Author's notes:
6th part I think... I had a lot to do lately and couldn't make it sooner, sorry!! Hope you like it!
Thanks a lot, Maren (she's my lil sis... sweety!!)!! You helped a hell of a lot!!!! Hugs and kisses for ya!!
/()/()/()/()/()/
"Luuuuuffy... Luuuuu-ffy!! The new piiiirate kiiiing!!"
Shaking his head, Zoro turned away from his captain and settled instead on watching the blue horizon.
"Now come on!! Why don't you repeat it?!"
Exhaling exaggeratedly, Nami walked over to where Luffy was sitting cross legged in front of Kyra. He had been staring at the giant eagle for nearly two hours, repeating the same words over and over and over again...
By now, none of his friends had a nerve left to listen to him anymore and so Nami took things into her own hands... or better fists.
BONK
"Ouch!!"
"Luffy, I swear, if ya ever say 'that' again, I'll personally see to it that you get thrown into the ocean!!" The navigator yelled, fist risen threateningly at the rubber-boy, who was by now, smiling brightly up at his friend.
"Yeah, yeah... " He waited a moment until Nami had turned around. "Hey, Kyra!! Say 'Luuuuffy'!"
Sweatdropping, the eagle watched as a vain popped up on Nami's forehead, waving Sanji over to her.
"Sanji, would you please?"
"Of course, my precious Nami!!"
Grinning idiotically, the ship's cook took hold of Luffy's shoulders. Not really paying attention to where Luffy was going to end up, Sanji threw him somewhere behind him over the railing!
"Ahhhhhhh!!!"
Barely in time, Luffy extended his arms and grabbed the next best thing within reach (a shocked Zoro)
and pulled himself back on board, landing on top of the swords fighter's chest.
"Hey! I nearly lost my hat!!" "Whatever... " Shaking her head, Nami walked across the deck to where the newest strawhat pirate was lying, eyes staring into the sky above her.
Maya had officially been a new crewmate for two days now. Most of her wounds were healing nicely and Chopper was taking care of her as best as he could... or as Zoro liked to call it, 'played mother hen'.
But she hadn't spoken much since she had asked for a second chance in the conference room, nor had she made consciously eye contact with Nico Robin and Nami was worried something was on the girl's mind that could stand between the friends and Maya. She knew that unresolved issues could lead to dangerous situation and wasn't willing to take the risk.
"So?"
Looking up at the ship's navigator, Maya had to blink twice before the blurred vision cleared slightly.
"So what?"
"So, how are you?"
Inhaling deeply (her shoulder was doing great with the help of the little deer and the pain was bearable at last) she sat up and craned her neck to work out the strain in the muscles.
"Fine... glad to finally have some time to relax."
Nami noted with interest, that the girl's eyes had considerably cleared within the two days she had been here. They were much brighter by now and when Maya was smiling the happiness nearly reached her eyes.
But then, when Robin spoke or walked past the other woman, one could immediately see how they clouded, though she seemed to try to prevent it from happening... without much success.
"Yeah... you think, Luffy ever gets the fact, that Kyra is 'not' a parrot?!" Nami wondered.
"Hopefully... even 'her' patience will run out." She grinning cheekily and pointed over to where Luffy had again sat down in front of Kyra, preparing his next onslaught...
Sitting down next to Maya, Nami leaned against the mast behind her.
"I got a question there... of which Devil Fruit did ya eat from?"
That seemed to get everybody's attention and even Luffy turned away from the eagle, standing up and walking towards the two young women.
"No idea what it was called... was more of an accident when I ate it." She shrugged nonchalantly.
"Why's that so?" Usopp asked, climbing down the crow's nest and taking up position beside Luffy and Sanji.
"About two and a half years ago, I stranded on a tiny island after a bad fight with some pirates. Kyra was badly injured and my leg was broken, so I couldn't just swim off it, hoping to come across help in the middle of the Grand Line! Unfortunately there wasn't much to eat either and I gave most of the things I found, Kyra... she needed it. After three or four weeks... don't exactly remember... well, a small box with a strange fruit got washed ashore and I ate it... I was so hungry that I'd probably eaten the box itself if it had been necessary!"
Snickering, Luffy sat down next to Nami and Maya.
"Yeah, would have probably done that, too! Though I guess Kyra would've tasted much better! Hahaha!!"
"When Kyra had recovered, we went to the next island in reach and promptly got into a fight with some guy, who had Devil Powers... he could grow tendrils out of his body. He tried to kill me and just before I kicking the bucket, I gripped his arm and could feel how his powers and energy left his body and he collapsed in a miserable heap."
"So you can neutralize the Devil Powers, right?" Usopp queried, head cocked to one side as he watched Zoro snoring soundly to his right.
"Yeah, I guess so... The problem with my Powers, if ya wanne call it a prob at all, is that I can't do cool stuff like mutating into an animal, extend my arms or let stone spears grow outta my body. There's no possibility of using it against 'normal' pals like Zoro and Sanji... the only things that help me with guys like you, are my fighting techniques and my swords."
"Hihihi!! Hey, Nami! You thinking we gonna meet Smoker again any time soon?! Maya's powers could come in handy then..." He was beaming happily, with eyes gleaming in excitement as he thought about their (hopefully soon) next encounter with the captain who had been the only one up until now Luffy couln't fight off with his Gum-Gum Powers. But now that they had Maya on board the tables had turned!
"Hey, Zoro? That'd be cool, right?!" Startled at hearing his name, Zoro looked up, realizing in a haze that the conversation had ceased to a standstill as they all awaited his reaction to Luffy's question.
"What? Smoker?" A picture of him standing in a street, accompanied by Lieutenant Tashgi sprang to his sleepy mind, getting him back into reality in an instant.
"No!! I'd rather face a whole army of Mihawks than that girl again!!" He yelled, getting some perplexed looks from his crewmates.
"Oh, baby-Zoro is afraid of a girl? Should we call Mommy for ya?" Sanji was more than happy, using such a great possibility of teasing the swords fighter.
"Should we arrange a meeting with Mr. Death for ya instead, pan-face?!"
And off they were, both grabbing a fistful of collar of their opponent.
Nami didn't have the nerve to part them just now and ignored them pointedly, sighing as she heard Zoro's head hit the deck hard.
"Miss navigator, if I remember correctly we should reach the next island within the next day... maybe we should make a list of things we have to acquire there."
Nami turned towards Nico Robin, just in time to see Maya flinch slightly at hearing the older woman's voice.
"Yeah, you're probably right... Sanji?" She asked in her sweetest tone of voice.
Sanji, still engaged in the fight with the green haired man, stood bolt upright as soon as he heard Nami's voice, hearts practically flying out of his eyes and a goofy grin plastered on his lips.
"Yes, my Nami-honey?!"
"How 'bout you fix some dinner? I'm starting to get hungry and I guess Luffy is already starving."
Right on clue, Luffy jumped up, eyes wide and saliva already dripping out of his mouth at the mere thought of getting something to eat.
"Oh, yeah!! Please, please, please, Sanji!! I need food, now!!"
"Of course, my dear Nami. I'm not going to decline your wish and will show you the wonders of a delicacy made of my love." He whispered near her ear, bowing slightly in a gentlemanlike manner.
/()/()/()/()/
"Sanji, that was delicious!" Maya praised the chef's latest masterpiece of food, drinking the remains of the wine, Sanji had served along with the meal.
"Why thank you, my dear Maya! And what did you think about it, Miss Nami?"
"It was excellent, as always."
"The steak was..." burp "... great!!" Luffy said, leaning back against the wall of the conference room, patting his belly in contentment.
Standing up, Maya took her plate and glass and walked over to the sink, where Chopper and Usopp had already started washing the dishes... though it seemed they used the foam more for a fight than for the dirty stuff lying untouched in the water.
Smiling brightly, she watched them for a while, when suddenly something like an electric jolt rushed through her body, starting at the back of her neck and ending in the tips of her toes.
The feeling wasn't new to her. It had started to come every time somebody with Devil Powers got near her and had been a constant companion ever since she had been a member of the strawhat pirates, with three persons, having Devil Powers, running around on this ship all day long.
But she had gotten used to it within no time, but this feeling right now, meant that somebody else was advancing towards the ship, which meant, that...
"Hey... somebody with Devil Powers is near..."
"Yeah, me!! And Robin and Chopper and yourself! Hahaha!!" Luffy laughed, walking over to Usopp and Chopper and joining their fight.
Shaking her head, Maya listened hard to the slight breeze outside and caught the faint, shrill voice of her friend, Kyra, calling out and trying to get her attention.
Alarmed that even the eagle had noticed it, the young woman sprinted over to the door leading to the bridge, grabbing her swords that were leaning against the door frame... The strange feeling got intensified now and she glanced nervously around just to find Zoro and Sanji walking over to her, frowns plastered on their faces as they waited bewildered for an explanation from her.
But there was no need for such things.
With a loud thump, accompanied by the noise of splintering wood, the door burst open, parts of the door flying through the conference room and showering down on the pirates.
A huge men stepped inside, towering dangerously above Maya, who was too perplexed to move.
Grinning maliciously at her, he raised his sword, getting ready to strike down.
Just in time, Zoro moved forward, blocking the attack before the sword could touch Maya.
Blinking rapidly, she got out of her trance-like state and ducked, getting out of Zoro's way and carefully walked past the large man and stepped out onto the bridge.
She didn't get the chance to allow her eyes to adjust to the darkness that greeted her outside.
From both sides, leering pirates walked up the stairs, heading straight towards her, sabres risen.
"Watch out!!" Zoro yelled and Maya got down onto her knees, watching as the bulky man from earlier flew across her head and hit the mast hard, landing unconsciously on the deck.
"What the heck is going on here?!"
Maya turned slightly back to where the men ran out of the room, eyes gleaming happily as they awaited the upcoming fight with their usual childish excitement.
"Pirates in need of some sound trashing, I guess."
"Woohooo! Exactly what I need after dinner... good for digestion." Luffy grinned brightly. He had already started with his warm-up and stretching.
"Please, guys, try and go easy on the ship!! It's already barely recognizable as one!!" Nami yelled over the noise the hostile pirates made as they entered the Going Merry.
"Nami is right!... And I order you to save me from them!!" Usopp told them, legs shaking as he hid behind Nami and Robin.
"Save yourself! Whatever happens, in the name of love; I protect Nami!!" Sanji declared, his eyes searching for his first victim among the waiting pirates.
Luffy hadn't paid attention to his friends. He was already busy beating up the enemy, with Zoro and Chopper fighting along with him to both sides.
Maya and Robin, in the meantime, had taken position on either side of the bridge, hindering anybody from getting near the conference room, where Nami and Usopp where watching the whole scene with mixed feelings.
Still trying to find somebody who could still stand upright and was looking for a fight, Sanji's eyes fell onto two guys climbing over the railing and onto the ship.
They seemed to be twins, but the cook didn't really care, who he was going to kick across the Grand Line and back, so he merely shrugged and sped forward, flipping over into a handstand and serving some hard blows with his boots.
To his surprise, he didn't send the guys flying over board.
And they didn't seem to care as he hit them one after the other right into their faces.
"What the hell..." He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence when the twins suddenly transformed into gel-like substance... much like jello, Sanji noted, when his boot suddenly sunk into the squishy, jelly-like substance that had been a cheek.
"Urgh!" He tried desperately to get his foot, that was slowly disappearing in the man's face, out of the jello, his lips pursed in disgust as the stuff dripped down his leg and onto the floor.
"You have no chance against us, you pirate wannabe!" The second twin said, his dark voice booming above the fighting noise.
With that, the man, Sanji had attacked, took hold of the cook's leg and pulled him out of his jelly-face,
lifting him up high into the air, before throwing him square across the deck, against the railing, where Nami and Usopp were still standing.
"Argh, dammit!"
"Hey, Sanji?" Luffy had just smashed the jaw of one pirate, when he turned towards his cursing friend.
"What are ya doin' on the floor?"
"Those idiots have Devil Powers..." He pointed to the twins, who walked straight towards them, grinning evilly as they watched the blond man lying on the floor, swearing soundly.
"Wow!! Cool!! They're pudding!! Hey, Sanji, when we're done here, I want chocolate pudding!!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever the hell makes ya happy."
Turning back towards the advancing twins, Luffy extended his arms backwards.
"Gum-Gum-Bazooooka!!"
Luffy's fists sped forward, aimed at the two men.
But when they hit home, the rubber-boy's fists went right through the bodies, the jelly engulfing his arms and hands in the squishy mass.
Hastely, he tried to pull his rams back out of the bodies, shocked to find them trapped within the jello. It appeared, the men were able to solidify the mushy jello into a harder substance, making it impossible for Luffy to free his arms.
"Ahhh!! Shiiit!!" He yelled, kicking one of the twins hard with his foot, which just bounced off into another direction.
"We have eaten from the jell-O-Fruit... and there is nothing you could do to defeat us, rubber-ball!"
They laughed, their gel-like bodies rippling as they moved slowly towards the friends at the railing.
"It seems, you have no treasures or goods on board... so we'll just take the girls instead and burn the ship down."
Anger flared up inside the boys at the words, flames practically shooting out of Sanji's eyes. Zoro and Chopper both attacked the twins from either sides, but the jello absorbed their futile attempts to fight them off, Zoro's swords almost staying stuck in belly of one man.
"What the hell's going on here?" Maya asked, pulling one of her swords out of one pirate, lying dead on deck.
"Nothing, honey... no probs here, if you lay down your swords. Take the other girls and get over to our ship." One twin said, his leering eyes giving Maya a once-over.
"Oh. And here I thought, I gotta have to kick your jelly-asses. Sorry, bit of a misunderstanding."
"Don't be sassy, lil girl. I don't wanne have to kill such a cutie."
"I'm already shaking in fear!" Maya grinning boyishly as she sheathing her swords.
Roaring, the two men ran towards Maya, who was waiting unmoving on the deck in front of the bridge,
arms crossed. They were dragging Luffy along with them, who was still trapped within their mushy bodies.
He was trying desperately to get his limbs lose, but to no avail.
Suddenly, Kyra appeard above him, taking him by his shoulders and flew upwards towards the crow's nest.
Luffy's arms stretched more and more, until the pull of the bird's flight into the sky was enough and the gel-like bodies couldn't hold the arms anymore. With a loud 'plop', they slithered out of the men, flying in high-speed back towards their owner.
"Thanx, Kyra!!" Luffy beamed happily, looking down to where the rest of his team was still standing on deck.
His eyes fell onto the twins, heading to where Maya was standing in front of the bridge, swords put away in their scabbards. She didn't seem to mind them running to her and merely unfolded her arms from across her chest.
The two bulky pirates raised their fists simultaneously at the young woman, anger clearly evident on their jelly-faces as they prepared their attack.
A second before they had the chance to hit Maya where their fists were aimed at her upper body,
she raised her hands, catching their clenched fists tightly.
The force of their punches was so enormous, that Maya got pushed backwards, landing hard in the wooden bridge, the structure splintering under the pressure of the twin-attack.
The other strawhat pirate were shocked at the sight that greeted them, with Maya being pressed up against the remains of the broken wall, her hands holding desperately onto the two fists of her enemies.
Maya didn't show the pain on her face that flared up in her back.
She concentrated hard on her task and clenched her hands around the fists she was holding onto for dear life.
Nami, hiding along with Usopp behind the bars of the bridge, watched the twins standing nearly in front of her on the deck suddenly get down onto their knees, a pained expression replacing the formally angry features.
Their bodies transformed back into their human substitute and sweat started to drip down their faces, muscles shaking as they tried hard to keep a more or less upright position.
"What... are you... doing?" One twin asked, eyelids slowly dropping shut.
Smiling slightly, Maya pushed away from where she was leaning against the wall. She forced the arms she was still holding onto downwards, making her opponents crouch down in front of her. "Kicking your jelly-asses."
Before they passed out, the form of Maya transformed into a blurred shadow, hovering above them in the twilight of the vanishing sun.
With that she let go of the pirates, walking past them and stopped in front of a shaking crewmember of the twins.
"Take them back to your ship and leave your treasues on your deck." She instructed him.
The man nodded and ordered some of his comrades to help him do what he had been told to and soon every hostile pirate was gone from the Going Merry, leaving some blood and weapons behind as silent reminders of their lost fight.
"Awesome!" Nami said, running down the stairs to where Sanji was helping Maya stay upright.
Blood was dripping down her back, but she wasn't the only one who got injuerd in the fight and wasn't going to complain about it... Chopper would take good care of it.
"Hey, Kyra!" She looked up to where the eagle was sitting on the edge of the crow's nest and nodded towards the other ship, that left the Going Merry head over heels.
The large bird answered with her shrill voice and made her way to the second ship.
When she returned, she let a large treasure box fall down onto the deck, barely missing Luffy and Zoro.
Nami's eyes gleamed happily when she opened the box with her picklock, finding gold and gems lying hidden within it.
"Hope this makes up for the time when I lay invalid around, doin' nothing." Maya said, grinning at the sight of Nami's shining eyes.
"Oh, yeah!"
"Hahaha!! Told ya, her powers would come in handy some day!!" Luffy laughed out loud.
/()/()/()/()/()/
FINIS!
Hope you liked this part... not sure I should write another one, though... sorry if I won't!!
6th part I think... I had a lot to do lately and couldn't make it sooner, sorry!! Hope you like it!
Thanks a lot, Maren (she's my lil sis... sweety!!)!! You helped a hell of a lot!!!! Hugs and kisses for ya!!
/()/()/()/()/()/
"Luuuuuffy... Luuuuu-ffy!! The new piiiirate kiiiing!!"
Shaking his head, Zoro turned away from his captain and settled instead on watching the blue horizon.
"Now come on!! Why don't you repeat it?!"
Exhaling exaggeratedly, Nami walked over to where Luffy was sitting cross legged in front of Kyra. He had been staring at the giant eagle for nearly two hours, repeating the same words over and over and over again...
By now, none of his friends had a nerve left to listen to him anymore and so Nami took things into her own hands... or better fists.
BONK
"Ouch!!"
"Luffy, I swear, if ya ever say 'that' again, I'll personally see to it that you get thrown into the ocean!!" The navigator yelled, fist risen threateningly at the rubber-boy, who was by now, smiling brightly up at his friend.
"Yeah, yeah... " He waited a moment until Nami had turned around. "Hey, Kyra!! Say 'Luuuuffy'!"
Sweatdropping, the eagle watched as a vain popped up on Nami's forehead, waving Sanji over to her.
"Sanji, would you please?"
"Of course, my precious Nami!!"
Grinning idiotically, the ship's cook took hold of Luffy's shoulders. Not really paying attention to where Luffy was going to end up, Sanji threw him somewhere behind him over the railing!
"Ahhhhhhh!!!"
Barely in time, Luffy extended his arms and grabbed the next best thing within reach (a shocked Zoro)
and pulled himself back on board, landing on top of the swords fighter's chest.
"Hey! I nearly lost my hat!!" "Whatever... " Shaking her head, Nami walked across the deck to where the newest strawhat pirate was lying, eyes staring into the sky above her.
Maya had officially been a new crewmate for two days now. Most of her wounds were healing nicely and Chopper was taking care of her as best as he could... or as Zoro liked to call it, 'played mother hen'.
But she hadn't spoken much since she had asked for a second chance in the conference room, nor had she made consciously eye contact with Nico Robin and Nami was worried something was on the girl's mind that could stand between the friends and Maya. She knew that unresolved issues could lead to dangerous situation and wasn't willing to take the risk.
"So?"
Looking up at the ship's navigator, Maya had to blink twice before the blurred vision cleared slightly.
"So what?"
"So, how are you?"
Inhaling deeply (her shoulder was doing great with the help of the little deer and the pain was bearable at last) she sat up and craned her neck to work out the strain in the muscles.
"Fine... glad to finally have some time to relax."
Nami noted with interest, that the girl's eyes had considerably cleared within the two days she had been here. They were much brighter by now and when Maya was smiling the happiness nearly reached her eyes.
But then, when Robin spoke or walked past the other woman, one could immediately see how they clouded, though she seemed to try to prevent it from happening... without much success.
"Yeah... you think, Luffy ever gets the fact, that Kyra is 'not' a parrot?!" Nami wondered.
"Hopefully... even 'her' patience will run out." She grinning cheekily and pointed over to where Luffy had again sat down in front of Kyra, preparing his next onslaught...
Sitting down next to Maya, Nami leaned against the mast behind her.
"I got a question there... of which Devil Fruit did ya eat from?"
That seemed to get everybody's attention and even Luffy turned away from the eagle, standing up and walking towards the two young women.
"No idea what it was called... was more of an accident when I ate it." She shrugged nonchalantly.
"Why's that so?" Usopp asked, climbing down the crow's nest and taking up position beside Luffy and Sanji.
"About two and a half years ago, I stranded on a tiny island after a bad fight with some pirates. Kyra was badly injured and my leg was broken, so I couldn't just swim off it, hoping to come across help in the middle of the Grand Line! Unfortunately there wasn't much to eat either and I gave most of the things I found, Kyra... she needed it. After three or four weeks... don't exactly remember... well, a small box with a strange fruit got washed ashore and I ate it... I was so hungry that I'd probably eaten the box itself if it had been necessary!"
Snickering, Luffy sat down next to Nami and Maya.
"Yeah, would have probably done that, too! Though I guess Kyra would've tasted much better! Hahaha!!"
"When Kyra had recovered, we went to the next island in reach and promptly got into a fight with some guy, who had Devil Powers... he could grow tendrils out of his body. He tried to kill me and just before I kicking the bucket, I gripped his arm and could feel how his powers and energy left his body and he collapsed in a miserable heap."
"So you can neutralize the Devil Powers, right?" Usopp queried, head cocked to one side as he watched Zoro snoring soundly to his right.
"Yeah, I guess so... The problem with my Powers, if ya wanne call it a prob at all, is that I can't do cool stuff like mutating into an animal, extend my arms or let stone spears grow outta my body. There's no possibility of using it against 'normal' pals like Zoro and Sanji... the only things that help me with guys like you, are my fighting techniques and my swords."
"Hihihi!! Hey, Nami! You thinking we gonna meet Smoker again any time soon?! Maya's powers could come in handy then..." He was beaming happily, with eyes gleaming in excitement as he thought about their (hopefully soon) next encounter with the captain who had been the only one up until now Luffy couln't fight off with his Gum-Gum Powers. But now that they had Maya on board the tables had turned!
"Hey, Zoro? That'd be cool, right?!" Startled at hearing his name, Zoro looked up, realizing in a haze that the conversation had ceased to a standstill as they all awaited his reaction to Luffy's question.
"What? Smoker?" A picture of him standing in a street, accompanied by Lieutenant Tashgi sprang to his sleepy mind, getting him back into reality in an instant.
"No!! I'd rather face a whole army of Mihawks than that girl again!!" He yelled, getting some perplexed looks from his crewmates.
"Oh, baby-Zoro is afraid of a girl? Should we call Mommy for ya?" Sanji was more than happy, using such a great possibility of teasing the swords fighter.
"Should we arrange a meeting with Mr. Death for ya instead, pan-face?!"
And off they were, both grabbing a fistful of collar of their opponent.
Nami didn't have the nerve to part them just now and ignored them pointedly, sighing as she heard Zoro's head hit the deck hard.
"Miss navigator, if I remember correctly we should reach the next island within the next day... maybe we should make a list of things we have to acquire there."
Nami turned towards Nico Robin, just in time to see Maya flinch slightly at hearing the older woman's voice.
"Yeah, you're probably right... Sanji?" She asked in her sweetest tone of voice.
Sanji, still engaged in the fight with the green haired man, stood bolt upright as soon as he heard Nami's voice, hearts practically flying out of his eyes and a goofy grin plastered on his lips.
"Yes, my Nami-honey?!"
"How 'bout you fix some dinner? I'm starting to get hungry and I guess Luffy is already starving."
Right on clue, Luffy jumped up, eyes wide and saliva already dripping out of his mouth at the mere thought of getting something to eat.
"Oh, yeah!! Please, please, please, Sanji!! I need food, now!!"
"Of course, my dear Nami. I'm not going to decline your wish and will show you the wonders of a delicacy made of my love." He whispered near her ear, bowing slightly in a gentlemanlike manner.
/()/()/()/()/
"Sanji, that was delicious!" Maya praised the chef's latest masterpiece of food, drinking the remains of the wine, Sanji had served along with the meal.
"Why thank you, my dear Maya! And what did you think about it, Miss Nami?"
"It was excellent, as always."
"The steak was..." burp "... great!!" Luffy said, leaning back against the wall of the conference room, patting his belly in contentment.
Standing up, Maya took her plate and glass and walked over to the sink, where Chopper and Usopp had already started washing the dishes... though it seemed they used the foam more for a fight than for the dirty stuff lying untouched in the water.
Smiling brightly, she watched them for a while, when suddenly something like an electric jolt rushed through her body, starting at the back of her neck and ending in the tips of her toes.
The feeling wasn't new to her. It had started to come every time somebody with Devil Powers got near her and had been a constant companion ever since she had been a member of the strawhat pirates, with three persons, having Devil Powers, running around on this ship all day long.
But she had gotten used to it within no time, but this feeling right now, meant that somebody else was advancing towards the ship, which meant, that...
"Hey... somebody with Devil Powers is near..."
"Yeah, me!! And Robin and Chopper and yourself! Hahaha!!" Luffy laughed, walking over to Usopp and Chopper and joining their fight.
Shaking her head, Maya listened hard to the slight breeze outside and caught the faint, shrill voice of her friend, Kyra, calling out and trying to get her attention.
Alarmed that even the eagle had noticed it, the young woman sprinted over to the door leading to the bridge, grabbing her swords that were leaning against the door frame... The strange feeling got intensified now and she glanced nervously around just to find Zoro and Sanji walking over to her, frowns plastered on their faces as they waited bewildered for an explanation from her.
But there was no need for such things.
With a loud thump, accompanied by the noise of splintering wood, the door burst open, parts of the door flying through the conference room and showering down on the pirates.
A huge men stepped inside, towering dangerously above Maya, who was too perplexed to move.
Grinning maliciously at her, he raised his sword, getting ready to strike down.
Just in time, Zoro moved forward, blocking the attack before the sword could touch Maya.
Blinking rapidly, she got out of her trance-like state and ducked, getting out of Zoro's way and carefully walked past the large man and stepped out onto the bridge.
She didn't get the chance to allow her eyes to adjust to the darkness that greeted her outside.
From both sides, leering pirates walked up the stairs, heading straight towards her, sabres risen.
"Watch out!!" Zoro yelled and Maya got down onto her knees, watching as the bulky man from earlier flew across her head and hit the mast hard, landing unconsciously on the deck.
"What the heck is going on here?!"
Maya turned slightly back to where the men ran out of the room, eyes gleaming happily as they awaited the upcoming fight with their usual childish excitement.
"Pirates in need of some sound trashing, I guess."
"Woohooo! Exactly what I need after dinner... good for digestion." Luffy grinned brightly. He had already started with his warm-up and stretching.
"Please, guys, try and go easy on the ship!! It's already barely recognizable as one!!" Nami yelled over the noise the hostile pirates made as they entered the Going Merry.
"Nami is right!... And I order you to save me from them!!" Usopp told them, legs shaking as he hid behind Nami and Robin.
"Save yourself! Whatever happens, in the name of love; I protect Nami!!" Sanji declared, his eyes searching for his first victim among the waiting pirates.
Luffy hadn't paid attention to his friends. He was already busy beating up the enemy, with Zoro and Chopper fighting along with him to both sides.
Maya and Robin, in the meantime, had taken position on either side of the bridge, hindering anybody from getting near the conference room, where Nami and Usopp where watching the whole scene with mixed feelings.
Still trying to find somebody who could still stand upright and was looking for a fight, Sanji's eyes fell onto two guys climbing over the railing and onto the ship.
They seemed to be twins, but the cook didn't really care, who he was going to kick across the Grand Line and back, so he merely shrugged and sped forward, flipping over into a handstand and serving some hard blows with his boots.
To his surprise, he didn't send the guys flying over board.
And they didn't seem to care as he hit them one after the other right into their faces.
"What the hell..." He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence when the twins suddenly transformed into gel-like substance... much like jello, Sanji noted, when his boot suddenly sunk into the squishy, jelly-like substance that had been a cheek.
"Urgh!" He tried desperately to get his foot, that was slowly disappearing in the man's face, out of the jello, his lips pursed in disgust as the stuff dripped down his leg and onto the floor.
"You have no chance against us, you pirate wannabe!" The second twin said, his dark voice booming above the fighting noise.
With that, the man, Sanji had attacked, took hold of the cook's leg and pulled him out of his jelly-face,
lifting him up high into the air, before throwing him square across the deck, against the railing, where Nami and Usopp were still standing.
"Argh, dammit!"
"Hey, Sanji?" Luffy had just smashed the jaw of one pirate, when he turned towards his cursing friend.
"What are ya doin' on the floor?"
"Those idiots have Devil Powers..." He pointed to the twins, who walked straight towards them, grinning evilly as they watched the blond man lying on the floor, swearing soundly.
"Wow!! Cool!! They're pudding!! Hey, Sanji, when we're done here, I want chocolate pudding!!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever the hell makes ya happy."
Turning back towards the advancing twins, Luffy extended his arms backwards.
"Gum-Gum-Bazooooka!!"
Luffy's fists sped forward, aimed at the two men.
But when they hit home, the rubber-boy's fists went right through the bodies, the jelly engulfing his arms and hands in the squishy mass.
Hastely, he tried to pull his rams back out of the bodies, shocked to find them trapped within the jello. It appeared, the men were able to solidify the mushy jello into a harder substance, making it impossible for Luffy to free his arms.
"Ahhh!! Shiiit!!" He yelled, kicking one of the twins hard with his foot, which just bounced off into another direction.
"We have eaten from the jell-O-Fruit... and there is nothing you could do to defeat us, rubber-ball!"
They laughed, their gel-like bodies rippling as they moved slowly towards the friends at the railing.
"It seems, you have no treasures or goods on board... so we'll just take the girls instead and burn the ship down."
Anger flared up inside the boys at the words, flames practically shooting out of Sanji's eyes. Zoro and Chopper both attacked the twins from either sides, but the jello absorbed their futile attempts to fight them off, Zoro's swords almost staying stuck in belly of one man.
"What the hell's going on here?" Maya asked, pulling one of her swords out of one pirate, lying dead on deck.
"Nothing, honey... no probs here, if you lay down your swords. Take the other girls and get over to our ship." One twin said, his leering eyes giving Maya a once-over.
"Oh. And here I thought, I gotta have to kick your jelly-asses. Sorry, bit of a misunderstanding."
"Don't be sassy, lil girl. I don't wanne have to kill such a cutie."
"I'm already shaking in fear!" Maya grinning boyishly as she sheathing her swords.
Roaring, the two men ran towards Maya, who was waiting unmoving on the deck in front of the bridge,
arms crossed. They were dragging Luffy along with them, who was still trapped within their mushy bodies.
He was trying desperately to get his limbs lose, but to no avail.
Suddenly, Kyra appeard above him, taking him by his shoulders and flew upwards towards the crow's nest.
Luffy's arms stretched more and more, until the pull of the bird's flight into the sky was enough and the gel-like bodies couldn't hold the arms anymore. With a loud 'plop', they slithered out of the men, flying in high-speed back towards their owner.
"Thanx, Kyra!!" Luffy beamed happily, looking down to where the rest of his team was still standing on deck.
His eyes fell onto the twins, heading to where Maya was standing in front of the bridge, swords put away in their scabbards. She didn't seem to mind them running to her and merely unfolded her arms from across her chest.
The two bulky pirates raised their fists simultaneously at the young woman, anger clearly evident on their jelly-faces as they prepared their attack.
A second before they had the chance to hit Maya where their fists were aimed at her upper body,
she raised her hands, catching their clenched fists tightly.
The force of their punches was so enormous, that Maya got pushed backwards, landing hard in the wooden bridge, the structure splintering under the pressure of the twin-attack.
The other strawhat pirate were shocked at the sight that greeted them, with Maya being pressed up against the remains of the broken wall, her hands holding desperately onto the two fists of her enemies.
Maya didn't show the pain on her face that flared up in her back.
She concentrated hard on her task and clenched her hands around the fists she was holding onto for dear life.
Nami, hiding along with Usopp behind the bars of the bridge, watched the twins standing nearly in front of her on the deck suddenly get down onto their knees, a pained expression replacing the formally angry features.
Their bodies transformed back into their human substitute and sweat started to drip down their faces, muscles shaking as they tried hard to keep a more or less upright position.
"What... are you... doing?" One twin asked, eyelids slowly dropping shut.
Smiling slightly, Maya pushed away from where she was leaning against the wall. She forced the arms she was still holding onto downwards, making her opponents crouch down in front of her. "Kicking your jelly-asses."
Before they passed out, the form of Maya transformed into a blurred shadow, hovering above them in the twilight of the vanishing sun.
With that she let go of the pirates, walking past them and stopped in front of a shaking crewmember of the twins.
"Take them back to your ship and leave your treasues on your deck." She instructed him.
The man nodded and ordered some of his comrades to help him do what he had been told to and soon every hostile pirate was gone from the Going Merry, leaving some blood and weapons behind as silent reminders of their lost fight.
"Awesome!" Nami said, running down the stairs to where Sanji was helping Maya stay upright.
Blood was dripping down her back, but she wasn't the only one who got injuerd in the fight and wasn't going to complain about it... Chopper would take good care of it.
"Hey, Kyra!" She looked up to where the eagle was sitting on the edge of the crow's nest and nodded towards the other ship, that left the Going Merry head over heels.
The large bird answered with her shrill voice and made her way to the second ship.
When she returned, she let a large treasure box fall down onto the deck, barely missing Luffy and Zoro.
Nami's eyes gleamed happily when she opened the box with her picklock, finding gold and gems lying hidden within it.
"Hope this makes up for the time when I lay invalid around, doin' nothing." Maya said, grinning at the sight of Nami's shining eyes.
"Oh, yeah!"
"Hahaha!! Told ya, her powers would come in handy some day!!" Luffy laughed out loud.
/()/()/()/()/()/
FINIS!
Hope you liked this part... not sure I should write another one, though... sorry if I won't!!