Replies to reviews:
Sandblasted-Kitten: Yup (about Luffy's hand being stabbed); must have been painful. But knowing him, he won't ever even mention it again… I'm really glad that you like it!
Smartz: (grins) Thanks for the complements! That's what I try to do, actually. My hardest task, I find, is keeping everyone in character while, at the same time, following the plot that I made myself. I started trying when I was thirteen, and those fics were just plain awful. I deleted them recently, and decided to try and start over. 'Forgotten Dream', a Sailor Moon fanfic, and this are my two new attempts.
xXSanji-kunXx (and Bon Clay): Well, here they are, actually on the island! Granted, it's only the dock, but still… Hope you like it!
babe300: (laughs sheepishly) Actually, I've no idea who's going to defeat Buggy and Alvida myself. It could just be Luffy, Sanji and Robin, or it could be someone else… Well, we'll both see how it turns out in the end! I know the feeling of liking reviews turning up in stories. I like it when my reviews are replied to as well… It makes me almost as happy as I get when I see that someone has reviewed one of my stories.
VM: I'm really glad that you like it. I hope that you like the fighting scenes (though there will be more in the next chapter as well)—this is my first time writing them. Don't worry, I counted your review as five, and here's the update! It's just a little delayed because of a farewell party I attended at school, and then my cousin visited for the first time in a month or so. Well, I hope that you aren't disappointed!
Revenge of the Clown
Chapter 4:White Island
"No…"
The rest of the Clown Pirates could only ignore their captain's muttering. He had begun to mutter when he had first seen the island ahead of them and identified it as White Island, the residence of a number of White Beard's men. In other words, the worst place for a fight.
However, they had docked, and the Straw Hat Pirates were growing ever closer. Most felt that it was time for their captain to pull himself together. But then again, Buggy was the only one who knew what White Beard's wrath could be like.
Finally deciding to pull himself together, captain Buggy turned to his men.
"Listen. Fighting on this island gives us a very slim chance of survival. You men take that thief girl, long-nosed coward, and the black-haired woman. Kabaji, take Roronoa and finish him off as swiftly as you can. Mohji, take the man with the blond hair. He must be relatively strong. Alvida and I will take care of Straw Hat. Once you finish your charge, help finish off anyone else. This needs to be done as rapidly as possible."
"Dear," cut in Alvida. "Do you think it wise to leave Nico Robin to the lesser men?"
Buggy turned to stare at her.
"'Nico Robin'? Who?"
"The black haired woman that we spoke to. You apparently don't know, but she became a bounty head of over seventy million at the age of eight."
Everyone seemed to go deathly pale instantly. The lesser men exchanged terrified glances, and Mohji, Kabaji and Buggy just stared at Alvida in horror.
"Why didn't you say something earlier!" Buggy's voice seemed to be cracking with strain. Everything seemed to be going wrong at once.
Alvida shrugged.
"Because I assumed that you knew, of course. The woman is quite well-known after all."
Buggy faltered for a moment, but soon regained his voice.
"Fine, then. Half of you men go with Alvida and kill that woman. I can take on Straw Hat on my own." The men, however, appeared to be staring at something behind him in horror.
He turned back to look at the ship that was approaching, wondering what was alarming his men. Instantly, Buggy's face met a fist that sent him flying backwards. Holding a hand to his nose in pain, Buggy looked up in time to see a familiar form landing safely before him and all his men.
As Buggy pulled out his daggers, he saw his men doing so as well.
"No, you morons!" he called angrily as he turned his eyes to the glaring, black-haired youth. "Watch for the others!"
But it was too late. A group of ten men charged at the young pirate, their daggers brandished menacingly. The young man stood calmly as they approached. A moment before the closest man had reached him, however, he extended his arm and gripped a roof. Pulling himself swiftly into the air, he narrowly escaped the dagger that had been heading for his chest.
Not turning to watch the ten men cry out in pain as their daggers, already carrying too much momentum to stop so abruptly, cut their comrades, the hatless Straw Hat braced his legs as he flew through the air.
"Gomu gomu no…" Suddenly his right leg shot out, extending as it did so, and sweeping about twenty of the lesser men off their feet. "Whip!"
Luffy knew well that this attack would not even knock out the majority. He also knew, however, that if he caused as much damage as possible, it would make it easier for his comrades when they reached the dock.
The men that he had kicked flew in all directions. Buggy and Alvida watched in horror from the dock, Nami, Usopp and Robin from the observation deck of the ship, as a number of passersby were knocked off their feet as a result of the attack as well.
Nami looked close to tears.
"We are so dead…"
"We should just run now…" muttered Usopp, more to himself than Nami. She looked to Usopp in hopeless frustration.
"This isn't just any silly fight that Luffy randomly picked, Usopp. It's his hat. His hat! We can't run away without that!"
As they approached the dock, Zoro and Sanji leapt out of the ship, just as Luffy, with a shout of "gomu gomu no fireworks!" sent a great number of people flying, including passersby. Two of Zoro's swords were out before he landed, and Sanji's left leg was braced for landing, his right for kicking. A split second after they reached the ground, the lesser men were scattered on the ground throughout the area, unconscious.
"Please!" cried Nami. Having climbed down from the observation deck, she and Robin stood at the prow of the ship as Usopp lowered the anchor. "It's dangerous! Don't hurt the passersby! Or anyone else that isn't part of Buggy's pirate ship!"
"It's useless, navigator-san. They're men." Robin's quiet words came even before the swordsman and cook replied.
"Humph. They get in my way, I get rid of them." As he spoke, Zoro removed the bandana around his upper arm and unsheathed his third sword, placing it in his mouth and regaining his grip on the other two.
"If they don't want to be hurt, they can always stay away, Nami-san." Sanji's right leg was rising for another attack.
"Come on…" But the frightened navigator's weak pleas went unheard as the strongest members of Buggy's ship took up places with their appointed opponent.
"Anyone who can get up, get the red-haired girl and the long-nosed boy!" shouted Buggy as Luffy stood and faced him with a fierce glare.
"Give me back my hat," growled the normally easy-going captain. Buggy smirked in reply.
"What makes you think I still have it? I could have easily tied it to a stone and thrown it into the ocean, couldn't I?"
With a roar of rage, Luffy's fist shot out.
"Bara bara emergency escape!" shouted Buggy as his head jumped off his shoulders and Luffy's fist flew through midair, missing his target. Buggy snorted as the boy clasped the corner of a house with his outstretched hand and pulled himself forward for a second attack. Buggy stepped easily out of his path.
"You need new fighting techniques," he said lazily. "You used all this the first time we fought."
But Luffy's arm extended unexpectedly as he flew past Buggy, bringing the large nosed man with him. The two of them crashed into a house, which collapsed on top of them.
When Zoro had found himself facing the man who had fought so dirtily the previous time, he found himself smirking.
"You couldn't beat me when I had my stomach sliced open. What makes you think that you can beat me now?"
"You appear to have gained no knowledge at all in the time that we have been apart, Roronoa Zoro. People become stronger. I have become much stronger than I was at our last encounter. Indeed-" Kabaji dug his sword into the dirt below him and threw it up, creating a cloud of dust that effectively cut off Zoro's vision. Suddenly, a sword came flying out of the cloud. "I have learned enough that I can now easily defeat you." Zoro met the sword with one of his own, creating a loud clanging sound as their swords met. As the dust cleared, he saw Kabaji, now on his unicycle, giving a triumphant smile.
As he raised the sword in his other hand to attack, Kabaji swiftly swept his sword between Zoro's in an attempt to inflict a wound. But Zoro easily cut off that stroke with the sword that had been rising for attack, raising the one that had been defending in attack. Kabaji swiftly pedaled backwards, avoiding the swing.
"-As fast as you can!" he suddenly heard Nami shouting.
Yes, he thought, I have to finish this guy off as quickly as possible. Nami and Robin were saying something about some guy…
As Kabaji regained an attacking stance, Zoro readied his own.
"Oni…" He crossed the two swords in his hands as Kabaji approached. "Giri!" His swords swung forwards with full force as soon as Kabaji was in range.
Recognizing the attack a split second before it hit, Kabaji put up his sword between the two that Zoro held in his hands, allowing himself to be thrown heavily backwards, but not sliced open.
"Well then," he heard Zoro say as he righted his body. "You do appear to be stronger, but not enough to defeat me."
Without bothering to reply, Kabaji pedaled backwards on his unicycle, then jumped into the air, bringing the cycle with him. As he came down on Zoro, he saw the green haired man calmly walking out from under him. Outraged that his foe should be so unfazed, he swept the sword out to the side, cutting a gash in Zoro's side.
Zoro gave a grunt, but instantly swing around, bringing his swords with him. Kabaji leapt backwards off of his unicycle, and the cycle was cut to pieces. Kabaji felt himself go pale.
"That was…metal…" Zoro smirked in reply to Kabaji's sudden nervousness.
"That's right. Still think you can defeat me?" With that, he dashed forward.
What followed was a clanging of swords so fast that neither of them could tell what was what. Swords slashed, blocked, stabbed and deflected so rapidly that they seemed to be a blur, and the clanging seemed to be one long sound. Finally, when Kabaji retreated, there was blood dripping from a slash across his cheek as well as one across his stomach. There was a deep gash across Zoro's chest, reopening the wound that had been the mark of his failure to achieve his dream.
Zoro choked with the pain. Kabaji, upon seeing his enemy's condition, grinned, forgetting his own pain, and dashed forwards, chuckling triumphantly.
"This is the end, Roronoa! Look back and regret having underestimated me when you go to the next world!"
Zoro, recovering from the initial wave of pain, had two swords raised above his head, his third one sheathed at his hip. Abruptly, his head snapped up to look at Kabaji, still the width of a house ahead of him.
"Seventy-two Pound Rifle!" Unable to even comprehend what had happened, wounds appeared on Kabaji's chest moments after Zoro brought down his swords in a strong swing, sending him flying backwards.
Kabaji lay unmoving, and Zoro collapsed to the ground.
"What are you wearing?"
This had been Sanji's first comment upon facing his opponent. He could understand someone with Luffy's level of intelligence wanting to play dress-up in fluffy bunny costumes while on the ship, but even Luffy wouldn't appear in battle wearing a bunny costume. Then again, maybe it was for terror purposes. A fluffy rabbit riding a lion was, in a way, terrifying…
Mohji instantly shot a glare at his opponent. This man did not look particularly strong. He did not have muscles or weapons like the swordsman, and he did not appear to have eaten a Devil's Fruit either. Nope, definitely not anyone worth his time.
"I am not wearing anything, you insolent boy! This is my own hair!"
"Hair?" Sanji repeated with a snort. "That's fur. What are you, a cross between a rabbit and a human? Those two must have had major mental problems."
"Who do you think you are?" As he spoke, Mohji shot out a leg at Sanji, fully intending to kick him right through his own ship.
However, Sanji was quicker. Slipping to the side to avoid Mohji's foot, he shot his own foot at the lion's neck. When the lion swatted his foot out of the way with its paw, Sanji drew back in surprise. He had thought that the lion was only some sort of vehicle, but it seemed that it was also a weapon.
His leg shot out again, this time at the furry man on the lion's back. The lion leapt over Sanji's head, avoiding the kick. When Sanji attempted to aim another kick, the lion stepped to the side.
After the lion had avoided six of his kicks, Sanji found himself very annoyed.
"Just get out of my way, you idiot!" he shouted as he aimed an unplanned, unexpected kick at the lion's neck. This time his kick found its mark, and the lion flew straight through the Clown Pirates' ship and into the sea.
"Richie!" called Mohji in horror. But no sooner had he said that than Sanji's foot met his back, and he was thrown through the air, hitting a lamppost.
Sanji waited for the man to get up, but he did not. The man had already lost consciousness. Sanji was about to criticize this, when he heard a woman's scream from their ship.
"Nami-san! Robin-chan!"
Not wasting a moment, Sanji was rushing back to the ship, the fluffy bunny-man forgotten.
Luffy's head finally popped out of the side of the pile of rubble that had once been a house and he breathed heavily. He had been digging frantically for what felt like a very long time. He was rubber and therefore could not be harmed by anything falling on him as long as it wasn't sharp, but he had been unable to breathe. When he felt like his lungs were working normally again, he looked around. Though Buggy was nowhere in sight, Luffy saw his swordsman deliver the final blow to his opponent, and watched Kabaji fall as he proceeded to dig the rest of his body out. Just when he had gotten his whole body out of the pile, he saw Zoro collapse as well.
As though he could feel his captain's eyes on him, Zoro's eyes opened again almost as soon as he hit the ground. Upon seeing Luffy, he let out a grunt.
"I'm sleeping, Luffy."
"Sure. I'll get Big Nose." Zoro gave a small grin in response before closing his eyes and promptly falling asleep.
Luffy then looked around, absently bringing his hand to his head to secure his hat out of habit. Feeling only hair beneath his fingers, he remembered with a jolt why they were fighting Buggy in the first place. A new rage swelled, and the black haired boy began to dig rapidly through the pile of rubbish. He threw pieces of the house behind him, failing to hear the grunts of pain and cries of outrage that came from behind as pieces of rubble struck a number of uninvolved residents of the island.
Suddenly, Luffy sensed something behind him and spun around, moving slightly to the side as he did so. The dagger held by Buggy's detached hand, which had been aiming straight for his heart, ran through his shoulder instead. Laughing, Buggy released the dagger and his hand returned to its place on his wrist.
"Don't you know not to turn your back on your enemies during battle? Shanks never did teach you much, did he? Then again, that moron didn't ever know anything himself, either."
Buggy's laughing taunt heightened Luffy's anger, and he rushed forward in a rage.
"I told you before" -Buggy hastily scattered his body parts to avoid injury- "not to insult Shanks" –but Luffy's arm stretched out and grabbed his head- "because he" –Luffy swung the face around to face himself angrily as he pulled the skin on the cheeks to keep him from dividing himself even further- "is a much greater man" –Buggy began to mutter protests in pain, but went unheard- "than you could ever hope to be!" As he finished, Luffy slammed the head down to the ground angrily. Buggy gave a sharp gasp of pain.
Then, regaining control of himself, his hands came to drag Luffy away from himself as his parts reassembled themselves.
"Where's my hat?" Luffy's question was sharp.
"I told you! Bara-"
"Don't you dare take yourself apart again!" called Luffy, a leg swinging out and knocking down the other pirate, who had just got to his feet. Buggy hit the ground with an "oof" as Luffy's leg extended up into the sky.
"Gomu gomu no…" the foot came rapidly down. "Axe!"
As his foot slammed down onto the stomach of his foe, causing the large nosed pirate to choke as he gasped for breath, an angry voice rang through the area.
"What is this?"
Author's Note:
Okay, that's this chapter. This was the first fighting scene that I've ever written, so it was a little difficult… But I'm having a lot of fun writing this story! I just have to take care that I don't start having too much fun, because then characters would start to go out of character… Anyway, any comments? Criticisms? Anything? I noticed by the hit rate that a lot of people are reading this, but not reviewing.
Again, five or six reviews before I update. And if you leave me some constructive criticism or ideas, that would be very helpful!