Hello, everyone~! It's been a long time, huh? I got so caught up dealing with this, that and the other that before I knew it time had gotten away from me completely! But I'm back now, and I'm going to try to update as regularly as I can! So, without further ado, please enjoy!
"I just wanted to talk," Run announces, stepping over the fallen body of a samurai. "It didn't have to be this way." He slowly stalks forward towards the group of men gathered before him. Almost immediately upon entering the town he'd been set upon by the samurai.
"There's no record of this guy leaving the town," says one of the men, flipping through a book quickly. "Just who the hell are you?!" A pair of men quickly charge forward, not waiting for the red head's response. The quicker of the two breaks out ahead, raising his sword with the intention of cutting the red head in half down the middle. Run lunges forward instantly, a spray of blood following in his wake as the man staggers several steps forward before finally collapsing. The red head takes a single step forward, and seems to disappear before their very eyes, reappearing behind the second man who collapses face down in a spray of blood. Run pauses to look at the dozen or so men lying motionless on the street behind him and sighs heavily.
"This is...getting a bit out of hand."
"Would someone kill him please?!" Numerous men rush forward quickly, weapons held at the ready. It seems that they plan to over-whelm him with sheer numbers. Once again in the blink of an eye he cuts down numerous men rushing in his direction, one after another, until at last one he and a trio of men several meters away are left standing. "N-No! Stay away! Do you have any idea what will happen to you if you go any further than this?! The Shogun won't sit-"
"Who's gonna tell him?" Run questions him, motioning to the deserted street and dead samurai. The civilians had cleared out the moment the fighting started, leaving them to kill one another without a second thought. "Seems to me that my problem is solved if I take care of the three of you." The red head covers the distance between them before they can react, appearing in front of the trio and delivering a sound beating to the three men. They're left kneeling in front of the red head. "Where's your boss? I'll only ask once."
"Down the street! The big tower! Holdem is-!" In a swift motion, Run knocks the three men out, stepping over their unconscious bodies with ease.
"Thank you very much. Shave." Run disappears, reappearing several dozen meters down the street before disappearing again. Before going off to train with Shanks for those two years, using Shave just to get around...Run wouldn't have even considered it. The toll it took on his legs was a heavy one but now with training it doesn't bother him in the slightest. He rapidly approaches, eventually coming to a stop several meters away from the building. "Alright, Holdem...time to-" His hand has barely grasped the tsuka of his katana before something...no, someone drops out of the sky, and strikes the building hard enough that it's nearly demolished. "Aww, fer- gimme a break!"
The dust slowly begins to settle as Run approaches, looking in the direction the man has flew from. A string of demolished builds cut a line through the town, leading right to Holdem's doorstep...there's no way that this wasn't Luffy's doing.
"Wh...What was that?" mutters a familiar voice, immediately attracting his attention. Rolling out of the demolished house quickly is none other than Otama! While she seems to have a few scrapes and some bruises from the collapsing house, other than that she looks unharmed.
"Otama!" The little girl jumps at the sound of her name, quickly looking in Run's direction before slowly smiling from ear to ear. Tears begin to shimmer in her eyes as she rushes in his direction and he reaches down to pat her on the head.
"Big brother!" cries Otama, holding tight to a leg. "I knew you would come save me!"
"Come on. Let's go." In the distance, they can hear the familiar voice of Luffy demanding someone called 'Ball-de-Boo' come out right away...and Run can only assume his Captain is butchering 'Holdem'...at least he hopes that what it is. The two turn away from the collapsed building, walking in the direction of Luffy's screaming. "Loud enough to wake the dead, as always." Hearing soft shifting from behind the red head, grasps the tsuka of his katana and turns sharply. There's a brief flash of sunlight off the blade as Run cuts down a pair of men with ease. The remains of the house shift violently before a large shirtless man breaks free, scattering the rubble in all directions.
"What damn fool threw someone at my home?!" demands the man, accompanied by the growling of a...lion? Run's eyes drift to the man's waist, where a lion head stares back at him, flexing it's own little arms as if striking some sort of pose. Otama moves slowly, stepping behind the red head while raising a hand towards one bruised cheek. "You! Are you the one responsible?!" Run's eyes narrow slightly as he looks at her and then back at the man who still clutched a pair of tongs in his hand, a scowl beginning to appear. "Well?! Answer me, you-"
"Otama...you can hear Luffy, right?" Receiving a nod in response Run smiles down at her softly. "Good. So, why don't you go on ahead. I'll meet you and Luffy back in Okobore after I'm finished here, alright?"
"Big brother-"
"I'll be right behind you." After a few moments of consideration, Otama nods and quickly sprints off in the direction of Luffy's screaming. Run glances over his shoulder, watching her slowly disappear into the distance. "Now, that it's just and me, you slimey little fu-"
"Lion Fire!" As Run turns to look back at the giant of a man, he finds himself staring down a gout of flames sprayed out of the mouth of the lion that quickly engulfs him entirely. When the spray of flames ends, it leaves a small sea of fire in front of Holdem with the red head nowhere to be seen. "Gahahaha! You arrogant bastard! Did you think that you could just turn your back on me and-"
"And what?" Run calmly steps out of the fire, flames crackling wildly from his body for several seconds before being summarily extinguished. The red head disappears and it feels as though Holdem has been struck in the chin by an iron mallet. His head snaps back and he follows the motion head first into the ground, his mind going blank on contact and his vision immediately darkening as a small crater is punched into the ground and the man bounces across the ground, smashing into remains of his demolished home. Run raises a hand, flames roaring to life as a scowl spreads across his face. "Fireball."
With a snap of his fingers, the small glowing marble sails into the demolished house before detonating. Flaming rubble scatters in all directions, leaving the red head standing in front of the remains of the Holdem's home with no sign of the man in question.
"Problem solved." The red head turns away from the remains of the house with a huff and seems to disappear entirely. He reappears several dozen meters away, and once again disappears, reappearing in the middle of the street. Luffy's screaming seems to have come to a stop, so the odds are good that Otama has already met up with his Captain. Since that's the case, it's time to be moving back to Okobore. "Shave." Disappearing against, and reappearing again and again, Run makes his way back to the entrance of Bakura Town.
The red head arrives quickly at the entrance of the town, seemingly appearing in the middle of the street. His body tenses, preparing for Shave once again, but he stops abruptly upon heading the thundering of hoof-beats, charging in his direction. Through a cloud of dust, Run watches as a familiar figure rides in his direction from Okobore.
"There's one of them!" bellows a voice from the crowd of riders. "It's Straw Hat's First Mate!" The red head actually smirks as his eyes fall on the familiar figure of none other than Hawkins. They'd given him and his men the slip on the way to Okobore purely out of necessity but now...now they can settle things properly. The group of men rapidly approaches, eventually slowing to a stop several meters away from Run.
"Red hair," Hawkins begins. "You-" Hawkins's eyes widen slightly when the red head seems to disappear only to reappear beside him. Light briefly flashes off the edge of his katana as Run cuts the man from hip to shoulder with a single stroke, landing several feet behind him. "Pointless." One of the men in the crowd drops off the back of his mount, a spray of blood and a sharp yelp accompanying him. "Your attacks cannot reach me." Run glances back at the man, brow furrowing as Hawkins raises his sword. "Straw Sword."
Straw swarms up the blade from the hilt of the weapon, twisting and writhing before Hawkins thrusts the weapon in his direction. Both men, however, are caught off guard by the presence of a rock suddenly thrown between the two of them. "What the-"
"Shambles!" The rock suddenly disappears, replaced by a man in the dark kimono and wielding a large katana. With a single strike, he cuts Hawkins from hip the shoulder once again, passing between the two of them and landing several feet from Run. Once again, the damage is transferred away from Hawkins, one of his men dropping off the back of his mount. Run is tense for a moment before a smirk appears on his face. Although Run cannot see his face because of his straw mask, only one man he's ever met has those tattoos and uses these kinds of techniques.
"Who are you?" Hawkins demands, staring at the man. "Wait. Those tattoos...the chances are high..." Once again he raises his sword, the straw writhing and twisting. "Straw Sword!" Once again the weapon lunges in their direction, and while the man attempts to deflect the attack, the straw changes direction mid-air and lunges towards his face. "Take that mask off, Trafalgar Law!" With a single move, Law finds himself unmasked...but rather than appearing upset or caught off guard...Law is actually smirking. Hawkins is confused for the briefest of moments before his eyes widen, and his head snaps in the red head's direction. Rather than finding him standing several feet away he finds himself face to face with the man.
He twists his sword around quickly, but not quick enough to avoid Run's strike. The red head lands on the opposite side of Hawkins and his mount. Once again, however, one of Hawkins men takes the blow meant for him and Run clicks his tongue.
"You can't have many more dolls left, Hawkins," Run tells him.
"Stop talking!" demands one of the men around them, as they all quickly dismount. "We're gonna shut you two up once and for all! Get 'em!"
"Get back!" shouts Hawkins, his command falling on deaf ears. The men charge forward...and Hawkins watches in surprise as they begin to collapse face first, one after another, like puppets with their strings cut. The buildings surrounding them groan as if under an invisible weight, several loud cracking sounds accompanying the weight for several moments before disappearing as if it were never there to begin with.
"Got no time for small fry," says Run simply. Hawkins slowly glances around at the buildings before his eyes finally find the red head once again.
"I see now. With your Haki, and your Devil Fruit, it's no wonder that you had the confidence to confront me so openly...and you, Law. It's been quite some time since that fateful day on Sabaody. I assume that you aren't here for a vacation, given that you allies are here. I imagine that is why you wished to eliminate me, you erase anyone who might recognize the lot of you. That-" He pauses when a transponder snail on his person begins to ring, and reaches into the folds of his shirt to retrieve it. "Hello."
"Boss!" shouts a voice on the other end. "Holdem was taken down by some thieves! They're on the run now and we're giving chase! Jack's been notified!" Law grits his teeth in frustration while Run raises his free hand, scratching at the stubble on his jaw slowly. Looks like he screwed up the plan.
"As you've heard, it seems it was all for naught. Of course, not that Jack has been notified, it won't be long before Kaido is made aware of what you and the Straw Hat's are doing." Hearing thundering foot-steps behind them, both Law and Run glance over their shoulders to find Komachiyo charging in their direction, and dragging a massive wagon laden with foods of all kinds.
"Oi!" demands a familiar voice. From the front of his wagon, Zoro motions for them to move. "Clear the path!"
"Excuse us!" Okiku adds. "We're in a hurry! Please allow us to pass!"
"Well, there's my ride," Run says, smirking and shoving the katana back into it's saya. "Later, Hawkins." Without waiting for the man to respond, Run leaps skyward just as Komachiyo charges down the street. He lands on the deck of this strange wagon with a grunt, and to his surprise finds not just Zoro but Otama as well. "Zoro, good-"
"Roronoa-ya!" demands Law, suddenly storming in his direction. "What the hell have you been doing?! You promised that you wouldn't cause trouble! But you're a wanted man now?! You're not even supposed to be in Kuri! You're supposed to be in the Flower Capital!"
"I didn't have a choice," Zoro tells him bluntly. "I bumped into Luffy and Red here."
"You need to relax, Law," Run says, approaching. "Plans change. Be flexable."
"You...!" Law rounds on the red head, his words dying off as he stares past him. Run follows his line of sight to a...centaur? "What is an enemy head-liner doing here?"
"Apparently Luffy won her over while helping the brat out."
"Oi! Girl! Where's Straw Hat-ya?" Otama turns to face them, too busy feeding the centaur woman carrots to notice them sooner. Her face lights up when she spots the red head and quickly dashes in his direction to hug tightly to his leg.
"Big bro!" cries Otama, receiving a pat on her head from Run. "Big bro Luffy said that he would be back soon! It seems that he forgot something."
"Zorojuro!" calls Okiku. "We're leaving the town!" They charge down the street towards Okobore, and through the gates into the town proper. They quickly dismount the strange wagon to a cheering crowd of people gathered. The people of Okobore are beside themselves with joy, quickly removing what they need to survive from the massive wagon.
"Whoa-whoa-whoa!" bellows a voice from behind, attracting their attention to a trio of men rushing out of Bakura. "Those aren't left-overs, yet! Stay away from the treasure ship! You lowly fools...can't..." The man's words trail off as a shadow falls over him, attracting their attention skyward along with the rest of the people gathered.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!" laughs Luffy, dropping out of the sky with a massive basin held over his head. Before the trio of men can react, he slams it down on their position and lands on the edge of it along with a spray of water. "It's water! It's non-poisonous, so help yourselves! I'm Luffytaro! Tell them that in case anyone asks!" Luffy jumps down from the edge of the massive basin to the cheers of the people of Okobore.
"Big bro!" cries Otama, jumping up and down to get Luffy's attention.
"Oh! Tama! Did you eat something delicious yet?"
"Not yet! I was waiting for you!"
"Alright! Then lets- eeh?! Tra-guy! It's been a while!"
"Straw Hat-ya," begins Law. "What you're doing is a rebellion against the Land of Wano."
"Haaah, way to piss on the moment, Law," Run tells him. "Always with the negativity."
"Rebellion? No!" Luffy laughs, pulling out an apple and handing it to Otama. "I'm just paying Tama back for feeding me. This is just the start of it! I promise that before we leave this place, you'll be able to eat meat every single day." They watch as the rest of the food is slowly passed out to the people of Okobore, and when everything has been passed out, the people begin scavenging the treasure ship. They disassemble it slowly for all the usable lumber they can over several hours.
"Why do you always do such reckless things?" Zoro asks their Captain. "Now, they're really gonna come after us."
"I get it. We can't cause any trouble! Alright, guys?!"
"You're the troublemaker!" screams Law. "Either way, we can't stay here for too long. We need to move on...let's go." Law takes several steps away from the group and points towards the mountain in the distance. "We'll go to the ruins of Oden Castle at the top of the mountain. From there, we can plan our next move." So, with their destination set, they say their goodbyes to Otama, making sure to see her sent off safely with 'Horselina' back to her village. The people of Okobore are next, expressing their gratitude and seeing them off with loud cheering as they mount up on Komachiyo and quickly set off...
The mountain forest whips by them rapidly, as Komachiyo carries them as quickly as his legs can. It's nice not to have to do all the running themselves but it doesn't really leave them much room for caution or stealth...not that it matters at this point in time. "I don't mean to be rude," begins Run. "But why is she coming with us?"
"I-I'm sorry!" Okiku says quickly. "I've always wanted to visit Oden Castle! I can go home after we get there, so I won't give you any trouble!"
"Aah, don't worry about it, Run!" Luffy says, slapping him on the back with a grin. "Kiku is a good person and she's strong, so it's gonna be fine!"
"Nope," Zoro says aloud, causing the red head to glance over his shoulder. "She's hiding something."
"By the way, Tra-guy, why are we going to the castle?"
"It's not a castle anymore, it's nothing but ruins these days. After we seperated from you guys, we made a plan and we were taking action accordingly. You'll see when we get there. Firstly, we'll go and meet the ghosts of Wano Country. There you'll learn an unbelievable truth!"
"Truth? Ghosts? What is it? C'mon! Tell me! I wanna know!"
"You'll find out when we get there. Just be patient."
"You're so mean!" complains Luffy. "Why can't you just-" The words die in Luffy's throat when he senses a killing intent rapidly closing in on them. Luffy, Zoro, Law and Run all glance in it's direction quickly, prepared for anything that may happen.
"Luffy, I'll take care of this," Zoro tells them, standing up. "I'll catch up with you when I'm finished." Without giving them time to respond, he jumps from the back of Komachiyo and rapidly disappears in the distance as they continue onward...
"What the?!" complains Luffy, staring at the ruins before them. "There's no castle here!"
"I said it was 'ruins'," Law corrects him, sliding from the back of Komachiyo with Run and Okiku. "Now, let's go." Law pushes forward, walking past Luffy towards the 'castle'. "It's this way, Luffy." However, rather than join the three of them, Okiku turns away and goes running off back into the forest.
"Kiku! Man, what's gotten into her? Oh! Come to think of it, Zoro hasn't returned yet, either."
"I'm sure they'll be fine," Run assures him, following after Law. "C'mon, Luffy." After a few moments Luffy turns away and follows after the two of them. Run looks around at what must have once been a grand castle, but now stands as little more than rubble. "What a creepy place."
"It's been abandoned for more than twenty years, red hair-ya," Law tells him. They cross the grounds of castle Oden slowly with Law leading the them towards numerous makers sticking out of the ground, all arranged neatly.
"What are those?" Luffy asks, approaching them quickly. Approaching a bit closer, Run finally realizes what they are...they're grave-markers. He can remember seeing this same style in Rice Village when he was a boy visiting with Shanks.
"Take a good look."
"Hmmm...Kozuki Oden?"
"Look at the other grave, too." Luffy and Run read the names on the other markers slowly, and in disbelief. Momonosuke, Raizo, Kanjuro and Kin'emon...just what exactly is going on?! Why are there graves with their names on it if they're still running around in the New World? They couldn't get in touch with Kin'emon on the way to Wano Country...it couldn't be because he's dead?!
"There's no way!" Luffy says quickly. "There's no way he's dead! He's waiting for me here in Wano!"
"He's been gone for quite a while. Maybe he'll come out at night. He appeared repeatedly last night, too."
"Don't make him sound like a ghost!" Luffy lunges forward and grasps Law tightly by his kimono. "What's the meaning of these graves?! Spit it out, Tra-guy! Is there something that you don't want to say?!" Run looks closer at the grave makers; the worn surface, the moss spreading across it, it looks like these have all been here for years. There's no way that these are recent so...what exactly is going on?!
"I'm not the one who should be telling you about it." The sound of someone groaning, as if in pain, echos across the quiet castle grounds. All heads immediately turn to the fallen castle in the distance, and Run grasps the tsuka of his katana. There's no way that there's actually...a ghost, right? However, the tension is short lived when none other than Kin'emon steps out into the sunlight, his face looking as if he really needs to make a run for a bathroom, but still very much alive.
"Luffy, Run," says Kin'emon. "Sorry that I couldn't come to get you. I've got the runs pretty bad, and I thought I wouldn't be able to come out from the bathroom again tonight."
"He's alive, Tra-guy!" screams Luffy.
"When did I say he wasnt?" counters Law. "I meant he would appear from the bathroom at night."
"You dick!" barks Run. "You knew what you were doing!"
"Kin!" shouts the familiar voice of Okiku. The woman charges in their direction and to their surprise nearly tackles Kin'emon in a hug, over-joyed to see that he's returned apparently. "You are back! I really missed you, and it's made my body tremble terribly! Honestly, if you were back why didn't you tell me?!"
"Kiku! What are you doing what Luffy's group?"
"What?! Don't tell me they're...?"
"Aaaah! Who wants to hear the story and where should I start? You're right, Kiku! They are our strong allies to help us bring down Orochi!" Kin'emon motions to the trio of men with a large grin splitting his face. "Luffy and Law and Run!"
"Oi! Luffy!" screams a familiar voice, attracting their attention. A boy comes sprinting out of the forest in their direction quickly. "You arrived safely! I was just practicing my swordsmanship!"
"Momo!" laughs Luffy. "You're here! Does that mean Dog Pops made it, too?"
"That's right! He's here safely!"
"Good. Then all we're waiting for is THEM."
"Oooiii!" screams a voice very familiar to Luffy and Run, immediately earning their attention. Both men turn quickly to find Sanji, flanked by Nami, Carrot, Chopper and Brook. "Luffy! Run!" Carrot and Chopper charge across the distance nearly tackle Luffy in their joy to see him. Likewise, Momonosuke covers the distance to Nami in a heart-beat, leaping into her arms just as he always had. The little pervert is happy to see Nami and the rest of the crew for an entirely different reason than they are.
"What took you guys so long?"
"We were looking for you two everywhere!" Sanji shouts at him. "Even on the bottom of the sea! We had no idea where the two of you could be!"
"Well, we found your Vivre Card, so we knew at least YOU were alive, Luffy," Nami tells him, holding up his Vivre Card.
"I see that you've retured to the group, Sanji," Kin'emon says. "I'm glad."
"Yeah," Sanji confirms. "Sorry to worry you."
"Are these people Luffytaro's friends?" Okiku asks, approaching the group. The moment Sanji notices her...he seems to fall head over heels for her. Naturally, she seems a bit put off by his over the top reaction but does seem to take it in stride.
"Yes, Kiku," Kin'emon tells her. "They are all Luffy's friends. The reliable people who will help us!"
"Straw Hat-ya," calls Law, earning everyone's attention. "Let's talk inside. We need to discuss the plan from here on..."