THE HELL DID SHE SAY STUFF LIKE THIS?"
"But, Straw Hat," said Franky. "He beat you guys, didn't he?"
"What did you say?" Luffy growled, sending a death glare at the cyborg. "It's only because I…! It doesn't mean…!"
"Luffy, simmer down!" begged Usopp before he turned to Franky. "Franky, shut up! You're only making him madder!"
"WHY DON'T YOU SHUT UP?" snarled Luffy before he shoved the Tone Dial into Usopp's hands and stomped off. "Damn it…!" he cursed.
Everyone watched as their seething captain went off to vent out his frustrations, but it wasn't just because he was angry at Nami. Inside, he was hurt, too.
He loved Nami, and she returned his love…so why? Why did she all those things?
Luffy never felt so betrayed than right now.
"Hey, Usopp…" called Sanji.
"Huh?"
"Play it again," the cook said. "The Tone Dial."
"Oh!" Usopp said. "R-right."
Click! Usopp pressed on the apex.
"Everyone…I'm sorry. Forgive me for not saying goodbye to you all, personally. I'm going to be a part of Shiki's crew, from now on. Please, try to understand. Shiki is a very legendary man, and he's just too powerful, even for Luffy! If you fight him, you'll all just be needless sacrifices. So…let me just say this…"
SPROING! Luffy stretched his arm back as he was facing a boulder.
"Gum…Gum…"
The Straw Hats, meanwhile, all looked at the Tone Dial with shocked expressions as the last few words played from it.
"BULLET!"
SMASH! Luffy shattered the boulder into tiny pebbles with a single, powerful punch. He continued to seethe as his anger slowly began to sink.
One thing was for certain, though…
Shiki was going to pay for taking his navigator from him, again…whatever the cost.
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