The Pirate King Is Dead - Long Live The Pirate King

Part 3 of a Four Part Saga

By Aoikami Sarah

Chapter Two - Rescue In Rogue Town

Usopp followed his nakama and doctor, walking on four legs to avoid detection, through the narrow back streets of Rogue Town. They had arrived after a harrowing journey from the heart of the Grand Line and even though exhaustion was wearing on them, they pressed on. Luffy's execution was that evening. They had to stop it by any means. After Nami left on the waver, Zoro and Sanji fought and went off on their own, leaving Usopp and Chopper to fend for themselves.

Chopper felt the same way Usopp did. He was scared out of his mind, both for Luffy's sake and their own. If they were to be found by the Marines they would surely be thrown in jail along side him and summarily sentenced to death for high crimes too numerous to list against the world government. They had been to Enies Lobby and back and now the World Government was in shambles. The bad people had been taken care of. Hopefully, the good would now rise to reorganize and restructure the world that so desperately needed order.

"Usopp, I smell something," Chopper said in a hushed tone. The last time he had said that, it was gunpowder and nothing good came of it.

Usopp swallowed. "What is it?" he asked.

"Curry."

Usopp's jaw dropped. "Now is not the time to get hungry!"

"No!" Chopper stopped and sniffed. "I smell Sanji's curry!"

Usopp looked in the direction Chopper was sniffing and tried to smell too, but his nose was not nearly so sophisticated. "Where?"

"This way!" Chopper cried and they ran back toward the pier. "It's coming from that weird ship!" he said. Just ahead, a strange white ship took up much of one of the piers.

Tears came to Usopp's eyes. "Alright!" he cheered. "It's the Baratie! Chopper, this is Sanji's old restaurant! They must have heard about Luffy and come to help out!"

Chopper sniffed. "Ah!" he cried. "I don't believe it!" They ran up the gang plank and Usopp called for Zeph, Patty and Carne. Not only did the three chefs emerge, but they were followed by the prodigal son himself. "Sanji!"

Chopper changed back into his small form and tackled the tall, blond man, who grinned and accepted the hug. "You think I'd just sit back and let that idiot get himself killed?" he said.

"Thank God!" Usopp wiped his eyes. "I was afraid Chopper and I would be the only ones. Now I'm more confident that we can actually pull this off!"

Sanji lit a cigarette. "I was hoping I'd find you, too, Usopp. We need a plan. I have no gift for strategy."

Chopper fretted. "The three of us against tons of Marines… I'm still scared."

The cigarette hanging from Sanji's lip nearly fell to the deck. His eye widened. Chopper and Usopp turned to see what the matter was. "It's you…" Sanji said in disbelief as he noticed someone coming up the pier toward them.

"Hello, my friends!" a loud voice bellowed from a few hundred feet away. "I've come to save the day!"

"Bon-chan!" Usopp and Chopper cheered. The former Baroque Works officer-agent was as flamboyant as ever, even without the ballerina getup. He wore a powder blue women's pants suit with white, pointed shoes and his hair in a cute flip. His makeup, as usual, was over the top.

"And look who I found!" he sang. A certain swordsman was trailing at a short distance and looking mortified.

"Zoro!" Usopp and Chopper cheered again.

"Keep it down!" Sanji shouted. "This place is crawling with marines!" He used his cigarette to point. "Like that one!" He recognized the woman walking behind Zoro.

"She's with me," Zoro growled. "She came to help."

"Tashigi…" Usopp marveled. "Really? Awesome! We've got a marine on our side!"

She frowned and pushed her glasses up her nose. "Only because this execution is not just," Tashigi explained. "Mugiwara no Luffy should be exonerated of the charges against him. I know that now."

Usopp pounded his fist into his palm. "Ok! Now we have something to work with!"

Zeph took a deep breath and made a grumbling sort of sound. "You kids should come inside away from prying eyes and ears," he suggested and showed them all into the dining room.

"Wait a minute. What about Nami-san?" Sanji asked. "Has anyone seen her?"

Zoro shook his head. The others shrugged.

Chopper fretted. "I hope she hasn't gotten herself captured!"

Zoro scoffed. "She's too smart for that. She took off before any of us when this went down. She's probably here already and has her own plan."

Usopp made a face. "Regardless, I'm confident now that we can do this. Bon-chan, we're going to need your Akuma no Mi ability to pull this off. Will you help?"

He cackled. "You bet your sweet ass!"

"Alright!" Usopp shouted. "Ok, everyone. Listen to me. We're gonna break Luffy outta prison!"

They plotted for about twenty minutes, getting the timing and steps plotted out for a perfect get-away. Usopp had a job for everyone to fulfill. He also made provision for Nami, should she appear.

.X.

Voices echoed from the teeming streets above, resounding in the deep, narrow cell. Only a scant amount of light from a tiny, barred window near the ceiling fifty feet overhead and a glow from the cracks in the heavy iron door cut into the darkness. Water dripped down the wall opposite the door and next to that a figure crouched on his bended knees. His wrists, neck and feet were shackled in heavy metal bonds chained to the stone wall. His head was bowed. The voices above droned as if they were one voice, charged with excitement. It had been more than 25 years since the first Pirate King was captured and executed. Once again, Rogue Town received visitors from all the oceans and the Grand Line to witness history.

"The Pirate King, the Pirate King…" the voices murmured. "Monkey D. Luffy."

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy," the prisoner muttered. "The man who became the Pirate King…" He shifted his weight. The kairoseki shackles prevented him from using his Akuma no Mi ability. Not a few Marines had abused his defenseless state. His body bore dozens of cuts and bruises to show for it. His head was wrapped in a crude bandage that covered his right eye. His left was half-lidded and heavy with exhaustion. His trademark straw hat had been taken away. Without his strength, he had been unable to fight to get it back. It didn't matter anymore. He lifted his chin to observe the light coming from the window. "Gettin' late," he assumed. "Won't be long now. This'll be over. Once and for all." He smiled, sadly.

"Damn shame," a man's voice drawled from the window above. A soft clatter of metal and cloth indicated he sat down very close by, perhaps against the outside of the building. "Luffy doesn't deserve this."

A few other voices grumbled in agreement. Luffy raised his head and wondered at the conversation.

"I wish there was something I could do…"

"We all do, Captain," someone agreed. "It's too late."

"If I could just talk to him one more time," the seated man said with a heavy sigh. "I never got to see him. I never got my hat back."

Luffy's heart leapt into his mouth. "Shanks…" he whispered.

"If I could speak to him, if he could hear me…" Shanks said, turning his head toward the window to his side. "I'd tell him that I knew what he'd done for the world. That I read about his adventures in the paper and heard about them through word of mouth." He took a deep breath and shouted. "I'd tell him how proud I was of him!"

Luffy wept silently. His tears fell to the dirty floor. "Shanks…"

"Good-bye, Luffy," Shanks said, pushing himself to his feet with his only arm. "We'll miss you."

"Shanks," Luffy sobbed as his mentor walked away. "I lost your hat… I'm sorry. I lost..." Suddenly, anger flooded him. His blood boiled. "I'm going to die without my hat. God damn it!" He punched the stone floor, bloodying his knuckles and sending waves of delicious pain up his arms.

"You mean this hat?" A soft voice from the other side of the room startled him. Luffy looked up and squinted in the dim light. She was twirling the legendary straw hat on her index finger.

"Nami…?"

"I might be the best navigator in the world, but I'm still a world-class thief."

The delight and relief that had danced across his face flew away. "I told you to leave this to me."

"Since when has your crew listened to what you said?" Nami hurried toward him and picked the shackles' locks. Luffy sat motionless. "Come on, we're getting out of here."

"Stupid," he hissed. "Now you'll get killed too…"

Nami grabbed him by the arm and pulled, but he sat like a stone. "Luffy, don't talk like that. I'm going to rescue you, so put up with it!" Before he could argue further, the sounds of voices coming from down the hall reached their ears. "Oh, shit!" Nami hissed and ran to the corner next to the door.

Luffy's heart hammered in his chest. "No… Not again…" he muttered and clenched his fists against whatever was coming.

Outside the cell in the basement of Rogue Town's courthouse, two men walked down the torch-lit hall. A guard at the end watched them, saluting before closing the door again.

"Nya hahaha!" the man in uniform cackled. "I can't believe we captured the Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro!" He twisted his thin mustache with a gloved right hand.

"You're really fucking annoying, you know that?" Zoro grumbled.

"I'm really impressive, aren't I?" the officer ignored him. "The hero, Admiral Hanzo of East Blue! Nyahahaha! That's meee!"

Zoro rolled his eyes. "Ok, ok. Enough already!"

"Is this the place?" Hanzo asked, standing up on his tip toes and craning his neck to look into Luffy's cell. "Oh! I see him! I see the Pirate King!"

Luffy tensed up, ready to charge at the admiral when the door was opened. He was surprised to see Zoro's face appear. "Oi, Luffy. You ok?"

"Been better. They got you, huh? I guess I failed at protecting you, too."

Zoro groaned. "You're way too morose. I liked you better when you were sickeningly genki."

The lock turned. The door opened.

"Quickly now," the Admiral advised. "We don't have much time if we're going to rescue the Pirate King, you knoooow?"

Just about to stretch and pound the enemy, Luffy made a false start and tripped a little. He looked up at the silhouette of the officer in the doorway. "The military wants to rescue me?" he asked, bewildered.

"Joudan ja nai wa yo!" The admiral cried. "You gotta be kiddin' me! This is an old fashioned break out, Luffy-chan!" He put his left hand to his cheek and his face changed back to normal.

"Bon-chan!" Luffy cried, getting to his feet.

"It's Bon Clay!" Nami shouted and came out of hiding.

"So, you were here," Zoro noted, removing his unlocked hand-cuffs.

Bon Clay took Luffy and Nami by the arm. "Have the happy reunion on the boat to freedom, my darlings!" He dragged them behind him. "Just act natural and we're as good as gone!" Before reaching the door, Bon Clay put the admiral's face back on and pulled three hooded cloaks out from under his impressive Marine coat. "Long-nose gave me these for you two."

"Usopp's here, too?" she asked, astounded. She was startled to feel her captain's hand squeeze her wrist.

"Hail, hail, the gangs' all here!" Bon Clay sang.

"Everyone…" Luffy said quietly. "I don't know what to say..." His left eye darted across each face."

Zoro put his hand on his shoulder before he tied his bandana over his head and lifted the cloak's hood over that.

Bon Clay grinned. "Same goes for you, Your Highness. Let's get a move on!"

The guards were a little confused, but stood at attention as the 'admiral' and the prisoners made their way out of the prison. Until they reached the first floor, within feet of the front door, their escape seemed like smooth sailing. Then Admiral Hanzo came face to false-face with Admiral Hanzo. Luffy's first reaction was to punch the surprised, real officer in the face. Bon Clay laughed manically as they fought their way into the street. More and more reinforcements gathered as the seconds ticked by. Nami wielded her Dial-mod Clima Tact, Zoro his santoryuu, Luffy his fists and feet and Bon Clay his legendary Okama Kempo. Even for such formidable fighters, the odds were staggering.

"We've got to get to the harbor," Zoro muttered to Luffy as he fought back-to-back with him. "The others are waiting."

Bon Clay smiled. "Fly ahead, my ducks! I'll take care of this," he called, stabbing a marine with a pointed wingtip.

"Are you sure?" Nami asked, eager to get to the ship that waited for them.

"But of cooooourse!" Bon Clay said with a grin. "I always wanted to know what it was like to be the Pirate King!" He grabbed Zoro and Luffy as if to dance with them and swung them away from the fighting.

Nami gave the eccentric pirate a funny look before she noticed the sad smile hiding under the make up. She paused and watched him for a second. "Thank you," she said and ran after the boys.

To be continued…