Ch. 2- A Dangerous Encounter
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, and Kovar © Me
The Straw Hats glared up at their foe, all of them taking stances while others held up their respective weapons. Kovar gave a deep growl as he flicked his tongue, glowering down at the pirates with his fiery eyes. They all stared each other down, anticipating a move...when Luffy suddenly punched a hand into his palm.
"Guys...!" he whispered, causing everyone to glance at their captain, awaiting his orders. "Whatever you do...don't look into the dragon's eyes."
Everyone seemed a bit taken back by the tone in Luffy's voice. This tone did not have the usual confidence and cockiness that Luffy was known to have. No...this tone in his voice...at sounded like he was actually apprehensive about fighting this dragon.
"What's wrong, Luffy?" Robin asked.
"...He did something to me," Luffy replied. "When I looked in his eyes...I saw a lot of bad memories. Don't look into his eyes, or you might be next."
"That doesn't sound good...!" Usopp whimpered.
"Hmph," Zoro scoffed as he put a sword in his mouth. "This overgrown salamander's gonna wish he never looked into my eyes when I'm done with him."
The dragon only seemed to be further ired by the swordsman's arrogant comment, for his eyes narrowed at him. Even the cat, who was watching from afar, sighed and shook her head.
"That one will soon learn," she muttered.
"GO!" Luffy ordered, and on that, the Straw Hats went in for the attack. However, Kovar opened his jaws and spat out a stream of green fluid, which the group quickly evaded, but once it hit a nearby tree...the dead timber started melting away.
"Oh, great!" Sanji exclaimed, sarcastically. "It's bad enough he breathes fire! Now he spits acid, too?!"
"Not for long, he won't!" Zoro exclaimed as he lunged for Kovar. "Once I lop off his head, he's finished!"
Just as the swordsman was about to close in, however, Kovar turned and glared at him...and suddenly, Zoro gasped as an image appeared before his eyes: a group of young pupils at the Frost Moon Island dojo...crying over the dead body of a young girl lying on a futon with a cloth over her eyes.
"ZORO! KUINA FELL DOWN THE STAIRS WHEN SHE WAS TRYING TO GET A SHARPENING STONE! SHE'S DEAD!"
"...Kuina...?!" Zoro whispered...before Kovar swatted him down to the ground with his tail.
"ZORO!" Chopper and Robin cried.
"Damn shitty dragon!" Sanji cursed as he went for the dragon next, his right leg ablaze. "I'll filet you for that! Nobody does that to Moss-head but me!"
Just as the cook was about to close in, though, Kovar flapped his wings and took to the sky.
"You think you can outfly me?!" Sanji questioned. "SKY WALK!"
He then began to "kick" at the air beneath him, propelling him toward Kovar. The dragon glared right at Sanji, though, and then opened his mouth to spew more flames at him. The cook scowled before he blocked the fire with his own flaming leg, but when the flames dissipated, the dragon had disappeared, to Sanji's surprise.
"What the-?" Sanji whispered. "Where'd he-OOF!"
Before he could figure out what happened, the cook was suddenly blind-sided and slammed into a rock, pinned by Kovar's talons. The dragon then proceeded to drag him down the surface of the rock, causing Sanji to grunt in pain as he tried to push the beast's foot off of him. Then, Kovar let go, allowing Sanji to plummet to the ground in a heap. The cook groaned as he tried to stand, but then Kovar landed before him and attempted to leer at Sanji, who gasped as he tried to look away, but the dragon hissed as he stuck his tongue out and used it like some of hand, cupping the blonde's face and forcibly turning it so that he was staring straight into glowing eyes, which caused Sanji to gasp as he saw an image appear in his head: a young boy with the number 3 on his shirt, clinging to metal bars...with a mask of iron clasped over his face.
"Father! Father, please let me out! I'm sorry!"
Sanji gasped as he grabbed his head, as if feeling a searing pain.
"No...no more...!" he cried...his voice actually sounding like it was breaking. "Please...not again!"
"Sanji, look out!" Nami shouted as Kovar opened his jaws, attempting to devour the despaired cook whole, but then he turned to face the navigator, who swung her Sorcery Clima-Tact at him with a chain of thundercloud Weather Balls. "Black Ball: RAIUN ROD!"
The chain didn't hit its target, though, for Kovar ended up flying into the air. Nami didn't seem to care, though, at least for the moment, for she ran over and put a hand on Sanji's shoulder.
"Are you okay, Sanji?!" she asked, causing the cook to glance up at her before he looked away, as if in shame.
"S-sorry," he said. "I don't know what happened, I just-"
"INCOMING!" Franky cried, causing the two to look and see Kovar swooping down on them, again.
"WATCH OUT!" Sanji shouted as he grabbed Nami and ran out of the way, although he seemed to grunt in even more pain as he tried to do so. He managed it, however, he and the navigator barely avoiding Kovar's huge talons. Once they were out of the way, Sanji grunted as he fell to his knees on the ground, wrapping his arms around his chest.
"Sanji!" Nami cried. "Are you okay?!"
"I-I'm fine...!" Sanji lied. "I can just walk it off!"
'Damn shitty dragon!' he thought. 'Cracked some of my ribs!'
"What's wrong, cook?!" Zoro questioned. "One dragon too much for you to handle?!"
Normally, Sanji would bark right back at him, but he knew that the swordsman was trying to make his comment sound like he was insulting him in order to hide his concern. However, Nami noticed Kovar moving in for the attack, but she growled as she gripped her Sorcery Clima-Tact.
"Oh, no, you don't!" she shouted as she pointed her weapon up at the sky. "Time to hatch, Little Thunderbolt!"
Up in the air, behind Kovar, a Weather Egg that had been placed there seemingly without his knowledge cracked open, causing a gigantic thundercloud to appear. Not long after, a huge thunderbolt emerged from it, which Nami directed toward Kovar.
"Thunderbreed Tempo!" she shouted...but to her shock, the dragon simply ducked his head, causing the thunderbolt to head right towards Usopp, Franky, and Brook.
"AAAAH! WATCH IT!" they screamed in comical fright as they all jumped out of the way.
"WHAT THE HELL, NAMI?!" Usopp questioned, only to gasp when he saw Kovar glowering down at Nami, who was sitting before Sanji, not out of fear, but more like it looked like she was trying to defend him, but when the beast widened his eyes at her, she gasped as she felt her mind suddenly flash back to the most dreaded day in all her life.
"Nami! Nojiko! ...I love you."
KABANG!
"BELLEMERE~!"
"...Bellemere...!" Nami whispered with tears forming in her eyes.
"Nami, snap out of it!" Luffy called out, but it seemed his cries fell on deaf ears, for Nami just sat there, teary-eyed while Kovar opened his jaws. Sanji gasped as he tried to move in front of the navigator in order to shield her, but the pain in his chest only strained him. Just when it looked like Kovar was about to devour the pair...
"FRANKY ROCKET LAUNCHER!"
KABLAM! Kovar roared as he was struck by three rockets before he turned and glared at Franky, who had his shoulder opened up while Chopper and Usopp were whooping and hollering excitedly behind him.
"Way to go, Franky!" Usopp cheered.
"You're the man, bro!" Chopper added.
"Heh," Franky grinned. "This dragon ain't seen nothin' yet!"
Kovar growled deeply, smoke seeping through his nostrils. Then he opened his mouth and let out a stream of acid, which Franky, Usopp, and Chopper promptly evaded.
"That was close!" cried Chopper.
"Try this on for size!" Franky exclaimed as he put his hands together. "Franky...RADI...huh...?!"
Once again, Kovar's eyes went wide, and soon after, Franky grunted as he gripped at his head...and he soon saw an image of a familiar train, chugging along a railway on the sea's surface...heading right towards him.
"Where do you think you're taking your master, Puffing Tom?! STOP! RIGHT NOOOOOOOOW!"
"Franky!" Usopp shouted. "Focus!"
Franky gasped as he realized he was about to fire the Radical Beam off its aim, but by the time he was about to shoot, Kovar had already flown up into the sky, avoiding the beam completely!
"Dammit!" Franky cursed. "Got sloppy!"
"Here he comes again!" Chopper cried as Kovar spewed more acid at Franky, who jumped out of the way in the nick of time. However, Usopp quickly drew his Black Kabuto with a Pop Green ready to be fired.
"Take this!" Usopp shouted. "IMPACT WOLF!"
He then fired said Pop Green at Kovar, causing an Impact Wolf to grow from the red bulb that was it nose...but Kovar opened his mouth and let out another jet of dark red flames, burning the Impact Wolf to cinders.
"...Didn't really think that over, did ya?" Franky asked.
"Nope, did not think that one through," Usopp admitted.
GRROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAARR! Kovar roared furiously, causing Usopp to shriek as he tried to run, only for the dragon leap over and land right in front of him. The moment Usopp looked into his eyes, he gasped as he saw an image of a familiar, long-nosed woman with black hair, lying in a bed with a damp cloth over her head.
"Mom...?!" Usopp whispered before he shook his head. "No! Not now! Snap out of it, Usopp!"
"Dammit, Usopp!" Zoro cursed as he came running out from where he crashed...his right arm dangling limply. "Now's not the time to be losing your cool!"
Kovar glared back at the swordsman before he flew up into the air.
"Nice try!" shouted Zoro as he positioned Wado Ichimonji over his shoulder. "One-Sword Style...1080 CALIBER PHOENIX!"
He then sent a powerful air-compressed slash at Kovar, but the monster just barely managed to avoid it. If anything, it only made him angrier at the swordsman.
"Dammit...!" Zoro growled. "Our attacks aren't doing shit to this guy!"
Kovar growled as he glowered down at the Straw Hats, but then his eyes went wide as he felt something crawling along his back. He looked back, only to find Brook, standing on his shoulder with Soul Solid preparing to be sheathed.
"Song of Scratches..." Brook whispered. "BLIZZARD-"
All too sudden, Kovar's eyes went wide, once again, and Brook gasped upon seeing the many dead corpses littering the deck of the once-great ship that belong to the Rumbar Pirates.
"My...my friends...!" Brook whispered, but then, Kovar began to go into a nosedive, followed by a barrel roll, and because Brook wasn't holding on, he fell off and plummeted towards the ground.
"Brook!" Robin called out as she crossed her arms, and soon, several more arms sprouted from the ground, catching the skeleton and breaking his fall.
"Oh...thank goodness...!" Brook whispered in relief. "I thought I was dead for sure! Even though I've been dead to begin with." He then glanced at Robin. "Thank you ever so much, Miss Robin...by the way, may I look at your-"
"Finish that sentence, and I kill you again!" Zoro barked, causing Brook to yelp.
"Now for you," Robin glared up at Kovar, who was preparing to dive at the Straw Hats one more time. However, the archaeologist soon crossed her arms. "Mil Fleur: Quatro Mano!"
Soon, four giant arms made of tinier hands appeared, wrapping themselves around Kovar's legs, neck, wings, and jaw, forcing them shut, and before too long, the dragon soon crashed into the ground. Thankfully, the Straw Hats managed to get out of the way. Kovar groaned, as if in defeat, while the Straw Hats surrounded him.
"Good job, Robin," Luffy praised.
"I'm surprised I didn't think of it, earlier, really," Robin said.
"Now we can finally get rid of this monster, once and for all," Zoro added as he prepared to cut off Kovar's head...but just as he was about to do that, the dragon shifted his fiery gaze at Robin, who gasped as she suddenly saw the image of a burning island...and herself, drifting away in a tiny boat.
"...Professor Clover...Mother...Saul...!" she whispered, tearfully.
"Robin, no!" Zoro shouted. "Focus!"
Too late, for Robin had accidentally lost her grip on Kovar's jaws, which caused him to open them up and then CHOMP! He bit down on the arms that were binding his wings together, causing Robin to shriek in pain and lose her grip on the beast, entirely.
"ROBIN!" Nami, Sanji, and Zoro cried in horror.
Kovar let out another powerful roar, but then, something slammed itself into his underbelly, causing him to let out a gargled cry of shock more than pain. He looked down and saw a little hole in the ground, but when he went to look, he was soon struck in the face by a pair of very large antlers, which caused him to stumble back.
"Horn Cannon: ELF!" Chopper shouted in Horn Point form.
"Yeah!" Usopp cheered.
"Way to go, Chopper!" Blizzard exclaimed.
Chopper blushed at all the praise he was getting before he did his little happy dance.
"Sh-shut up!" he yelled. "Like saying that will make me happy, you couple of jerks!"
However, in his bliss, he failed to notice Kovar stomping right towards him from behind.
"Oh, my god!" Nami cried.
"CHOPPER, BEHIND YOU!" Luffy shouted.
"Huh?" Chopper muttered before he turned around, only to bet met with Kovar's glare, once again...and once he looked into those eyes, he gasped as he saw a familiar scene before him: Dr. Hiriluk, sitting before Wapol's army, while he held up a cup of sake.
"I'VE HAD...A MARVELOUS LI~FE!"
KABLAM!
"D...Doctor...!" Chopper stammered...just as Kovar opened his jaws to swallow him whole.
"CHOPPER!" Blizzard shouted as he tackled the little reindeer to the ground, saving him from being the dragon's meal just in time. Then, the wolf-dog looked up at the dragon, who growled viciously at the Straw Hats...and for some reason, a look of horror came over Blizzard's visage.
'This dragon,' he thought. 'He's not like the one we fought on Punk Hazard...he's showing intelligence! He's analyzing all our moves and making up strategies as he goes! What the hell is he?!'
Just then, Kovar flicked his tongue out of his mouth, like a snake tasting the air for its prey. Then, he turned his head to look behind, prompting the Straw Hats to look in the same direction...and when they saw what Kovar had set his sights, they gasped...for he was looking right at Aika and Kumi's hiding spot.
"GIRLS!" Nami shouted, causing them to peek out from behind the log. The moment they did that, Kovar roared as he began to charge at them.
"WHOA!" Kumi cried as she turned and fled. "AIKA, LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!"
However, just sat there, her eyes wide with fright. She wanted to run...but seeing this dragon and sensing the powerfully evil aura that came off of him...it utterly terrified her, moreso than when Akainu came and destroyed her island. No matter how hard she tried...she was just too scared to move.
"RUN, AIKA!" Luffy shouted, but still, the girl was frozen. "RUN! GET OUT OF HERE!"
When it became apparent that shouting wasn't going to work, Luffy began to sprint after Kovar in the hope that he would beat the dragon to her. Meanwhile, Kumi, realizing that Aika wasn't following her, ran back to her rescue. The brave pup practically threw herself in between Aika and Kovar, the latter intensifying his gaze, which caused Kumi to gasp as she saw an image of an adult female Akita with cream colored fur, just like Kumi's...lying in a pool of blood with arrows piercing her body.
"KUMI!" Blizzard shouted as Kovar opened his jaws, but before he could devour the two youngsters...
"ELEPHANT GUUUUUUUN!"
WHAPOW! Kovar was suddenly punched by a huge, blackened fist, which sent him to the ground. It didn't seem to hurt the dragon, though, for he just stood up and shook his head. However, he glared at Luffy, growling in anger, while the Straw Hat Captain stood in front of Aika and Kumi, glaring right back at him in defiance. There was a long pause...but then, the dragon suddenly flew up into the air.
"Watch out!" Nami exclaimed. "He's up to something!"
Kovar took in a deep breath...before he opened his jaws and gave another blast of fire.
"LOOK OUT!" Luffy shouted as the fireball hit the ground, scorching the earth and making a large cloud of smoke. Everyone was forced to cover their mouths and noses to keep from breathing it in. By the time the smoke had dissipated...Kovar had vanished.
"W...where'd that dragon go?" Usopp asked.
"Looks like he's gone," Nami began, "for now."
"Hmph," Zoro scoffed. "Coward."
"Zoro, are you okay?" asked Robin.
"Oh, sure," Zoro replied, sarcastically, holding up his dislocated arm. "I love having my arm dangling out of its socket."
Robin sighed before she crossed her arms, causing several arms to grow out and pop Zoro's arm back into place, causing him to cry out in pain.
"Better?" Robin asked.
"Much," Zoro replied. "Thank you."
"Hold still, Sanji," Chopper replied as he began to pull up Sanji's shirt. "I need to look at your torso."
"Thanks, Chopper," said Sanji, although he sounded a bit strained.
"...Big...Big Brother?" Aika asked as she approached Luffy from behind. "Are you-"
Luffy suddenly turned around to face Aika, who gasped as she saw something very frightening: him...glaring down at her with the utmost fury.
"B...Big Brother...?!" Aika stammered.
"What the hell were you doing?!" Luffy questioned. "I told you to run away, but what do you instead?! You just sit there on your ass, like a deer in headlights!"
"Luffy!" Nami exclaimed in shock.
"Hey, take it easy!" Usopp added.
"I...I was only-" Aika stuttered, but she was soon cut off.
"What if I didn't reach you in time?!" Luffy shouted. "You could've been...when I say 'run', Aika, YOU RUN! DON'T EVER FREEZE LIKE THAT AGAIN!"
"I...I'm sorry...!" Aika said, tearfully.
"Luffy!" Nami said as she pushed her way in between them. "You didn't have to go THAT far! What is wrong with you?!" She then pet the poor frightened girl on her head. "There, there, Aika...it's okay."
A pause...but then Luffy's expression softened before he sighed.
"...Let's...just head back," he whispered, and on that, everyone began to head back to the Sunny. As they left...they didn't realize that Kovar was watching from a distance...an evil smirk on his face.
"Such despair..." he said. "Yet another one with 'D' in their name that has been through so much grief...his soul will be mine."
He then chuckled darkly as he slunk back into the shadows.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next time on One Piece: The Fire Within!
Luffy: You think she was the only one who was scared? I was terrified!
Kovar: You are mine, now...Straw Hat.
Aika: BIG BROTHER~!
Cat: It's too late for your friend. Abandon all hope.
Next time: Abduction
Okay, tomorrow, FOR REAL, more of Marine Rookie Arc.
Review, please!