CHAPTER 4
How long has it been? Not too long right…?
I hope you guys like this chapter, I added so much more than what was in my original plans to make it longer.
How long do you think this story is going to be? Take a guess, I'm curious of what you guys think.
DISCLAIMER
Finally is all Luffy can think.
He runs through town, dodging adults and children alike doing some shopping. Luffy's eyes are fixated on the medicine shop at the end of the road. Panting harshly, he enters the building.
As soon as Luffy is inside he slams the list of medicine on the front desk. The clerk jumps in surprise and gasps softly. It takes her a moment to shift her attention to the paper and she picks it up delicately.
With a final look to Luffy she turns around and goes in the back room to fetch what he needs.
Finally catching his breath, Luffy sighs and sinks on a nearby chair. He sighs again, more loudly this time, and stares at the ceiling blankly.
His arm is throbbing, and so is his head. Luffy also notices he's significantly weaker, like when he first got the shackle strapped on.
The ride had lasted longer than he originally thought. He was stuck on that boat for an extended week with his constant full body ache.
'Well,' Luffy thinks. 'Nothing a little medicine can't fix.' He looks around the shop to keep his mind off the pain.
There isn't that many people in the store, mostly just gossiping old ladies and the occasional mother. Beside the shelves nearby, Luffy can hear the quibbling of two old men.
"Did you hear? About Tellar Island I mean." The one with glasses says to his companion. Luffy's attention peaks. The other grunts.
"How could I not? Especially if it's our island this hooligan might be coming after next."
"This person must be daft if he's messing around with Whitebeard's affairs." The companion shakes his head.
"Even though it's been a week everyone is still on their toes about this. The town hall has even posted guards around the flag just in case the attacker comes by."
'So they have guards,' Luffy notes. 'and looks like word is spreading quickly too.' He feels happy for his achievement, but hopes with all his might that Ace's crew will forgive him.
The man adjusts his glasses on the tip of his nose.
"The young these days."
"Grandpa!"
Luffy hears twin scampering and turns his head to look.
There are two young boys, around 10 and 7 with big grins plastered on their faces. They are both dirty all over with twigs sticking out of their hair at all angles.
A pang hits Luffy's chest but he doesn't know what it is.
"Grandpa! Guess what? Guess what?" The younger one says energetically, bouncing on his toes. The glasses man leans to his friend with a smile.
"Speaking of the young." He whispers, making the listener chuckle. He turns back to his grandson. "What is it little Henry? Did you and Lucas catch the mystery creeper in the waterfall cave? Or was it the cliff river?"
"It's the river in the cave grandpa." Lucas corrects, obviously annoyed. "And it wasn't a 'mystery creeper' it was a water snake. I swear grandpa, your memory is getting worse and worse. No wonder you spend all your time in this sick bay."
"Lucas!" Their grandpa's friend scolds. "Don't be so rude! To your grandfather or this establishment." Lucas just grumbles and looks away. Henry looks like he is going to explode.
"Anyway, if you are all done talking, we found a good hiding spot to see if the guy is going to attack our flag. You know the guy, the one that got Tellar Island-" His grandpa raises a hand to stop his grandson's ramblings.
"Yes, Henry. I'm aware who it is. But you two shouldn't be fooling around such business. It's very dangerous."
"But Grandpa-"
"I don't want to hear it! I expect better of you too Lucas." He says, looking at the elder brother. Lucas just mutters something offensive under his breath.
"What was that Lucas?"
"Nothing grandpa." He says with fake innocence. "C'mon Henry, we've got better stuff to do than hang around this place." They run outside and the old friends follow behind them.
"You're not leaving yet! Get back here or I'm going to talk to your parents!" The grandpa yells, shaking a fist in the air. Luffy watches until their figures disappear from view.
He stares at the vacant spot until well after they are gone. Allowing the numb feeling into his body, Luffy lets it spread and he zones out.
The crunching sound of a paper bag makes Luffy's senses return. He looks down, concerned about the large pain in his chest. Only this time he knows what it is as he stands to get his medicine.
Envy.
"That'll be 70 belis." says the clerk, tapping her long painted nails on the wooden surface.
Luffy rummages through his pocket. Taking out the proper amount, he realizes with a sigh he doesn't have many belis left.
The woman takes the money, eyeing him suspiciously. But Luffy doesn't care, he's already walking out the door.
When the sunbeams hit his face, Luffy yawns loudly and stretches his arm. The ship had docked mid afternoon and he slept the entire trip. It is now late afternoon and he needs something to eat before taking down this flag.
He looks over to the Jolly Roger waving strongly near the port. The guards aren't directly beneath the pole, but they are a bit spread out around the area. Each one of them is making polite conversation with passerby's, but Luffy sees their eyes occasionally flick back to the flag.
The town this time is more barren than the others. The houses and buildings are all made of creaky wood with some on really high stilts. It kind of reminds Luffy of some sort of cool jungle village.
With a moment to himself, Luffy takes his medicine with a gag. He never gets used to the bitter taste, but his energy immediately returns. Glancing off to the side, Luffy sees a news stand with the town paper.
Squinting his eyes to make out the title of the front page, Luffy mumbles it aloud.
"Will our flag be next?"
"You betcha!" Luffy spins around to the two children he had spot previously in the shop, Lucas and Henry.
"Henry! Don't just go up to strangers!" Lucas scolds. Henry looks up at Luffy, disregarding his brothers warning.
"We're going to catch him when he's just about to attack! Look!" Henry points to a tall tree just across the street from the flag. "We're going to be just like superheroes!"
"Don't tell him everything idiot!" Lucas yells again, flicking Henry on the forehead. Henry pouts and rubs the sore spot. "You're just bothering him with all your babble."
"Sugeeeee!" They both turn and are surprised to see Luffy with stars in his eyes.
"Superheroes are so cool!" They both blink in disbelief, but Henry quickly jumps next to Luffy and rubs a finger under his nose arrogantly.
"That's right! And we're definitely going to be the best heroes ever when we catch him!" A large growl makes them all silent. Luffy holds his stomach embarrassingly.
"Oops got to go get something to eat." Henry smiles and holds out a fist.
"Okay then. My name is Henry and this is my older brother Lucas. When we meet again, Lucas and I will be heroes!" Luffy chuckles and bumps his fist against the tinier one.
"Good luck catching him!" He says, totally forgetting he's the one they are after. "See ya~!"
"Wait! We didn't get your name!" Lucas yells when Luffy has already jogged a fair distance ahead.
"Luffy!" He responds, still waving. Then he turns around and jogs into the busier area of the jungle town.
A nice feeling settles in his stomach as Luffy slows to a walk. By seeing the boys' determination, it makes him want to work extra hard to get to his own brother.
Luffy exits the restaurant into the warm night. He swishes a toothpick side to side in his mouth trying to get it in between his teeth.
Since his earnings had reduced to a bare minimum, Luffy had sung in the restaurant. He earned his food and belis and left with a cheerful word from a few citizens.
Luffy honestly doesn't mind getting into this little routine. He always likes music and smiles, so this isn't all that bad!
Spitting the toothpick out the side of his mouth, Luffy turns his head up to look at the many twinkling stars.
'I wonder if Ace is looking up at these right now...' He ponders. 'Or Makino.'
Luffy frowns, his face going into uber serious mode (which just looks like a strong pout). He needs a faster way to take down that flag. The guards are sticking to the pole like glue and are not letting off.
Luffy has a clear view of the flag from where he is standing, but also the tall tree across from it.
'I hope Lucas and Henry get that bad guy!' Luffy exclaims mentally, again forgetting who they are after.
The flickering of a flame grabs Luffy's attention. He looks over to a lone villager lighting one of the many large torches scattered around town.
Luffy eyes the matches in his hand as the man struggles to get the flame going. When the torch bursts to light he drops the remainder of the match into it. Finished with the job, he places the box in his back pocket and walks away.
An idea starts to form in Luffy's mind and he creeps behind the unsuspecting citizen.
'Too easy!' Luffy thinks and he swipes the pack without being noticed. Stuffing it in his pocket, Luffy looks around for something that can catch on fire easily.
Suddenly, Luffy remembers the newspaper stand from earlier today. In a few short minutes, he's near the shop. There's a woman packing up for the night, putting the papers away in boxes.
With the same amount of difficulty as before, Luffy sneakily takes a newspaper and speed walks away.
'Now for the rock...' Luffy heads off towards the port. When he arrives, Luffy jumps down from the docks onto the cold sand. He immediately begins his search with only the moonlight as his guide.
While looking at the ground, he completely misses the sign in front of him until he smacks right into it.
"Gah!" Luffy cringes, rubbing his head. What's the big idea with this sign getting in his way?!
It's too dark to make out the writing, so Luffy takes the box of matches out of his pocket and sticks it in his mouth. He pulls out a match and strikes it against the rough surface, igniting a tiny flame on the tip.
With the box still held between his teeth, Luffy holds the small light up and discovers that the sign is a chart of incoming and departing ships. He can't believe his luck!
'Ill just go on...this one!' There's a merchant ship scheduled to leave a half an hour from now.
All of a sudden he hears a crack in the bushes. He spins around to look, but drops the match in the sand. Luffy curses softly. After placing the box back in his pocket, he bends down to get the match but finds something else.
It's a perfect rock! The match flickers out but it's quickly forgotten. Luffy plops on his backside and takes the newspaper out of his cloak.
With some struggle, he manages to wrap the rock completely in the paper.
'Amo complete!' Luffy grins, proud of his creation.
The cracking resumes and Luffy shoots up from his spot. He gets in a defensive stance and glares at the forest up ahead.
'I bet it's a rabbit again.' He thinks, annoyed. But this time there's red eyes glowing in the bushes, and that growling is definitely 'not' his stomach.
Slowly the animal steps out into the moonlight, its massive muscles rippling with every step it takes.
Luffy glares at the wolf. He can take this guy no big deal. Even if his arm is down for the count, he's got another and two legs to battle with.
"Bring it on!" He yells and takes a step forward. But there is more rustling behind the predator and two other wolves emerge. Their mouthes are foaming and their fur is standing on end.
"Crap..." Luffy mutters. Three is a lot more than one. So when the first springs right at him, he swings a fist straight into his nose. The wolf barrels back into the other two, knocking them off their paws.
Luffy makes a break into the forest hoping to get cover in the dark undergrowth. But the wolves have great noses, and soon he can hear their panting behind him.
A sudden howl from one of them makes Luffy jump a little and he glances back.
'Yikes!' There is one literally at his heels trying to get a good bite of his ankle. Luffy kicks his foot out and catches the predator in the eye. It swings its head to the side but continues pursuit.
Luffy turns his head back to the front but is startled to see the two wolves jumping at him. On a split second decision he ducks downward letting the two sail over his head and land in a tangled heap.
The two wolves start scrabbling at each other, as if they didn't want to share a meal. They both leap at each other and claw at each other's throats. Luckily they are completely distracted from the chase.
But Luffy is distracted too. He forgets about the third wolf in that moment and it takes the opportunity to close in fast.
He screams in agony as the sharp teeth sink into his leg. The wolf pulls at the flesh, trying to rip it off. Luffy kicks at its face with his other foot but the animal does not let up.
"Get off..." he mumbles, eyes shadowed. The wolf is biting harder and Luffy scrunches his face in pain.
"Get off," he repeats, louder this time. But the wolf continues, only focusing on getting its meal.
"GET OFF!" Luffy shouts. Energy ripples through the air, rustling the leaves and courses through everything in the vicinity.
Then the oddest thing happens. The wolf stops biting and attacking all together. Instead it fixes its now wide and fearful gaze on Luffy, then passes out on the spot.
Luffy is left a panting mess, propped up on his elbow. He watches the wolf for any signs of consciousness, but it merely twitches occasionally in its sleep.
Looking past the wolf he observes the two others, but they are in a similar state as their friend.
Luffy doesn't dwell on what just happened. Instead he pushes himself up to a sitting position and examines his wound. He pokes it experimentally and hisses. It's a nasty one, but it's nothing he hasn't received before back on Dawn Island.
Luffy rummages through the paper bag on his side and pulls out his bandages. He wraps it around his leg (albeit messily) and secures it by pulling it tight.
"Two hands would be great to tie a knot right about now." Luffy mutters. Scooting over to a tree, Luffy places his hand on the rough bark and pushes himself up on one foot.
He places his injured leg on the ground delicately, testing its weight. The leg stings a little, as expected, but he can still walk pretty well on it.
A sudden flash of light has Luffy blind for a moment. He brings his arm up to block the brightness, but it's gone as fast as it came.
Luffy watches the space where the light had come from. In the distance he can make out people hurrying around in a frenzy.
Wait. They're definitely people but they're also...clowns?
Immensely curious, Luffy decides to check it out. He glances at the wolves one last time then hurries away before they wake up.
The closer Luffy gets to the beach, the brighter his surroundings become. Soon enough he can walk without stumbling on random twigs and roots.
Luffy reaches the edge of the forest and gapes. There is a pirate ship, but it is much larger and cooler than any of the others Luffy has seen.
Not only that, but there is indeed clowns carrying boxes and chests of gold onto said ship. It is one of the most awesome things Luffy has laid eyes on and he marvels at it all.
'Are they performing pirates or something? Maybe they're nice guys!' When a man with checkerboard hair walks by Luffy is about to talk to him, but stops when he sees the 6 guns strapped under his jacket.
'Or maybe they're not.' Luffy settles behind a bush and watches them work. What Luffy doesn't understand is why they are docked completely around the bay and far from the port. It's a really long way from town and such an inconvenience.
Luffy is distracted from his thoughts when a clown with a very large shiny red nose smacks one of the crew.
"What did I tell you about going into town?! If someone catches sight of us and tells Whitebeard, we'll be flashily killed!" He shrieks. The crew members around him shiver in fear.
"I'm sorry captain Buggy," the subordinate stutters. "But we were running low on confetti cannons a-and I thought they were necessary sir!" Buggy rubs his chin in thought.
"They are important for our normally flashy entrances...fine. You're lucky I'm such a good captain or you'd be dead by now." The wimpy man falls to his knees and kisses the ground before his captain.
"Thank you captain Buggy! You are truly the best captain in all of he seas!" He bellows.
"Well of course I am! Now get back to work!" Buggy orders.
"Aye aye!" He scampers away and a man with a half shaved head walks next to his captain.
"Captain, do we really have to go to another Whitebeard protected island? I mean, one is risky, but two seems to be pushing it."
"We have to Cabaji! We didn't find the materials we need to rebuild the figurehead and the next closest island is that one." Buggy responds.
"But captain-"
"Enough Cabaji! Even if Whitebeard shows up...I'll show him just how powerful the Buggy crew just is! Yes, he'll cower at our strength!" He shouts. The crew cheers in response.
"So does that mean we can dock closer to town when we get there?"
"NO WAY! I-I mean we should stay away from the port just to keep the citizens from panicking. You know...just in case they are too afraid to give us what we need..." Buggy trails off weakly and cowardly. Suddenly he coughs and his voice goes back to its loud and boisterous self.
"Anyway, I don't want to have to spend another second here! Just load up the things we stole off the island! Quickly!"
"Aye aye captain!" The crew chants in unison.
Luffy, on the other hand, has his eyes trained on the large lion playing with a ball the size of a small car. He laughs when it stumbles over the toy and rolls on its back.
His laughter eventually dies down and he wipes the tears from his eyes.
'That was hilarious! Now what did that clown do? I thought I heard him say something.' Luffy hums and racks his brain but he soon gives up.
'Oh well I guess he didn't say anything.' Luffy turns away from the beach and goes back into the forest.
He is reluctant to leave the cool clowns, but he needs to destroy the flag before his boat leaves.
Once Luffy has made fair distance between himself and the pirates he walks the rest of the way on the beach.
'Didn't forget about you!' He exclaims mentally, taking the paper covered rock off the ground where he left it by the sign.
'Now for the hard part.' Luffy sneaks beside a building and peeks around the corner.
The pole holding the flag is at the centre of the clearing. There are four guards, each one looking either north, east, south or west. They're all holding guns against their chests, ready to swing them into action at any moment.
'I need a good distraction.' He resolves, pulling up his hood. Luffy scans the area when his eyes land on one of the big tiki torches lined along the street.
As soon as the guard nearest to him turns away, he slinks past and hides behind the torch.
'Here goes nothing.' Luffy takes a few steps back then body checks the tiki. It wobbles a little, but doesn't tip over. So Luffy tries again and again until the rocking becomes unsteady.
"Do you guys hear that creaking sound?" A guard asks his comrades. They all strain their ears to listen.
But it's too late for them as the torch is already teetering over to the next one beside it. There is a large boom when the collision happens. It causes the second torch to lean over and hit the next in line like a domino effect.
What Luffy didn't plan for is all of them to catch on fire. A circle of fire is created and people run out of their homes to escape the flames.
The guards abandon their posts and go for the hoses to quell the fire. Luffy takes advantage of the distraction and places his rock on the ground.
He pulls a match out of the box and holds it next to the flickering flames, watching as it catches on fire. Luffy takes a deep breath and focuses. This is going to be difficult, he can't mess up.
Quickly, Luffy lights the rock on fire and throws the match away. He covers his hand in his cloak and grabs the flaming rock. With a hiss of pain, he throws it at the flag with all his might. The rock barely skims the side but it's enough as the Jolly Roger catches on fire.
Luffy watches the flag turn to ashes as he blows on his burnt hand. Having one arm really sucks.
"Henry!"
Luffy looks up behind him to the tall tree. Hanging from a high branch is none other than Henry. Lucas is at the base of the branch, desperately trying to reach his brother. Below them is the fire and smoke, slowly climbing upwards.
"Help!" Henry cries, struggling to hold on.
Quick as a snake Luffy runs towards them, but a sudden burst of flames blocks his way.
"Damn it!" He curses, covering his mouth to filter out the smoke. Henry is still dangling helplessly by his fingertips. Every time Lucas tries to reach out, the weight makes the branch bend closer to the fire.
Luffy looks around for something to assist him. Then, he sees the men grabbing hoses and drenching buildings away from where the children are.
"Oi!" Luffy yells, running towards them. Several men turn to him, but they keep the hoses running.
"They need help! The fire is too strong over there!" Luffy points to the ailing brothers. Just as he does, the branch makes a sickening crack and both brothers scream. The branch bends sharply downward right above the flames, but stays intact.
"Holy Sea Kings! Men! Aim your hoses over there while two of us go and rescue those boys." Without delay, the guards turn the water to the fire near the grand tree. Luffy runs to the edge of the fire, impatient to get closer.
There is another crack and Henry screams as his hand slips off the branch. Though the fire has quelled a little bit, it's not enough to prevent damage.
Everyone scrambles to catch the boy, but he is much too far for any of them to grab.
"Henry!" Lucas yells desperately, gripping the wood so hard it draws blood.
Luffy backs up a few steps then sprints as hard as he can and leaps high in the air. He crashes into Henry mid-jump and they fly over the fire and into the forest.
The cool vegetation feels like instant relief on their skin, but they keep coughing from the smoke. The light from the fire illuminates the dark forest, making clear visibility. Luffy groans and rolls over on his stomach. Not too far away is Henry, looking shaky but overall okay.
"Henry! Henry!" Luffy looks over to Lucas as he slides next to his brother. He pulls Henry on his lap and looks him in the eye.
"Are you alright?" He asks. Henry nods and shrugs out of his brother's lap. Lucas turns his relieved gaze over to Luffy. The change is instant as stone cold fury takes over his features.
"We saw everything. You're the one that's destroying the flags." Luffy just stares at them from under his hood, expressionless.
"It's your fault!" Lucas yells, balling his bloody hands into fists. "You started the fire and put Henry in danger!" Henry stands up and grabs at his brother's sleeve.
"But Lucas! He saved me when I fell!" He pleads. Lucas's cold gaze does not waver.
"He's the one that caused the fall in the first place! Now he's going to pay!" Lucas walks toward Luffy with his fist raised.
"Lucas stop! He's not a bad person! Please!" Henry grabs his brothers arm and tries to pull him backwards. Lucas stops for a moment and looks back at Henry.
"Why are you defending him? He put our town in danger! He put you in danger! How can you possibly forgive him for everything he's done?!" They are all silent and only the crackling of flames is heard.
"Because he didn't want to hurt anybody. He's a good person Lucas, I can tell." Luffy stares at the elder. He watches as Lucas tenses up, then sags in what appears to be defeat.
"You're a handful, you know that right?" Lucas says, ruffling his little brother's hair. Henry giggles delightedly.
The flames are smaller now, as the townspeople are doing everything to get rid of them. The air is clearer where the trio stand, and they don't cough as much.
"I don't understand," Lucas turns back to Luffy. "Why would you do all of that and not want to cause any harm?" Luffy chooses this moment to stand up. His hood shadows his face, so they can't recognize him.
"Because it's to find someone who can help me." He answers.
"Then get the marines to help. Surely you don't need to go through all this trouble to find one single person." Lucas says in disbelief. Luffy shakes his head.
"This is something those dumb marines can't help with." He pouts. Lucas suddenly realizes how young this person seems. "If I want to save something really important to me, only my brother can help!"
"Brother?" Henry says shyly. Luffy grins. Suddenly, gun shots go off and they all duck to the forest floor.
"It was the person messing around with the flags that did this! I saw him throw a flaming rock from my window!" Someone yells.
"He must be nearby!"
"Men! Head for the docks! Don't let him get away!" says a guard. Most scamper off to the port while others remain to search the forest.
'I need to get on that ship and fast!' Luffy thinks. He moves to get up but there is crashing of men's boots all around them.
"Maybe he took those kids that landed in the forest too." All three can hear one of them say.
"I hope they're alright. I'll beat that damn hooligan if I see he's laid a finger on them!" Another says. Luffy tenses at the menace in his tone.
Something prods at Luffy's side. He turns to Lucas and Henry questioningly. Lucas leans in close to Luffy.
"We'll make a distraction. You go on ahead." Luffy blinks at him.
"But why would you help?" He whispers back. Henry giggles quietly beside Lucas.
"It's because you need to find your brother! I would do the same if I needed Lucas's help." Lucas and Luffy smile at Henry. Luffy nods firmly.
"Alright. I'm relying on you." He rolls under a nearby bush as the other two stand up from the ground.
"Someone? Anybody there?" Lucas asks innocently.
"It's scary in these woods alone!" Henry says with fake worry. The crashing is louder this time and Luffy ducks down further.
"Are you boys okay?! Did the fire hurt you?" A few men emerge from the bushes and the first kneels down to the brothers. Henry shakes his head exaggeratedly.
"It didn't get me that bad, but the meanie who grabbed me ran away over there!" With childish tears running down his face, he points in the opposite direction of the port. Luffy struggles to hold his laughter, these guys are hilarious!
"Don't worry boys, we'll get him! Jackson, take these kids home. The rest of us will pursue the villain." The men run in the direction Henry directed while Jackson ushers them home.
They both look back and smile when Luffy winks at them from his spot. When they are gone from sight, Luffy crawls out of the bush and sprints to the port.
'Damn it!' He curses mentally.
There are guards everywhere. All around the ports, on every ship, and looking in every direction.
Luffy walks around the shelter of the forest trying to catch a glimpse of his transportation. As he steps a little closer, he notices a new poster plastered on the schedule board.
ALL SHIPS ARE TO BE INSPECTED! NO LEAVING PORT UNTIL TOMORROW AFTER INSPECTION! ANYONE WHO REFUSES TO COOPERATE WILL BE SUBJECT TO QUESTIONING!
Luffy looks to the boat he is supposed to be on, but to his disappointment it is full of guards. He's got to leave now. They are clearing the island from head to toe and they will find him eventually.
'Wait, is that ship still there...'
Luffy's suddenly breaks into the forest. He sprints as fast as his injured leg allows, in hopes to catch the clown ship he visited earlier.
When he reaches the edge of the forest, Luffy bursts into the clearing. A smile pulls at the edges of his lips.
'Its still here!' But to his dismay he is looking at the back end of the ship.
"No! Wait!" Luffy runs to the leaving ship. He sees that the anchor still isn't pulled up yet and decides it's do or die.
Running probably the fastest in his life, he makes a running leap over the water between him and the rope. When his hand connects to the rope, he grips it for dear life while his legs kick at empty air.
"Come on..." Luffy grits as he struggles to hold on.
Luffy flails his legs and barely manages to scrabble on. He is panting harshly and eventually he slowly inches his way toward the deck.
When he reaches the peak, he looks over the railing. The clown-er-pirates, are running around making preparations to leave. The big nose clown waves his arms around commandingly.
"Hurry up! There's action in town so they might have seen us! Someone pull up the anchor now!" He yells.
"Yes captain Buggy!" Luffy knows then that he needs to move. Quickly and silently, he jumps over the railing and ducks behind an open steel door.
Pausing at the entrance, he takes one last peek at the island. The fire isn't nearly as bad as it could have been, it has hardly touched the forest at all. Luffy watches, mesmerized as smoke rises from the barren pole in the centre of town, then closes the door behind him.
He swallows thickly and shuts his eyes tight. Too much like Foosha.
Pushing his bad memories away, he looks at his surroundings.
Wherever he is it is really dark, but the small hole of light from the window on the door exposes the outline of a staircase leading downwards. Luffy cautiously steps to the bottom deck, wary of the darkness around him.
At the end of the stairs is another steel door. When Luffy pulls it open he is met with what appears to be the cargo hold. The moon is shining directly into the windows along the wall, illuminating the room. Boxes and barrels are stacked from floor to ceiling unevenly and messily.
Luffy grins widely when he sees a barrel of apples next to the window. He trots over and plops on top of two crates piled next to it. Stretching his legs out, Luffy grabs an apple and munches it leisurely.
Upstairs he can hear the thumping of drunken footsteps dancing to loud music. Luffy grumbles and bites his apple, he wants to party too!
After eating enough apples to ease his hunger, he pulls out his bag of medicine. He downs the bottles in seconds and sticks his tongue out in disgust.
"Blech!" He says out loud, packing the bottles away. Then he notices the bandages sitting snuggly at the bottom of the bag. Luffy realizes he hasn't changed his bandages in awhile so he unwraps his old dirty ones.
He's not going to lie, it looks pretty red. The stitches feel a little sore too, but he supposes it's normal after the large wound he received.
Luffy touches the nub and notices it feels a little numb to the touch. Perhaps it is the work of the medicine. He shrugs and starts wrapping it up again with fresh bandage.
Just as he pulls the last knot tight, a loud boom startles him. A massive crash and rattle reverberate throughout the ship.
The cheers from upper deck suddenly turn into shouts when another boom is heard. This time, something crashes through the cargo hold.
Luffy jumps up on a crate on the far wall. A gaping hole is created right at the place where he was just siting. Water pours in at a rapid rate and floods the floors.
'What the-oh no.' Luffy wobbles on the crate as it starts to float along with the rest of the cargo. He leans against the back wall, trying to regain his balance. One bad fall and he's done for.
Once he's stable, Luffy carefully leans away from the wall and gets in a balanced stance. He jumps onto the box closest to him and repeats the pattern until he meets the door.
It is slightly ajar from the cannon attack earlier so Luffy pushes it open while balancing on a barrel. Most of the stairs aren't drowned in water so Luffy hops up onto the dry portion. As soon as his feet touch the steps he bursts onto the open deck.
It's a frenzy. Clown pirates are running in all directions setting up cannons and patching up the ship. Nobody spares him a glance as they sprint all over the deck.
Another whistle pierces the air and something lands into the water next to them. Luffy grips the wall as the ship heaves to the side. Several crew members lose their footing and slide across the deck.
Luffy looks out into the darkness but can't see what is attacking them. Another boom sounds and a flash of light projects off the water.
Then he sees a pirate ship ahead of them. The cannon heads to the enemy ship but lands just short of the stern. The pirates growl in frustration and scramble even harder to load the cannons.
Luffy feels a slight panic, he can't have the ship sink! He can't swim! Even rowing out on an escape boat is out of the question with one arm.
A sloshing from behind has Luffy turning around. More and more stairs are being covered in the water from the newly created hole.
'They all don't know they were hit! I've got to tell them before this thing goes down.' He realizes. 'I can't let them know I'm here though, they'd kick me off the ship or kill me.'
A short clown pirate walking rather unsteadily passes in front of Luffy, obviously still drunk from their previous party. He's wearing colourful striped harem pants and a bright blue turtleneck sweater. He has an overly large polka dot top hat, big yellow shoes and a red curly wig.
Obviously the poor soul can't take all the action happening around him and he passes out face first on the deck. Luffy immediately grabs the fellow and drags him behind a wall.
A few minutes later, Luffy emerges wearing the costume. It's a little baggy, but it'll do. He choses to leave his cloak on though to hide his missing limb. Luffy steps back out into the havoc, leaving the unconscious and almost naked man on the ground hidden.
Luffy runs around deck until he sees their captain...Booney, no! Um... Buggy! Yes, Buggy, standing on the higher deck giving orders and listening to reports. Luffy pulls the wig further down his face to keep it hidden and stumbles over his big shoes to Buggy.
"Buddy! I mean, Captain Buggy! I have something urgent to report!" Luffy yells. 'Captain Buggy' turns to him with a big sneer.
"Well get on with it! What's wrong?" He screeches back.
"The cargo hold has been hit by cannon fire and is flooding fast! We'll sink if it's not fixed soon. Sir!" Luffy adds for emphasis, saluting. Buggy turns to two men running across the deck.
"You two! Go gather more people and patch up the hole on lower deck! Now! You go too!" Luffy jumps when he is addressed. "I'm not going to let a simple hole sink us, if we go down, it has to be as flashily as possible! But of course, they can never sink us because I am the strongest pirate in all the blues! Gyahahahaha!" Buggy jumps down from his perch and...splits apart?
His body parts (except his feet) fly off of the ship and head to the enemy ship, Buggy cackling the whole way. Luffy marvels at the power with starry eyes but one of the clowns tugs him towards the storage room.
All three scamper off, but when they round the corner Luffy stops and back tracks. He replaces the clown clothes for his originals and throws them overboard. Then he tosses the drunk pirate overboard with a life buoy.
Luffy looks around his hiding place and is relieved to see that the Buggy pirates have fixed the hole and removed most of the water from the storage room.
"Hey, do you recognize that guy?" Luffy stiffens when a pirate asks his companion. He glances at them and they are indeed looking in his direction.
Luckily, another cannon shot distracts them and they go off running to help. Luffy runs to a place with better cover, it's a small space between the captain's quarters and the main mast. He sits snuggly between the two and observes the fighting.
Luffy breathes a sigh of relief hours later when the Buggy pirates pull through and the other ship sinks. The crew cheers in unison as Buggy flies back to the ship with a shit eating grin.
"No one can defeat Captain Buggy! Strongest pirate in all of the blues!" He declares. Everyone chants Buggy's name. "It's time to party!"
The crew cheers even louder, and a party is set up faster than anything Luffy has ever seen before. Everyone is beginning to wind down again and Luffy decides he needs to find someplace else to go.
So when no one seems to be looking, Luffy climbs up the main mast and jumps on to the abandoned crows nest. He lays down on his back and allows his legs to dangle off the sides. Luffy sets his arm on his stomach as he watches the celebration unfold.
He thinks over the events of his busy day and feels a bit overwhelmed. What if this plan doesn't work? What if he's just wasting time?
But then he shakes his head to rid all of his self doubt. This will work. He'll see Ace again. He won't fail.
Luffy sighs and looks up at the stars.
He can do this.
"Right here! Right here! Get your newspaper here! Big headline! 6 Whitebeard flags shot down in one month! That's right folks one month! And the culprit has not been caught! Read all about it here!"
Luffy reads his own newspaper. He's been listening to the salesman and the shocked reactions of the citizens for awhile now.
He places the paper delicately on his lap and selects another cracker from his bag. When he crunches on it crumbs fly off the sides and fall on the ground. Previously gathered seagulls flock his feet in hopes of getting a piece of the tasty snack.
Luffy watches the squabbling seagulls in amusement then picks up the paper again.
From what the article says, it seems that they've picked up on the fact that he hitches rides from merchant ships and that he's been going along the islands in order.
He grins to himself, anytime now the Whitebeard crew will come along and find him. Though, he's upset it's taking this long. But it won't be far away anymore, he most definitely has their attention now.
Now that the newspaper is out, Luffy figures, people are going to be much warier of stowaways on their ships. That goes for pirates too, they will look for the first opportunity to send him in for some sort of reward.
Luffy tosses the paper aside and stretches his sore shoulders. He's been squeezing in some training between trips to improve his aim and accuracy. This entire expedition has made him weak, and he can't fall behind!
Luffy puts another cracker in his mouth and stands up. The seagulls scatter into the sky, cawing all the while. He watches them for a moment then turns around, smirking.
He walks into town, shuffling the matches in his pocket.
"Pops, it's getting out of hand. Someone is definitely sending a message."
Marco looks up to his father and captain, Whitebeard, with a newspaper clutched in his hand.
"You're right my son." Whitebeard responds. "We've had too many of our crew away on missions to handle this one, but now we can take action." Marco nods and crosses his arms.
"It's probably someone who wants to challenge us-yoi. Though I have to admit, this person is really adamant on getting our attention." Whitebeard takes a swig of his sake.
"If I'm right, this challenger has been going in a line pattern. They are leading us straight to them."
"I don't know whether they are stupid or smart-yoi." Marco snorts. Whitebeard chuckles and stands up. The wooden deck creaks under his massive weight.
"Marco, take Thatch, Izo and Ace with you on this mission."
"Actually pops," Marco scratches his head tiredly. "Ace is still away on his mission for the time being. When we called, he said something about some giant lizard and hung up." Whitebeard laughs and it booms through the room.
"Gurararararara! Alright my son, just take Thatch and Izo then. That should be enough to take care of this issue."
"Alright-yoi. We'll leave right away." Marco says, and he goes outside to tell his brothers of their new mission.
Luffy is screwed.
He's currently running to the docks, praying that some ship is leaving this Oda forsaken island. Luffy runs through the boxes piled high under the orange torchlights.
He turns a corner and ducks down between two large rocks. Behind him, people are yelling and running everywhere. Luffy just sinks to the ground, fighting to keep his eyes open. He has to wait until they leave.
How did he land in this mess? Well, it all started when he set the flag on fire. Luffy had tried to get around the guards by pretending to be a merchant (much like his and Ace's trips to sell crocodile skin). But the guards had figured out his intentions and attempted to catch him. Now he's been running around practically all night, dodging guards and looking for a way out.
He sighs and leans further onto the rock, but a cracking sound has him sitting up again. Luffy takes out his paper bag and his face immediately turns into a scowl.
"Damn it!" He flips the bag upside down and morsels of glass and liquid slip out. The bag was jostled too much while he was running and now everything is destroyed and unusable. Only one jar remains intact, but the contents are low. He packs it away anyway, saving it for later.
Luffy rests his head against the rock and breathes heavily. His energy is sapping away like he just got his cuff on again. That medicine was nullifying the drowsy effects of sea stone, but without it he's back to being weak and tired.
'I've got to clear my head.' Luffy tells himself. 'Keep going down the port, there has to be an open ship.' He strains his ears for anymore footsteps, but they have all gone.
Carefully, Luffy jogs on the silent docks. He's extremely open but no one comes to investigate. Up ahead he can see a gathering of the people after him. Luffy ducks behind a brick building and peeks at them.
It's too far away to hear anything, but he can tell that they're arguing with someone. One of the men from the group breaks off and charges the person they are arguing with.
Several of his companions hold him back with struggle while the other man just stands there with an angry sneer. Then he spins around and waves his hand dismissively at them. None of the group look pleased, but they move elsewhere.
Someone else pops out of nowhere and talks to the remaining man. They converse for awhile then board their ship.
Wait. Ship?
Luffy distracts his eyes from the men to the large wooden vessel.
'A pirate ship!' He thinks excitedly. Luffy manages to get closer and hides behind a cart. At this point more men have come off the ship to get more cargo.
Nothing can make Luffy happier than to have a nice long nap right now but he flicks his head to stay awake. Stupid cuff making him exhausted!
Luffy looks around the area but there aren't any openings he can use to get on the ship. If he runs, he'll be too open and there are way too many pirates around. Also if Luffy is spotted, he doesn't think he'll have the energy to escape.
From the same direction the crowd left in, he hears voices quickly advancing.
'Are they coming back?!' He wonders, startled. 'I've got to get out of here!' Luffy searches desperately for an escape route when his eyes land on two pirates who are transporting a wagon onto the ship. The cart has a brown tarp over it to hide the contents, but Luffy can see a golden sheen underneath.
Luffy hops on the spot to psych himself up, then runs as fast as he can when the pirates are distracted. Then he dives at the wagon and slides under the blanket.
The coins immediately clink as they shift under Luffy's weight. He slithers further into the pile to hide himself completely and flinches at the noise.
He lay there silently as the wagon jolts on its old wheels. As it rolls along with Luffy inside, he notices their pace slacken.
"Did this thing get heavier or something?" One of the pirates complains. The front of the wagon shifts upwards and they wheel on at a faster pace.
"I'll help ya." The other one responds. "Damn, those villagers are coming back again."
"They're such idiots, assuming we hid the guy they are after. Even made us stay out late for damn inspection! We're pirates! If we weren't all friendly with Whitebeard I would love to ravage this town."
The cart suddenly hitches and the terrain is smoother. Luffy hears the creaking of a wooden deck, indicating they are on board the ship.
"We've got to go; the villagers are coming back to interrogate us." The pirate says, setting the cart down.
"Yeah we shouldn't risk them getting on our bad side...more than they already are! Hahahaha!" The two leave the wagon and their voices gradually fade away.
Luffy lays uncomfortably in silence, which is rudely interrupted by a growling in his stomach.
'If only this was a food cart.' He pouts.
A few minutes later he can feel the rocking of the boat and hear waves crashing against the bow. The pirates have quieted down, but he can still make out their pissed mumblings as they pass by.
Luffy settles down on the coins, trying to get as comfortable as possible. He breathes in the metallic scent all around him and closes his eyes, succumbing to the exhaustion wracking his brain.
'How am I going to get out of this now?'
Why was it do hard to finish this chapter? I killed myself finishing the last few paragraphs. This honestly should have been up days ago, I guess I just lost my rhythm for a bit.
THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS, FAVS AND FOLLOWS! STILL WAY MORE THAN I EVER EXPECTED TO GET!
REVIEWS:
GreenDrkness: No! Don't loose your hair! But guess what, you get more Marco! Woot! Thanks for the review and I will keep on writes.
SEllen23: It's actually closer than you think…
Lostdog200: Happy to provide!
Guest (One that said the chapter would rhyme): Hope it met your standards! (I like rhymes too)
Guest (One that though Luffy would get beat up): NOPE. Just kidding he got away this time, but maybe he won't be so lucky next chapter…
Phonenix: Oops I did, and here's the chapter! (Only a few weeks later…um)
RedHeadsRock1010: Thank you! I'm happy you like it!
Muffin2234: Aww thank you! Hopefully you liked this chapter!
Fandxms: Honestly when this review popped up on my email I laughed out loud. Too bad Marco is a lazy chicken who doesn't feel like going on a mission~ Thanks for the review hahaha!
Guest (One that said GOSH DANG IT MARCO): Thank you so much for the compliment! I love singing Luffy too, I think it just adds to his cuteness level! Hope you liked this update.
Shishishiswordsman: Thanks for the critique, it was really appreciated! Also thanks for dropping a review, it means a lot!
StarliteOracle: you are right, and it is fast approaching…
EnixFairy: Nice, 3 in the morning haha. Thanks for the review and enjoy this chap-i-tarrr!
Kagome11: Tellarians, I like it! The medicine may or may not cause problems in the near future…
Godviligs: Ace will be going satanic, that is the truth. Yeah Garp does seem shitty doesn't he? Thanks for the review yo and I hope you like this chapter!
Tenebreyami: Hahaha I actually have that part planned out, glad you're looking forward to it! Thank you for the kind review!
Alexzandria747: I try to make Luffy a little more brain smart, but also a little ditzy at times. Hope this chapter met your standards!
Starelight: You're right haha! Thanks for the review!
Trickster Madness: Honestly that's an awesome idea, but I already planned this from start to finish, sorry! Thanks for the review and I'm sorry again.
TerraFria: About 6 or 7, I guess that is a few. Those pirates take forever on their missions.
PipeDream: Yay I'm glad you're excited for this story! Thanks for the awesome review!
MissSexyRain: It might be a little bit of both…hint hint
Lunaxel: That's too bad you're disappointed, but where he is now is not in the location of any of the crew. I'm actually not a fan of OC's, whenever I add one in here I kind of cringe but it's for the plot so I tough it out. Sorry for the bad news but I hope you enjoy this story nonetheless!
Everlight18: I don't think I'm going to be doing a sequel, I have other stories I want to write and the inspiration for a second one just isn't there. The medicine is indeed going to be a problemoo, and the sea stone isn't prolonging his healing, it's actually his medicine preventing that from happening (as stated in this chapter)! Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Guest (One that can't wait for next chapter): Thank you so much!
Sorry if the replies are kind of short, I'm tired and there is a lot to reply to. Apologies mes amis.
Next time: Stealing kabobs and the pineapple phoenix appears!
~when I somehow get it done