Ch. 7- Bakura Town
One Piece © Oda
OCs are mine
Bakura Town, Kuri, Wano Country. Here in this town, the officials and the Beast Pirates took charge. Ever since this place was overrun by the shogunate, only people such as business owners, Beast Pirate members, and certain others of this class remained here.
Here in this town, the main source of entertainment was sumo wrestling, a highly respected sport. In fact, a tournament was being held here today. Spectators gathered around the arena, watching as two sumo wrestlers grappled and slapped each other, trying to push one another out of the ring. So far, neither side relented, but the crowd still cheered.
In a particular restaurant, a certain yokozuna was busy scarfing down rice, tamagoyaki, and other foods, attempting to drown his frustrations. Nearby, a little raccoon dog was trotting around on the floor, sniffing around for any scraps it could get.
"Damn him," cursed Urashima as he shoveled more rice into his gob. "That ronin's strange intensity drove me off, but mark my words, Kiku WILL marry me!" He then sloppily wiped his mouth as he put his extra-large bowl on the table. "I've got status, I've got fame, I've even got safe and high-quality food… so why does that temptress continue to turn me down?!"
"Stop filling your head with such idiotic worries," said a small, scrawny-looking man wearing the standard Beast Pirate armor, except he had the gigantic ears of a mouse.
BEAST PIRATE GIFTER
MOUSE-MAN
MOUSE SMILE FRUIT USER
"What?!" Urashima questioned, specks of food flying from his mouth.
"That woman is from Okobore Town, right?" asked Mouse-Man. "Then she's of a lower class than you! People from that eyesore of a town can't serve under Shogun Orochi! Chuchuchu!" He then smirked at Urashima wickedly. "If you really wanna make that bitch yours, then stop tryin' all this courtin' bullshit! Kidnap her or burn down her house! Kill her relatives and leave her with nowhere to go! Make it so that she has no choice but to rely on your generosity! You belong to the Warrior Class, Urashima! Wano has a strict class system, right?!"
Urashima's face lit up as realization soon hit him, then his expression darkened as he began to giggle madly while Mouse-Man continued to spur him on.
"If the star of Wano's national sport is begging for the favor or some lower-class wench," the Mouse Gifter continued, "then it sets a poor example for the rest of your class!"
"Hehehehe…!" Urashima giggled, perversely. "You make a good point, there!" He then slapped his entire meal onto the floor, much to the shock of the elderly couple who owned the establishment. "I can do whatever I please with Okiku!"
"Ah! Yokozuna Urashima!" cried the old man. "What's wrong? Is our food not to your liking?"
Urashima smirked before he pointed to the raccoon dog that was sniffing about the floor. "That raccoon dog there…"
"Oh, yes," the old woman replied as she knelt down, allowing the animal to run up to her and nuzzle her affectionately. "This little one has been our pet for many years and-"
"I want you to cook it!" Urashima demanded, licking at his fat jowls.
"What?!" the old couple questioned in shock.
"Raccoon dog meat is my absolute favorite food," Urashima answered, his expression growing darker as he glowered at the couple, who whimpered in horror while holding their precious pet raccoon dog.
XXX
Concurrently, in a large mansion located in Bakura Town… trouble was brewing.
"Good… very speedy. Just like your reputation, Gazelle-Man."
"Haa… haa…!"
"So… is this her? The kid looks like she's about to burst into tears any second."
"Haa… haa… g… give me a minute…!"
Poor Tama was trembling with fright. Though she tried to keep a brave face, tears pricked at the corners of her eyes and her lip quivered. Behind her, Gazelle-Man panted and wheezed heavily, clutching at his side as sweet dripped down his face.
"I… I'm not gonna cry…!" Tama squeaked as the shadowy figure that sat before her glowered down at her with a menacing glare. However… he let out a frustrated growl before he turned and glared at the wheezing Gazelle-Man.
"THAT'S ENOUGH OF THAT DAMN WHEEZING!" he shouted. "GET OUTTA HERE, GAZELLE-MAN! AND BUILD UP SOME STAMINA!"
Though shakily, Gazelle-Man hobbled out of the room, leaving Tama alone with her captor: a tall, burly brute with a pear-shaped figure. He had long wavy black hair that reached down all the way to his waist, a hairy chest and abdominal area, intricate tattoos on his muscular shoulders and biceps, and a pair of black leather pants with matching boots. He also had on some sort of top hat with some sort of symbol on the front, and his facial features looked rather cat-like, complete with six whiskers, black lips, and a literal fang-toothed scowl.
However, those were not his most defining features. No, what had to be the most bizarre (and perhaps even a bit frightening) had to be the lion face and forelegs that were sticking from his stomach. Even more strange, the lion itself seemed to have a mind of its own, for it was glaring up at the man, who glared right back at him.
"What are you lookin' at?!" he asked. "I wasn't talkin' to you! And don't look back at me like that!" He then cuffed the lion in the head, causing it to let out a yowl of pain.
BEAST PIRATE HEADLINER
HOLDEM
LION SMILE FRUIT USER
(Coincidentally, the lion's name is Kamijiro)
"BWAAAH!" Tama sobbed, no longer able to hold back her tears. "He's scary~! And he's got a lion on his belly!"
Kamijiro growled as he leered up at his master, who only glared back at him as a vein appeared on the side of his face.
"What are you givin' me that rebellious look for?!" Holdem questioned, and as if to answer him, Kamijiro raised his right front paw… and smacked it right in between Holdem's legs, causing him to scream in pain.
"There it is!" exclaimed one of Holdem's henchmen. "It's Kamijiro's patented Family Jewels attack!"
Suddenly, Kamijiro yowled in pain as well as Holdem fell down, holding his hands between his crotch as they both writhed in agony.
"They both share the same body," said another one of Holdem's men, "so of course, the lion ends up hurting himself, too! It's a double-edged sword!"
"Hmph," scoffed a samurai as he sat in a corner. "Why does he never learn…?"
"Master Holdem, what do we do about this kid?" asked another thug as he put his hand on Tama's head, causing her to tense in fear.
"Urgh…" Holdem groaned as he sat up, attempting to get over the pain of having his groin hit. "Answer me, girl… how did a little brat like you tame that baboon?"
Tama's eyes widened, realizing what he meant. She attempted to back away, but the Beast Pirates blocked her path, and Holdem's glare only intensified.
"Don't try to play dumb," he said. "My men saw you do it! The only explanation… is that you've got real Devil Fruit powers, don't you?!"
Tama whimpered, trying not to lose her nerve. She knew something like this would happen, for Hitetsu had warned her of such a thing. Her ability to tame the wild animals of Wano, while useful, was also something that the Beast Pirates coveted. She had to be careful when she used it, for she never knew who might be watching.
Now, unless she could somehow outsmart these villains, she was in deep trouble due to her carelessness.
"I… I guess I'm just really good with animals, sir," she said, meekly. "They've always liked and all, so-"
"Liar," Holdem interjected, causing the child to gasp silently. "My men say that you pulled something outta your cheeks and fed it to the baboon." He then smirked cruelly as he towered over the girl. "How about we test that out?" He then turned to face his minions. "Hey! Someone get me a pair of pliers!"
Tama's eyes widened in horror… and at that moment, she could only think of one thing.
'Big Bro Luffy… please hurry! Save me!'
XXX
Meanwhile, Luffy, Zoro, Blizzard, Kiku, and Komachiyo had just arrived at the entrance of Bakura Town… and, as per usual, Luffy decided to make his presence known the only way he knew how…
"HEY, TAMA! WE'RE HERE SAVE YOU- MMPH!"
Of course, his announcement was quickly silenced as Kiku slapped a hand over his mouth.
"No, stop!" she cried. "Don't shout such things, Luffytaro!"
"Why not?!" Luffy asked.
"Uh, Luffy?" Blizzard asked as he noticed some rather shifty-looking people beginning to advance toward them.
"Hey, who are you people?" asked a samurai with a long face and a crooked nose. "We don't have any record of someone like you bein' in town!"
"We better take them in for questioning," agreed a Beast Pirate mook.
"Who the hell are these chumps?" Zoro asked as he narrowed his good eye.
"Everyone in this town is affiliated with Tama's captors," Kiku answered. "We must proceed with caution."
"Pfft!" Luffy scoffed. "Yeah, right. Who needs caution when I got this?"
He soon intensified his gaze, sounding a pulse of Conqueror's Haki. Its powerful aura shook the weak-willed men to suddenly drop, one by one, with clouds of foam frothing at their mouths. Once the men were incapacitated, Komachiyo soon took off running, leaving them in the dust.
"Nice job, Luffy," Blizzard smirked.
"Thanks, buddy!" Luffy replied.
"W-what was that you just did?!" Kiku asked in disbelief. "Such an incredible aura…!"
"Oh, that?" Luffy asked. "That was Haki. No biggie."
"So, Luffy," Zoro began, "how do we find the kid?" He looked around and saw the many civilians that milled about on the streets, along with several samurai and Beast Pirates. "I doubt these people will tell us anything, considering the circumstances."
"Yeah, and some of these people look like they actually live here and don't wanna pick a fight," Luffy surmised.
"These villagers have always resided here," said Kiku. "This was once a lively castle town until 20 years ago… that was when Orochi's henchmen came and seized whatever residence they desired." She narrowed her eyes. "Only the merchants are left, handling necessities and the like, while others were driven out. This is how Bakura Town came to be."
Luffy, Zoro, and Blizzard didn't speak a word, but they were all thinking the same thing, at this point. This Orochi was definitely no different from the tyrants that they encountered throughout their adventures, whether they were pirates or government officials. Either way, they weren't surprised, but it didn't make them any less angry.
Suddenly, their combined Observation Haki sensed something approaching, and at a very fast speed. As a shrill scream pierced the air, Luffy suddenly reached his left hand and grabbed, of all things, a rather stout man out of the air, wearing the traditional mawashi of sumo wrestlers. On his belly was a gigantic, burning red hand mark.
"Hey," Zoro said as he looked forward. "There's something going on up ahead."
"You mean the unconscious sumo wrestler wasn't any indication?" Blizzard asked in a sarcastic tone.
"Sumo wrestling is Wano's national sport," Kiku pointed out.
"So you're telling me that he was thrown all the way here, just from that match?" Zoro asked in surprise. "Who was he facing that had such a powerful slap, anyway?!"
"I think I might have a clue," Blizzard answered.
XXX
Up ahead, in the sumo wrestling arena, Urashima laughed triumphantly as he flexed his biceps, which were adorned with intricate tattoos. Beneath him lay his many defeated opponents, all of them battered, bruised, and bloodied almost beyond recognition. Some of them were even lying in a nearby medical tent, being tended to by the staff.
Nonetheless, the crowd cheered for the great yokozuna, their undefeated champion.
"He's unstoppable!" shouted the announcer in what looked like a Transponder Snail, but its shell was much smaller and more conical, not to mention it was being held like a microphone. "Is there really no way to defeat this man?! The Champion Yokozuna of the Flower Capital, Urashima!"
It was at that moment that Luffy and his group appeared to see what was going on.
"This is a special bit of public entertainment!" exclaimed the announcer. "A dream of 500 gold coins to the one who defeats the champ!"
"Is there anyone confident enough to face the champion, himself?!" asked the organizer of the tournament. "Come on, come all! Who will test their mettle against the mighty Urashima?! He's so tough, we can't even set up a betting pool!"
"We'll do it!" exclaimed a rather muscular man, stepping into the ring along with several others. "It's all going according to plan! That prize money's ours!"
"There can be as many challengers as you want!" shouted the announcer. "Even if 10 men can fit in the ring, it's possible!" He then turned to a shivering old man with an oblong-looking face. "Urashima has already beaten 19 people, already! Out of that total, how many broken bones have we had, so far?!"
"Ten arms, 15 legs, 52 ribs, four skulls, and seven spines!" the old man answered.
"That's 88 bones in all!" the announcer shouted. "Not to mention 4 contestants have gone missing! Urashima's might is simply inhuman! He truly is the undefeated monster, the yokozuna!"
Urashima grinned as he squat before his four opponents, who took the same position, preparing to use their superior numbers.
"You better beat Urashima, you slugs!" a spectator shouted. "I bet a lot of money on you!"
"Urashima~!" called some girls in the crowd. "We love you~!"
Just as Urashima was getting ready to fight, something caught his eye… or rather, someone.
"Oh! Could it be?!" Urashima asked.
"Take the positions, boys!" shouted one of the challengers. "Now, CHARGE!"
Unfortunately, none of the four challengers got a chance to so much as even take a step forward before the yokozuna slapped them all away in a single swipe of his hand, sending them all flying right into the sky!
"KIKU!" Urashima exclaimed. "IT'S YOU!"
"Oh, dear…" Kiku muttered in dread.
"Great," Blizzard grumbled. "The fat perv's seen us!"
"So, you came to watch my match, after all, Kiku!" Urashima exclaimed as steam hissed from his nostrils and hearts floated around his eyes. "So have you finally wised up and decided to marry me?!"
"What?!" a woman questioned in disbelief, along with several others. "Her, marry Urashima?!"
"Did I hear that right, folks?!" asked the announcer. "The champion, Urashima, has a betrothed in the crowd?! That must be one lucky lady if the champion himself has his eye on her!"
"Scandalous!" shouted another woman. "Just who is this woman, anyway?!"
"Oh, no, no, no…" Kiku muttered as she tried to hide behind Zoro, to no avail due to her height.
"You do realize you can't really hide behind me, right?" asked Zoro.
"One wasn't paying attention at the time," Kiku began, "but Urashima did say there was a match in Bakura Town, today. I should have known he'd be here!"
Blizzard growled, his white fur bristling beneath his yukata. The wolf-dog never did like the forceful types, especially those who tried to have their way with women such as Kiku.
"Boys!" Urashima shouted as he turned to several men behind him. "Kiku has come to see me! Bring her to me, right away!"
"Yessir!" exclaimed one of Urashima's lackeys.
"Hehehe!" laughed another. "You're such a player, big bro!"
"I look up to you, so much!" exclaimed a third.
"Hey, hold up a minute!" Luffy called out. "We're here to look for somebody! She's a little girl named Tama! Tell me where to find whoever's in charge of this own! She's bound to be here!"
"I don't think they're listening, Luffy," Blizzard pointed out as he noticed Urashima's goons running toward them.
"Ooh, I'm so jealous of her!" cried one of the female members of the crowd, referring to Kiku. "I can't believe she's gonna snag such a hunk like Urashima!"
"She may be tall, but I must admit, she's the perfect size for someone like him!" added another.
"Looks like we got some thugs to thrash, Zoro!" Luffy said. "You and Blizzard ready?!"
"I'm ready if you are, Luffy!" Blizzard agreed, immediately going into battle mode… but then, to their comical shock, the men just came and grabbed Kiku with no opposition at all!
"WHAT THE-?!" Luffy questioned.
"KYAAA! Help, Luffytaro! Zorojuro! Blizzardnui!" Kiku shrieked.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Blizzard asked as he glared at Zoro, who sat quietly with his arms crossed. "WHY DIDN'T YOU CUT THEM DOWN, ZORO?!"
"It just doesn't seem right to carve up a guy with no clothes on," Zoro answered.
"IS THIS REALLY THE TIME FOR YOUR DAMN PRINCIPALS?!" Blizzard shouted. "I BITE GUYS IN THEIR ASSES ALL THE TIME, CLOTHES OR NO CLOTHES!"
Soon, Kiku was placed before Urashima, who leered at her with a perverted grin on his face, which only caused her to narrow her eyes at him in disgust.
"Kiku…" Urashima smirked. "You will be mine!"
"Hey, wait a second!" shouted a man from the crowd. "She's that teahouse girl from Okobore!"
"Yeah!" another spectator agreed. "She's not of high enough status to enter this town!"
"Is that true?!" a woman questioned. "Kick her out! She doesn't deserve to be here!"
As the crowd continued to make a ruckus over Kiku's status, Urashima soon turned his glare on them.
"SILENCE, YOU COMMONERS!" he shouted, causing them all to gasp. "From the perspective of the Warrior Class, you lot are nothing but chattel! Whether any of you live or die… IS ENTIRELY UP TO ME!"
The spectators grew silently, shocked by his sudden declaration, and meanwhile, Luffy, Zoro, and Blizzard all glared at the yokozuna in disdain. This man really was no different from the other people they had encountered on their adventures.
"Now come, Kiku!" Urashima exclaimed as he ran toward her with his arms outstretched. "Come and be my bride!"
"…Surely you just," Kiku spoke as she gripped the hilt of her sword. "This one… knows of no person named Chattel!"
Just as Urashima lunged at her with puckering lips… it was almost as if Kiku had taken flight, moving with such deft that everything seemed to go in slow motion. Then, with a single swing of her blade… she sliced off the arrogant yokozuna's topknot!
"Huh?! W… what the-?!" Urashima questioned as he felt the top of his head.
"She chopped off Urashima's topknot!" shouted the spectators.
"If you were to ask one," Kiku spoke as she sheathed her sword, "it is your heart that is truly low, Urashima."
"AWESOOOOOOOME!" Luffy exclaimed with sparkling eyes. "DID YOU GUYS SEE THAT?!"
"Huh… I guess she didn't need our help, after all," Blizzard mused, surprised but also quite impressed.
"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Now things are starting to look fun! Right, Zoro?!"
"Yeah," Zoro smirked. "If this doesn't get the boss out here, nothing will."
TO BE CONTINUED…
Hope the wait was worth it. I've been struggling with how to do this chapter, and I think I found a pretty good balance. Hopefully, I'll be able to find a balance for this and Fairy Tail, but we'll see.
Review, please!