I'm back! It took a bit of effort to get this chapter out, but I did it!
I had an awesome weekend, exhausting but awesome! But now I'm back on track with writing, though the next chapter may be a bit slow on the update as well as this week at work we have a couple charter flights which are stressful and exhausting. We've had one already and another on thrusday, but already I'm exhausted. so unsure how much energy I'll have fore writing...
On a much more fun note, this story is VERY close to having 100 followers! so to celebrate I'm going to write a special Omake chapter to celebrate.
I currently have 2 ideas. One is a chapter from my modern verse I am working on, Leo's first day of high school OR the original East Blue crew (even though Sanji hasn't been introduced he will be included) going to a festival OR an idea suggested by any of you
You heard right folks, an idea suggested by you! Send me a review of an omake idea to celebrate 100 followers and if I really like it I'll use it! There's no real time frame, I'll probably write the Omake after the next chapter. So send in you ideas, whatever they may be.
As always enjoy!
Ninjin, Tamanegi and Piiman had began to grow restless, their captain had been gone for such a long time...longer than usual. Normally he would just need a little bit of time to himself to calm down, then he was back in no time, with another exaggerated tale on his lips...so of course they were worried he had been gone for so long,
"Captain sure is late" Piiman said worried.
The children weren't the only one's who had grown restless. Zoro had given up his attempts at napping, standing instead, waiting for his own captains to return, his three katana fastened to his hip again,
"Luffy and Leo are too" he commented crossing his arms,
"Maybe the shock was just too great" Tamanegi suggested
"Whenever he gets upset, he always heads for the coast and stares at the ocean" he informed the two older teenagers.
Ninjin's cry of surprise caught their attention, they all turned their heads in his direction. It was Ussop! He was running straight towards them!
"Captain!" the three Ussop pirates cried out to him,
Although the boy's breaths were coming out as sharp gasps, the salty air burning and choking on its way down he did not slow his pace.
"What's this?" Zoro raised a green eyebrow "Isn't Luffy and Leo meant to be with him?"
Sweat dripped down his face, his legs and chest burned but he didn't stop running. Not even when Nami called to him,
"Hey! Where's Luffy? Didn't he go to the coast with you? Did Leo find you guys ok?"
Nami and Zoro turned as they watched him shoot past, confusion etched into their faces,
"You suppose he's still angry about having his father insulted and all?" Nami asked as she leaned forward slightly on the fence she was sitting on.
Zoro uncrossed his arms to place a hand on his waist, watching the younger teen run up the path,
"Beats me" he muttered
"No!" The purple haired child, Ninjin, cried, "His expression was different."
"Ah! Something must've happened!" Piiman was really worried now
"What could have changed his expression like that?!" The third of their group added on.
Ussop hadn't had the looks of an angry man, no not a single ounce of anger lingered in his face. It was fear. Fear and determination.
Zoro turned to the children, his right hand instantly lifting to support the swords at his hip, his thumb ghosting along Wado's hilt,
"Hey, how do we get to that coast?" He asked the children.
They weren't really listening, they were huddled together in a circle, throwing out possible explanations for their captains really odd behaviour,
"You guys think that something's happened?" Tamanegi asked
"Yeah, something must've happened at the coast!" Piiman nodded
"The Ussop pirate crew will take action once more!" Ninjin declared
Zoro inched closer, annoyed that not only had they ignored him, but they were repeating what he already knew!
"I got that already!" He was trying really hard not to shout at the children, "Just tell me how to get there!"
While Zoro antagonised the children, Nami jumped down from the top post of the fence she was sitting on, staring up the path Ussop had taken. Hundreds of thoughts were racing through her mind...what could have possible happened to spook the long nosed teenager so badly? She frowned, why was she so worried? Because neither of the captains had come running after the liar? Which means something had to have happened to them. They were pirates! She shouldn't be worrying...and yet her chest clenched tight despite her brains best efforts to not to.
She turned to the children, a worried frown still on her face,
"Can you guys show us where this coast is?" she asked
"Of course! Just follow us!" Piiman offered her a grin, taking off down the path- supposedly towards the coast. His two friends very close behind him.
Zoro grumbled stomping along behind them, crossing his arms while he grumbled to himself about 'snot nosed brats' They couldn't have just shown them from the start?! If something happened to Luffy, then something had definitely had happened to Leo. The thought made him pick up his speed.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Something had indeed happened to Leo. She had managed to somehow get herself stuck half way down the cliff face. As it turned out, the spot she had chosen to try and climb down had been a terrible choice of cliff face. While the top of the cliff face had been full of pockets and sticking out rocks, the lower she got, the smoother the rocks and wall became.
So inevitably she reached a point where there was just no where for her feet to go and nothing left to grab onto. She could just feel the sweat rolling down her back,
"Ok not this way then" she mumbled, "We'll try again then"
With a forceful push she kicked up, her hand reaching out for a protruding rock. Which wriggled free of it's death grip with the wall. Leo let our a shriek as her body dropped. It was only her iron clad grip with her other hand that stopped her from plummeting down the second half of the wall,
"Ok not that way either" she said to herself groping the wall trying to find another hand hold. A small crack large enough for her tiny fingers did perfectly.
Pain radiated from her left hands fingers, she dared a glance at it, wincing at the blood that had started to drip down, the stone had started to cut into her hand.
"Fuck"
A quick glance upwards revealed no possible hand holds within reach...she could see a few, and if she were a little taller she would have been able to reach...but she wasn't,
"Fuuuck"
It took a little wriggling to glance downwards. There was no way in hell she was going to survive a fall from this height. Maybe if she was made of rubber she would have...but again she wasn't. And the rocks just grew smoother and more rounded. Making climbing down further impossible.
"Fuuuuuuuck"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Ussop had ran as hard and as fast as he could towards his village. He had to warn everyone before it was too late! The sooner he told them then the more time they had to get away! They only had till morning, they would need all the time they could afford to evacuate the whole village.
He stumbled into the centre square of the village, bent half over as he gasped for air. His lungs burned, his eyes burned, his knees burned, hell it felt like his hair burned! Sweat dripped down his face onto the ground as he tried to compose himself, his heart thumping so hard against his ribs he was nearly afraid they'd break under the hammering.
Once it no longer hurt to talk he straightened his back, and filled his lungs,
"Everyone! It's Horrible!" He screamed as loud as his lungs would allow, "Pirates are coming!"
His voice echoed through the small village, surely reaching even the out most corners.
"Tomorrow morning, the pirates will be attacking this place! Everyone run!" Despite his cries the streets remained empty, not even a curious soul to see what the boy was shouting about now. Desperation hung in Ussop's chest, why was no one running? Why was no one listening?
"Everyone!...What's everyone doing?" He was really starting to desperate now, "Everyone!"
His heart almost burst from relief, a smile spreading across his face when people finally came out of their houses. But they weren't panicking...or hurrying to escape the village. Instead they looked...angry? Ussop's smile fell when he spotted the weapons in their hands, not that they could really be called weapons. Brooms, farming tools and broken handles.
"Hey Ussop, will you cut it out already?!" One old man growled, holding his broom threateningly
"We're definitely not letting you get away this time!" another shouted
"No it's not like that!" Ussop tried to defend himself, "This time I'm telling the truth!"
"Shut up!" the old man with the broom growled clenching his free fist, "You've always lied to us."
"If only you were as trustworthy as Kurahadol, then we might believe you" Broom man's wife crossed her arms, sneering down at Ussop.
Ussop's face dropped even further when Kurahadol's words rang through his head, they would never believe him. Were never going to believe him! He grit his teeth as he begun to shake,
'damn. They didn't pay any attention to me because they knew no one would believe me.' It was hopeless, beyond hopeless...but he had to try! At the very least he could try,
"Everyone, please listen to me this time" He was almost ready to beg, "Pirates are really going to attack this place tomorrow morning!"
The angry villagers advanced on the shaking teen,
"If we had believed your stories, we would've abandoned our homes several hundred times already!" One villager growled
"Please believe me!" he begged, desperation setting in, "You've got to hurry!" he grasped at the air, as if it would make them believe. He started to stumbled back away from the slowly advancing people, "This is for real!Everybody will be killed! This time, it's the solid truth!" he tried shouting
But they just didn't want to hear it, they refused to believe him...and why should they? This was probably the several hundredth time he had run through the village claiming they were all going to die. Enough was enough.
"This time, we'll catch you!" broom man declared as he lifted his broom, ready to smack the teenager.
So Ussop did the only thing he could do. He ran. Turning on his heel he ran as fast as his already tired legs would allow,
"Dammit!" he wanted to cry in frustration,
"Hey! Don't let him escape!" One man cried as they chased after the fleeing teenager.
It all just seemed so hopeless!
/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
The three youngest members of the Ussop Pirates had lead Nami and Zoro to the much talked about coast. Together they stood on the edge of the massive cliff, but there was no sign of their captains.
"Here it is!" Ninjin announced,
"Captain's always here to heal his wounded heart" Tamanegi added
"It really feels good being here" Piiman let out a content sigh as the sea breeze ruffled his hair.
The children had spread out, scanning the area trying to spot either of the two still missing captains,
"That straw hat Onii-chan isn't here" Piiman glanced up at Zoro worried,
"Neither is goggles Onii-chan" Ninjin added on
Zoro made a humming noise to let the children know he had heard them, his own eyes scanning the grass for any sort of clue.
Nami stepped closer to the edge of the cliff, being careful to to lean too far as chips of rock broke free, falling to the lower rock with a clatter,
"This place is pretty steep" she muttered to herself,
"Nami, be careful there" Zoro called out, sticking his hands in his pockets
"Yeah..." She stepped away from the cliff when something caught her eye, a familiar yellow hat.
"L-Look!" she cried out, "Over there!"
"What?!" Zoro cried as he rushed over to the cliff edge, staring down in shock, yup that was Luffy's rear end alright,
"It's him!" One of the children called out,
"It's straw hat Onii-chan!"
"But no sign of goggles Onii-chan!"
The group of pirates and wannabe pirates quickly rushed down, not too far away from them was a step path way that lead down to the rock shelf where Luffy had landed. It took a bit of time, and a couple of grazed palms later they touched down quickly rushing over to where the captain had landed. He was bent completely in half, having landed on his head, his legs had flopped over his belly. Any other human would have died instantly on impact,
"Luffy, why are you here..?" Nami asked, unable to keep the worry from her voice,
"He fell!" Ninjin cried
"And die upon impact!" Tamanegi was near tears at this point.
"That's why captain was..." He couldn't finish his sentence, it was too traumatic.
"Does that mean goggles Onii-chan is dead too?!"
Zoro frowned for a moment when he heard a soft noise escape Luffy...was that a snore? was the idiot really snoring?!
"Quiet!" he shushed them all
Sure enough the not so quiet snores filled the area. Nami felt relief flush through her chest...followed with the urge to smack the idiot upside the head. Zoro just grinned, not even really surprised at this point,
"This guy" he shook his head, before pulling one of his katana from his sash. And poked Luffy in the butt with it. Hard.
The rubber man's hand twitched as he let out a sleepy moan. Which of course terrified the children, they all screamed in panic, grabbing at Nami for protection.
Probably a good thing they stepped back, as Luffy shot up, throwing his arms back sending the tight tendons in his back cracking back into place. A loud yawn leaving him as he stretched back, before settling down cross legged,
"Mornin!" he called out sleepily
"Well we found one moron" Nami muttered, clenching her fist, how dare this bastard make her worry, "Where's the other one?"
Zoro went to reply when he spotted something unusual on the cliff face not too far away from,
"Don't tell me..." he muttered as he walked closer,
"hm what it is?" Luffy asked, perking up.
And sure enough, like a green coated limpet there was Leo, half way up the cliff. Her entire body shook with exhaustion as she clung desperately to the wall. Unable to hear anything through the pounding of blood in her ears,
"Oi!" She blinked, she could have sworn that was Zoro's voice,
"Oh for the love of god!" And that sounded like Nami.
She risked a glance downwards, a grin spreading across her face, it was Zoro and Nami! And Luffy as well!...and the three children who's names escaped her.
"Hey guys!" she called down, "How the hell did you get down there?!"
"More importantly how the hell did you get up there?!" Nami cried out, "What the hell are you thinking?! Climbing down sheer cliff face when there's a path only a hundred metres away from that tree!"
That was news to her,
"...There was a path?"
The other woman let out a frustrated growl, grabbing at her hair as she turned away from the cliff bound child. Luffy found the entire thing hilarious, he had fallen back on his arse in laughter,
"Oh shut up! Now help me down!"
The rubberman was too busy laughing at his sisters ridiculous misfortune to be of much help, and any other day she may have seen the humour in it all. But her limbs felt like molten lead and her fingers were coated in blood, which made clinging to the rock very hard, the blood just made it slippery, meaning she had to dig her fingers in more, making them bleed more.
Zoro rolled his eyes at both his captains, before carefully removing his katana from his sash, placing them gently on the ground. He then moved the stand beneath the small girl, she wasn't that far up, a few metres at most, but enough that if she did slip and fall she would seriously hurt herself,
"You can let go" he called out to her as he braced his knees for impact, "I'll catch you"
He had expected some protest, that the girl would need some convincing. Nope, the moment he was in position she let go of her death grip on the wall, pushing off slightly so she wouldn't scrape along it on the way down. The impact of her landing in his arms nearly sent them both to the ground, but the swordsman kept his balance. Again he expected her to be out of his arms before he could even blink. But even a few seconds on his arms were still full of captain.
"This is fast becoming a habit of yours captain" he grit out
He glanced down frowning when he didn't get a sarcastic reply, a sliver of worry worming into his chest when he felt her shake violently in his arms. Realizing that something was off Luffy stopped laughing, scrambling over to his sister,helping Zoro lower her to her feet. She managed to stand for a total of about four seconds before her knees gave out.
"Ok we're sitting now" she said aloud, trying to alleviate the tension
Luffy took her bloodied hands into his own, a frown marring his face, Nami spotted them as well, letting out an annoyed sigh while pushing the boy away,
"Go get some water" she ordered the hovering captain, who rushed to comply.
"It's fine really" Leo tried to brush it off, "It doesn't even hurt!"
She let out a yowl of pain when the Navigator squeezed a finger tip, raising an eyebrow at the smaller captain. Zoro tensed at the yell of pain, ready to decapitate the one causing his captain's pain. Luffy quickly returned with a rubbery hand stretched into a bowl, full of salt water. Nami took Leo's hands, marvelling at how small they were compared to her own, and dipped them into the water,
"I can do it myself" Leo tried to pull her hands away, but the woman's glare had her holding her tongue again,
"You're an idiot did you know that?" Nami growled, "You're meant to be the smart one of the two of you. And you go and pull a stunt like climbing down a dangerous cliff. What were you thinking?!"
She was using an 'angry but worried' tone of voice, Leo knew that voice well...Ace used it a lot around both her and Luffy whenever they pulled some insane stunt...which was often. Time to pull out the counter measures,
"I wasn't thinking" she tucked her chin into her chest, averting her gaze, adding a little waver to her voice, "I saw Nii-chan fall and I was so worried, I-I just needed to get down there!" She knew she probably sounded much younger than 16 right then, but it did the job. Nami's eyes softened as she carefully pulled her hands from the water, nodding to Luffy who let it spill out to the ground. She took her young captains hands in her own, bringing them close to inspect them, some of the nails had cut into the flesh, and there were scraps along the fingers, but it was rather minor,
"It'll heal quickly...just next time think before you act" the woman sighed.
And now to seal the deal, Leo nodded her head, pulling her hands back to hide in her lap. She shot Nami with the most hopefully looking baby seal eyes she could manage, a shy smile on her face,
"Thank you Nami-san" she bashfully averted her gaze.
Nami felt a warm bubble in her chest, which was soon replaced with protective anger, how could Luffy bring such a young child to sea with him?! It was irresponsible and bordered on cruelty!
When the navigator turned away Leo threw a grin and a wink at the gaping Zoro, who pulled his mouth shut with a snap. The manipulative little minx! She had played the other woman like a fiddle...suddenly it was made clear just why she was of equal status to her brother...she was good.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Running, Ussop had decided, had to be one of the worst forms of transportation ever. His lungs burned as he gasped for breath,again, and his legs felt like jelly. But he couldn't stop now. He stood before Kaya's mansion, determination was the only thing keeping him upright, he had to warn her, even if she didn't belive him...well he would just make her believe!
Pulling himself together he grabbed at a section of hedge, carefully pulling out a large cube of it, his secret entrance into the mansion and slipped through.
With practised ease he slipped past the guards, making his way to the tree outside of Kaya's window. He climbed up the tree as fast as his aching limbs would allow him. Once on the branch he pulled a rock from his bag, tossing it at his friends window. Nothing. He threw a second rock. That one caught her attention. The blonde woman quickly got out of bed, pushing her window open. She smiled brightly at her friend, not registering his grim expression,
"I'm relieved, I thought you'd never come back here again" she smiled
Her smile dropped when he didn't smile back, worry shooting through her when he stepped forward, placing a foot on her ledge. He'd never acted like this before,
"Run Kaya!" he all but demanded, "Or you'll be killed!"
"What's going on?" she smiled softly again, confused.
Leaning heavily against the window frame Ussop prayed to every god for Kaya to believe him,
"You've been deceived. The caretaker is actually a pirate!"
Silence fell between them, leaving only the sound of rustling leaves in the wind.
"Just a minute" Kaya was no longer smiling, "What kind of joke is this?"
"It's no joke!" Ussop wanted to cry, not even Kaya believed him! But she had to! "I heard it with my very own ears!" he begged her to believe him.,
Kaya stared at him in confusion,
"Kurahadol is a real pirate that came to your house for your fortune" he continued, "For the past three years, he's been posing as a caretaker in order to take your fortune!"
"What are you talking about, Ussop-san?"
Ussop's frown deepened, she just wasn't grasping the severity of his words!
"I heard him talking to an old crew member, saying that they're coming to kill you!" he was growing more desperate now. Kaya's hand twitched, grasping at her dress as she bit her lip, trying to keep herself from bursting into tears, the need growing heavy in her chest,
"He's a cold blooded killer!" How many times did he have to repeat himself? "Hurry and escape!"
Kaya closed her eyes for a moment, before opening them to look at her friend sadly,
"What he said before did go a little overboard." she twisted her fingers together, "But a lie like this...This is not like you, Ussop-san."
Ussop's entire face fell, along with his heart,
"No I'm not lying." He had to look away from his dearest friend, gritting his teeth to force back the tears that so he so desperately wanted to cry. But he couldn't. He was a man, and a man with a mission, "It's true" he weakly said, before screaming it out "It's True!" he poured his desperation and frustration into his words as they tore from his throat.
They stood there in silence, his words still ringing between them, neither of the two really knew what to say...what was there to say? Kaya frowned, looking down, recalling all the stories he had told her, how happy they had made her...but this one...
"I..." she tried to start, glancing back up at him, "I really like..." another false start, she just couldn't gather the words, "The stories that you made up, I loved them all. Why did you have to say such a thing?"
Every word she spoke was like a knife blow to his heart. The heavy conversation was too much for Kaya's faint heart, her entire body swayed as the strength left her. Stumbling she grasped at the pastel pink curtain for support,
"It's not like that..."Ussop started softly, "I didn't say it to get revenge on Kurahadol..."
"Why...would you..." she weakly said,
"Kaya...I..." now the words escaped Ussop.
The door to Kaya's room was suddenly flung open, a man greatly resembling a ram quickly entered,
"Ojousama, is something the matter?" he called out holding a pistol ready to defend his charge.
Seeing his window of opportunity closing very fast her leapt forward onto the window frame, grabbing Kaya's pale wrist in his dark hand, pulling her towards him suddenly,
"Let's get out of here Kaya!" he would protect her! Even if he had to drag her away, he couldn't let her die!
A pot full of flowers was knocked to the ground as he wrapped an arm around her waist, it shattered sending dirt across the clean floor,
"Please stop, Ussop-san!" Kaya whimpered
Ram man ran forward, before pointing the pistol straight at Ussop using both hands to steady his aim,
"Let go of Ojousama!" he demanded
"In any case, just trust me!" Ussop begged as he leaned back, letting them both fall from the window, his arm tight around Kaya's waist. "Leave this village immediately! Before that caretaker returns!"
As he fell he shot one arm out, his hand grasping at a branch. It wasn't enough to stop their fall, but it was enough to allow Ussop to right himself, landing on his feet with Kaya in his arms rather than on his back.
Kaya was about ready to faint, Ussop had to hold her steady after placing her on her feet. The rush was just too much for the fragile girl's body. He gently ran his hands over her shoulders, making sure she wasn't going to collapse the moment he let go. Which was rather soon, he leapt aside as the mansions guards stormed into the courtyard, pistols drawn and pointed straight at Ussop. The boy made sure that Kaya wasn't directly behind and out of range of any potential bullets before pulling out his sling shot.
He fired a shot at the guards. Two shots. Three shots. All three hit their marks, sending the gorilla like men crumbling to the ground,
"Please stop!" Kaya begged
Ussop quickly turned, stashing his slingshot away again, and started to run towards his secret entrance, he grabbed Kaya's arm as he passed her, trying to pull her along with him,
"Come on!" he called, they had to get away
But Kaya would not be moved. With one arm she clung to the tree, nearly all her energy had left her. Sweat dripped down her face as she started to huff for breath. She had had enough of this game.
"Once tomorrow comes, you'll believe me" Ussop told her, "As for now, let's just get out of here! Please you have to listen to me!"
He never saw the slap coming. He felt it's sting though, rattling his teeth. It honestly wasn't the hardest of slaps...but didn't need to be. The sting in his face hurt...but the crushing ache of the fact it was his friend who had slapped was far more painful than any physical wound. Kaya herself seemed so surprised by her actions. Turning away she could help the tears that slipped down her cheeks,
"Despicable"
That one word alone sent him flinching back in a way her slap could not.
He was so stunned by it all her didn't even notice that the butler with the woolly hair and ram horns had finally made it to the garden, and was once again aiming the pistol right at him.
"Leave ojousama at once!" he shouted
With no other choices Ussop had but one option left. Run. Run away without Kaya. Even though he had turned his back and was fleeing the ram look alike still fired a shot at the retreating teens back,
"No!" Kaya gasped, flinging herself in front of Ussop, despite his cruel words she couldn't stand to watch him die!
Luckily ram man manged to jolt his arm fast enough that the escaping bullet missed the blonde heiress. Even luckier for Ussop, instead of hitting him squarely in the back the bullet cut through his arm. The force of the blow still sent him stumbling face first into the grass.
His face was blooming red and blood leaked from the wound, dripping down his arm, but still he struggled to his feet. He had to get away...he would find another way to save Kaya, there had to be another way...
Things just got worse for the chronic liar, the angry crowd of villagers had finally caught up to him, and with the knowledge that he had tried to harm their precious ojousama there was truly no hope for him now.
'why...why won't any one believe me?'
He did the only possible thing left he could do. He ran, and ran harder than he had ever run before, heading down the path towards the coast, the mob of angry broom wielding villagers on his tail...first he had to lose them. And then? Then he figured out a way to save them.
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Back at the coast Luffy and Leo had filled the others in on...well everything,
"Kaya-san will be killed?!" The trio of children screamed, "The village will be attacked?! Is this for real Onii-chan?!"
Leo winced at the pitch of their scream, she knew it was probably traumatizing news, but there was no need to burst everyone's ear drums,
"Yup, that's what they said" Luffy confirmed as Leo picked up his hat, dusting it off before placing it firmly on her brothers head, "No doubt about it"
"They're gonna attack at dawn" Leo added on, "The whole idea is to make Kaya's death look like an 'accident'" she groaned before grumbling to herself, "Bastards, can't even kill her like men"
"They shouldn't be killing her at all!" Ninjin shouted
"Well of course not!" she shot back, "But if you are gonna kill someone you can at least do it honourable"
"There's an honourable way of killing someone?" Nami shot back with a sneer, all previous sympathy for the male passing captain had evaporated.
Leo puffed up in frustration, but held her tongue. There was a time and place for arguments, and this was not one of them. Of course there were honourable ways of killing someone, she wanted to shoot back. Because there were many ways of dishonourably killing someone...not giving them a fighting chance to defend themselves, not even allowing them peace in their death by warping the nature if their death...shooting their boat to pieces just because they sailed too close. Leo clenched her fists paying no mind to the sharp pain that shot through her finger tips...no it was just easier to keep her mouth shut and not push the issue.
The children were too busy panicking to notice the sparks flying between the two women (although only Luffy and Zoro were aware they were both women) The ever watching Zoro noticed, he watched as the smaller captain balled her shaking hands into fist and bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from snapping at the older woman. So he took his own steps to change the topic. He moved to tap the sitting Luffy with his foot,
"By the way, how did you end up snoozing off down here?" he asked
"About that..." A wide grin spread across Luffy's face, "I thought I was still on the cliff all along...Now, how in the world did I get down here...?"
Leo frowned at her brother, how did he manage to forget falling down a cliff,
"That weirdo Jango swung his disk at us...he said something weird and then you toppled off the edge dead asleep" she crouched to poke her brother in the forehead, as if it would jog his memory,
"Do you honestly not remember that?"
"Nope"
"Huh...weird" She shrugged it off then, nothing much they could do
"And you just accept it just like that" Zoro dead-panned, then again she had grown up with him...it'd make sense that the weird stuff that seemed to happen around her brother no longer fazed her.
"Are you guys fortunate to have heard all this before hand?" Leo turned her attention back to Nami, who had spoken up to the children, "Now we can escape before they attack. They got careless"
Somehow Leo doubted it was that simple.
"Yeah that's right!" Ninjin cried to his friends as they huddled in a circle, "We should make a run for it too!"
"Yeah! We should just take the important stuff" Tamanegi agreed, "Anyways we should hurry!" They nearly fell over each other as they made a break for it, running along the rocks towards the path that lead up to the cliff.
Leo glared in that direction, turns out if she had gone left instead of right she wouldn't have gotten stuck. Huffing she leaned back to sit down in front of her brother, resting her head on her palm, waiting her brother to decide the next course of action.
Luffy and Zoro watched them go, Zoro standing with crossed arms next to Luffy, frowning. He frowned a lot, Leo noted as her dark brown eyes flicked up to the swordsman. But somehow he managed to look good while frowning...a rare ability she had to admit.
"Oh no!" Luffy's head snapped forward, staring at his sister with wide eyes when a thought hit him like gramps fist. Leo shot to her feet, her brothers panic sparking her own,
"What is it?" Zoro asked
"If we don't hurry and get ourselves some food, the shop owners will be gone, leaving us with no meat!" he cried in panic
Leo stared at her brother with a blank expression for a moment, she glanced at her hand, it would be a few more hours until she could make a fist without her hands stinging, and a few more before she could actually punch someone. Her gaze flicked to Zoro, who seemed to read her gaze quite clearly. Walking behind Luffy, he pulled his black sheathed katana from his waist band, jabbing his captain in the back of the . He and Leo were on the same page then, excellent.
"This is not the time to think about that" Zoro scolded him
"The next time you give me a heart attack like that Nii-chan it's gonna be my hammer up your arse" Leo threatened
"You guys are soo mean" Luffy whined, the jab was hard enough to unbalance him, causing him to fall face first into the rock, his hat flying from his head once again. They really should work on that, it was fast becoming an issue.
"Well if you stopped giving me unneeded heart attacks I wouldn't have to be so mean!" Leo informed him.
Her eyes softened as she crouched to pick the hand up, getting a proper look at her fingers. The tips were rubbed raw and some of the nail's were turning black and purple and red...she hadn't ripped any off though, that was a bonus. While it wasn't a major injury, it made her second injury within a week, she wasn't usually this accident prone...maybe she had walked under a ladder or something?
She blinked getting her train of thought back on track, there was a crisis to deal with after all! Now was no time to be getting distracted! Although now she thought about it, she had ducked under a ladder when she left the bandit hideout...or maybe the gods were punishing her because she broke her promise to her brothers and set out a year too early to be with Luffy?
"Come on, best go save the long nosed idiot," she dumped her brothers hat on his head and started walking towards where this supposed path was, "If he's a known liar, then there's no fucking way they're gonna believe him...probably got swarmed and beaten by angry villagers"
Luffy grinned, readjusting his hat before standing and bouncing after his sister, Zoro and Nami were forced to follow,
"Hold on, how could you possibly know that?" Nami narrowed her eyes at the youngest of their group
Leo just shrugged,
"Human nature I guess..." she trailed off, not bothering to elaborate. If her childhood had taught her anything, it was that human nature was an ugly thing. People were ugly creatures. Terrible ugly creatures that burned everything they touched. Her hands absently brushed her scarred side. Nami probably took it as her wound twinging, which it had been but it had mostly scabbed over and was quickly healing. Zoro would have guessed it was the gruesome scarring hidden beneath her clothes, but even he couldn't grasp the full extent of it. Only Luffy had any real idea...
Annoyance fell on the youngest raven like a blanket of screaming children. Right there, right in front of their fucking faces was a god damned path. A flat, walk-able zigzagged path. She spent the rest of the walk glowering and muttering to herself, cursing every god she knew...which wasn't too many, so she just cursed them repeatedly.
The sun was dipping low as they got closer to the village, a lone figure was walking towards them as well. Leo didn't even bother trying to see who it was, it required far too much energy.
"Captain!" the children cried out, running to meet their captain. And besides she didn't need to! Others saw well enough for her!
To be completely honest, Leo kinda fazed out the next few minutes, not really paying too much attention to what was going on until Ussop was right in front of them, his face pale like he'd seen a ghost...she glanced at his arm, or pale from blood lose. That was a very real possibility as well.
"Hey you're still alive?!" he cried out staring at her brother
"Alive?" her brother sounded so confused, "Yeah I just woke up"
"He was sleeping the entire time" Piiman informed his captain. Leo glared, god she wished she could have napped, but nooo she was stuck on a cliff face.
"Anyways Captain, we've heard everything" Ninjin said
"We should hurry and warn everybody of the pirates!" Tamanegi waved his arms frantically
Leo watched as all emotions bleed from Ussops face as he stared at the children seriously, wondering what could possibly be going through his mind. She had an idea. The shaking of his shoulders confirmed her suspicions. Laughter escaped the dark skinned teen, sounding as natural and as believable as his lies,
"I'm just kiddn' like I always do!" he laughed, "I was pissed at that caretaker so went around saying that he was a pirate."
The children quickly joined in his laughter, so relieved it wasn't true
"Oh I see!"
"The straw hat Onii-chan and goggles Onii-chan was fooled by Captain!" one of them giggled
The oldest trio watched Ussop, not contradicting him...just processing the scene before them...not really sure what to think. Leo glanced at her brother and then her crew mates. Or maybe they did know what to think and decided it best to keep their tongue?
The trio of children stopped a moment, their laughter easing,
"Eh? What is it?" Ussop asked, his own laughter quietly dying,
"I'm starting to lose respect for you Captain" it was Piiman who spoke,
"Me too" Ninjin agreed,
"And me" Tamanegi added on, "Even though that caretaker is a bad guy...We never would've thought that you'd lie to hurt someone else."
Ussop's smile dropped, their words stinging as much as Kaya's did,
"To think that we had so much respect for you Captain"
He just stood and watched as his little friends turned their backs, making their way back up the path towards their home...he felt...lost...
"Guess it's back to the coast we go" Leo spoke up, breaking the awkward silence, turning on her heel back towards the cove. This time she took the path down. She gave it another glare for good cause. The sun finally dipped beneath the horizon when they set up camp on the hard cold rock. Nami immediately forced Ussop to sit down to clean his wound.
The big baby whined the entire time. While Nami cleaned and wrapped the cut both Zoro and Luffy stood, arms crossed, watching the long nosed liar. Leo had opted to lean against a rock, resting her tired eyes for a moment. The cold hard rock dug into her back painfully, so she wasn't at risk of falling asleep any time soon.
"Okay, that should do it" Nami declared after tying off the makeshift bandage,
"Why did you say al that?" Luffy finally spoke up, addressing the other teenager for the first time in a while.
Leo cracked an eye open, maybe she was the only who had figured it out after all,
"'Cause I'm a liar" was the curly haired boys answer, resting his now wrapped arm on his knee, hunching forward,like a great weight was on his shoulders. Maybe that's why she had clued on before the others, knowing the weight oh too well,
"No one would believe me in the first place" he continued, "I was too naive"
"Even if you are naive, the truth is still the truth" Zoro stepped forward, not really comforting the boy but in a way reassuring him.
"It's not always that simple" Leo reminded him, she leaned her head back, laying it flat against the rock she was leaning on to look at Ussop, "You're a good man...you threw away your friends respect, and probably their trust in exchange for their safety...not many people would be so willing" she smiled at him, "I like you"
Ussop stared at her a moment, unsure how to take the comment, but offered the boy, he was so sure the kid was a boy, a weak smile in return.
"Those pirates are really gonna attack right?" Nami finally asked
"Yeah, there's no doubt that they'll be coming" the smile fell, replaced with a serious frown, "But everyone think that it's all a hoax. Everyone thinks that tomorrow will be just like any other day"
Leo scrunched her nose, she couldn't think of anything worse.
Ussop hunched forward even more, a frustrated hiss behind his teeth. He couldn't just sit by and let those bastards attack his home.
"But I will stop those pirates at the coast! And make sure it remains a hoax!" He shot up, a hand fisted with more determination than he truly felt, "This is my duty as a liar!" His good hand instantly went to his bandaged one, grasping it gently, "Even though they shoot my arm...chased me all over the village...This is still my village. I love this village" Tears started to stream down his face and snot ran down his nose...not a dignified look, "I want to protect everyone"
Leo lifted her head to watch her crew mates. Zoro's hands tightened on the handle of his katana,
"Never thought you were that kind of a guy" he commented, "Ditching your friends so that you can face the enemy by yourself"
"Let me get this straight right now" Nami stuck a hand on her hip, "all the pirates treasure will be mine"
"Right! We will lend you a hand!" Luffy decided, stretching his arms, like a normal human would not in his usual Luffy way
"We got to stop by the boat first" Leo spoke up. "Need to pick up my hammer"
"You guys are...willing to fight beside me?" Ussop asked trying to wipe away his tears,"Why?"
"Eh why not" Leo shrugged, finally standing, popping the tendons in her back into place, "I haven't hit anyone in a while...should be fun"
"Because they have more people" her brother said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world
"If you're scared, you can reconsider" Zoro leaned forward, feigning concern
"I'm not scared!" Ussop jumped to his feet, "It doesn't matter how many there are, it's fine by me!" He declared with a wave of his uninjured arm, "For I am the brave warrior of the sea, Captain Ussop!"
Leo giggled as he knees refused to stop shaking,
"damn damn!" he growled smacking his knees to try and make them stop. It didn't stop, "This is no small matter! They are the Kurahadol's band of pirates!" he shouted at them "Of course I'm scared! So what of it?! I won't accept anyone's sympathy!"
"We're not laughing" Zoro glared.
Leo tried to hold in her giggles, Zoro shot her a glare,
"We're helping you 'cause we admire your courage" Zoro continued, still glaring at his small captain
"If it was sympathy, would we put our lives at risk?" Luffy added seriously
Leo managed to squash her giggles, smiling brightly at him,
"You have a lot of heart Ussop. A lot of courage...I'm not laughing at you...I'm laughing because I find the resemblance between you and your father so striking it's funny" Leo tried to reassure him.
It was a little white lie, ok it wasn't, he did remind her of Yassop...but she had been giggling at his knees...they made a funny sound when they shook. She would never however laugh at his fear, she wasn't one to talk after all. But the clicking noise just sent her into a giggling fit.
Ussop was stumped by their words, tears welled up and fell down his cheeks yet again, his chest a bubbling mess of emotion, ready to burst open,
"Damn...you guys..." he whimpered
"Well don't just stand there crying" She grinned at him, "We got some pirate ass to kick!"