Chapter 1 – The Straw Hats Arrive
"Ohhooo Island! Island!" came a shout echoing across the ocean. It came from a lanky boy resting on the head of his ship. Monkey D. Luffy grabbed onto the straw hat resting on his head and sprang from his seat, flipping over in the air and landing deftly onto the deck. " Island!Island! " he sang in excitement.
"Luffy will you keep it down?" snapped Nami irritably. She shook her head and sighed, knowing her captain didn't even hear her. The idiot was like this every time the found a new island. The navigator sighed and rested her face in a hand; she sometimes wondered what it would be like to have a normal captain. Her patience at its end, she stormed forward and smacked Luffy with her fist. That taken care of, she turned to the rest of the crew. "Now, I know that the people at the last port told us this island is pirate friendly, but that doesn't mean we should be carefree."
"I didn't see any signs of the Navy." said the stoic Zoro as he came down from the lookout. "Still, it doesn't mean they're not there."
"Agreed. That's why we'll be docking at a nearby cove instead of the village. And everyone better behave." she said, glaring at each crew member in turn. With that said, Nami turned and headed to the cabins to gather her things. As she closed the door, the last thing she heard was the voice of Brooke talking to someone. "Do you think that means I can't ask girls if I may see their panties?" The orange haired girl sighed to herself and descended into the ship.
Because of his earlier comment, Brooke was 'forced to stay behind and guard the ship. The rest of the crew set off together down a dirt path towards the town. Luffy, whether it was because of Nami's words or not, didn't go charging right off into town. However, like a little child, he kept darting away from the group for short periods of time. He often returned with "treasures" he had found, much to Chopper's amazement. After fifteen minutes, the path widened and the crew begin to see some outlying farms and houses. It wasn't long after that the path turned into a stone road and the Straw Hats entered the town. The houses that lined the streets were well taken care of; they all had colorful paint jobs and many sported little gardens underneath the front windows. It was easy to see this was a thriving community.
After getting directions from a friendly person, the crew separated into different groups. Sanji, Usopp, Chopper, and Franky needed to restock their supplies so they headed towards the market. Luffy and Zoro had no particular plans, so they headed off deeper into the town together. Nami, knowing those two would probably get into trouble, set off to keep an eye on them. So used to her going off on her own, no one asked Robin where she planned to go. It wasn't until she started down the street that Nami noticed Robin was following her.
The afternoon passed uneventfully. Despite their earlier suspicions, the town did seem to be pirate friendly. No one stopped to question them, and despite Luffy's large bounty, no one seemed particularly worried by his presence. In fact, it was probably the most peaceful town the crew had encountered on the Grand Line so far. And, most surprisingly, there was no sign of the Navy anywhere. Luffy had been entertained by all the interesting shops and people, but had begun to grow bored. And Luffy being bored usually ended up with the crew having to run out of town Sensing trouble, Nami suggested they stop and get something to eat, an activity Luffy could never turn down.
The group entered the first tavern they came across. Thanks to a front full of big windows the place was well lit. A few patrons sat at the bar, but all of the tables were empty. Selecting a table in the corner, the Strawhats sat down. Barely a minute passed when a young girl around sixteen in a nice, but simple dress approached the group. "Hello, well to the Sunny Tavern. My name is Mila." the girl said in a soft, but bright voice. She smiled at the table, until her eyes came across Luffy. "You're...you're Straw Hat Luffy!" she said, eyes wide with amazement. While the dark haired boy responded to her with his signature large smile, Zoro rested a hand on his swords and Nami looked around the room cautiously. Robin, deeply absorbed in the book she had opened as soon as she sat down, appeared to have not heard the girl. Recognition crossed her face three more times as she matched the remaining faces to their bounty posters. "I can't believe its really all of you. I've followed all your adventures in the paper; you're my favorite pirate crew." The serving girl gaped in awe of them.
"Mila!" the man behind the bar hollered in a gruff voice. "Stop pesterin the customers and do yer job girl." Embarrassed, the girl quickly took their order and with one last look at the group headed off to the kitchen. When Mila finally returned with the food, she had to bring two other serving girls with her to help carry the massive meal. The plates barely hit the table before Luffy began to inhale everything within his reach, which, thanks his devil fruit powers, was everything. A struggle quickly commenced as those who wished to eat tried to grab as many morsels as possible before their energetic Captain consumed the entire meal himself. The young serving girl watched in fascination at the entire process. As usual, it didn't take long until the plates were bare and Luffy was ready to head off in search of more adventure.
"Let's head to the market and see what they have to eat there!" The boy exclaimed as he jumped from his seat .
"I certainly didn't miss that the past two years." Zoro muttered as he stood up to follow.
Without warning, both men were attacked and quickly fell to the ground, cradling their heads in pain. "Not so fast you two," said Nami as she glared at the two on the floor, "If you think you're going to duck out of here and leave me with the bill again then I suggest that..."
"Calm down now, there's no need to fight in my tavern." The man behind the bar said, raising his hands in protest, "It's an honor to have such famous pirates such as the Strawhats in my humble bar, please, this meal is on the house."
Nami eyed the man suspiciously and opened her mouth to investigate the matter, but her question was cut off by her excited captain. "Ohhhhhhh thank you old man!" He shouted happily with a wide grin, "This town is great, let's go!" And with that he ran out the door.
Chuckling, Robin closed her book and made for the door. Muttering to himself about his idiotic captain, Zoro followed. Nami paused, still watching the owner. But he was purposely avoiding her gaze, instead scrubbing the counter while whistling a happy tune. Hearing a loud crashing sound and Luffy's shouts from outside, the orange haired woman left the building with a shake of her head.
As the swinging doors came to a rest, the man behind the counter stopped his whistling and slowly moved into the dining room. Mila left the corner, moving to begin cleaning up the mess left behind but let out a shout of pain as the old man grabbed her arm. "Foolish girl!" He hissed, twisting her around painfully so she was facing him. "You know better than to converse with pirates. If anyone so much as suspects I'll make sure you take to full brunt of the consequences."
"I didn't, I swear!" Mila said, choked with pain.
"You better not have." Growled the main as he shoved the terrified girl to the floor. "Clean this mess up, then go home for the day." And with a final glance at the doors, he returned to his post behind the bar and went back to work, his whistling covering up the soft sobs of the girl.
"Last time I volunteer for 'babysitting' duty" Nami muttered to herself as she trudged down the path back to the ship. After rescuing Luffy several times and paying off the damages he caused, there was nothing the navigator wanted more than to take a long, hot bubble bath for the remainder of the evening. Luffy's characteristic laughter rang out from the woods and she let out an a sigh "Such an idiot..." The navigator continued to complain angrily to herself; she was so distracted that she barely noticed the man blocking her path in time to avoid colliding with him. She glared at the man, prepared to yell at him for not watching where he was going (because it was obviously his fault) but his grin disarmed the usually fiery redhead.
He was well dressed, fitted striped pants with a white dress shirt, jacket and bright green tie. On his hip rested a sword. "Ah, you must be Cat Burglar Nami. How do you do? I am Sir Diro Kizan at your service." The man said with a bow. As the navigator opened her mouth to speak, he grinned once again, and continued before she had a chance to speak. "I came to speak with your Captain, but your...odd shipmate wouldn't allow me on the ship so I was forced to wait here. Tell me, will he be arriving soon?"
Despite his polite manner, Nami had a strange feeling about this man. She meant to tell him shove off but Luffy took this exact moment to burst from the woods, heading at full sprint towards the ship. However, seeing the stranger he skidded to a stop, kicking up a cloud of dust. "Oi Nami, who's this guy?"
"Ah excellent, Straw Hat Luffy. Excuse me for skipping the pleasantries but I have much to do so I'll just get right to it." The man pulled a letter from under his jacket, broke the seal, pulled out a letter and began to read
"Captain Monkey D. Luffy, tales of your exploits have spread far and wide, including my simple island. I, and my friends, would enjoy hearing your stories in person. I hold an event, a gala of sorts, called the Pirate Ball every few months. All the pirate captains in town and in the area come, and I would love for you to attend as well. Included you'll find the official invitation with all the details; I do hope to see you there. Sincerely, Lord James T. Hemmingworth"
Folding up the letter and putting it away, Diro presented the envelop to Luffy, who took it without a moments hesitation. "Excellent. I shall inform my Lord that you will be attending. I suggest that you find some more...suitable attire to wear the event. There are several shops in town that would be able to provide such a service." The man paused, taking a moment to glance as the rest of the crew as they approached. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have much business to attend to. Good day to you all." And with a curt bow to the crew, he made his way past them and back to the town.
"There's no way we are going to this thing. Who throws a Ball for pirates? Besides, that messenger gave me the creeps," argued Nami a short time later. The Straw Hats had gathered to decide on this new development. While Sir Diro had assumed they would be attending, several members of the crew didn't think it was such a good idea.
"I'd have to agree. A bunch of pirates gathered together like that is bound to cause problems," Zoro said as he leaned against the wall. He shook his head as he looked over at his captain picking his nose nonchalantly. "Plus Luffy isn't the most cultured individual"
A hiss of a match was heard as Sanji lit himself a cigarette. "True, but it will take several more days for the log pose to set. If these events are the customs of the island can we afford to ignore it? Besides, can you imagine Robin and Nami in beautiful ballroom attire?!" Zoro shook his head in disgust as the cook began to swoon over the two woman, offering to help them go dress shopping. A swift hit to the head from Nami ended his fawning.
"Well I could go for some suuuupppper dancing myself! Why don't we just vote and decide?" said the cyborg Franky.
"It doesn't matter," stated Luffy, break his silence. "I've decided to go. And none of you are coming with me." The crew stared at him, slightly dumbfounded. While not surprised at their captain deciding on his own course with little thought, they were a little shocked that he forbid them from attending the ball as well.
"How dare you try and deny me the opportunity to dance with my sweet beloveds you shitty captain," growled Sanji as he approached Luffy menacingly.
"But Sanji, that's what the paper says." He said offering the invitation for the blonde to examine.
"He's right," Sanji said slightly crestfallen, "The invitation is only for the captain and...his date"
"That's right. Me and my date." Luffy said, sticking his tongue out. His face turned serious and he cocked his head quizzically at the rest of his crew. "Now, whats a date?"
A/N: Well there you have it. Perhaps not the most exciting of chapters but its going to get better. I hope to post at least a chapter a week, maybe more. So keep an eye out. Comments and reviews are always welcome. Thanks for reading! -SF