Thank you so much for the reviews Cataquack Warrior! The idea of this was so strong, that I rushed to get it all out, but you've definitely given me some ideas on how to improve the story. I really appreciate the point of view and more so since you seem familiar with the original work. I was also a bit disappointed when I got to this chapter and realized there was very little Nami in it at this point. Especially after the most recent Neverland movie.
So there will be one, maybe two more chapters after this. They will be unique from the original story so it will be a bit longer before I post. Then I'm going to work on revamping some of this story...maybe add a chapter about the fairies...not sure if I want it in here or as a separate one-shot. Please keep the reviews coming. I'm completely open to any suggestions to make my story better, as sometimes tunnel vision keeps me from seeing a bigger picture. Thanks!
"Fear is not evil. It tells you what you weakness is. And once you know your weakness, you can become stronger as well as kinder." - Gildarts
Chapter 7: Straw-hat
The next afternoon, Luffy remained behind as the others went on a walk. He had gorged himself at meal time and his extended stomach begged for rest as he laid down for a nap.
Nearby, Smoker waited as the others disappeared through the brush before making his way towards the treehouse. However, he was unsure if the house was empty but was prepared to take a chance.
On the bed above, lay Luffy fast asleep. Unaware of the tragedy about to occur, Luffy had continued, for a little time after the children left, to play fight with the practice dummy. Then he lay down on the bed outside the coverlet, laughed a haughty laugh and fell asleep in the middle of it.
Sometimes, though not often, he had dreams, and they were more painful than the dreams of other boys. For hours he could not be separated from these dreams. They had to do, I think, with the riddle of his existence. But on this occasion he had fallen at once into a dreamless sleep. One arm dropped over the edge of the bed, one leg was arched, and the unfinished part of his laugh was stranded on his mouth, which was open, showing the little pearls. His precious straw-hat, which was placed upon a nail, was caught by the wind and blown out a nearby window to land on the ground below.
Having spent some time in thought on the subject, Smoker decided there was no way of knowing if the house was empty, save by going up. Smoker let his cloak slip softly to the ground, and then biting his lips till a lewd blood stood on them, he stepped under the tree. He prepared himself to ascend to the top of the tree when an interesting sight caught his attention. There sitting upon the ground, was the infamous straw-hat belonging to the flying fairy child himself.
Smoker decided at that moment that the best course of action would be to lure Monkey D. Luffy to him. Then he could prepare a trap and have the rapscallion in his clutches. He would pay for his wrongdoings and then Smoker could leave this island. Smoker clutched the hat to his chest, then with one long gloating look he cast upon the treehouse, he turned back to his discarded cloak. He wound his cloak around himself, holding one end in front as if to conceal his person from the late afternoon sun and muttering strangely to himself, stole away through the trees.
Luffy slept on. The light burned to edges and went out, leaving the tenement in darkness; but still he slept. It must have been not less than four o'clock by the sea king, when he suddenly sat up in his bed, wakened by he knew not what. Cautiously, he looked around the room, his gaze finally resting on the last place he remembered seeing his hat. He placed both hands on his head, feeling for the familiar weight and not finding it; drug his hands down his face to where the string usually rested around his neck...only to find it bare also.
Quickly, the dark aura of Smoker registered in Luffy's mind and then he was off, quickly shooting across the sky towards the shore.
Odd things happen to all of us on our way through life without our noticing for a time that they have happened. When last we saw Luffy, he was stealing across the island with one finger to his lips and his dagger at the ready. He had seen the sea king pass by without noticing anything odd about it, but by and by he remembered that it had not been ticking. At first he thought this strange, but soon decided that the clock had run down.
Without giving a thought to what might be the feelings of a fellow-creature thus abruptly deprived of its closest companion, Luffy began to consider how he could turn the disaster to his own use; and he decided to tick, so that wild beasts would believe he was the sea king and let him pass unimpeded. He ticked superbly, but with one unforeseen result. The sea king was among those who heard the sound, and it followed him, though whether with the purpose of regaining what it had lost, or merely as a friend under the belief that it was again ticking itself, will never be known for certain.
Luffy reached the shore without incident, and went straight on, his legs encountering the water as if quite unaware that they had entered a new element. Thus many animals pass from land to water, but no other human of whom I know. As he swam he had but one thought: I will have my hat back. He had ticked so long that he now went on ticking without knowing that he was doing it. Had he known he would have stopped, for to board the ship by help of the tick, though an ingenious idea, had not occurred to him.
On the contrary, he thought he had scaled her side as noiseless as a mouse; and he was amazed to see the marines cowering from him, with Smoker in their midst as abject as if he had heard the sea king.
The sea king! No sooner did Luffy remember it than he heard the ticking. At first he thought the sound did come from the sea king, and he looked behind him swiftly. They he realized that he was doing it himself, and in a flash he understood the situation. How clever of me! he thought at once.
None too soon, Luffy, every inch of him on tiptoe, vanished into the cabin; for more than one marine was drawing up their courage to look round. They could hear each others distressed breathing now, which showed them that the more terrible sound had passed.
"It's gone, captain," Tashigi said, wiping off her glasses. "All's quiet again."
Slowly Smoker let his head emerge from his ruff, and listened so intently that he could have caught the echo of the tick. There was not a sound, and he drew himself up firmly to his full height.
Then was heard a laughing sound from within the cabin, which to the marines was most peculiar.
"What was that?" cried Smoker.
"Has some creature stowed aboard the ship?" inquired Tashigi.
"Hina thinks someone should investigate," growled Hina, and the others took up the cry.
"I think I heard you volunteer, Hina," said Smoker.
"Hina said no such thing!" Hina cried.
"My hook thinks you did," said Smoker, crossing to her. "I wonder if it would not be advisable, Hina, to humor the hook?"
"Captain, mercy!" Hina whimpered, all of a tremble now.
Seizing a lantern and raising his claw with a menacing gesture, "I'll bring out the creature myself," he said, and sped into the cabin.
Smoker came staggering out, without his lantern. "Something blew out the light," he said a little unsteadily.
"Something!" echoed Hina.
His reluctance to return to the cabin impressed them all unfavorably, and mutinous sounds broke forth. All marines are superstitious, and Tashigi cried, "They do say the surest sign a ship's cursed is when there's one on board more than can be accounted for."
"Hina's heard," muttered Hina, "he always boards the pirate craft last. Had he a tail, captain?"
"They say," said another, looking viciously at Smoker, "that when he comes it's in the likeness of the wickedest man aboard."
"Had he a hook, captain?" asked Tashigi insolently; and one after another took up the cry, "The ship's doomed!"
"Now, listen!" cried Smoker, and all listened. But not one dared to face the door. Yes, one, Nami Bell, who all this time had been following Luffy. It was for neither a scream nor a laugh that she was watching, it was for the reappearance of Luffy.
She had not long to wait. In the cabin he had found the thing for which he had gone in search: the precious straw-hat given to him by the last pirate crew to visit Neverland, Shanks Red-Haired pirates. Now he stole forth, armed with such weapons as he could find. Then he took a great breath and laughed.
To the marines it was a voice crying and they were panic-stricken. Smoker tried to hearten them; but like the dogs he had made them they showed him their fangs, and he knew that if he took his eyes off them now they would leap at him.
"Mates," he said, ready to cajole or strike as need be, but never quailing for an instant, "I've thought it out. There's a fairy aboard. Most likely Monkey D. Luffy's."
"Never was luck on a ship with a creature of the Fae on board. We'll right the ship when she's gone."
The marines ran around the ship looking for the small fairy woman. Smoker suspected she was there on behalf of Straw-hat and that if he captured her also, he would have twice the incentive for Luffy to come to him.
Nami let herself be known long enough for Luffy to attempt to escape the cabin unnoticed.
Thus suddenly Smoker found himself face to face with Luffy. The others drew back and formed a ring around them.
For long the two enemies looked at one another, Smoker wore a serious expression, and Luffy with a strange smile upon his face.
"So, Smoker," said Luffy at last, "this is all your doing."
"Aye, Straw-hat" came the stern answer, "it is all my doing."
"Dark and sinister man," Luffy answered, "have at thee."
"Proud and insolent youth," said Smoker, "prepare to meet thy doom."
Without more words they fell to, and for a space there was no advantage to either blade. Luffy was a superb swordsman, and parried with dazzling rapidity; ever and anon he followed up a feint with a lunge that got past his foe's defense, but his shorter reach stood him in ill stead, and he could not drive the steel home. Smoker, scarcely his inferior in brilliancy, but not quite so nimble in wrist play, forced him back by the weight of his onset, hoping suddenly to end all with a favorite thrust; but to his astonishment he found this thrust turned aside again and again. Then he sought to close and give the quietus with his iron hook, which all this time had been pawing the air; but Luffy doubled under it and, lunging fiercely, pierced him in the ribs. At the sight of his own blood, the sword fell from Smoker's hand, and he was at Luffy's mercy.
"Now!" came the tinkling call from Nami, but with a magnificent gesture Luffy invited his opponent to pick up his sword. Smoker did so instantly, but with a tragic feeling that Luffy was showing good form.
Up till now he had thought it was some fiend fighting him, but darker suspicions assailed him now.
"Straw-hat, who and what are you?" he cried huskily.
"I'm youth, I'm joy," Luffy answered at a venture, "I'm a little bird that has broken out of the egg."
This, of course, was nonsense; but it was proof to the unhappy Smoker that Luffy did not know in the least who or what he was, which is the very pinnacle of good form.
He fought now like a human flail, and every sweep of that terrible sword would have severed in twain any man or boy who obstructed it; but Luffy fluttered round him as if the very wind it made blew him out of the danger zone. And again and again he darted in and pricked.
Smoker was fighting now without hope. That passionate breast no longer asked for life; but for one boon it craved: to see Luffy show bad form before it was cold forever.
Abandoning the fight he rushed into the powder magazine and lit it.
"In two minutes," he cried, "the ship will be blown to pieces."
Now, now, he thought, true form will show.
But Luffy issued from the powder magazine with the shell in his hands, and calmly flung it overboard.
What sort of form was Smoker himself showing? Perhaps Straw-hat was not the underhanded youth that Smoker had been led to believe? What if instead of stealing away those other boys, he had saved them from some unfortunate end? It would only then make sense that the island worked to protect Luffy not out of fear, but out of gratitude and loyalty. So many questions swam in Smoker's head, he had to fight back the dizziness that threatened to overcome him.
Seeing Luffy quickly advancing upon him through the air with dagger poised, he found himself backed up against the wall of the ship. "You cowardly codfish! Be gone from Neverland and don't ever return." Panicked and confused, Smoker took off in the rowboat…the sea king hot on his trail.
Thus Luffy's dealings with Smoker ended.
I really feel like this demonstrates Luffy and Smoker's actual relationship pretty well. Smoker wants to hate Luffy because of what he is, but time and again he is shown that what Luffy is doesn't determine what he does and I think that confuses Smoker so much.
ORIGINAL POSTING DATE: August 10, 2016
WORDS: 2,165
