A/N: I am very excited to announce that I now have a beta. Thank you very much, Navigator101, for helping me fix my mistakes and for giving me ideas for this story. She's even going through Not Everyday is a Good Day and fixing my mistakes there.
Chapter 4
Sailing with Luffy was interesting, was Zoro's initial thought. He really didn't mind that the kid liked to nap as much as he did, but he did mind that the kid liked to snuggle. After trying several times to get the kid off him, the swordsman just gave up.
Neither one of them knew the basics of navigation. His captain just said to let the sea and wind take them wherever, and they'll reach an island eventually. The problem now was that they're both hungry with no land in sight to restock their tiny boat. They'd run out of the food that was packed in the large bag that was waiting in the boat for them.
The bag was jammed pack with fruits, variety of jerkies, clothes (why was there a dress in there?), a knife, and a small pistol. Luffy immediately buckled the latter of the two on either side of his thighs and said he felt naked without them.
Now? Now he thinks sailing with Luffy was a pain in the ass. They're lost and hungry. His captain didn't seem too worried about being lost but complained about the lack of food nonstop. Not to mention the growling from the kid's stomach was getting on his last nerve.
Of course, now he has to chase down his captain, who's been taken away by a giant bird. Why did his captain try to catch a bird that big for? They didn't have the space for it on this boat, nor did they have the ability to cook it.
And then he had to pick up stupid hitchhikers who thought it'd be smart to threaten him. Because of them, he'd lost sight of his captain. He sighed as he leaned back, letting the idiots row the boat for him.
He thought back to the note that he found in his pocket after Luffy took a nap on their first day out at sea.
Here is a list of things you need to know about your captain, Monkey D. Luffy, to keep your sanity:
· Your captain is not a kid! He's a legitimate teenager!
· Bath day is every 2-3 days
· Make sure he has clothes on before he leaves the bath. If I ever hear that he made it out to public without clothes, I'll have your organs in my hands and make you watch as I pulverize them.
· That child is your responsibility. Make sure to take good care of him.
· What Luffy wants Luffy gets
· Be sure to only feed him non-greasy foods. Or lots and lots of salad if that isn't possible.
· Listen to your captain, he knows what he's doing, even if it doesn't seem like it (most of the time)
· Don't worry about him getting lost. He knows how to find you.
· Don't let him wander off alone! Trouble finds him.
· He can't sleep alone. Sleep with him, but don't you even DARE lay a hand on him!
· My grandchild is a handful, but he means well.
· Good Luck!
The list was written in a jumble of different handwritings, hinting at a collaboration of multiple people. He wondered if all pirate captains came with an instruction manual. He didn't think captains should be that difficult to understand. They're just like any other people.
Trouble finds him my ass. He just found trouble all on his own. Zoro thought as he sighed again, rubbing a hand over his face tiredly. Less than a week as a pirate and he's already regretting his decision. Well, there's no going back now. He just hoped wherever these guys were taking him, Luffy was there too.
-*/
This wasn't what he had planned. He was supposed to wrap his arms around the bird, let it fall to the sea, and have Zoro pick him up. Instead, he's the one that was caught in between the beak of the bird. Damn bird. It's not even giving him a proper ride. Flying with Pops was more fun than this. Though, this was interesting in its own way.
That is until a cannonball came at them. The bird squawked in surprise, causing it to drop Luffy. Now, Luffy was no stranger to falling in just about any strange situation, but at least one of his family members were usually around to fish him out if he happened to fall into the sea. This time, he was alone. There was no one to fish him out if he fell in the sea. For the second time in his life, he wished he wasn't alone. Being alone sucked.
The first was when he was kidnapped by a small pirate crew when he was younger. They had taken him when he was lagging behind Vista, Ace, and Sabo because he saw something interesting. He thought he was going to die, and he was scared and alone. Luckily, his Pops and his brothers came in time to save him.
Relief filled him as he saw an island right below him. Land! He can deal with that. He got himself ready to inhale as much air as he could to cushion is landing, but the sight of people below him caused him to yell out "Lookout below!" instead.
He was so glad he's made of rubber. That landing would have hurt (more like kill a normal human being).
-*/
Nami had just stolen a map of Grand Line from the pirate crew of Buggy the Clown and was now running for her life. The shout of "look out below" caused her and her pursuers to stop and look up where the shout came from. Something or someone was falling from the sky to land heavily on the cement ground, causing dust to form around them.
Once the dust settled, a boy looking around 12 or 13, maybe younger, stood up, unharmed.
"Well, that was interesting," the boy said as he dusted his shorts.
If the boy was any older, Nami would have just ran and let him fend for himself, but as it stood, she didn't have the conscious to see a kid killed on her watch.
"Come on," she said as she dragged him away. "We need to run, or they'll kill us."
"Uh, okay?" the kid tilted his head in confusion, letting himself be dragged away.
"Oh, no, you don't." Nami turned when the boy in her hand got tugged away from her by the neck of his vest. She turned just in time to see another swing his sword at the boy, who ducked his head, narrowly missed getting beheaded, but the wind from the swing made his hat fly away.
The boy headbutted the guy holding his vest and grabbed his hat before it flew too far. "Don't touch my hat!" he yelled and proceeded to knock out the other two chasers.
"Hey, I'm hungry. Do you have any food?" He asked with a hand over his stomach to prove his point.
"Wow. You're strong," she said in awe as she led him in a house. "Where are your parents?"
"Parents?" the boy tilted his head in confusion. Is she asking about Ace and Sabo? Ace and Sabo are his parents, but they're also his brothers and his family, and they're Ace and Sabo. Why are there so many labels for people anyway? It's stupid and confusing. Couldn't she have just asked where Ace and Sabo are instead? "They should be home soon."
"I see. What are you doing out here all alone then?" she asked as she made him a sandwich. "Don't you know it's dangerous out there?"
"Yup. It's dangerous everywhere. My brothers told me that," he said, happy that he remembered what he was told. "Why were those guys chasing you?"
"I'm Nami, by the way. Those guys are pirates. Their captain is Buggy the Clown," she said with hatred. "I just happened to have stolen a map from them, and they want it back."
"I'm Luffy!" the kid says with a huge grin. "So what kind of pirate is this Nami person?"
"I'M NAMI! THE PIRATE IS BUGGY!" She took a deep breath, watching the boy eat the sandwich. "Buggy is a famous pirate who likes cannons. Didn't you notice the empty town? Buggy took over. That reminds me, you should hurry back to your family."
"Eh? But my family is so far away. Even if I hurry, it'd take too long. I left to find my own pirate crew to follow my dream. I'm going to be the Pirate King," the boy laughed.
"You're a pirate?!" she nearly screeched. A boy this young? "You're just a kid! And just so you know, I hate pirates! The only things I like are money and tangerines!"
"I'm not a kid. I'm 15! You're a thief, so what's wrong with me being a pirate?"
"I'm not just a thief. I only steal from pirates," she huffed as she crossed her arms. Then a thought came to her. "Why don't we team up? You and your crew. My goal is to collect 100 billion beli. I even have a map of the Grand Line. We can be rich. Pirates in Grand Line are sure to have a lot of money."
"Hmm…but I'm not looking for a thief. I need a navigator, a cook, a musician –"
"I can navigate. I can help until I reach my goal," she lied.
"Alright!" Luffy cheered.
"Under one condition," she said. She felt bad about tricking him, but since he's a pirate, he should know things like this happens. She needed to get closer to Buggy so she could rob him while his guard was down. A big name pirate, like Buggy, is sure to have a lot of treasure. That would bring her closer to her goal.
"What is it?" Luffy didn't like the feeling she's giving now, but he really wants her to be on his crew. She's a nice person, even if she is hiding something deep inside. He figured he'll find out what it is eventually.
So he let himself be tied up and led to Buggy's base, where he was introduced as her boss.
"This kid is your boss?" Buggy sneered as he looked at the boy.
"Don't let his looks get you. He's actually a lot older than he looks. It's how he tricks people into doing things for him. As a matter of fact, I'm turning him in to you because I'm tired of him and his tricky ways. I'm thinking about joining your crew instead," she said as if she were a merchant selling her wares.
There was a moment of pause as Buggy thought. He then snapped his fingers and ordered, "Lock him up, boys."
Luffy soon found himself locked up in a steel cage with a party going on around him. How dare they eat in front of him while he's hungry. He wanted to eat too! Wanting in on the food, he stretched a hand to take out his knife from its holder, cut the ropes tying him, and stretched an arm towards a chunk of meat. These pirates were stupid for not taking his weapons from him in the first place, so it's their loss.
Just before he could touch the meat, a cannon went off. His arm snapped back as he saw the aftermath of the cannon tearing through the buildings. Buggy then told Nami to fire the cannon at Luffy to celebrate her joining his crew.
"It's fine. Go ahead and fire it," Luffy said, seeing that she was conflicted. It wouldn't hurt him anyway because he's made of rubber.
"See," Buggy sneered, "Even your boss is ready to end his pitiful life. Now, fire it."
Nami looked around at the other pirates around her, cheering for her, urging her to light the rope to the cannon.
"Hey, newbie, this is how you light a cannon," a pirate came up behind her to take the matches out of her hand.
Before she knew it, Nami had her hidden staff out and knocked the pirate out before he could light the fuse. This isn't what she wanted, but she couldn't just let an innocent person die before her, even if that person is a pirate. Now Buggy's Pirates are going to kill her.
"Oh? So now you're going to help me?" Luffy asked.
"No! My body just moved on its own!" She shrieked at him.
"You dare to make a fool of me?" Buggy ground out. "Men! Kill her and her boss."
Luffy sat in his cage and watched Nami fend off a few swordsmen with her bo, impressed that she was able to fight. Though, he should have known better. A thief should be able to defend herself. He cheered her on as she fought. Zoro should be here soon. Luffy could already feel his presence coming closer to them along with three others.
He saw the pirate that went to light the cannon. No biggie, but Nami also saw it. Panicking and not knowing what else to do, she dropped her weapon to grab the fuse, not thinking it would burn her hands. Now that she was defenseless, the pirates decided to gang up on her.
Seeing that Nami was about to be killed, he yells for Zoro, hoping the man makes it there in time. And he does, just in the nick of time. "Zoro!" he cheered as his swordsman holds off the other pirates from killing Nami.
"Just how many of you does it take to take down one girl?" Zoro sighed as the pirates he stopped were too gobsmacked to answer. Instead, he turned to ask Nami, "You okay there?"
"Ye-yeah," Nami answered, out of breath from the adrenaline rush.
As the pirates around them talked about having the Pirate Hunter Zoro there to take their heads, Zoro turned to ask Luffy, "What the hell happened? You get caught by a bird, and now I find you in a cage. Is this your idea of fun?"
"The flying wasn't really fun, but it sure was interesting," Luffy laughed as if he wasn't trapped in a cage. "You think you can cut the cage down?"
"So you're the Pirate Hunter Zoro. Are you here for my head?" Buggy said, coming up to the swordsman.
"Not interested. I've quit that line of business."
"But I have some interest. You see, if I take your head, my name will become more famous," the clown captain said as he tossed his many throwing knives around.
Zoro really didn't want to deal with this right now. He just wanted to get his captain and get off this island already, but the cheers and taunts from the pirates around him wouldn't let him. "Fine, if that's what you want." Zoro turned to face the charging captain, only to easily cut him to pieces. "He died real easy," he said, surprised that a captain was this weak.
With the captain down, Zoro started walking towards his own captain, thinking how creepy it was that the pirates around him are laughing. He gave the cage a quick glance over on his way. "These steel bars won't slice," he answered his captain's previous question, though the boy wasn't paying attention to him but to what was behind him.
Luffy's eyes widened. "Zoro, look out!" he warned.
Zoro turned to look behind him, which kept the flying hand, holding the throwing knife, from hitting anything vital. It pierced his side instead. "Dammit! What the hell is that?" he panted from the pain.
"I ate the Bara Bara no Mi. No matter how many times you cut me, you can't kill me," Buggy laughed as he put himself back together.
"Stabbing people in the back is dirty, you big nose!" Luffy shouted from his cage.
"Who are you calling big nose?!"
Luffy caught the knife that was thrown at him with his mouth, crushing it between his teeth. "I swear I'm going beat you up," he said with a smile.
"How do you plan on taking me down in this situation? Guys, laugh at him."
"Like this," he coated his hand with haki and punched the top of the cage, freeing himself. "Zoro, run!" With Zoro injured and losing blood fast, there was no way they could fight. Even Luffy knew that he can't fight this many while protecting Zoro and Nami. They have get away from there first, and they can fight later.
"Huh?" Zoro gave his captain a confused look. He couldn't believe his captain actually stayed in the cage when he could have gotten out anytime he wanted to.
"Nami, light!" Luffy ordered as he pushed the cannon to face towards Buggy's Pirate crew.
"Wha-" Nami was brought out from her shock at Luffy's order.
"Light! Hurry!" They need the distraction in order to get away.
"R-right!" She hurried to light the cannon, then ran after Luffy, who was carrying Zoro over his shoulder. "For such a scrawny kid, you sure are strong."
"Of course, I'm strong," Luffy said as he turned his head to look at her, jumping to the next roof without looking at where he's going to land, jostling Zoro as he did so.
"Careful!" Zoro grunted in pain.
"Oh, right," Luffy said as if he'd forgotten that Zoro was injured. He could feel the blood seeping into his vest. A doctor would be nice right now. The young captain had no idea what to do with a stab wound, only that it needs to be covered in bandages, something he doesn't have. It's too bad he couldn't bring Chopper with him to East Blue.
They jumped over a few more rooftops before they come to a stop on a dirt road, where Nami promptly smacked Luffy on the back of his head, causing his head to bounce back and forth. "If you could have gotten out of that cage yourself, why didn't you do so earlier?" she screeched.
"I thought you wanted me to stay in there," he shrugged the shoulder that Zoro wasn't on. "Oh~ A dog!" He ignored Zoro's yelp at being dropped and went to inspect the dog.
"Blood," Zoro moaned tiredly from the ground, "I don't have enough blood for this." Luffy wasn't careful while jumping the rooftops at all, even after he'd yelled at his captain to be careful. Now, most of the blood was probably on his captain's yellow vest, and it didn't seem like Luffy even felt the stickiness of it.
"Hey! What are you youngsters doing out here?" an old man wearing an odd-looking armor called out to them. Once he reached them, he placed a bowl of dog food down in front of the dog and looked at them, his eyes landing on Luffy in worry. "Look at you. You kids must have had a run-in with those pirates."
"Who are you?" Luffy asked as he tilted his head in thought with his hand halfway toward the dog. He didn't even give the man time to answer as he rubbed his stomach. "I'm hungry. Do you have food? Oh, and can you help Zoro?" he pointed to Zoro, as if helping his bleeding swordsman was just an afterthought.
"I'm Boodle, the village chief. You can call me Mayor. My house is just right there," Boodle pointed to the building right next door. "I can get you something to eat there, but there isn't much I can do to help your friend, though. Our doctors are all hiding at the other end of the island. As a matter of fact, it's probably safer if I just take you all there."
"I'll be fine after some sleep," Zoro waved it off, knowing that Luffy wouldn't want to go into hiding anyway.
After failing to persuade Zoro to go to see the island's doctor, Boodle took them to his house and placed Zoro on the couch, where he immediately started to snore. The village chief turned around to show the other two where the kitchen was, only to find that they didn't even wait for him. Luffy was already in the fridge, eating whatever he could find.
"Hey," Nami said from her seat at the table, "what's with the dog? He's just sitting there."
"That's Shushu. He guarding the pet food store that belonged to my friend. I just came to give him his food." The village chief went on to tell them more about Shushu and his friend. "I've tried to take him to the shelter where everyone else is a few times, but he won't leave."
"Maybe he's waiting for his master to come back," Nami suggested.
"Nah," Luffy said with his mouth full. "He's just doing what he was told. He's guarding his master's treasure. He's a good guy. I like him."
Boodle returned Luffy's grin and nodded. "That's right. Shushu may be a dog, but he's smart. I'm sure he already knows his master is long gone, but he's still going to watch over the shop for him."
Luffy was too busy stuffing his face that he didn't notice the new presence until they all heard the loud roar and Shushu's frantic barks.
"It can't be-" the village chief shouted before running to the door with Nami and Luffy behind him. Just before they reached the door, a yelp was heard and the building around them shook.
When the three of them made it out, Name saw the dog's battered body in front of her. "What happened?" she asked as she gently picked a badly injured Shushu up.
"It's Beast Tamer Mohji from Buggy's Pirates. We need to hide," Boodle said as he pulled Nami along with him toward an alleyway, leaving Luffy to stand and stare at the pet food store.
It didn't take long for Mohji and the lion to come out. "Oh? You're the kid that was caught. How did you manage to get yourself out of the cage, I wonder. Captain Buggy is pretty mad at you right now. You guys have committed a serious crime."
"So?" Luffy said as he picked his nose.
"In case you don't know how scary I am, I'll let you know. I am the Buggy Pirate's first mate, Mohji. There's no animal in this world that I can't tame. Now, tell me where Roronoa Zoro is, and I won't kill you," Mohji said, positive that he'd scared the boy in front of him with his skill. It doesn't hurt that he's sitting on an actual lion. Who wouldn't be afraid of a lion?
"Not telling."
The Beast Tamer nearly fell off the lion at the nonchalant answer. "You must be out of your mind," he said angrily. "I already gave you your chance. Kill him, Richie!"
Luffy merely grinned as the lion brought his large paws down towards him with a roar. Before the paw could connect, it stopped just short of the straw hat.
"Richie, what's wrong? Kill him."
The lion whimpered, looking back at his master, then back at the boy he's supposed to kill. He wanted to listen to his master, but his instinct was telling him that killing this boy is a death sentence. His paw wavered as Luffy looked at him straight in the eyes.
"Sit," Luffy commanded, and sit he did.
"What did you do to Richie?" Mohji panicked as he saw that his lion was scared of the kid in front of them. If lions could sweat, he's sure Richie would be sweating buckets just about now.
"You're not the only one that can tame animals," Luffy snickered. "Now, then, Richie, toss that asshole as far away as you can."
Richie gave another whimper before picking up Mohji with his teeth and tossed him up in the air, then swatted his master with his paw as hard as he could.
"Good boy," Luffy praised as he petted his mane. "Now it's your turn." Luffy pulled both his arms far back before letting loose a "Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!" He gave a laugh as he shaded his eyes to watch the lion fly off.
"What just happened?" Nami asked as she and Boodle came out of their hiding place where they saw the whole thing.
"I tamed my first lion," the young captain laughed, only to be interrupted by Boodle's outburst.
"It's not fair! It's just not fair! Even Shushu and this kid have been fighting for us! How can I, the Mayor, sit by and let my home be destroyed without lifting a finger?"
"Calm down, Mayor!" Nami tried.
"No! There are some fights a man cannot back down from! Am I wrong, kid?"
"Nope."
"Don't egg him on," Nami yelled at Luffy with a punch to the head.
"We made this town!" Boodle continued. "This town and its citizens are my treasure! What kind of mayor fails to protect his own town! I will fight!"
Neither Nami nor Luffy had a chance to say anything as the row of buildings next to them got destroyed by a cannonball. The wind from the projectile blew them off their feet.
"My house!" Boodle cried out at the same time as Luffy's, "Zoro!"
"Zoro, you still alive in there?" Luffy called out into the smoke as soon as they got back on their feet.
As soon as the smoke cleared, they saw Zoro sitting on the ground with a hand to his forehead. "Man, talk about a rude awakening," he grumbled.
"You're alive!" Luffy cheered.
"That does it! I am this town's Mayor, and no one messes with my town without my permission!" the village chief yelled before storming off towards Buggy's hideout.
"The mayor was crying," Nami said, astonished at the determination Boodle showed.
"Really? I didn't notice," Luffy snickered.
"Looks like things are getting exciting," Zoro smiled at the anticipation.
"This isn't the time to be laughing!" Name yelled at them. Really. Pirates are horrible.
"It's ok. I like that old man. I won't let him die," the young captain assured Nami.
Nami turned on him to lecture him on his recklessness. "How can you be so confident to just stand there and laugh?"
"We're going to Grand Line. You should join us. I need a navigator, and you need that map to get us to Grand Line. Oh, and you can have all the treasures you find," Luffy stuck his hand out for a handshake to seal the deal.
Nami thought about it before coming to her decision. "I refuse to become a pirate. We'll call it an alliance. We'll both work towards our individual goals," she said, slapping his hand, her sign of an agreement. It wouldn't hurt to sail with someone strong to protect her until she reaches her goal of 100 million beli. It shouldn't take too long now. Buggy's Pirate Crew was bound to have a lot of treasure.
They caught up to Boodle in time for Luffy to grab Buggy's detached hand from the mayor's throat.
"I'm here to keep my promise to you," Luffy said to Buggy, squeezing the older captain's hand. "I'm going to beat you up."
"You morons! So you've come without fear on your own free will," Buggy roared in anger as he tried to summon his hand back to him where he was on top of a bar's roof. The scrawny kid was a lot stronger than he looked. "I'm going to kill you all!"
None of the three paid Buggy's rant any attention, looking to Boodle as he spoke. "What did you three come here for? Stay out of my way. This is my fight. I'm the one who must protect this town! Don't interfere!"
"What the hell was that for?" Nami screeched at Luffy for slamming the mayor's head into a building's wall, knocking the old man unconscious.
"He's in the way?" Luffy tilted his head, unsure as to why he was being yelled at.
Nami could only stare dumbfounded at the easy-going response before she smacked him on the back of his head. "Don't do anything unnecessary!"
"That was good thinking," Zoro backed up his captain. "If you left him, he'd charge in recklessly. It's safer if he was unconscious."
Luffy took that as a sign that he didn't do anything wrong and turned his attention back to Buggy. The young captain sucked in some air in preparation. "Hey, you, HUGE, UGLY, RED NOSE!"
There was a collective gasp from the Buggy Crew, before Buggy lost it. "FIRE THE SPECIAL BUGGY BALL!"
Nami and Zoro couldn't believe Luffy actually taunted the enemy so readily. They both panicked as they looked around for a place to hide from the deadly cannon.
"Did you think that just because you fired some special cannon ball that I'd be scared?" Luffy grinned at the other captain, not at all perturbed about the ammunition coming his way.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Nami screeched as she ran away from the kid.
"Hey, Luffy, dodge it!" Zoro yelled as he, too, tried to run to someplace safe. He didn't make it very far when his captain started to suck in a large amount of air.
"Gomu Gomu no Balloon," Luffy finished his attack just as the cannon hit him, only to bounce off his inflated body and back towards Buggy and his crew, blowing up the entire building. "Yay! Their number has decreased. Now we can start," Luffy said with determined excitement. This should level out the playing field so that he doesn't have to go all out.
"You could have said something earlier," Zoro breathed a sigh of relief.
"Explain yourself! I don't understand this at all. First, you took out a freaking lion and now this! This isn't humanly possible! How the hell did you swell up like a balloon?!" Nami's nerves were shot from the fear of almost dying.
"Gomu Gomu Balloon," Luffy said as if it were an answer.
"I'm not asking for the name!" Nami screeched.
The sound of laughter had them all turn their heads back to the destruction. There they saw from the smoke three bodies standing up. Only after the smoke finally cleared enough for them to see properly, they were just bodies being held up to protect the people behind them.
"You're just chatting around as if you're not scared," one of the people behind the bodies laughed.
"Using their crew as shields!" Nami couldn't believe her eyes. They may be pirates, but she still couldn't believe there were people that could actually use their own crew to save their own lives. She'd always thought that pirates protected their own or at least the ones she knew.
"This is the biggest humiliation we've ever received under our flag, Captain," said the other person hiding behind the third body.
"I'm so mad, words fail me," Buggy growled with a smile as he finally tossed aside the two bodies he used. "Mind telling me how you managed to toss the Special Buggy Ball back at us, huh?"
"I'm a rubber man, see?" Luffy stretched his cheeks to show them. "I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi."
"The Devil's Fruit," Buggy said thoughtfully. He was surprised to see another Devil's Fruit user in East Blue. It's almost unheard of in the most peaceful of the Blue Seas. Even he got his in Grand Line.
"I'm the Buggy Pirate's Chief of Staff, Cabaji the Acrobat! I'll avenge the pain you've caused," a man with a scarf covering his face riding a unicycle called as he came towards Luffy.
"If it's swords, I'm all for it," Zoro said as he intercepted the sword before it could touch his captain.
"It's an honor, Roronoa Zoro. As a swordsman, I get to slay you," Cabaji said.
Luffy wanted to tell Zoro to sit this fight out because the wound he received from Buggy hadn't healed yet, but he could tell that the swordsman wouldn't let this fight go, even if he told him to stop. Instead, he stood back to watch them fight on the sidelines. He had a feeling that Zoro wouldn't want him to butt in on his fight.
He had to clench his fist to keep himself from punching the stupid acrobat's face for cheating. The fire attack was cool, but no real swordsman would attack an injured person's wound so openly like that. That's clearly cheating, and Luffy wanted nothing more than to punch this guy's face for hurting Zoro like that. Repeatedly at that! Luffy stayed quiet, even when Nami asked why he wasn't going to help his friend. There was no need. Zoro will win. He knows it. Zoro would never lose to a cheater.
Luffy was happy when Zoro finally landed a hit. Though, it was with his fist, rather than with his sword, but a hit is a hit. The young captain had to flinch when his swordsman made his wound worse by slicing it. At least now Zoro looks like he's getting serious. He'd finally pulled out his third sword.
"Go, Zoro!" Luffy cheered enthusiastically.
Since it looked like the tables had turned, Nami took this chance to sneak away to steal Buggy's treasure.
Luffy let her go and kept watching the fight. He didn't even let Buggy ruin Zoro's fight. When the other captain let his hand fly to hold Zoro in place so Cabaji could finish him off, Luffy stomped on the hand before it could reach Zoro.
"Don't interfere with Zoro's fight," Luffy glared at Buggy.
Zoro finally finished his fight and fell to the ground, claiming that he needed sleep.
"Don't worry. You go to sleep. I'll finish this off," Luffy assured him.
"Who the hell are you guys?" Buggy shrieked.
"I'm Luffy, the one that's going to be the Pirate King."
Buggy then went on a rant about how a no-name pirate could be the Pirate King, much less make it to Grand Line. "And as a matter of fact, just seeing that stupid hat of yours reminds of that idiot with red hair," he grumbled.
"Yup," Luffy took his hat off and looked at it. "I got it from Shanks. It's a symbol of our promise. He told me about you, too. I still can't believe the both of you sailed with Roger. That's so cool!"
"That idiot probably has nothing good to say anyway. He was always a pain in my ass," Buggy let out a chuckle. "Even though you're made of rubber, there are still some things that won't bounce off you."
"Yup, that's right," Luffy agreed.
Buggy kicked the back of his shoes on the ground, causing small knives to come out on each side and sent his lower half spinning towards the young captain. "Bara Bara Windmill!"
"Now that you're in the air, there's no way for you to dodge," Buggy sneered once Luffy jumped up to avoid the spinning legs and sent some throwing knives to finish the kid off.
"Of course, I can," Luffy said as he stretched an arm to grab a hold of a pillar to pull him out of the way of the knives.
The young captain then threw a punch that was dodged, so he let it stretch a little further to grab a building behind Buggy. When the other captain grabbed his stretched-out arm, stating how Luffy's attack is full of weakness, Luffy let go of his first pillar and flew straight towards the clown with his arm ready to hook it around Buggy's neck. Buggy's neck popped off his body, rather than being grabbed by Luffy.
Luffy ended up landing in the rubble of the bar he blew up. This whole separating into parts was tricky. Luffy couldn't decide what to do that wouldn't be considered too much. He sensed that Nami had come back and was watching them fight. Ace and Sabo wouldn't be happy if he revealed too much this early into his travels.
But then Buggy shot his hand holding knives in between the fingers at him. Luffy grabbed it before it could hit him, but he didn't anticipate the hand would detach itself from the wrist he held. He managed to move his head out of the way, but one of the knives cut part of his face and his hat.
The young captain took off his hat to inspect it and felt his anger grow. "You BASTARD!" Luffy sent Buggy a glare. "How dare you mess up my hat!"
For some reason, Buggy could actually feel the anger rolling off the kid. There's no way some East Blue brat could have it. Could he? But then the feeling left soon after, causing him to think he imagined it.
Luffy took a deep breath to calm himself. "This hat is my promise and my treasure," he said calmly.
"If that hat is so precious to you, then you should take better care of it," Buggy laughed. He threw a knife for the kid to duck and shot out his hand again with three knives in between the fingers, piercing the middle of the straw hat.
He brought his hand back, along with the hat. After turning it around and looking at it, he finally plucked it off the knives and threw it to the ground and stomped on it. "I hate that idiot. Just looking at this hat makes me remember all those times he tormented me."
That does it. No one talks bad about his friends, and no one is allowed to touch his hat!
Luffy charged at Buggy, who anticipating another arm to the neck, separated his head and neck from his body just like last time. Instead of what he anticipated, he received a knee to the midsection instead. Not just a normal kneeing, but a haki infused knee! Buggy can't believe a brat like this could know haki already.
Not giving the clown captain time to catch his breath, Luffy gave him a kick in the groin then sent him flying off the island with a Gomu Gomu no Bazooka.
With the offender now gone, Luffy picked up his hat and stared at it miserably. There were holes on the top of the hat where the knives were stabbed through. At least it looked like most of the damage is on the top. The ribbon area looked fine. He'd check on his treasures later. Right now, he needed to fix the hat, his promise, somehow. It's too bad he never learned to sew from Kobato. Ace wouldn't let him touch a needle after stabbing his fingers too many times.
"I can fix that for you," Nami said softly as she approached him. She felt bad after seeing his face..
"Can you really?" Luffy gave her a hopeful look.
She looked away in embarrassment and crossed her arms. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm still not joining your crew. It's thanks for giving me time to steal the treasures."
Luffy gave a chuckle, happy that his hat can be fixed and went over to wake Zoro up by smacking him on the face a few times.
"Huh? Did you finish the fight?"
"Yup! We got the treasures, and Nami's going to fix my hat!"
"Huh?" Zoro gave him a confused look before shaking his head. "Never mind."
Luffy gave another chuckle before going to wake the mayor. He hadn't taken a step away from Zoro when the other villagers started to show up.
The three of them ended up having to run for their lives, with Luffy laughing the whole time, when the young captain complicated things by telling that he was the one to knock Boodle unconscious and admitting they were pirates. Not knowing the whole story, the villagers thought the three of them were part of Buggy's Pirate Crew.
"That's a nice boat," Luffy commented once they reached the pier. "You think we can all fit in it?"
"It's not mine. I stole it from some of Buggy's men," Nami said as she loaded her bag of treasure into the boat. "I'm pretty sure it's big enough for the three of us. I'll get rid of Buggy's mark later."
"Whatever. Let's get out of here," Zoro said as he got on the boat he and Luffy shared to toss Luffy's bag, the only belonging they have, onto Nami's boat.
-*/-*/-*/-*/-*/
Omake
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LEFT THE BAG OF TREASURE BACK ON THE ISLAND!" Nami yelled once they were far away from the island. She was sure Luffy grabbed the second bag when they ran.
"Well, half of their town was destroyed. I thought they'd need the money to fix it up," Luffy tilted his head, not sure what he did wrong. He's surprised that Zoro could sleep through her yelling. She's loud! Probably because he's still healing. Izo did say that sleep helps with healing.
Nami could only sigh and think this pirate captain was strange and unpirate-like. "Fine. Give me your hat."
"Thanks, Nami," he said as he handed her his hat, only to take it back. "Oh, hold on. Need to check if everything else is safe."
Nami watched as Luffy turned the hat upside down and shook it a few times, her eyes widened as pebbles, gold accessories, torn papers, and other things fell out. "You had treasures in there?! Is that why you won't let anyone touch your hat?"
"Yeah. These are things from my family, my treasure. The hat is my treasure, too." He handed the hat to Nami as he sat down to inspect his treasures.
The thought of stealing some of those crossed her mind, but even she isn't heartless enough to part a kid from something his family gave him if they have sentimental values.
"All right! Everything looks good," Luffy cheered as he stood up. "Now I need to clean my clothes. Zoro's blood is getting sticky. Man, I need a bath." He took off his vest and dipped it in the ocean and brought it back up, then frowned. He never was good with laundry.
"I don't think you can wash all that blood off," Nami commented as she focused on sewing the hat back together. "Your shorts too," she said after seeing the stains on them.
"Oh, okay," Luffy shrugged, tossing his vest into the sea, before doing the same with his shorts. He went to his sac of belongings and dug around for something to wear.
Nami finished stitching the hat and watched Luffy take one thing after another out of his bag, until he put one piece of fabric on top of the pile he'd taken out. "Luffy, wait." She walked over to the pile and picked up the blue dress. "Isn't this a dress? Why do you have one? You didn't steal this from some poor girl, did you?"
"No, of course not! That's mine. Sabo bought it for me," he huffed with his fists to his side. He's not happy at being accused of stealing the dress from someone.
"Sabo?"
"My brother."
"I see," she said thoughtfully, before walking back to Luffy's pile of treasure to pick out a gold hair clip with a flower on it. She took a quick look over the treasures and nearly drooled at the amount of gold and gems he had. She walked back over to him and told him to put his arms up. After he did so, she slipped the dress over his head and clipped his bangs to the side.
Nami took a step back to get a better look at Luffy. "Hmm. Not bad. You actually look good in a dress. You do this often?" Her mind was thinking that she found something fun to do to pass the time when she wasn't stealing.
"Yeah. My family likes to dress me up. I've got lots of pretty dresses and clothes at home. I didn't bring them because they're too complicated. I just brought stuff I know how to put on myself. I'm so used to my brothers dressing me that I don't know how to button those fancy shirts they like. It's fun to dress up," Luffy smiled at her before giving her a stern look. "But I'm not an okama. I'm a man. Izo said so."
Nami laughed at the childish way he said that. "If you say so."
Hours later, Zoro woke up to see an unknown girl on the boat. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things, but she was still there. "Hey," he called out, "What are you doing here?" They were in the middle of the sea. How did she get on? Did Luffy pick up a straggler?
"Oh, Zoro, you're awake! How's your wound? Is it better, yet?"
Now that the girl had turned to face him, he saw that it's Luffy. Zoro choked on his spit at the surprise. He can't believe he's sailing under an okama!
-*/-*/-*/-*/-*/
A/N: I am so sorry for taking so long with this chapter! Things has gotten weird here. My night and day got switched somehow, and I'm now wide awake at night and sleeping during the day. I'm not quite sure how that happened. It's so quiet and peaceful at night. The only problem is trying to not wake anyone else up.
Anyway, what do you guys think of this chapter? Is the story going okay? Is it boring? ヾ(｡﹏｡)ﾉﾞ