Hey guys, I'm back from the dead! These past holidays took a lot of my attention away, as well as work.
Disclaimer : I do not own One Piece or RWBY.
Rebirth of the Straw Hat
Chapter 37
The next day flew by with nothing but silence around team RWBY. Weiss and Blake have hardly spoken to each other since that night as they're lost in their own thoughts. Ruby went quiet as well, having things on her mind as well.
Which left Yang to mentally scream at the silence. There was nothing she could say after everything that happened. She's their teammate, yet she only has small words of support for them. The blonde was never targeted for her family name, she's not a former terrorist, nor is she a leader.
So she went to the gym to unleash her frustrations upon the punching bags. She wasn't alone, however, as Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Zoro were with her.
The two guys were being pushed beyond their physical limits as Jaune was lifting a barbell with shaky arms while Ren was panting up a storm as he ran the treadmill. Nora wasn't taking any exercises, but instead was looming over them as she tries to encourage them to continue.
Although, 'encourage' might be the wrong term here.
"Come on, guys! I've seen toddlers do better!" the hammer wielder yelled with a crazed grin, causing the two to sweatdrop at her comparison.
"How are you supposed to reach Zoro's level at this rate!?" Nora continued, jerking a thumb to the topless swordsman. The three stopped what they were doing and looked over to Zoro. Jaune's jaw dropped when he saw the green haired man doing practice swings with a barbell that has a lot of weights on one side, all while holding a dumbbell between his teeth.
"It doesn't matter how you look at it! That'll take years!" Jaune comically shouted. Now Nora was just demanding the impossible from them.
Yang couldn't help but have her eyes gravitate over to his muscular torso, noticing how specks of sweat flung off his body with every swing. As appealing to the eye as it is, she's also noticing how fast he is swinging.
"Not satisfied with those weights?" her question came out rhetorical. Even she can see how easy it was for him. But easy doesn't cut it for Zoro. The first mate huffed at the question before laying what she would call a swordbell to the floor and taking the dumbbell out of his mouth.
"Yeah, they're too light for my liking." he complained.
'T-too light?!' Jaune and Ren exchanged looks of disbelief.
Yang smirked at the dilemma before she made her way to a storage closet. Zoro quirked a brow at her as she pulled out some more weights, but with black lines running through them along with a dial on the side. Aside from that, they look about the same as the ones he's using right now.
She sets them into the dumbbell and turns the dial up, causing the lines to glow. The blonde giggles to herself as she steps away to give Zoro some room. He shrugs off her strange behavior before getting a tight grip on the dumbbell. When he tried to lift it off the floor, he was surprised to see that it hardly budged.
He grins in interest of these peculiar weights as he puts in some effort to lift the dumbbell off the floor.
"Now this is more like it." Zoro grunted, pleased with the challenge of even doing one rep. Jaune and Ren were wide eyed at the struggle he's in, wondering how heavy that is exactly.
"Figured as much. Apparently, it has gravity Dust in those weights. You just turn that dial up to ramp up the amount of weight. It's much better than using the baby stuff." Yang explained while ogling his muscles as he carried on with his workout. Nora went starry eyed at the new innovation to weight lifting.
If she works out with that thing, she'll be breaking legs in no time!
Zoro understood the logic behind it. Instead of making a larger weight, they used the gravity Dust to amplify the force of gravity to make it seem heavier than normal. There were probably some safety rules that she failed to mention, but they were self-explanatory.
"Thanks, Ero-Blonde." Zoro raised a hand in gratitude, but it only irked the girl.
Deciding to ignore the nickname, she went back to beating the punching bag. She needs the distraction to keep her frustrations at bay. Try as she might, it keeps coming back.
Zoro was starting to pick up on the lack of vigor in her punches within minutes of her workout, as if her mind was going elsewhere. She's just blowing off steam because of her inability to act. He clicked his teeth in annoyance for her beating herself up over nothing.
"You know, you don't always have to meddle with their problems. Things will sort itself out, so stop feeling like it's necessary to do something for your team." Zoro berated the blonde. Hearing this, Yang spun on her heel to face him with narrowed eyes.
"So, what? I'm supposed to sit back and watch everything happen before my eyes, like every other time!" Yang's voice rose with her anger, her eyes briefly shifting to red.
When Luffy got slashed across the chest by the Beowolf, she did nothing but watch in horror and cry her eyes out as his blood dyed the snow beneath him. When he was fighting the psychotic butcher, she was left suspended in the air by chains with a deep cut on her shoulder.
Worse still, Ruby had to endure it all with her.
Every time she does nothing, something horrible happens. Luck was the only reason that things turned out for the better. But how much longer can that luck last?
She hasn't realized what she implied until Nora spoke up.
"What do you mean by 'every other time'?" Nora asked in a concerned tone. Jaune and Zoro were left surprised by the bubbly girl's display of concern. It's really rare for her to ever show anything other than her uplifting attitude.
When the brawler shuts herself up and turns away from them, it only made them worry more. It must be a very sensitive topic if someone as boisterous as her is staying quiet.
The silence was cut short by the ringing of Yang's scroll. Seeing this as the perfect time to divert the worrying stares, the blonde brawler checks her device. She quirked a brow when she spotted a message sent by Ruby.
"Team meeting. Right now." was what the message said. Yang was perplexed by the sudden command from her sister. Either way, she turned to leave the gym, earning confused looks from the others in the room.
"See ya, guys." she waved as she went through the doors.
'Must've been Ruby.' Zoro concluded as he kept lifting the gravity empowered dumbbell. After some time passed, the swordsman slowed to a halt when he felt like taking a nap.
As soon as he placed the dumbbell on the floor, Nora swooped in to take it for a spin. Ignoring her quick reaction, Zoro grabbed his jacket before heading for the door.
"Don't get lost, Zoro!" Nora beamed at him, earning an eye twitch.
"Shut up. I don't get lost." he muttered in annoyance. The three could only sweatdrop as he walked out the door.
Now that the two were away, team JNR were left to their thoughts. Yang's sudden outburst left an uneasy feeling in them, and seeing her erect a barrier between them only amplified the feeling. This whole situation is really getting to team RWBY.
"So are we going to help?" Ren asked his leader. Jaune looked down to the floor in thought before he released a dejected sigh.
"No. As much as I want to help, they need to see this through as a team." Jaune reasoned. He can't involve himself when they need to grow on their own. Doing so would just prove that Ruby is incompetent as a leader. He may have been helped before, but the problem at the time was him. This is something between her teammates, therefore making it her responsibility.
It's probably the same reason why Luffy hasn't involved himself.
"Well then, if we're not doing anything..." Nora trailed off with a sinister gleem, making the boys audibly gulp in fear. Pyrrha is so lucky that she's organizing a tutoring session for Jaune right now.
Luffy grinned from ear to ear as he stared at the kitchen corner he's so proud of. One side of the room contained the two beds that the pirate duo slept in as well as the desk. The other side had the fridge and oven side by side with a small table and chairs. He may not have a lot of books, but the bookshelf serves its purpose by holding some spices and sugar for cooking along with other supplies.
After trying it out for the first time, he forgot to open the window for the steam to be aired out of the room. It almost looked like a sauna with the lingering steam near the ceiling.
He's elated to see the room he made for him and Zoro now that it looked more livable. There can still be more improvements over the course of his four years, but it'll take time and money. For now, he's just happy to cook in his own dorm instead of moving to the student kitchen on the other side of Beacon.
When he wants to eat, he wants the food right at that moment. Unfortunately, he has to go to the student kitchen anyway if he needs to wash dishes.
"Yosh! Now Ruby won't have to go so far for cookies. I could even cook meat and fish right now." Luffy beamed at the convenience. The mere mention of Blake's obsession brought his smile down.
Twice in one day has Blake been brought to tears. The first for realizing her flawed logic, the second for being discovered as a former terrorist. His clenched fist shook with anger as he contemplated on who was mostly responsible. Being restrained from mending the team does nothing to quell his fury.
When he has an idea as to who to punch, that person is going down. It's what most of his solutions involve: burying his fist into the problem and hope that it never comes back up.
He was shook from his thoughts by a knock on the door. When he got to the door and opened it, he was surprised to see Glynda with a scowl.
"Witch? Am I in trouble again?" he wondered. She sweatdropped at the assumption. It's amazing how he came to that conclusion as soon as he saw her.
Then again, the only thing she does to him is scold and berate.
"I've been hearing talk about smoke coming out of a window in the dormitory. You were my first suspect." Glynda stated before shifting her gaze to the oven. Seeing the appliance only proves her suspicions.
Luffy followed her gaze until it met the oven before turning back to her with a grin.
"Shishishi, I made that so I can cook here. But I had to open the window to let the steam out when I tried it." he explained. Hearing that it was steam instead of smoke relieved the professor somewhat now that she knows that there is no fire.
It still has its own dangers, but she can at least trust him not to burn the whole place down. If she brings it up to Ozpin, he'll just comment on the boy's resourcefulness.
"Witch..." Luffy tilted his head in confusion of her silence.
"You're not in trouble, Mr. Branwen. And as long as there are no fires, there won't be any problems. Are we clear?" Glynda said with a sharp look.
"Yup!" Luffy gave a mock salute, thankful that she's being lenient with him. The gesture was enough for the woman as she turned to leave.
"Wait..." Luffy called out before she can take a step from the doorway. She turned her head to make eye contact, curious as to what he'll say. For once, his eyes speak of something serious.
"What do you think of the White Fang?" he asked with the innocence of a curious child. The question caught her off guard as it took seconds to respond.
Of all things to ask, he just wants her opinion on the terrorist organization. But why? Did it have something to do with the reveal of Cipher Pol working with them? Foreseeing a long discussion, she decided to get comfortable in his dorm and sat in one of the chairs before she answered.
"If I had to describe them, I'd say that they're a group that fell from grace. Surely you know that they were once peaceful?" Glynda reminded, clinging onto some hope that Luffy paid attention to that part of history.
"Of course I know." Luffy growled, almost offended by her words.
"I used to watch their rallies on TV when I was little. People say that they were wasting their time, that they weren't going to gain equality. But they kept going, even if it was going to take years. The old White Fang reminded me of myself. It wasn't about whether or not it was possible, just that it was what we staked our lives for." Luffy said. Glynda was intrigued by the comparison he made between the two.
The two tried to attain something that was thought to be unreachable by many. Yet Luffy proved the world wrong by overcoming every obstacle before him. Maybe he believed that the same could be done with the White Fang.
This only made it easy to guess why he stopped watching.
"So you stopped watching their rallies because you were disappointed in their change in methods, or perhaps insulted that they didn't commit to their original path like you have." Glynda surmised, earning a nod from the boy.
"It was like they left their old conviction behind. They changed their minds and decided on a different goal. A goal that other faunus don't want, yet are forced to accept." Luffy stated, his fists tightening at the thought. He was starting to see Blake as a person that couldn't adhere to their violence any longer.
She left them to stick to the peaceful ways they had before and walk her own path. However, the White Fang's actions has brought so much trouble for the other faunus that some would hide their heritage away.
They have not only hindered Blake's progress, but left her trapped with no way out. She suffered because of them. Looks like he figured out who to beat. This White Fang has to go if the faunus ever want to taste freedom and equality like Blake wanted.
"I dread that look in your eyes. It promises nothing but trouble." he would've forgotten that Glynda was sitting across from him if she hadn't spoken. Meeting her gaze with an inquisitive look, he wonders if the professor was going to stop him.
"But... I suppose I'll indulge myself with this gamble and hope the results are worth the trouble." Glynda relented, earning a goofy grin from Luffy. It wasn't like she could stop him anyway. He had the look in his eye that said that he made up his mind and he's not budging. Much to her confusion, Luffy chuckled at her. Was it really funny that she's encouraging Luffy to do as he pleases?
...On second thought, everyone would see it as a joke.
"Ozzy is rubbing off on you." Luffy stated with amusement. Despite her eye twitching, Glynda couldn't help but agree with him. Ozpin's leniency has gotten him in trouble with the Council on occasion. He would bend the rules and shrug off the trouble caused because of his gambles.
Seeing as both have somewhere to be, they left the dorm at the same time. As they did, Yang was heading towards them. The blonde looks between the two with wide eyes, seeing something wrong with this picture. No words came to her as the two walked past her, her gaze never leaving them. They're walking side by side, but there were no signs of it looking like Luffy was in any trouble. It was usually the case when those two are within feet of each other.
Shaking off the weird sight before her, she enters her dorm to take in the silent atmosphere. The only noise in the room was from Ruby, who is currently loading each magazine with individual cartridges. Her eyes fell onto the symbols on the magazines that indicated the type of Dust it's loaded with. Her sister looked to be in deep thought as she subconsciously slid each round in. It was Ruby's way to get her mind off things.
Blake and Weiss were laying on their respective beds, no doubt thinking about that night. The cat faunus isn't even reading a book, probably since she wouldn't be able to focus on reading. It was like the two were grounded or put in a timeout corner.
Perona is nowhere to be seen along with her ghosts as she is most likely busy. Since no one was going to speak, then she'll just have to make her presence known.
"Yeesh, Rubes. You look like you're geared for war." Yang broke the silence with a joke as she took note on the many magazines filled with ammo near her sister. The black and white duo turned their attention to the other half of the team since their thoughts were interrupted. Their eyes turned to silver dollars when they spotted the stockpile, wondering if they were spaced out for so long.
"Huh?" Ruby snapped out of her trance and looked up to her sister. Looking to her side, she sees the growing pile of munitions before rubbing her head sheepishly.
'Oops. I think I've overdone it.' she thought to herself. Now that all eyes are on her, she scrambled for an explanation for this preparation.
"Right, uhh... on with the team meeting! We're going to Vale!" Ruby declared as she hopped to her feet with her hands on her hips.
"Ruby, we just went to Vale. What reason do we have this time?" Weiss inquired. She could've sworn that they did all the shopping that they needed to do.
"Glad you asked, partner. There's no shopping this time, but we are going to do some crime fighting." Ruby explained. It didn't take too long to guess what she's referring to.
"So we're going after the Dust robbers? I thought we were going to leave that to the cops." Yang said.
"We were before that fight happened. Now I want to find out who's robbing the stores for some closure. In the end, we're still going to beat them up." Ruby stated. It didn't matter whether it was Torchwick or the White Fang, this investigation was going to lead to a fight.
Thinking on it now, the whole argument started when their curiosity brought them to the Dust store.
"Closure?" Blake raised a brow at her leader.
"I don't want to keep thinking about it, so I thought that if we did this we can move on." Ruby explained. Yang grinned at the direct approach. It sounded like something Luffy would do.
Speaking of which...
"Should we bring Luffy and Zoro along?" Yang suggested. To her surprise, her sister shook her head.
"No. This whole thing started with my team, and I want to keep it that way." Ruby reasoned with a soft tone. There's no point in dragging them into something that has nothing to do with them, even if they would agree to come.
"Oh, right..." Ruby perked up as she remembered something before turning to Blake. The cat faunus couldn't make eye contact with her leader, still ashamed from that night.
The silver eyed girl was willing to accept her, despite knowing that she's a former terrorist as well as a faunus. Instead of responding in kind, she slapped her hand away and rejected her sincerity.
"Can I read this book? I found it with your stuff while I was uhh... tidying up our dorm." Ruby asked, covering up how she happened upon it. She doesn't know how Blake would take to her snooping around to find her wallet as well as her sister's. This wasn't missed by the other two members as they stared at her with half-lidded eyes.
Said girl had no choice but to see what book her leader is talking about. She paled at the sight of her 'Ninjas of Love' book held out in front of her with Ruby's innocent eyes looking over it. Weiss and Yang stood off to the side as they watched things play out.
'She better not destroy her innocence so soon. That's my job when Rubes hits sixteen!' Yang thought. She'd be foolish in thinking Ruby would retain her innocence her entire life. If anyone is going to destroy it, it'll be her big sister. She won't mind Luffy losing his because he really needs it with how long he's lived altogether.
"No! Nononono, you cannot read that right now! Maybe when you're older, but not now." Blake was sweating bullets as she tried to dissuade the girl from reading such a dirty book. Ruby tilted her head with proverbial question marks, curious about her defensive behavior.
When she looked at the cover, she finally noticed the age rating. Okay, definitely not old enough to delve into its contents. Then again, neither is Blake. Despite giving her faunus teammate a skeptical eye, Ruby placed the book off to the side.
'I get to live another day!' Blake mentally cried in joy while letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Even if Weiss may look at her with disappointment, the raven haired girl won't have to worry about her partner's fist having a sleepover in her skull.
"Pervert." Weiss muttered under her breath. To think that this calm and collected person was secretly a pervert.
With a goal in mind, they left their room to prepare for the inevitable fight with robbers. As they passed by Luffy's room, Yang gave the door a glance as she contemplated on something. If it ends up being the White Fang, there's also a chance that CP9 are involved.
From what Luffy told them, they are people to be taken seriously. She'll need to be as serious as well, but the measures to do so are something neither Ruby nor Luffy would like.
"You guys go on ahead! Forgot to grab something!" Yang called out to them. The three looked to each other and shrugged their shoulders before leaving. Once she knows that the coast is clear, the brawler swiftly entered her cousin's dorm and combed through his belongings. She found what she was looking for in the form of an antique box.
Yang opened it to reveal no more than three orbs of deep violet color. They looked to be the same size as the medicinal spheres that amplify Aura's healing factor. This is the culmination of Luffy's research with Chopper's bond over the course of a year. When Luffy tested it, they discovered its extremely potent effect... with an aftereffect that is equally as devastating.
She puts the dangerous drug in her side bag, making a mental note that it is a last resort.
"Sorry Lufes. I'm going to need this for what we're throwing ourselves into." Yang reasoned with a soft mutter. With that out of the way, she leaves to regroup with her team.
"So much for taking a nap." Zoro grumbled. He was so close to taking a nap under the tree's shade, but Luffy had to stop him. Although, the swordsman can let it slide since his captain is geared up for a fight. Soul Solid rests on the boy's back while Black Kabuto and Climatact are on his waist.
Kind of strange when Zoro happens to find their camps without trying to. Now he's actively hunting the White Fang. Whatever Luffy's reasons are, he won't question them. He's not taking part in bringing team RWBY back together, but he's still trying to help out in his own way.
Speaking of the boy, he's climbing onboard the aircraft that will take them to Vale. His eyes were shadowed by his hat, but the swordsman can tell he is serious. While both got on, the aircraft was waiting for its scheduled takeoff.
"So how are you going to find them?" Zoro felt like he should ask, causing Luffy to perk up at the question. He tilted his head and put his brain to use, an action that caused steam to leak out of his ears. A proverbial light bulb lit up as he straightened his head.
"By finding a lot of Dust!" Luffy beamed, earning a facepalm from Zoro for all the holes in his plan.
"You really didn't think this through, you idiot. There's no guarantee that they are the robbers. Even if they were, there are plenty of Dust stores left in Vale." Zoro pointed out the flaws to his captain. They don't have the time and patience to scope out all the shops with just the two of them.
"Then we'll find the store with the most Dust." was Luffy's next argument, but it does nothing to solve their predicament. The first mate could only sigh in exasperation of the boy's stupidity. It's times like this that make him miss the rest of the crew. They would plan their next move while taking Luffy's headstrong attitude into account.
The time for takeoff was nigh. However, multiple footsteps caught their attention before the aircraft took off for Vale. When the two pirates looked at the new arrivals, they were surprised to see team RWBY next to them. The four girls looked just as surprised as they held an awkward staring contest.
"...What are you doing here?" both sides asked in unison.
"Going to Vale." both sides answered each other at the same time. Zoro grew tickmarks on his head as this continued.
"One person at a time, dammit!" Zoro growled out. When RWBY realized that the pirates were wondering what they're up to, most of them scrambled for an excuse. They didn't want the duo to join in on something that they intend to resolve as a team.
"We forgot to shop somewhere." Yang came to their rescue with her cover story.
"Yet you bring your weapons?" Zoro raised a brow in suspicion as he noticed that they're armed.
"We can say the same for you two." Blake shot back with a deadpanned stare. Luffy ignored the two as he pouted at Yang.
"Why didn't you invite us?" he wondered, upset that he was going to be left out. The blonde brawler rolled her eyes at him as she rested an arm on his shoulder.
"For one thing, Blake wasn't with us. Plus, it's not a place we want to bring guys to." she hinted while she nudged him. Gears turned in his head as he pondered on what she meant.
"...Oh. You're going to Brook's paradise." Luffy finally figured out, albeit with a dull look. Yang gave him a cheery nod while the other girls blushed a little. Considering what the skeleton is into, calling it that sounds fitting.
It's by far one of the most boring places he's been in. It's not that being surrounded by lingerie makes him uncomfortable or anything. He just doesn't see much of a point in staying in a store that caters to women.
"Tch, whatever." Zoro grunted, not wanting to hear anymore of it. If they're not going to tell them the real reason, then he might as well not bother with it anymore.
With the two incarnates no longer interested, the girls sighed in relief. However, they doubt that Zoro believes them as much as his captain.
"You haven't told us where you were going." Weiss realized. Luffy, who is still upset about being left out, sulks at her.
"We're going somewhere that girls wouldn't go to." he said with a grumpy expression, much to the ladies' surprise.
Is he really gonna hold a grudge over this. Then again, he was ditched with Blake before this. He doesn't have a problem with her as far as they could tell, but he just likes to enjoy things with the entire group instead of one person. Now they're doing it again, this time to keep him out of their problem.
The two groups went their separate ways upon landing.
"You think it's okay to leave it like that?" Blake wondered as she kept her eyes on her crush, who is still pouting like a child.
"Pfft, as if he'd stay mad over something so small. He'll get over it." Yang waved her hand dismissively.
"In any case, do you know how to find them?" Weiss moved along to the main reason for coming hereby asking her partner. Ruby froze in place and started to sweat bullets at the question. Seeing this made Weiss uneasy.
"You... do have a plan, right?" she asked again. The young leader slowly turned her head to her team, her face caked in sweat.
"I figured you guys would have an idea." she said. Everyone stood stock-still as a tumbleweed bounced across the street.
"You... dolt." Weiss muttered as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Ruby could only chuckle sheepishly at her teammates.
*growl*
The fifteen year old blushed at the noise her stomach is making. As if hunting robbers without a lead wasn't embarrassing enough.
"Lets go grab some grub. Can't fight bad guys on an empty stomach." Yang suggested, to which everyone agreed. They found a fast food joint not too far from them and made their orders before taking their seats. Weiss wasn't interested in the greasy food the place offered, so her meal was pretty light. This just leaves her with more time to muse.
As her team eat their food, the heiress took notice of a lone dog faunus sitting on his own. When another group of customers tried to look for an empty booth, all it took was one look at the faunus to convince them to look for a booth further away from him. Like they can't trust him enough to be close. She would've thought that it was unfair if it hadn't been for the fact that she's done the same thing.
Now that she thought about it, the people that try to get on her good side back home have the same set of eyes. Eyes that don't acknowledge someone's entire identity. They look at her and only see 'Schnee'. They look at the lone faunus before her, and all they acknowledge is 'faunus'. It's that sort of ignorance that lead to her being targeted for assassination when she hasn't done anything to them personally. The same could be said with the faunus not associated with the White Fang.
She recalls how much she hated being stared at with such an ignorant gaze, yet she does it to people who probably hate it as much as she did. Whether by hollow praise or scorn, both sides go through the same struggle. They live with a label that describes someone else rather than themselves.
'What a contradiction I lived.' Weiss concluded her thoughts with bitter humor. She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost didn't notice the hand waving in front of her.
"Hey, Ice Queen! You okay?" Yang asked as her hand kept passing by her vision. The heiress turned to her team to see everyone's eyes on her. There was no longer any food left on the trays, as evident to the wrappers with bits of cheese. How long it's been that way continues to elude her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just lost in thought." Weiss said.
"Well, okay. We all talked about our next move and thought about staking out any Dust stores that haven't been hit yet. What do you think?" Ruby asked, wanting to see how her partner thinks of the idea.
"It's a simple plan, that's for sure. The problem is that there are too many shops left. We're not going to leave things to chance. Besides, news of the robberies most likely reached those stores by now, so they would've tightened their security. If the White Fang are smart enough-" Weiss cupped her chin in thought as she stated the flaws, only to be interrupted by Blake.
"You still think that they did it!?" she growled in disapproval. The two got into each other's faces as they entered a heated argument. From the sister's perspective, it looks like Weiss is trying to be realistic compared to last time. Before now, it was more of a biased opinion.
"Yes, I do. They are an organized group thanks to Cipher Pol and have the manpower to pull off these heists without being caught or exposed by the authorities. Roman may be a master thief, but there's no way that he can muster the numbers to efficiently steal this much Dust without so much as being spotted." Weiss listed off her reasons that support her claim.
Her words left Blake at a loss as to how to rebuke her claim. She's not even mentioning that they're faunus, just what they're capable of.
"If you are so certain that they're not the culprits, then who am I to argue against someone that was once among their numbers. Or have you not bothered to look back on your last moments with them and thought that this is something that they'd aim for as of now?" Weiss' point caused Blake to stiffen.
When she recalled her last moments, her last mission, all she could see was the train heist she took part in with Adam. The main thing they were after was its shipment of Dust, and it was by no means a meager amount based on how much was in a single crate. What are the odds that their demand for Dust grew while she was away.
"You knew the answer from the start, but you keep avoiding it."
Luffy's words rung in her head, this time it was becoming clear to her. He was always able to read her like an open book. The cat faunus stares down at her lap with a sad expression. Seeing this brought a frown to the others as well.
"Blake... you had a feeling it was them, didn't you?" Ruby asked softly, earning a sad nod from the raven haired girl.
"Then why defend them?" Yang took her turn to ask.
"Wouldn't you defend your family if someone was talking bad about them, even if you know it's true?" Blake countered while looking straight into the blonde's lilac eyes. Brief silence was met after the question until Weiss let out a sigh.
"I guess I can't fault you for defending them then. I'd do the same thing if people said things about my father." Weiss admitted. Her father may be driving her family's reputation through the mud, but a little part of her would still defend him because he's family.
The cat faunus gave her an appreciative smile for her understanding. For once, they have something in common. It's a decent starting point to getting along with each other.
"Even if we never had that fight, you guys still would've known that I was a faunus at least. Just thought that you should know." Blake brought up while rubbing her arm. Luffy's support convinced her that things will work out with just her faunus heritage. Too bad it didn't turn out the way she wanted.
"Aww, we love you too, Blakey!" Yang glomped her partner, happy to know that Blake was going to trust them back then. The amber eyed girl groaned at the close contact, internally wishing it was Luffy initiating the hug.
They left the restaurant after realizing how long they stayed. While things may be looking up as Blake and Weiss have some common ground, Ruby is still worried for the cat faunus. It's gonna be hard on her if she has to fight people she saw as family.
"Hey, Blake. If you don't feel up to fighting the White Fang, then I'll understand. I mean, they used to be your-" Ruby was cut off when Blake placed her hands on the leader's shoulders.
"Ruby. Thank you for considering my feelings, but I have to do this. I followed you here knowing that I might fight them. I cannot run from this any longer." Blake reassured her with resolute eyes. Ruby could only smile at her for trying to see this through to the end, feeling a bit of resolve.
'Besides, if they are really doing this, then that's proof enough that they changed for the worse. All the more reason to stop them.' Blake thought to herself.
Yang was happy to see the team coming back together, evident in the grin she has on her face. She looks on ahead to see a crowd gathering. Curiosity getting the better of her, she walks up to the crowd tries to peer over their shoulders to see what is going on. Her team soon followed once they noticed her disappearance.
"What's going on, Yang!?" Ruby yelled over the loud noises. She couldn't see what's happening since she's too short to see anything.
"It looks like a eating contest." Yang answered as she took note of the long row of tables with contestants chowing down as fast as they could. Blake's cat ears perked up at this and joined her partner, searching for someone in particular. Meanwhile, Weiss scoffs in disgust.
"What kind of food is it?" Ruby asked while jumping to catch short glimpse over her sister's shoulder. Eating contests typically choose only one kind of food for the competition. It could be something small like a hotdog, or something large like whole turkeys.
"It looks like steak." Yang answered.
"I don't see what is so appealing about watching others gorge themselves with food until they either pass out or puke." Weiss commented. As if to prove her point, a loud thud was heard as a contestant fell to the floor with a dazed look.
"Oooh, it looks like we have another one out for the count, folks." they heard the announcer comment. The entire thing had Yang giggling.
"I can see Luffy being a part of this." Yang muttered.
"He is." Blake noted as she pointed at the familiar straw hat, making Yang's jaw drop. The two spotted the straw hat boy as he practically inhaled each steak as it was given, leaving stacks of plates in his wake. He did say that he's going somewhere that girls wouldn't be. They weren't the only ones watching as some of the audience also took notice of the glutton.
"How is that kid still standing! He should've been bloated by now!" one of them shouted incredulously. Now Ruby had to see for herself after hearing that. She found a wooden stool and moved it in between her two taller teammates before standing on it. She could only squeal as she saw Luffy competing against everyone.
"Come on, Luffy! You can't lose when it comes to food, especially meat!" Ruby cheered him on, earning sweatdrops from her team for the valid argument. Whether or not he heard her remains to be seen. Blake mentally agreed with her leader as she waved a small flag with the words 'Go Luffy!' in big bold letters, not even questioned as to where she got the flag from.
The heiress rolled her eyes at the three and wondered where Zoro is in all of this. When she didn't see any signs of green hair, she could think of one possibility.
"How typical that he wound up lost." she mumbled in exasperation.
Elsewhere, Zoro walked into a dead end in an alleyway. He clicked his teeth in annoyance as some thugs waltzed up behind him with cocky grins.
"You picked the wrong place to be." one of the thugs commented while pulling a knife out. What he got in response was the swordsman's menacing glare that promised nothing but pain.
"Really? I think I should be telling you that." he said as his thumb flicked the sword out of its sheath a bit. The soon-to-be victims felt a shiver down their spines as he strolled up to the exit they're blocking.
Back at the eating contest, the number of contestants were dwindling fast. The girls didn't see any harm in sticking around until the winner was announced. Even if Luffy spotted them, they could always tell him that the shop didn't have what they want and are about to head back to Beacon. Knowing him, he'll be gullible enough to believe them.
It didn't take too long until the last contender gave up by clapping his hands to signal that he can go no further. It was kind of disappointing to see no one last long enough for time to run out.
"And that is it, ladies and gentlemen! Youth has proven itself a formidable adversary as the young lad takes the crown!" the announcer shouted. The audience only proved to be louder as they cheered, team RBY included.
"As if it was a contest to begin with." Weiss muttered with a sweatdrop. While no one else knew Luffy, she expected it to end like this.
"Ugh... I think I'm stuffed for once." Luffy groaned as he patted his round belly, ignoring the cheers. He only participated because of the food, not for the prizes or the attention. If he was going to fight a terrorist organization, he needed to be full on energy.
Before Luffy could notice their presence, team RWBY left the scene.
"Those poor guys never stood a chance!" Yang commented, earning nods from her team. If they knew that Luffy was competing in a eating contest, they would've bet their money on him to make a quick buck.
"It was a nice distraction, but we're still no where closer to finding any leads as to where they'll strike next." Blake pointed out, causing the others to slump. They forgot that they had a reason for coming here, and now they're running out of time.
"Where who will strike next?" another voice came from behind them. The four nearly jumped out of their skin from being startled by the newcomer. They spun on their heel to see the stowaway from the other day. Seeing the monkey faunus brought some bad memories within the girls. Blake tried to defend this guy from Weiss, which lead to the dispute that eventually revealed Blake's identity.
"None of your business!" the girls yelled in unison.
"Huh? I never heard of a group called 'none of your business'." his joke fell on deaf ears as they brushed him off and continued down the street.
"Come on, guys. Don't be like that. I just want to help you with whatever is bothering you." he quickly caught up to them and pleaded for them to accept his assistance. Sensing sincerity in his words, Ruby had to stop and contemplate whether or not to hear him out. Her team stopped alongside her with raised brows.
The redhead just couldn't stay mean to someone like that. It wasn't like he meant to drive a wedge between Weiss and Blake. Plus, he's been around Vale long enough to hear something about the robberies by now. He sure is nosy enough to eavesdrop.
"If you really want to help, where would you go if you wanted to steal Dust?" Ruby inquired. One brow was raised for a moment before the other followed suit.
"Oh! So you're after those guys!" he figured out. Now that he thought about it, it should've been obvious with the weapons they carry.
"Are you going to contribute or not!?" Weiss grew impatient with his shenanigans.
"Easy, Ice Queen. I heard some guys mention a shipment coming in. We're talking huge shipping containers straight from Atlas." the monkey faunus informed. The girls looked to each other and nodded, feeling that this is the break they're looking for.
"Where?" Blake asked.
"They're gonna bring it to the docks. All gift wrapped for anyone other than their rightful owners." Sun joked.
"Thanks for the help, uhh..." Ruby wanted to give some gratitude, but she can't remember a time that he gave his name.
"Oh, it's Sun. Sun Wukong." he finally gave his name. For added measure, he thrown a wink Blake's way when he said his full name. Yang leans in towards her partner's ear when she sees this.
"You sure have a way with the bad boys." Yang whispered to the cat faunus, earning a small groan from her.
"Shut up." was all she had to say. First there was Adam, who's pretty much a crazy ex-boyfriend at this point. Now she's crushing over a former pirate while a stowaway is trying to flirt with her.
Team RWBY tried to leave Sun in favor of their new destination, but the monkey faunus had other plans as he sped around them and cut the girls off.
"Whoa whoa whoa! You didn't think I was going to sit this one out after telling you guys, did you?" he wondered with crossed arms. He couldn't live with himself if he left them without backup.
"This has nothing to do with you!" Weiss rebuked. While her relationship with Blake is under repairs, she still has misgivings for trusting this guy.
"Really? Because everyone seems to think that it's the White Fang behind the robberies. And whatever they do reflects on other faunus, so it does involve me. Besides, I never really liked those guys and their holier-than-thou attitude." Sun countered. Blake grimaced at this, unable to deny his words. Despite the crimes they committed, they believe that they're the ones delivering justice.
Ruby cocked her head to the side, curious as to how he's so confident about fighting terrorists. Any normal person would think twice before going against them unless they're...
"Are you... a huntsman?" she asked. Sun grinned at the question.
"Yup!" he said before reaching for his back and pulling out what looks to be four rods stuck together. He unfolds it to reveal a red bo staff with gold detailings.
Seeing the transforming weapon proved to them that he is indeed a huntsman in training like them. Ruby had stars in her eyes as she ogled the weapon in his possession.
"Omigosh! Can I hold it!?" in a burst of rose petals, the weapon nut was suddenly in front of him with an expression that reminds them of a puppy wagging its tail in excitement. Sun was caught off guard by her behavior before looking toward her teammates, who made a united gesture to reassure him that she won't try anything funny.
She may not be able to control herself around weapons, but she at least has a moral code when it comes to someone else's weapon.
Ruby took the weapon into both of her hands as soon as he held it out to her. Her eyes scanned the entire staff with interest, seeking to discover its other functions.
"Whoa. It started out as four separate segments, so that could mean that each pair come together. Possibly into nunchuks. The ends are hollow, so I can only guess that they are also guns that shoot in conjunction with your swings like Ember Celica. Lever action would've been your best bet to load each shot. It has some weight to it, which is good since you don't want to damage the gun barrel with every blow. It also makes it sturdy enough to withstand heavy hits." Ruby rambled on about the details of the weapon.
Sun's jaw dropped as this little girl learned the ins and outs of his weapon in less than a minute. As weird as her quirk is, it's still impressive. He was only further stunned when she twirled it around with ease before she held it across her back. Little does he know that she wields a scythe, which is basically a staff with a curved blade at the end. Polearms may as well be her specialty.
"Thanks a lot, Sun! I really needed a pick me up after everything that has happened. Okay team, we're off to the docks!" Ruby chirped, feeling more energetic than she had been in the last couple days. Sun nodded dumbly as he took back his weapon and followed the four girls.
Badass comes in all shapes and sizes, it seems.
While the five are headed for the docks, Luffy took a nap on a bench to sleep off the food he devoured. His belly was no longer bloated while he had a snot bubble fluctuating with his breathing. A few people gave him weird looks as they walked past him.
That is until Penny loomed over his sleeping form. The curious girl stared at him for a bit before she poked his cheek.
"Hm?" she tilted her head in confusion as the inside of his cheek reached the other side of his open mouth. She doesn't recall cheeks stretching that far. The snot bubble popped suddenly, causing Luffy to slowly open his eyes to see Penny poking his cheek.
"Salutations, friend Luffy!" Penny greeted with a smile.
"Hi, Penny! You can just call me Luffy, though." Luffy noted. He sat up on the bench and stretched his arms up with a yawn.
"Yosh! Time to find a Dust store the White Fang would rob from and kick their ass!" Luffy declared as his fist met his palm, not paying any heed to the girl next to him.
"The White Fang? Why would you want to fight such a dangerous group on your own?" Penny asked. No matter how she looks at it, there doesn't seem to be any logic behind it. Things won't end well if he goes through with it.
"Hm? I didn't come here alone. Zoro was with me, but he got lost somewhere. I'm sure he'll find his way back, though. Either way, I'm not letting them get away with hurting Blake." Luffy said with resolve in his eyes.
From where he's standing, the White Fang betrayed her. While she held true to their old ideals, they idly tossed it aside like it was trash. Her ties to them are strong enough for her to speak in their defense in spite of the changes. But all she is doing is hurting herself by pulling the wool over her own eyes.
He also has his own stake in this. As a man that takes conviction very seriously, he'll show them that impossible ideals cannot be disposed of so easily.
Penny gasped at the mention of someone else she met.
"That's awful! How bad are her injuries? Did they hurt her because she's friends with a human?" her questions confused Luffy until he realized her mistake.
"What? They didn't hurt her like that!" Luffy corrected.
"Then how is she hurt?" it was Penny's turn to be confused. He groaned at how clueless she is as he rubbed his temples.
"I mean she's hurt here!" Luffy jerked a thumb to his chest, gesturing to his heart. Things started to click for Penny as she had a look of realization. Of course she wouldn't understand that sort of pain because she never experienced it herself, what with the way she is.
"So you think that defeating the White Fang will heal the wound in her heart?" Penny guessed, but Luffy shook his head.
"No." he admitted. He doesn't consider himself good at mending wounds or fixing things. His actions solve the immediate problem in exchange for new ones in the aftermath. But those new problems never made him regret his actions.
Penny was about to wonder why he's doing it if he knows it's not going to help, Luffy beat her to it.
"I'm not just going to defeat them... I'm going to bring them back to square one!" he proclaimed, earning a raised brow from the girl.
"Square one?"
"Yeah! I'll bring back the White Fang that Blake supported, the one that she'll defend without hurting herself. But to do that, I need to fight them until they give up on violence." Luffy said.
If they're going to change from peace to violence, then he'll have to flip it in reverse by crushing their will to conquer. He'll keep fighting until they had enough, just like how they gave up on peace in the first place.
"Then I'm going to help you. I mean, that's what friends do for each other as far as I know." Penny declared, feeling a bit inspired by him. Who wouldn't after seeing how far he would go for one person. Luffy gives a toothy grin at the thought of her volunteering simply because they're friends.
"Yup!" he agreed with her statement. The two starts to take note of how their surroundings are taking an orange hue due to the sunset. They don't have much time left until the White Fang make their move, or to search for Zoro.
"It's getting late. We should head for the docks." Penny suggested.
"Huh, why?" Luffy asked as he crossed his arms and tilted his head in confusion.
"Dust shops need to be resupplied at some point, and shipments tend to come in by cargo ship. If we're lucky, there should be several stores worth of Dust waiting at the docks right now." Penny explained to Luffy, who just realized where she was getting at.
"Ehh! Then they would steal the Dust before it becomes the stores' Dust!" Luffy figured out the rest. It wouldn't matter which stores he waited for them at, they never would've arrived since they're stealing the Dust before it gets delivered.
After Penny nodded at the statement, the two left for the docks. They had no luck finding the green haired swordsman on the way as the sky grew dark and the shattered moon rose over the horizon.
As the docks came into view, Luffy sensed multiple presences in that direction. When he looked toward the source, he spotted a bullhead ready to land. Penny was more focused on the cargo containers stacked on top of each other.
They weren't the only ones there as team RWBY and Sun had a view of everything from the roof of the warehouse.
"Looks like they're taking the bait." Yang commented. Blake watched with bated breath for the bullhead to land and drop off the ones responsible for the thefts. Meanwhile, Weiss was glaring daggers at the monkey faunus munching on an apple he stole.
"Ruby, could we please do something about him?" she begged her leader to take action against the thief next to them. The red tipped girl sighed in exasperation.
"It's gonna be between apples or Dust, so take your pick." Ruby's tone of annoyance wasn't missed by the heiress. She doesn't have the time to deal with every little complaint, especially when they have a bigger problem in front of them.
The hatch soon opened, revealing henchmen armed with rifles and swords. Blake frowned when she saw the grimm masks along with the familiar insignia on the back of their white vests.
"I guess this proves it then. You gonna be okay?" Yang asked her partner in concern.
"Yeah..." Blake's voice came out soft as she started to accept the reality of the situation. The White Fang that she used to believe has never felt so far away until now.
"What's the hold up, people! We don't have all day!" a voice was heard among the henchmen. Silver eyes widened at the familiar voice as she turned her attention to the source.
"T-Torchwick!?" Ruby astonishment soon reached her teammates. Blake was surprised to hear the name. Just like her leader said, the orange haired villain was seen giving orders to the White Fang grunts.
Standing next to him is a large man with dark skin, a black beard, big lips, and black bull horns on the sides of his head. He wears a two-piece suit with a sweater undershirt. His face shows no emotional expression, which only unnerves her.
Something was wrong with this picture. There was no way that the White Fang would work together, especially with a human like that. And she has not once met a member that wore a black suit like the bull faunus.
'Is he a Cipher Pol agent?' she thought. It was the only way to explain it since she's never heard of the group of assassins until Zoro arrived.
Sun had long finished his apple and spied on the thieves along with the girls. That is until something else crossed the corner of his vision.
"Isn't that the guy that tried to tackle me?" he wondered out loud as he spotted the straw hat kid from the other day. He soon saw the orange haired girl from the same day.
"Isn't that the girl that he tackled instead?" his second question made the girls' wonder what he's babbling on about. Their gaze lowered until their eyes widened at the sight of Luffy and Penny casually approached their target.
"Luffy... and Penny?" Ruby raised a brow in confusion of the latter's presence.
"W-Why is he here?" Blake muttered in shock. Thinking back on it, they never knew why Luffy and Zoro were armed and ready to fight back on the bullhead.
It still didn't make sense to her. What reason would Luffy have for picking a fight with the White Fang? She doubts that he would get lost and wind up in the wrong place at the wrong time. This was too much of a coincidence.
Deciding that standing here wasn't going to give her answers, the former terrorist dropped down from the roof and tailed behind the duo. Her movements were so quiet that her team was unable to get a word of protest out by the time they noticed that she left.
Sun watched on as the cat faunus left to catch up with the boy. It made him a bit jealous to see her concerned for the kid's wellbeing rather than his.
This wasn't missed by Yang as she looked between the two. While she would like Blake to get together with Luffy, she can't sabotage Sun's chances with her. Who Blake falls for in the end is ultimately her choice, even if it means that her ship won't sail.
Either Blake manages to get her feelings through to Luffy, or Sun captures her heart. It all depends on how deep her feelings are for the rubberman.
"Guess we'll have to follow along with her." Ruby said, earning nods from the others before dropping down to ground level. They caught up to the amber eyed girl and saw her peeking around the corner where Luffy went. At least she's trying to remain hidden to keep the element of surprise. Knowing him, he'll confront them head on without any regard to stealth.
Penny took a quick look behind herself as she thought that someone followed them. After seeing nothing, she turned back to the path ahead of her. Luffy's eyes narrowed as the White Fang grunts came into view.
"Oy!" his shout caught their attention. Not a moment later, two arms stretched out and grabbed two of the grunts by their faces and reeled them in towards Luffy. The rest had their guns pointed at him, but couldn't risk hitting their comrades.
They didn't have to worry about that for long as Luffy slammed both heads into the ground, leaving a crater for each of them. Everyone that witnessed it were shocked for varying reasons, his rubber body being the most common.
"What in the world was that!?" Sun demanded an answer from the girls as they didn't seem so surprised, but they ignored his shock.
"So your body is stretchy..." Penny muttered in confirmation as she recalled how she poked his cheek in so far. So it wasn't just his cheek, but his whole body.
She was broken out of her thoughts when Roman spoke up.
"Fancy meeting you here, Straw Hat." Luffy perked up at the voice.
"Girly Man?" he quirked a brow at him, earning snorts from the grunts.
"Why do you keep calling me that!?" he shouted with shark teeth. Penny tilted her head from side to side as she stared at his face.
"You know, he does look very feminine for someone that's male." she commented, causing Roman to growl at the two. Luffy looked to the side and spotted a familiar face, making him raise his guard.
"I figured you'd be here." Luffy stated, keeping his eyes on the bull faunus. The grunts were confused at this, wondering how they know each other. Luffy's reaction solidified Blake's earlier claim about him being a Cipher Pol agent.
"He seems really disciplined compared to everyone else." Weiss whispered to the others, still hiding around the corner with them. The grunts looked too unorganized to be professional, as if they were recently recruited. But that bull faunus had an aura of professionalism, similar to how her sister behaves.
"Aren't we going to help them? They're outnumbered." Sun pointed out as he saw the two get surrounded by the grunts.
"Those guys are not the problem. He is though." Ruby said as her eyes narrowed at the agent. They have to bide their time and wait for an opportunity to ambush him.
Penny looked around to see nothing but enemies on all sides. In the end, her gaze was focused on the one man that earned a reaction from her friend.
"What purpose could you possibly have for being here, Straw Hat?" the bull faunus finally spoke in a deep voice. While he'll admit that Lucci was right on the money, it's not like the boy to just involve himself without having reasons of his own.
The boy didn't say anything, instead he lets out a burst of Conqueror Haki in the middle of the crowd. He paid no heed to the number of White Fang members that collapsed with foam in their mouths. Roman felt a strong pressure try to crush his mind as his arm visibly shook, much to his confusion. He's getting really tired of this kid pulling these tricks out of nowhere.
Penny blinked owlishly at the sight of the cannon fodder as they fell unconscious, while Sun eyes turned into dinner plates in astonishment.
'Who is this guy!' the monkey faunus wondered to himself.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to kick your ass and bring you guys back to square one!" the former Pirate King declared once more, now with more people in earshot. While the bull faunus narrowed his eyes at the threat, Roman laughed at the insane boy. Meanwhile, Blake and the rest of her group were having a hard time understanding what he meant by that.
'His intentions are similar to that of Dragon's.' the bullman thought.
"You're here to pick a fight with these guys? As fancy as that trick is, it's not gonna be enough to take all of them out." Roman tried to burst his bubble.
"So what? I can still use my fists, dumbass. As long as they keep doing these things, Blake can't move forward with her dream." Luffy stated, shocking Roman as he's fighting for one person. Little did he know that Adam was also in hiding as he said that. The red haired man froze at the mention of his darling. He's glad that he took it upon himself to kill the troublemaker because now it has become personal.
"H-Huh?" Blake most definitely heard that with her cat ears, said appendages standing tall. The mere notion of him fighting an entire organization specifically for her brought a bright blush to her face. She doesn't even notice the shocked reactions looking her way. Even Yang's finger failed to get her attention as the blonde kept poking the side of her head with a wry grin.
They were too caught up with what he said to notice him draw Soul Solid and lower himself into a stance, activating the musician bond.
"Lets go, Penny! Gavotte Bond en Avant (Gavotte: Leap Forward)!" he called out before lunging at Roman, his sword poised to strike. The criminal raised his cane to block the attack, thankful that the boy wasn't moving so fast this time.
"I don't think it's wise to call out your attacks, Straw Hat." Roman commented. While Luffy's eye twitched in annoyance, team RWBY paled as they found another fool that poked fun of his habit.
"What's wrong, girls?" Sun asked with a raised brow, curious as to why they look scared.
The agent saw an opportunity as Luffy was preoccupied with his human ally.
"Soru (Shave)"
In disappearing speeds similar to Luffy's Second Gear, the former agent appeared next to Luffy with a finger pointed at his head.
"Shigan (Finger Pistol)"
Before the large man's finger could connect, he saw small beams in the corner of his vision. He blurred out of place again to dodge the beams, leaving him to stare at the shooter.
Penny returned his gaze as several swords hovered around her, some of them folded to look more gun-like.
"S-So cool!" Luffy exclaimed with starry eyes as he saw her weapons.
"Pay attention, idiot!" Roman shouted before trying to move away. Luffy refused to let him get away and used his free hand to grab his cane. If there was one thing he learned about Remnant's fighters, it's that they cling to their weapons like a lifeline. They have no right to complain about their obvious flaw if they're gonna make fun of him calling out attacks.
"I don't have time for you, Girly Man. You're not really important." Luffy's comment caused a vein to pop on Roman's head. The former pirate pulled the cane towards him, making Roman stumble forward. He then imbued Armament into his leg and swung it upward. Hard.
His blackened toes connected to the man's family jewels, causing the man to double over with his eyes rolled back. The girls cringed at the painful blow while Sun turned white as a ghost. Ruby soon realized that they haven't made their move yet and Penny is fighting a Cipher Pol agent on her own. She doesn't know how strong the orange haired girl is, but she can't help but worry.
Speaking of her, Penny was doing well so far as she's keeping the bull faunus at bay. Half of her weapons were in sword form, guarding her in case he got too close. The other half were in gun form as they kept shooting at him from all directions. Unfortunately, none of the shots were hitting their mark as he uses Shave to dodge them.
Despite how annoying this is, the large man kept a calm demeanor as he strategized on his next move. These green beams remind him of the Pacifista's lasers, so he doubts Iron Body would protect him from the energy shots. Which leaves him with the one place where they can't reach him.
"Air Door"
He formed a door within the air itself and opened it to reveal what looks like a pocket dimension. He leapt through the door and closed it behind himself, leaving Penny befuddled with what she witnessed. She has never seen anything like that before.
She scanned her surroundings, but found no sign of the man. It's as if he disappeared from the face of Remnant. She concludes that if it really was a door, then it should still function like one. He entered that weird space through one, so he'll have to form another one to come back. It's only a matter of where.
She pulled the guns to her back when she heard a door open above her. Beams shot out to improvise a thruster and launch her forward to dodge the incoming punch.
The Cipher Pol agent growled as his fist hit nothing but the concrete, leaving a small crater. A yellow blur flew straight at him before he could react. Ember Celica collided with the side of his face, earning a grin from Yang. The blonde brawler launched him away, to which he righted himself and skidded to a halt.
"Now what?" he asked no one in particular as he glared into lilac eyes. Behind the blonde stood Ruby and Sun side by side with their respective weapons dug into the concrete, each of them connected by a black ribbon courtesy of Blake.
"Dude, this slingshot idea is so awesome!" Sun praised the improvised weapon, earning a bashful look from Ruby.
"Focus, you two!" Weiss berated them from further back with Blake next to her. Penny beamed at the four friendly faces.
"Ruby!" she exclaimed in a jovial tone. Luffy perked up when he heard his cousin's name. Roman was sprawled out on the ground beneath him with his feminine face beaten to a pulp. He runs to where Penny shouted from and finds out that she wasn't kidding.
"Huh? What are you guys doing here? And why is Winking Guy here, too?" he tilted his head in confusion of the group. Sun slumps at the weird nickname he was given. Blake, however, walks up to him fuming.
"I should be asking you that! What possessed you into doing this without any of us knowing!?" Blake yelled close to his face. She already heard why he's here, and it is touching for him to go that far for her. But for him to do it without her knowledge and endanger himself scares her. The whole thing is making her feel pathetic. Here Luffy is, fighting what should've been her fight. He's actually trying to do something about the White Fang, while she has yet to make any strides herself.
"Oh! Can I fight the White Fang, then?" Luffy asks with a grin on his face, oblivious to how upset she is.
"It's a little too late for that!" Everyone except Penny shouted with shark teeth. The bull faunus simply stood there as they argued amongst themselves. He looks to the side to see the master thief defeated. He should've known that Roman couldn't handle the Straw Hat captain.
"Looks like you're all on your own, Blueno." another voice pointed out. Everyone turned their attention towards the new voice and found two men side by side.
One of them was Adam, who caused Blake's blood to run cold. She never thought that he would be present. She's not mentally prepared to fight him. not within the short span of time since she left.
Next to him was a tall man that the girls almost mistaken for Usopp. Looking more carefully, they see that his long nose is rectangular in shape. He wears a suit similar to the man named Blueno, with the addition of a black cap that has... giraffe horns sticking out?
This was new to even Sun and Blake, and they're both faunus.
"You can thank Straw Hat for that, Kaku." the bull man named Blueno said, not even bothering to look at his two colleagues. Adam ignored their conversation in favor of Blake, who flinched back when he grinned at her.
"I'm very disappointed in you, my love. Getting help from humans, have you no shame." his tone came out as if he was scolding her. Her friends' eyes widened at how he addressed her, wondering if she had a relationship with this guy. Blake gritted her teeth at her former comrade.
"Look who's talking! You enlisted the help of Torchwick of all people!" she countered with heated words, earning a scoff from Adam.
"He is merely a disposable tool, a useless one at that. We will use whatever tools at our disposal in order to achieve our Dark Justice." his speech earned some glares, not liking the idea of this Dark Justice. Extremist truly is the apt word to describe them, much to Blake's reluctance.
"In any event, it looks like Lucci was right about you. You really are trouble." Adam concluded as he shifted his gaze towards Luffy. The boy quirked a brow at the name.
"So Pigeon Guy is here too?" Luffy questioned, surprising Adam. But when he thought about it, it would make sense that there's a connection between the two if Lucci acknowledges the hindrance without meeting him.
"Your only concern should be me. Blueno, Kaku, leave this one to me." Adam said, focusing on the straw hat kid.
"I guess that leaves us with these children. It's a shame that the Pirate Hunter isn't here, but they'll have to do." Kaku sighed. Nonetheless, he hopes that they would make things interesting.
"It doesn't matter who we have to fight. Anyone that opposes us will be eliminated." Blueno stated.
Team RWBY, Sun, and Penny prepared themselves against the former assassins. It will be rough for Sun and Penny since they don't know anything about the Rokushiki.
As Adam readied himself, Luffy took out Black Kabuto and fitted a fire Dust pellet in it.
"Are you mocking me!?" Adam snarled at the weapon he chose. Luffy gave a mischievous grin before he aimed the slingshot straight into the air.
"Hi no Tori Boshi (Fire Bird Star)"
The pellet was let loose into the air, transforming into a huge phoenix as it ascended into the night sky. Adam couldn't make sense of the attack as it did nothing in particular other than that. Unless...
His eyes widen at the clever idea of using the flaming bird as a signal for whoever sees it.
"If you think help will come before your death, your sorely mistaken." Adam rebuked. Luffy puts away the slingshot before taking Soul Solid out and imbuing the blade with Armament, all while having a confident grin that ticks the redhead off.
"I won't be taken down so easily." was all Luffy said before entering Second Gear and charging at Adam with his enhanced speed. Being trained by Cipher Pol had its benefits, however, as Adam easily blocked the strike.
As the battle just commenced, Zoro was trying to find Luffy until he caught sight of the Fire Bird Star in the sky.
"Heh, so you started without me. You better take your time, Luffy" Zoro smirked. There better be someone left to fight when he gets there, otherwise his captain is going to get an earful for hogging it all.
Meanwhile, a robed man with a monkey tail stood on the rooftops and stared in the direction of the docks. His eyes may be shadowed by his hood, but there was no mistaking the small smile that graced his face.
He has a feeling he might actually get to see Luffy for once in his life.
End of Chapter
I'm sorry, but I'm going to stop here. Even after all the waiting you guys put up with, there's still hardly any fighting. So yeah, I pitted Luffy against Adam while the others handle CP9. Zoro will enter the fray soon enough, along with you know who.
Next chapter will definitely be action-packed, so bear with me.
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