Chapter Seven
Captain vs Captain
As Aries came down from her adrenaline-induced high, the loud, triumphant shouts from the rubber boy became clear. She felt her muscles relax and the itch around her horns came back as they slowly spiraled back into her scalp slightly. She scratched behind them absentmindedly as her eyes drifted over to the pair of teens on the other side of the bar.
"That was amazing! You totally kicked his ass! You gonna join my crew now, right?!" Luffy asked excitedly, bouncing on his feet. His black eyes shone bright in the little light that came in through the grimy windows. His thin lips stretched into his usual childish grin.
Zoro didn't say anything. He stood silently to the side, his bulky arms crossed over his chest. She felt his eyes trace her horns and hands, but she ignored the heat of his stare. Aries focused her attention, instead, on Luffy. She searched his toothy grin and bright eyes for signs of deceit or ill-will.
Her deep blue eyes wandered over his chapped lips that were still spread tight against his teeth, his small scar underneath his eye, and the joyful, rosy color in his cheeks. She grimaced as her two sides started a war in her mind. Her animal instincts sensed no dark intentions but her memories were telling her to run. To run and not to look back. That pirates couldn't be trusted.
A loud cough from the swordsman broke her out of her thoughts. She quickly blinked a few times before turning her attention to him.
"I thought you said you didn't know how to use your devil fruit powers," he growled, his eyes narrowing into an even harsher glare than before.
At first, Aries stared blankly at him, confused by his accusation, but when she opened her mouth to question him, flashes of her fight with Shin suddenly hit her. She looked down at her hands, unclenched her fists, and let out a nervous laugh.
"Yeah, I guess my instincts just took over…" she said softly, scratching the back of her head. "And Luffy?"
The young captain stopped poking Shin's unconscious form and looked up at her from his crouched position.
"I will consider your offer after we find Captain Coyote and get him to hold up Shin's part of our deal." She spoke through gritted teeth. She couldn't help but feel sticky, making a deal with a couple of pirates, but she knew they were most likely her only chance at freedom.
Luffy blinked dumbly and stuck his pinky in his ear. "Oh yeah, I forgot about him."
The sheep girl shook her head, more of her blonde bangs getting stuck in the drying blood on her forehead. She gingerly stood and made her way towards her pile of discarded items.
She let her weight pull her back down to the floor as she sat in front of her things. She reached out to pull her socks closer to her, when she noticed the numerous scrapes on her legs and the bottom of her feet. She slides on her socks and ankle boots, and stands up, carefully stepping on her tender soles.
Aries stumbled over to what was left of the shattered mirror behind the bar. Her callused fingers brushed over the large scrape on her forehead. She also noticed her swollen cheek, busted lip, and several smaller cuts and darkening bruises along parts of her face and upper body.
"I look like shit…" she muttered to herself. Without warning, a crippling pain struck her, bringing her to her knees. "Fuck!" she cursed loudly, her hands rushing to cover her bleeding abdomen. She peeled her hands away, her dirty gloves stained red with fresh blood.
How did I not notice my stitches busting? Did it happen during the fight? Well… that's a dumb question. Of course it did. But why don't I remember? Now that I think about it… I don't remember much of what happened after we entered the bar. Must've been hit in the head a few too many times…
She gripped her wool spool and let her powers kick in. The wool crawled up her arm, around her shoulder, and then wrapped tightly around the wounded area. The sting of the pain increased for a moment, her breathing becoming labored, but the bleeding stopped.
Slowly raising up, she saw Luffy and Zoro crouched next to Shin's unconscious form. The green-haired swordsman grumbled to himself as he poked the older man with his white sheath. Luffy just laughed through his teeth, carefree as always.
"You did a real number on him, Sheep-girl," Zoro complained, "Too much of a number. He's out cold! And we needed him to lead us to his captain."
Aries let out an apologetic bleat as she stepped closer to the pair of boys. Luffy laughed again and let his eyes follow the blonde girl as she stopped on the opposite side of Shin's body.
"Ya know, when I used to fall asleep at the bar, the mayor had a special way of waking me up." His loud voice seemed to echo in the small room which only enhanced his mischievous tone. "Zoro! Help me roll him over!"
Zoro raised an eyebrow and helped his captain flip Shin onto his back. Aries crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Luffy squat by the drunkard's head. The pirate captain grinned widely before sticking both his index fingers in his mouth.
Zoro laughed as Luffy shoved his wet fingers in Shin's ears while Aries watched appalled. Shin's eyes shot open and he quickly knocked the laughing teen's hands away. The first-mate of the Coyote pirates made a move to attack but stopped when he felt a sharp blade against his throat.
"You move, I cut your throat." Zoro growled.
Shin gritted his teeth, his sharp eyes glaring at the teens gathered around him.
"What do you want from me?" he spit out at them.
"You're going to take us to Captain Coyote," Aries answered quietly.
The room was silent for a moment before Shin's loud laughter erupted from his mouth. The two boys hardened their expressions, and the girl paled as the harsh laughs bounce around in her ears.
"You gotta be kidding me. You actually wanna go find the Captain? And then what? Tell him you're leaving?" He laughed again. Zoro pressed his blade harder against Shin's thick neck, causing a few beads of blood to bubble against his skin's surface. Shin looked up at him and raised his hands, palms out.
"Fine, I'll take you to him, but I have a catch."
Luffy crossed his arms and cocked his head, "What is it?"
Shin left his hands in the air, his face stone cold. "After I lead you to the Captain, you kill me before he kills you. Because he isn't gonna be happy with me."
Luffy frowned, "We're not gonna kill you."
Shin scoffs, "What Captain Coyote will do to me is much worse than death. You'd be doing me a solid by killing me."
The boys turned to Aries, their eyes locked on her face. She shifted her gaze between them, a questioning look on her face.
"What!?" She finally asked when she tired of the awkward silence.
"Well, it's your call what we do," Luffy said simply.
"This guy made your life hell. So you get to decide what happens to him," Zoro finished.
Aries gaped at the pair of pirates, shocked speechless for a few moments before her words returned to her. "I am not making that call! I'm not going to lower myself to his level!" she shrieked.
Neither of them spoke. The blonde girl nervously bounced on her feet and winced slightly at the stinging pain. She worried her swollen lip and took a step forward. She passed her hand over what was left of her wool spool, the material becoming liquid-like, swimming around her fingers and forming a large, dense ball in her hand.
She knelt down behind Shin and whispered, "Wool-Wool Bind." The ball jumped out and spread around Shin's upper body, pinning his arms to his sides. She then pressed her palm against his back, slowly pulling out a thin rope to get him under her control.
"We hand him over to the captain, maybe he will be willing to exchange his first mate for my freedom…" she trailed off.
"And if he isn't?" Zoro asked, once again crossing his arms.
"Then we hand them both over to the Marines," she spoke quietly, her voice menacing.
Luffy and Zoro nodded, and Aries pushed Shin towards the door, the boys following close behind. "Lead the way, Sheep-girl."
Shin lead the trio down the back alleys of Bazaar Island. They took odd turns ever so often and seemingly walking in circles. They traveled mostly in silence; their thoughts occasionally interrupted by snide comments from the drunkard.
"He's gonna kill ya. Ya know that, right?" His words coming out slurred thanks to his newly broken jaw. He had made a move to kill himself and Aries socked him in order to keep him under control.
The group ignored his threats and Shin became increasingly more annoyed at the lack of response.
"Do ya have any clue what the Captain is capable of? He will kill yer friends here, and lock ya back up, probably never to see daylight again. And me, well. I'll be at the bottom of the sea before we get a mile out," he laughed bitterly to himself.
Aries ground her teeth together in frustration and shoved Shin forward in an effort to get him to move faster. "Quit stalling and take us to Captain Coyote."
Shin glared at her over his shoulder, "He should be right over there. In that building." He looked ahead of him again. "He has been hiding in plain sight. Right under your nose and you never knew. He really is a wolf in sheep's clothing." He laughed to himself again, his blood-stained teeth showing through his busted lips.
Their prisoner stopped right before the entrance to a particularly dark alley that struck Aries as familiar. She glanced around the far end of the alley that emptied out into a busy street. On the ground was a small, shiny object as well as two small smears on the pavement.
The hair on the back of Aries' neck stood up as memories from earlier in the day came back to mind. This was the alley behind the auction house. She grit her teeth and shoved her elbow into Shin's broken ribs.
"Why are we back here, Shin?!" she growled as her captive hunched over in pain. "Why did you bring us back to the auction house?"
Shin glared at her and spit bloody saliva at her feet. "The Captain is here to collect his payment for you. He should still be here."
Luffy walked in front of the group and inspected the other entrance to the alley. "Hey Sheep-girl, is this where we found you this morning?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered plainly, "This is the rear exit of the auction house. This is where I was sold to that noble that wanted to kill me."
Zoro and Luffy both turned their heads to examine the building. They stood silently in the shadow of what appeared to be an ordinary shopping complex building, trying to imagine what really went on within its walls.
Aries felt her arms tremble as her eyes kept glancing at the red smear on the ground that she created only a few hours prior. She wanted nothing more than to run away from this place and escape her memories of the last few years.
Without warning, the old wooden door creaked open and a hooded figure emerged from the darkness within. The newcomer stopped mid-stride when he laid eyes on the other people in the alley. Zoro drew his sword and Luffy raised his fists in preparation of a fight, but were surprised by a shout from the blonde girl behind them.
"Oki!" She rushed a couple of steps forward, shoving Shin's leash into Zoro's hand, and moved closer to the hooded man.
"Aries?" he pushed down his hood, revealing his golden eyes and bandana-covered hair. His eyebrows pinched together in confusion as he watched the girl limp towards him. She reached out to him and he gently took a hold of her smaller hands.
"What's going on, Aries? What are you doing here?" Oki asked, his voice rough and quiet. "I heard the Marines talking about a noble found beaten. Then inside they told me that was your buyer?"
"He tried to kill me, Oki. I mean… he wasn't the first to try… but this one didn't even wait till we made it into private. He just… attacked…" she whispered, shivering. "If it weren't for them," she nodded towards the two boys, "I wouldn't be here."
Oki's sharp gold eyes left her face and slowly traced over Luffy and Zoro before focusing on the beaten and bound Shin. The older man jerked against the swordsman's hold, an expression of fear taking over the once cocky smirk.
Oki glared at him, releasing Aries' hands, and sauntered over to his crew mate. "And what happened to him?" He glanced over his shoulder at the girl behind him.
Her face lit up with a tired, yet bright smile. "I won, Oki. I finally beat him. That's why we're here. We're looking for the Captain, to make him hold up his end of the deal. So he can set me free."
Aries let a tired laugh escape her lips before asking her friend a question. "Do you know where the Captain is, Oki? Shin said he'd be here collecting money. Is he still inside?"
Suddenly, the air in the alley was tense. Aries noticed that her new friends were both prepared for a fight; their eyes locked on the other pirate walking towards their captive. Shin once again jerked at his bindings, backing away and into the wall behind him.
"I thought you said that you couldn't lose. Especially to a little girl. Pathetic." Oki stopped directly in front of the much bigger man. "And it looks like you really got your ass handed to you."
Luffy slowly moved to put himself between Aries and Oki, the muscles in his back tense. The blonde felt her jaw fall open in shock. "Oki? What… Why would you say that?"
She stepped out from behind the rubber boy, her hands balled up tightly at her side. "Were you just pretending to be my friend?" she whispered quietly, her voice being carried by the breeze.
The man turned back towards her, his gold eyes glowing in the building's shadow. His body suddenly started growing fur and getting taller; pointed ears and a bushy, matted tail materialized seemingly out of nowhere on him. The once normal-sized man was now an intimidating beast towering over everyone.
"Of course I was pretending, you stupid girl. Why would I want to lose my four year investment?" his growl echoed off the stone walls that surrounded them. "You have been nothing but an annoyance though. I probably should've let that first guy keep you, and saved myself from the last couple of years stuck with your whining."
Large tears fell down Aries' face, her back pressed against the wall behind her. She could still make out the large, hateful grin that lined his snout through her blurry vision. She shook her head, strands of hair sticking to the wet trails on her cheeks. The beast swiped his claw down Shin's body, slicing the skin on his face, neck, and upper body to ribbons, before he swatted the other two pirates out of his way. She didn't register the gurgling noises coming from their direction, the only thing she could hear were her thoughts.
No. This can't be… Oki can't…. He isn't…
Oki took giant steps towards her. He stood before her, covering her shivering form with his dark shadow. He raised his claw-like hand, and caught one of her many tears on his sharp nails. "Ya know, we don't have to do this," he spoke to her quietly.
Aries looked into his cold, golden eyes, searching for the man she once thought to be a friend inside them. "Do w-what?" she choked out, her throat closed up with held in sobs.
Oki gestured to the others in the alley. "This!" he exclaimed, exasperated. "I don't want to kill your little friends, but I'm going to. I mean, they know who I am now, so they have to go. But you… you, my dear, don't have to die. In fact, I would prefer not to kill you, but if you continue disobeying me, then I will have no other choice."
The young girl tilted her head back more in order to see more of her "captain." She shook her head slowly, the thoughts of her dirty cell filling her mind.
The coyote-man puffed all the air out of his lungs in frustration before taking a deep breath. "How about I give you more freedom on the ship. You can have free rein during the day."
"No." Aries answered before she could even consider the idea. "No." she repeated as she watched the fake generous expression quickly fade from the monster in front of her. "I don't want to go back… I won't go back!"
Her dark blue eyes darted to his claws, watching fearfully as he raised it in front of him. She knew she wasn't fast enough to get out of the way of the coming attack, not with her side in such poor condition. All she could do was close her eyes, and brace herself for the pain. Just like she had done so many times before.
"What do you think you're doing, boy?" Oki's deep growl echoed off the stone walls that encased them.
She opened her eyes quickly to see Luffy standing in front of her protectively, Oki's hand gripped tightly in his fist. She stares wide-eyed at his back, the little cuts on her face burning because of her salty tears. She reached out to tug gently on his red vest, when Oki launched a fast punch at Luffy's face, sending the boy flying into her and both of them crashing through the stone wall behind them.
"Luffy!" Zoro yelled out, drawing his blade and running to fight off the threatening Captain.
The black-haired boy groaned and rolled onto his stomach, pushing up to sit back on his knees. He wiped his busted lip with the back of his fist, his cheeks smudged with dirt. A tiny whimper from behind him caused him to turn his head. Aries was lying in a heap next to him, her knees curled up close to her chest. More tears dripped from under her closed eyelids, her teeth clenched together tight. Luffy pushed several pieces of rubble off her shivering form, his eyes roaming her body making sure she wasn't seriously injured.
"You okay?" he asked her, his rough hand gently touching her bare shoulder.
She opened her eyes and nodded stiffly, shifting to sit up. She let her back hit a turned over table, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. "I-I'm alright…" she coughed out, trying to hide the blood she knew was in her mouth. The thick, copper taste almost made her gag.
Luffy got back to his feet, his arms swaying limply with his body's movement. He reached up, pulled his treasured straw hat off his head, and dropped it in Aries' lap. "Watch this for me," he mumbles to her as he rotates his right arm to loosen up his shoulder. She nodded absently, her eyes drifting in and out of focus as she fought to stay conscious.
Zoro had jumped to his captain's protection moments after Oki's attack, but his still healing wound caused his swings to be choppy and nowhere near as fluid as they should be. He could feel the stitches in his chest tugging with every swing and dodge. He knew he had to finish this quickly, his aching arms already struggling to hold his blade up. He went in for another attack, bringing the blade above his head, hoping to cut a few tendons in the coyote-man's arm, but his opponent was much quicker.
Oki slammed his bulky shoulder into Zoro's chest, knocking both the air from his lungs and his blade from his hands. The man's vision went black for a few seconds as his body slid along the alley's street. He finally came to a rest just outside the opening to the alley, almost lying in the cobblestone street.
The much larger man laughs his gravelly chuckle, his sharp teeth flashing in the setting sunlight. "You have no idea what you're doing. You're just children playing pirates. You're weak." he said, turning from Zoro's unconscious form to Luffy. Oki almost faltered under the intensity of the younger boy's glare, but instead he just continued to grin his cruel smile.
"I tell ya what," Oki started, turning to face Luffy completely, his hands opening and closing sporadically, "if you can beat me, I just might agree to let go of my precious Lamb."
Luffy bares his teeth and runs forward, his fist stretched back, ready to strike. He continued punching, but Oki succeeded in blocking a majority of them with his strong forearms. The few punches that hit exposed areas only caused minimal damage. The coyote-man catches Luffy's last strike and the two stare at each other in silence for a few uninterrupted moments.
"It isn't right to hold people prisoner." Luffy growled out through gritted teeth. "And no one deserves what you put her through. I'll make sure you never lay a hand on Aries again. And you will pay for what you've done to her."
He yanks his fist out of Captain Coyote's grip and jumped into the air, his leg stretching up towards the clouds above. "Gum-Gum…!"
While Luffy prepared for his attack from above, his opponent's golden eyes glinted menacingly as he took a deep breath. "Coyote Howl." he whispered before unleashing a shrill, ear-splitting howl. Windows up and down the alley and surrounding streets shattered, showering pedestrians and the pirates with broken shards of glass. People all around bent over, covering their ears, their own screams adding to the mix. Aries whimpered in pain as she covered her head with the straw hat, her fingers tightly gripping the rim.
Even in the air, Luffy couldn't escape the piercing sound. He winced as he brought one hand up to cover the ear that was facing the ground, which was all the opening Oki needed to jump up past the dark haired boy and smack him back down to earth. Luffy's body bounced off the stone road, but Oki was back on top of him, grabbing his head to smash back into the street. Then Oki, still gripping the boy's head, flung him into the wall opposite Aries.
Oki takes a few huffing breaths before speaking in his usual condescending tone, "What makes you think that a rookie pirate like you stands a chance against me, the great, mysterious Captain Coyote?"
Luffy pressed his knuckles against the smooth cobblestone, forcing his shaking limbs to support his weight. Once he was on his feet, he leveled his glare on the imposing figure before him. "You okay, Zoro?" he called, his eyes quickly glancing in the direction he'd last seen his friend.
Zoro stumbled back to the alley opening, calling out that he was fine, though his hand was pressed against his bleeding wound. Oki cackled at the pair, his disgust with them blatantly obvious. "Are you deaf or just stupid, kid? I'm gonna kill all of you, don't you get that?" he points at Luffy, his long claw inches away from his nose.
Hearing Oki threaten her new "friends," Aries pulled herself up using the table as support, her blood running down her bare legs, completely ruining the shorts Nami had given her. She pushed off the wall and stood quietly behind Oki, her gloves silently stretching into a long, thin rope. She wrapped both ends of the wool rope around her hands and crouched. Then, without warning, she launched herself onto Oki's back, choking him with her new impromptu weapon.
She bared her bloodstained teeth in pain as the fearsome captain thrashed in her hold. She wrapped her legs around his arms as an attempt to gain some sort of control. She knew it wouldn't last so she turned her attention to the boys.
"Go!" she shouted, "Get out of here! Please!"
Luffy moved closer to the struggle, picking up his fallen hat. "I'm not leaving until you join my crew," he said simply, placing his hat back on his head.
Aries groans, tugging the rope tighter around the man's throat, "Why are you so stubborn? I'm trying to save your-"
Before she can finish her sentence, Coyote grabbed her by her shirt and slammed her against the road, back first. She couldn't stop the spurt of blood that came out of her gaping mouth, and she rolled onto her side to cough up more blood. Her body was now a mess of shudders and pain, her limbs twitching randomly as her nerves tried to deal with the overwhelming sensation.
Coyote's foot stepped on her head, but he didn't apply much pressure. Instead, he used his weight to force her head to continuously knock her bleeding nose against a sharp jagged stone, deepening the cut across her cheek.
"You're pathetic, Lamb. Absolutely weak. And I don't believe for a second that it was actually you that beat up Shin. I just don't see how that is possible, considering how fucking weak you are." he spit venomously as her, finally grinding her face against the sharp rock painfully.
"She isn't weak!" Luffy shouted, punching Oki in the side of the face, sending him spiraling away from the trio. Oki was able to right himself before hitting the ground and pounced back towards Luffy, a furious snarl across his muzzle. The much larger captain slammed his shoulder into Luffy's chest, sending both of them out into the open street. Mid-flight, the rubber boy grabbed the back of Oki's jacket and pulled, using their momentum to flip their positions, which caused Oki to be the one to hit the ground first.
The moment he hit the stone street, Luffy jumped away, rolling back to his feet, prepping for his next flurry of attacks.
"She stood up to you! Even though she was hurt and scared! That isn't weak! That means that she's strong! Much stronger than you, you big coward!" he yelled as he unleashed his barrage of punches. He felt his fists connect with the man's cheeks, nose, chest, arms, throat, and anywhere he saw an opening. He noticed Captain Coyote was trying to bring his arms up to guard his face; he didn't want to give him that chance.
He screamed as he pulled his fist back farther than the others, "Gum-Gum Pistol!" He let the punch fly, striking Oki square in his chest. All of the air rushed out of his lungs as he dug his toes into the street, trying to stop his sliding backwards. Luffy yanked his arm back, the limb snapping back to its normal length, and he takes a couple of running steps closer. He, then, flung both arms backwards, his eyes locked on his opponent's doubled over form.
"Gum-Gum…" he started, narrowing his eyes slightly. A brief pause filled the air causing Captain Coyote to raise his head out of curiosity. He had opened his mouth, about to make a snarky comment but the words died on his tongue as he saw the double palm strike headed towards him at an alarming rate. He didn't even get a chance to think about running before Luffy's palms hit him once again in the chest. "BAZOOKA!"
The force of the hit knocked the coyote-man into the closest building, creating a man-sized dent in the wall. As the dust settled, Oki's transformation faded until the normal sized human fell face first onto the ground. He groaned, using his arms to roll himself onto his back, only to have a piece of paper cover his face. He lifted his arm with great difficulty, seeing as his whole body felt like it was made of lead, and looked at the poster.
"Wow… that's not fair…" he choked out, staring at Luffy's toothy grin on his wanted poster. His mind trying to wrap itself around how his young opponent had a 30 million beri bounty. "He doesn't look that strong…" His arm fell back down at his side, his eyes falling shut as he passed out from his pain.
Aries watched in amazement from her place back in the alley, the cuts on her face burning from the salt from her tears. She pulled herself to her feet, transforming the wool rope back into her gloves, and stumbled towards Luffy. She tripped several times, but she never fell. As she passed the dark haired boy, she gently tugged on his hand before continuing towards the man she thought was her friend.
Her thoughts were loud in her ears as she stared down at Oki. I thought he was my only friend. He lied to me. He did this to me. He imprisoned me. He sold me to the highest bidder. He didn't care about what happened to me. He doesn't deserve to live another day. She bent her head down, letting her bangs shroud her eyes. She carefully crouched down next to his unconscious body, her mouth almost brushing against his ear as she whispered, "I win. I am free from you."
She couldn't contain her grin as the words left her mouth. Her split lip tugged painfully as the skin stretched over her teeth but she didn't care. For the first time since before she ate her devil fruit, she felt true happiness. She let out a laugh as she shifted her weight to sit on the ground. It was then that she noticed the piece of paper in Oki's hand. She pried it out his hand and let her eyes roam over the wanted poster. She felt her eyes widen and she couldn't stop the loud laughter that erupted from her belly.
30 million beri! No wonder Coyote seemed like easy prey for him, Luffy's bounty is twice his. Who is this kid?
As her laughter subsided, she noticed Zoro had gotten back to his feet and had dragged Shin's still bleeding body over to rest on the other side of her. When her eyes met his, for once, she wasn't frightened of him. She gave him a smile and, finally, turned her head to face Luffy.
The young captain was still standing still in the middle of the road, oblivious to the gathering crowd and the sound of Marines drawing closer. She gave him a bigger smile, "When do we set sail…" she paused a moment as she held out her hand as the remaining pieces of her wool bindings gathered into its normal spool, "Captain?"
Luffy grinned his signature toothy grin and jumped into the air, cheering loudly. His laughs were contagious as the sound got Aries laughing again. Even Zoro cracked a grin as he walked over to her. He extended his hand to her and said, "We all said no to him at first too."
She gave him her hand and he pulled up back onto her feet. Zoro noticed that her dark blue eyes finally had a light in them that wasn't there before. She finally looked like she wanted to be alive. Zoro released her hand and turned to look behind them. "Luffy, we gotta go. Marines are headed this way."
The captain stopped cheering, his grin still present. "Then let's get back to the Going Merry and set sail for the Grand Line!"
Aries and Zoro nodded, although the girl was confused but decided she would learn everything about her new… crewmates in the next few days. The trio pushed their way through the crowd, Aries grabbed the back of Zoro's shirt when he tried to turn down the wrong street, and raced back towards the crew's ship.
Luffy, who was only slightly ahead of the other two, turned his head back towards them, "What do you think Usopp and the others have been up too?"