For disclaimer, refer to chapter 1. And here are replies to reviews:
Denygo: Thanks, that's what I was aiming for—something that could really happen. Most of the One Piece stories are either romantic, or AU (including the stories about new crew members) or both, and I find that quite annoying. I know that a lot of people may not agree with me, but I believe that this group has a bond much stronger than a romantic or family-type one. Which is why I decided to try and write a One Piece story that seemed closer to the original. The only hard part is keeping everyone in character…
babe300: Luffy and Sanji… Yeah, I almost forgot—Zoro's swords are useless against Buggy. But Robin could easily help too, don't you think? I'm not quite sure what's going to happen… It could be the crew that gets Buggy, or it could be some other random pirate that came along… Or (smirks) Buggy could get away with it…
Emma Iveli: Don't worry, everyone will get sufficient explanations! Thanks for the compliment!
Thank you very much for your reviews! Now, on with the story…
Revenge of the Clown
Chapter 2:The Clown Pirates
"Captain, why did you steal his hat?" asked the mystified Kabaji as their ship slowly distanced itself from that of the Straw Hat Pirates. "I thought that you were going to get your revenge on them."
The captain, who had previously been laughing wildly at his theft's success, swung around to glare, dropping the straw hat that he had been swinging around onto the deck as he did so. His already large, red nose seemed to become larger and redder with anger.
"You people were all knocked out when I was actually fighting him that first time. If you'd been awake, you would have heard that this hat is his most valued treasure."
"This thing, a treasure?" asked Mohji dubiously as he picked the hat up distastefully by the edge of the brim, dangling it in front of his face. "It doesn't look like much more than an old, dirty hat to me. I'd want to get rid of it as quickly as possible if I were him."
"I have to agree," cut in Alvida, lounging on a couch on deck as she always did, displaying her unrivaled beauty. "If he really finds the necessity to have a straw hat on his head, he might as well just get a newer, less battered one." Buggy shrugged.
"I would agree, but I also know why that hat is so important to him." His crew and Alvida looked at him with interest before he could continue.
"You mean that idiot pirate actually has a reason that he wears this filthy hat? Apparently he does have a little bit of brain. But what sort of reason could persuade anyone, even a stupid brainless pirate, to wear something like this?" Kabaji's voice gave away his distaste for the hat as he took it from Mohji, trying to touch it as little as possible, and turned it over and over. "Is there some sort of secret to this?"
"It's the hat that symbolizes his vow with Shanks." Everyone stared at the Clown Pirate.
"Shanks? You mean Red-Haired Shanks? But that's a big pirate! A really big one!" Buggy turned to glare at the crewmember that had spoken.
"Do you mean to say that we're below Shanks?" The crewmember cowered.
"No, but… It's just… They're probably next in line to One Piece after White Beard! If the Straw Hat Crew knows him-" Suddenly, the man was lifted off the ground, a hand around his neck. Buggy held out his arm before him, but it lacked a hand—the hand that was strangling the man who had just doubted him.
"I know that you're only a new crew member," growled Buggy, "So I'll let you off lightly." With this the hand released the man who collapsed with a gasp on the deck. "But I'll tell you this—we are no lower than Shanks. If they are that close to One Piece, then so are we. Shanks and I were comrades when we were student pirates. We are no lower than Shanks."
"You and Shanks?" asked Alvida in surprise. "You never told me that!"
"It isn't something I advertise. I'm ashamed of it. It's that man's fault that I never got off to the good start as I could have if he hadn't been there."
"It's Shanks' fault that he ate a devil's fruit," added Mohji.
"Mohji, you're supposed to support me! Stop spreading my problems around!"
"Whatever the case about Shanks, what is this vow that makes the hat so important to Luffy?" Alvida's question brought the conversation back on track.
"I don't really know—after that he attacked."
"Anyhow, what do you intend to do with that hat? You say that he'll definitely come after us, so what are you going to do with that?"
Buggy smirked.
"He's going to pursue us, naturally, and we'll dock on an island where I set a certain trap for that entire crew. Then we attack, and next thing you know, our bounty will be higher than a hundred million!" The crew exchanged glances.
"What sort of trap is this?" The question came from Alvida, her head lifted slightly from where she still reclined on her couch. Her tone was suspicious, but her eyes showed interest. As Buggy replied, he appeared to be slightly irritated at her apparent lack of faith in him.
"I have a cage hanging from the top of a tree, hidden by the leaves. The moment anyone steps under it, the mechanism will be triggered, and the cage will fall, trapping whoever stands below it. I tested it once—it works perfectly!"
"That it does," grumbled Mohji, looking across at the lion that lay fast asleep on the other side of the deck with the occasional snort or growl. "Poor Richie… Never gets any respect on this ship!"
"That man is strong," Alvida countered, ignoring Mohji's complaints along with everyone else. "What's going to stop him from simply toppling the cage?"
Buggy's smirk widened.
"The cage is made of kairoseki, naturally."
Alvida still did not appear convinced.
"That will only stop Luffy from touching it. What about the others?" Though Buggy looked at the beauty with irritation, he showed more patience than he would have ever shown any of his crew.
"Most of the crew, including Kabaji and Mohji, will be waiting to attack, since that idiot captain will run off ahead for his hat." Alvida smiled.
"Of course my man would have everything planned out perfectly. So what do you intend to lure him into the right spot with?"
"His hat, naturally! If we just toss it into place, the trap will be complete!" With this, Buggy turned to his crew. "Men, at this time tomorrow, we'll be one of the most wanted pirates in the world! It's time for a gaudy feast, fellows!"
With a loud cheer, wine began to be brought up from the ship's storage room. However, before any sort of feast could start, the man on the observation deck called down.
"Captain, if we go any further, it will be impossible for them to see us!"
Buggy reacted instantly, without a moment of hesitation.
"Lower the anchor, men!"
With a cheer only slightly less energetic than the last, the men proceeded to do as they were instructed.
"You did spend a great deal of time thinking this whole thing out, dear."
"Well, my lovely Alvida, every plan must be thought out thoroughly if it is to go well."
"It must be indeed, captain," agreed Kabaji from where he leaned against the edge of the ship.
"The anchor has been lowered, captain!" called the men who had gone to do the job.
"Good! Now we feast!" Another enthusiastic roar followed Buggy's words, and the continuation of the preparations began. However, no sooner than people had begun picking up the barrels and bottles than another call came down from the observation deck.
"Captain, the Straw Hat Pirates are beginning to move! They appear to be raising their anchor!"
Again, Buggy reacted instantly, a glint in his eyes.
"Men, raise the anchor!"
This time, while some attempted half-hearted cheers, some openly groaned at their lost feast. Buggy spun around to look at them with his sharpest glare, and when he spoke, his voice was as cold as ice.
"This is going to be the event that breaks us through to becoming one of the greatest pirates. The next man who groans will be thrown off of this ship."
There was an instant energetic roar.
"Good! Now, men, let our glory and revenge begin!"
With another roar, the crewmembers began rushing about, raising the anchor, checking the direction, and making sure that the boat was moving at its swiftest speed. Buggy, Alvida, Kabaji, Mohji and Richie, however, remained sitting as usual, preferring to let the ones of lower status do the work.
"Just be careful, dear," Alvida said lazily, reaching out for a wine bottle, easily removing the cork and taking a sip. "You know that those people have quite a bit of luck to make up for their lack of common sense."
"Oh, I remember, Alvida," Buggy replied, suppressing a shudder at the thought of his last encounter with Luffy's unbelievable and miraculous luck. Half a second before his sword could cut off that annoying, smiling head, a bolt of lightning had struck. Straw Hat, apparently, had been unaffected, but Buggy himself had found the experience quite painful. But not, he thought, worse than that first time—he remembered wandering around with nothing but his head, hands and feet, lacking his other body parts on account of that thief, that deceptive red-haired woman. About the only good outcome of that journey had been his meeting Alvida. "I am never going to fall victim to that idiot's luck again. Even their luck can't keep up forever."
"I thoroughly agree, captain, but I agree that we ought to be extra careful," Kabaji spoke up. "They do say, 'what happens twice happens thrice'."
Buggy glared at his first mate.
"You may recall the saying 'success comes on the third time' as well."
"That's true," yawned Kabaji. "I just told you to be careful."
"Captain!" came a frantic call from the front of the ship, along with five men coming running. Our Eternal Pose has broken!" For a moment, there was silence. Then Buggy's eyes bulged.
"The Eternal Pose did what? What were you doing, playing?" The red-nosed man's hands once again left his wrists as they gathered up his daggers. With a squeal of fright, the five crewmembers huddled together.
"No, captain! The navigator suddenly felt ill, and in clasping his head, accidentally dropped the Eternal Pose!"
"Where is the navigator?" panicked the captain.
"He fainted, captain! Right before the Eternal Pose smashed!"
As the captain and the five crewmembers exchanged words of threat and panic, Kabaji looked at Mohji and Alvida.
"See? What happens twice happens thrice. He should have gotten three or four of those."
Alvida glared at the acrobat.
"The crew," spoke her icy tone, "should never insult the captain unless they have a death wish."
Meanwhile, Mohji looked behind them. They had stopped moving upon the breaking of the Eternal Pose, and in the time that they were squabbling, the Straw Hats' ship had already come into view behind their ship, even without the use of binoculars.
"Captain!" Mohji called. "The Straw Hats are rapidly gaining on us!"
Before Buggy could respond, Alvida spoke.
"We're strong enough to defeat them even without any elaborate plan. Dear, just follow the Logue Pose."
Looking behind the ship, Buggy confirmed Mohji's words. Left without a choice, he called to his crew.
"Men! Follow the Logue Pose! Quickly! The Straw Hats are gaining!"
The men instantly rushed to follow their captain's orders, although their movements betrayed their loss of confidence very clearly. Alvida could see this.
"Don't lose heart, boys! There are a great number of us, and all quite strong as well. There are only six of them—the five that we saw in Logue Town, and the black-haired woman who was sitting on the deck! And we know that two of those are cowards—they ran off at Logue Town, ignoring the prospect of their captain's death! We will have no more than four to fight seriously at the worst!"
Alvida's stern shout was returned with an energetic roar.
"It is unlike you to encourage them," commented Kabaji in an indifferent tone.
Alvida did not reply. Her eyes flickered around to look at the ship that pursued them, and then turned back to look in the direction they were heading.
A/N Not as long as my last chapter, and not even a single member of the Straw Hats in it, but this chapter was necessary, I felt. Kairoseki is that rock that has the properties of the ocean, thereby making it impossible for those who have eaten a Devil Fruit to touch. I don't know what they call it in English…
And again, I'll only put up the next chapter when I get three more reviews, so REVIEW! I really want to know what you people think! Did you like it? Is there any thing particular that you think I should do to make this better? Tell me anything!