A/N: And now, the exciting conclusion of the Syrup Village Arc! (Reedited 7/21/22)
More Than One Way...
Nami's current goals were simple: don't get chopped up, and don't let Silk get chopped up! The last one was very doable since Jango was solely focused on her. The first one-
"Hold still!"
"Ahhh!" As Nami clutched another new cut on her arm, she regretted not practicing her bojutsu more – and why would she! Before joining the nutjob pair of Hook and Silk, she would never be on the front lines of a fight! Her M.O. was to let the two opposing sides fight and rob them both! Instead, here she was, fighting a hypnotist while a guy with a slingshot kept a ship guard wearing cat ears busy! Why was she here again? 'Because these guys said they would help you get a lot of money…and they did save Orange Town, too. Maybe-' She clipped that thought immediately; no one else had to be involved in her drama. Let's focus on Heart Shades instead.
"You know, you seem pretty terrified of Kuro too," she commented while ducking from yet another flying ring of death. "Why not just run while he's distracted?"
Jango paused at that before laughing. "Girl, if you think running is the solution, you don't know jack about Kuro!" He ducked under Nami's swing, not realizing it was a feint to run to a different part of the ship…away from Silk's prone form. He followed, cursing under his breath, but by the time he got to the bow, Nami was already out of sight. Jango glanced around the area, charkams at the ready. "If we tried to leave now, we'd already be dead! Kuro is a monster like you've never seen!"
Nami tried not to snort at that, lest she give away her location. 'You have no idea what monsters I've seen!' she thought morosely.
"You look like a smart girl," Jango continued. "Tell you what, give up now, and I won't kill ya! I'll just hypnotize ya into thinking you live at this village. A nice safe cushy life! Sounds nice, right, Red?"
Nami had a lot of retorts for that. 'Like you would really use your hypnosis to do that!' or, 'And stick my neck out so you can kill me!? Who'd fall for that!?' Even 'I can't afford to live happy until all of them are free' came to mind. But that last comment…
Good thing you knew where we were heading, Red!
…For some unfathomable reason, that irked her the most at the moment. So much so, she snuck out from behind, took Heart Shades' ankles out from under him, struck him across the face with her staff, and stomped on his privates before glaring down at him! "YOU don't get to call me that!" Before Jango could retort or move, Nami swiftly kicked him right in the head, shattering his already damaged specs…and bruising her toes.
"Ow! Stupid, (bleep)sucking mother(bleep)er! Is your nose made of steel, you hard-headed ass(bleep)!" She finished venting, then checked to see if he was out; mercifully, this time he was. Nami hardly had time to revel in the victory as Ussop clambered up and over the railing, screaming and running. "Ussop, where's-"
"Rightbehindmetootoughtooscaryrunrunrun!" He grabbed Nami's arm ("Ow! Careful, you idiot!"), and dragged her away…right as Butchie landed where she was standing, making the ship bob with the landing.
Scooping up one blonde dead weight as they fled, the two went crashing below deck, Silk's arms slung over their shoulders. Sour at the downturn of affairs (again),Nami began berating Ussop. "Why the hell are you here!? Shouldn't you be fighting him!?"
"I am trying!" Ussop looked like a nervous wreck, now sporting all kinds of new abrasions from many close calls. "If you'd bothered to notice, he wrecked the cliffs – it's impossible to maneuver there, 'cause when I hide, he chucks boulders! The only ground left using is where Hook and Kuro are fighting, and frankly, that doesn't seem too inviting either!"
The wood above their heads creaked ominously; as they continued to look for a hiding spot, they found two doors on either side of the hallway. "This way!" They kicked down their corresponding door; Ussop's held a treasure room, stacked with gold, and Nami's was clearly an armory, wall-to-wall bladed weapons, guns, including a blunderbuss that looked like a bazooka, and a metal collapsible staff that made Nami's look like firewood.
They looked at the rooms, then at each other. "Is there a word for this?" Ussop mused.
"Irony," Nami plainly stated, then added, "or karma."
That was as far as that conversation got before Butchie burst through the roof in front of them, scaring them to wit's end and back!
Swipe, dodge, punch, sidestep, swipe. That was the pattern the brawl between Hook and Kuro had taken. Kuro tried to slash at the teen, but he'd just stepped back or duck. Hook would respond by aiming a metal-coated jab at his stupid face, and he used his Pussyfoot away to strike elsewhere, and the pattern stared over.
"…now that I think about it," Kuro droned as he stabbed his claws forward, which deflected off of Hook's iron side. "This power you have…is a Devil Fruit, right?"
Keeping his guard up, Hook nodded, taking the discussion as a breather and assessment for both parties. "The Clank-Clank Fruit has made me a Combination Human. I'm gonna beat your ass with fists of iron!"
Kuro's eyes twitch before he addressed his opponent in his emotionless tone. "Why…why stick up for this village? What do you gain from it?"
Hook grinned widely, before he pumped a fist into the air, raising his pointer finger. "If you really want to know, then remember this! Carve it into your memories! The man who will conquer the oceans of this world, who will achieve the title of Pirate King…will be me!"
The pirates at the bottom of the slope were shocked, but Kuro was expressionless. Suddenly, he jerked his head back, laughing like a loon, before jerking his head forward to give Hook a mad glare. "Pirate King…PIRATE KING!? What a horrible thought! I hate the idea of Marines in these waters chasing me around! I can't believe someone would paint a target on their back like that!"
Hook looked back at him with a pitying expression. "That's just because you're a coward."
Hook could actually hear the gears in Kuro's head grind to a halt. "What."
Hook scratched his chin, iron fingers to his skin a rather unusual feeling for him. "I mean, it makes sense. You kill people to hide your identity, hired your old crew to do something you could have done yourself, just because you hate being wanted, and you're even slowly poisoning Kaya, lying to yourself about 'kindness…' Ussop better be careful, he's got a real rival in someone as opposite as you."
Kuro's jaw continued to work, despite no sound coming out. "What."
"He's brave when's clutch time, you double down on how it's never your fault," Hook explained, ignoring Kuro's slow mental breakdown. "Second point – his plans work way better than yours! I mean…" He gestured to the well-worn oil slick. "It kept them down there. Just telling the truth, Kuro-"
"Do not CALL ME BY THAT NAME!" Whatever was left of the man's fractured sanity did not sound like it was doing too well. "After everything I've had to do! What I had to sacrifice! The Marines I had to kill! The people that had to be hypnotized! The steps I took-" Now there was laughing again; this time, it's Hook's.
"Ah…Sorry, it's just…" Hook's laughter faded out as the teen fixed the unhinged man with an acidic glare. "I find that hard to believe. Marines you've killed? Those costume freaks could have clearly done that without you!"
"T-they weren't that strong before-"
"And unless you can hypnotize people, I'm sure it was Jango who did that! Sacrifice, you?" Hook snorted. "A Captain is apparently nothing without his crew. You, though…without these assholes, you're not even worth calling nothing."
That was it. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Anger, insanity, fury – Kuro was either all three or none of those. The barrage of words, true or false, had battered his subconscious into dust. Gone was the tactician that had earned his Epitaph... in fact, he was gone from Hook's sight, too-!
As Hook looked down at the claws stabbing through his iron-skin armor, he considered that maybe he had overdone it…
As Kuro dug deep into the teen's side, he grinned like a wild animal about to bite…until he noticed Hook was smiling too. "And thank you for playing…into my plan!" Grabbing the claws stabbing him, he yelled, "Consume!" Immediately, black and gold crawl halfway up Kuro's claws-
And halfway was all they got as Kuro vanished and reappeared a few feet away. One of the spectators gaped. "What…what happened to his Cat Claws!?" Sure enough, half of the blades on one set of claws were just gone. "D…did he really…!?"
Save Kuro, and his fractured psyche, every pirate's jaw dropped as they saw Hook absorbed Kuro's blades into his arm. "Thank you for the meal…Mister Butler."
Kuro's only response: "You. Die."
It was pure adrenaline and luck that the moment Butchie came barreling at the group of one liar, one thief, and one battered blonde, the pair dragging the one ran right into the weapons room! Butchie busted the doorframe coming after them, but was rebuffed when Nami hit several vulnerable points…which only served to tick the big man off. He grabbed Nami's staff, and threw her against the far wall, snapping the unfortunate weapon in two halves. As she hit the wall, the metal staff shelved on it fell next to her dazed form.
Ussop, who was still holding Silk, backed away slowly from the approaching danger. "H-h-hey! I'm w-warning you! My thousands of followers will rip you apart if I'm harmed…" Butchie's response was to roar in Ussop's face. "Um…would you believe hundreds of followers?" Butchie, rather lucidly, just shook his head. "How about a really cross league of junior pirates?"
Butchie, clearly having enough of this farce, raise his claws to finish the fibber…and was met with a metal slap to the face! Nami was back, and as she spun her new steel staff, she was prepared. "Cat man vs. cat burglar…I think the winner of that match would blow you away." She looked to the side for a second, before focusing on the mindless muscle that was fully focused on her!
Ussop for his part was puzzled. Blow away? Why did she look away and say it like that?' He tracked her previous gaze…to look at the XXL blunderbuss staring back. 'Oh... Yeah, that would finish this! But I'm certainly not strong enough to lift-!' He glanced at the dead weight over his shoulder, before laying her down and digging out a blue bag. "Hate me later, but we really need you up right now!"
Meanwhile with Nami, though she was scoring hits that were wearing Butchie down, the onslaught was only doing so well. The more tired she got, the more mistakes, and close calls, she found herself in. She was no tank like Hook, or a powerhouse, like Silk; if Butchie got one good scratch, she would never recover. Sadly, one foot slid in the wrong direction, and Butchie knocked the slightly heavier staff away. Nami fell back, her stamina failing, and just prayed she would go quickly and see her in the next life-
BOOM!
Before a deafening sound numbed Nami's senses and sent Butchie flying into – no, wait, through – the wall. Alive or dead, a point-blank shot from a hand cannon was not something most people got up and shrugged off. Nami looked over…and was relieved to see Ussop giving a shaky thumbs-up, and a still waking Silk, balancing the gun in question.
"S-see!? Told ya I could take him!" Ussop stood proud for all of five seconds, before falling on his butt, breathing heavy.
Silk looked back and forth between her downed friends, before pumping a fist. "Cheer up guys, we won!" The lackluster hooray she got made her feel like they were pitying her. Eventually, Nami did get up and headed for the door. "Huh? Red, where are you going?"
Nami turned around…and had somehow got beri signs as her eyes! "There's an entire king's ransom in the other room! I'm not wasting it!" With that, she skipped off, to claim her fortune. After a little bit, Silk began to follow.
Ussop's attention snapped to her. "Uh, where are you going?"
Silk scratched the back of her head. "W-well…we did give her money away and promised to get her more, so…"
Ussop just gaped at the logic – on enemy territory, and robbing them - sighed exasperated, and fell on his back. Just who did he hitch his wagon with?
Nami and the others clambered up on deck, each toting a fair-sized bag heavy with gold. The discussion being had was how badly had Hook whooped Kuro. That discussion died quickly when they saw said man, kneeling on the ground and bleeding.
"What the-!? Hook!" Silk was about to jump off and help, at least until about three of the Black Cats were struck with invisible claws, and two more almost lost an arm and leg. "W-what!?"
"E-eh!?" Ussop glanced around as several more Black Cats were brought down by some invisible warrior. "What is going on!?"
"Don't know, but I'm going down to help!" Silk said. "Nami, where's Dorado?"
"Well..." Nami sucked in her lips and gestured to where Silk had fought Siam...was across the battlefield, the weird event of wind cutting down pirates in between them and it.
"You left the Pride od Cisco on the ground!?" Silk looked at Nami indignant.
"It's too heavy to lift anyway!" the thief protested. "When I tried to take it -er, to clean it when we left Orange Town, it wouldn't even budge!"
"Huh? It's not even that heavy..." The blonde muttered as she frowned, though it was unclear if the frown was about Nami trying to rob her or the other thing. "Ussop! Is there..."
"Save it," Ussop groaned as he dropped his load of treasure to the deck. "I'm out of ammo, and even if I wasn't, what the hell am I supposed to hit!? I don't even know what's happening!" Despite saying that, the sniper was still fiddling with Ginko as if to use it. "Like it or not, Hook might be on his own..."
As for said pirate, he ignored the new slashes on his back as three plans came to mind. As his arms become black and gold, shutting off Iron Cowling to execute his new build, the material to use for Plan A was fresh in his mind…and boy, would it be poetic. "Summon." With a flick of both wrists, four wires shot from his arms, connecting to several parts of the cliff. "Cat Catch Wire!" …Well, it was supposed to be a net, but this was hard enough to make wires at all from metal. "Now, where is-"
CLANG! CLANG!
Instantly, Kuro's slashes strike, but don't break the wire. "What? Kuro can't cut that wire?" One of the newly wounded pirates pointed out weakly.
Hook laughed triumphantly. "He should find it hard! This is made from the steel of his claws! Hear that, Cat Ass!? You ain't cutting through-" Kuro, well, the physical embodiment of the rage and mania called Kuro, appeared in front of Hook, his foot inches from the teen's face. "Aw, crap-"
Speed plus an inability to dodge sent the Comboman rolling…down the slope, and sliding down the oil. He didn't stop rolling until his head bumped into the galleon. Ow. "Get up, Iron Guy! You gotta help us!" was all one guy got out before he got his whole face mangled.
"The wires receding back into him, Hook rubbed the back of his head as he got up. "Great, he came down too. Well, time for Plan B." 'Fact is, if I can see him, he's losing steam,' Hook thought. 'Either his stamina will give out, or his body will quit from the stress... Just focus…'
SLINK! "Argh!"
'…on where-'
SCRT! "Gahh!"
'…he'll pop up-'
Hook's ears twitched as he heard footsteps from his right-! 'THERE!'
"CAT CATCH WIRE!" Right where the attack was about to come from, he wrapped steel wires around his target. The Result: Both Kuro's legs are tied, with his one set of good claws pinned to his waist, and the broken set bounded to his torso. As he fell forward, the madman snarled, but whatever he was saying didn't sound like words. Fully focused on ending this bout, Hook took up his Iron Boxing form. "I think we're past words. Sleep well, Kuro!" With that, he laid into the man, the punches' momentum actually reversed his fall and knocked him back. "Iron Boxing: Fury Strikes!" With a final hook that smacked him in the center of his face, the ex-pirate was sent spiraling through the air, until he made another crater in the cliff.
With that final crash of stone, the peace of Syrup Village continues on…and the siege is over.
Silence fell over the shore, but eventually, they were cheers… from a surprising source. "Alright, Iron Guy!" "You beat Kuro!" "Way to go, Iron Guy!" cheered the remainder of the Black Cat Pirates…
"SHUT UP!" Hook roared with jaw clenched, quickly shutting them up. "You annoying pests...don't get to cheer us beating you!" 'Geez,' the teen thought, 'what a morning...hey, why's the ground getting closer…'
As Hook's knees gave out, he was stopped from faceplanting when Silk jumped from the boat behind him to catch him, all the while sporting a cheesy grin. "You won! And you look like crap!"
Hook smirked back, allowing his exhaustion to creep in a little bit. "Like you look any better..." he slurred.
After assessing her bruised jaw and cheek, split lip, small cuts, and abrasions, as well as a slightly sour abdomen, Silk just laughed off the comment. "I suppose we're both pretty beaten up, yeah!" Hook laughed with her for a bit before Nami and Ussop showed up, Ussop's head wrapped tightly and poorly with bandages.
Nami shook her head at the scene. "You both look like crap; how can you laugh about that!" She looked over at Kuro, then shot the already terrified cannon fodder an evil glare. "So, what are we gonna do to them?"
Calming down, Hook glanced at the shivering, sniveling crew, before turning to the island native. "Ussop? Your island, your thoughts."
The wounded warrior blinked in shock. "E-eh!? Me!? I mean, o-of course! If you need the Great Captain Ussop's opinion-"
Nami just rolled her eyes. "Just get on with it!"
Ussop flinched but recovered quickly. "T-there's a pretty big arsenal in their ship, even if most of it is poorly maintained…" He absentmindedly scratched his bandages. "But that freaky power you've got could still make use of all those weapons, I guess…?"
Nami sniffed. "These small fry aren't worth anything! I already robbed them!"
Silk tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Too bad you can't just turn in Kuro for a bounty…everyone does think he's dead and all…" Silk looked at all the shocked faces of her allies. "Huh? What is it?"
Nami just gaped. "Silk…that's…an actually good idea!" Nami turned to Hook, practically drooling! "We can turn in the big names of the crew for a reward! Kuro alone had to be worth way over 10 million! I bet Jango and those cat freaks could be worth something too!"
Silk nodded. "That's amazing, Red! That much beri we could easily use for new supplies or a ship – wait, whadda ya mean 'good idea!?' You saying I'm slow!?"
'But you're just now getting it…' was everyone's thoughts.
"Besides," Silk snorted. "This bastard, the weirdo with the glasses, Siam, and the other one – they're all pond scum! I say we kick 'em loose!"
Nami blinked at Silk. "That's the name you remember?"
Ussop instead gaped at Silk's proposal. "Y-you're saying let them go!?"
The pirates rapidly latched on to that. "Y-yes! Yes! Let us go! We've learned our lesson! Please have mercy!"
Silk's face became unreadable as she spoke to Ussop, not even acknowledging the begging buccaneers. "That's not mercy. You realize they would be sailing with a lunatic who actively hates being a pirate, a piece of shit hypnotist, the fatass, and Siam. Between lack of morale and direction, they'll only be threats to themselves." Finally looking their way, she shot a look of apathy so strong, the pirates almost looked more worried than when they were told to clam up. "On a wooden tub, surrounded by all the people who hate you the most. Never bothering a village again. That is justice as far as I'm concerned."
"…" Ussop bit his lip.
"…" Nami didn't look like she disagreed.
"…Holy shit, Silk," was all Hook could muster.
Nami tapped her new staff hip holster (the metal was too cold to go into her "usual pocket") in thought. "Well, we can't do both of those…We can a) turn them in and take their weapons, or b) take their weapons and let them drift..." She looked toward Hook with a catty grin. "Guess this makes you the deciding vote, Mister Boss!~"
With Silk breathing down their necks, the remaining Black Cats tied up their officers and started delivering their arsenal to the shore. It took such a long time, that Ussop had time to (with Nami's help because, wow! He had lost a lot of blood!) go check on Kaya and the kids, swear them to secrecy, and sent the group on their way. Kaya needed to check on Merry, who had informed Kaya of Kuro's treachery after he got messed up by a glancing attack from the asshole, and she wanted to make sure he hadn't bled out. Meanwhile, the Veggies' parents and the whole village for that matter were beginning to stir. As it turned out they slept in too; seems the one thing that would wake them up bright and early just never happened.
As for the arsenal, when Nami and Ussop showed back up, they could confirm, barring Nami's new weapon, that was everything they saw, everything being:
-Kuro's Cat Claws (Reinforced Steel)
-Jango's Chakrams (Steel)
10 Silver Sabers
25 Iron Daggers
20 Pistols (Cast Iron and Wood)
10 Rifles (Cast Iron and Wood)
6 Iron Chains
3 Stone Hammers
18 Cannonballs
500 Bullets
And…1 Blunderbuss Bazooka, with 10 ("There's one Missing…." "Well, we had to shoot Butchie with something!") …er, 9 Shells.
It was a very good haul, but it was also a lot to absorb. That, plus Hook's built-up injuries and fatigue, he found it very hard to stay conscious once it was all taken into his hammerspace…
Sometime later, Hook woke up in some sort of parlor. As he sat up, wrapped up like a mummy, a human-sheep walked in…wait, no he's fully human, but his hair did make Hook think of goats, more so with the hair horns. He also looked like he's been treated recently. Placing a tray of medical supplies on the table, he greeted the awakened Hook with a bow. "Good afternoon, Mr. James. You seem much better now."
"You must be Merry…" Hook said, about to get up before the butler pushed him back down.
"I would suggest laying down until further notice, Mr. James. I'm not a trained doctor, but I know when a person's body needs to rest." For some reason, Merry looked distraught at his own sentence.
"What's on your mind, man?" Hook nudged verbally.
Merry's eyes widened before he chuckled sadly. "You are very observant. I suppose you should know…we have you to thank for giving us the truth." He paused to sit in an armchair before continuing. "Kaya…she told me what Kla…what Kuro had done, and was doing…" He shook his head sadly, his curls bouncing slightly. "To think, all this happened under my watch? The saddest part is…Miss Kaya does not hold me accountable…" His eyes watered but he did not cry. "She was always kind, just like her mother and father…I suppose if she does not fault me, I shall not tarnish her high opinion of my character."
The door slammed open, as Silk and Nami funneled in. "Hiya, Hook!" Silk looked far too giddy for someone who had been in the exact same battle and was wrapped up just slightly less than he was.
"Ah! Ms. Silk! I told you to sleep! You shouldn't be up!" Merry exclaimed.
Silk waved him off. "I told you the last twelve times, I'm fineeeee…" Silk tipped over sideways mid-sentence, Nami catching her.
"She's been doing this. All. Day." Nami looked pretty tired herself; she yawned widely. "I came to ask you…what to do with Kuro and the others…" Hook blinked at that, so Nami explained. "After you passed out, all those bastards jumped on their ship and fled. They left Kuro, Jango, and the other two…and we were discussing if we should call the Marines here to collect…or go to them…" Yawning, she finished up and sat down on the couch next to Hook, dragging Silk with her.
Hook blinked as his vision darkened at the edges. "We'll just drop 'em off... at the next Marine we see..."
Nami nodded. "Good idea. Let's just…get some rest…before then…" and just like that, she was out, falling asleep sitting up. As Hook's eyelids became heavy, he thought 'Oh yeah…we never slept last night…'
It took an entire day for Hook, and by extension the crew, to catch up on all the missed rest. Hook had hardly finished eating his first meal in 48 hours before Silk dragged him down to the rocky shore, eager to show him something. Upon arrival, Hook could see why; bobbing majestically in the water was a ship – though Hook didn't know it at the time, a caravel– with a sheep's head at its bow. In front of the vessel are Nami, Merry, and Kaya, talking about something; next to them, bound and gagged, were the Bad Cat Crew: Jango who was still wearing his broken heart-shaped specs, Siam, who was sporting a wrapping where his eye used to be, Butchie whose whole body was bandaged up, and the bastard of the hour himself.
As Hook reached the ship, he caught the tail end of the conversation "-so that's how it works! Thanks, Merry!"
Merry laughed…which sounded like a sheep bleating. "Maaah! It's both my pleasure and privilege to help you and yours out! Oh, speaking of you look well!"
"Thanks to you," Hook shot the butler a thumbs up and a cheeky grin.
"Maaaahahaha! You are too kind!"
'Urge…to feed him…tin cans…rising!' Hook thought to himself.
Unaware of his thoughts, Merry continued, "I was just talking to your friend about how to steer-"
"How to steer our new, very own ship-THE GOING MERRY!" Silk completely took control of the conversation, her eagerness obvious. "It's the best thing ever right!"
Hook smirked at the bouncy blonde with a teasing smile. "How cute..." It was unclear if it was aimed at the ship or Silk...
Silk paused in her excitement, before turning away, crossing her arms and not even turning to face anybody. "Aaaaand you made it weird…" she mumbled.
'Just like last time too…' Hook thought. 'Well, if nothing else, it's a reliable way to calm her down.' Speaking of blondes, Hook looked over at Kaya who was looking down at Kuro. The big stiff wasn't looking at anyone; he was just glaring at the ground like even gravity had ruined his plan.
Merry looked like he wanted to say something, but Kaya spoke before he could. "Klahadore, Kuro – whatever your name is. I want to say thank you for all the years you were so kind to me…for all the fun we had…for…for taking care of me when I was…" Unable to finish, she chose to drop that whole sentence. "But that's just it. I can't thank you because now I'll never know if all you did was fueled by malice…or guilt." It was subtle, but everyone heard the level of venom in that last word; even Kuro flinched a little.
"There is only one thing I have to say to you…and you will look at me when I'm speaking." That raised Kuro's eyesight to meet Kaya. "Klahadore…though you have served this family for many years, recent events have marred your work performance and made this an unsafe work environment. Thus, it is with, frankly, very little remorse, I must say you are relieved of service. That will be all…Kuro." And as she turned away, it was emphatically understood that that was the last to speak on the matter.
"SOMEBODY STOP MEEEEEE!" That mood changer came from an incoming Ussop ball rolling down the slope.
Hook shook his head in amusement. "Making a grand entrance? What a show-off."
Silk glanced over at Hook. "Just like last time?" Hook nodded. They both raise a fist and…
"Rock, Paper, Scissors!" They cried out in unison!
Nami roared at the pair, "ARE YOU SERIOUS!? GET OUT THERE AND STOP HIM! IF THIS SHIP, MY GOLD, OR OUR BOUNTIES GET DAMAGED, I'M FINING THE BOTH YOU 5 MILLION EACH!"
Hook paused to look at her, scratching the back of his head. "What, you don't like callbacks?"
Silk frowned, ignoring the Ussop avalanche a few feet from them. "I don't think she was there for that."
They both stopped Ussop, one hand each, from crashing into the ship. "Oh, yeah, it was those other guys…"
Merry face-vaulted. Kaya sweat-dropped. Nami just sighed. "Next time, just stop him!"
So, as Ussop revealed, he was in fact going out to sea. Fighting Kuro, standing on his own, keeping the village safe – it seemed to have awoken a fierce warrior indeed. After saying his farewells to Kaya ("Just kiss her!" "SHUT UP!"), he turned to address Hook and the girls. "But, anyway, I'll see you all later. You'd better take care of yourselves, so next time we meet, it's as amazing adventurers!"
Hook tilted his head. "Hm? Where are you going?"
"Huh? Where else? To the sea, of course! Since we might meet each other, I figured-"
Silk rolled her eyes. "Stop being difficult and get on board already!"
"Huh?" Ussop's face was a mixture of disbelief and confusion.
Hook gave the long nose a wide grin. "Welcome to the family, Ussop. Let's set sail."
The sniper stood there frozen in shock, taking in the news. "You…You mean I…I GET TO BE CAPTAIN?" Ussop cheered.
"LIKE HELL! THIS AIN'T NO DEMOCRACY!" Hook roared, with his best Nami impression, while the others laugh at the humorous scene. Eventually, though, the group departed from Syrup Village – a quiet town where nothing of interest has ever, or will ever happen... but that might be a lie.
A/N: And done! Another rewrite done! That should put me at halfway, right? Wait, how many chapters are left?
...
Dear God, I'm not gonna be done until Christmas... Anyway, later!
