Once again I'm sorry my friends for the extended wait. It was not my desire to put this off, but let's just say luck has not been on my side this past year.
The truck repairs are almost paid off. After pulling a week and a half of 9am-1am work days making/selling candy, we only have a little over $1,000 left to pay. Here's hoping it comes quickly.
Last we saw, the spirits of the Straw Hats were now present in the real world and a tribunal is about to take place so to pass Kaze's sentence!
Zoro's eye could have popped out of his head it was so wide. The man gaped as he slowly turned in a small circle, drinking in the sight surrounding him. The Devil Fruit spirits of each of his nakama were standing proudly beside their masters, each a personification of the power they held.
"My," a breathy voice murmured, her very resonance similar to tinkling bells "that was quite a rush, so this is what it's like outside."
Brook whirled around to face his Spirit, only gasp in shock as his nose spurted rivulets of blood, Sanji fainting behind him with soft besotted coos. His Spirit very much resembled an angel. With velvety white wings, and gossamer blonde hair she was clad in silver armor laid over a shimmering ivory dress. She held no weapon, but only clutched a shield, it's huge size capable of defending her from any attack. Blue eyes flashed down to her user and she gave a dainty curtsy.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Brook, I am the Spirit who gave you a second chance at life when yours had already expired."
"My lady," the skeleton reverently knelt to one knee, a bony hand covering his heart (that is, if he had one YOHOHOHOHOHO!) his features serious as the grave "you have done so much for me, but I have but one request…"
The stunning face grimaced, a resigned sigh huffing from between ruby lips before suddenly the skirt lifted only to be presented by a high heeled foot bearing down so to land a cracking blow on the bowed afro "Don't you even try it," she hissed, "do you know how many times I've wanted to stop you from asking that ridiculous question? TOO MANY!"
"Forgive me," Brook whimpered on the floor.
"Oh don't worry, I will," the ethereal Spirit sneered, "after I get payback for all the times I regretted you as a User!"
"Sheesh, what a harpy," Zoro winced.
"It seems that Brook-san is getting his comeuppance," Robin chuckled softly.
"Agreed," a throaty female voice echoed behind her causing the Archaeologist to face her spirit with a smile.
"Greetings, it is fascinating to have a face to the name,"
Robin's spirit was a woman richly decorated in strings of gold beads and chains, jewels hung from every earlobe, finger and draped from her neck. A lavishly embroidered wrap covered her chest, leaving the midriff bare while luxurious silk harem pants covered her legs. Bells and chimes tinkled from around her ankles, but the most fascinating thing were her arms. Accented by skin the color of the sky, they shimmered much like a mirage. One moment she had four arms, the next ten, the number never stayed the same and was subject to change at any given moment. However her eyes, currently gentle obsidian, held within their depths a hidden thunderstorm; a temper that flashed like lightening when provoked and twice as destructive.
"It is a pleasure Robin," the woman inclined her head ever so slightly, numerous earrings jingling as she did so "from the moment of consumption I sensed in you an old wise soul capable of great things."
"Aw, come on!" another voice, male this time, blurted out in aggrieved tones "when is anyone gonna talk to me, like a MAN?!"
Chopper slowly turned, his body trembling in fear as he took in the sight of his Spirit.
The man, for man it was, sat in a pondering pose almost as if modeling for a painting or a sculpture, his lips jutted out in only the barest of pouts as his impressive muscular form was on display for all to see. In fact, the Spirit was buck naked. Red hair topped a freckled face that was braced on one fist held up by his knee, and deep brown eyes met those of his user.
"Hello," the Spirit said brightly.
"Hi," Chopper murmured back, his gaze wide as he assessed the being before him "you're really my Spirit?"
"Definitely, bro," The Spirit laughed gaily flexing his muscles in varying poses "I'm the one who makes you awesome, like a MAN!"
"Wow…" Chopper's eyes were gleaming however Nami was less than impressed.
The ginger stomped up to the Spirit, her teeth daggers and her eyes the portals to the very pits of Hell as she screamed "GET SOME PANTS ON!"
The Spirit scrambled back, his face pale with shock and his arms defensive "Whoa, chill out babe," he muttered unhappily "sorry but what you see is what you get, like a MAN."
The navigator ground her teeth together as she released an audible snarl and whirled around to the surrounding crowd "Somebody give me their pants!"
"WHAT?!" was the answering cry from the congregated Marines.
"Just do it," Name snapped "or I'll be forced to come over there and just take your pants and your wallet as payment for my trouble!"
Much murmuring took place among the huddled masses, which lasted roughly twenty-three seconds before a sharp yelp echoed amongst the rafters and a pair of pants were passed forward. Nami snatched said article of clothing and all but flung them at Chopper's Spirit "Now put them on!"
The muscular spirit released a short grunt as the pants hit his face with surprising force, peeling them off and beginning the arduous task of dressing himself. An endeavor had never yet before endured much less attempted. With much flailing, fumbling and zippers closing on things they shouldn't the pants were finally on and the navigator satiated.
"Finally," she sighed "let's hope Luffy's Spirit is a tad more decent."
The ginger headed woman looked to her captain which was currently in a staring contest of epic proportions with a Spirit none expected to see much less imagined.
He was old, beyond ancient and his baggy skin held more wrinkles and lines than the bark of a tree. In fact, his skin did look rather bark like, his arms twiggy and thin and his legs bony like a spider's. His complexion was a dark brown accented by audacious white eyebrows with a wispy long white beard floating just below his chin. His body was clad in a simple cotton tunic which drooped in loose crisscrossing patterns displaying ribs that jutted out underneath his skin. His very aura was like a fresh breeze brushing the leaves of a forest in the afternoon sun, while peace and quiet radiated from his current position of floating meditation. Or at least it would seem he was meditating, but his piercing grass green eyes were glaring directly at his user in an unnamable emotion. Finally after several moments, the old man opened his mouth, the very muscles of his jaw creaking as if they had gone unused for countless centuries.
All watching came to a standstill, each holding their breath for what was to come.
"YOU IDIOT!"
Jaws dropped and giggles were stifled as a paper fan was pulled seemingly from out of nowhere and then used to whack the top of Luffy's head "I strive to lend my wisdom to you, empower your body to take greater hits and endure massive amounts of damage, but for what?! So you can drive us to indigestion with your gluttony?! My power was never meant for something so low, you…you…pipsqueak!"
The captain of the Straw Hat's grit his teeth, clenching his jaw hard enough to make it creak "Don't call me pipsqueak, geezer!"
"I'll call you whatever I want, cretin!"
"Oh yeah?!" Luffy shouted.
"INDEED!" the elderly Spirit bellowed, giving his user another jab with the paper fan.
The raven haired teen stomped his feet in an aggravated huff, his cobalt eyes never leaving the man "Well, you know what?!"
"What?!"
"You're boring!"
"I'm wise," the Spirit spat in return "which is much preferable to being a hot headed runt!"
"HEY!" now Luffy was furious, he never admitted it out loud but he was quite proud of the inches he gained over the past two years, and no one was going to take that away "I bet I'm taller than you, you old prune!"
The Spirit solemnly allowed his feet to touch the ground. Stretching the cracking joints and straightening his spine to stand a full foot taller than the captain causing Luffy to gape in awe before his face once again screwed up into a look of disdain "and you know what else, you smell funny too!"
"How dare you!" the elderly man scoffed "I bathe regularly, which is more than I can say for you, vagabond!"
"What soap you use, rotten banana leaves? Because that's what you smell like!"
"Now, that's the last straw! I will not allow anyone, not even my user, besmirch my favorite herbal tea!" With a flourish the man leaned forward and pinched Luffy's cheek in between two bony fingertips, stretching it out before releasing it with a painful snap "Incorrigible child!"
"OW! That hurt?!" Luffy bellowed in both wonderment and fury "You jerk!"
The captain lunged forward, grasping both the man's cheeks and stretching them out a full three feet before letting go. His Spirit howled in pain, retribution already in action as he twisted young ears, extending his arms upwards sky high reveling in the yelp as the tender pieces of flesh returned to their former position. "HA-HA! How you like that, sonny boy? Not bad for an old geezer!"
"Why you…!"
The duo leapt in tandem, pulling, pinching and stretching as the entire audience sweat dropped at the display. Zoro sighed, face palming as he turned to Tora "Uh, any way you can stop this?"
The tiger merely gave his cub an 'are-you-kidding?' look before simply shrugging helplessly. The swordsman groaned, approaching the navigator and tapping her on the shoulder "Uh, Nami,"
The navigator, watching the fight take place with a dry face that clearly conveyed that she was one-hundred percent done with this crazy captain, looked over said shoulder to address the First Mate "Yeah?"
"We're kinda on a time clock here," Zoro grumbled "Tora can't stay out much longer, and I'm pretty sure that once he returns I'm going to be pretty useless since he's taking us both into a 'healing hibernation.'"
Nami gave a firm nod, already understanding where this was going, "Got it,"
Turning back to her captain who was stretching his Spirit's face using the beard and eyebrows as handholds, while he in turn had a firm grasp on Luffy's lips, Nami strode forward cracking her knuckles ominously. Approaching the dueling duo, the navigator drew a deep calming breath, and then lifting her arms high as she spun her weather staff, released her fury.
"You stupid IDIOTS!" she shrieked "STOP FIGHTING!"
A crack of thunder rolled through the rafters as lightening hit her captain and his Spirit. Of course neither were hurt, but it was enough of a shock to send them tumbling away from each other. The elderly man stared at Nami in awe, his eyes assessing even as he rubbed his bottom and beard woefully "My dear, how you manage to hurt rubber with lightening is extraordinary, it shouldn't be possible!"
"Yeah," Zoro moaned thinking of the unfair debt being imposed upon him "there's a lot of things she can do that shouldn't be possible."
"Ow," Luffy whined rubbing the charred areas of his face "Nami, that hurt!"
"Serves you both right for behaving like children," Nami spat "now can we get down to business before Tora and Zoro bleed themselves out on the floor?!"
Spirit and User glanced at each other ruefully, each contributing an unhappy grumble before slowly clambering back to their feet "Fine," Luffy pouted.
"As you wish, my lady," the old man nodded.
"Finally," Nami sighed "now Tora, as you were saying?"
The tiger grinned, chuckling in his deep baritone "Kaze has trespassed against many laws of the Devil Fruit, committed atrocities, and even led many of her own users to their own slaughter. What is worse, is she has decided to make her former user her intended target. The counts against her are first degree manslaughter, conspiring to kill, and intentional use of her powers to brainwash her users to use their bodies as her own."
"Let it be known," Tora continued "that as it has been now, and even in the time before the Dark History, that such acts go against the contracts of the Devil Fruit with the Users. I move that we hold a tribunal, and judge her for her crimes against our and their kind."
"I second the motion," Robin's Spirit agreed.
"So do I," Chopper Spirit crowed while flexing "like a MAN!"
"You idiot," the angel sighed "you can't second a motion when one has already done so."
"But I can totally agree, like a MAN!"
"Ugh," the angel Spirit groaned "just hurry this along so he can go back where he belongs."
Luffy's Spirit strode forward, taking a wooden staff and banging it on the floor "Then let the Devil Fruit Tribunal BEGIN!"
PLEASE tell me that made up for my absence?!
I dearly hope so. How do you like the Spirits?!
At any rate, please REVIEW!