Told you guys this chapter would come faster, but ended up missing the mark again. After about a month and a half of lazing around and really not doing much except... well, video games, I'm getting off my butt and now I'm typing this! The second book in the One Piece Full Blast series is so close to being over I can taste it.
Damon: That's not near-completion you're tasting; that's Skittles.
Eh. Same difference. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the following chapter! Without further ado...
Chapter 54 start!
Speeches and Strange Ammunition
What's He Doing on the Going Merry!?
Previously on One Piece Full Blast:
Bon Clay cried tears of... I don't even know what anymore. "Yes, that's true~! I can't get away, and your ship would've been stolen~! Alone, we cannot escape alive~! Let's join forces and fight together as one - - as friends!"
"AYE!" screamed Lucy, Usopp, and Chopper.
Nami rubbed her temple with her fingers. "Those morons..."
"YEEAAAAAAHHHH!" another joyous cry rose out, and out of nowhere, Bon Clay's ship appeared. I assumed it and its crew had been hidden behind a tall crop of rocks which it was now moored by. "THANK YOU FOR HELPING US OUT!" Mr. 2's subordinates called to us.
Zoro's jaw dropped in total surprise. "HOW LONG HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN THERE!?"
I cried anime tears. "Something tells me that this day is gonna be the most annoying one I've had in a long time..."
"FIRE! FIRE, FIRE, FIRE!"
Cannon blasts boomed across the bay, smoke curling into the air. Everyone winced and scrambled to do something that would protect our ship. Usopp readied himself at our own single cannon. Lucy and the rest of the Monster Trio, as well as myself, were all positioned at the port side of the Merry. At a moment's notice we could send the enemy's cannonfire right back at them...
The keyword here being could.
See, the enemy - - obviously the Marines at this point - - was not using the average metal balls as ammunition. If that would've been their weaponry, then we could have easily fought back and defended; however, instead of balls, the Marines were shooting metal spikes at us. These were as long as several men and about three-feet wide, with points honed to bone-piercing perfection. Not exactly the easiest thing to return.
Released from their cannons, four gigantic spikes shot through the air on a direct course with our little caravel. Apparently this squadron of Marines had actually been trained to have good aim.
"Dammit!" Lucy shouted, stamping on the ground in frustration. "SHOOT YOUR CANNONBALLS AT US! I CAN BOUNCE THEM BACK!"
"And I'd be able to kick those," Sanji grumbled.
I huffed, grumbling like a little kid denied his cookies. I'd even bit my lip and puffed my cheeks out exasperatedly, making the comparison even more reasonable. "Can't punch spikes either. Stupid Marines and their stupid tricks."
One after another, with a sickening crack to follow each, the metal spikes lodged themselves in the sides of the Going Merry. She groaned and shook with the impact. We gripped her railing tightly so we wouldn't lose our footing, ulike Usopp, who unfortunately was sent tumbling across the deck. When he sat up again his eyes were dizzy as someone who'd been riding the Zero Gravity ride at a local fair.
"Goodness! Stop jooooooking around~!" cried Bon Clay from the back of the Merry.
I glared at him. "Oh, just shut up already! I can't stand your dumb voice!"
"So cold. As fellow okama, don't you think we should both be friends~?"
"I TOLD YOU, I'M NO OKAMA! I WAS CURSED TO TURN INTO A GIRL, DAMMIT!"
Several hours had passed since we disembarked from the Sandora River. The sun was now creeping up the sky, hovering at approximately the ten o'clock position. Noon would arrive soon, and with it Vivi's most life-changing decision.
I, of course, already knew what her choice would be... and that knowledge somehow made the thought of saying farewell to Alabasta even harder than it was already. Even so, a small portion of me worried (or perhaps hoped) that my presence would somehow change the story enough to get Vivi to sail with us.
It was a selfish thought; I knew that. But... in the past month or so, I'd really begun to feel like Vivi was one of us. She fit right in with all of us and our crazy antics. She wasn't just an anime character anymore - - she was my friend, my nakama. Vivi may not have been as important to me as Lucy, but leaving her was still going to carve a hole in my chest for a long time. From the anxious expressions my fellow Straw Hats were wearing, I could tell they would feel the same way.
Lucy giggled. "Why are you so angry about it, Damon? Diamond-chan was really cute!"
"Sh-shut up!" I hissed, blushing. "How am I supposed to be mad when... you go and say... something like that..."
"Tsundere," said Nami bluntly.
Zoro nodded, his face as expressionless as stone. "Total tsundere."
"Can it, sea witch. AND HOW DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT A TSUNDERE IS, MARIMO!?"
"What's a tsundere?" asked Lucy. She tilted her head and I could almost see the question marks floating above her.
"Never mind," I grumbled. "It's not important right now."
"Oh, those two totally ship Ducy," whispered Chiwohiku in my mind. I nearly jumped out of my skin.
"Whoa!" I mentally cried. "Don't do that to me! ...Wait, what the hell's 'Ducy?'"
The sword-spirit giggled. It was strange to hear my mother's voice in such a happy, girlish, teasing tone. "Obviously the name for the Damon x Lucy ship. You're so cute together, you just had to have a pairing name! Nami and Zoro are definitely in full support of you guys, too, by the way. They're hardcore. They've both tried pushing you to become a couple. Remember? Nami even told Lucy outright that you liked her but were too embarrassed to say so."
I blinked. I'd nearly forgotten that detail. Kissing Lucy had kind of distracted me from most of what she'd said before that. Kind of. Just a little.
Alright, a lot.
"Oooookaaaaaay," I said slowly. "So my kami no kosoru is a fangirl. Perfect. But why 'Ducy?' That sorta sounds like you're taking a dump."
Dagger snickered. "Well, you ARE pretty shitty, so it makes complete sense!"
Another round of cannon fire distracted me from my thought-conversation. Several more spears lodged themselves in the Merry's side, and I ground my teeth. "Those bastards!" I said out loud. "Just use normal ammo already! GODS!"
Chopper came bursting up from below deck in a panic. "I can't keep up with this!" he moaned through tears. "The Merry keeps getting two more holes for every one I board up! At this rate she's... she's... she's gonna start taking on water!"
Nami started, her back straightening. "Oi! Do something, you guys!" she shouted at us.
Zoro placed a hand on one sword hilt, saying, "Damn! We can only protect one side at a time!"
It was true. We didn't have enough manpower to cover the whole ship, and unluckily for us, these Marines were smart. They'd sent a pair of warships out in a tight square around us, each strategically stationed at a cardinal direction. Any way we turned, we saw the enemy.
Sanji glanced at me. "Oi, Spaz, just blast them out of the water with your powers!"
"It wouldn't make a difference," I said.
"Why not?"
I pointed to the north. "Look - - reinforcements are on their way and nearly here." Sure enough, a whole fleet of ships was not even ten minutes from our current location. From the blue markings on their sails, their almost regal sailing, and the given situation, it wasn't hard to tell they were also Marines.
"Damn." The blonde spat a cigarette from between his lips and crushed it beneath his foot.
"This is troublesome," growled Zoro. "Even though we're stronger than them in hand-to-hand combat, when it's like this...! Even if we rush them or retreat, they'll never break their formation!"
Tensions were high. We hadn't had a sea battle like this, where we were on the brink of losing, in a long time. Perhaps not ever. Nerves were on edge and no one could see a good way out of this situation. I restlessly drummed my fingers on the Merry's railing. We had to break out of this soon, or else we would miss our appointment with Vivi! And I wanted to be sure to see her one last time before we left Alabasta for good.
"Come on, come on," I muttered, shifting my weight.
Two important-looking men stepped out to just behind the figureheads of the two ships directly in front of us. They each had completely discarded their standard Marine uniforms save the hat. One man was tall and thin, had scraggly gray hair, and wore a leopard-patterned purple and yellow shirt as well as over-the-top heart goggles. The other was smaller but beefier, was chortling crazily, and had a pair of brass knuckles on. His pale orange pants clashed with his deep navy T-shirt. Tufts of pink hair poked out from under his Marine hat.
"The Black Cage Corps: Black Spear Squadron!" announced Leopard Shirt. He had his arms folded across his chest like he was cooler than us.
"BWAHAHAHAHAA!" laughed Knuckles. "YOU PIPSQUEAKS WON'T BEAT US! DORKS! BWAHA!"
I tilted my head. "Does the guy with the brass knuckles... look kind of familiar to you guys?"
"Oi, Hypnotist!" Lucy frowned and leaned over the railing a little. She seemed to be speaking to the man on the right ship. "I thought you were a kaizoku!"
The reply was short and sharp. "Urusai! I have my own reasons for this!"
I blinked. "Hypnotist?" Suddenly memories returned, and I face-faulted. "Wait, if you're that one hypnotist guy from Kuro's old crew, Jango, then Knuckles is... the pink-haired bastard from the Baratie!? Iron Fist Fullbody!?"
"Aha!" Sanji said, hitting his palm with his fist. "I thought I recognized him from somewhere! What's up, Fullbody? Washed the smell of wine out of your hair yet?"
"GRRR! YOU MAKE ME SO MAD, DAMN WAITER! DON'T THING YOU CAN TALK DOWN TO ME STILL! I'VE TRAINED! I'VE GOTTEN A BIG ENOUGH POWER-UP THAT I CAN KICK EVEN YOUR - -"
Whatever Fullbody thought he could kick, he never got the chance to say it. Suddenly another burst of cannon fire rang out, and us Straw Hats flinched. But it wasn't from the Marines. This was obvious a few seconds later when Jango's ship suddenly keeled over into its sister. Both warships crumpled to Davy Jones' locker in a mess of splinters and screaming Marines.
Everyone looked at Usopp in surprise. The long-nosed sniper appeared just as shocked as we were; his mouth hung open like he was trying to catch a fly. Our cannon beside him was still filtering out smoke.
"Usopp!" gasped Lucy in awe. "That was you? Sugoi!"
It took the curly-haired liar a second to recover. When he did, he grinned smugly and struck a sagely pose. "YOSH! Just as I calculated! That's what I can do when you rely on me!"
Bon Clay was equally impressed. "Nose-chan, amazing! Good gooooooing~!"
"Didn't I tell you not to talk?" I hissed dangerously, and the former Mr. 2 wisely shut up. I turned to Usopp. He backed away a little, but when he saw my brewing rage had been quenched, he relaxed. "Still, though, Usopp... that really was an amazing shot. Why don't you participate in our sea battles more often? You're one hell of a marksman."
"R-really?" Usopp appeared taken aback by this praise. "Thank... you..."
The swan figurehead of Bon Clay's own vessel pulled up in line with ours, and one of his men called out to us hurriedly. "BON CLAY-SAMA!" the grunt shouted.
Said okama whirled around. "What is it!?"
"IT'S THE BLACK CAGE!"
"EH!?"
"What's that?" asked Lucy naively while the cross-dresser shook in his ballet shoes. I remembered the name from the old One Piece episodes, but due to the fact that Black Cage Hina hadn't had much action, I wasn't exactly freaked out about her epithet. Mr. 2 certainly was, though.
"B-Black Cage Hina!" he said quickly, as though the name itself was bad luck. "She's the Marine Headquarters Captain who patrols this area of the Grand Line! This is not good at all! We've gotta get out of here super quick!"
"Aye, Bon Clay-sama!" saluted his men from the other ship.
A sort of ceasefire was held on both the Marines and our sides as we discussed what to do. The waves lapped gently against Going Merry's hull, and the sun beat down hotly overhead. Many of the other Straw Hats were beginning to sweat, but as usual I wasn't feeling the heat. Maybe that helped me keep calmer than some of the others, who were beginning to get quite tense indeed.
"What the hell are you guys doing!?" gasped Bon Clay, realizing we hadn't made a single effort to run away. "We've got to get moving! If we leave now, we can still escape to the south, where Nose-chan broke the enemy's formation! If we stay like this, we'll be done in for sure!"
Lucy frowned. Her words were simple but concise, and left no room for misunderstanding. "If you want to go, go. But we can't."
"What... do you mean you can't!? Please hurry!"
"COME ON, BON CLAY-SAMA!" cried our guest's subordinates. "LET'S JUST ESCAPE ON OUR OWN!"
"I want to hear their answer first!" he replied.
Nami looked away to the coast of Alabasta sadly. "We made a promise to be at the eastern harbor at noon. There's no time to sail back. We must press forward."
"R-Really!? That's... the silly-silliest thing I've ever heard! What kind of treasure could possibly be there that's worth more than your lives? Go ahead and die then!"
But Lucy just grinned up at him and placed a hand on her hat, unshakable confidence brimming out from her. "We're going to see a friend," she told him.
I smirked.
The sentence's effect was immediate. The ex-Baroque Works agent reeled back as though struck by lightning, and he clapped a hand over his mouth. "To see... a friend?" he gasped. Nothing more he said for several more moments. As this information was processed, tears welled up in the swan-lover's eyes. At last Bon Clay turned slowly around to face his men in the ship beside ours.
"Minna..." he began slowly. He sucked in a deep breath, then threw his arms back theatrically. "If we left these people behind after hearing something like that... WOULD BREAKFAST TASTE GOOD TOMORROW!?"
His men gaped at him, tears of awe and pride pouring out of their eyes. They all moaned, "B-Bon... Clay... sama... IT WOULD TASTE AWFUL!"
"WOULD THE GENTLE WAVES FEEL PLEASANT!?"
"NO - - THEY WOULD MAKE US THROW UP!"
"Then what we must do is obvious! We must... help the Straw Hat Pirates reach their friend at any cost!"
"OF... OF... OF COURSE, BON CLAY-SAMA! RIGHT AWA-HA-HA-HAY!" The crew's strange pronunciation of their last word was mostly due to the fact that their waterworks had finally broken completely. They were crying from Bon Clay's apparent "awesomeness" so badly that their cheeks were being flooded with tears. It was quite the unnerving sight, especially since many of them were wearing makeup. (Damn confusing okamas.)
"Ah, man," said another voice, this time one that sounded like it was on the Merry. It was a voice I'd definitely heard before, but it wasn't any of the other Straw Hats'. It wasn't Dagger's voice either; it wasn't coming from inside my head, and besides it didn't sound anything like him. All of a sudden I thought I knew who it belonged to and my gut clenched tightly. The voice continued speaking. "Those guys sure are bawling their heads out. Such a shame, seeing grown men cry."
"Yeah, I mean I like them, but this is ridiculo - -" Usopp, who had been agreeing with the voice, suddenly stopped. "Wait, who just said that?"
I gritted my teeth, my eye twitching as I remembered what Malik Megiddo had said as he left me.
"Ah, yes... that," the god chuckled good-naturedly. "It may interest you to know that when you get back to your ship, you will find a... shall we say, messenger you've already met? I hope you don't mind, but he'll be joining you on your travels. Let him know whenever you feel ready to give your answer and he'll relay it to me. If you have not decided by the third week, I'll just come so you can tell me yourself."
A messenger I've already met?
"Damn you, Malik," I muttered. "You just love to complicate things, don't you?"
"Malik?" said Zoro. "Who's that? And who spoke just a second ago?"
"To answer your question, Roronoa-san," said the voice smoothly, and we all heard footsteps behind us. All the Straw Hats turned, pulling out their various weapons. I turned, too, but kept Chiwohiku sheathed. "Malik Megiddo is the god of light. And as for the speaker... well, that would be me, of course."
Everyone's eyes widened. Standing around the center of the deck and leaning against the main mast was a tall ginger, with bright eyes and a blinding white grin. His face was spotted with so many freckles, it looked like a motorcycle had raced by him and splashed his cheeks with mud. His hands were large and callused, his fingers meaty and his arms sporting nicely-sized muscles.
"Oh come on!" I complained. "You're the messenger!?"
The ginger shrugged. "Well who else do you know that is aware of the universe's current predicament, and isn't a god, demon, normal human, a part of your soul, or dead? I mean come on, it was obviously me."
"Well, when you put it like that..."
Lucy's head swiveled back and forth between us like she was watching a tennis match. Finally, growling in annoyance, she snapped, "So who are you anyway, and why are you on my ship!?"
"Like Damon-san here, I am a demigod. My name is Ryan Spencer. Finally, I wish to join your pirate crew for the time being."
There was a pause while everybody let that sink in.
Then, unanimously and with many a face-fault, the crew roared: "EEEEEEEEEEEEHHHH!?"
Really, though, Damon. It was pretty obvious.
Damon: Um... well... I mean... well, come on! Why him? The last time I saw him, he was fighting me and calling me a traitor!
Ryan: Sorry about that. Please forgive me?
Damon: SORRY DOESN'T CUT IT, PUNK.
Ryan: ...I liked you better as a girl.
Damon: First Malik, now you... WHY DO ALL YOU PEOPLE KEEP SAYING THAT!?
As always, if you liked this most recent chapter of One Piece Full Blast, go ahead and follow/favorite this story. Ya'll don't have to of course. I just super appreciate the gesture, ya know? :D What I do really love, though, are reviews! Type away! I love to hear you guys' thoughts on my story. It always makes me super happy. Other than that, make sure to keep in tune for the next chapter, which will probably be the last or second-to-last. After that will be my completely original arc, which will have its own separate book!
See ya'll next chappie! :)
-TheRealEvanSG
