Chapter Eleven
Luck like Lightning
"For the crime of angering me, I sentence you, Monkey D. Luffy, to a FLASHY EXECUTION!" a nasally voice shouted out loudly over the crowd. A tall man dressed in red and white with strange face paint and a large red nose stood above Luffy, saber in hand.
As he shouted, the men below the execution stand that were dressed up like circus members started to riot. They started shooting guns into the air and cheered loudly.
Nami took a step back, "Of course, we had to run into Buggy of all people." She turned to look at Usopp and Sanji. "Usopp, you and I need to get back to the ship. Let Sanji and Zoro take care of this."
The three boys nodded and Sanji released his hold on the large fish. Nami then turned to Aries, "Aries? Do you want to come with us, or stay and fight?"
The blonde girl never let her eyes leave the sight of her captain trapped on the stand. "I am gonna stay to help Luffy."
Nami nodded in understanding. "Usopp! Let's head back to the Merry!"
"Right!" he responded quickly. The pair then started to run down the main street towards the pier.
Sanji started to make his way into the crowd when another shout from the stand caused him to pause.
"Your flashy execution, shall be carried out for the whole public to see!" Buggy shouted to the crowd. Once again, his subordinates went wild; their cheers and shouts drowning out Luffy's response.
"As if I'd just let you go, you idiot!"
Zoro and Sanji started to push through the crowd, muttering to themselves. Aries followed closely behind them. Why isn't he fighting back? He should be able to bust out of there easily, right? What is he thinking?
"Any last words?" The clown man's annoying voice echoed over the sounds of the people, "Might as well make the most out of this large crowd."
There was a brief pause that caused Aries' heart to skip a beat with panic. She began to shove the onlookers with a little more force, desperation to reach her captain setting in.
"Well, whatever. Whether you have any last words or not, it ain't like anybody will care for what you have to sa-"
Buggy was cut off by a loud, sudden shout from Luffy, "I AM THE MAN WHO'LL BECOME KING OF THE PIRATES!"
The crowd collectively gasped at the words Luffy had yelled; his declaration resonated a little too closely to the square's history for many of them. Aries stopped in her tracks and stared up at the normally goofy boy. She watched Buggy raise the saber over his head again, and watched Luffy tense for the blow.
She couldn't stop the shout that escaped her throat, "WAIT!" Her shrill scream cut through the heavy air like a knife, stilling all movement in the area for a brief moment. The sudden noise of her scream caused the people in the crowd to move away from the three of them, creating a decent ring around them.
Luffy's head snapped up at the sound of her voice, his eyes brightening vividly. "Aries! Sanji! Zoro! Help me out here!" he shouted, nervousness obvious in his tone.
The clown pirate recovered from his shock from Aries' shout, and re-positioned himself over the rubber-boy's body. "So you've come, Zoro? But it seems you're too late…!"
"We've got to bring that execution stand down!" Zoro said as he put one of his swords between his teeth.
"I know!" retorted Sanji as he took off in a sprint into the now parted crowd.
"Right!" Aries answered, following closely behind the boys. While she ran, she compressed her wool fingerless gloves, hardening them until they took on a slight silver sheen. She knocked her knuckles together resulting in a satisfying clang.
"Take care of them, boys!" a feminine voice called out over the noise of the crowd.
"As you command, Lady Alvida!" the pirate lackeys cheered, launching themselves at the three Straw-Hat pirates.
Aries aimed her blows as best she could while still trying to keep pace with Sanji and Zoro. She landed several hits to some jaws and torsos, but decided her hand-to-hand combat wasn't suited for running and fighting. She stuck one hand into her new saddle-bag, pinching one of her bundles of wool. She pulled out a thick, long strand, and wrapped one end around her right hand.
She whipped it around, slapping her opponents in the face with the hardened tip or wrapping the end of the whip around one of their extremities and yanking them down to use as a step stool.
"MOVE IT!" Zoro yelled from around the sword hilt clenched in his teeth. Sanji continued to kick down opponents, but the onslaught seemed endless.
Aries stumbled as one of the clown pirates landed a blow to the back of her head. Her vision blurred at the edges, the pain throbbing behind her eyes. She bared her teeth in a ferocious snarl, grabbed the guy by the neck, kneed him in the nose, and slammed his face into the cobblestone pavement. The skin around her horns began to itch as hot bubbles of rage burst in her chest.
The pirates around her stared at their comrade, who was now unconscious on the ground, and backed away from her as she glared at them.
Fuck taking out the stand. It would be better to just take out the threat. I'm gonna teach this clown freak not to mess with the Straw Hats.
She dashed forward, pushing her enemies aside, rushing towards the execution stand, but skid to a stop when she saw Buggy, once again, raise the saber sword above his head.
"GYAHAHAHAHA! Just watch carefully from there! Witness the last moments of your captain!" he screeched, his manic glee very apparent in the tone of his voice.
The young blonde's eyes were locked on Luffy's struggling form. She barely registered Sanji's curse or Zoro's taunt. She watched her captain take a deep breath and tilt his head so that his eyes were covered by the brim of his signature straw hat.
"Zoro!" he shouted, his voice carried by the sudden whipping winds, "Sanji! Usopp! Nami! Aries!"
He lifted his head, his mouth stretched into his usual toothy grin. Aries felt as if someone dumped a bucket of ice over her body as a chill swept through her bloodstream.
"Sorry, but it looks like I'm dead." he finished, grinning as Buggy swung his blade downward towards his exposed neck.
She heard both Zoro and Sanji shout at him, whether in shock or anger, she couldn't tell. A hot pain burned behind her eyes as well as around her horns as she fought off not only tears but the natural instinct to look away. She opened her mouth to shout at him, but her voice was unable to get out around the tight feeling in her throat.
A rush of static danced over her skin, causing her hair to stand on end. Before the sheep girl could register the feeling, a bright flash of light blinded her, followed by a deafening boom. With a panicked bleat, Aries covered her head with her arms as the execution stand in front of her erupted into flames. Cold raindrops fell on her head; the sound of them hitting the stone street was the only thing heard in the silence of the square. She lowered her arms hesitantly, and saw the charred remains of the wooden stand that were still smoldering in the light rain. In front of what was left of the infamous execution stand laid Buggy, burnt to a crisp and unconscious.
Luffy's prized straw hat floated down, landing in a puddle just behind Buggy. Aries stared at the hat, a sharp feeling of dread settling in her stomach, until she saw familiar sandaled feet step up to it.
The young captain bent at the waist to swiftly remove the hat from the puddle and placed it back on his head with his usual grin. He let out a loud laugh, leaving his hand with a grip on the hat.
"Looks like I did survive! How lucky!" he chuckled, finally opening his eyes to look over the crowd in front of him.
A wave of relief consumed Aries' entire body so forcefully that it brought her to her knees. She sat on the cold, wet cobblestone pavement and stared at Luffy in amazement. She tilted her head back, eyes closed as the rain gently pelted her face, and slowly released the breath that she didn't even realize she was holding.
"You okay, Aries?" he asked, stepping over Buggy. He walked up to her and held out a hand to help her back to feet.
The sheep girl opened her eyes, smiled, and accept his outstretched hand. "Yeah, you just scared me there for a second."
He laughed through his teeth again, "Shihehehehe! Sorry!" He pulled her upright just as Sanji and Zoro approached.
"Hey," Sanji turned his head toward Zoro, his lips barely holding on to his ruined cigarette, "do you believe in God?"
Zoro shook his head in response, sheathing his swords as he walked, "Enough talking. We have to leave now. Trouble is headed this way."
"Trouble?" questioned Aries, "You mean the Marines?"
As if her words had summoned them, numerous Marine foot soldiers charged into the square. "Block all exits! Corner the pirates! Don't let them escape!"
The group of teens jumped, and quickly turned to run.
"Guess they finally showed up!" Sanji shouted into the wind.
"Shut up and run, you stupid cook!" Zoro yelled back, trying to pick up some speed.
"Which way is the Merry?" Aries asked, grabbing onto the swordsman's shirt as he tried to turn down a dead-end alleyway.
Luffy just chuckled again, running at the back of the pack, his hand pressing his hat against his head as the wind picked up.
"The wind is getting worse! Nami was right, this storm is gonna be a big one!" Aries shouted, trying to shield her eyes from the now harsh rain.
"Jeez! These guys are so persistent!" Luffy called, looking back at the horde of soldiers following them and pointing at them over his shoulder with his thumb. "Should we just stop and fight them?"
"No point in doing that. There's too many of them." Sanji answered from the front of the group. "Plus, Nami told us to hurry back to the Merry."
The sheep girl noticed a lone figure standing in the center of the road, seemingly to block their path. The person had a long, sheathed sword at her hip. They raised an arm and pointed at them.
"Roronoa Zoro!"
The shout of Zoro's name rang out over the sounds of the whipping wind. The voice definitely belonged to a female, causing Sanji to let out a coo.
"Sergeant Major Tashigi!" The Marines behind them bellowed.
Sergeant Major? Doesn't that make this person a ranked officer? This could be troubling. Aries thought to herself, frowning as the woman began to shout again.
"To think that you were Roronoa Zoro! And a pirate at that, too! You were just toying with me all along!" the newly identified Tashigi hollered.
"You bastard! What did you do to that lady!?" Sanji growled, glaring at the green-haired man next to him.
"You toyed with her? Zoro, we've only been on this island a few hours and you already have a crazy ex?" Aries jeered and tried to hide her smirk when the swordsman swiped at her with a flaming red face.
"Shut up! I didn't do anything!" he cried. He shook his head, as if tried to shake away his embarrassment, and faced forward again. "Never thought that you were a Marine…" he said, finally addressing the woman they were rapidly approaching.
"I shall take back that Wado Ichimonji!" she retorted, sliding her hands to the hilt of her blade.
A large smirk pulled at Zoro's lips as he did the same. "Just try it." He dashed forward, drawing one of his three blades with his right hand, and reached across his body with his left to grip the hilt of the white blade. The clash of the steel blades clanged together with a sharp, piercing sound.
"Go on ahead." he growled out to Luffy, as both blades slid along each other, fighting for purchase.
"Okay." Luffy replied simply, running by without another word.
"Aren't three swords a little excessive, Zoro? Can you use all of those at once?" Aries questioned as she passed by.
"Just shut up and go!" the swordsman yelled as his opponent started rapidly swinging at him.
"You BRUTE! You better not harm that lady!" Sanji yelled, flailing his arms wildly as both Aries and Luffy grabbed him. Both of them began to drag him away from the scene.
"Let's go!" shouted Luffy.
"To the Merry!" Aries cheered.
I'm so sorry that this took so long! I really had to rewrite a lot of it until i was proud to publish it. Thank you so much for waiting so long. I've taken on yet another job, making it 3 in total, so my writing time as been cut drastically. Hopefully, chapter 12 won't take long to write.
Thank you to everyone who favorited since the last update. Getting those emails really makes my day. Don't forget that I do have a side story that accompanies this one called Friendships at Sea. Also follow my tumblr for art of Aries, updates on my writing, and any tiny thing I decide to do. JayBirdVanna on tumblr, twitter, and instagram
Until next time~! 3