"Wha-a-a-t?" The hunter's voice sounded incredulous.
"That's right, you heard me!" Luffy stoutly answered, standing up straight, fist held before himself to signify the meaning of his words. "Let's fight!" He waited several moments for a response, but Raffles remained both silent and hidden. "Hey, I'm not gonna sit and wait for you all day," the pirate warned, reaching back with his fist. He promptly threw it where the hunter had been speaking from, his rubbery arm stretching with the force. But instead of colliding with someone's face, his fist merely impelled into the rocky ground. A cloud of dust and gravel took to the air upon the impact and Luffy frowned.
"Quit acting stupid and show yourself!" he yelled. His words eerily echoed in the morning air, leaving the quiet show yourself…show yourself…the only answer he received.
Pat pat pat pat pat pat pat--
Luffy's ear seemed to twitch like an animal's, and his head whirled towards the sound. He couldn't see anything, but it distinctly sounded like someone was running towards him.
The captain wasted no time in pulling back his fist again, but the sound abruptly stopped -- and Luffy promptly lost his bearings of where the man was. Suspecting that he had stopped running, the rubber man left his arm ready to attack and -- for a split moment -- his eyes glanced around himself.
And then it happened. In a heart-stopping moment, his body was sent flying back from the force of the invisible man. But Monkey D. Luffy was ready, and his arms immediately wrapped around his unseen foe to prevent his escape. They skidded across the ground together, and another one of Luffy's attributes -- lack of foresight -- sent them off the cliff's jagged edge and into the air.
Luffy tightly gripped onto his enemy as they sailed through the sky. Being made of rubber had its perks, and that included not sustaining much injury when falling long distances. Raffles, he knew, had no such ability, which could only mean that the pirate held the advantage.
But as soon as gravity began to work its magic and yank them towards the forest's trees, Luffy's hat swiftly sailed from his head. The captain watched, wide-eyed, as his most prized possession flew away from him. He cried out for it to come back, began reaching out for it, but a gust of wind carried it further out of his grasp. "My hat!"
Suddenly, a sharp, deep pain pierced his side, and Luffy was stunned to see his own blood spew into the air he was falling through.
Before he could even say anything, they collided against something -- but it wasn't ground because it was warm and leathery. Luffy let go of Raffles long enough for the man to escape his grasp, and the vaguely disoriented captain clutched at the great gash in his right side. Raffles' form appeared several meters away, crouched and carefully balanced.
It was then Luffy realized that they had landed on the flying, blue monster -- and they were soaring through the air!
The hunter smirked, a gleaming, bloody knife clutched in one hand. "Now I have you both in my grasp. It seems that my sharp sense of intellect and fate are working in my favor."
"What are you talking about?" Taking in a deep breath, Luffy hoisted himself up into a crouch, dark locks of hair whipping against his ashen face. His hand remained over his wound for a brief moment before pulling away to form a crimson fist. "You haven't even won yet."
Raffles was about to retort when the monster gave a sudden jolt, as if trying to shake them off. Luffy stumbled and fell back, crying out as his hands groped at the monster's leathery, speckled skin. The pirate's fingers dug into the massive creature's flesh, keeping himself steady.
He didn't waste any time breathing a sigh of relief because when he looked up to see Raffles, his foe had disappeared.
Usopp gripped onto the railing of the ship, his worn fingers stiff and tired, lips pressed into a thin line. He silently gazed at the large island that loomed before them. The tall mountain seemed to watch him from over the trees as it stood defiantly in the distance. Little Chopper stood at his side, gazing at the new terrain with a partially opened mouth. They had just reached shore, but they already felt at a loss.
"Well, Chopper, we made it," spoke Usopp at length, his arms authoritatively crossing over his chest. "We made it, and we did a good job making it." The fact they were alive and that the ship was in one piece was a testimony to that.
The doctor nodded excitedly. After all, reaching land is what they had been working towards all along. But now that they were no longer in any immediate danger and had achieved their goal, Chopper paused long enough to contemplate their situation. "Usopp, how do we know Luffy or Zoro or anyone is here?"
"Well, we, ah--" The long-nosed man looked down at the little reindeer, a bit uncertain. "U-um, actually, we--" Chopper's expectant expression, mixed with concern and anxiety, tugged at Usopp's heart. What was he supposed to say? That there was a possibility their friends were on a different island? That maybe they had been picked up by a ship and were across the world? Or maybe they weren't anywhere at all…
Usopp gulped upon his last train of thought.
And it was then that his dark eyebrows furrowed with determination. "We will know if we look, Chopper!" he cried, thrusting his finger towards the mountain. "We shall comb this fiendish island until we come back to this ship with our comrades at our sides!" He took in a deep breath, shouting at the top of his lungs. "Forward Chopper! Forward!"
This new burst of energy seemed to sweep Chopper into higher spirits, and the youngest member of the crew allowed his eyes to glisten as he watched his friend's passionate speech. "You can depend on me!" he exclaimed, nodding vigorously. "Forward!"
Usopp smiled at the doctor's willingness to help, and his eyes trailed up to the emblem that was proudly displayed on their sails. "One of us needs to go out and look while the other stays with the ship," he spoke, the smile slightly fading. He hadn't thought about how a search party with two pirates would work before now, and the concept was beginning to unnerve him.
"What?!" cried Chopper, taken aback by the sudden announcement. "Why can't we go together? It's safer that way!"
"We can't leave the Going Merry without anyone on board," replied Usopp. "One of us needs to stay behind to make sure everything here is okay. Can you imagine what would happen if something damaged or destroyed the ship while we were gone?" The very thought of it seemed to briefly shake Usopp out of his brave façade. "It'd be impossible to help the others if that happened!"
Chopper's gaze fell down to the deck, a frown tugging at his lips. "You're right," he spoke at length.
"Thanks for volunteering, Chopper!" exclaimed Usopp, a cheery beam taking form on his face. "I'm sure you'll find the others in no time!" He was reaching to push him onto the shore when Chopper grew into his big form and shoved his hand away.
"Usopp!" he yelled, sounding much like when the man had sent him looking for an eegyak that Sanji claimed didn't exist. "That's not fair!"
"W-well, do you really expect me to go alone?" asked Usopp, his face suddenly pale. "I-I mean, the wilderness should be a breeze for you, right? You being a deer--"
"Reindeer," Chopper abruptly corrected. "And I'm better suited for snowy areas anyway--"
"You've traveled through all sorts of hot places. Besides, you'd be able to smell the others if they were around here!" exclaimed Usopp, nodding to emphasize his statement. "I can't do that! So you're better suited for this mission."
"B-but, but--!" Chopper desperately looked towards the dark, ominous forest that awaited him beyond the beach. He bit his lip, uncertain and fearful. But he recalled how he had told Usopp that he could be depended upon, and for a moment it seemed like he had no choice. "F-fine…"
Usopp paused and stared down at his companion, feeling a bit sheepish at his own behavior. Wasn't he the captain now? Wasn't it he who was in charge of this rescue mission? Wasn't it he who was responsible for the protection of his two-man crew? Usopp's cheeks vaguely flushed, and he took a deep breath. "No, Chopper," he spoke softly and seriously. "You stay here. I'll go."
"No," mumbled Chopper, still in his large form. "I'll go." He hesitated for a brief moment, his hands clasping shyly behind his back. "Y-you're right -- I'd be able to smell their scent if they were here. And I told you that you could count on me…"
"But I'm the captain!" Usopp anxiously replied, staring at his friend in disbelief. "So it's my duty to go!"
"And Ialready said I'd go!" cried Chopper, a frown tugging at his mouth.
"And I already said I'd go instead!" The sniper's eyebrows furrowed with frustration.
The reindeer's teeth clenched. "I'm going!"
Usopp thrust a finger at himself, his voice passionately rising. "No, I am!"
"I am!"
"I am!!"
Their arguments continued to rise through the salty, ocean air, competing with one another in both might and strength. Chopper and Usopp cried out in vain, however, for they would soon discover that it's impossible to convince a loyal man to back down when his friends are in need.
"Quit hiding and let's fight!" Luffy shouted above the gusty wind, his voice strained and angry. "My hat blew away because of you and I want it back!" But he received no answer, and his fingers dug tighter into the monster's skin as the creature continued to spastically move its body in an attempt to shake him off. But the more the monster shook, the tighter Luffy held on, and the monster only tried harder to get him off.
"Stop it, Mister Monster!" cried Luffy. "I'm just borrowing your back for a little while!" But the blue creature refused to yield until it finally began a quick descent towards the island forest. Teeth gritting, the rubber pirate swiftly reached out and grabbed onto the monster's slick mane. "At least slow down!" he tried to reason with the animal, his fingers beginning to slide from their grasp. "I'm gonna slip--!"
True to his word, that's exactly what Luffy did. His body flung into the air, and he could barely register what had happened before he was plunging into the thick trees and vines that crowned forest. Branches violently snapped, and Luffy felt sharp, splintering pieces of wood pierce and scrape his skin.
And then it stopped.
When Luffy finally opened his eyes, the world was upside down and rapidly spinning. For a moment, he thought that something had gone terribly wrong in his fall to put his surroundings into such disarray. But then he discovered that he was merely hanging upside down, his foot caught in a clump of branches. He was just beginning to wonder how he was to get down when he a sudden snap sounded and his body dropped to the moist ground.
Heaving a tired sigh, Luffy lifted himself to his feet. His stomach gave a desperate growl, and the pirate recalled the last meal he had eaten over 24 hours ago. It hadn't even been that much, either -- just a couple of fish and half a crab. Luffy thought of Zoro, who had eaten even less, and he silently wondered how he was faring. After all, they were used to eating Sanji's lavish meals of steaks, fish, fruits, vegetables and soups all piled onto one table. He almost groaned with the memory and leaned against a tree, his legs feeling wobbly. "I'm so hungry," he mumbled. The fact he had a huge, gaping gash in his side wasn't making the situation any better.
He was thrown out of his thoughts when he heard several trees crashing to the ground in the distance. His eyes instinctively located the source of the racket and he curiously wandered to see what it was. Maybe it was Raffles' doing.
As he drew closer, he saw the blue, speckled body of the monster peeking over the trees. Luffy withdrew himself from the shade of the forest and into the clearing that the monster seemed to have just made. "What're you doing?" the pirate asked the creature.
Pausing long enough to regard the boy with a strange look, he held up a tree he had just plucked from the ground and hoisted it over his back, rubbing it back and forth. With each movement, a flurry of leaves fell onto the ground. Luffy watched with wide-eyed fascination until it dawned on him what was going on. "Oh! You're scratching your back?" He managed a laugh despite how hungry he was. "That's really smart!" The monster only glared at him in response. "What're you mad at me for? You were the one who threw me off." He grinned. "I ought to eat you just for that!"
The monster wasn't amused, but he didn't seem to be taking Luffy seriously either. He continued to scratch his back with the tree. "By the way," Luffy spoke, "have you seen that Rabbles guy?"
Another flurry of green leaves went up from the ground, as if caused by some invisible force. Blinking, Luffy turned to it as the monster finally set down his makeshift backscratcher. "What do you expect it to say, eh?!" The hunter's disgruntled voice sounded. "'Why, yes, that pesky little man was on my back but I used this tree here to get him off!'" A tense pause. "And it's Raffles, you deaf little monkey."
"I thought I already told you I don't care what your name is," Luffy replied, becoming disinterested in what the botanist had to say. "Let's just put an end to this fight so I can send you into the air and be done with it. I wanna go find my hat and get something to eat."
"Idiot," hissed Raffles. "I've already gouged at your side. You've been bleeding heavily ever since, and your pale face is only a testimony of what your body is going through. You'd be better off just giving in now."
"If you think you're the worst I've ever fought, you're giving yourself too much credit." Luffy popped his knuckles, his eyebrows furrowed. "I'm ready."
"Then catch me!" the man cackled. With those words, Luffy heard his laugh fade to his right and the pirate quickly followed the sound. He ran for several minutes, having his foe's occasional laugh or taunt as his only guide. Finally, they reached the clearing that was around the mountain's base. It was then that Luffy saw footprints swiftly materialize within the moist dirt.
He didn't realize it until it was too late that the trail had slipped into a dark cave.
Eager to end this twisted game, Luffy carelessly entered the mouth of the damp cave, followed by the echo of sandals slapping against the ground. "Where are you?" he called.
"Come and get me!" crowed Raffles from within the cave, but his voice echoed so loudly it was difficult to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. The pirate swung his fist to where he thought he might have been, but it only collided against a boulder. Small pebbles broke from the impact, and a tense silence lingered for a few moments.
"Honestly, is that the best you can do?" jeered Raffles. Luffy wasted no time in hurling his other fist at another possible place Raffles might have been, but to no avail.
Luffy gritted his teeth in irritation before shouting, "Gomu gomu no Gattling!" A barrage of punches seemed to pulverize whatever was near him, sending deep cracks into the cave walls and ceiling.
The rubber man was out of breath when he finally ceased his attack. His irritated gaze slowly trailed upward as he saw bits of dust and chunks of stone begin to fall. The cave violently shook. "Huh?--" Yelping, he leapt out of the way as a giant boulder dropped onto the ground, sending chunks of rock into the air. Luffy's eyebrows shot up to his dark bangs when he looked up once more and realized that the cave was beginning to collapse upon itself. "Ah! Oh no!" He turned to leave, but the heavy ceiling above him began to give way.
Desperately, he began to increase his speed to escape, knowing that he didn't need to be trapped in a place like this. But his foot caught when a fallen boulder pinned his leg to the ground, sending his body hurling towards the dirt.
A sudden tremor in the ground startled Roronoa Zoro from his light slumber, and the swordsman abruptly sat up from the cold rock he slept against. Tense, he listened to and observed his surroundings, his dark eyes moving to the clearing in front of him. Sanji shifted nearby, but the green-haired man ignored him. Instead, he made to stand, his calloused hands moving to the swords at his side.
"Luffy…"
Author's notes: A big thanks to Luz Nocturnal for beta-reading this installment. Also, a fantastic artist on DeviantArt by the name of "Kalei-chan" drew some Hide and Seek art for me. I'd post the link, but the url keeps on getting deleted. If anyone can help me, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.