Disclaimer: I don't own any of the One Piece Characters sadly. Also thank you for the reviews! I appreciate any feed back you give.
Circus Mayhem
How did I get in this mess? A beautiful young orange haired woman thought to herself as she sat in her dingy. By all accounts the weather was perfect; the wind was taking her exactly where Nami wanted it to, there were no storms threatening to cross her path, and by her calculations she would reach Orange Town in only a few hours. So, why was she getting irritated?
A loud snore tore through the air next to her, causing her to flinch as a tic mark throbbed on her forehead. The woman glared down at the other passenger on her small boat whilst visibly reeling in her temper. There she saw an annoyingly attractive young man sawing logs on the floorboards of their shared vessel, a massive snot bubble inflating and deflating with every obnoxious snore he let loose without a care in the world. If it weren't for the fact that she witnessed this young man one shot a notorious pirate of the East Blue with scary ease, she would have punted his head through the floor of their boat.
Taking one final breath through her nose as she counted to one hundred for the fifth time in the past five minutes, she released her calming breath only to flinch violently as another snore ripped through the air.
"WAKE UP!" Nami snapped, as she kicked the young man in the head, popping his snot bubble in the process.
Nico snapped his head up in surprise before shooting a glare at the irate woman.
"What was that for?!" he exclaimed hotly.
"Your snoring is annoying!" she yelled, her temper seeming to radiate off of her like a fiery aura.
"I can't exactly help that you know." Nico pouted.
The young man crossed his arms indignantly and stuck his tongue out at the fuming woman in childish fashion. Another tic mark popped onto Nami's head before she took a calming breath and sat down again. Her gaze swept out across the sea as she thought about the strange turn of events the past few hours had taken her. As she brooded Nico poked the giant sack of riches with his boot before turning his head over towards the woman.
"Why do you need all of this anyway?" he asked suddenly.
Nami looked over towards the curious young man before letting loose a sigh.
"A woman has her needs, alright?" she responded guardedly.
"Really?" Nico cocked his head sideways in a confused fashion.
"Make up must be pretty expensive." He said stupidly, causing the young woman to chuckle to herself.
"It sure is." She humored him.
They sat in silence for a few more minutes before Nami rested her head in her hand, giving her temporary companion an inquisitive glance.
"Why are you out sailing the sea." She asked suddenly, her eyes alight with curiosity.
Nico's brow rose at the question before he glanced up in thought, seemingly to formulate his answer. After a moment he fixed Nami with a penetrating stare causing the young woman to be taken aback slightly.
"I wanted to be free." He said with such conviction that Nami knew it to be the truth.
Her eyes widened briefly before a self-deprecating chuckle rumbled in the back of her throat. Her eyes softened as she stared at her companion, a feeling of understanding passing over her like a shroud.
"What about you?" Nico asked.
"…" she didn't answer right away, her gaze falling to the floorboards.
"I will get one hundred million berries." She said, unending determination blazing in her eyes.
Nico could tell from the look in her eyes that there was more to this desire than a measly one hundred million berries. There was a story there, and from the conviction he could see burning in her soul he had no doubt that this ambition of hers meant more to her than her own life. However despite his new respect for the woman, it wasn't his place to dig into her past. Instead, a grin stretched across his face as he fixed Nami with a more measured gaze.
"I don't doubt for a moment that you'll accomplish this goal of yours." He said, making Nami gasp softly.
"Make up must really really be expensive then, huh?" he laughed lightly to himself, enjoying breaking the tone of their conversation.
Nami blinked in bewilderment before letting loose a chittering laugh of her own. Their conversation drifted off to more lighthearted topics, from hobbies to food. Anything to pass the time during their journey. During their carefree chattering Nami found herself enjoying her companion's company, much to her quiet shock. As the hours drifted by like the lazy tide, they eventually found themselves at their destination. A somewhat normal looking town stretched across Nico's vision; buildings that were seemingly cloned from one another peppered the landscape, cobblestone roads checkered the town in symmetric segments making everything look like everything else. By all accounts, it was a picture perfect sleepy generic town one would find anywhere on the map.
Nico hopped off of the boat, a troubled expression adorned his face as he swept his head back and forth, searching for something. Nami hopped down to join her companion on the dock whilst checking her map, before glancing up at Nico.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"It's quiet." He said, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Huh?" Nami tilted her head in a visual attempt to hear better. Just as she did that a massive explosion rocked the town, blowing debris and smoke every which way and knocking the young woman to the ground. Nico threw his arms up to cover his face as he jumped in front of Nami to protect her from the blast. As the dust cleared somewhat both teens looked up and saw several of the buildings reduced to rubble from what looked like cannon fire.
"What the hell?!" Nami shrieked in fright.
Nico glanced down at his companion before bending down and scooping her up in a bridal carry, much to Nami's embarrassment. Without uttering a word Nico took off, sprinting quickly through the empty checkered streets. It only took a few minutes of running for Nico and Nami to find a suitable building for them to hide in temporarily. Nico kicked down the wooden door as if it were made of foam and stormed into the abandoned house. As they settled down in the living room, Nami let out a huff of indignation.
"You could have warned me." She pouted, arms crossed and hip cocked in a bratty manner.
Nico didn't grace her with a retort in favor of looking around the building for any useful supplies while he thought about what he should do in this situation. He soon found himself rifling through the pantry with an armful of food before turning around and marching towards the dinner table. There, he dumped the contents of his arms onto the table unceremoniously and plopped down to begin eating. All the while Nico did this, Nami had a bewildered expression etched on her face. Nico then glanced up at his companion with a thoughtful glint in his golden eyes.
"I'm guessing we're splitting up here." He said, "I'm going to scout around and see what the deal is with this town. I'm assuming you're going to find the source of that cannon blast?" he inquired.
Nami nodded her head absentmindedly, "Yeah, my bet is that cannon was shot from across town. Judging by the ship in the bay, they must be the Buggy Pirates." She answered, her eyes trailing up towards the ceiling in thought.
Nico grunted his agreement, "And you are going to try to rob them blind." He stated, not even bothering to ask.
Nami just smirked, a challenging fire alight in her eyes at the comment.
"Well I wish you luck and all that." Nico grinned at the orange haired beauty.
Nami merely rolled her eyes in response whilst giving him a two fingered salute before exiting out the front door to get on with her thievery. Nico meanwhile finished his free meal then swiftly made his way up towards the attic. There he found a roof hatch where he quickly scurried up the latter and onto the roof to get a better view of the town around him. Off in the distance Nico spotted what looked like an active circus, so he started roof hopping his way towards the noisy festival.
The noise from the festival grew more deafening the closer he got to it, large blinding lights lit up a massive circus tent that seemed to pulse like a heart. Scrambling around the tent like ants was a bunch of clown themed pirates, fetching food and booze for the loud blue haired weirdo with a red nose. Nico couldn't help but scoff at the complete disregard for the town these pirates had. A banquet was amazing and everything, but to destroy a town while partying was a little over the top if you asked him. Nico hummed to himself as he sat down on that roof, his brow scrunched up in thought.
"These idiots keep firing their damn cannon." He mumbled to himself, as he watched a couple pirates fire off into the distance, destroying a few buildings in the process.
Nico swept his eyes over the empty town as he thought about what he should do. His first instinct was to leap down there and kick those pirates' asses six ways to Sunday, but there could possibly be some innocent civilians hiding out in the town, and if they started firing the cannon into those buildings while he was fighting then that would be a problem. An irritated frown marred his roguish face at the thought of defenseless people getting caught in the crossfire, literally.
"… I could do a sweep, just to make sure that no one would get hurt…" he thought out loud.
As he said that the idea cemented itself in his head, a confident grin stretched from ear to ear across his face. With that, he shot upwards intent on following through with his plan.
Nico jumped onto the roof of a random house in town and stretched out his senses in an attempt to locate anybody nearby. His brow furrowed in concentration for a moment as sweat began to form on his face. That's when he heard some shuffling in the building just down the street from him. Immediately Nico sprang into action, and rocketed himself towards the building as quickly as he could. Once he was in front of the front door, Nico pressed his ear to the hard wood and listened for any sort of life. He could hear some mutterings and shuffling around in the house, confirming his suspicions. Nico then knocked heavily on the door, startling the occupants of the house.
"Hey!" He called out, "You people need to get out of here!"
There was silence for a long moment.
"Go away you filthy pirate!" a feminine voice screamed from the other side of the door.
"That cannon's pointed this way, and they'll fire another round soon!" Nico hollered. "You guys need to leave!"
Suddenly the door cracked open, and a bloodshot eye peered at him through the gap.
"Are you a pirate?" an elderly woman asked gruffly.
"Not at the moment." Nico replied as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"You're not with those blasted Clown Pirates?" she inquired.
Nico shook his head negatively before pointing at the giant cannon on the Cliffside. There they could see the pirates loading another cannon ball.
"We need to move. Now." He stressed.
The old woman's eyes widened in fright as she observed the distant pirates. Before she could say anything, Nico turned around and squatted down in a silent offer for the woman to climb onto his back. The elderly woman didn't need to be told twice, and quickly clambered aboard the young man's back, before Nico took off in a mad dash to escape the blast zone. Buildings flew by as Nico pumped his legs harder, increasing his speed to almost superhuman levels. Just as the young man and his impromptu passenger passed the town's square the cannon fired a massive blast into the building they were just in. the cannon ball carried on, completely decimating several buildings behind the one they just left with a deafening explosion. Despite the chaos Nico remained firm, his body tanking the shockwave as a grunt slipped from his throat. The old lady screamed in terror and gripped onto Nico tightly in an attempt to ride out the staggering shockwave.
With the old lady safely out of the blast zone for the moment, Nico escorted her out of town to safety. Once they were out of town the young man squatted down so his passenger could stand on her own two feet. Exhausted pants ripped their way out of her mouth, as the old lady planted her hands on her knees to keep herself stable. She then lifted her head to meet her savior's eyes with her own, gratitude shining on her face.
"Thank… Hah… you!" she gasped out between breaths.
Nico merely grunted in response before sprinting back into town to continue his search. This would continue for hours, with Nico found holed up townsfolk and escorted them to safety, earning him their gratitude. Before long the morning sun kissed the town with its rays signifying the dawn of the next day. Nico let out a long tired sigh as he collapsed into an unused bed in an abandoned house near the center of town. His eyes heavy with exhaustion from his all-nighter, he allowed a yawn to escape him as his vision darkened and he sunk into unconsciousness.
Hours passed before Nico was jolted awake by a booming explosion that shook the house with its shockwave. Wordlessly getting up, Nico climbed out a window and jumped onto the roof, only to blink in surprise at the sight of his brother calmly dusting himself off in the middle of a small crater.
"Well that was interesting." Luffy muttered to himself.
As Luffy adjusted his precious straw hat, Nami sprinted by him in a hurry.
"Thanks Boss! I'll let you take care of it!" she called out behind her at the confused rubber man.
"Huh?" Luffy mumbled intelligently.
The pirates that happened to be chasing after the orange haired beauty screeched to a halt in front of the bewildered teen.
"Look!" one of the clown themed idiots shouted. "That's that bitch's boss!" he exclaimed while jabbing a finger in Luffy's direction.
"Yeah!" one of the other cronies pipes up helpfully, "Let's get him!"
With that, the band of morons attacked the blank faced rubber man and promptly got their collective asses kicked much to Nami's surprise.
As all of this happened Nico scoffed in disappointment, a little miffed with the poor performance those worthless pirates showed. Honestly, how incompetent can these idiots be? He thought to himself. With that, Nico roof hoped his way towards Buggy's base in hopes of stealing anything of use.
"Maybe I can find a guitar…" he muttered to himself.
Nico soon found himself at the circus themed pirate hang out. Every one of the clown like thugs seemed to be scrambling around in a flurry with the big nosed captain screaming at his men with an enraged expression on his face.
They seem to be perfectly distracted. Nico thought to himself as he peered at the chaos unfolding amidst their ranks.
The young man leapt off of the building he was perched on and landed on the ground with the grace of a jungle cat. From there, he made his way around the mass of murderers and into the massive tent. What he found didn't really impress the golden eyed teen however; shelves full of looted valuables lined the tent, with a gaudy throne planted in the center of the madness. Stacks of papers littered the surrounding tables, as well as a funky looking compass watch thing with a glass globe adorned atop a metallic band sat on the table, just waiting for the right person to steal it.
Nico stepped towards the table, ignoring the useless treasures around him, and began rifling through the various papers and notes in hopes of finding any useful information. A small frown made its way on his face as he read the various notes and charts that detailed the Grandline. His frown only intensified when his eyes stumbled across a note detailing how a normal compass is useless on the treacherous sea.
"Magnetic waves?" he mumbled as he read the script.
Nico glanced down at the funny looking compass with interest.
"Hmm."
He then reread the passage again just to be sure of what he learned.
"Seems this thingy is important." He muttered to himself, his eyes alight with wonder.
Without a second thought, Nico began stuffing all of the relevant documents into the waistband of his pants.
A thundering mix of yells and explosions that erupted from outside caught his attention. Intoxicated yells, and obnoxious shooting mixed with the exaggerated laughter of the big nosed moron echoed around the tent causing Nico to narrow his eyes in suspicion. With his curiosity piqued, he began his trek towards the entrance flap before pausing. His eyes trailed over towards one of the most beautiful acoustic guitars that he had ever seen. The wood of the instrument was a gorgeous tanned red giving it a distinct rustic look, while the neck stretched upwards with a deep black face and silver tuners arranged on the head like a crown. There were no engravings to be seen anywhere on the magnificent guitar which only added to its beauty.
Nico swallowed, forcing his desire to steal the magnificent instrument to the back of his mind for now.
Soon. He thought wistfully.
With thoughts of theft still heavy in his heart, he made his way outside only to be met with one of the strangest sights he ever had the misfortune of witnessing. There was his moron of a brother, trapped helplessly inside a small cage, a carefree grin stretched across his face like a chasm. In front of the rubbery idiot was the cannon pointed directly at him, fuse lit, and ready to blow him to pieces. Behind said instrument of death and destruction was Nami, frantically attempting to put out the fuse with her bare hands, as the thugs screamed around her.
Nico let loose a sigh of resignation, before charging into the horde of thugs like a bull. Before anyone could spot him he reared his fist back and threw it forward in a punch that slammed into an unlucky pirate's head knocking him unconscious instantly. He then grabbed the now comatose thug and threw him at his comrades and knocking them to the ground in a giant heap, earning him the attention of everyone there.
"Nico!" Luffy exclaimed happily.
"You always find yourself stuck in weird places, huh?" Nico said with a smirk.
Nami stared wide eyed at her temporary sailing companion, her mouth gaping open in shock before turning her head towards Luffy. Before she could say anything however, Nico rushed forward and kicked the cannon upward, aiming it towards the sky and letting it fire harmlessly in the air with a massive BOOM!
"What is this?!" the red nosed pirate captain shouted in surprised anger. "Who the hell are you?!"
Nico glanced over towards the fuming Buggy with a blank expression for a couple long moments causing the eccentric captain to shuffle uncomfortably. His stare was intense, completely devoid of emotion almost as if he was trying figure out some puzzle.
"Wuhahahahahahahaha!" Nico erupted into fits of laughter surprising everyone by the suddenness of his change in demeanor.
"What's up with your nose?!" he barked out between his guffaws of laughter.
A giant tick mark throbbed on Buggy's forehead as his eye twitched irritably. The surrounding pirates took a step back in fear of their captain's reaction.
"…" Buggy was silent, although his brow was twitching at an increased rate the longer Nico openly laughed at him.
"It's so red!" Nico gasped out, his face flushed from his guffawing.
"WHO'S GOT A BIG RED NOSE!?" Buggy roared, his face red with embarrassment and rage.
He jabbed a finger at the still snickering Nico.
"I'll kill you, bastard!" he screamed.
Before anyone could move however, they were greeted with another guest. On one of the adjacent buildings roof stood an imposing young man with green hair and three swords tucked into his waistband. He wore a worn white shirt, greenish black pants, and black boots. The young man had a menacing aura about him like a crouching tiger ready to pounce on its prey.
"There you are captain!" he hollered, his eyes fixed on luffy.
"Zoro!" Luffy yelled happily.
Nico observed Zoro out of the corner of his eye with interest.
So, Luffy got his first crewmate. He thought to himself.
Buggy looked like he was about to bust a blood vessel with rage. He turned his head towards his crew.
"Stop standing around gawking you idiots!" he screamed, "Kill them!"
With that the circus freaks all attacked at once, forcing Zoro to jump down and join the fray. Nico charged forward and did a spin kick, knocking a few pirates away from Nami and the trapped Luffy while Zoro intercepted a sword slash from the swordsman atop a unicycle. Nico jumped back as Buggy attempted to stab him in the gut with his knives, before retaliating with a palm thrust towards the red nosed captain's chest, blasting him backward with the force of the strike. Buggy went sailing into his crewmates, and landed in a heap on the ground much to everyone's shock. Just as Nico was about to reengage in the fight Zoro let loose a grunt of pain and surprise. Nico glanced over towards him and was surprised that he had been stabbed by a floating gloved hand.
"Shit." Zoro grunted out.
"Aaahhh! Zoro!" Luffy screamed.
Nami gasped in shock at the swordsman's injury. Buggy levitated the upper half of his body off of the ground and laughed mockingly at the four teenagers.
"That's what you get you brats!" he screamed.
"Aaahhh!" Nami screamed in shock, "He cut himself in half!"
Nico observed Zoro for a quick moment and noted that he needed to get that wound looked at immediately. Coming to a quick decision, Nico bolted over towards his caged brother and promptly kicked him off of the cliff.
"Waaaaaaahhhhh! Damnit Nico!" Luffy screamed as he was launched away.
Nico then dashed forward and blew the weird unicycle swordsman away from Zoro, he then threw the wounded green haired man over his shoulder like a sack of rice much to said swordsman's displeasure. He quickly sprinted over towards the stunned Nami and grabbed her before leaping off the cliff.
"Waaaaaaahhh!" Nami screamed as they fell.
Nico landed with the grace of a cat right in front of the jostled Luffy.
"Go!" he barked, as he set Nami down. Nico then grabbed the cage and sprinted into town with Nami trailing behind him. They didn't stop until they were in front of an ordinary looking pet store before dropping Luffy and his cage, and settling the panting and wounded green haired swordsman on the ground with as much care as he could muster.
"You need to have that wound looked at." Nico told Zoro with a serious expression.
Zoro glanced down at his side, observing the stab wound. He then shrugged his shoulders uncaringly.
"I just need some sleep." He grunted.
Nico rolled his eyes at the reply before walking over to Luffy.
"You're a moron." He stated with a smirk.
"Says the idiot who kicked me off a cliff!" Luffy shouted back at his brother.
Nico chuckled in response and waved his hand dismissively further irritating the rubber man. Their banter was interrupted by a blank faced Nami, who got in Nico's face with an accusatory look in her eyes.
"How do you know this idiot?" she asked.
Nico merely raised an eyebrow in response which just served to anger the already upset orange haired woman more.
"Answer the question!" Nami demanded.
"He's my brother." He replied, "What's it to you?"
"So you're a pirate!?" she yelled, her eyes burning with perceived betrayal.
"… not at the moment I'm not." Nico said, his golden eyes narrowing in confusion.
"But you plan on becoming one right!?" Nami exclaimed.
"Why do you care what I do?" Nico asked suddenly, surprising the young woman.
"What does it matter what I do with my life?" he reiterated.
Nami's face darkened as her anger boiled to the surface.
"I thought you were a good person." She said, angry tears building in her eyes. "Pirates are evil scum and I hate them!"
She then jabbed her finger in Nico's chest, "If you want to become a pirate that means you lied to me!" she screamed.
Nico cocked his brow up in interest, before a look of understanding bloomed across his face as he bonked his fists together.
"I get it." he said, causing Nami to narrow her furious eyes in confusion.
"I never lied to you." He clarified. "But I don't owe you an explanation for anything."
He locked Nami with a penetrating gaze that froze her in place.
"You'll learn soon how little black and white there is in this world." He said, causing Nami to gasp in shock.
Luffy stared blankly at both of them for a moment, then turned his head uncaringly to the side, as a bored expression made its way to his face. As he looked around, he found a stoic looking dog standing guard in front of the pet store they stumbled across. A playful glint sparked in the rubber man's eyes as he poked the dog in the forehead while letting out a chittering laugh. This seemed to irritate the dog since he leapt forward and bit Luffy in the face causing him to scream in pain. As Luffy was being his usual annoying self, Nico spotted an old man donned in scuffed leather armor that hung from his wiry frame like it was fitted for someone twice his size. Strapped to his back was a crude spear.
"What are you brats doing to Chouchou!?" he yelled at Luffy who was still trying to get the determined dog off of his face.
Nico sighed as he stepped towards his brother and gently pried Chouchou off of the rubber moron, much too said moron's relief.
"And who are you, old man?" asked Nico
"I am Mayor Boodle, the protector of this town!" the old man replied fiercely.
"I am the man that will defeat the Buggy Pirates and reclaim our town!" he shouted, his face twisted in a determined frown.
Nico looked Mayor Boodle up and down for a moment and scoffed dismissively.
"You're willing to die over some piles of rubble?" he said with an uncaring roll of his eyes.
Nami's face grew cold when she heard Nico's dismissive attitude, before she could scream at the man he continued.
"I escorted the rest of your townsfolk out of town last night. They're all safe and sound." Nico said, causing both Nami and Boodle to freeze in shock.
"If you want to waste your life over some worthless buildings then be my guest." Nico shrugged, "It's your funeral."
Luffy laughed heartily at Nami's and Boodle's expressions, they looked like someone had dropped from the sky!
"Th… The towns people are safe?" Mayor Boodle whispered softly, his shock soon gave way to relief as he grabbed his forehead and stifled a sob.
Nami could only stare at Nico like he grew a second head, Why would a pirate save them? She thought to herself. Nico walked over towards Luffy with a smirk on his face.
"You want out or do you still need to be in time out?" he asked his brother, amusement tinging his tone.
"Oh you're soooo funny!" Luffy grumbled as he crossed his arms with a pout.
"Okay I guess you don't wanna get out of there then…" Nico teased.
"Just shut up and let me out damn it!" Luffy shouted obnoxiously.
Nico just laughed at his brother's outburst before raising his fist and punching the cage. With a loud BOOM, the cage shattered, freeing Luffy and causing a small shockwave to explode outward from the force of the blow. Nami and the mayor could only gape at the ludicrous display of raw physical strength shown by the golden eyed young man.
"I'm free!" Luffy laughed happily as he stretched his arms out.
Just as Luffy was freed from his prison, a loud roar echoed down the street catching everyone's attention. There stood a massive lion with a weirdo riding it like a horse; the man had white hair and catlike ears on his head for some reason.
"There you brats are!" he yelled, "Captain Buggy wants you all dead so my Richie here is going to eat you." He grinned in a cocky manner that all losers with over inflated egos seemed to possess.
While the man had his eyes fixed on the group, the lion had other priorities, mainly the pet store with that small dog guarding it. Chouchou noticed the Lion's hungry gaze and barked threateningly as it crouched down, ready to defend its home. The lion charged the dog whilst his passenger screamed out in protest. Chouchou dodged a massive paw swipe without injury, but the lions attack clawed up the front door of the pet store causing Chouchou to freak out because of the damage.
"Oh no!" the mayor yelled, "That pet store is Chouchou's treasure! It's all he has left of his master!"
That immediately caught Luffy and Nico's attention. Nico glanced down at his brother, who had a hardened expression etched on his face.
"I'll let you take care of it Luffy." Nico said softly to which his brother nodded silently.
Without uttering a single word, Luffy charged the giant lion as it pounced on the dog causing Chouchou to yelp in pain. Before the giant cat could blink, Luffy was upon it.
"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy roared as he slammed his fist into the lion's head, knocking it out with one ferocious blow.
"What!" The beast tamer creep yelled in shock.
Luffy fixed the white haired buffoon with a hard stare that promised pain.
"Your pet almost stole that dog's treasure." He said calmly as he slowly approached the quivering beast tamer.
"What the hell are you!?"
Luffy locked his eyes on the cowardly man, a blank expression on his face
"I ate the Gum Gum fruit." he said matter of factly.
The beast tamer's eyes widened in horror.
"Just like Captain Buggy?!" he exclaimed.
"L-look, I'll s-surrender okay?" he stuttered as he threw his hands up pleadingly, hoping to save his own skin.
"Your pet almost destroyed this mutt's treasure…" Luffy muttered, "That's why I'll kick your ass."
With that Luffy stretched his arm towards the beast tamer and pulled the cowardly man towards his closed fist, which he brutally slammed down into the coward's head knocking him unconscious.
Nami and the mayor could only stare with wide eyes at the rubber man due to the brutality of the blow. Luffy, uncaring of the shocked stares he received, walked towards the injured dog and placed his hand on his head comfortingly.
"Your treasure is safe." He said softly.
Chouchou stared up at the straw hat wearing boy for a moment, before letting out a proud bark. Luffy smirked in response, and nodded his head with a massive grin. While Luffy sat with the dog Nami approached the brothers with a subdued demeanor, he eyes held a heavy guilt in them for the way she treated them.
"I'm sorry." She said, her head bowed in apology. "I judged you two as horrible people despite not getting to know either of you that well."
Nico picked his nose with his pinky as he gazed at the young woman. Luffy just laughed and waved his hand dismissively.
"It's all good!" he chirped cheerfully, "You must have your reasons for hating pirates."
Nico shrugged in response to Nami's apology.
"We're technically not pirates until we get a bounty." He reminded his brother, which only caused Luffy to pout childishly.
"What do ya mean I'm not a pirate? I'm sailing the sea and going on adventures." He muttered to himself.
"Anyways, we should probably take out those buggy pirates for good." Nico went on, completely ignoring Luffy's weirdness with practiced ease.
"Okie dokie!" Luffy chirped with a grin.
"Wait!" Nami called out, forcing the brotherly duo to pause. "How are you going to beat them?"
Nico gave Nami a look that seemed to ask if she was an idiot, which she didn't appreciate.
"Why are you looking at me like that!?" she exclaimed.
"We're just going to walk over there and kick their asses." He explained with a blank expression.
Nico then turned to the still sleeping Zoro as a mischievous grin made its way on to his face. Luffy glanced at his brother in confusion before a look of realization dawned on his face. He then covered his mouth in an attempt to prevent his childish giggles from escaping. Nami could only watch what Nico had planned with exasperation before she let out a tired sigh and let it happen. After Nico was done with his prank, he then lightly kicked Zoro in the leg.
"Wake up sleeping beauty." He called out, a devious smirk still plastered on his face.
"Huh?" The green haired swordsman grunted intelligently.
"We're going to kick that big nose's ass!" Luffy interjected.
"…" Zoro rubbed the sleep from his eyes, "Okay."
While this was happening the mayor had a growing look of frustration on his face.
"I can't take it anymore!" he shouted, "Letting you youngsters do all the work is unforgivable!"
"I will show Buggy my pride!" he yelled as he began to charge towards Buggy's camp.
The old man couldn't get far however because Luffy caught the old man and slammed his head into a nearby building, knocking him unconscious.
"What the hell are you thinking you moron!?" Nami screamed at the rubber man.
Nico stepped between the irate woman and his brother, "He would have gotten killed if Luffy hadn't knocked the old idiot out." He said.
Nami paused for a moment, a troubled look appeared on her face.
"Did he have to do it so violently?" she muttered.
Zoro shook his head before turning towards a random direction and began walking. Nico noticed this and snickered.
"Hey! Green hair!" Nico shouted causing Zoro to stop as a tick mark appeared on the back of his head.
"WHAT!?" he yelled back at the grinning Nico.
"Buggy's base is that way." Nico said with an amused expression as he pointed in the opposite direction Zoro was walking.
"… Damn it." Zoro muttered, causing Luffy to burst out into Laughter.
Nico only shook his head with a grin before walking in the correct direction towards Buggy's base. As the group of four traveled through town Luffy looked to his brother with an expectant expression.
"Hey Nico," he said.
"Hmm?" his brother grunted.
"You going to do that thing?" he asked, which caught Zoro's and Nami's attention.
Nico thought for a moment before nodding his head.
"It should take out the cannon fodder so we can just focus on Buggy." He mumbled to himself.
Luffy nodded his head in agreement before a grin split his face again.
"Rock paper scissors!" he shouted as he pointed his finger at Nico.
Nico's brow rose, "you wanna decide who fights Buggy through a Rock Paper Scissors match?" he asked
Luff bobbed his head up and down excitedly. Nico shrugged his shoulders and went along with Luffy's game. As they were playing, Nami could only sweat drop at their childish behavior.
"Ah! Damn it!" Luffy exclaimed. "No fair! You cheated!"
"No I didn't, you just suck." Nico replied with a grin.
Luffy crossed his arms and pouted.
It didn't take long until the group found themselves at Buggy's base again. The circus tent looked to be in disarray as the Buggy Pirates ran around like chickens with their heads cut off trying desperately to avoid the irate Buggy as he screamed nonsensically at his unfortunate crew. As he was directing traffic he turned and noticed Nico, Luffy, Nami, and Zoro standing out in the open.
"There you brats are!" he screamed obnoxiously, "Hurry and kill them…"
He trailed off when he saw the green haired swordsman. His blank stare quickly morphed into an amused expression which only confused Zoro. His confusion turned to irritation when Buggy and his band of pirates began snickering at him. His brow twitched when Buggy began laughing openly at him.
"WHAT!" he shouted angrily.
Buggy pointed to his forehead while laughing uproariously at the fuming swordsman.
"Huh?" Zoro grunted as he unsheathed one of his swords to use it as a mirror.
He then found Mosshead scribbled on his forehead in permanent marker which only served to piss him off even more.
"Who. Wrote. On. Me?" he grit out through clenched teath.
Nico raised his hand while he snickered at the fruition of his prank.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Zoro screamed in rage, which only caused Nico and Luffy to burst out laughing.
"As amusing as this is I'm afraid you all have to die." Buggy interrupted, "Kill them!"
The pirates attempted to do just that and charged the four with reckless abandon. Zoro and Nami got ready for the fight but where stopped when Luffy held up his hand.
"Nico's got this." He stated with conviction, staring at his brother intently.
"Huh!? There has got to be close to fifty pirates here!" Nami screamed.
Zoro only looked on with interest, wondering what this mysterious man was going to do. He soon found out when Nico stepped forward confidently and let loose a shockwave that seemed slam into the charging pirates causing their eye's to roll back into their heads. All fifty pirates dropped to the ground, frothing at the mouth, and unconscious. Nami, and Zoro could only gape at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. Buggy on the other hand looked like he had seen a ghost, all the color drained from his face as he gaped in abject terror.
"What the hell?!" Nami shrieked, not at all understanding what was going on.
Zoro's eyes were wide in shock before he quickly shook himself out of his stupor. He would have to ask this man about that technique in the near future.
Buggy gulped nervously, "D-don't think that would work on me!" he shouted with false confidence.
"I was a member of Gold Rodger's crew! I've seen the gods of this world fight! That little parlor trick means nothing!" he screamed at Nico.
Nico cocked his brow in interest, "Gold Rodger's crew?" he muttered.
Before the red nosed buffoon could make a bigger fool of himself, Nico rocketed forward and punched Buggy in the face sending him flying. That wasn't the end of it though, due to Buggy detaching his hands and sending them at Nico, trying to stab the young man. In response, Nico weaved around the attacks and barreled into Buggy again. Buggy then split his torso from the rest of his body in an attempt to confuse his opponent, circling around Nico in an attempt to flank him and attack. Nico, without blinking kicked Buggy in the balls since his legs were wide open. Spit flew out of Buggy's mouth as his torso plummeted to the ground, he laid there in agony unable to move due to the extreme pain.
"Well that was anticlimactic." Nico huffed.
With the help of Luffy and Nami, Nico proceeded to tie up the unconscious pirates ending the epic battle. As Luffy was poking the unconscious Buggy with a stick he found somewhere, Nico and Nami raided the tent for any valuables and resources. Nami immediately gravitated towards the treasure unsurprisingly while Nico searched for a specific treasure. After rummaging around for a few minutes he finally found it, the guitar from earlier.
"Wuhahaha! I found it!" Nico exclaimed happily causing Nami to glance over at him in intrigue.
"A guitar?" she asked.
"Yup!" Nico chirped.
Just as he was about to grab his stuff and leave he saw an ax sitting in a pile of discarded stuff Nami had made. The blade while well-made was unremarkable and simplistic, it had a mysterious allure that drew Nico to it. The ax had no designs or engravings, no flair or flamboyance; it was just a simple slightly modified bearded ax with a wooden haft. Nico walked over to the discarded weapon, an intrigued expression on his face as he observed it. He then grabbed the ax and tucked it into his waistband for safe keeping. With that, Nico slung his bag of riches over his shoulder prepared to finally leave this island.
Due to Nico doing a lot of the work to defeat Buggy and his crew, Nami decided to let him keep half of the treasure they found. She made this decision based on the fact that Nico did a lot of the work and not as a way of apologizing for her bratty behavior earlier that day. As the strange group made their way to the dock they were accosted by the newly arrived townsfolk.
"Are you kids pirates!?" one of the townsfolk demanded.
"Yup!" Luffy affirmed stupidly which earned him a smack in the back of the head curtesy of an annoyed Nico.
The townsfolk recoiled at the response and were about to attack the group but were stopped by some more townsfolk.
"Hey stop!" a familiar old lady yelled at her neighbors, "That's the kid that saved my life!"
This caused more and more townsfolk to step forward to defend Nico and his friends. The leader of the angry mob stepped forward and bowed his head apologetically.
"I'm sorry." He said.
Nico just waved his hand dismissively before turning around and making his way to the dock with Luffy, Nami, and Zoro following him.
After the group of misfits loaded up a couple boats with their spoils and began setting off, they saw the mayor and Chouchou rush to the dock.
"THANK YOU!" he screamed at them with tears of happiness in his eyes.
Luffy only laughed good naturedly while Nico threw a two fingered salute at the mayor. With that Nico, Luffy, Nami, and Zoro set off on their next adventure.
