Hey guys! Sorry I know I've been M.I.A for a long time and some of you is probably losing your patience with me. But I finally have the next chapter here for all to read and hopefully enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the character's except for Monkey D Kasumi.
Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 6 Man in a box and a long-nosed liar
I sighed as I rested my hand on my injured shoulder, I had just finished fixing Luffy's hat and had now recently managed to also stop the bleeding, so I was now out of danger of bleeding to death. But that didn't mean the wound was gone, it just was currently sore. I examined the hat a little further before passing it back to Luffy, who took it eagerly and grew excited.
"IT'S FIXED!" Luffy exclaimed, a huge goofy grin on his face.
"Calm down Luffy, all I did was mend the cuts." I said, looking at him as he started poking the hat a little. "So be careful not to poke it too much there."
"Right! Right! Thanks! You did a great job in fixing this hat Kasumi-Nee. You're the best." Luffy spoke happily. I rolled my eyes but then closed my eyes, preparing to fall asleep when I heard him scream.
"DIDN'T YOU LISTEN TO WHAT KASSIE SAID?!" Nami yelled, seeming to be angry on my behalf.
"Nami…. There is no point, he's an idiot and one that most likely won't listen." I said.
"But aren't you upset with him? You worked a lot to fix it and he goes and rips it again." Nami spoke, seeming concerned.
"Nah, I'm fine with it. His hat, his choice what to do with it. Plus I'm also used to how he acts so I couldn't help but feel it was going to happen sooner or later." I said, looking at the red-headed girl. Nami looked at me in surprise.
"Really? So I take it he's always been like that?" Nami questioned calmly.
"Yeah." I answered, and couldn't help but notice that Luffy was looking back and forwards at us as we talked.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Luffy half-yelled, a pout on his face.
"Nothing for you to worry about… Idiot…" I spoke, though the last part was whispered and only Nami heard, making her laugh. I smirked.
"You guys are too noisy! I can't sleep with all this noise." Zoro said, sitting up a bit.
"I'm hungry." Luffy said, having not listened to Zoro, completely uninterested.
"Share us some food." Zoro said, looking over at both me and Nami.
"Oh please! You need to be more prepared! You don't bring food or water and dare go to sea, you underestimated the sea!" Nami spoke, glaring at the boys.
"Nami, we did. But in one day, Luffy eats at least a week's worth of food. So we'd need a bigger boat to last longer, to carry more food." I explained, making the red head look at me in surprise.
"Other than the reason, you're the only one besides me that thinks about these things." Nami said.
"Ah! I see something!" Luffy said, looking off in a random direction, I grew curious and followed his gaze to see that he was right.
"You're right there is something there." I said, grabbing a pair of binoculars, which I think belonged to Nami. I looked through them. "It's an island."
"That's island's no good. It's unpopulated, so it's useless." Nami spoke, having not notice Luffy start paddling towards said island since she was now using the binoculars.
"Er, Nami. Say that a bit earlier." I said, making the girl look at me.
"Why?" She asked, only to see me pointing to the already disappearing Captain. She screamed in anger. "WAIT!"
"Well we might as well follow them, otherwise we may regret it later." I said, starting to paddle us to follow. It didn't take too long to reach the isolated island, and everyone minus me were standing on the island.
"Hey, aren't you gonna join us?" Nami asked looking at me.
"Nah, I'm gonna stay and watch over the boats. Plus I'm feeling tired so I gonna have a small nap. Scream if there's any danger." I said, which made her narrow her eyes.
"You gonna be doing this a lot? Most of the time you sleep." Nami spoke, making me chuckle.
"Nope, but unfortunately, you said this island was isolated, so nothing here will interest me. See you when you get back." I said before closing my eyes and allowed myself to doze off into a comfortable sleep.
Kasumi's Dream
I was standing outside Dadan's home, we were expecting Makino to come visit us. I then saw her.
"Makino-Oneechan!" I called out to her, running to give her a hug, recently I've been seeing her as a big sister to me somewhat, not that she seemed to mind.
"Oh Kasumi-Chan. How are you?" Makino greeted with a smile, hugging me back after dropping her basket.
"I'm doing good! Let me go get the boys." I said, running inside to see them just sitting there talking and laughing. "Makino-Oneechan is here!"
"So we heard." Ace spoke, a small smile on his face, I walked up him and looked at him carefully. He looked down at me. "What?"
"You okay, Ace-Oniichan?" I ask, a small frown on my face, worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Ace grumbled, looking away. I snickered before dragging him outside, knowing that Sabo and Luffy had already gone to greet Makino. I didn't blame Ace, after all, which boy ever liked getting new clothes and got excited? Or was to do with the fact that Ace was embarrassed because he had to open up in front of Makino? I wasn't too sure.
"Kasumi-Chan your turn!" Makino called, waving me over. I smiled, letting go of Ace and went over to her.
"I'm surprised you managed to get through Sabo and Luffy quickly. You're good." I spoke amusedly. Makino giggled.
"Well they were being good, plus this is one of my many talents." Makino said, staring to measure me up before smiling, seeming pleased with herself. She reached into her basket and brought out some old clothes. "Here. These used to be mine actually, it seems you're the same size as me at your age."
"Thank you, Makino-Oneechan!" I said, taking the clothes, not being bothered by how old they were, plus there was no skirts or dresses amongst the small pile.
"I knew you wouldn't want anything too girly, especially with having three brothers. I'll be sure to bring some more soon for you." Makino said before motioning for Ace to come over, now that I was done, and I went over to stand by Sabo and Luffy, who were currently laughing at Ace.
"Why are you both laughing?" I asked, only for Sabo to point, due to the fact he couldn't speak. I looked back at Ace, and soon I was trying NOT to laugh myself. Ace was full on blushing, something he NEVER does, especially in front of us three.
"I heard Ace-Kun was mischievous, but you seem like a good boy." Makino stated, smiling at our brother.
He blushed harder. "N-No, I'm not…"
"He's so shy!" Sabo yelled, laughing harder.
"You're blushing Ace!" Luffy called out to him, laughing himself.
"I think he has his first crush!" I teased, laughing now, but I tried reigning it in, seeing Ace glare at us.
"You jerks!" Ace yelled angrily, holding his fist up but he didn't get far as Makino held him still.
"Oh hey, you can't move!" Makino lightly scolded, continuing with her work.
"I'll get you guys later." Ace grumbled, still glaring while we continued to laugh at him. It wasn't long did she finish that Ace started chasing us three until he managed to bonk us on the head, due to the fact Luffy tripped and brought me and Sabo down with him. We still ended up laughing.
Next memory
I was stood staring out to the sea, thinking of everything. It was my mother's death anniversary today and I couldn't help but want to be alone. I had left the bandits home earlier than usual, making sure my three brother were still asleep. I sighed.
"I miss you mom, I wish you were here with me…" I whispered sadly, and yet despite how I felt, I never let out a tear. I sighed again.
"OI! KASUMI! WHERE ARE YOU!? KASUMI!" I heard my name being called, the voice belonging to Ace. I knew that the brothers would worry, I hadn't told them that this was the day my mom died years ago. I turned to look back towards the forest, where I could hear him, but just before he came into view, I fell backwards into the ocean, letting the cold water consume me.
"Kasumi…. Kasumi…." I heard a voice whisper into my ear, I look to my right to see Kaito floating next me. I would have answered him, but I was in the water, sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss of the darkness. I started seeing images, the years of my slavery, my hometown burning and my mother's death. I wanted to cry. I want my mother with me. I missed her so much. I feel empty, I feel a stabbing pain in my chest. I felt a hand grab my arm, and soon I was out the water and on dry land.
"YOU IDIOT! WHAT WERE YOU DOING?! DO YOU KNOW YOU COULD HAVE DIED DOWN THERE!" A voice screamed, I looked up through my now heavy eyes to see a wet Ace. Did he dive in after me? Wait, was he real? I didn't know, but I felt relief of seeing him. "ANSWER ME! WHAT WERE YOU DOING!?"
"Ace…?" I whispered unsurely before grabbing on to him and hugged him hard. Was he shaking? No, that was me. I was…. Crying. Something I never do, not in front of anyone.
"Oi.. What's wrong?" Ace asked, his anger seeming to be put to one side as he put his hands on my shoulders to push me gently away, but found he couldn't, I started crying harder.
"S-She died t-today… I miss her.. Everything s-started to-today…." I hiccupped out, unable to speak properly due to how hard I was crying. Ace's eyes widened, confused at first, but with seeing me like this, I then started to understand. He hugged me back then, as hard as he could, and let me cry.
"I'll kill those bastards… How dare he do this to you…" Ace growled angrily as he gently rubbed the back of my head in a soothing manner, which was odd for him but then he was my protective older brother.
"I don't know what to do, I feel lost, scared." I whimper, nuzzling my face into his warm chest.
"I'm not sure either. But you need to know that you're NOT alone. You've got me, Sabo and Luffy. Hell, you also have Dadan and those stinky bandits. Makino and Mayor too." Ace spoke, finally managing to pull away to look at me. I looked up at him and gave him a small smile.
"Thanks Onii-Chan." I spoke, Ace smiled at me, wrapping an arm around me in another hug.
"There you two are. What going on?" Sabo asked as he and Luffy came into view.
"Just talking. Trying to cheer someone up here." Ace said, ruffling my hair with his hand.
"OI! Stop that!" I said, waving my hands to get him to stop. The boys laughed at me, especially since it's rare for me to open up when it came to my own feelings.
End of dream
I felt a cool breeze on my face, which woke me up from my slumber. I looked around to see that we were still at the island and that I was alone or well almost alone on the boat. I saw Zoro sat across from me, he was asleep.
"Hmm, it seems Luffy and Nami aren't back yet. Well better go see what's taking them so long." I muttered as I stood up, stretching my muscles before walking towards the centre of the island. I looked around to see many animals, most of them strange looking but didn't question it nor did I investigate, all I wanted was to look for my brother and our navigator.
"This is it… It's been a long time… Since the last time I came here." I heard someone speak, making me look in that direction to see something weird. I was a very small man, stuck in a wooden box and a large bush like afro hair. I went to walk off, uninterested but then spotted bright orange hair and a straw hat with the guy. Luffy and Nami was there too.
"Hey guys, what's going on here? And whose this fellow?" I called over to them as I went over to join them. The three looked over to me, looked a bit surprised, but it wasn't long did I see my two companions smile and the stranger looking confused.
"Kasumi-Nee! You're here! Look, look, isn't this guy funny!" Luffy spoke, pointing over to the boxed man.
"Hmm." I spoke, nodding at the guy. " What's going on?"
"Yeah, I'd like to know too. Who're you?" The man said.
"I'm Kasumi, this guy's sister and the Vice-Captain of our crew." I said, jabbing my thumb towards Luffy. "And yourself?"
"Gaimon. Nice to meet you." He said, seeming to relax. It wasn't long did Luffy, Nami and Gaimon filled me in on what was happening.
"So why haven't asked anyone for help getting up there or grabbing the treasure for you?" I asked calmly.
"Because I don't trust anybody! And anyone who sees me like this wouldn't believe me anyway." Gaimon answered, looking at me, before he looked up the large mountain like rock that was hard for him to walk up. "I've waited for this moment so long, today is the happiest day of my life!"
"Okay. Go for it." Nami said, looking at both me and Luffy.
"Which one of us are you saying that to?" I asked, looking at he. I had a feeling that she wanted to treasure for herself and not to help this guy, and I hadn't been here all that long.
"Either of you two is fine. But I can't be me, I'm not the one with special abilities like either of you." Nami said, looking incredulous.
"I'm counting of you guys." Gaimon said.
"Okay." Luffy said, holding out a hand to me, a sign saying he'd do it. I sighed but nodded. And with that said and done, Luffy stretched his arm up to the top of the rock and soon he was flying up there, and then disappeared.
"WOW!" Gaimon exclaimed seeming shocked, but then again how many guy were made out of rubber? We waited only for a short minute before Luffy made a reappearance, a large chest in his arms.
"There really are some treasure chests up here! There are five of them!" Luffy called down to us.
"THAT'S GREAT! QUICK! DROP THEM HERE! BUT DON'T HIT ME!" Gaimon yelled up to Luffy, looking excited.
"No way!" Luffy said, causing us to look up at him in surprise.
"What?" Gaimon asked in disbelief.
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? STOP JOKING ABOUT AND DROP THE TREASURE CHESTS NOW!" Nami yelled up at him, seeming not the understand him and his reasons. And for once, even I was stumped as to why Luffy was saying no.
"I coming up there." I called up to my brother before jumping up, when I reached the top I saw that all five chests were open and what I saw made me understand the situation.
"IF YOU WON'T PASS THEM DOWN THE KASSIE WILL! KASUMI, DROP THEM DOWN HERE PLEASE!" Nami yelled up to us. Luffy looked at me, his expression saying that it was my decision on what to do. I sighed before looking down at Nami and Gaimon.
"Nope, ain't gonna do that." I said simply, sounding bored and uninterested.
"WHAT!? YOU TOO! HURRY AND DROP THEM!" Nami screamed, looking angry now.
"I don't wanna do that!" Luffy spoke.
"I with him on the matter." I agreed.
"DON'T YOU DARE COME DOWN HERE AGAIN!" Nami screamed at us, glaring at us.
"Forget about it! It's okay if they don't want to drop them here!" Gaimon spoke, looking disappointed but understanding at the same time. Nami turned to him, looking surprised.
"HOW CAN THAT BE OKAY!? THAT'S YOUR TREASURE!" Nami yelled incredulously.
"Straw-hat kid….. Kasumi-San…" Gaimon called up to us, making us look at him. "You… You both are good people.."
"WHAT? WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!?" Nami yelled, shocked.
"Actually… I've thought about it before… It might be a possibility…. But, I always try hard not to think about it… The treasure chests… Are empty, aren't they?" Gaimon spoke, crying tears now. I felt bad for him, I frowned.
"Ah!" Nami gasped, finally understanding the full situation. And Gaimon was correct, the chests were empty.
"That would be correct. Those chests are empty, I'm sorry for the trouble you've be through to guard and wait for." I said as I jumped down, a frown still on my face.
"The treasure in the map, actually did exist…" Gaimon said, seeming to be calming down, I looked at him in surprise. "But, by the time we found the map, the treasure had already been taken by other people."
"How can that be… The treasure you guarded for 20 years… is just a bunch of empty chest." Nami said.
"But how was he supposed to know that? He's trapped in a bow, unable to climb up himself to find out that fact." I said, looking at Nami.
"True, but still… He guarded it for 20 years." Nami said. I sighed before looking up at Luffy.
"WUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…. Don't be so disappointed Uncle! You meeting us after these 20 years is a really good thing too! 'Cause if it had been 30 years, you might've already be dead!" Luffy spoke joyously.
"Straw hat kid!" Gaimon spoke.
"Luffy be considerate of his feelings!" I scolded, before turning back to Gaimon. "But Luffy is right on one thing. You were wasting your life away here. There are tons of treasure out there and not just here. You could've been rich had you not stayed here. But on the bright side, you know the truth now, and can now move on the do want you want to do, go find more treasure elsewhere." I spoke, a smile on face give him a quick yet gently pat before going to stand next to Nami.
"Luffy… Kassie…" Nami spoke quietly, seeming surprised by our actions.
"You okay?" I asked her, my smile was small, but it held comfort for the girl.
"Yeah… Just trying to understand you both… Has it always been like this for you two?" Nami asked.
"Yeah. True we can be rude or seem plain stupid most of the time… But we are blunt when it comes to the truth and we say what's on our minds, well, mostly Luffy does." I answer her the best I could.
"Really?" Nami said, seeming to not like that answer as she grumbled it out.
"HAHAHA…. You'll get used it soon. You'll see." I spoke amusedly, giving her a smirk.
"Great…" She mutter sarcastically.
"Don't worry, there is still the great treasure 'One Piece' waiting for us! Will you join us Uncle?" Luffy asked, his grin growing bigger.
"Eh? Luffy?" I asked in surprise, not expecting him to ask Gaimon that.
"You… You…. You're inviting me?" Gaimon asked, surprised himself but he seemed happy with that teary smile on his face.
"Yeah, come on! Join my crew!" Luffy spoke.
"Thank you but I'm going to have to decline your offer. I feel like I'm needed here on this island more." Gaimon said, sounding grateful that we offered and was trying to be polite.
"But.." Luffy went to push it but I put my hand on his shoulder.
"Luffy, let him make his own choice. If he wants to come, he can and if he wants to stay, he can. And don't worry crew or not crew a friend is a friend." I said, before grinning at Gaimon who teared up even more. Soon I turned away and started heading back to the boats.
"Hey, where are you going?" Nami asked, following me.
"Back to the boats. You're right, we won't get much by being here plus I left Zoro on his own, unaware of where we are. Plus I think we are finished here and can move on." I said, giving her a smile. "Plus I'm bored."
"I'm not gonna bother with a comment." Nami muttered, making me chuckle. It wasn't long did we all find ourselves back at the shore, by our boats.
"Uncle… Are you sure, you're really going to stay on this island?" Luffy asked, pushing it one last time.
"Yes! Thank you for inviting me… But I still want to be the 'Forest Guardian'." Gaimon spoke, grinning at us.
"Why?" Luffy asked, confused by the refusal.
"Because there are many rare animals in this forest…." Gaimon answered, looking determined.
"You're right! We saw a strange snake and pig!" Nami commented as she pointed back towards the forest.
"Yeah, they sure are different to most animals, all of them look unique." I spoke, agreeing with Nami.
"There were many people who came to this island to get those animals, and living here for 20 years made me grown to love those animals. I can't leave them behind!" Gaimon explained, making us three smile. That is until Luffy ruined the moment.
"You're a rare and precious animal too, Uncle!" Luffy said dumbly, making me and Nami look at him surprised while Gaimon glared.
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Gaimon yelled angrily.
"Gaimon-San, I think what you a choosing to do is really great, and I can tell that the animals love having you here. They are very lucky to have you here looking after them all." I said calmly, ignoring my idiotic brother.
"Thank you, Kasumi-San. Now that there are no more treasures, I feel somewhat relieved, I can now live in this island more comfortably." Gaimon said.
"It's too bad, you're an interesting person, Uncle!" Luffy said, grinning.
"I'm sure you'll find companions for you crew! And also find 'One Piece', then buy the whole world." Gaimon spoke, sounding hopeful for us. I smiled.
"We'll be sure to come back to visit again. After all, we're friends now, and when we do, we'd have reached our dreams." I said determinedly, a grin on my face.
"I'm sure you will do it, I'll believe in you guys. And I'm sure we'll meet again someday." Gaimon spoke, looking at me. I waved at him before stepping back into the boat I was sharing with Nami.
"That's right! We can do it! See ya!" Luffy spoke excitedly before jumping in next to Zoro as Nami came and sat by me, and soon we were off to find the next island.
~Time Skip~
It was currently night time, the boys were asleep, though I'm surprised that Zoro barely woke up for most of the day. Nami and I were in the little hut that Nami's boat had. I was wide awake, while Nami was trying to sleep but was struggling.
"Nojiko… Bellemere-San…." Nami muttered in here sleep while I watched her. I wasn't really tired, due to my afternoon nap. It was then that I noticed Nami was also shivering. I sighed.
"I guess we aren't the only idiots in the crew… Bloody forgot to use her blanket." I muttered under my breath before a stood up and quietly went over to her and placed her blanket over her only for her to wake up, seeming startled.
"What are you doing!?" She whispered-yelled, looking surprised but not angry.
"You seemed cold while you were sleeping, I was just covering you with your blanket. Sorry to have woken you up." I whispered, walking back to my spot before sitting back down.
"Oh, right. Thank you. How come you're not asleep?" Nami asked, looking at me before rubbing her eyes.
"Not tired. I got to remember not to have those afternoon naps of mine." I said amusedly, chuckling slightly. I looked at her then, and saw something in her eyes, something I recognized. "Are you okay?"
"Huh? I'm fine, why?" Nami asked, confused.
"It's nothing. Whose Nojiko and Bellemere-San?" I asked carefully, not wanting to step too far. Nami looked surprised then before looking at anything but at me.
"Just two people I know. But how'd you know their names?" Nami asked me.
"You said their names in your sleep. Do you miss them?" I asked.
"All the time." Nami asked, seeming to be careful with how much she shares with me. I studied her more, and this didn't go unnoticed by the girl. "What?"
"That look you have in your eyes, I've seen it before." I said, making Nami freeze, she caught on to what I was talking about.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Now, let's g-" Nami went to say, but I cut her off.
"Nami, look at me and tell em what you see." I said to her, catching her off guard with the order. Despite being hesitant and unsure, she did as I asked. Her eyes widened.
"You… Like me…" Nami said slowly, shocked.
"You're not the only here that suffers from a past. I'm not going to ask you on what's happened to you, that's your personal life and your choice. But you're not the only one in pain and you're not alone. Now go get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning." I said before laying down and faced away from her. I knew that conversation was random, and came out of nowhere, but I needed to know that Nami can rely on us as her friends and crew and not feel alone.
"…Thank you… Kassie-Oneechan…" Nami spoke softly, unaware that I was still awake, I was surprised by the nickname, but it made me happy.
~Time Skip~
"We need to plan things more!" Nami said thoughtfully as we continued to travel. It was a warm sunny morning, everyone was awake, including Zoro which was a surprise since he was usually asleep.
"What do you mean?" Luffy asks dumbly from where he sat, which was the head of the boat that he was on.
"Are we going to the Grand Line like this?" Nami asks him, I look around at our situation, and I could actually tell what she meant by her statement. We weren't ready, not by a long shot.
"Oh, that's right! Although Uncle cabbage gave us plenty of fruits, we don't have any meat on this ship!" Luffy said, clearly not understanding what is truly important.
"I am not talking about the food supplies!" Nami spoke, annoyed at his idiocy, that is meant to be our Captain.
"And we don't have any Sake to drink either! How boring!" Zoro added, which did not help at all.
"LET'S NOT WORRY ABOUT THE PROBLEM OF FOOD AND DRINK FIRST!" Nami yelled, getting more angry.
"Right now our situation is bad, one we are on two tiny boats that won't even last a minute on the Grand Line, and secondly the crew is too small! First we will need to find where we can get a proper big ship and then gain more people to join and THEN we can do what we like!" I stated, glaring at the boys, and the look on Nami gives me the impression she is relieved.
"FINALLY! A sane answer! Kassie-Chan is right, we aren't in the best of shape to go anywhere near the Grand Line!" Nami said, looking at the boys sternly, that is until she turned to me, a happier expression but was still looking serious. "Kassie, can you tell us more on what we need to do?"
"Well the Grand Line is very unpredictable there, one minute you could be sailing in sunny weather and in the next you could be fighting a blizzard and I'm not kidding, it can get mental over there. Secondly, normal compasses don't work, but they do have a special little navigation system that everyone uses to travel through that sea, but we don't worry about that until we get there. Now what separates the Grand Line to the normal seas is the Calm Belt, where the is no form of weather, not rain, no wind, no nothing but hot sunny weather but another thing is that it's also a breeding ground." I spoke, looking at them, they were surprised my vast knowledge, I think, on the subject.
"Breeding ground?" Zoro questioned, interested but confused.
"That's right. A breeding ground of Sea Kings. Huge sea monster of all shape and sizes." I answer him, now affected or scared at the thought of possibly facing some in our later travels.
"I see. So right now, no matter what we think, we possible can't be safe!" Nami commented, seeming to think about what I said.
"Oh! What do we do then?" Luffy asked, looking at us both. I started to wonder if he truly was the Captain, after all, wasn't it his job to think about these things? Wait, this is Luffy I was thinking about, he would think anything smart, not in the long run.
"We have to prepare first, and plan for the journeys ahead. There's a village due North. We should go there first!" Nami said as she looked at one of her maps.
"Then that is where we are going. And the first thing we should do is look for a decent and strong ship .Preferably better than these two boats." I said, looking ahead of us.
"AND EAT SOME MEAT!" Luffy yelled excitedly.
"And he wasn't listening to a word we were saying…" I spoke, feeling annoyed at him, before hit the back of his head "GET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT, YOU IDIOT!"
"Thank heavens I'm not the only sane person here…." Nami said quietly, seeming thankful. I then decided to keep my eyes on the horizon, looking out for this island or for any other ships but it was only an hour later did I spot something in the distance.
"Oi, Nami-Chan! Is that the Island you mentioned earlier?" I ask, turning to the navigator. Nami looked down at the map once more before looking back at me.
"Yeah, that's it." Nami answered and it wasn't long did a certain Captain of ours to get excited as he once again, raced ahead of us.
"WOOHOO! MEAT!" Luffy yelled and it wasn't long did he disappear into the distance.
"I guess that means we need to catch up, otherwise there is trouble." I say.
"Honestly, has he got no patience?" Nami spoke annoyed.
"Nope." I said both we both sighed and soon we both were paddling until we reached the shore, next to Luffy's and Zoro's boat. And I was then thankful the boys were waiting for us and hadn't even stepped out of their boat, which was strange but I wasn't going to question it. Both me and Nami stepped out of our boat, and looked at the map that Nami was holding.
"WOW! There's really an island here!" Luffy spoke, looking around.
"So, what did you expect?" Nami asked, looking back to Luffy.
"We followed the map and listened to our navigator, so it couldn't have been wrong!" I said before looking around, and it wasn't long did I notice we were being watched.
"Is there a village here?" Luffy asked, curiosity could be heard in his voice.
"Uh huh! Looks like there's a small village." Nami said, looking at the map.
"If it's only a small village, would they really have a ship that is strong? I can only picture small boats like ours." I said, letting my eyes wonder back to my crewmates.
"I can see where you're coming from on that note. I guess we'll just have to go and find out then won't we?" Nami commented, and I only hummed in response to that.
"Been a long time since I stood on firm ground…." Zoro said after he got off the boat and stretched, and I swear I heard some of his bones 'pop'. I shrugged before going back to looking around to see that we were still being watched, there were four of them, three kids and one guy that looked to be around are age.
"That's because you were sleeping a long time." Luffy said, laughing a little bit.
"By the way guys, I just noticed something a short moment ago…" I spoke up, making my companions look at me, though I kept looking at our audience though. I nodded my head in their direction to point them out to my crew. "What are those guys doing there?"
They freaked out at that.
"HEY YOU… DON'T RUN AWAY!" The older guy out the four screamed as he watched his friends run away.
"WAAA…. WE'VE BEEN FOUND!" The three kids screamed before they completely disappeared from our view. While we done here by the shore, kept watch them calmly wondering what the hell was going on. The guy turned back to look at us, sweating a bit. He was nervous, though he soon recovered and stood up to face us.
"I AM THE GREAT PIRATE FLEET LEADER USOPP, WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THE SECURITY OF THE VILLAGE! I'M ALSO KNOWN AS CAPATIAN USOPP!" Usopp yelled, seeming proud and we could tell he was lying. Soon Usopp came to stand a metre away from us. "It's best if you don't try to attack this village, because my 80 million men are not going to forgive you!"
"You're lying right?" Nami deadpanned, I on the other hand smirked, especially when Usopp started to freak out.
"WAA! I'VE BEEN CAUGHT!" Usopp screamed in sheer terror.
"See! You just said it yourself." I commented, smirking when he freaked out more. I was having fun here.
"ARRGH! DID I JUST SAY THAT? BAD PLANNING! BAD PLANNING INDEED!" Usopp screamed, his fear growing. And of course, I wasn't the only one who found this funny.
"HAHAHA! You're so funny!" Luffy said as he laughed, clutching his stomach, which in turn made me laugh too.
"HEY! DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME! I AM A MAN WITH HIGH SELF-ESTEEM! AND EVERYONE CALLS ME THE 'HONOURABLE USOPP'." Usopp yelled, going up to Luffy, looking a little angry but I wasn't alarmed, and I could tell the rest of my companions weren't either.
"Right, I'm going to explore, possibly find somewhere to eat." I say as I started to walk to where Nami pointed earlier. And soon we were walking towards the village. Usopp also decided to join us, having change his tune and opinion on us. He had also managed to learn our names while we were at it.
"So where can we find a place to eat, Usopp-San?" I asked politely.
"Just down the road, and no need for formalities. Though you can call me…" Usopp said, but I cut him off before he could start another lie.
"Great, thanks Usopp." I said walking in the direction that Usopp said and soon we reached a cute little Tavern that was in the middle of the village, which looked cute too, and it didn't takes us long to find an empty table were we could all sit down.
"So you're looking for companions and a big ship?" Usopp asked us shortly after our food arrived.
"Yup!" Luffy answered, being completely honest.
"Oh! Sounds like a big adventure!" Usopp said, excited.
"You bet it will! We'll get a good ship, and a strong crew and then we're off to the Grand Line to fulfil our dreams. And NOTHING will stop us." I said confidently, a huge grin on my face.
"That's so cool!" Usopp spoke, stars in his eyes when he looked at me, a huge smile on his face.
"Now all we need is to find what we need." I said to him, my eyes asking him the obvious question, one he noticed.
"There's only one place where you can find the stuff you want in this village… Although it's not a very big ship, but it's not that small either." Usopp said thoughtfully but confidently too.
"Where?" Nami pitched in, leaning forwards in her seat.
"There's a mansion not far from the village that belongs to a wealthy family. The ship belongs to the mansion's owner. Although we say that she is the owner…. She is a pitiful young girl. A weak and sick girl that always lies on the bed." Usopp said, looking serious and for once since we met him, he seemed to be telling the truth this time.
"Eh?" Nami gasped in surprise.
"Then how come she's the owner of the mansion?" I asked, though Nami then whacked the back of my head.
"There is a time and place where manners are needed, Kassie-Chan." Nami said, and I looked at her. That nickname was really starting to stick when it came to us.
"If you want to scold someone on their manners, look over there." I said, pointing to Luffy and Zoro, making Nami look herself.
"Oba-San! Another plate of meat!" Luffy spoke not bothering with a please or thank you and of course ignored Usopp entirely.
"I want some more sake…" Zoro said, doing the exact same thing a Luffy. Nami's eye twitched in annoyance, and she turned to me.
"I see your point." Nami said.
"ARE YOU GUYS LISTENING TO ME!?" Usopp yelled at us all, and then we realised we were ALL ignoring him. Oops.
"You were saying?" I said, prompting him to continue speaking, after I glared at the boys, making them pay attention.
"I think it happened around a year ago…. That girl's parents died of sickness, leaving her a large inheritance, a mansion, and over ten servants. Even if you are really rich, it doesn't exempt you from sorrow." Usopp said, leaning back in his seat to look at the ceiling. I sighed.
"Never mind." Nami said, leaning over the table, seeming to give up. We all looked at her, and I could see why she gave up, I sighed again. Nami spoke again. "Let's forget searching for a ship in this village. We'll go and search somewhere else…"
I looked at Nami, before turning to look at Luffy. "Luff, what do you think?"
"Okay! But we're not in a hurry anyways, I still want some more meat! Let's buy so more meat for our supplies." Luffy said, grinning ear to ear.
"Oh yeah, you said earlier that you're looking for companions?" Usopp asked, looking to Luffy.
"There is somebody who wants to be our companion?" Luffy asked, and now I was looking at Usopp with interest.
"Let me be the captain, and I'll join you!" Usopp said, jabbing his thumb at himself, and a confident grin on his face. Excluding him, we all slumped.
"Never mind…" We said, causing Usopp to gasp.
"WHAT KIND OF ATTITUDE IS THAT!?" Usopp yelled, eyes wide, and jaw to the floor. It wasn't long after that did Usopp stood saying 'It's that time again.' and left, waving us goodbye as he did. I shrugged it off before the four of us started to ponder on what to do next when the three kids that I recognized from earlier came running inside the tavern.
"USOPP PIRATE FROUP…. IS HERE!" They yelled, causing Nami, Zoro and Luffy to look over at them.
"What?" Nami questioned, surprised.
"I don't know. Who are they?" Luffy asked, going to drink his coffee.
"Those are the kids that I saw with Usopp earlier. The ones that ran away." I said quietly, making sure the three children didn't hear me.
"Hey… Captain isn't here…" The boy with the hat said, looking around, while the other two glared at us.
"It can't be that… He's been eaten up…!" The boy with the glasses said, still glaring.
"H… Hey pirates!" One them called to us, trying to get our attention, though they already had it.
"What did you do to our Captain Usopp?!" Another one asked.
"Give us back our Captain!" The third one said, I then had an idea, and I could see it in Luffy's eyes too. He saw me looking at him with a grin, and nodded to each other. Nami and Zoro noticed the exchange and seemed to go a little nervous, though curious about what we were about to do.
"Yum, Yum! What a delicious meat!" Luffy exclaimed loudly, a huge grin on his face.
"Huh… Meat!?" They exclaimed in shock before realisation hit them. "He… He ate the Captain!"
"Your Captain…" I started to speak, but paused for dramatic effect. It was then that Zoro and Nami grinned, having realized what it was we were doing, and were both quietly laughing.
"Wh… What!? What did you do…!?" They yelled, now looking at me in fear.
"We just…. Ate him." I said, grinning at them but was calm and not laughing.
"GYAAAAAAAHHH! ONIBABA! AAAAA!" The three kids screamed, looking at Nami and in turn made me, Luffy ad Zoro laugh really hard while Nami grew angry.
"WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME!?" Nami all but screamed angrily at the three kids, who flat out fainted, then she turned on me. "WHY DID YOU TELL THEM THOSE WEIRD THINGS!?"
"Because it was funny to watch their faces. Come on, admit it. You thought it was funny too?" I said, looking at her pointedly, making her look away nervously but then back to me.
"Just a bit." Nami said quietly, making the boys snicker, and soon we started to wait until the three young boys woke up to find that when they did, they were a lot calmer than before. We told them that we were just joking and that he left a little bit before they arrived. We also learnt their names. The boy in the hat was Carrot, the boy with the green hair, not Zoro, was Pepper and the boy with the glasses was Onion and let me say this, I almost burst out laughing at the fact they were named after food.
"'It's that time again'..?" Pepper said, looking out the window that was across from where they stood, I followed their gazes to see them looking at a mansion. Was that the mansion Usopp spoke of earlier? Probably.
"Yup… After he said that, he left the shop." Zoro said, looking at the three.
"Oh, so it was time to go to the mansion." Pepper said, a relieved smile on his face.
"Mansion? The place where the sick girl lives?" Nami asked, seeming interested.
"Yup…" Carrot answered this time.
"Why does he go there?" Both me and Luffy ask at the same time.
"To tell lies." Carrot answered, making it sound simple and obvious.
"Isn't that a bad thing to do?" Luffy asked.
"That's not bad! Actually it's great!" Pepper said happily.
"Yes it's very good!" Onion said.
"Huh? How is lying good?" I ask, feeling curious.
"Because he tells her stories to help cheer her up, and it makes her feel better." Pepper answered.
"Wow! He's a great guy!" Luffy said, seeming to understand.
"So to restore her spirits, he's been going for a year to amuse her with made up tales?" Nami questioned, looking interested herself.
"Yup." Pepper answer simply. I chuckled.
"I like his 'nonsense'." Carrot said.
"That's nice for him to do. Tells her stories just to make her feel like a normal person." I said, leaning back in my seat.
"I like the Captain's 'Cowardice'!" Pepper says excitedly.
"I like his 'lies'!" Onion says just as excited as his friend. I laughed as Nami and Zoro sweat-dropped.
"What kind of strong points are those?" Zoro asked slowly.
"So the lady is feeling better already?" Luffy asked, and I could tell he was thinking of something, the wheels in his head were turning.
"Yeah, and it's all thanks to the Captain!" Carrot answer him.
"Why did I suddenly get a bad feeling?" I spoke quietly, and only Nami heard me.
"What do you mean by.." Nami started but was cut off by an excited Captain. "Oh.."
"ALRIGHT! THEN SHALL WE GO TO THE MANSION AND ASK FOR A SHIP!" Luffy yelled as he stood up out of his seat.
"NO! Didn't you just say you'd give it up?!" Nami yelled, only to be ignored as Luffy ran out the building all together.
"Nami, give up. He'll never listen now that he's made up his mind." I said before getting up and ran after my brother.
"Good afternoon… Please lend us a ship." Luffy called up to the large mansion that we were currently at. We had arrived at the property was surrounded by a rather large wall that was probably 9-10 feet high, and we were currently in front of the metal gate that was just as tall.
"I don't think they heard you Luff." I said, coming to stand by the rubber boy. Luffy looked at me for a minute before looking back at the mansion.
"I see. Let's just go in then…" Luffy said as he started climbing over the metal gate.
"What was to point in the greeting if you're gonna do that?" One of the kids said, Pepper I think was the one that spoke.
"Well I we want something, standing around won't get us anywhere." I say to them before jumping over the gate completely without even touch it.
"We can't even stop them." Nami sighed as she placed a hand over her face in irritation.
"Since we can't stop them both, we'll just have to follow them." Zoro said before walking to climb the gate, though he also ended up helping Nami along the way. I walked further into the property while my friends helped the kids over the gate. I walked around the corner and then spotted Usopp; he was sat underneath a tree talking to a young girl, similar age to us, who was at the open window listening to Usopp. This must be the owner.
"HAHAHAHA…. So what happened to the goldfish?" The girl asked, laughing happily as she listened to his story. I could tell she was a sick girl by just her voice, it was weak, quiet and very soft though it was still loud enough for us the hear her.
"Well then I sliced it up into little pieces, and sent them to the country of the dwarves…" Usopp said, and straight away I could tell her was lying, but I wasn't complaining, especially if this is what made the happy. "And up to this day the still haven't been able to finish eating it. Then, because of my great powers, they all called me…"
"Captain!" A all so familiar voice spoke up, interrupting Usopp. I turned to see that the guys had caught up to me.
"Yes, Capt…" Usopp started, having not realised to begin with but then freaked out when he turned to us. "Huh! What are you all here?"
"We brought these guys here.." Pepper said, pointing to me and Luffy, who was now next to me.
"Who's that?" The girl asked, and now she was leaning further out the window, I got a better view of her. She had shoulder length blonde hair a few shades lighter than mine, doe like chocolate brown eyes, and her skin was quite pale, but that's probably due to her sickness.
"Oh! So you're the Ojou-sama?" Luffy asked bluntly, uncaring if he wasn't being polite. I sighed.
"These guys heard of my reputation and travelled far to see me here. They are the new members of the Usopp pirate group!" Usopp said, causing me to look at Usopp with a raised eyebrow as he hooked an arm around Luffy's shoulders.
"Yeah.." Luffy said, not realising at first but a few seconds later realized and corrected himself. "No! That's not…"
"A request? Of me?" The girl asked, looking surprised, I raised a hand to Luffy saying that I've got it.
"Yes. We're currently trying to acquire a ship for our crew." I explained to the girl, speaking calmly and much more politely than Luffy would most likely do.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" A new voice yelled, startling us, we looked to where it came from to see a tall slender man walking to us, he had black hair that was combed back, and wore glasses that hid his onyx eyes. He wore a suit, which told me he was probably one of the butlers or THE butler of the mansion. "You can't just barge into the mansion like this!"
"Ugh! The butler!" Usopp said in distaste.
" I take it you don't like this guy very much?" I asked, whispering into Usopp's ear.
"No. He always interrupts mine and Kaya's moment together, and hates anyone visiting." He whispered back, making me nod in understanding.
"Who's he?" Luffy asked, looking at the approaching butler.
"Clahador…" Kaya spoke softly, and it doesn't take long for the gentleman to stop by the window. "Listen Clahador, these people are…"
"You don't have to explain! I will ask you about it later." Clahador spoke, not even listening to his mistress, which was stupid and disrespectful of him. He turned to us now. "Please get out! Or is there something you need to say?"
"I want a ship…" Luffy spoke hopefully.
"No way." The butler said bluntly, not even bothering to think about it. Luffy slumped down at that, causing me to try to cheer him up.
"You… You're Usopp-Kun…" Clahador stated, turning to the long nosed boy, who turned to look at the butler.
"I've heard some rumours about you. The villagers talk about you all the time." Clahador said.
"Oh… Oh, thank you. You may call me Captain Usopp. Everybody calls me that." Usopp said, though I had a feeling this conversation saw gonna go south.
"The guards said…. You were lurking outside the gates. What do you want here?" Clahador asked, pushing his glass further up his nose.
"Errr… Errr… I heard that there's a huge mole inside the mansion! So I wanted to see it for myself!" Usopp said, and quite obvious he was lying, digging his grave deeper than ever.
"HAHAHA…. I see that you can lie certainly well!" Clahador said, pointing out that he knew what Usopp was doing.
"What?" Usopp questioned, confused.
"I heard about your father too… You're the son of a filthy pirate. I'm not surprised that you turned out this way. But you had better stay away from my Ojou-Sama!" Clahador said, causing us to become surprised but the sudden mood change and words that were spoken.
"What kind of butler is he? No matter what happens, shouldn't they be polite at all times?" I ask, frowning.
"Yeah…" Nami agreed, frowning herself.
"His dad was a pirate?" Luffy asked, not seeming to be bothered by the butlers actions.
"Did you say filthy….!?" Usopp spoke angrily, seeming to defend his father.
"You and Ojou-Sama belong to totally different worlds. Is it money you're looking for? Name your price." Clahador spoke, uncaring by the comments that surrounded him. I looked at Kaya then, she looked angry.
"THAT'S ENOUGH CLAHADOR! APOLOGIZE TO USOPP-SAN AT ONCE!" Kaya screamed, glaring at her butler.
"There is no need to apologize to this uncivilized person! I'm just telling the truth." Clahador said, ignoring the order she gave him.
"This disrespectful bastard…" I growled but before I could even do anything, Luffy placed a hand on my shoulder, I looked to him to see him shaking his head. I growled, and glared at the butler, but stayed put.
"I feel sorry for you… You hate your father, don't you? Because he's a 'dumb treasure hunter' who deserted his family and village!" Clahador spoke.
"CLAHADOR!" Kaya yelled, outraged by his words.
"I WON'T LET YOU SAY ANOTHER BAD THING ABOUT MY FATHER!" Usopp yelled angrily, glaring at the butler.
"Why are you so angry? You're not very smart, are you? You should have just told your usual lies… And say that your real father if a travelling merchant…. Or that you and him are not blood related." Clahador spoke and then I saw red.
"Sorry Luffy." I said, making my brother look at me, but just as I was about to swing a punch at the guy, Usopp beat me by punching him instead.
"SHUT UP!" Usopp screamed as his fist made contact with Clahador's face. I then felt pride in my chest but I kept a straight face, making sure to just stand still. While Luffy, Zoro and Nami stayed calm, Kaya had her hand over her mouth, too shocked to say anything else.
"CAPTAIN!" The three kids yelled, shocked themselves.
"UH….GHH! See… You're so violent! Like father, like son!" Clahador spat out, as he sat up from his place on the floor.
"SHUT UP! I'M PROUD THAT MY DAD WAS A PIRATE! I'M PROUD THAT HE WAS A BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEA! YOU'RE RIGHT THAT I LIKE TO LIE, BUT I'M PROUD OF HAVING A PIRATE'S BLOOD IN ME! I DON'T HAVE TO PRETEND THAT I'M NOT!" Usopp screamed proudly yet he was furious at Clahador's disrespectful behaviour. "I AM THE SON OF A PIRATE!"
"Oh yeah! That guy…! Now I remember…!" Luffy said, surprise now on his face as he continued to watch the scene in front of us.
"What are you talking about Luffy?" I asked quietly, looking at him.
"I'll talk about it later." Was the only response I got out of him and I didn't push it due to the fact things were get heated here.
"Captain…" I heard Pepper said sadly, I looked at the three kids and I could tell they weren't happy and were worried for Usopp.
"You said pirates are 'brave warriors of the sea'? Don't twist the truth… It's because you have that kind of savage bloodline… That you like to lie so much! And use violence whenever you're enraged… I believe you only get close to Ojou-Sama for the money…" Clahador spoke standing up while brushing the dirt off of his suit.
"What are you talking about!" Usopp spoke, his glare becoming harder, if that was even possible.
"WHO CARES WHAT YOUR MOTIVE IS, THAT FACT THAT YOUR FATHER A PIRATE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH REASON FOR ME TO KICK YOU OUT!" Clahador screamed in disgust.
"I DARE YOU TO SAY THAT AGAIN!" Usopp scream angrily, grabbing his collar in a strong grip, and was going to punch him again.
"USOPP-SAN, PLEASE STOP! PLEASE DON'T USE VIOLENCE!" Kaya yelled, this time at Usopp, which caused Usopp to actually stop and turn to the fragile girl. At least HE listens unlike a certain bastard butler.
"Clahador… Isn't a bad person.." Kaya cried as she cover her eyes with her hand. I couldn't believe she was defending this guy. "He's just concerned about me… That's why he's a little extreme."
"A… Little extreme… I think it's more than that…" I said, deadly calm, but my voice was laced in the anger that I felt.
"Set the hell out of here!" Clahador spoke, swiping Usopp's arm away from him. "SAVAGES LIKE YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE! I'LL LET YOU OFF THIS TIME, BUT I WARN YOU… DON'T COME HERE AGAIN!"
"Fine…. I understand… I'll leave even without you telling me to! I'LL NEVER COME BACK HERE AGAIN!" Usopp spoke, upset and angry. I felt bad for him, despite not being here for too long, I could tell he deeply cared for Kaya and I had a feeling he loved the girl.
"Usopp…." I spoke sadly, watching him go.
"Captain!" The three kids yelled.
"Usopp-San…" I heard Kaya say sadly, and I felt bad for her too. She was sick, and Usopp was probably one of the one people out there that truly cared for her and helped her through her difficult times.
"YOU BASTARD! CAPTAIN IS NOT THAT KIND OF PERSON!" Carrot yelled, glaring at the butler, so was his two friends.
"YEAH! STUPID!" Pepper too yelled.
"BAAKA!" Onion yelled.
"BAAAAKAA!" Luffy yelled, joining in, and then Zoro hit the back of his head.
"Why are you screaming along with them!?" Zoro said loudly.
"YAAAAAAAAAAH!" The kids yelled as they tried to go to the butler but Nami had grabbed onto them.
"I'M GONNA KILL HIM!" Luffy yelled, but like the kids, Zoro grabbed a hold of him. That left me to deal with him, and I was gonna punch him, harder than Usopp ever could.
"ALL OF YOU, GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE NOW!" Clahador yelled, only to freeze as I teleported from where I was stood to being directly in front of him. I then punched him in the stomach, making him go flying back into the wall that surrounded the property, leaving a huge crack where he had landed. I walked over to him slowly, stopping to stand above him, and using one hand I picked him up in a choke hold and lifted him effortlessly.
"Now listen to me, and without interrupting me. How DARE you do that to Usopp. He ain't not savage, nor is he filth. He's human like me, and like you. If you ever treat him like that again and think of doing it again, the I will do more damage to you than I've just done, got it!? And one more thing, Kaya-San is your Ojou-Sama, granted I understand you were protecting her, but you completely disrespected her, ignoring her when she asked you to stop." I spoke lowly, glaring at him, though my eyes were shadowed over slightly. "If I have to deal with you again after this, you will wish you had a different life. Understood?"
"Y-Yes..." Clahador stuttered, sweating slightly. I let him go, before turning to walk off the property altogether, my crew following behind me, and by their expression, minus Luffy's, they were a little scared of me.
Me, Zoro, Nami, Pepper and Carrot we on one of the roads that led into the village, calming down from the incident, and of course Luffy was nowhere to be seen, though I suspected he was off to find Usopp. I was sitting on a fence next to Nami, my eyes closed but I wasn't asleep. I was just trying to stay calm, trying not to return to the mansion to finish the job.
"Where's Luffy?" Nami asked, curious.
"He went chasing after that Captain!" Zoro answered, confirming my suspicions.
"The Captain must be there!" Carrot said, smiling as he faced us.
"Yes! The shore, every time something happens, he goes there!" Pepper explained, as he too looked at us.
"Going to check it out?" The two kids said at the same time.
"Nah…" Zoro answered, uncaring.
"So what was that about earlier?" Nami asked, now looking at me.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, looking confused, though I felt like I knew what she was talking about.
"That anger back at the mansion. You got more angry than we've ever seen from you. More so here than back with Buggy." Zoro stated, looking at me.
"Oh…" I muttered, growing hesitant for a minute. "I hate people who look down at me or other for their own selfish reasons. Especially nobles."
"Really? Why?"
"I grew up an odd life, one moment I had zero family and soon I gained three brothers overnight. Granted, none of us were blood related and each had our own pasts. One of my brothers came from a noble family and they looked down at him, and didn't care about him. He suffered a lot from it that he ran away several times to get away from them but eventually their stuck up behaviour and hatred caused him to try to sail off in hopes to escape his family only to get shot down and killed by more nobles." I explained angrily, my hands going into fists.
"Kassie-Chan…" Nami whispered sadly, looking like she was tearing up while Zoro looked at me with wide yes.
"I only gave you a rough short version of that. May be one day I will give you the full details but for now, that will have to do. Sorry to have made our moods worse." I said, hoping off of the fence before taking a deep breath, before looking at the two kids. "So, where is your other friend? Isn't he normally with you two."
"Oh! Onion, right? He often suddenly disappears." Pepper explains.
"Yeah! And makes tons of noise when he shows up!" Carrot speaks making me hum in response, and I looked down the road to see the very boy running towards where we are.
"WAAAAH! THIS IS BAD! WAAAAAAAAAH!" Onion screamed as he ran at us.
"You mean make a noise like that?" I ask.
"Yup!" Carrot answered, looking as well.
"BAD NEWS! HAAAH! THERE'S A MAN THAT'S…. WALKING BACKWARDS!" Onion yelled before stopping right in front of us.
"What's wrong kid?" I asked, worried.
"THERE'S A WEIRD GUY, HE WALKS BACKWARDS!" Onion yelled, pointing back in the direction he came from. My eyes looked in the direction, my eyes narrowed and soon I saw what Onion had seen. While his two friends didn't believe him, I saw the truth.
"He's right. The is a guy walking backwards, and he's heading in our direction." I say, my eyes not leaving to figure, and boy did he look weird, what with his heart shaped sunglasses, top hat, long wavy grey hair and a beard that looked more like a stripped stick on his chin.
"Hey! Who said I was weird? I don't look weird at all!" He spoke, walking slowly past.
"Yes you are! Any way I look at it, you look weird!" Nami commented, not moving from her place on the fence, though she was looking at the guy weirdly.
"Shut up! I'm just a hypnotist passing by…" He spoke, seeming a little annoyed and that made him stop to look at us.
"Hypnotist? Wow!" Onion spoke, his fear disappearing.
"Can you show us your skills?" Pepper asked, joining in on the excitement.
"Yeah! Show us!" Carrot said, joining in last. They just couldn't help themselves.
"What!?" The guy asked, surprised by the sudden requests.
"Idiots! You guys don't even understand what a hypnotist is! This is our first meeting, no way I'm showing my hypnotism!" This guy said before get out what looks like a circular sword but it also looked like a disk and it was attached by a rope. He started swing it. "Ok! You guys stare at this!"
"You're showing them anyways!" Zoro deadpanned.
"A weird guy whose also an idiot who can't stick to a decision." I commented, looking at him with a bored expression on my face. "I get the feeling we are going to be meeting a lot of weird guys on our travels."
"I'm gonna have to agree with you on that note." Zoro said as Nami nodded, showing she agreed with me.
"Well I'm gonna go for a walk, probably go looking for Luffy, stay with the kids, make sure they don't get into too much trouble." I said, both Zoro and Nami nodded, agreeing with me and soon I was walking away, not bothering to stay and listen to the weirdo.
"What have we gotten ourselves into this time? A liar, sick girl, bastard butler and a weird hypnotist. Seriously, what's next?" I said, talking to myself and I didn't care if anyone heard me nor did I care what they thought of me. I walked for what seemed a short while until I found myself at the shore once again, though on top of a cliff side, I looked around and then spotted Usopp, who appeared alone but then I saw Luffy swing down, holding onto the branch of the tree he was on by his feet alone. Of course this made Usopp jump out of his skin.
"HI! There you are!" Luffy said excitedly.
"WAAH! IT'S YOU! WHY CAN'T YOU BE MORE NORMAL?!" Usopp screamed.
"That's impossible, if he was normal, I'd be extremely worried." I said, joining them.
"You're here too?!" Usopp said, though he had calmed down enough not to yell at me.
"Yep. Luffy get down from there, before you do something stupid." I said, looking at my brother who grinned but did as he was told.
"Your dad… Is Yasopp, right?" Luffy asked as he landed on the ground just in front of us, and the question caught Usopp off guard.
"Ah…!?" Usopp gasped as I smirked. Usopp spoke up again. "How do you know that?"
"I've known him since I was a kid." Luffy said proudly, looking at Usopp with a big grin.
"Really? You know my dad? Do you also know him Kasumi-San?" Usopp asked us.
"Yup." Luffy answered before I spoke up.
"I personally don't know him, never met him but Luffy has told me everything. You must be really proud to have such a great pirate as your father. I'm jealous!" I say, and soon Usopp looked smug and proud. I smiled at him.
"You look just like him… No wonder I thought you look familiar… I just realized that a moment ago…" Luffy said before looking out at the sea, admiring it. I sat next to him, and leant against him a bit, which he didn't seem to mind as he too leant against me. Our way of showing affection to one another in actions.
"Where is he now?" Usopp asked, sounding hopeful.
"Dunno." Luffy answered, still looking at the sea. "But, I'm pretty he is on Red-Haired Shanks' ship! Yasopp is one of my favourite pirates in that crew!"
"Re… Really!?" Usopp spoke, excited.
"Yup!" I answered, a simply as I could.
"So he is on that Red-Haired Shanks' ship huh?" Usopp said, looking out before turning back to us quickly as realization caught up with him. I laughed. "SHANKS, THE RED-HAIRED!?"
Luffy coughed out of shock at the sudden change in the mood, while I laughed harder. "Why? You know Shanks?"
"OF COURSE! HE IS A GREAT PIRATE! IS MY DAD REALLY ON THAT GREAT SHIP!" Usopp yelled.
"Great…? Yeah! His shooting skill is the best, Yasopp never misses anything within his range." Luffy said rubbing his chin and at that moment I knew he was reminiscing on the past he had with that amazing crew. "Yasopp was a really popular pirate!"
"Is that really true?" Usopp said before standing up and looked out at the sea. "To tell you the truth, even though he left me for the sea, I'm always proud of my dad! But that bastard Clahador looked down on him. He looked down on my pride!"
"Yup! I don't like him at all!" Luffy said, glaring out at the sea.
"Neither do I. Something is seriously wrong with that guy to be like that." I said, my hands in fist at remembering that butler's words. "Are you going to give up on going to see Kaya-San?"
"Dunno, maybe if the butler apologizes, and begs me, then I'll consider!" Usopp replied, leaning backwards on his hands.
"That butler?" Luffy asks pointing down at the beach, and that's when I saw Clahador too and he wasn't alone either. He was with that weird hypnotist from earlier.
"Yeah! That butler…. WHY IS HE HERE!?" Usopp started to answer normally only to freak out a little. We chose to hide and listen carefully to their conversation.
"Jango, I told you not to draw attention to the villagers, why did you sleep in the middle of the street?" Clahador asked, looking at Jango seeming to be irritated. Wait, did he mean back when Jango was with Zoro, Nami and the kids? Shit, they better be okay.
"How can I attract any attention? It's not like I look weird or anything!" Jango spoke.
"Could have fooled me…. I should have stayed with Zoro and Nami." I said angrily, glaring down at the two.
"Why?" Luffy asked, looking at me.
"That weirdo with the butler came waltzing by me, Zoro and Nami earlier, he's a hypnotist. I left why he was demonstrating his skills to the kids. Now I don't know if they're okay or not."
"I'm sure they're okay. They're strong, remember?" Luffy said before turning back to the two. I huffed before watching the two once again.
"So…. Are you prepared for it?" Clahador asked pushing his glasses up his nose.
"Of course! We can start operation 'Assassinate Ojou-Sama' anytime!" Jango said confidently, and mine and the boys faces paled considerably. And I only had one thing on my mind.
Well, shit.
Well I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter and sorry if this one didn't seem as long the last one. And I'm gonna be honest here, I was gonna add the arc with Gaimon in it, wanted to skip it completely as I wanted to give Usopp the main spotlight in the chapter but it was a part of the manga and needed to add some of it at least.
Anyways, thank you for favouring, following and reviewing this fanfic and please continue as it helps to motivate me, even if it doesn't look like it, it does actually help.
So please let me know what you guys thought on the chapter, and feel free to share you ideas for later chapters.
Thanks again,
Doomedbex :)