Previously:
Zoro brings Luffy to see the king. But the swordsman's bad sense of direction leads them both into the princess's room where they find Luffy's friend, Ussop, trying to sneak away. Kaya directs Zoro back out and the swordsman takes Luffy back to where the king should be.
Kaya sighed in relief as Zoro and the boy wearing the straw hat left the room. She turned to look at Ussop worriedly. "Ussop, why didn't you leave more quickly? Now I have to tell Zoro-san why you're in my room."
The long-nosed boy sighed in frustration, remembering the trouble of having to leave through the window. Shoot, it's all because I couldn't get my Ussop Aaaaaaah! to work right…I'll need to fix that up later. He turned to give the pale skinned girl a smile. "Sorry, Kaya. One of my new inventions was stuck so I couldn't escape like I wanted to…"
The girl giggled happily and kissed him on the cheek, causing the boy to flush a deep red down to his toes. "I'm just glad you didn't get caught."
Ussop stood up straight and grinned, still red from the small kiss. "Of course! Because I'm the one everyone calls, Ussop the Stealthy!"
Kaya giggled and listened intently to the new story the long-nosed boy would tell her.
Snowflakes started to fall from the heavens, scattering another layer of ice over the palace. The guards standing around the walls of the palace sighed and shivered, pulling their coats closer to themselves. Sanji laid on his down feather bed, staring up at the canopy hanging over him. He placed a hand over his eyes, thinking to himself.
Where did that bastard come from? He flew into the palace because he tried to fly? How's a guy supposed to believe that? Humans can't fly. The blonde prince thought idly, remembering the serious look Luffy had given him. But…maybe they can? Is that his dream or something? To soar like a bird? He smirked. That's a nice dream to chase after…
The prince turned his head to stare out the window and at the city outside the palace. My dream…What is it that I really want?
Bongh! Boohm!
Sanji sat up straight as he felt the palace walls tremble from the strange noise from below. That sounded like it came from the throne room… The blonde prince leapt out of bed and stormed from his bedroom, rushing down the staircase. That bastard didn't try to escape did he?! Sanji thought, clenching his teeth together while sprinting down the steps.
The green-haired guard and the boy with the straw hat had started to push open the doors to the throne room when a loud blast ripped the doors off, sending the two boys back down the carpet they had just trekked across. Zoro stood up quickly, drawing out his swords. He glanced over at Luffy to make sure he was all right before glaring at the smoke that was clearing away. Luffy pushed off the large door that had knocked him off of his feet and stood up, staring at the smoke in confusion.
What the heck happened? The thought raced through both of their minds simultaneously.
The heavy smoke cleared and the two stared in shock as a clown-like person stood in the middle of the throne room, cackling madly. Around him were dozens of subordinates grinning and packing the gold—that was being taken from another hole made in the wall—into the bags that they carried.
Zoro growled angrily, wondering how the guards outside had let these people through. This palace has to find better guards… He quickly shoved a sword into his mouth and clenched it tightly in his teeth before drawing his last sword, preparing to attack the cackling clown.
"Are you guys almost done with that gold?" The clown grinned. "It looks like we have company to entertain!"
"So you're the boss, eh?" Zoro sneered, "I'll take you down first." He charged at the large clown just as Sanji jumped off the last few steps.
"Oi!" The prince stared at the green-haired guard, who was aiming his swords at the strange clown standing in the throne room. "What the hell happened, shitty guard?!" But nothing except a shout of 'Onigiri!' came from the green-haired man. Sanji sighed and surveyed the chaotic hall in frustration. He spotted the boy who had fallen from the sky standing in the middle of the rubble, observing the fight taking place.
"Oi! Straw hat bastard!" The prince ran to the boy and grabbed him by the front of his robes, "What the hell happened here?!"
Luffy blinked and stared in shock. "Aah! The prince that I punched!"
Sanji scowled and shook the boy in his hands. "I don't care about that right now, why is that shitty guard charging at that clown all of a sudden?! Are you involved in this?"
Luffy shook his head vigorously. "No, that clown with a big red nose just appeared after something blasted the doors open!"
The blonde prince stared at the boy suspiciously but then let go when he decided that Luffy was telling the truth. "Then where's the king?"
"I didn't see a king anywhere…"
Sanji sighed in relief. His father was probably sleeping in his bedchamber now...otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible for this team of stupid bandits to blast their way in the throne room and steal gold from the treasury. "Looks like you're lucky, straw hat. You don't need to meet the shitty king today—"
"Zoro!" The prince blinked as Luffy sprinted past him, towards the throne room.
"What are you doing? You don't need to worry about that idiot," Sanji turned to look at the battle ensuing, "He can take care of him—" His words died as he saw a few daggers stuck into the back of the green-haired guard.
"What the—?!" Sanji could hear the swordsman gasp in shock at the sudden attack from behind. The blonde prince stared on in horror as he realized that the daggers had been stabbed into the stomach and in the back. What the hell is going on?! Zoro couldn't kill him? Sanji heard the clown cackle happily as his hands that were separated from his arms pulled the daggers out of the swordsman, blood spilling out in a small fountain.
"Swords and knives can't kill me because I can separate my body parts!" The clown kicked Zoro hard in the side and grinned. "Those are serious wounds so the victor is already evident. I am Buggy the Clown! Remember my name when you go to hell, Roronoa Zoro, Slayer of Bandits. Nyaahahaha!" Buggy laughed and kicked the swordsman out of the throne room, to where Luffy stood angrily.
"Attacking from behind is dirty…!" As the boy gazed at the clown in fury, a dark shadow seemed to cast over his eyes.
"Luffy…" Zoro managed to stand up, grasping at his stomach wound. The blood was starting to drip freely down his coat and into his hands. He stared at the boy in confusion. Luffy's attitude had suddenly switched 180 degrees. Wait, that's not important now…Kaya's still in her room and whatever made those holes in the walls could kill her if the bandits use it again. Zoro clenched his teeth and took a step towards the prince.
"Shit," Sanji stared at the bleeding wounds and glared at Buggy. "You need to stop that bleeding as soon as possible."
Zoro turned to Sanji and stared at him straight in the eyes, "Kaya's still here…"
The blonde nodded and took a look at the fight one last time before heading towards Kaya's bedchamber. I'll just have to trust that straw hat guy to take care of Buggy…
Zoro sighed in relief as he watched the blonde-haired prince head into Kaya's room to escort her safely out of the palace. He turned back to the fight and watched as Luffy ran towards Buggy.
"You think you can beat me barehanded?" Buggy grinned, showing two hands full of knives. "Bara Bara Cannon!"
Two hands shot off of Buggy's arms and rocketed towards Luffy. The boy dodged to the right quickly but the edge of one of the knives had given him a cut on his cheek. He continued to charge at the group of bandits and stretched one of his legs out behind him.
"Gomu Gomu no…!"
Zoro's eyes widened as he watched Luffy's foot stretch out behind him a few meters longer than normal. "Who the hell is this guy?!"
Buggy could only stare in shock as the unexpected happened.
Luffy's leg swept forward wiping all of the crew members and Buggy into the wall. "Whip!"
"Ah…ah…" Zoro's jaw dropped open. In addition to flying into the palace from the sky and punching the prince, this guy even had strange abilities allowing him to stretch like rubber? The green-haired guard shook his head. Is this really possible…?
"Neehee." Zoro watched Luffy swipe at his nose with his index finger. "I kicked their asses." The boy turned to grin at the green-haired man sitting on the ground, a pool of blood steadily forming. "Ah! Zoro, you're bleeding a lot!"
"Eh?" The green-haired man felt the blood flow from his wound into his hands and he winced at the pain it was causing him. Shit, this is bad…
"I know a good doctor!" Luffy rushed towards Zoro, hauling the guard up so that he could get him to the doctor quicker. "Come on, Zoro. I'll carry you. Just lean on me."
"Why are you…" The green-haired man opened up one bleary eye. "…doing this? You could just…let me die. And escape."
Luffy stood up straight, spotting Sanji coming towards them from Kaya's room. The boy with a straw hat grinned and looked straight out to the entrance of the palace confidently, "I won't let my friends die!"
Ah...I'm not really comfortable with writing action stories. Or chapter stories. Maybe I should just write one shots?
Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!