Chapter VIII: Nami's Ploy


Set in Orange Town, a village in the East Blue.


Back atop the town's alehouse, Drinkers Pub, the 'Buggy Pirates' were in an upbeat mood. This was especially true of Captain Buggy himself. Overcome by his recent good fortune he addressed his crew. "The stolen map of the 'Grand Line' has been recovered! Furthermore, we've recruited a new crew member! If what she says about her navigation skills are true, we are going to be perfectly positioned to traverse the 'Grand Line.'" Arms spread wide, he continued his speech. "But for now, drink to your heart's content. May our battles ahead be victorious, flashy and grand!"

A hearty chorus of Buggy's men cried out, "Yahoo!" The pirated were engaging in their revelries all around the rooftop bar. Every member was dressed as if part of a circus, and acted the part two. Some rode around on balls and unicycles, others were guzzling large mugs of grog, and more still were juggling knives between each other. One particularly daring individual, sporting oddly shaped animal ears in his hair, was balance a bottle upside down on his tongue.

Paying particular attention to his newest addition, Buggy called out to Nami. "Navigator! Are you drinking you little rascal?"

Standing up from the table she had been seated at with a gusto, she raised her glass in response. "Yes, Captain Buggy, sir! I am drinking Captain." Turning to several passed out pirates beside her, she smirked proudly. "In fact, I've already drank all of them under the table and I'm not done yet!" Her smirk was not limited to her drinking prowess however. It also concealed her hidden intentions. 'Ha! My capacity for drinking is nearly endless. If they keep this up, stealing their treasure will be easier than I thought. Pirates really are simple-minded, it almost makes it too easy to fool them.

Satisfied that Nami was holding her own, Buggy retreated to his makeshift throne. "What do you know, she can sail and drink. Wonders never cease!"

With the attention shifted away from her, the navigator ambled over to Luffy, who was sitting tied up in a cage, knowing at the bars. Squatting, so as to be at eye level with the 'Straw Hat,' she checked in on her young victim. "So, how's it going boss."

Still going along with Nami's ruse, Luffy decided to stay in character rather than confront the girl. "Oh, shut up and let me out of here!" With a gurgle he was reminded why his teeth were wrapped around his cage's bars. "I'm so hungry too. Scratch that first part, bring me some food first." Relenting, Nami tossed him a few drumsticks. Descending upon them like a ravenous wolf, they meat disappeared within seconds. Smiling up at her in response, Luffy chose to push her buttons once more. "Huh, I guess you are a good person after all. I guess I'll let you join my crew.

Barking back at him, Nami's face took on a scary appearance. "How many times do I have to tell you, I don't want to join your stupid little pirate crew!" Shaking her head, she tried to ignore Luffy's antics. "Don't you understand what sort of situation you are in right now? You likely to be sold off someplace by these pirates, and that's if you're lucky!" Regaining her cool, she decided to let him in on her plan to make sure he behaved. "Listen, you don't have to worry. If my plan works smoothly I'll be able to slip away with all their treasure. Since I have nothing against you, Ill open the cage's lock and let you out as I'm running away."

From his seat Buggy spied the pair talking. Figuring the thief was taunting her old boss, he joined in the fun. "Bwahahaha, you've got yourself a great follower there, quite a catch. Standing up he walked over to the cage with his booze in hand.

Putting on a defiant look, Luffy turned his head and gave a harrumph. "What are you talking about. She's not a follower of mine."

Buggy loomed over the trapped man with a dark smile. "Yes, yes… I would probably feel the same as you, saying the same thing, given that you've just been betrayed." Lowering himself to look at his captive directly, the pirate Captain's grin became sinister. "But that doesn't really matter in the bigger picture of things. Even though my map has now been returned, it is still a terrible crime for it to have been stolen from me in the first place." With a shrug, Buggy showed faux sadness. "Sorry to say it, but your fate was determined the moment you ordered your subordinate to rob me."

With his typical flippancy, Luffy pretended to be oblivious to what had just been implied. "Oh, so you're gonna let me go?"

Needless to say, this pissed off Buggy immensely. Voice full of scorn, he issued a reprimand. "I'm letting you go…? Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Turning to his on looking crew, he put his hands in the air and struck a flashy pose gave them an order. "Boys! You all know what to do. Prepare the special 'Buggy Cannonball!"

With a roar of approval, they leapt to their task. "Wahoo! Three cheers for Captain Buggy!" One of the men wheeled out the cannon as another held up a cannonball with the 'Buggy Pirates' insignia painted on it. The emblem was the usual skull and crossbones, with the only embellishment being a bright red nose.

After loading the ball into the cannon, one of the henchmen announced their progress. "The special 'Buggy Cannonball' is ready now Captain!"

With frenzied eyes Buggy yelled out to the crewmember in charge of sharpshooting. "Alright then, it is time to show them its power!" Aiming the weapon at a row of houses next to the pub, an enormous burst sounded as the weapon was shot. BOOM! The destructive force that followed was incredible, shocking Luffy and Nami both. Every house in the line of fire was obliterated, clear through to the coast. Buggy gave a fist pump at the successful blast. "The power of this attack is so great that it can wipe out an entire village in one blow. With this and the power I have gained from my 'Devil's Fruit,' my future in the 'Grand Line' is assured to go well!" With that he turned his attention to his newest addition once more. "Now shoot the cannon Nami, and your loyalty and sincerity will thusly be proven. Once you get rid of your old boss once and for all, you will be free to rule the world together with me."

Taken aback, Nami started to sweat nervously. "Kill that guy…? Me…? No, no no. Captain Buggy, I really don't think that is necessary." It had never been her attention for any harm to come to the hapless pirated she thought she had duped. Thinking quickly, she tried to come up with a distraction. "More importantly we should be drinking now. Let's just ignore that guy!"

Buggy was not going to let up however. His face darkened, and his voice lowered as he let out two curt words. "Kill him."

The crew around them started to shout at her raucously. "Kill him! Just finish him off in one go! Shoot! Shoot!" Nami just stood their stock still as the bellowing continued. "Shoot! Shoot!" Buggy started to cackle madly at the dilemma she was in.

Arms locked at her side, she turned to the caged 'Straw Hat' with a horrified look in her eyes. 'On no… who would have thought that something like this could happen. If I don't shoot him, I'll surely be killed. Even though this kid is a pirate, if I kill him in cold blood like this then there's no difference between me and pirates.' Luffy was staring right back at her with a grim expression, making the situation even harder on the poor girl.

Buggy grew impatient though, and expressed this frustration with a command. "Nami! Stop spoiling all our fun. Just hurry up and light the fuse already!"

Luffy took this moment to interject and lecture Nami on the world she had carelessly stepped into. "Your hand is shaking." With the confidence of someone who knows what they are talking about, he dressed her down. "A pirate swears a strong oath when they set out to see, and you lack the conviction to take that oath."

With a scoff Nami grasped at the opportunity to prolong her terrible choice. "Ha, a strong oath? That's what you call killing innocent people like insects? Is that the pirate's oath your talking about?"

Angry at the insinuation, Luffy responded in a sterner tone of voice. "No, that's not it at all. When a pirate begins their journey, they are taking up the idea that they are willing to risk their life for what they want. You lack this conviction."

One of Buggy's lackeys wearing a jester's hat grew tired of the back and forth, so he shoved the girl aside and grabbed the matches. "Oi, new kid! Stop wasting our time! Do you not know how to fire a cannon or something?" Striking the match, he moved to set off the cannon. At the same time Nami lifted up the side of her skirt to reveal and put her hands on three rods strapped to her thigh. "You just have to bring the fire right up against the fuse and light it like…"

But before he could finish his sentence Nami pulled out the rods and snapped them together to form a bo staff. With one fluid motion she knocked the pirate out cold. 'Crap, I didn't even realize what I was doing until it was too late.'

Off to the side the 'Buggy Pirates' started to go crazy at the sudden change of events. "What the… what is this treachery?" Angry faces littered the irate crowd, with one of the crew breaking a glass in his hands.

Buggy was also irate and was not afraid to show it. "Nami, you idiot! What the hell do you think you're doing? I go ahead and give you the honor of lighting the cannon's fuse as a new member, and this is how you repay me? What are you playing at?"

Watching with his 'Cheshire' grin Luffy addressed the girl cheerfully. "Maybe you do have what it takes… so is it time to unlock the cage and run away now?"

In response she spat out an insult. "Shut up you idiot!" Turning back to the other pirates, she dropped the act altogether. "I didn't do that on purpose, but I would have decided to do it eventually anyway. I would never stoop so low as to become murderous pirate scum like you all!" Gritting her teeth, she recalled her troubled past. "Pirates stole the life of someone who was precious to me. I hate pirates more than anything!"

Sitting in his cramped cell, a realization dawned on Luffy. 'Ahh, so that's why she doesn't like pirates.' He couldn't dwell on it for long though, as he also realized something else. "Ack! Nami, the fuse is still burning!" He renewed hi knowing of the cage's bars. "Crap… I've never had to take a blow that strong, I'm not sure whether I can recover from something like that."

With his two enemies distracted by the lit fuse, Buggy took the opportunity to order an attack. "So, this is what it comes to, eh? Well it's your funeral." Pointing his finger at the too, he gave his directive. "Men, kill her slowly! She deserves nothing less for her treachery!"

Yelling the whole way, the first wave of men charged at the con-woman. "Die painfully you bitch!" The group that had previously been juggling the knives were fast approaching, putting Nami on the defensive. Her focus compromised, she did not manage to prepare before they arrived. Limited in her options, she quickly devised a plan which started with a broad swing of her staff. The four pirates that had been closing in on her easily sidestepped her swing, jumping around it acrobatically, and proceeded to taunt her for the error. "Hah, you missed us!"

Over in his cage, Luffy was starting to really worry for the first time since arriving in the town. "Damnit, would someone please put out that fuse! I can't risk dying this way!" He was actually starting to make progress biting through the bars when he noticed what was happening in Nami's fight. After her missed swing forced her attackers to dodge, she quickly dropped her weapon and ran over to the still lit cannon. Finding nothing to put out the fuse, she made a snap decision to put it out using her hands. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air as Luffy sat there dumbfounded. "I can't believe you did that..." But before he could continue he was forced to change the subject as knife wielding pirates took their second stab at the girl. "Look out behind you!"

He needn't have bothered though, for at that moment Zoro appeared suddenly. The deftness of his intervention betrayed his superhuman strength. He quickly stopped the oncoming pirates in their tracks with just two of his sheathed swords. "What's this. Just how many of you does it take to charge one girl?" Turning around he faced the woman he had just rescued. "Are you alright?" She nodded weakly in response, still struggling to process what was happening.

Luffy was ecstatic to see his crewmate. "Woo! Zoro, thank goodness you actually found this place. Get me out of this thing quick!" Looking around he noticed that his other crewmate hadn't shown up yet. "Where's Alvida at?"

The pirate in question had taken her time coming up the stairs and was just now walking out onto the rooftop. She took in the scene before her and let out a sigh. "What is it with you, is this your idea of fun? You get caught by a bird and carried away, and now that we finally find you your locked up in a cage, tied up, and surrounded by enemies. You are some kind of stupid."

Buggy's crew was flabbergasted by the new arrivals. One of the braver members finally found the ability to give that shock voice. "Did he just say Zoro? As in the 'Pirate Hunter Zoro?" Not finished with his sputtering he continued. "And 'Iron Mace Alvida' too? Why are they talking to the thief?"

Nami was also confused by her saviors' presence, not understanding how the group fit together. 'So, these two are his crewmates? That doesn't make any sense though, why would someone like the 'Pirate Hunter Zoro' team up with a bunch of pirates?'

Buggy was not concerning himself with details like that though. He immediately zoned in on Zoro, figuring him to be the leader of the band in front of him. "You're definitely Zoro alright, your appearance is a dead giveaway." Crossing his arms as he stood beside the swordsman, Buggy did his best to appear menacing. "Are you here for my head?"

The 'Straw Hat' scoffed his reply. "Nope. I have no interest in you whatsoever." Walking away now he called over his shoulder. "I quit being a pirate hunter, so I don't really have a reason to go after you any longer."

Simmering at having been dismissed so summarily, Buggy did his best to reign in his ire. Pulling out his knives he started to twirl and toss them about. "You may be disinterested, but I assure you that is not the case for me. Defeating you would be a boon to my notoriety."

Looking back now Zoro leveled the clownish pirate with a steely glare. "I wouldn't do that if I wear you. If you don't want to die just leave me alone. I may have no interest in you, but I'm not one to back down from a fight."

His crew urging him on, Buggy started to rush his opponent. "If you don't show your true skills now, you'll soon by covered in blood!"

Unsheathing his blades, Zoro settled into his three-sword style; one katana in each hand, and his prized katana 'Wado Ichimonji' clenched by his jaw. With slightly muffled speech he replied. "Fine. If that's the way you want it, I won't hold back." And with a single stroke he tore through the enemy Captain with ease.

Shocked, Alvida didn't understand what was going on. "This doesn't make sense. Was he really worth fifteen million? He went down without trying to dodge or block at all." The background was slowly getting louder as the 'Buggy Pirates' started to chuckle ominously. 'Somethings not right. Their leader is dead, and they don't seem to care, this must have to do with the devil fruit abilities those goons mentioned earlier.'

Zoro on the other hand was not all that concerned, figuring the man was more talk than talent. Walking over to his caged Captain he inspected the lock. "Well, I can't exactly slice through these bars, but there has to be a key around here somewhere." It was then that he started to notice the growing din around him. Turning toward the oddly behaving enemies, he tried to figure out what was happening. "What's so funny? Just give us the key and we'll be on our way. Like I said, we don't want to fight you guys." Immediately after finishing his declaration Zoro's face contorted in pain as he fell to the ground. Sticking out of the left side of his torso was one of Buggy's knives, in the grasp of the pirate Captain's dismembered hand.

The soft laughter grew into a bellow as the other 'Straw Hats' and Nami grasped in horror. Luffy cried out to his crewmate, worry evident in his voice. "Zoro! are you alright!"

Yanking the now bloodied blade from his body, Zoro tossed away both it and the hand. with a grunt of exertion, he cursed his terrible luck. "Damnit! What the hell is up with this guy." He grasped his throbbing wound to stem flow of blood, only to notice the hand hovering in front of him. "What the... the hand is floating in the air!"

Coming up from behind him, Buggy's body was slowly reattaching itself. With a vicious grin he started to gloat as his floating hand returned to its normal place. "The 'Bara Bara no mi,' that is the name of the 'Devil Fruit' I ate. Slice me and dice me all that you want, but it will be to no avail. Face it Roronoa, I'm the worst possible opponent for you."

Slack-jawed, Nami was nearly overcome by yet another surprise this day had brought with it. 'He stuck his body back together! But I thought the 'Devil Fruits were just a myth. How are we supposed to beat someone like that?'

Still grinning madly, Buggy continued to monologue. "it appears I've missed your vital body parts with my first attack 'Pirate Hunter,' but that is a serious looking injury. This one will be going down as a victory for me." Around him his crew roared their approval.

On the ground Zoro clutched his side harder than necessary as he mentally berated himself. "I actually knew that he had some kind of 'Devil Fruit' ability. I got careless, he is winning for sure right now. Damnit! I came here to rescue my dope of Captain, but that clearly isn't happening the way things are going.'

Having remained in the background for most of the altercation, Alvida was now preparing herself for a fight. 'This is getting dangerous; the situation has completely reversed. If I just stand here like an idiot and don't step in those three... well at least two of them are going to get killed!'

However, before she could intervene Luffy decided to take control of the situation in his usual blunt manner. "Stabbing somebody from behind is dirty you big nosed freak!"

A vein in Buggy's forehead bulged in acute anger at the taunt as the rest of the rooftop stood there aghast. Reacting with extreme vitriol, he thrust out his dagger wielding hand and shot it at the impertinent prisoner with the intent to kill. "Who are you calling a big nose?"

As the knife soared at him Alvida, Nami, and Zoro all watched in dismay as it neared its mark. But they needn't have worried. Not bothering with his 'Devil Fruit' ability, Luffy decided to catch the blade in his mouth. He accomplished this as if it were nothing and then proceeded to chomp down and shatter the weapon, once again causing a shock to the denizens of the rooftop tavern. With a defiant glare he spat out the pieces. "I'm going to take you down!"

Recovering from his failed execution, Buggy tried to pump up his confidence through mockery. "Oho! Take me down, huh?" Bursting out in laughter he derided the tied up pirate. "You're going to take me down? You can't be serious. You four have been hilarious, but for your impudence I must sentence you to death on the spot! You said earlier that being a pirate means being willing die? Well it looks like that day has finally come for your pathetic crew!" Raising his hands in the air the pirate Captain whipped his subordinates into a frenzy. "Boys! Laugh at these sorry excuses for pirates. I want it to be the last thing they hear before they die."

Resting his gaze on Alvida's own before staring at the still loaded artillery unit, Luffy mouthed an unmistakable order at her. "Boom."

Giving her Captain a nod of understanding she confidently strode up to the weapon. The distraction caused by her beautiful appearance kept the enemies from reacting in time to stop her before it was too late. With a mighty heave she lifted up the barrel of the cannon and aimed it at the 'Buggy Pirates.' "You may be crazy, but you seem to have the right idea on this one Luffy. Now somebody hand me a light before these dunces wake up."

The insult was enough to snap them out of their haze long enough to start running away. Only Buggy held his ground, even if it was mostly due to shock. "Aah! That thing still has a special 'Buggy Cannonball' in it!" Finally moving into action, he launched two of his hands in attempt to stop them from shooting. "Stupid idiots! Do you think I'll just sit around and let you fire my own weapon at me? Bara Bara Cannon!"

Blood continuing to stream from the hole in his side, Zoro leapt into action to deflect the incoming appendages. "Let's see you stop us then! This scrape you gave me won't even slow us down enough to make it fair."

Holding her spinning head by her palms, Nami was at her breaking point. 'Oh damnit, why are pirates suddenly so hard to understand. These two crews could not be greater opposites if they tried!'

Alvida had no patience for the girl's internal conflict whatsoever. With a curt command she spared no pity when addressing the overwhelmed girl. "Hey, I need a light! You can hyperventilate all you want once we get out of here." Her words seemed to do the trick. Nami rifled around the pirate she had knocked out earlier until she found the matchbook he had snatched from her earlier. Tossing it at the female 'Straw Hat,' Alvida snatched it out of the air with a grace only she could manage in such conditions. The fuse was still short from the earlier attempt to kill Luffy, so it was no time at all before the bombard let loose. BOOM!

Shot fired and dust littering the air, the group congregated around the caged pirate Captain. Zoro hunched over before turning to the unfamiliar member of the crew. "Now would be a good time to go. I assume you're coming?" Getting a nod in return, he followed up with another question. "Who are you anyway?"

Answering on the girl's behalf, Luffy piped up cheerfully. "Oh her? Let me introduce you to Nami. She is going to be serving as our new navigator!"

Returning to their previous argument seemed to knock Nami out of her stupor. "Are you still going on about that you idiot? How many times do I have to tell you I won't be joining your crew! Both Alvida and Zoro snorted at her comment, not surprised at all by her response. A reaction which did not go unnoticed by the orange haired thief. "And what is it with pirates and laughing today? If you have time to be giggling shouldn't you be coming up with ways to get him out of that cage before the smoke clears?"

Zoro nonchalantly dismissed the jab. "No, that's okay. He can just stay in their for now." Letting go of his wound he pushed his back up against the cage and lifted it over his shoulder with a look of intense pain.

Worried about the health of his swordsman and figuring he could probably faze through the bars if he transformed, Luffy tried to stop Zoro from overexerting himself. "Hey, it's okay! Your stomach is going to pop out if you keep this up!"

Ignoring his Captain's words, Zoro started to walk to the edge of the rooftop defiantly. He was disappointed by his earlier performance, and was overcompensating out of his twisted sense of honor. "If it wants to pop out then let it! I don't need you or anyone else telling me what to do, I'll be doing this my way. Don't butt in by saying anything, let's just go." And they did just that, quickly traversing their way out of sight by hopping from roof to roof.

Just as they rounded a corner cutting them off from view the dust cloud settled enough to reveal them gone. Buggy was outraged to find out they had disappeared, and made no effort to hide it from his crew. "Where did they go? Zoro? Nami? Alvida? Even the cage? How is that possible? It took us five men to drag that thing up here!"

Nervously approaching his Captain, one of the 'Buggy Pirates' added more bad news. "Captain Buggy, sir! We can't seem to locate the map or the key to the cage. We think that thief girl might have managed to nab it again before this all went to hell."

That put Buggy over the edge, to the point that he flipped over the one table still standing after the impact from the cannon fire. "Those impudent fools! They dare to steal from me again!" Simmering with intense ire, he took a solemn vow. "These aren't just common thieves anymore, they are official enemies of the 'Buggy Pirate Fleet.' Consider this a declaration of war. No effort is to great, we WILL catch them." Seeing no movement, Buggy yelled out in exasperation. "That means now!"

Running away from their angry leader as fast as they could, the underlings scrambled to find the runaway thieves. From a few rooftops over the targets of the search could overhear the seekers as the began to look. "They aren't on the first floor of the pub! I don't see them in the street either. Where could they have gotten off to?"

Grateful that they hadn't decided to look up, Zoro put the cage down to give himself a moment of rest. Alvida took the opportunity to bemoan what they had inadvertently gotten themselves into. "We're in a pretty dangerous situations here. But what's started must be finished I suppose..." Looking at the two Zoro and she had rescued, she let out one last grievance. With a falsely sweet smile she instantly had them both sweating bullets. "Now whose brilliant idea was it to walk into Buggy's center of operations in the first place again?"