Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. I'd ask Oda if I could borrow the series for a day, but I'd rather improve my Japanese to ask him with first. He has plenty to deal with in the SBS already, no need to make him translate my English too... Then again, considering the trend of Luffy's attacks (like changing Ono to Axe) he might already be plenty good at it... Then again, he does use all that French that translators always complain about... Mmmmm...
Fairy of the Friz—Once again, it seems most of the answers you seek lie in the words below~! See you at the bottom!
Chapter 4: The Winds of Fate
(Polestar Islands — Loguetown — Gold Roger Bar, 2nd Floor)
*SLAM*
Back sliding down against a door, a young woman let out a sigh of relief. "They upped patrols again... Smoker-Taisa must be some kind of slave-driver to have his men on the lookout for me so often... Hehe, slave-driver..." She chuckled at her own dark humor as she pulled off her sunglasses and cap to reveal brunette hair and dark-blue eyes.
"Well," Koala said with a grunt as she pushed herself back up, "at least they're getting frustrated. That, plus the escape of Eric's traitors, will wear out their morale soon enough." Not that it's helped much, she thought to herself. In her comings and goings she'd nearly been caught once or twice, having to lay low and circumvent her path back to Raoul's bar.
Still, the former slave was thankful that Eric hadn't totally swindled those corrupt Marines; had he left them high-and-dry, she had no doubt they would've been caught and probably point their former allies in her direction just to try and save their own hides.
Looking around the room, Koala let out a more depressed sigh as she stared upon her room's empty state. "I feel so lonely already... At least she's finally taking everything in stride." Dodging the heat would have been easy if it weren't for her deliveries to Apis. The brunette wasn't going to need everything, since she already planned on moving on from Loguetown.
On one visit she'd finally sensed the coming rise of "Lost Island" around Warship Island, only to sense the calcified remains of other Sennenryū on its surface. Apis didn't believe her at first, but after insisting on bringing the matter to Ryu-ji, the elder dragon's memory jogged at last and he confirmed the notion: "Lost Island" was a dragon's graveyard.
What they hadn't expected was it also served as their birthing grounds, nor that the dragon's minds themselves would—to an extent—be passed on to the younger generation. That had helped lighten the blow of Ryu-ji's revelation immensely for the Warship Island girl. Koala made sure every visit afterwards to remind Apis of their friendship regardless, supporting her until she finally felt better about the whole thing.
It also helped their considerations for the future that the martial artist had more-or-less been right: the Hiso Hiso no Mi was not as clear-cut a Devil's Fruit as its user had originally thought. There was already talk of coming along for adventures after all, and the brunette was just as ecstatic about the idea as the blond was.
But for now, Koala was left alone in the empty room that had once held their rambunctiousness together. Even the impending move from Loguetown failed to diminish the melancholic nostalgia, though it didn't increase it either.
"Come on now," she told herself, slapping her cheeks. "Lighten up already! There's still so much to do, and you're not going to get it all done like this... Ah, man," she muttered as she scratched her scalp heavily, messing up her hair to its more spiky form, "I need to go train and clear my head, or I'll just waste the day away." And with that, she dove out of the open window and rolled off to the rooftops.
—-—-—
(Loguetown — Eastern Harbor)
Loguetown became most well known for the place where the Pirate King was born and later killed, but prior to that it made its name as a center of trade in the East Blue. Even after Gol D. Roger's execution, the docks of the vast city continued to be a lively center of commerce and exchange.
"Hurry it up, men! Clean the place out, and don't miss a cent!"
It just had more moments like these before Smoker-Taisa cleaned the streets up.
Sadly the hustle and bustle here was far from legal, blatantly upon the doorstep of the White Chaser. Standing brazenly on the port, the orange-haired captain with crescent beard and mustache let out a laugh as his men gathered up what money the local sailors had around to take.
"With all these provisions at hand, I, Crescent Moon Galley, will take another step towards hunting down that straw-hat bastard and his brunette wench!" he called out, getting chuckles from his subordinates who also felt like getting even, "So be sure to get every little scrap of treasure about!"
"Hey..."
"Huh...?" To their surprise, another figure now stood behind the largest group of his men, white smoke like his jacket rising from the pair of cigars in his mouth as he stared out at the mass of pirates.
"Who's the boss here?"
"Who the hell are you?" Galley responded, not in the mood to deal with anyone looking to play hero after the last time.
The man stepped forward, revealing to the other amassed pirates the word of "Justice" beneath the Jitte on his back. "You're the bastard known as Monkey D. Luffy? Let's see how tough you are, since you're dumb enough to show that ugly mug in my town."
Galley's crescent 'stache twitched at the facial burn. Blissfully unaware of whom he was messing with, he reacted as he normally would to such insults. "What?! You've got to be kidding me! I'll have you killed for mocking my face like that! Get him!"
In that moment, a plume of smoke quickly enveloped the Marine, obscuring his form in the fog before it began to envelop the whole rabble.
"Devil's Fruit, huh?" Galley muttered as he started sweating, "I've had enough of these damn powers, just like that straw hat!" Pulling his sword from its scabbard, he waved the oversized thing around with a smirk. "This sword of Kairōseki will cut all you Fruit users down to size. This'll teach you to insult Crescent Moo—"
"You talk too much..." Without warning, a barrage of gloved fists formed from the cloud of smoke and slammed into the captain's face, sending him crumpling to the ground as his sword clattered on the stone pavement. Before he could even fall from his knees to join it, he was tied up within the mist alongside his crew, before the smoke finally lifted.
"Good work, Smoker-Taisa! You took down Luffy's crew in record time!" A Marine said with a salute.
"Are you blind or just stupid?" Smoker retorted, getting a stunned face from his subordinate, "How could these losers be Luffy's? If those weaklings are worth 30 Million Beli, it'll be the end of the world."
"T-Then, what about Luffy?"
Taking a quick drag from his cigars, Smoker let the smoke plume before him. "He'll show himself soon enough. Sooner than this Kaijōsei, at any rate." She's pretty good at laying low to have kept from my sight for so long, but if those two-bit traitors could find her out, it's only a matter of time.
"Huh?" Coming out of his thoughts, Smoker laid eyes on a young black-haired man wearing a red vest, blue shorts, sandals, and a striking straw-hat, looking around confused. "How did I end up at the harbor? How...? Hmm? HEY!" Spying them, he came running over.
Smoker leaned towards his subordinate. "Is that another one of these idiots?"
"Well, probably not..."
"This is great. Can you point me to the execution platform?"
"Execution platform?" Smoker repeated with a raised brow.
"Yeah," the young man turned back around scratching his head, "I think I'm lost."
"I haven't seen your face before."
"Yeah, I just came to this island today," explained with a grin before looking around—not noticing the tied-up Crescent Moon Pirates. "Man, what a big city! It's totally different from Fūsha Village..."
"Why are you looking for the gallows?"
"I want to see it. The place where the Pirate King died." Smoker's eyes widened slightly as they saw the look in the kid's. After a silence, the straw-hat kid sighed and turned around. "You don't know? Damn..."
"Wait." Directing his ability, the Captain altered the path of the smoke to his left. "Look where the smoke points."
"Ooh, over there! Thanks!" And like that he ran off down the streets.
That kid...
"Ah! That felt great!"
Turning about, Smoker spotted a young woman climbing out of the ocean. Stretching about in a white sundress that managed to not show off too much of her form despite how wet it was, she shook out the sea water from her brown hair leaving it in an unruly spiked mess. Looking up through her locks, she spied the Marine as they had a one-sided stare—he couldn't make out her eyes after all.
"Good day to you, Taisa." The brunette waved and walked forward casually, masking her thoughts from her body language. Crap, Captain Smoker?! What's he doing her—ah! Looking down, she took notice of the bundle of pirates at his feet. Is that... no, regardless, it'd be best not to know for sure. "Caught some pirates this early in the day, eh? Just what you'd expect from a Captain from Marine Headquarters."
"Yeah..." the white-haired man paused and squinted slightly. "You seem familiar, but I don't quite recall seeing your face around here."
That's because you've been searching for me... Good to know his habit of not checking wanted posters hasn't changed—not that mine looks like me right now. "Oh, come on now. It's a big town; I wouldn't expect you to know every new citizen to move in. I've only been here a few months after all."
"Months...? Ah, you're Raoul's renter, then?"
"Guilty as charged, Taisa. The name's Roo," she introduced herself with not a pause at the change of name, offering her hand out to him. "Nice to finally meet you, though of course your reputation precedes you."
"Likewise on both counts," Smoker replied as he accepted the handshake, "Tashigi has been meaning to catch you for a chat on swords; Raoul mentioned you've started something of a collection."
"Ah, it's not anything Tashigi-Sōchō (Master Chief Petty Officer) would find worthy," since the main 'attraction' is technically stolen form the government, and I'm a pirate. "I don't even have any Meitō (Famous Swords) for her to ogle. My collection is more unique in nature than simply gathering famous swords. For example... Ah!" Spying Galley's dropped blade, 'Roo' walked over and picked it up.
"That flimsy thing?" the Captain questioned, "Seems oversized among other things for a collection."
"You could say that, and honestly you'd be 100% correct," the martial artist began. "The balance and size are all wrong. It's rather big even for me, and I'm at a decent height and have some experience in wielding zanbatō and such." Swinging the sword around with a manner that easily convinced the man of her statement, she sighed as she looked at her reflection in the guard. "Right now it's just someone's personal sword that they had lined with Kairōseki without consideration of the blade itself. From what I know of Meitō, this'd be crying for the mistreatment if it were one."
She certainly talks like Tashigi, Smoker thought, remembering a similar statement about crying swords from his subordinate, before interrupting with a question. "How do you know it's only lined with Kairōseki?"
"Like I said, the balance is all wrong; it's in the weight that I can tell," she answered as she held the blade by its guard with her index and thumb upside down. "Right now, it's a waste of money and time."
"Right now...?"
Smiling, Koala turned her focus back to the Captain. "Exactly. If I took this to a reputable blacksmith, he could work it into a totally different weapon that'd easily be on par with any Meitō." Walking forward, she flipped the sword back into her hand as her other held the blade. "Those blades are famed because of their illustrious history, though not enough people keep track of that. That's half the reason why cursed swords still claim lives today, because so few can tell or keep record of their tales."
"There are plenty of great blacksmiths who can make Meitō-level blades and weapons; the difference is often as simple as who ends up using it and how they become famous. The best example would be Oto (Ten Cherry Blossoms) and Kogarashi (Cold Wintry Wind)—heard the names before?"
Smoker blinked. "They're familiar, actually, but I can't place where."
'Roo' smiled back. "I'd expect you to, which adds to their bonus as an example. Both are easily Meitō in all but name and fairly well known. The problem is that they belong to Shiki the Golden Lion, who isn't that well known for great swordsmanship—more famous for his powers, tactical skill, and great following—and nowadays is out hiding somewhere from the public eye. Swords don't get famous like that."
"By contrast," she finished with a sigh, "Dracule Mihawk could probably use any Meitō-quality blade, perhaps even one less-so, and it'd be in the books as one by the end of the week simply because it was chosen by the world's greatest swordsman."
"I see." She certainly gives more layman's detail to the subject. Tashigi gets too eccentric about it at times. "And these almost-Meitō weapons are what you're interested in?"
"Exactly! I'm a bit of a martial artist myself, so weapon use is a bit of a stretch from my scope of self-defense. But..." The brunette shook her head, sending some remaining drips of water from her hair. "I'd been hoping to bequeath some of my collection to someone who could make them known, but these days I'm starting to think I ought to go try and do it myself, even if I don't use weapons primarily. If I don't who will?"
"So you'd take on that Shichibukai?"
Koala paled, not wanting to get Smoker after her cover too. "Ah, I wouldn't want to kill him necessarily! I mean, like an honorable duel or something I guess..."
Smoker chuckled lightly at her panic. "Hey, don't worry about it. Tashigi's thought about it too. I'd wish you luck, but I ought to keep rooting for my subordinate after all."
"Ah yes, that'd be conflicting indeed." Pausing, the martial artist decided to just come out and ask. "Um, may I hav—?"
"Feel free; I certainly don't use a sword. Well, I have to get going, duties and all. Take care of yourself, Roo."
"You too. Thank you, Smoker-Taisa!"
Nodding back, he turned to his subordinate who had the rest of the pirates standing and ready to be moved. "Let's go."
After a long pause, Koala let out a long sigh. Whew! That probably shaved a year off my life with all the pent-up stress alone! ...hm? Feeling a change in the wind, she looked up to the sky as she stretched her senses further. "This air current... It feels like a huge storm is coming, but it almost feels unnatural... In any case, I better hit the road soon before the weather sets in."
"But first..." she smiled as she looked down at the new sword in her possession before leaping up to the rooftops again, "I better get this looked at and rated. For all that stuff I said to Smoker, I'm still not a weapons expert; for all I know, this could still be Meitō-quality."
—-—-—
(Meanwhile — Loguetown Marine Base, Courtyard)
"UAAH!" Another group of Marines cried out in pain as they were blasted across the courtyard. A whole crowd of Marines looked on with weapons drawn at their injured comrades strewn about in varying degrees of injury.
"Shit!" one of the men near the back of the group cursed, "First Roronoa Zoro shows up in our base, and now this guy?"
"Smoker-Taisa and Tashigi-Sōchō are still out on business..." another replied, putting his hand on the first's shoulders, "We have to hold out until they return!"
One of the recently blown-back slowly got to their feet, gripping his bleeding shoulder. "Screw holding out, it's only one man! Get the Prison Shots and be quick about it, this guy is a Devil's Fruit User!"
In the center of the courtyard, the attacker took a moment and adjusted his slicked purple hairstyle to preserve its odd hook shape. Dusting off his grey blazer and matching pants, he bared his inch-long fingernails at his targets. "I'll only say this once more. Tell me where Kaijōsei is, and no one else has to get hurt."
The assembled Marines tightened their grips, weapons not faltering. "We don't make deals with criminals, Eric the Whirlwind!" A female Marine called out, "Give up quietly or we'll take you down!"
"That's too bad then," Eric sighed as he brought his fingers to his lips. "Shushushushushu... Kama Kama no...!"
"He's using his ability! Get back!"
"Take aim and fire!"
"...Kamaitachi Midareuchi!"
—-—-—
(Meanwhile — Loguetown Main Street)
After a spell, she spied her destination, a store on the side of Main Street with the sign "Arms Shop" above it in blue lettering. Landing as quietly as she could in a nearby alley, she walked out and into the store. "Excuse m—"
"You're the one who's being stupid! Just sell the damn thing!"
"H-Honey!"
Pausing at the doorway, Koala listened in. Ah, sounds like their having an argument again. Best wait up for things to cool down before I—
"Then let's do this," a new, deeper voice chimed in, causing the brunette to blink, "My luck against this sword's curse. Let's test which one is stronger."
Wait a second...! That voice! Cracking the door open, she looked in with surprise as a green-haired man with a similarly colored haramaki threw a sword into the air, stretching out his arm to where the blade would fall.
"No way!"
"Don't do it! It's sharpness is the real thing! You'll loose your arm!" Rather than heed the advice of the shopkeeper, the man simply closed his eyes as the blade careened towards him. And like that...
...the sword passed right by him, sinking almost completely into the floorboards.
Looking up, the man only grinned. "I'll take it." And instantly the other young woman (whom Koala hadn't registered physically until then) and the shop keep keeled down in shock as the green-haired man let his arm down.
"Sonuvabitch, you're still such a crazy guy. Good to see you're not loosing your edge."
"Hmmm...? You!"
Without warning, both Koala and the swordsman took up arms—her the new blade, and him the blade from the floorboards—and ran past each other in a surprising show of speed as the clang of their blades echoed throughout the store without the other three even seeing them touch.
As the ring of steel on Kairōseki dimmed, both of them grinned widely. And as if the switch was flipped back again, their weapons were at their sides as they clasped their open hands together. "You haven't lost touch either, despite not primarily using a sword," the green-haired man commented before his eyes widened in remembrance and he gestured to the young woman on the floor, magenta-rimmed glasses eschew in the frame of her short dark hair. "Ah, that's right. This here is Tashigi-Sōchō."
Koala nodded, noting the subtle emphasis on her rank. Ah, no real names, gotcha. Wonder why it matters to you, though... "Nice to meet you, sōchō. My name is Roo—"
"Ah!" she said excitedly, though still remaining down towards the ground, "you're the lady who Smoker-Taisa mentioned who also collects weapons! Is that one your favorite?"
"Hmm? No, I actually just got this courtesy of your Captain. Speaking of which..." Walking up to the counter, the brunette laid the blade down gently on its surface. "Hey, Ippon-Matsu! Could you rate this sword for me? If I'm going to turn it into a high-quality weapon, I better know where it's starting at."
"Ah, y-yes..." he nodded before shaking his head and calling out to the other male in the room. "Wait a minute, you!"
"What...?" the haramaki-wearing man wondered out loud as the owner ran upstairs.
—-—-—
"It really does feel better having three swords at my side," the green-haired man said with a smile as he and the brunette walked down the street, now sporting a sheathed white katana and another black and gold one crisscrossing around the cursed blade.
"You must've gotten into some crazy fights since I last saw you if you broke the ones I saw you with last, Zoro," she commented as they walked, adjusting the new black sheath on her back holding the zanbatō saber, "They weren't Meitō or quite on the level, but they had some good quality to them."
"Well, now I've got these guys so that's that," Zoro sighed, not wanting to lead into a reveal of his injury from Hawk-Eye and have her worrying over him. "They went down in battle with a swordsman, so there's no regret to be had."
"I see. I guess that's fine then..." Koala sighed, already figuring out how the Santōryū swordsman was fairing and his opinion on the matter. "I take it you're not quite on the good side of the law these days, considering you dodging away from that Marine woman back there."
Twitching at the thought of her, Zoro gritted his teeth. "Even if she wasn't a Marine, she still irritates the crap out of me." Letting out a sigh to lax his body, he saw the martial artist tapping her finger on her crossed arms awaiting an explanation. "All right, all right... She looks almost exactly like Kuina."
Koala's eyes widened. "Your childhood friend that you mentioned when we first met? What's 'almost' about her?"
"Besides missing more of her light personality and balance," Zoro explained with irritation in his voice, "it's literally just the glasses and the outfits. It's so close it's scary and distracting, and from what I've seen already, she'll be even worse about the whole 'women as swordsmen' thing..."
"Well, if things come to blades crossing out here, just let me handle her instead. There's no need for you to get her fixated on you and be a pain if she ever ranks up. Speaking of which..." She paused until he looked over to see the comical dark glint in her eyes, "You dodged my question about why you're in trouble with the law, Zoro..."
"Ah, right, sorry..." He said with another sigh, placating Koala's joking irritation. "I had a run in with some corrupt ones that were going to kill me when I stepped in the way to help someone. Long story short, I got saved by a pirate who wanted me on their crew."
"Ah, I see, you and your honor again," Koala chuckled, "I take it you guys are headed to the Grand Line, then?"
"Yeah. Luffy is aiming to be the Pirate King, so it's only natural. Hey..." Zoro paused as the brunette stopped in her tracks.
"Luffy...? Monkey D. Luffy?"
The green-haired swordsman just raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. You know him?"
"We met about a month ago... Small world, huh?"
Zoro grinned at her. "I'm surprised he didn't invite you to join his crew."
Koala turned to the side with her head down slightly, fingers awkwardly meshing together and making rippling motions with her hands. "Well... He did."
He blinked at the statement. "Really? And he actually gave up? You're pulling my leg here."
"No, really, he did. I just..." Silence seemed to engulf them despite the hustle and bustle of the street as Koala's gaze sank lower.
"Hey, Koala..." Zoro walked closer and put his hand on her shoulder gently.
"I-I'm okay, Zoro... I just..." She looked back to him, and he could tell she was trying to keep her emotions down. "It's weird, being wanted as a friend. I thought I was used to it, but... Gah! I don't know!" She exclaimed as she scratched at her scalp, screwing her hair up further. "It means a lot to me, but I... I need to settle things on my own for once."
Zoro tilted his head slightly in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Koala locked eyes with him as she fixed up her hair somewhat. "Ever since I was little, I've never been able to solve my own problems myself. Yeah, the small things are fine, but the really important things to me. People died because I couldn't do anything about it. I grew stronger with the help of others. But now I finally feel like I've come into my own; I have to see if I really can do something for once."
The swordsman just stared back for a time before grinning further. "Then do what you've got to do. But don't forget that Luffy'll be waiting for you; heck, I'll be waiting for you too. Don't be a stranger, okay?"
Finally smiling back, Koala nodded to him. "Yeah. Thanks, Zoro."
"It's nothing to thank me for. As a crew, we're going to get crazy strong or die trying. The same goes for you if you finally join up. To quote that shop keep, that'd be like I killed you, getting you to join that is."
"Zaahahaha! What are you talking about?" the brunette laughed shortly before knocking on Zoro's head jokingly, "Luffy is aiming to travel across the whole Grand Line. What part of 'monster-strong or bust' was supposed to be unknown in that equation? Idiot..."
"Why you...!" Before Zoro could even put a hand on his swords, Koala was already a few feet away from him, tongue sticking out at him. Staring each other down, they both burst into laughter again.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Koala sighed as she walked back and reached her arm over his shoulder, eliciting a flinch from the swordsman. "Hey, are your wounds really alright? I know you don't like me to mother you, but..."
"It's fine, really," he brushed her worry off, though not objecting to her physical position. "I just reopened an old wound in a fight recently. It'd been hurting a bit recently, so that octopus guy managed to get a couple of nicks on me on top of that."
...? Koala withdrew her arm and turned to her friend. "Octopus guy...? What do you mean?"
"Hmmm? Ah, we fought a group of Fishmen Pirates earlier. They were actually pretty strong, too."
Koala paled but kept her composure. "The... Arlong Pirates, right...?"
Zoro blinked. "Yeah. How did you know?"
"Whoever is getting in your way, all I have to do is beat them up, right?"
"Damn it Luffy..." the brunette muttered as she palmed her face, before turning back to her friend. "Sorry Zoro, but I have to go do something. I promise, I'll catch up with you and Luffy some time soon, alright?"
"Oi!" he called out as she started running off into town. "I'll hold you to that, you hear?" Grinning, she gave him a wave without turning around as she leapt off to the rooftops. Zoro simply chuckled as he turned the other way. "I see she still likes to take the scenic route. Maybe I should go for it more often myself..."
—-—-—
I said 'Damn it Luffy', but realistically this helps tremendously, Koala thought to herself as she bounded across Loguetown, using an occasional Geppō when no one was below to see it. No matter what, they'll have to transfer Arlong somewhere else before sending him off to the Grand Line. If I can get that a fix on the trail of information I can have him within a week or two.
The brunette sighed as she continued on. The flipside is that once he's in Impel Down again that'll be the end of it. I have to commit to it and stake it all on this last chance! Arriving at her destination, she dove headfirst into the window she'd left from earlier that day and rolled into a standing position. "Nailed it!"
"Oh, Koala!" From the doorway to her side, Raoul came in with a wide grin on his face. "You're back again! Or are you moving out at last?"
"The latter, unfortunately. I just got a beat on my objective, and I have to get on it fast. Sorry to have to bolt so suddenly." Bowing down with her head nearly to the floor (her hair doing the rest), she spoke with a firmer tone, "Thank you for taking care of me these past few months."
The old man chuckled as he removed his purple hat. "There's no need for any of that. You gave me hope that the pirates of this era would one day reach that lofty height left behind by Roger. You and that youngster."
"Youngster?" Koala questioned as she straightened up.
"Ah, he came in earlier today," Raoul explained as he walked past her, "I thought he was just another pointless rookie, but he's got some of the same spirit in him. Even that straw-hat of his looks like the one Roger used to wear when he was younger."
"Straw hat...?" Seriously? This is getting surreal...
"Yeah. Turns out the kid's worth 30 Million Beli. Even Smoker-Taisa was surprised to find out; he stormed right out of here. It's always a good day when the Captain gets a reality check, you know?"
"I suppose so..." the brunette replied blankly, still pondering the odd coincidences that seemed to come one after the other.
The barkeep looked back at her and blinked before giving her a jokingly snide look. "Well don't look so defeated! If you head out looking like that, you'll never accomplish anything." And with that, the sky erupted with a huge bolt of lightning in the distance, sending Raoul jumping his own height into the air.
Snapping out of her stupor, Koala ran over to the window to get a look at the aftershock. "When did it get so stormy? I know it was feeling like it'd be crazy, but that was really fast! Unnatural is one thing, this is practically deliberate..."
If that bolt was any indication, I better get going quick before the weather gets any worse! "Thanks again, Raoul!" she called back to the old man who was carefully getting down from her table as she ran about and swept up her things in a flash. "Take care of yourself!" And like that, she was out the window again.
Raoul chuckled as he walked up to the window, hand gripping his hat tightly so it wouldn't blow away. "Those two are like peas in a pod. Heh, maybe I'm just going senile..." he chuckled as he sealed the window. Good luck, Koala... Luffy... And show that Smoker a thing or two while you're at it!
—-—-—
(Shortly After — Loguetown Main Street)
Amidst the sudden downpour, two sword fighters held still in their clash as they tested their strength against each other. Only the pitter-patter of rain and the rushing of water echoed around them.
"Why you...! Attacking a lady like that—!"
Well, all good things must come to an end.
"Stay out of this!" The swordswoman interrupted as she held the clash with her male opponent. "This is a duel between myself and Roronoa. Don't interfere!"
"You heard her," Zoro concurred without looking back on his friends. "Go on ahead."
Luffy simply grinned and put his hand on the blond's shoulder. "Let's go."
As they ran by, the well-dressed cook of the Straw-Hats left with a parting remark, "Zoro! If you hurt her, you're a dead man!" before following their captain down Main Street.
"Tashigi-Sōchō caught one!" One of the Marines cried as the pursuing group caught up to the fight.
"Hey, what did I say about letting her get fixated on you?" From the rooftops two objects blurred out towards the clashing sword fighters. Zoro easily drew his black-sheathed blade to deflect it, but Tashigi's attempt to dodge wasn't quick enough and forced her to block in a weak posture, knocking her over and sending her sliding down the slick street into an alley.
Such strength...! The Marine thought to herself as she picked herself off the ground.
"Just as strong as last time, I see."
"Follow your own advice and go ahead," the voice echoed from the alley across the way, the twin objects drawn back to the source with surprising speed, "Smoker is sure to cut off Luffy at the pass and send men to attack your ship."
"Fair enough. Thanks!"
"Wai—!" Before she could leap out to pursue, another blur launched out in front of her, stabbing deep into the stone wall on the opposite end of her alley as the figure stepped out.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Tashigi-Sōchō, but Roronoa Zoro was out of your league long before today." From the shadows of the side-street walked a familiar brunette, standing between the Marine and her pirate target as she withdrew what now was clearly a kusarigama from the wall to her hand before holstering it on its chain about her hip.
Recognizing the woman before her, the swordswoman wiped the rain from her eyes in disbelief. "You're... Roo! Don't do this, Roo! That may be your friend, but he's fooled you; he's just a scoundrel bounty hunte—!"
"And what's wrong with being a bounty hunter?" 'Roo' interjected chidingly as she spun around—her sundress not letting a drop of water fall from its edge, "Regardless of the reason, such men bring others to justice in your stead."
"I-I suppose that's true... E-even so, Roronoa Zolo has joined up with Straw-Hat Luffy, a notorious pirate!"
"Indeed. And just how did he gain that notoriety?"
"Eh?"
The brunette shook her head in shame. "You don't know? No wonder the Marines are having so many problems... Monkey D. Luffy has been the best thing for your organization in East Blue since Smoker became Captain!"
Tashigi's brows furrowed at the other woman's statement. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"You conceded that bringing people to justice is important no matter who does it. But how often do the Marines look inward for such people? Not very, considering the running track record." Pausing, she took her hand from her hip and counted on her fingers as she listed off names. "Morgan-Taisa, Fullbody-Taii (Lieutenant), Nezumi-Taisa... All three officers defeated by Luffy were corrupt and needed to be taken down; he just got to them before your higher-ups could do anything about it—if they even were going to."
"Corrupt?"
Sighing, 'Roo' gave the sōchō a deadpan stare. "Corrupt: 'Having or showing a willingness to act dishonestly in return for money or personal gain'. Ring a bell? Not to mention that the guy doesn't kill any Marines; I don't even need to get into the existence of Nelson Royale's 'Teikoku' position and corruption—"
The dark-haired Marine blinked. "Nelson? But we haven't revealed that he was defeated... And all those other details...! How did you—?"
"Ah, was it a secret?" The weapon-collector chuckled. "Eh, it's fine. You're being super thick anyways, you need the hint at this point."
"Masaka...! You're..." Tashigi gripped her sword tighter. "You're Kaijōsei no Koala?!"
"Ding ding ding! Finally! You were about to run out of time, too!" And like that, Koala vanished in a burst of speed that the swordswoman couldn't follow; only at the last second did she sense the presence behind her and dove before an oversized saber could slice into her torso. "I did say you aren't at Zoro's level, but it can't be said that you have no skill at all... Show me what your swordplay can do, Sōchō-san!"
—-—-—
(Meanwhile — Loguetown Main Street, Southern Harbor Entrance)
"So you've come, Straw-Hat Luffy... I told you before, if you don't beat me, you won't make it to the Grand Line..."
"Ah, I forgot about that..." Luffy grinned as he faced down the Marine Captain.
"You certainly like playing dumb..." Clenching his fists, Smoker narrowed his eyes in on his target. "First Kaijōsei hides out for months without us knowing, and now you expect to just waltz on out of here... I won't allow you to leave my city!" And like that, Smoker's arms turned into white smoke and enveloped Luffy.
"Ah! W-w-what is this? You...!" the pirate captain panicked as the smoke lifted him into the air.
Instantly the blond crewmate was at Smoker's side, a foot aiming for his head, only for it to turn to the same white smoke on impact and catch the offending limb in its grasp. "Don't mess with me, you weakling! White Blow!" Letting one arm release Luffy, the other connected to the smoke at the well-dressed man's leg and sent him flying into the wall of a nearby building.
"Sanji!" The captain cried as his nakama was attacked before turning to eye the Taisa angrily. "You...! Gomu Gomu no Pistol (Rubber Rubber Pistol)!" Stretching his arm out, he punched Smoker in the gut, only for his whole body to turn to smoke instead.
"This is the strength of a 30 Million Bounty Head?" From the smoke still surrounding him, Smoker formed behind Luffy and slammed him into the ground by his head as he moved to draw his jitte. "You're run of luck is over!"
"Santōryū: Tatsu Maki (Three Sword Style: Dragon Twister)!"
Drawing the weapon in a flash, the Captain moved to block only to be beset on his sides as well. Can't block all three... Shit! Soon after the first, the other blades slid through his form as it turned it smoke. Before he could reform, however, the momentum of the attack sent the cloud flying into the air, dispersing him within the turbulent air currents.
Sheathing his swords, Zoro ran up and grabbed Luffy and Sanji and dragged them along as Smoker's jitte clanged off the cobblestone. "Hurry up, you two! The storm's getting heavier, and the Marines are closing in. That smoke-guy will probably be back, too!"
Slowly the smoke gathered back around the jitte, eventually forming into the white-haired Marine as he put the weapon on his back again. "Neat trick. But I won't let them get away!"
"I wouldn't be so sure about that..."
—-—-—
(Meanwhile — Main Street — Koala vs Tashigi)
Clashes echoed throughout the streets as steel met seastone. Tashigi was on the offensive trying to get through her opponents defense or make her falter—anything to wipe that creepy smile off her face! But Koala's guard never let up as she stared down Tashigi with a constant benign smile.
"That can't be all you've got, can it?" the martial artist jabbed verbally, not letting her facial expression falter with her words, "Put on a better effort, please?"
Gritting her teeth, the Marine woman pushed herself away and made for an overhead strike. "Shut up! And wipe that disgusting look off your face!" Her opponent didn't reply verbally, but continued to stare as she had before while she blocked the swing vertically with ease. Tashigi grunted with effort, but found she couldn't force her katana any closer.
"Swings like that are rather hard to do when you're a few inches shorter than someone, you know..." And with that Koala pushed back down towards her opponent's neck. Sparks flew as the sōchō struggled to keep her back, eventually deflecting the slash over her as she prepared to make a similar cut herself. Before she could, however, the brunette shifted her own blade inward and dropped the saber down, dragging the katana and her center of gravity along for the ride with a hideous screech of clashing metals.
She's forced Shigure (Autumn Rain) inwards...! At this rate, she'll drive my own blade int—! Tashigi's thought process was interrupted as she realized too late that Koala had her trapped between her arm and the oversized saber as the martial artist simply pulled the weapon inward and planted her knee into the swordswoman's solar plexus. Unable to control her own reaction, she bent inwards from the blow to breathe and ran her back into her own katana, eliciting a sharp cry of pain from the Marine before she was thrown off into the street.
The brunette simply shook her head. "Zoro once said this to me... 'Scars on one's back are a swordsman's shame.' That wound on your back may heal well enough to never leave a mark, but in your heart the blade has already thrust itself through. This duel is over." Sheathing her sword, she began walking over to the defeated Marine who was struggling to get up.
"Why..."
"Hmm?"
"Why did you sheathe your sword?"
Koala raised an eyebrow. "I said it was over, didn't I?"
Onto her knees, Tashigi stared up through her dripping bangs. "Do you not intend to kill me...?"
"Oh believe me..." the martial artist explained with a dark joviality that the sōchō couldn't tell how serious it was, "If I were to kill you I don't need my weapons."
"But you won't..." she panted, pushing herself off with one hand and grabbing her sword with the other. "Why... Why won't you kill me?!"
That gave Koala pause. "I beg your pardon?"
"I thought you of all people would understand..." the dark-haired Marine began as she slowly rose, "...what it's like to be a woman in a man's world, wishing you were born a man... And yet you show me pity like all the rest! It's humiliating to have someone go easy on you in a duel! I didn't pick up a sword to play arou—"
"SHUT YOUR TRAP!" As the brunette yelled, the weather froze and blew back for a long moment before it returned stronger than ever; outside the alley, the winds exploded with incredible speed and fury in an eerie green hue, but she took no notice of the strange phenomenon. "For that dumb-ass reason, you'd demand death?"
Tashigi gritted her teeth. "Who are you to sa—?" Lucky she had kept her teeth clenched, as it kept her from eating chain as rounds of it suddenly constricted her body. Before she could even blink twice, Koala was in front of her with her head low, hair wildly flowing, and kama in crossed hands glinting in a flash of lightning.
"Fuck you." And with that, the sickle-like weapons slashed across the swordswoman's chest, eliciting a pained cry from her as the blades sliced into her breasts. "Am I supposed to care that you wished you were a man so you could be a better swordsman? Grow up!" Swinging the chains attached to the kama, she threw her opponent over her shoulders and into the ground as she released the chains around her.
Beneath the locks of hair, the sōchō could feel the unadulterated rage piercing into her from the brunette's eyes as she spoke. "You think it's hard being a woman wielding a sword? Try being a slave for a few years and get back to me on how being a woman works out for you!" Landing a brutal kick to her already injured chest that actually pushed her into the air, she slammed the handle of the kusarigama into the Marine's side and sent her sliding into a wall.
Using the wall to get a grip and steady herself, Tashigi could only stare back at the former slave with the same self-righteous anger that she began with as she readied her blade once more. Despite all the adrenaline pumping in her system, the pain from her wounds kept the words she'd heard from sinking in; she might have realized what a mistake that stare was, otherwise.
"You complain about being a woman swordsman, but you're still all talk!" Koala exclaimed as she began spinning the kusarigama in the air, "You're just a naïve little brat who hasn't had to deal with any of life's hardships!" Without so much as a twitch, the blade suddenly launched out above Tashigi, threatening to stab right into her skull. The Marine swordsman moved to block with Shigure and let out a cry of pain as the weapons clashed.
Why is she so much stronger than me...? The bones in her legs creaked under the strain of the force as the blades sparked together as the instant stretched on like an eternity. Suddenly, the same force pulled the katana from her grasp, and before she could even gasp she lost the air to breathe. In that instant Koala was in front of her, fist outstretched and shoved into her stomach. With a push the sōchō went right back into the alley wall, smashing into the solid stone and leaving a cracked imprint.
Before she even slid far enough to touch the ground, the brunette was on her again, one hand at her throat cutting off her air while the other held Shigure close enough to split the dangling hairs of her bangs; her previous weapon already wrapped around her waist. "Before I get any angrier, tell me... Where is 'Saw-Tooth' Arlong being delivered to?"
Still gasping for air, Tashigi couldn't keep the recognition from her face before she tried to school her features as her bodily need was at last granted. "Is that...fish bastard one of your frie-augh!"
Koala frowned deeper as she drove the woman's own blade into the palm of what she assumed was the Marine's off-hand. "Actually, he's a huge asshole, and if I had the choice I'd probably never want to see him again. But I won't have any racist comments, or likening good friends to bad people, in my presence. Is that clear?" She slowly twisted the blade to emphasize her point, causing the woman against the wall to cry out in pain again before gathering herself.
"Just kill me already... I woeeaaauhlk!"
"Doesn't really sound like you want to die, Tashigi-Sōchō... And I should know," the former slave spat viciously, "More to the point... The loser doesn't get to decide their fate. Where. Is. Arlong?"
"You're not even a swordsm-AH!" Ripping the blade violently from her palm, Koala threw Tashigi into the air before connecting a roundhouse kick to her face that sent her careening to the ground.
"The next time you feel the need to make a smart-aleck, higher-than-thou, naïve bullshit like that, a limb is coming off." Tossing Shigure into the air, the katana stabbed straight through the Marine's elbow and into the stone, eliciting a blood-curdling scream that was as horrible as it was incomprehensible. "If you knew the first thing about my bounty, you'd already know what a living hell I can make life for you without me having to remind you earlier. It's where I lived years of my childhood, and you don't go through things like that without picking up a few tricks."
Gasping for breath as she tried to calm herself, only causing more pain as the shifting of her chest shifted her arm around the blade, she cringed as she spoke. "Yo-you'll never get what you want...! The Marines will never give in. We'll stop you from reaching him! Captain will-"
"The Marines will... do what, exactly?" From the same entrance to the alley Koala had knocked the Marine through, Eric walked out with a smug grin on his face. Despite the heavy downpour his hair still held itself high, but more noticeably was the fresh blood still dripping down his hands, dried blood beneath elongated fingernails. "Last I checked, they were licking their wounds when they wouldn't tell me what I wanted to know..."
"You... You bastard...!" Pinned by her own sword, Tashigi could only squirm in pain in futile attempts to rise.
The mercenary just shook his head, ignoring the sōchō's plight in favor of staring down the martial artist. "They didn't even provide me any useful information; I already know where the holding cells are here, so your target's location was redundant. In the end, I found who I was looking for anyways."
Koala shook her own head right back at him, spraying water about in a lazy manner that bellied the malice bubbling to the surface. "I was wondering where the rest of those pursuers went... And what have you come to me for, Eric the Whirlwind? Still on that immortality bent?"
Letting the smirk fall, the man gripped his fists as tightly as one with long, sharp nails feasibly could without skewering themselves. "Of course! With Nelson arrested, you're my only remaining lead on the elixir. There's still plenty of time before the Sennenryū come back; I just need information, and you're going to give it to me, you damn fish woman!"
"No. Soru!" Vanishing, she appeared right behind him with her two index fingers outstretched. "Shigan..." Turning as he raised his hands to launch a blade of wind at her, her eyes glinted as she jabbed her fingers out toward his approaching hands, piercing both of them beneath the knuckles between his middle and ring fingers. "...Honryū (Finger Pistol: Torrent Dragon)!" Eric's cry of surprise was cut off as Koala withdrew her fingers and struck repeatedly with fervor.
Finally jumping back as he tried to deflect the attacks, the mercenary clutched his chest as he coughed up blood. Wiping the blood from his lips, he balked at the sight of his own hand in a flash of lightning, his long fingernails now broken. "My nails...! How did you—?"
"I don't have time to spell out life's mysteries to you, Eric..." Koala chided emotionlessly as she blurred towards him, "You've already answered my question. Gyojin Karate: Nisenmaigawara Mawashigeri (Fishman Karate: Two Thousand Tile Roundhouse Kick)!" Swinging her leg out, she slammed her foot hard into his ribs, the sounds of cracking bones drowned out in the thunderclap.
Tashigi looked on in horror as Eric dropped to the ground, jutting pieces of rib clearly visible beneath his bloodstained suit. "No way... He's—!"
"—had his chance to stay out of my way," the martial artist interrupted, walking past the Marine towards Main Street. "He ought to be able to survive this as well, though his body may not be so forgiving this time around." Sighing heavily to herself, she turned back around and drew Shigure from its wielder's arm carefully before setting it aside. "Man, I blew my top again. Sorry about this, Tashigi-Sōchō..."
Looking up, the swordswoman saw that Koala's hair had matted down again, her eyes no longer glowing with dark intentions; she got the impression she was truly sorry for what had just transpired, and for once Tashigi finally just kept her eyes down and her mouth shut as her victorious opponent walked out of the alley.
"Take care of yourself, Tashigi..." the brunette called back, "I hope that the next time we meet, you won't seek the embrace of death so easily."
At last, the dark-haired Marine let out a sigh of relief as the pirate leapt off to the rooftops, simply happy for the whole experience to be over.
—-—-—
Koala rushed across the rooftops, breathing deeply not from exhaustion but to try and calm herself down. That was really bad. I haven't had an angry blowout like that in years. I didn't think I was that pissed off when I dealt with Galley, but putting up with Eric twice plus Tashigi's ranting really got to me. Not to mention I could have killed her when I threw her sword up in the air! What was I thinking...?
If I go and face Arlong right now, when I'm this unstable... No, I don't a choice. If I don't, he'll be gone by the end of the day! As if Luffy and I didn't set them on alert already; 'Whirlwind' showing up and slaughtering a bunch of them probably has them calling reinforcements from Marine Headquarters!
Sighing heavily as she traveled, the brunette couldn't help but mutter out loud, "If only I could track down more of that medicine... It's too bad Drum Island's had so many problems that their doctors aren't exporting anymore; most people can't just up and leave for the Grand Line to get medical treatment..."
Hearing a small whining sound, she looked down at the twin kusarigama about her waist and chuckled. "That's right, you really like winter islands like Drum. I never really got that about you, but to each his own I suppose." Letting her face turn slightly more serious, she questioned her weapon, "Are you ready to meet a Fishman for the first time, Umizoui?"
Receiving an excited hum from the sickles and chain, she smiled back. "Well, let's hope it doesn't turn out violent. I've had enough bloodshed for one day, and the Arlong Pirates aren't going to stop for a friendly spar if they're in a fighting mood."
—-—-—
(At The Same Time — Main Street Rooftops)
Standing on the rooftops, a man in a green cloak chuckled as the wind blew about him, uncaring about the gathering of Marines below him. Looking across the rooftops, the man spied a figure leaping between buildings in the distance and grinned. "She too, has a great destiny awaiting her at the end of her journey. Being a pirate is good as well, but in her case it is a pity; in another life her strong will and belief in changing the world would have made her a fine member of our cause. Or perhaps there is time yet...?"
Opening his hands out below him, he now laughed at the stormy heavens, as if his voice might reach those he spoke to from so far away. "Go forth! Attain your destinies! If that's what you want, then make your dream come true!"
Below, Smoker turned and looked up to the man as his subordinates gathered after the recent burst of wind. "Why? Why did you help that man? Dragon!"
Dragon simply stood there, not even looking down to meet the Captain's eyes. "What reason is there to stop someone from sailing?" And with a bolt of lightning he was gone.
Smoker turned to look at the caravel out in the distance. "Get me a ship. I'm heading after them."
His subordinates couldn't contain their surprise as one spoke out. "Sir, you can't just abandon your post here at Loguetown...!"
"I told you not to order me around, Mashikaku!" Smoker paused to look around, noticing that all of the Marines he'd been with in pursuit were there except for the group with... "And where is Tashigi and her squad?"
"Tashigi-Sōchō?" Mashikaku repeated formally, "I heard she stopped to fight Roronoa Zoro, but I haven't seen anyone from her squad..."
Smoker grit his teeth, breaking one of his cigars. "The Pirate Hunter already attacked me and helped Straw-Hat get away from me... Send out a search team for them on the double!"
"Y-Yes sir!"
Dragon's gone, but the storm isn't letting up... I've got a bad feeling about this...
—-—-—
(Meanwhile — Loguetown Marine Base Holding Cells)
Considering Smoker's considerable skill and ability, most pirates who were worth their salt often veered away from Loguetown to not deal with him. For the city at large, this was a great thing, but for the Marines themselves it meant there were parts of the system that weren't as up-to-snuff as they should have been.
The Captain from Marine Headquarters did his part to make sure things ran well, but one man's oversight only goes so far, and the man never did visit the holding cells very often.
For all the slight openings that this left, some of the Marines were aware of these problems and did their best to fill in the gaps. With the state of alert across Loguetown with the fighting in the central plaza and the search for the Master Chief Petty Officer, this was ramped up to eleven.
But with everyone so focused on these fixes and so forth, minor things easily fell by the wayside, especially in terms of comfort for the prisoners in said holding cells.
So it was no surprise that the Arlong Pirates found themselves locked up in harsh lock-ups that didn't really have much in terms of creature comforts. A few of them didn't even keep out the chill of the wind, being close enough to windows or doors that a gust would pass right through.
Unfortunately, with all the commotion, no one thought to close these things to make things more comfortable for the Fishmen. Or, more seriously, it never occurred to the Marines on watch that even the slight drops of rain carried by the harsh winds of the storm might prove useful to the imprisoned pirates.
In the dark of his cell, Arlong's lips curled, baring his rows of teeth in a vicious smile.
Techniques
Shigan Honryū (Finger Pistol: Torrent Dragon; 指銃: 奔竜). A variant of Shigan: Ōren (Finger Pistol: Yellow Lotus; 指銃:黃蓮) performed with either or both hands, which applies the skills of Fishman Karate to strike with bursts compressed water vapor that echo into the target's own water content. This allows the technique to deal both exterior damage with the speed of the piercing finger, and internal damage with strikes directly to the body's organs from a medium distance.
Fairy of the Friz: Glad you're enjoying the ride. Honestly, I wrote that bit in Chapter 2 not intending to make it a reference, but once I wrote 'troublesome' I realized it had run away from me, and the only way to catch it was to follow the path it made. The omake was born shortly after.
As to your questions, Dragon is certainly on board with you~! To your one unanswered question, I'm afraid I'm not sure when that answer will be revealed. The original draft of this story might have answered that one sooner, but this approach works much more smoothly for my own process. (Thanks again to ye olde beta, who brought it to my attention and is still working hard~!)
Speaking of my beta, you all probably noticed I totally forgot to explain the technique from Chapter 3. I've already put it there too, but I left it here for a bit just to catch those that already read that far so backtracking need not happen. I can just hear him chastising me in my ear, along with my inner version of him repeatedly saying "She's so wet!"
Aaaaand that's the last of me being ahead of the game! I still have direction on the tale I'm telling of course, but Chapter 5 has nothing written for it yet, compared to 2-4 where I just kept chugging before I posted. Let's see how fast I can churn this one out, eh?
Anyways, I'm off to relax for a while: I'm performing in Les Misérables— we just opened with repeated standing ovations this week—and I want to be well-rested for the next four weeks of our run; it's going to be great! Until next time!
