Hi guys! I actually updated this story before I did with Reignition, and I feel kind of dirty about it. Like I'm macking on a side-chick while my main chick stays at home, wondering if I care about her anymore. I dunno if that makes me a bad person. Anyways while I'm on the topic, I'll probably work on 3 or 4 more chapters for One Piece v2, just to get the story rolling before I update Reignition. Otherwise, all of you will be stuck with 3 chapters till New Year's. Reignition's a tough girl. She'll survive.
Chapter 2: Clowns, Among Other Things
Day finally came as Luffy walked out onto the deck. Zoro was on night watch and grinned as he saw his old friend. Well, Luffy didn't really know him yet, but the camaraderie was still there. He actually raised an eyebrow as he saw the solemn look on his Captain's face. He looked visibly shaken.
"Captain," Zoro addressed, in which Luffy gave no response, further worrying him. Instead he sat down right next to Zoro on the deck. "Didn't sleep well, huh? Mind telling me what's up?" Luffy gave no answer yet again as he looked Zoro right in the eye.
"Zoro, can I ask you something real quick?" Luffy began. Zoro nodded.
"Have…" Luffy trailed off. He took a few seconds to gather his thoughts before he continuing. "Zoro, have we met before? Be honest with me."
Zoro furrowed his brow. "In what way?"
"I really don't know. I had a nightmare last night." Zoro froze up upon hearing this. He had an idea what his Captain dreamt about. "You… me… and a group of people were sailing together and I called them my Nakama… but I never met any of them before."
Zoro rubbed his chin in thought, wondering if he should explain everything to his Captain. Luffy however, continued.
"And then, there was this ice man.…" Luffy trailed off again. "This black haired women screamed at me to run. I refused before you and I, and this other blond haired man attacked him. He froze both of you and that's when I..." Luffy didn't continue after that.
"It was just a nightmare, Luffy." Zoro said comfortingly, as he smartly avoided confirming or denying his Captain's dream. "But if anything does comes up, we'll handle it. Both of us will watch out for each other." Sooner or later, he knew he had to come clean with Luffy, but part of him actually wondered when and how.
Luffy on the other hand let a small smile grace his lips. "Thanks, Zoro. I needed that."
"Just doing my job, Captain," Zoro said as he closed his eyes again in meditation. He sighed in relief. Aokiji may have been a bad start, but Zoro was glad it wasn't the other memory that came up. It would be kind of difficult explaining Ace's death to a young Luffy who has yet to start his journey.
Luffy, having regained his positivity, began wandering the ship and crying that he was bored every few minutes. He had actually discovered the compass that Captain Ray vigorously taped to the mast. "How does this thing work?" he asked aloud.
"Don't touch that." Zoro warned, but Luffy magically had the compass out of the tape in a matter of minutes.
"Wahoo!" he shouted as he held the compass above his head in triumph.
Suddenly, a seagull flew by and snatched it.
Luffy looked at Zoro. Zoro looked back at him. Luffy let out a nervous laugh. Zoro's glare hardened. For a few seconds no one said anything.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
"So... hungry…" both of them moaned as they laid on the deck. They hadn't eaten in 2 days. Zoro occasionally boiled some seawater to fight dehydration, but nothing could quell their hunger for the moment. His haki wasn't strong enough to sense the closest island yet so they were lost in the sea.
"I'm gonna die before I even hit my first island…" Luffy yelped.
Zoro ignored him as he suddenly felt a very familiar presence climb aboard the ship. How did he not notice her sailing in until now?
"Hello! Nice ship you've got there!"
Zoro sat up and he was faced with an orange haired woman sitting on the railing.
"You guys look like you need some help!" she said excitedly.
"Meat…" Luffy groaned, refusing to sit up. "Please…"
"That's okay. I'll take you to the next island. It's not too far from here," she said as she pulled out a map from her satchel. She dressed the same as she did the first time they met, but her hair had slight highlights of blue in it. Zoro kept his eyes locked her as she moved towards the ship's wheel. She didn't seem to notice.
"Why are you helping us?" he asked, his eyes never leaving her.
"Oh, I was sailing by in my boat..." she pointed to a small dinghy near their ship, "... when I noticed that yours hasn't moved in a while."
"What if we were just resting?" Zoro asked.
"Doubt it. You guys were screaming that you were lost."
"And if we were... pirates?" he phrased carefully.
Nami responded with a wink. "Not that big of a problem, I can take care of myself. Now let's get you guys to Orangetown!"
"Thank you," Zoro said after a few seconds of silence in which she returned a wide grin. Nami was skeptical person by nature. She wouldn't trust people, much less complete strangers with her life. Boarding a random ship in the middle of the sea was kind of counterproductive if that was true. Either she was planning to scam them once they arrived at Orangetown, or she had something else in mind.
The trio sailed in relative silence as Nami guided them to Orangetown. Thankfully, she carried some rations with her on the small boat she came in. That was enough to keep Luffy quiet for the rest of the journey.
She did introduce herself and ask for their names, however in which both Luffy and Zoro responded truthfully. Zoro didn't miss the slight frown in her expressions as he introduced himself, and it intesified when Luffy said that they were pirates.
"That's nothing much," Nami said, waving it off. "I'm a treasure hunter by nature so sometimes I've got to get my hands dirty as well."
Zoro nodded. He shot a look to Luffy, and his Captain didn't miss the message that he sent.
"She's acting suspicious. Keep an eye on her."
Luffy just nodded.
After a couple of hours, the trio arrived at Orangetown. As soon as they walked down the gangplank, Luffy casually stepped to the side as a cannonball whizzed by.
"That was close," he remarked absentmindedly as he continued walking. "Let's find something to eat, guys!" he shouted.
"His battle senses are a lot sharper this time around," Zoro thought to himself as Luffy continued to walk down the pier as if nothing happened. Zoro dropped the anchor and the group entered a nearby bar.
Nami's smile began to fade as they sat around the table. Both Luffy and Zoro looked at her with knowing expressions.
"Something's going on. Gonna give us the drop?" Luffy asked as he looked her in the eyes. Directly.
"Alright, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm happy you guys came here," she said as she raised her hands in surrender. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "I was sailing by Shelltown the other day when I felt an unnatural wind blow. Shortly after that, you guys left the town. That was no coincidence. I knew it was your doing."
Luffy looked at her with a bored face, not bothering to deny it. "And what does that have to do with anything?"
"A few days ago, this town was overtaken by the Buggy Pirates," she whispered. "There's no way I'm strong enough to take them on all by myself, so I need you guys to do it for me."
This time it was Zoro who asked. "And what would you gain from taking down Buggy? His bounty money?" he said loud enough that everyone could hear. The bar instantly put their conversations on hold as each patron stared at the trio. Nami winced as she noticed the amount of eyes on them.
She let out a heavy sigh. "I… have a soft spot oppressed towns. My village used to be ruled by a tyrant, but I got some help, so I guess I'm just returning the favour by helping another town."
She noticed a slight flinch in Zoro. Luffy didn't miss it either. The bar patrons looked at the trio and sympathized with them. They too would like to see Buggy's tyrannical rule come to an end. A few colourfully dressed men quietly left the bar, however and Luffy noticed this.
"Listen," Nami began. "Pirates or not, I was really hoping that you'd agree to partner up and take down Buggy and his gang. Help to free this town. Please…"
Both Luffy and Zoro looked around the bar room and every single eye was on them, all longing for freedom. They nodded to each other. Both picked up their drinks and downed it simultaneously before slamming their glasses on the table with an audible crack.
"Damn right we will!"
Luffy and Zoro actually had a sizable mob following them as they marched towards the Big Top, Buggy's ship.
"Yeah, get 'em!"
"Kick their asses!"
"No mercy!"
Various shouts came behind them as the trio slowly came to a halt. As Luffy was about to step forward, the Village Chief, Boodle held up his hand. Luffy grinned and let the old man do the honours.
"GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE, BIG NOSE! WE WANT OUR TOWN BACK!" Boodle shouted at the top of his lungs, which caused both Zoro and Nami to smile. Luffy was laughing on the ground.
The infamous clown began walking down to meet the mob. A large group of pirates followed, and his 2 officers, Mohji, and Cabaji joined Buggy's side. A wide smile was plastered on his face as the began juggling his knives.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Mayor," he said as his crew slowly began to chuckle behind him. "I think my hearing's getting a little rough. Do you mind saying that a bit louder?"
Boodle took a step back as did the rest of the townsfolk, Buggy's smile draining their confidence. That's when Luffy spoke up.
"That's Buggy?! I guess you guys weren't kidding about the nose."
This time Zoro didn't even try holding in his laugh. He had to give Luffy credit. His Captain looked genuinely surprised, but that's how he usually was with everything. Everyone else grew silent. The incredulous smile didn't leave Buggy's face.
"That's it, punk. You're dead."
As he finished, a gloved hand dropped out of the sky, the knife in its hand aiming directly for Luffy's head.
"Watch o-" Boodle began when suddenly Buggy was suddenly sent flying backwards into several crates and barrels. His disconnected hand motionlessly fell to the ground as Luffy rotated his shoulder cuffs.
"Don't. Touch. The. Hat."
An enraged Buggy climbed out of the heap. "Men! Kill them all!" he shouted as his crew charged with a battle cry.
Luffy looked back. Zoro wore a bored expression as he unsheathed his sword. Nami twirled her staff and winked at him. Turning back to the charging pirates, he raised his fist up into the air.
"Chaaaaarge!" he shouted while laughing as the townspeople, armed with pitchforks and guns did as well.
Zoro flicked the blood off of his sword as Nami went through every pirate's wallet. She then climbed aboard the Big Top to loot the rest of their treasure. Buggy and his crew were out unconscious as Luffy celebrated with the townsfolk.
"That was quite simple," Zoro remarked as examined his sword absentmindedly. Buggy was just as weak as before and it wasn't as difficult for Luffy to dispatch him like last time. Another bonus was that they also had the townspeople fight alongside them. Zoro took down Cabaji with ease while Nami did the same with Mohji and his lion, Richie. But that was the interesting thing...
"Jackpot!" he heard on the ship as Nami climbed off with a large bag. "10 Million Berries and that isn't even the best of the loot!" She held out a worn-out parchment that looked like a map. "A map to the Grand Line!" she shouted excitedly.
Zoro let out a small grunt in acknowledgement. Nami was definitely stronger than before, no question about that. While the swordsman duked it out with Cabaji- or dominated, either word worked- he observed Nami's fight with the lion tamer in case he needed to step in. The way she maneuvered and controlled the fight wasn't only out of the previous Nami's skill range, but out of most East Blue pirates in general.
"Either she has had a lot more run-ins with pirates than before, or there's something I'm missing..." Zoro thought. Maybe that's why she wasn't scared, but merely apprehensive when she first climbed on board? She probably thought to herself that she could take down both him and Luffy in case things got messy during their encounter. Zoro let the thought run idly before he chuckled. She has guts. Much more than before.
Luffy was being surrounded by every person in the village, all showering him with praise and thanks. A few actually carried him on their shoulders as they marched towards the town square. Luffy, being... Luffy, happily obliged. Nami sighed and motioned for Zoro to follow them.
"Might as well keep an eye on him in case the town declares war on us..."
Right. That did happen last time. And because of the same person. Zoro and Nami followed behind the marching crowd.
"We're finally free!" Boodle shouted as they reached the centre of the town. "How can we ever repay all of you?"
"Some food would be nice!" Luffy said which was met by hearty agreement from the townsfolk.
"Alright it's settled then! Let's throw these guys a party!" one villager shouted and everyone cheered.
Thanks for reading, drop a review, a follow, and a favourite (or do nothing as just checking this story out is fair enough) if you enjoyed this chapter. Some of you may be wondering if I'm going to basically have the Straw Hats steamroll everyone in this story like every other time-travel fic, and I will wickedly answer your question in a few chapters. Something big is coming. Stick around and see for yourself.
Later!