Baroque Works?

The Man they call Isari

Beta: SeeNoEvil121

Or tale begins on a dark night…

A family known as the Flamehart's moved into Commi Island 12 years after Arlong had been defeated.

They acted like normal, respected members of society. But behind the scenes they ran with a dangerous crowd. The crowd of Baroque Works. Lead by the 'Rokuki' (Six-King's) pirate, Crocodile, whose original organisation was crushed by the Second Pirate king, Monkey D. Luffy.

From the depths, 11 new agents rose, each with their own partners, three of which resided with the Flamehart's, acting as respected people.

But of course, one is stronger than the others.

And his name is…

"Ibari. Why have we stopped?"

"I have told you; IT'S ISARI!" cried the blonde, a tick spawning on his head. "Goodness gracious, why Ojou-sama told me to stay here, I have no idea…"

Zugai raised his one visible eyebrow. "Why did you agree?"

Isari smiled slyly. "Because…"

'Please, Isari-kun! Stay with Zugai-kun!'

"… I can never resist such a cute pout, especially one such as Ojou-sama's!"

Zugai blinked, then shrugged and began to examine the large wooden door leading into the castle-like building. "So where is this place?"

Isari tapped on the door four times, and then stepped back. "It is the storage area for Baroque Works…"

Zugai's eye narrowed. "I'm sure I've heard that name before…"

Isari shot him a devil-like grin, his green eyes glowing with a demonic-like aura. "Really? It is simply a humble trading company." The door swung open. A bunch of large, heavily armoured men stood in the doorway, eyeing up Isari and Zugai.

"The heart of the Flamehart trading company. The 'Earthen-Nerve'."

XXX

As it turned out, there was a severe lack of blacksmiths in Commi Island. While searching, the same three name's were mentioned; Camoa Braves, Flamehart Trading, and the Bone Barrow.

Each seemed to have its own advantages and disadvantages.

Camoa Braves-

Advantages: Large workforce, good craftsman ship, strong weapons

Disadvantages: Large workforce, good craftsmanship, strong weapons, HIGH PRICES.

Flamehart's-

Advantages: Fast, cheap items

Disadvantages: No reliability.

Bone Barrow-

Advantages: Amazing craftsman's ship, brilliant reliability

Disadvantages: Scary boss, one worker, long waiting list.

So far, none of the above were that promising. So Toma went for the easiest option he could use:

"Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe…"

"Are you sure we should be solving your problems with a children's nursery rhyme?" muttered Leo, his arms folded, a bored expression on his face.

"Have YOU got a better idea?" snapped Toma.

Chris snorted. "You are an idiot, captain."

"Well at least I'm not a midget."

"… Take that back."

"Let me think about it; no."

"I'LL CUT YOU UP!"

The two were stopped by Haze drawing her sword, an evil glint in her eyes. "If you guys keep arguing… I will kill you."

"FOSFOSFOSFOSFOSFOS!"

Toma glanced at the list they had constructed again, and scratched his chin. "Alright, how about the Bone Barrow. It sounds really good, even though we'd have to wait…" he crossed his arms, a confident grin forming on his face. "I guess I'll have to put off becoming the Pirate King until then!"

Gonzo wiped a tear from his eye from laughing so hard, and then glanced at Toma. "You really think you can do it; become the pirate king that is? I mean, you're no where near as strong as some pirates out there-"

"Do you want a smack?"

"Oh no! I didn't mean it that way!" cried Gonzo, with a grin. "I mean, what about the Rokuki!"

Toma cocked his head. "Roku-what?"

Jay laughed. "You're having a laugh, right? The Rokuki are the six most wanted pirates in the world. One of them is the ex-Shichibukai, Crocodile. Six people who've come this close to finding One Piece, the Treasure passed on by Gol D. Roger to Monkey D. Luffy. He apparently hated the second pirate king with a passion. Rumour has it, it was because Luffy beat Crocodile in the Arabasta rebellion, and the Marine's covered it up with Vice-Admiral Smoker."

Toma whistled. "Rokuki, eh?" he laughed. "I'm now really psyched! I just need to get stronger than six people, and then I'll be all set!"

The whole crew sweat dropped at the now laughing man. "I don't think he got the point…" muttered Haze.

"So where is this 'Bone Barrow' place anyway?" said Toma, crossing his arms.

"Oi, did he just change the subject?" muttered Chris.

Leo looked at the small list, and then examined a map of the town. "It says it's to the East side of the town in an alley next to the lake. That doesn't sound menacing at all; a dark place with a convenient dumping ground…"

"When you say it like that, it sounds rather scary…" murmured Haze, as she glanced at Leo, while crossing her arms over her chest.

XXX

"I'm coming in…!" called Toma as he walked through the shop's door, followed by a small 'tinkle' from the bell attached to the door.

It was a small dark workshop, with a forge glowing ominously in the corner, and a few pieces of scarp metal lying on the ground. Another door under lock lay beside the forge, with 'DANGER-DO NOT ENTER' emblazoned on its front in large red letters, contrasting with its black paint-job.

"Wow, gloomy place…" muttered Haze, as she followed behind the captain.

The crew had agreed that Toma, Haze and Chris, being the close-range weapon users, would go to the blacksmiths.

Chris glanced around the room, and shrugged. "Why do I have a feeling this guy might be a nut?"

"… You shouldn't insult those you don't know…" whispered a soft voice, which mad the three pirates freeze.

A brunette stood in the doorway, one of his eyes covered by long-bangs. He wore a tattered black hoodie, and ripped jeans. Over his left hand was a black glove with a flaming skull-emblem.

"W-where the hell did you come from?!" cried Chris, leaping back and pointing accusingly at the man.

"My mother and father met one day and felt rather weird. They decided-"

"Don't involve any clichés!"

The teen surveyed the three pirates, and cross his arms. "The name's Zugai. Zugai Hibiware. I'm the blacksmith here."

The bandaged man grinned. "I'm Toma! Nice to meet ya!"

Zugai nodded, then glanced at Chris, and raised an eyebrow.

"What the hell you looking at?" snapped the girl.

"Not much. Have we met before?"

"I don't think so. I'd remember someone as weird as you*."

"Ah, touché…" he whispered, with a small smile. Slowly, he slung the small duffle bag he was carrying onto the ground, then glanced at Toma. "So what do you want? The waiting list goes by order of interest, so if you ain't useful, you ain't getting any result."

Toma grinned, then pulled out the hammer. "Is THIS interesting?"

Zugai raised an eyebrow, and examined the small mallet. "Light weight. Strong impact. Broken down by heavy strain." He gripped it tighter and extended it fully. "Large size, yet no weight change. Pure orchilum ore." He smiled lightly. "This is interesting. I haven't seen a metal like this in ages."

Toma allowed himself a smug grin. "Of course you haven't; it is my mallet after all- I only use the best! MUHAHAHAHAHA!!"

Haze leant in close to Zugai, and whispered in his ear, "Don't praise him, the compliments get to his head."

"OI! I HAVE EARS YOU KNOW!" bellowed the captain.

Zugai retracted the mallet, then placed it on his work table. "I'll see what I can do. I'm guessing by the looks of you and he fact you came to a smith and not a shop means you want it re-forged."

Toma looked at him with tear-filled eyes. "Yes, oh honourable Zugai-kun! I am but a humble templar (COUGH-pirate) who needs his weapon fixed so I can defend my home!"

The brunette laughed lightly. "Sure, I'll help. It'll be costly though. But seeing as I've taken an interest in you guys, we'll make a deal."

Toma cocked his head.

"You guys work for me for one week. Got that? One week. When that time is up, I'll have had your hammer re-forged and better than ever. It so happens that this is the busiest time of the year for me. I only recently moved here, but lots of tourists come to see the place where the infamous Arlong was defeated by the Pirate King. Said tourists seem to have an odd craving for knick-knacks, and often visit my shop. In addition to this, I've come into the hiring of an organisation owned by the Flamehart Company, which will consume a lot of my time." He stopped for breath. "Basically, I want you guys to help me run the shop and work for the company. Is that a deal?"

Toma grinned, and held out his hand. "Deal!"

XXX

A silver haired female sat on a bar stool, staring idly out the window. A sniper-rifle was strapped to her waist, with some ammunition rounds attached to her belt. "Man, I'm bored. Nothing good happens around here. I think the boss ditched us here."

A male who sat behind the bar grinned. He himself had brown hair tied back in a pony-tail, and had an eye-patch over his left eye. A bowie knife was sheathed on his thigh. "That's because we're the weakest by far of the Numbers."

She shot a glare at him. "You could be a bit angrier, Mr. 11…"

"I wish you wouldn't call me that. I'm Remy! I find those names so boring, Alia…"

"Don't call me 'Alia'! Right now it's Miss. Thursday!"

"Yes, yes…" he waved off her statement and took a swig from his tankard. "I kinda like it here anyway. It's quiet."

He froze when a gloved hand grabbed his tankard. "You are very relaxed for a guarding force…" The tankard slowly began to distort before turning into a pink putty-like substance, the alcohol drenching the material. The blonde man grinned then threw the putty on the ground and crossed his arms. "Good to see you again…"

The brunette's single eye was wide. "M-Mr. 8…"

Isari smiled. "Good evening, Mr. 11… Miss. Thursday…"

He motioned towards the large hole in the wall, which was lined with the same pink material he reduced the tankard to. "I let myself in… I hope you don't mind."

The silver haired girl grunted and took a long drink from her own tankard. "I don't really give a damn. It's not my pub anyway…"

"I resent that…" muttered Remy.

At that moment, the real door opened, two females and one male walking in.

Isari's demonic like grin widened. "Mr. 10… Miss Saturday… Miss Tuesday…"

Both females looked identical, each with their hair flowing back to their waist. The colour was divided half black and half white, each girl having it on different sides.

Miss Tuesday wore heavy shades, and had a serrated blade tied to her back. Miss Saturday wore a belly-dancer like costume, with a small circular disk hanging on a string from her skirt, and unlike Miss Tuesday, wore no shades.

Mr. Ten was a tall, bulky man, with dark skin, also wearing heavy shades. His hair was tied back into two separate pony-tails, each standing erect, like microphones. His clothes consisted of an open white jacket and white hakama trousers.

The dark-skinned man just nodded as a greeting, then sat on a stool.

"Oh! Isari-kun is here!" cried Miss Saturday. She quickly hurried over to the smartly dressed man, her eyes starry. "You didn't visit me, Isari-kun! Is that brat keeping you from me?"

He smiled sweetly. "Please do not insult Helen Ojou-sama."

"So who called us here anyway?" roared Miss Tuesday as she sat next to Mr. Ten

Isari smiled. "That would have been me." He leaned against the wall, next to the hole he'd made, then made a simple motion towards it. A once, the putty-like substance began to reform into the stone wall. "I have recently come into acquaintance with this island's leading blacksmith… Zugai Hibiware… Helen-Ojou-sama has taken quite an interest in him, which I must acknowledge."

Remy raised an eyebrow. "Are plans about to begin then?"

Isari's grin widened. "Correct. Baroque works will make a comeback… With the expansion of the Earthen Nerve… Into the Earthen Brain."

XXX

A single figure hopped out of the small rowing boat. His face was obscured in the darkness, but a wide grin was evident on his features. He held a large musket over his shoulders, with a long bayonet running over the top, turning the gun into a make-shift blade.

He flexed his shoulders, then adjusted the blindfold which covered his eyes. "Right then… Let's get this party started… Toma-chan…"

Next Time:

Templar vs. Agent! Part I

The Templar of Ice

*Reference to all the other fics that Zugai and Chris have appeared in. I am just one of the many authors who utilises these brilliant characters. Keep your eye out for more references in later chapters, cause I love to recycle jokes…

I couldn't decide between using a team of Templar, or a 2nd gen. Baroque Works… So I am using both!! The guy I've just introduced is gonna be one of those currently appearing villains! Yay! It's time for more mindless destruction brought to you by the courtesy of Hangman1! KEEP READING, MIND-SLAVES!