Never again!
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Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece
Chapter 4: Orange Town, Red Nose
After a long trip, over one hour to be exact, the trio arrived in Orange Town. To them, the town seemed empty, which was almost true. After the Buggy Pirates took over the town, they drove all inhabitants away.
„Hey captain, what are we going to do with those clowns?", Zoro asked.
On their way to Orange town, the three were attacked by three pirates, who worked for Buggy the clown. Unluckily for them, they didn't know who Luffy and Zoro were, before said two beat them up. After the event, the injured pirates were forced to row.
„Let them guide us to their captain", Luffy answered, „He knows for sure where the map Nami wants is."
„Dam u orr, Hapt'n Bugi bil maek u pae! (Damn you all, Captain Buggy will make you pay!)", Tightrope Walking Funan Bro 3 cursed, his face swollen and purple.
„Yeah yeah, just bring us to your captain, I want his treasures and the map for the Grand Line!", Nami snarled.
„Wy do uo wont de map foa de Gwand Line, uo ar to weak enibeh. (Why do want the map for the Grand Line, you are too weak anyway.)", Tightrope Walking Funan Bro 2 asked, just as beaten as Funan Bro 3.
„This is only the beginning, my crew isn't fini-", Luffy began, but Nami interrupted him. „Don't ask questions, just bring us to your goddamn captain!", she yelled, hitting the three Funan Bros with her fist.
„Wy did u it mee, I din sae enifin! (Why did you hit me, I didn't say anything!)", Tightrope Walking Funan Bro 1 spoke. As Nami raised her fist, he immediately shut up.
After some running and climbing, they reached Buggy the Clown. The clown certainly wasn't happy to see his men beaten up. „You dare to hurt my flashy crew? Don't you know I'm the mighty Buggy the Clown?", he roared.
The red-nosed man then sighted Luffy's hat. He knew it was linked to Shanks, who he cursed. „Your strawhat", Buggy remarked.
„Yes, my strawhat, I got it from Shanks as a kid, cool guy, I looked up to him.", Luffy said with a big smile.
„You know the Yonko Shanks?!", Zoro and Nami exclaimed, staring at Luffy in disbelief.
„I knew this strawhat was linked to that red-haired bastard Shanks!", the clown shouted.
„Shanks has told me about you.", Luffy began. „He said you were a funny idiot."
„Whaaat?! I'm gonna kill him!", he yelled, anger burning in his eyes.
„I doubt that, he's a Yonko, while you're not even on the Grand Line!", Luffy spoke, laughing.
„If you're underestimating my power, you're making a big mistake. Now look at this, after that, you won't be such a bigmouth anymore. Domingos, load the Buggy Ball!", Buggy shouted.
The Superhuman Domingos put a cannonball in a cannon. The 'Buggy Ball' was powerful enough to level a city block. One of them lighted the fuse. Shortly after the Buggy Ball got fired out, Luffy did a quick move to reflect the lethal weapon.
„Gomu Gomu no Fuusen!", Luffy called. The cannonball was fired back to Buggy's men, knocking out almost all of them. The black-haired boy then returned to his normal form. He had a serious look on his face. „Buggy, I can't let you destroy this town!"
„Wait, you have devil fruit powers?", Buggy exclaimed, surprised by the teen inflating like a balloon.
„Yes, I ate the Gomu Gomu no mi, I'm a rubber man. With this power, I'll kick your ass into the Calm Belt!"
Zoro and Nami were speechless at Luffy's courage and self-confidence. Especially Nami, whose eyes widened after seeing the 17-year-old's astonishing powers.
„So you choose to fight me! But I warn you, I also have devil fruit powers. I ate the Bara Bara no mi, I can split my body and am completely immune to swords. Speaking of swords, Cabaji, bring me their heads! You too, Mohji!", Buggy yelled, summoning his best fighters.
Mohji is a primitive looking middle-aged man. His hair has ears of a teddy-bear and his chest is covered in fur, while everything below is shaved. He has a pet-lion called Richie who is big, has green fur and a purple mane. Richie is the beast and Mohji the tamer.
Cabaji is a young man with a strange hairstyle. He has a long, blue and white checkered scarf. He is a swordsman who rides a unicycle.
„Cabaji, you take care of the swordsman, Mohji, your job is easy, you only fight the girl. And I'm gonna tear this strawhat brat apart!", Buggy ordered.
Cabaji attacked Zoro. „So you're Roronoa Zoro, the supposedly best swordsman of the East Blue. You don't look like much to me!", Cabaji mocked Zoro.
„Likewise, shitty acrobat!", Zoro taunted Cabaji. Tick marks appeared on the latter.
„Shitty acrobat? Will you say this after I slice you up like a lemon? Kyokugi! Yukemuri Satsujin Jiken!", Cabaji shouted, disappearing in a cloud of dust.
„Where are you?", Zoro asked, readying his swords.
„Careful Zoro, he's planning a sneak attack!", Luffy told, knowing every attack of his past enemies.
„Sneak attacks, huh? Let's see how he likes this! Santoryu: Oni Giri!"
The dust got blown away. Zoro's and Cabaji's blades collided. Cabaji was angry, because his attack didn't work, thanks to a captain warning his nakama.
„You got lucky this time Roronoa, but can you dodge this? Kyokugi! Kaji Oyaji!"
Cabaji spat fire. Zoro put his hands in front of his face and screamed in pain. „AAAAAARGH!"
„Zoro!", Luffy yelled. Now that Zoro was incapable of fighting, he was an easy target for Cabaji. 'I have to rescue him', he thought.
„Oi, unicycle! You're going to pay for what you did to Zoro! Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!"
Luffy stretched his arms back while running towards Cabaji and then hit him with full force, launching him in a building, critically injuring him.
„Why'd you do that, you flashy bastard, your battle is with me!", Buggy shouted, enraged about being ignored by Luffy.
„You're not worth the energy.", Luffy answered, not caring about Buggy.
Buggy was on the verge of going completely mad. „What did you say?!"
„I said you're not worth fighting. I need to go check on Nami, perhabs she's in trouble."
„Ah, you mean your girlfriend. Richie is probably swallowing her!", Buggy sneered. „But I can't let you get away. You hurt my men and dared to oppose me. Therefor, I shall flashily punish you."
But Luffy didn't care at all. He just ran to find Nami. Leaving her alone with Richie was a mistake. After two minutes of running, he found Nami in front of a pet shop, blood coming out of her left arm. Her arm was bitten by Richie. Beside her, there were a dog and some people.
„Are you the people of this town?", Luffy asked.
The people nodded. One man spoke up. „I am Mayor Boodle. It seems you're fighting with Buggy the Clown, who are you?"
„I'm Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates.", the teen answered.
„Another pirate?!", one of the people exclaimed.
„Go away, you're not welcome here!", another person yelled.
The townspeople were hateful, but Mayor Boodle stopped them. „He may be a pirate, but for now he's not an enemy, he's fighting Buggy, our real enemy."
„Fighting? Hahaha, then why is he here?", Mohji mocked Luffy, riding Richie. „He probably ran away from Buggy because he chickened out."
Luffy's eyes had a dark expression. He pointed at Nami's injured arm. „Did your lion do that?", the pirate captain quietly, yet gravely asked.
„Yes! She tried to defend herself with her staff, how pathetic! If she can't defend herself properly, that's what she gets!", he sneered, proud of what his pet did.
„Nobody attacks my friends and gets away with it! Gomu Gomu no Gatling!", Luffy screamed.
„Luffy…", Nami said, touched by Luffy's action for her.
Richie and Mohji were touched too, but in a different way. They were touched, well, pretty fast – and in a pain emitting way.
Seeing how their oppressor's first mate got beaten to pulp, the people of Orange Town started to feel a little positive for Luffy. But their prejudice, for him being a pirate, was still present.
Mayor Boodle was the first to express his gratitude. „Thank you very much, the people of Orange Town suffered greatly under Buggy. He forced us to leave our homes and live in the forest. Now we can finally return!"
„Not quite.", Luffy spoke, his eyes still shadowed.
„What do you mean?", the mayor asked, confused by the 17-year-old's words.
„I haven't defeated Buggy yet."
„Yes yes Strawhat, you haven't defeated me and you never will!", Buggy smirked from the top of the town's tallest building. Beside him, there was a cannon loaded with the infamous Buggy Balls.
„Buggy!", an older man snarled.
„I see you've sided with the Strawhat, people of Orange Town. But this doesn't matter, because all of you are weak like babies!", the clown shouted, laughing like a maniac. „Prepare for the final Buggy Ball! Gyahahahahaha!"
Buggy opened fire. Seemingly, he forgot about Luffy's ability of bouncing back cannonballs.
'Is he really that stupid? Did he forget I used this ability not long ago?', Luffy thought. 'Well, it's easier for me then!'
„Gomu Gomu no Fuusen!". The Buggy Ball bounced back, but Buggy escaped due to his bara bara powers.
„You damn brat! You're ruining my plans, just like Shanks!", Buggy angrily yelled.
„Do you want to know what's strange, Buggy?", Luffy began.
„What?", Buggy asked, seriously annoyed by the teenager.
„How could someone like you be in Roger's crew?"
Everyone except Luffy froze. Nobody expected a question like this.
„Whaaaaat?! Buggy was in the pirate king's crew?!", some people from the crowd exclaimed. „No wonder he's so dangerous!"
„Stop!", Buggy roared. „I'm dead if the Marines become aware of this!"
„No! You're gonna die by my hands for trying to kill the people here. And also for ordering your crew to kill my nakama and my friend! What if they actually died, Zoro and Nami are heavily injured!"
„Your sentimental bullshit is getting on my nerves! A pirate kills people, that's a known fact!", Buggy furiously yelled.
„No, not me.", Luffy spoke. „I don't kill people, especially not innocents. I shatter their dreams."
„Come shatter my dreams then!", Buggy shouted, charging towards Luffy.
„If you want it so bad, have it! Gomu Gomu no-"
„Bara Bara Ho!", Buggy interrupted. His fists with knives on them charged at Luffy, who easily dodged them.
„Bara Bara Festival!", Buggy tried again. Luffy was surrounded by dozens of different body parts. He wasn't able to hit all parts at the same exact time, so he turned to Nami. „Nami, do what you're best at!"
Nami understood what he meant, but she wasn't really pleasured with the task. „Don't you see I'm injured?"
„Buggy has a treasure of 10 Million Berry.", Luffy informed, convincing Nami.
While Buggy was distracted, the ginger secretly stole the clown's limb parts and tied them together. Luffy quickly looked over to her, seeing how much she helped him. He punched Buggy's head, to see his reaction.
Buggy reacted as he expected. He reassembled his body parts. To his surprise, only his hands, feet and torso came back.
„W-where did my other parts go?", he panicked, then looking over to a certain young girl. „You thief!"
„That's my job, thank you!", she mocked Buggy, while showing him her tongue.
„Your often talking about flashy things, right Buggy?", Luffy spoke to Buggy, getting his attention. „How about I give you a flashy flight? Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!"
And so, chibi Buggy flew off, cursing Luffy once more. „CURRRSSSE YOUUUUU STRAWHATTT!"
As the townspeople watched their enemy disappear, they cheered for Luffy. „We can finally return home!", most of them cheerfully exclaimed.
Luffy turned to Boodle. „Erm, could you do me some favors please?"
„You freed our town, we owe you in return. What do you want?", the mayor answered, free from all hate towards pirates.
„Could you please take care of my nakama and friend please? They need medical help.", Luffy asked.
„Yes, of course! The friends of our savior are also our friends."
„Good. I need to get some stuff, and while I'm absent, could you get me a big black cloth and some paint please?", he asked further.
„Whatever you want!"
„And when we set sail, could you be so kindly and give us lots of food, especially meat, to restock? I promise, this is the final thing I'm asking for.", he asked even further.
„If that's the final favor, we'll do it."
„Shishishi, thanks mayor!", Luffy said, running to Buggy's base to get his treasure and the map for the Grand Line.
…
When Zoro opened his eyes, he felt pain rushing through his body. He was covered in bandages. He turned around, a doctor was around.
„Oi doctor, what happened?", Zoro asked, looking at him.
„You've suffered severe burns on your face, and some less severe burns on your neck and upper chest.", the doctor explained.
„Will they leave scars?", he wanted to know.
„Luckily, they won't. Here!", the doctor answered, showing him a jar of face cream. „If you rub this on your face two times a day, your burns will heal four times faster."
„Thanks.", Zoro muttered with a sign of gratefulness in his voice.
Suddenly, Luffy came through the door. „Zoro, you're awake!"
„Captain!", Zoro spoke, slightly smirking. „Nice to see you! How did the battle go?"
„I sent him to the moon!", he proudly stated.
„What about the girl?", the green-haired asked.
„Nami? She's over there." he said, pointing at the other side of the room.
Zoro felt stupid. 'How did I not notice her when she is in the same room?'
Nami was silent. 'Should I trust him or not? He is not the smartest person I've met, but he's extremely strong. Maybe I should- No, maybe he can beat some humans and weaker fishmen, but NOT Arlong!', she thought, already liking the pirate as a good person.
Luffy walked towards Nami. „Nami, how are you?", he asked, genuinely caring about his future nakama.
„I'm fine.", she simply responded, thinking she could fool the young pirate.
But Luffy wasn't dumb – anymore. He knew when Nami was thinking about her feelings, and he knew when she was sad or unhappy. So he decided to slowly approach to that topic.
„You have a tattoo!", he exclaimed, acting like he was shocked or surprised.
Nami was caught off guard. She looked at her arm. It wasn't completely bandaged, her tattoo was clearly visible. 'Damn it! They haven't properly covered it!', she thought.
„That's so cool, tell me about it!", Luffy exclaimed, faking his attitude.
„I-uh… ten million Berry!", she demanded.
„It's on the boat.", Luffy said, changing his attitude to normal.
„O-okay. Erm, i-it's uh…"
„Does it have something to do with the fact that you don't want to become a pirate?", he asked, digging further into it.
„Yes…", Nami spoke, „Listen, it's nice of you that you're interested in me, want me as your navigator and want to help me, but some things are ment to be kept private!"
„Did something happen in your past?", Luffy tried to comfort her.
„Yes, and this is the exact reason why I hate pirates.", she explained.
„You are my friend, and I don't let anyone hurt my friends. Tell me who did this to you and I'll make him pay!", Luffy sternly promised.
„I already said it, it's nice that you want to help me, but you can't beat Arlong!", the orange-haired shouted.
„Arlong? Arlong the fishman?", Luffy asked, already knowing everything about Arlong.
„This wasn't supposed to come out.". Tears started to build up in her eyes.
„Don't worry, I'll beat him up!", Luffy declared, slamming his fist into his palm.
„He's a monster, you can't!", she roared, glaring at Luffy.
„Give me a chance, and I'll prove you I can beat him.", he spoke, warming her up.
„I wish you could beat him, I wish you could make him pay!", Nami cried.
„Be my nakama."
„What? At first you-", she exclaimed but Luffy interrupted him.
„My nakama make me stronger, if you join me, I'll become stronger.", Luffy explained. It was as simple as that.
„Oh Luffy, I'll become your navigator!", she whined into his shirt. „I trust you, please help me!"
„I will.", the future Pirate King promised, glaring at the sky.
…
The Straw Hats were ready to set sail. Luffy had one more thing to tell the people of Orange Town.
„Dear people of Orange Town, I made this flag a few hours ago. The jolly roger of the Straw Hat Pirates is drawn on it. Here's an advice: Make lots of copies of it and hang the copies on different places of this island. That would mean this island is under our protection."
The townspeople had different opinions on Luffy's idea. Some said, that would be good, since this kind of flag intimidates others. Others said, it would be bad if they lived under pirates' protection. But in the end, it was Mayor Boodle's choice.
„Mayor Boodle, what are you saying about this?", a citizen asked.
„I'm fine with this.", the mayor answered.
„But Mayor Boodle-", a concerned man protested, not believing what his mayor said.
„It doesn't matter if they're pirates or not, they have proven themselves to be good people. I believe this town will be safe under their protection.", the old man firmly said.
„We've got to go now! Bye bye!", Luffy shouted, already in his boat.
„Thank you for everything!", the people yelled, waving their hands while said boat floated off.
A few minutes later, only the silhouette of Orange Town was visible.
„Our next destination is Syrup Village, can you navigate us there, Nami?", Luffy asked. That was more of a rhetorical question, of course she could!
„Of course, navigating is my third best ability.", Nami said.
„Then let's go there!", Luffy joyfully exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air.
'Wait for us Usopp, we're coming!'
Phew, this chapter is even longer than the last one, I hope you liked it. I needed multiple hours to write this. I included some LuNa moments, although it wasn't planned, perhabs in the future there will be a LuNaRo pairing, who knows? Constructive criticism allowed. Rate and review if you like.