Chapter Nine
Zoro might have stayed unconscious for several minutes longer if he hadn't felt a boot to the head. He almost choked on his own breath as his floundering mind tried to rouse itself into wakefulness. When he apparently wasn't moving fast enough, he felt another kick to the side, and the swordsman's eyes promptly fluttered open. Within a split second, his hand shot out and grabbed at a feminine ankle, squeezing it tightly.
"Tell me where Luffy is," he demanded harshly, voice hoarse and strained.
Nami frowned, yanking on her ankle in an attempt to free it. The green-haired man's grip was starting to hurt. "Luffy? Who's that?" she asked, hands on her hips as she peered down at him.
"My traveling companion," he breathed furiously, abruptly sitting up. Upon the quick movement, his vision reeled and the swordsman softly groaned under his breath before falling back against the ground.
Nami hmmed calmly, watching him with dark eyes. "That doesn't really help much, but if you mean a skinny kid with a straw hat I just saw him with two men on a traveling lizard. They seemed in a pretty big hurry and the kid looked unconscious, so when I ran across you knocked out in the middle of nowhere I figured they'd be related." She looked down at him, raising her eyebrows. "Are they?" Her tone was firm and businesslike, no sympathy or cruelty involved.
"You could say that," he growled. "What's it to you?"
Nami shrugged and crouched beside Zoro, resting her arms on her knees. "I happen to be a freelance navigator looking for a job, and I also happen to know the way those men went. They stole from me earlier so I don't exactly have any love for them... I'd be willing to help you out. For a price."
"A price?" asked Zoro incredulously as he sat up. "My friend has been kidnapped and you're trying to wager some sort of bargain with me?"
Nami shook her head. "Of course I'm not bargaining with you right now, what sort of person do you think I am? But I do need to make a living, and for that I need to charge something. Let's not worry about it right now, though. The longer we wait the further away they'll be." She pushed herself up and glanced sidelong at him as she started toward the tent. "Is there anything in here you need to bring with? It would take too long to bring this tent down; we should leave it here and you can get it later."
Zoro staggered to a stand, his eyes blearily following after her. "No, we need to hurry and find him," he stated decisively.
Nami nodded, expecting such an answer. "Follow me, then." She turned from the tent and strode past Zoro toward the traveling lizard she had left just outside the camping area. Hopping on, she looked over at him and gestured him closer. "Get on and we can go."
Looking at the girl warily, Zoro frowned. "All right. Just let me get my-" He turned around, his voice falling into silence for several moments. "My swords," he said lowly. "What did you do with my swords!"
Nami looked at him like he was an idiot. "What swords? You didn't have any when I found you. Did you lose your swords and your friend?" She shook her head to herself, wondering how those two had made it so far on their own. Scrutinizing him, she noticed something white poking out of his belt. "What's that?" she asked, gesturing to it.
Extremely agitated, the bodyguard's gaze fell upon the fluttering paper that was poking out from his belt. Gripping onto it, he yanked it out and studied it. "It's a note," he growled.
Nami stared at him, waiting for him to read it. When he didn't immediately explain anything more, she sighed, slightly irritated. "Okay, annnd...? What's it say?"
"Those back-stabbers took Luffy and my swords!" snapped Zoro, eyebrows furrowing. "To two different locations."
Hmm. Interesting. "Oh? Which are we going for, then? I have a good idea where they'd be taking your swords in a hurry if you want to try them first." She paused, continuing calmly, "Of course, we don't know what they want with your friend... he may not be alive by the time we get them."
"What?" The bodyguard's mind was in a whirl. Luffy was gone. His swords were nowhere in sight. They were in two different places, if this note was telling the truth. Zoro had to get back his swords. They were his everything. Those blades were the foundation of his life. And that one in particular…the white one, Wadou…he needed it back…
You're weak, Zoro…
She had been telling the truth, hadn't she? His blood boiled at the long suppressed memory, and his teeth clenched.
Nami watched him carefully, leaning against the lizard and supporting her chin with one palm. Well, the man certainly seemed upset, and completely lost in thought. She waited a few moments before saying, "If we get to the place with your friend and you have no swords, will you even be useful?" She doubted it. Most swordsmen were nothing without their beloved weapons. "We could go for your swords immediately and hope to make it back in time, but it's not a guarantee that would work." She shrugged lightly, watching him. "Just how important is this friend of yours, anyway? Did they say what they planned to do to him...? I'm sure he could wait awhile for you to get your weapons... Unless he's really weak, of course." She said the last lightly, trying to get him to make a decision either way.
"Quit talking about this so casually," hissed Zoro, climbing onto the lizard as he spoke. "Take me to Luffy. The swords-" He settled himself onto the reptile, eyeing the creature with distrust. "-the swords will have to wait."
Nami shrugged, turning forward. "If you say so, but I hope this isn't a suicide mission. I'm sure your friend doesn't want you showing up just to die." She glanced over at him, her expression firm. "Are you sure you don't want to go after the swords first?"
Zoro paused for a moment, staring off at the horizon with narrowed eyes. "If I do that, I might not seem him again," he responded curtly. "I promised someone I'd keep him safe. Those bandits probably plan to keep me distracted while they kill him or sell him off into slavery or something." Vaguely agitated, he ran a hand through his damp, green hair. "We'll find him first."
Nami watched him, considering his words. It was true enough that the swords were likely a distraction, though she suspected the bandits planned to ransom Luffy instead of selling him to slavery. A Crown Prince on the run was far more valuable as a bargaining tool than he was dead or sold as a lowly slave, after all. Then again, he didn't know she knew who Luffy was, so maybe that was why he brought up slavery. She shrugged lightly and turned ahead, pulling the reins on her lizard to shift it in a different direction and spurred it into motion. "Alright. We'll get Luffy, then. When we get closer to their base, but are still out of view, I'm going to split away from you." She looked over her shoulder, her eyes dark as she continued firmly, "I'll take the lizard with me while you walk into camp alone. Don't tell them you had anyone else help you; showing up unannounced in a place they think you don't know exists will unnerve them and should help you with the element of surprise. While you distract them I'll look for Luffy... If they think you're alone, they probably won't bother guarding him very well."
Zoro gave the orange-haired girl a wary look. "Why should I listen to you?"
Nami gripped the reins hard and glared at him, tightening her grip on the lizard to keep from unbalancing as they moved quickly through the desert sands. "I'm trying to help you, idiot! Do you want me to leave you alone in the middle of the desert with no clue where to find your friend? I can drop you off right here, then, and continue on my way. I'm sure your friend can wait long enough for you to figure out where the hell you're going and what the hell you plan to do when you get there." The last was said sarcastically; she knew damn well he'd never find the place. "I know where they're going and I know how those people work. I'm just telling you the fastest way to save him."
The swordsman watched her with a look of mild bewilderment. "Why do you care what happens to us?"
Nami sighed, irritated, and looked forward again. "Do you always interrogate everyone who tries to help you?" she asked, exasperated, but paused briefly.
She had thought of this ahead of time, knowing she may need legitimate reasons if they would not just believe her traveling navigator story. Luckily, she already had a back-up answer. She spoke up, her voice calm but slightly hesitant at first, as if she had been hoping she could avoid this.
"I know Kaya, and she told me of two male travelers around my age-one with a straw hat, the other with green hair-who she was worried about sending alone into the desert. She told me if I ran into them to help them, but not to tell them she told me to." She glanced over her shoulder, her expression a bit sheepish. "You know how Kaya is... she didn't want you to know she'd told me. She didn't want to seem like she was underestimating you."
That should work. Nami knew Kaya, of course, but it wasn't like she was in on the apparent underground effort to remove the prince from his homeland. She had recognized the nurse when she saw her talking to Luffy, however, and she knew if nothing else Kaya would be a good alibi. They knew each other, but it was mostly from when Nami had been hurt after stealing from particularly volatile groups, and when she had gone to the clinic in Syrup Village, it was Kaya who more often than not would be there to help heal her. She had never said what she was really doing; she just told Kaya bandits hurt her, or some client who hired her as their traveling navigator had turned foul in the middle of the desert. She knew Kaya well enough to know this excuse should work, and she was betting on the swordsman's vanity with the underestimating line.
If he believed Kaya sent her as a safety precaution, hopefully he would trust her more. Besides, now she had a reason to know Luffy was the Crown Prince of Anchor if ever the subject arose... but she still planned to play it safe and pretend she had no idea. At least for the time being.
Pausing, Zoro studied Nami for several moments, eyebrows lightly furrowing. A frown creased his face, and for a moment it seemed as if he didn't believe her. Suddenly, however, he folded his arms and almost scoffed. "Well, I guess it can't be helped. And if you really do know where Luffy is, I guess you won't be totally useless."
Man, this guy was a suspicious one. Good thing she had the Kaya excuse to fall back on. She hadn't run into someone this wary in quite some time. She tried to rein in her indignation at almost being called useless-he had no idea how useful she really was! "Thanks for the vote of confidence," she said with heavy sarcasm, a little irritated with how distrustful he was. She couldn't wait to get the kid-he seemed far more trusting from what she had seen. And the more trusting, the better. That meant more money quicker, after all.
"Yeah, yeah." Zoro suddenly seemed less interested in questioning Nami, his gaze focusing on the horizon again. "Let's just go."
Nami's eyebrow twitched and she closed her eyes, gripping the reins. "We are going!" she said loudly, annoyed. What did he think they were doing sitting on a lizard sprinting across the desert? Did he think this was some warm up or something? "I can't make him go any faster! We have a long way to go-it's not like the bandits were going to drop your friend off right on the other side of the damn dunes! Just... sit back there and quietly angst or something. You're bothering me."
Growing indignant, Zoro snapped, "I'm bothering you, huh?" As they rode along, the sand crunching beneath the lizard's feet, the swordsman scowled. "Whatever, I don't care as long as we get to Luffy fast, okay?" But he drifted off into a silence, apparently deciding not to waste his breath.
Nami snorted and didn't bother replying at first. She had already told him they were going as fast as they could, and she had also already told the idiot the best plan for rescuing his precious prince. It should be a given that they would get there soon. "Don't worry about it," she said, a slight edge of irritation still in her voice, "We're getting there as quickly as possible, and far faster than they'll expect. You'll have the element of surprise and your friend back soon. Let me deal with getting there. You can figure out what you'll do when you show up swordless at a bandit's hideout." She glanced over her shoulder, smirking. "I doubt annoying them will be very effective, so you may want a plan."
Snorting, the green-haired man cast an aggravated glance at Nami. "You worry about your side of the deal, I'll worry about mine."
Nami faced forward into the wind and grinned to herself, the expression cunning and amused. "Sounds good," she said loud enough for him to hear, and concentrated on directing the traveling lizard in the correct direction. Good thing she already knew where these idiot bandits had their base of operation; being a girl definitely had its advantages. People always underestimated her, and she learned oh so much in the bars late at night when everyone ignored the girl passed out in the corner... Now it was just a matter of getting there quick enough to protect her newest investment: the Crown Prince of Anchor, on the run from assassins and under the protection of a single cranky green-haired swordsman.
The feeling of jolting movement and muttering voices was what finally woke him. His ribs ached and his head felt light and dizzy, as if it wasn't quite attached the way it normally was. There was the aftertaste of something sweet and pleasant, confusing him for a moment as he tried to orient himself and remember what had last happened.
Luffy tried to open his eyes, and for one heart-stopping moment he couldn't tell if he was blind or if it was the dead of night, but after blinking a few times he felt his eyelashes come in contact with something at the movement. Cloth...? He was... blindfolded...? He tried to shift, then, thinking of sitting up and taking the blindfold off (why would Zoro have blindfolded him?), but found he couldn't move.
It was another long moment of dizzy confusion before he realized he was tied up, his wrists caught together and (he realized as he tried to move his arms) held against his body. Rope wound its way around his torso and legs, and he couldn't tell but he was pretty sure he may be tied to whatever was moving, too. He tried to shift again, jerking around, hoping to stretch his way out of it, but whoever had tied him up must have thought of his new rubber body ahead of time; he just couldn't move enough to do anything but struggle in irritation.
He growled, angry and unhappy with his current situation, and demanded immediately, "What's going on? Where am I?" He didn't know if anyone was around, but he thought he could feel someone on either side of him, and he vaguely remembered voices waking him up.
"Shut up!" came a harsh bark that grated upon Luffy's ears. The prince's aching side was rudely jabbed, a stern warning to keep silent and still.
Luffy scowled, turning his head toward the voice and ignoring the warning and dull pain. "Who are you? What the hell did you do to Zoro? Lemme go right now!" He struggled again, trying to break free from the ropes, but it just felt like the more he struggled the more he hurt himself. It didn't stop him from trying, though.
"I said to shut up!" An elbow slammed into his back as they continued to bounce along. "You should be worrying more about yourself than that worthless bodyguard of yours anyway. He isn't of any use to you anymore."
Luffy grit his teeth at the pain but didn't make a sound. He wasn't about to give the jerk the satisfaction of knowing how much that hurt. What was worse, with the blindfold on, he couldn't predict where the guy would hit him if he did, so he couldn't even try to dodge or brace himself. Annoyed, he glared in the direction of the man. Well. He was glaring, but with the blindfold on he wasn't sure the guy knew it. "You shut up! Let me off this stupid thing right away, you asshole! And what the hell do you mean not any use? Zoro's gonna kill you when he catches up to us!"
Laughter was the only response Luffy's demands met until the amused man spoke, a twisted mirth still coloring his voice. "Let you off? You're giving pretty tall orders for someone who's completely defenseless. I wouldn't be waiting up for that swordsman, either. He's not going to show up for your rescue - we made sure of that."
Luffy growled lowly, struggling again. "What'd you do to him? What'd you do? What the hell do you want?"
A tinge of cruel malice suddenly edged the man's voice as he spoke. "Your bodyguard was out cold - some great warrior he turned out to be. Tricking him was a cinch - it was way too easy for us to gut him like some fish."
The world seemed to slow, the words echoing in his mind. Gut him like some fish... gut him... Luffy felt cold inside, ice cold, like his blood had dropped temperature and spread throughout his body. He went completely still, tense, not wanting to believe it. Zoro was strong-he wouldn't die so easily. He'd made a promise to Luffy's parents to bring him to Shanks, and he'd also said he was going to be the strongest swordsman in the world. The strongest swordsman wouldn't die just because he was knocked out and someone attacked him... But he had seen Zoro on the ground, he knew he had been unconscious... Would they really have...?
"You're lying," he said, softly at first, but then he yelled, "You're lying!"
"You sound so sure of yourself for someone who was unconscious during the whole ordeal," responded the man smugly. "Gutting is a messy business, really - seems like his pitiful screams might have woken you up."
Luffy struggled furiously, wrenching at his arms so violently that his shoulders ached from the pressure and the pain in his ribs increased as the ropes dug into him. "Shut up, SHUT UP! You don't know what you're talking about! Zoro wouldn't die so easily! I hate you! Lemme go!"
"Stop it." This voice was new and a bit softer, although there was a hint of authority in his voice. "Stop getting him riled up like that. It's not necessary."
Luffy felt another elbow jab into his back. "All right, all right. I was just having a little fun." The crueler man scoffed. "I'd leave his useless soul to wither out in the desert if his hide wasn't worth so much money."
Luffy continued to struggle, though not as desperately. He wasn't sure, but he liked to think that meant Zoro wasn't dead, that by 'fun' the man meant 'lying.' But he couldn't be sure... maybe he just wanted to taunt Luffy and watch him struggle.
He scowled, saying loudly in irritation, "I'm not worth anything, you idiots! Untie me and leave me alone!"
Luffy quit being jostled so much, as if whatever they were riding on had come to a halt. "Quit playing dumb. We know you're a prince."
Luffy froze, not really knowing what to say at first. They knew? Were they the assassins with the bombs from Anchor? Had they followed him that far? If they knew, and they were the assassins, that meant they really wouldn't care about killing anyone and Zoro could be dead. He tilted his head, frowning. Zoro had to be alive still, though, and he wouldn't like it if Luffy admitted who he was.
"...I don't know what you're talking about. Why'd we stop? Are you letting me go?"
"Hardly," came a third, gruff voice as Luffy heard movement near him and the rope holding him against the transport loosened. He was unceremoniously hauled into the air and over a broad shoulder. "Where should I take him?"
The moment Luffy realized he had switched positions, he jerked around again, trying to get the man to drop him. He was still tied too tightly to stretch, but he refused to give up. "Let go! Let me go now!" he demanded.
"Lock him up in the storage room," the softer voice from before replied, speaking over Luffy. "Keep guards on him at all times, and don't forget to use this." The last was said stronger, with more authority, and the man holding Luffy shifted, presumably taking something. The authoritative man paused and muttered, "He'll never be quiet otherwise."
"Right." And within moments, a damp cloth was firmly pressed over Luffy's nose and mouth.
Luffy froze, remembering what had happened before when he breathed through the cloth. He was determined to avoid it this time, but the cloth appeared so suddenly he hadn't had time to take a deep breath. After several long moments, his lungs burned for air and as much as he tried to avoid it, he involuntarily inhaled. A pleasant smell overcame his senses, making him feel dizzy as he struggled lightly for several seconds. It wasn't long before his body gave out and he fell limp, unconscious.
Nami tightened her legs on the traveling lizard, urging it to move faster. In order to avoid being spotted, she was moving in a large arc around the back of the bandits' hideout, just in case they managed to see her despite the darkness of the night. She didn't know how long she had been riding with Zoro, but it had to slowly be nearing morning by now and she didn't want to get caught sneaking around as the sun's rays broke over the dunes.
The pale buildings of the abandoned town loomed to her right in the distance, causing her to smile darkly. The town used to be prosperous, when an oasis had supported it and it had been the largest city situated between Anchor, Baratie and Arabasta.
Unfortunately, when the oasis dried up, so did the town, and those few unfortunate souls who had tried to linger died after years of struggling against the cruelty of the desert. It was said the wailing ghosts of the past could still be heard among the broken buildings, a mournful echo of a time that felt so long gone. It had only been about five years since the oasis faltered, but the superstitions were well in place and no one dared step foot inside the haunted area any longer. It was, therefore, the perfect hideout for the bandits that slowly started to form in larger groups.
She didn't know what faction the group with Luffy was under, as there was an intricate system in place with multiple leaders of smaller territories, but all the bandits used the abandoned town frequently as a resting place. She had recently heard a rumor that one faction had taken control of the town for their own purposes; she could only assume this was that group. Trying to steal the safe haven from the other bandits would be expensive, though-not only would they need money for weapons and recruiting other men, but they would want to strengthen their hold on the area and could even start their own trading system. Not to mention the money they were probably using for bribes.
That was probably why they kidnapped Luffy, Nami mused as she slowed the lizard and tied it to a cactus out of sight from the edges of the town. They were likely intending to use his ransom money as a boost for their power.
She tied a dark bandana over her hair to hide the brightness of the orange, and glanced down once more at her dark clothes. Perfect. Crouching, she peered over the dune, then slipped around the side and quickly made her way into the deeper shadows of the nearest building. Zoro had better do a damn good job of distracting them, she thought with a frown as she infiltrated further. Though abandoned, the town was still large, and even having been there before was barely a help to her. She had no idea where they would have Luffy right now, and there were quite a few buildings to check through...
She could do it, though. She'd had harder jobs in the past. Besides, this time, the rewards were quite enticing... It was only so often a girl ran across a Crown Prince, after all. She couldn't wait to see the Beli roll in...
A fire flickered and dimly lit up the dark compound and the small group of men that sat around it. Swords rested at their sides as each unkempt bandit studied his own deck of cards in mild concentration. "When did you say Gin would be back? I'm sure he'll be happy when he finds out we got that Anchor prince locked up tight in our storage," spoke a dark-haired fellow in a slow drawl.
"Said he'd be back by the morning," replied his companion after a few moments of silence. "He'll be glad to know that swordsman isn't roaming around on our turf anymore, too."
"Actually, I heard Ricks and the others only took his sword and sent them off with the latest shipment to Baratie," responded the first man. "Which I guess is just as well - he's always been going on about how he could beat Roronoa Zoro in a fight, and I guess he felt like stabbing the guy while he was unconscious wasn't so fun." He seemed to hesitate in playing a card, deciding against playing his initial move. "Still, though…it's not every day you meet a guy like that. I'll bet he went off to get his swords before he came back. I heard one of 'em was a real nice sword that's highly sought after, if you know what I mean."
A third, scrawnier man snorted, a hat tilted over his eyes. "Roronoa Zoro isn't nearly as tough as people make him out to be, I'm sure. I mean, our gang snatched that prince of his in no time at all. Weak scum like that isn't fit enough to lick my shoe!" Cloaked and shadowy, a figure emerged behind the haughty man, however, and the bandit was lightly tapped on the shoulder.
The smaller fellow barely had time to cast a curious glance behind him before he was promptly met with a fist in his face. With a sharp yelp and a spurt of blood from his nose, he fell back as his sword fully clattered onto the ground.
"What the-?" a fifth man jumped up, reaching for his sword and turning toward the figure.
The others sprung up, reaching for their weapons.
But the intruder was too quick, having already taken a hold of the fallen man's weapon. Within moments, he had disarmed two others and taken their swords in turn. Promptly placing one in his mouth, the man's hood fell back, revealing a certain green-haired bodyguard.
"I don't lick people's shoes," he grunted hoarsely, suddenly lunging towards the group of men.
The disarmed bandits stumbled back, the first one dropping to the ground and staring at him in horror. "Ro-Roronoa Zoro?" he yelped, unable to move.
"When did you get here?" the other demanded, trying to calm his wavering voice. He reached quickly into his boot and pulled out the hidden dagger he had to the side, holding it toward the infamous swordsman with only the slightest of trembling.
The third man groaned, holding one hand to his nose and slowly sitting up, glaring hatefully at Zoro. The hell? What was he doing there? He never should have made it to their hideout so fast, even if he hadn't gone for his swords...
But Zoro was not dissuaded, baring his teeth upon seeing the futile attempts to hold him off. Split seconds passed before blood sailed through the air, sending the group of bandits to the ground. Clouds of dust rose from where they landed, and a moment of eerie silence loomed before a terrified scream sounded from behind him.
"Z-Zoro! Roronoa Zoro! Help!"
Smirking, the swordsman turned just in time to see a fat, grungy man frantically waddling as he shouted the alarm. Really, there was no need for the bandit to expend so much effort. Within moments, Zoro dashed towards an old water tower that had been abandoned long ago. Drawing out his swords, he promptly slashed at the supporting beams that held it in place. With a mighty, agonized moan, the tower crashing towards the ground. Debris and sand flew in every direction, and the bodyguard stood tall as he coolly surveyed the damage.
Let's see if that girl says I can't cause a good distraction after this…
The resounding crash of the tower overwhelmed the night, reaching out to the bandits that had not heard the panicked scream of Zoro's name. Across the abandoned city, men reached for their weapons and ran toward the sound. Those who knew who to expect had chosen stronger weapons, had tried to take precautions, but many of the bandits were unprepared for the sight. Though they had chosen proper weapons, they had expected to find a group of their own people fighting, or perhaps another faction of bandits waiting to attack. Stumbling to a halt and seeing Roronoa Zoro, infamous swordsman and bounty hunter, was not exactly something that thrilled the ones who had not heard the yell.
A large group formed a ring around Zoro, some of them eyeing the broken tower with trepidation, others getting a closer view of the famed bounty hunter. In the darkness of the night, with the sand still billowing around him, Zoro provided a menacing sight; it seemed appropriate that he had been termed Demon in Human Form. His eyes almost seemed to glow, and a few of the bandits stumbled back involuntarily. The ones in the front of the line smirked, unafraid.
"So you can cut down the tower," a sandy-blond haired bandit taunted, idly playing with his sword as he smirked at the bounty hunter. "Big deal. It was old as hell, about to fall anyway. You think that scares us?" A few behind him nodded and yelled their own agreement or taunts, the bravado spreading and giving courage even to those who had initially been unnerved.
"Yeah! You can cut down a tower but can't even protect one whiny little kid!" one laughed, and others joined in.
"He's all flash and no power. He can't even do anything to us..."
"Too bad he don't have a bounty 'r somethin'. We could'a gotten money on his head and that brat's..."
"Nah, we're lucky enough the kid's worth anything," another laughed back, "Though why his country'd even pay to get him back's beyond me. It'd be too much to expect money for this guy too." Laughter erupted in the crowd, swirling around Zoro in a rush.
"Normally I wouldn't be wasting my time cutting down useless bandits like you," spoke Zoro lowly. "But I can't let you take the prince and get away with it."
The bandits just laughed cruelly, highly amused. The sandy-blond-haired man from before grinned, the expression heartless and unforgiving. "See?" he said, speaking to the crowd even as he stared at Zoro, "He just says this shit to sound impressive. Normally he'd run away, but this time he came or he wouldn't get that rich bitch's money." He narrowed his eyes, readying his sword. "You came to die, Demon," he sneered, making the feared name an insult, "Just warnin' ya." He moved as if to attack but a yell to the side interrupted him.
"Stop!"
The bandits paused, looking immediately toward the noise and moving out of the way. The brown-haired man from before, the man who had attacked Zoro from behind at the campsite, shoved his way through the crowd. A murmuring followed him, the name Ricks whispered and muttered.
Ricks sauntered into the opening, holding a wicked-looking curved sword and grinning at Zoro. "Well, well, who do we got here?" he said slowly, looking Zoro up and down. "You got here faster than I expected. How'd you find us?" He tilted his head as he finally got a closer look at the damage. He spread his arms as if to encompass the town. "Don't you like our place? It took us so long to decorate, but here you are, already changing the look..." His sarcasm seemed cruel and taunting.
"I'm not here to talk about home décor, although you probably enjoy those sorts of things," snorted Zoro. Positioning his swords with skill, the man's eyes narrowed. "You were one of the guys who took Luffy. Give him back."
Ricks raised his eyebrows, taking a moment to roll his neck and wander a bit around the ring, moving a few steps one way and a few back. "Hmm," he said thoughtfully, scratching his chin and finally turning to look Zoro in the eye again. "Nope. Don't think I will." He shrugged, adjusting his grip on his sword and saying offhandedly, "'Sides, I'm not even sure you want him back now. He wasn't exactly in good shape last I saw him. Pretty pathetic kid, doesn't put up much of a fight, y'know?" He sighed, looking disappointed. "Guess that's what happens when royalty lets brats like that get away with anything. Eventually they're taught their place, but they just break so easily..." He trailed off, lamenting the fact.
"Luffy isn't like that. You're obviously talking about a different prince." Gripping tightly on the weapons, he narrowed his eyes. "Tell me where he is if you want to keep your head where it is."
Ricks laughed, shifting into a fighting stance and gripping his own sword harder. "No, we're talking about the same one. And I'm not telling you shit. You wanna find that stupid kid, you gotta go through me first, and all these other guys second. You'll never make it, Roronoa. Give up now if you want your precious reputation to stay intact."
Zoro almost laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of this arrogant man's words. "Yeah, it would damage my reputation if I lost to you guys, wouldn't it? Seeing how incredibly weak you are and everything." Without another word, he lunged through the crowd. Screams and yells trailed after him, promptly leaving a wake of bleeding, writhing bodies on the ground.
There was a moment of stunned silence at the suddenness and strength of his action, but soon there was a roar of voices as the remaining bandits ran furiously at him. The wounded screamed in agony, causing even more noise to reverberate through town and into the surrounding desert. Ricks turned, calmly watching as the others attacked Zoro.
The bodyguard went through his attackers so quickly and so efficiently that it seemed Zoro was a man of systematic brutality. One by one the charging bandits fell to the ground. Crimson stained his blades and even his shirt, although it was likely that this blood was not his own.
The bandits still alive and well finally realized what they were up against, that not even attacking all at once would save them. Several stumbled back and, screaming, frantically scrambled away. Others, furious at how little effort Zoro seemed to be exerting, felt taunted by his strength and attacked with even more anger. Ricks stood at the back, watching how Zoro moved, grudgingly admiring his style. He waited for his chance, expecting at least some wounds to appear on the bodyguard. Anything to slow the Demon down some when it came to his own fight. He still expected to win; he had his own style and his own plans. But if Zoro was bleeding from several places and unable to use an arm or two after the mass attack from the bandits, well, that was even better.
Several moments passed before more men had taken to the ground, blood mingling with the dried desert sand. Eyes narrowed, the swordsman suddenly stood straight, eyes burning with fury and irritation. His scornful glare settled upon Ricks. "Give me Luffy."
Ricks stared back, amazingly calm considering how many men had just been defeated in front of him. "You know," he said suddenly in a conversational tone, "it really pisses me off, seeing perfectly good swordsmen like yourself being lapdogs to royal scum. Makes me want to kill that kid even more. Maybe I'll do that next." He held his sword in front of him and smiled coldly. "You want that piece of shit so bad, come beat me. I won't give you anything." He readied himself, having a good idea of what sort of attack to expect after having watched closely how Zoro dealt with the others.
Eyebrows furrowing, Zoro gracefully moved towards Ricks with terrifying speed. His blades seemed to cut through the air as the swordsman sailed past the bandit.
Ricks stood still, eyes wide and surprised. His sword clattered to the ground and he fell forward, buckling first onto his knees before landing face first in the sand. He could feel his blood pooling beneath him, but he still couldn't understand how he had been beaten so easily. He'd thought he had good reflexes, amazing reflexes, and yet... He turned his head with effort, his eyes falling partially closed as he stared at an awkward angle at Zoro. Maybe Demon was the best name for him after all... But he still refused to be beaten. He had one trump card left, and he would use all the energy he had left on it, just to win. He had to wait for the perfect time, though.
Smirking, Zoro silently sheathed his swords. He barely cast a glance at the fallen man. "Luffy isn't scum," he said finally.
Nami appeared around the corner of a building, dragging Luffy along with her. She was leaning forward, one of her hands holding his arm over her shoulders and her other hand holding him by the waist as he stumbled along at her side. She was in the middle of growling something to him when they arrived at the scene of the battle, her words echoing over to Zoro, "-ould at least try a little harder! I'm not going to drag you the whole way!"
She paused as they turned the corner, surveying the scene for an appraising moment before she turned her firm gaze on Zoro. "Well. Looks like you did keep up your side," she said, pulling the prince along as she walked toward him. "Found Luffy, but you can carry him. He's too heavy for me." Well, that wasn't true. She had carried far heavier things before, but that was usually treasure, and she had more patience for that than she had for stumbling royalty.
Luffy's head was tilted down, his movements the sort of staggering lurches of someone barely awake or not completely in control. He had yet to look up, his straw hat making it impossible to see his expression, even if it hadn't been the earliest morning hours before the sun had yet to rise.
"You actually found him." Zoro sounded mildly impressed, and he wasted no time moving towards the faltering prince.
"Of course I did," Nami scoffed, "You didn't believe me?"
Luffy, who had been still mostly asleep and unable to really follow Nami's lecture, suddenly snapped his head up at Zoro's familiar voice. His eyes lit up and he grinned widely, pulling away from Nami to stumblingly run toward him. "Zoro! You're alive!" he cried, ecstatic.
His coordination still seemed foggy and slow, like he was still asleep but his body was trying to move anyway, but he didn't care. He looked down at his feet to keep from stumbling, and it was at that point that he saw movement along the ground out of the corner of his eye. It took a moment for his confused mind to even register what he was seeing, but when he did he looked up immediately to Zoro, his eyes wide and startled. Zoro didn't appear to have noticed the man on the ground aiming a gun at him, and Luffy acted without thinking.
"NO!" He threw himself in front of Zoro, facing the man on the ground with his arms held out protectively, as if he could somehow stop the inevitable from happening. The brown-haired man (Luffy recognized him now, the man he had punched before) was already pulling the trigger, looking surprised but still darkly satisfied to see Luffy appear in the line of fire.
The bullet was fast; Luffy barely had time to close his eyes to brace for the pain before it hit him in the chest, causing him to stumble back a step. It hurt, but only in the way something blunt and small hurt when hurled quickly at him, not at all the way he remembered the shot to his arm feeling.
There was the strangest sensation of the bullet... going through him but... him going with...? He looked down, shocked, and stared at the hole that went through his clothes. It took a moment for him to understand what was happening, and when he did, he really couldn't tell if he was still asleep or if this was the truth, some strange side effect of his new rubber body.
After a moment, he could feel the momentum of the bullet caught in his skin slow down, and with a startled yell he straightened, the bullet zinging harmlessly off to the side. The man on the ground stared, shocked, the gun clattering to the ground a moment before Nami appeared behind him, slamming into his head and rendering him unconscious with her staff. She looked up at Luffy with wide eyes, caught between surprise, disbelief, and annoyance, and just stared as Luffy laughed cheerfully.
Gawking in horrified disbelief, the swordsman's hands roughly gripped Luffy's shoulders. "Are you all right?" he barked as he suddenly spun the prince around to where the pair were facing each other. Zoro's dark eyes immediately scanned down the boy's body, inspecting him for any injuries.
"I'm fine!" Luffy said cheerfully, laughing freely as he suddenly lunged forward and hugged Zoro tightly, ignoring the blood coating his bodyguard's clothing. "You're alive! I knew he was lying, I told him he was lying!" He buried his face in Zoro's chest, too happy to see him to think about anything else.
The bodyguard abruptly stiffened at the warm hug, his jaw tightening. Gripping onto Luffy's ear, Zoro pulled on it, making it lightly stretch. "How did you know that bullet was gonna bounce off of you like that?" he asked.
Luffy made a face, pulling back to peer up at him and give him a strange look. "That feels weird," he told him, and laughed. "I am rubber now, you know!" In truth he hadn't known it would bounce off him, but he wasn't about to tell Zoro that... That seemed like the best response. He grinned cheerfully up at Zoro, closing his eyes in the movement, loosening his hug but not dropping his arms yet. "But who cares? You're alive!"
"Of course I'm alive," said Zoro, somewhat confused. "What made you think I wasn't?" Piecing together what Luffy had mentioned earlier, the swordsman's eyebrows furrowed. "Did someone say I was dead or something?"
"Yeah," Luffy scowled, stepping back to point down at the man who had shot at them. "He did! He was so mean..." He trailed off, one hand unconsciously going to his back where he had been repeatedly elbowed. His expression grew more somber as he thought of what the man had told him, and wondered what he would have done if it had been true.
Silently watching him, Zoro placed a heavy hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Well, I'm obviously still here," he said at length, albeit a bit awkwardly.
A little startled at the hand, Luffy looked up at Zoro, watching him silently briefly before he grinned brightly. "Yeah, you are. You promised so I knew it couldn't be true, even if he made it seem like it was."
Before he could say anything more, assuming he wanted to, Nami appeared on the lizard as it jogged closer to them, two large bags tied to its shoulder area bouncing in the movement. "I have transport and provisions," she called out as she came within speaking distance, ignoring the seemingly touching scene happening before her. "We can stop by the campsite on the way to Baratie to pick up the rest of your stuff." She pulled on the lizard's reins, stopping it beside the two as she stared calmly down.
"You have any rations?" asked Zoro gruffly, his hand falling to his side as he stared up at the girl.
Nami raised her eyebrow. "What do you think that is?" she asked, gesturing to one of the bags. "I'm not an idiot, give me a little credit here."
Luffy's eyes were glued to the bag the moment she gestured to it. Food... he liked that idea. He grinned happily up at her as he came closer. "I dunno who you are, but thanks!"
Zoro eyed the girl as a vague wariness washed over his face. "Who are you, anyway?"
Nami raised her eyebrows. "Hey, don't give me that look; it's not my fault you never asked my name," she told him sharply then smiled over at Luffy. "I'm Nami, a freelance navigator currently working for you two. I know you're Luffy, but what's your cranky friend's name? He never told me either." She gestured to Zoro, knowing full well his name but pretending she didn't.
"That's Zoro!" Luffy answered cheerfully, glancing at his bodyguard with a huge grin. "He's the best bodyguard ever! Does that mean you're the best navigator too?"
Nami grinned back, her eyebrows pulled down slightly, giving her expression more of an edge. "Of course I am! No one's better at navigating than me-land or sea."
"Wow!" Luffy stared up at her, clearly impressed, while she just grinned back proudly.
"Gimme a break." Stepping over to the lizard, Zoro promptly threw his leg onto the creatures back in an attempt to hoist himself up.
"Hey," Nami said, turning around and shoving hard on Zoro to push him off. "Don't get on the lizard, you're full of blood! Go grab some clean clothes somewhere. I refuse to travel for hours with someone so disgusting, and you'll probably attract every predator from here to Baratie." She turned to Luffy and gestured at him impatiently. "Go get some robes for us too. Ours are disgusting."
Luffy looked down at his clothes with a blink. He didn't think they were so bad... But then, he was covered in dirt and filth from the storage building, and Nami's wasn't much better after dragging him around. Shrugging, he turned to look for something slightly clean they could both use.
Clearly exasperated, the bodyguard gave Nami an irritated glare before looking over at Ricks' prone body. He strode over to his fallen foe. Silently, he crouched down and removed the man's robe from his unconscious body. Surprisingly, since it had been open in front its edges were barely tinged with blood despite the pool the bandit was lying in. Still, it was far better than the soiled garment Zoro was currently wearing. Shedding the ruined shirt from his torso, his figure lightly bent as the moonlight revealed stained bandages that were tightly wrapped around his torso. The dressings had begun to peel off, a long, dirty ribbon dangling from his side.
Tossing the shirt onto the ground, Zoro wrapped himself within the robe, securely tying it in place. The loosening bandages were neatly tucked away from view.
Luffy, who had been rummaging around the area staring at the ground, finally found some acceptably clean robes. He was actually fairly surprised to find any; Zoro had made quite a mess. It was a little disturbing, walking among so many fallen bodies, but he knew they had been bad men so it didn't bother him as much as it could have. He jumped up, holding a robe in each hand as he waved them wildly at their new navigator. "I found some!" He grinned and jogged toward the lizard, still holding them up high.
Nami, who had been watching the sky to gauge the weather and guess the time, looked over at the sudden noise. "Yeah, great," she said a little distractedly, and reached down to take one when Luffy came within distance. "Here, give me that and get on. The sun will rise soon; we should get as far as we can before the heat hits us too hard."
Luffy's grin remained as he pulled himself up onto the lizard behind her, holding her waist lightly for balance as he looked around for his bodyguard. "Hey, Zoro! Ready yet?"
Grunting lightly in response, Zoro finished adjusting his robe before silently striding over to the lizard. "You gonna let me on this time?"
Nami eyed him appraisingly. "This time, yes. Get on, we need to go." She turned forward, hands on the rein, ready to take off immediately.
"Yeah, yeah, just hurry up," spoke Zoro gruffly as he hoisted himself onto the lizard. "I'm ready to get to Baratie."
Nami made a soft noise of disbelief (like she had been the one holding them back that long!) and gripped the reins, about to urge the lizard into movement. She paused, though, and glanced around. "We should really look for a second lizard first," she said, thinking aloud, starting to turn the lizard back toward the center of town.
"What?" Zoro sounded annoyed, an eyebrow lightly twitching. "Why? Isn't this lizard good enough?"
She twisted, peering over Luffy's shoulder in annoyance. "It's a good idea, we should do it. It shouldn't take too long..."
"It's not necessary," he curtly growled. "We'd risk another encounter with some stray bandits, and then we'd be wasting even more time."
Nami stared at him, annoyed, but she could see he was going to be stubborn about this. Besides, he had a point. Still... She sighed, not wanting to deal with another argument. "Fine, whatever." She pulled on the reins and redirected the lizard one last time. Within moments, they were sprinting across the desert as the sky steadily lightened around them. It was going to be a long time before they reached the campsite and even longer before Baratie. She just hoped her patience held out.
The sweltering sun's rays poured relentlessly onto the trio as they plodded along. The poor lizard they were all crammed onto looked like he'd rather be dead than carrying his current sweaty, unhappy load. He had been rushed for hours to get to the campsite, and only had time to rest while they packed up the tent before he was pushed to travel more. That day had been taxing, and they had only rested when the girl pointed out their transportation was about to fall over. They rested (not nearly as long as the lizard wanted!) and slept for a bit, and then it was back to traveling as fast as possible again. In short, the lizard looked, and felt, like hell.
Roronoa Zoro didn't look that much better himself. His face was pale and rather worn, the stolen shirt lightly flapping in the hot wind as he held onto Luffy's waist. "Can't you make this thing hurry up? I gotta get to Baratie so I can claim my swords."
Nami looked over her shoulder at Zoro, trying to give him a Look while the lizard's jolting run bounced her around and Luffy's hat kept getting in her way. "This lizard is trying to carry three people at once—they're only made for one, maybe two at most. What do you want me to do? It can only go so fast. Anything that would've happened to your swords would've happened by now. If you were going to make such a big deal about going faster, maybe you should've let us look around for another lizard beforewe took off."
Luffy, leaning against her back, stuck between Zoro and Nami, made a pitiful whimpering noise as he ignored their conversation. "I'm hot..." he whined softly, tilting his forehead to rest against what would have been the back of her head if she hadn't been looking back at Zoro—but since she was, his 'precious' straw hat was scratching the side of her head irritatingly, and she just felt even hotter with his body heat that much closer. She glanced at him too in irritation, though turned her gaze back to Zoro to see if he understood what a ridiculous request that was.
Zoro gritted his teeth, his cranky gaze heatedly peering at her through the sunlight. "Easy for you to say," he growled. "The fate of my swords doesn't affect you at all." Growling with frustration, he stared up at the cloudless sky, vexed with how endlessly hot it was. "I can't believe I lost them. I have to get them back. Make the lizard go faster."
Nami narrowed her eyes, nearly glaring at him before she smiled sweetly and the expression turned a bit ominous. "Alright, Zoro," she answered, sarcasm tingeing her honeyed voice, "I have a great idea, then. You jump off the lizard and run along at its side, and maybe we dump Luffy too, and then I'm pretty sure the lizard will go a little faster."
Zoro's eyebrows furrowed. "Quit joking around. This isn't funny!"
Luffy leaned against Nami more, continuing in his own train of thought instead of listening to either of them. "And I'm hungryyy," he whined, the words drawn out pathetically.
Nami tried to ignore Luffy as she glared at Zoro. "I'm not joking! How can I make it go any faster when we're already asking too much of it? Sprint can only do so much, can't you, Sprint?" She patted the lizard on its neck while the lizard jumped a little higher in happiness at the touch.
"Sprint?" Zoro stared at the back of Nami's head with a blank stare. "You named it Sprint?"
"Of course!" Nami said, smiling down at the lizard. "What else would I name him?"
"Lizard," grunted the swordsman.
Nami shook her head, making a scoffing noise. "You have no imagination." She pushed back at Luffy, annoyed at him leaning against her so much. What was with these people? They had no patience and no navigational skills, and definitely no appreciation of how lucky they were to have found her. But then again, what could she expect from nobility? They used everyone around them until they had nothing left to give, and then they used them more.
"Zorooo," Luffy drawled from behind her, deciding she wasn't giving him any food so maybe he should try the other person, "What's going on? When do we eat?" And, just in case Zoro was going to ignore him like Nami was, he sulkily leaned back against him to make him pay attention.
"We eat when we get to Baratie," he spoke gruffly, staring warily at the rubber man. "Hey, Nami, when are we getting to Baratie?"
Nami was very tempted to reply 'we get there when we get there' but she decided it would only make him ask again and frustrate her more. She looked around at their environment—noting a few hidden landmarks, considering the height of the sun in the sky, mentally assessing the map of the area—and almost sighed at her conclusion. "Soon enough, depending on if we run into any sandstorms along the way. I doubt we will; the weather seems stable enough today."
The bodyguard regarded her with a bland expression before casting a tired, aggravated gaze around himself. The sooner they got to Baratie, the sooner Luffy would quit wallowing all over him while complaining about being hot and hungry. Sitting in silence for several moments, the green-haired main surveyed the area, alert for any signs of strange activity. But the desert seemed peaceful and at rest.
Zoro noted with mild interest that some scattered plant life had begun to appear upon the desert surface, namely cacti and certain kinds of dry grasses. It wasn't much, but it was different from what he'd been seeing for the past monotonous week. Those flags poking out from behind the dunes added a nice touch to the terrain, too…
-wait…flags?
Nami noticed the flags as well, and narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the sight. Flags? She didn't remember Baratie ever having flags on the outskirts of town. She had been by here many times before, but this was a new addition. Did it have something to do with the recent bandit attacks on the area...? She was still considering this when Luffy straightened behind her.
"Ooh!" he said, his hunger and overheating forgotten in the face of something new and interesting. "Look, flags!" he said excitedly, as if he needed to point it out to the two who had noticed before him. "What are they for?" He leaned forward suddenly, putting one hand up to shade his eyes even more than his straw hat provided as he tried to make out the logos. "Maybe it's a game!"
The image of a skull and two unidentifiable shapes behind it shone brightly upon the black flags that waved violently in the wind. The sight would have seemed fearsome if it weren't for the fact that each skull had a prominent, long nose protruding from it. "Is this some sort of joke?" asked Zoro softly, raising an eyebrow.
Suddenly, however, an explosion detonated beside them, sending smoke, fire and sand through the air. The lizard reeled with fright, but managed to stay in place instead of running away. The blast had been a good thirty feet away and hadn't done them any damage - a warning shot.
Nami shrieked in surprise and covered her head with one hand, the other gripping the lizard tightly, but Luffy had the exact opposite reaction. As soon as he had been able to see the flags clearer, he straightened, and by the time the blast went off he was leaning toward the flags (and danger) with utter abandon. "Is that-?" he gasped mostly to himself, then whipped around to look at Zoro and point excitedly at the flags. "Pirates, Zoro!It's pirates! They have pirates in Baratie?" He was so excited that his grin dominated his face and his eyes sparkled with glee. He seemed utterly unconcerned with the fact that they had just been shot at and the lizard almost tipped over.
"Yes, idiot!" growled Zoro, gritting his teeth as he stared at the crater the explosion had left in the dry ground. "And they want us dead!"
Before Zoro could demand that Nami should find a better route, a large shadow loomed over one of the dunes. The figure was bold, and the sunlight shining behind it only emphasized its greatness. Apparently haughtily surveying them for a few moments, the newcomer chose to speak with a loud, resonating voice.
"Halt, bandits! Come not a step further, or my men and I will shower you in a torrent of bullets! I have a thousand members of my crew hiding behind the dunes, and back up is on the way!"
"Wow!" Luffy yelled, his eyes sparkling and his jaw dropping as he stared at the figure, "A thousand men? Amazing!"
Nami glared and pointed at the figure accusingly. "A thousand men wouldn't fit behind those dunes! What the hell are you trying to pull here?"
"Of course my men fit behind these dunes!" cried the man with great confidence. "For we have the amazing power of invisibility and are cloaked from the naked eye!" As he impressively tilted his head towards the sky, the shadow of what appeared to be an extremely long nose could be seen. "I am giving you one last warning - turn back or face utter doom!"
The swordsman, however, didn't seem nearly awed as Luffy. "Invisibility, huh?" he called, a smirk crossing his face.
Luffy gasped, eyes sparkling even more at the idea. "Invisible?"He looked around excitedly. "Are they around us right now?"
Nami scoffed, more in line with Zoro's thinking. "If you don't even have any men to back you up, why'd you bother attacking us?" she called out, annoyed.
"Do you honestly expect us to believe that you have over a thousand invisible men waiting to attack us?" called Zoro, becoming tired of this pointless game.
"Y-yes!" The man's certainty seemed to waver for a moment. "Our only demands are that you turn back and leave Baratie alone! This is your last warning!"
Luffy still looked excitedly around for the followers but Nami just rolled her eyes. "Come on, Sprint, let's go," she said to the lizard, urging him to start trotting toward Baratie again. "We don't have time for this stupidity."
"N-no, wait!" The figure stepped into full view, revealing a tanned boy who couldn't have been any older than eighteen. "Look, we just don't want any trouble. You bandits…you guys took a lot from our city last time." He paused, mustering a lightly trembling smile. "Aren't you bored of us?" he added hopefully.
Nami slowed Sprint to a stop when the figure spoke, but before she could say anything, Luffy burst out, "Bandits? We're not bandits!" He started laughing while Nami glanced at him sidelong. Well, she thought resignedly, there went any ideas at possibly using the man's belief to their advantage. Luffy, meanwhile, grinned at him. "You're funny! But if we're not bandits does that mean your men will go visible?" he asked the last rather hopefully.
"Luffy, there aren't any invisible men," muttered Zoro, lightly elbowing Luffy in the back.
The stranger however, seemed surprised at the prince's declaration. "Not bandits!" he exclaimed, genuinely surprised. His startled tone melted into confusion, which quickly took to skepticism. "If you're not bandits, why are you riding one of their lizards and wearing their clothes?"
"What! No invisible men?" Luffy exclaimed, surprised and disappointed. He turned to the stranger, looking angry and crestfallen at the same time. "You lied?"
Nami held her hands up, ignoring Luffy's outburst. "Why does it matter how this came to be? Maybe we were starving in the desert and ran across some bandits who had stupidly died of heat exhaustion, and we needed clothes and transportation and took it. More importantly, have you seen any bandits passing by recently? They may have been a small group."
"If you stole their supplies, you should at least have the decency to blot out their mark!" He gestured to Zoro, gritting his teeth. "The guy with the green hair is wearing their emblem like it's a fashion statement!"
Turning his head, the swordsman glanced back at the logo on his back with a raised eyebrow. "Y'mean it's not?" he asked vaguely.
"No!" cried the curly-haired boy, clenching a fist. "It's a mark of death!"
"It is?" Luffy asked, interested enough to let the invisible man thing go... for the moment, anyway. He turned to look at Zoro but he couldn't see the logo from his position. He furrowed his eyebrows down and turned to the stranger. "Now that you mention it, what did you mean about the bandits earlier...?"
"They've been terrorizing Baratie lately," Nami explained, glancing briefly at Luffy before she turned back to the man. "The bandits-did you see any group coming before us within the last few hours?"
"Why do you want to know?" called the boy, taking a step towards them, a slingshot clutched in his hand. "Are you trying to meet up with pals of yours?"
"No," Luffy said indignantly, crossing his arms and looking rather put out. "They're not our friends! They're mean and anyway they stole from us."
Nami nodded. "It's really important we get back what they took... Honestly, the bandits attacked us and we fought back and won, but we needed protection from the sun and swift transportation to catch them. If you must know, that's how we ended up like this." She gestured to Sprint and their attire.
"How do I know I can trust you?" The long-nosed fellow didn't sound convinced.
"Why should we trust you? You already lied about the invisible men! We never lied about being bandits," Luffy exclaimed. He was still angry about the invisible men-mostly because they sounded so cool and then they didn't exist. But maybe they really existed somewhere else!
"Luffy," Nami said, annoyed, "That's not helping any." She turned to consider the man. "But you're right. We can't trust him anymore than he thinks he can trust us. Even if he told us where the bandits were, it could be a trap. Let's just go find them on our own." She pressed her heels against Sprint's sides. "C'mon, we'd better start now. This may take us awhile."
"N-no!" The man stepped in front of them, spreading his arms out as if that would block them. "I've seen too many people get hurt from the likes of you. If you're going into the town, my invisible army and I will have to escort you and make sure you don't try anything funny."
Luffy eyed the man suspiciously. "Is there an invisible army, or is there not? I wish everyone would make up their minds!"
"Ahh, if you insist," Nami said with a sweet smile. "Just lead the way! But we don't have any room on Sprint; you'll have to walk."
"Walking is not a problem for me!" boasted the man, his chest puffing out with pride. "I've walked to Anchor and back by myself in two days!" Turning on his heel, he resolutely began to march forward, but his suspicious gaze would occasionally flicker back towards the trio. The curly-haired teen took to waving his slingshot at them, apparently as a reminder of what he could be capable of.
Zoro had watched this scene unfold, a lazy expression on his face as he let Nami and Luffy do the talking for him.
"What!" Luffy exclaimed at the man's claim regarding Anchor, "But it's taken us—!" He stopped himself just in time, glanced once at Zoro, then continued more calmly, "—uh, this long to find someone that cool? Amazing!" He paused, then asked after they had walked a bit, "Who are you, anyway?"
The man grinned at Luffy's delight, staring up at the cloudless sky as a scant flock of birds glided towards the city ahead. "I am The Great Captain Usopp!" he declared, a thumb thrusting itself into his thin chest as he strode along. "Friend to the fine city of Baratie!"
"Ohhh," Luffy said, grinning. "I'm Luffy! And this is Zoro and Nami! We're—Wait! Did you say Captain Usopp? So you do have an invisible pirate crew!" He slammed one fist into the open palm of his other hand, pleased to have discovered the truth finally.
Nami just rolled her eyes. It amazed her that he was still on the invisible pirate crew topic...
"Luffy..." Usopp drawled the name out upon his lips. "That name sounds oddly familiar..."
Zoro gritted his teeth. "It's-a fairly common name," he spoke up at last.
"Maybe where you come from!" laughed the curly-haired man, a strangely nervous edge to his voice.
Luffy looked lost somewhere between sheepishness and confusion, but the expression passed fairly quickly. "So where are we going, anyway?" He gasped, suddenly throwing himself forward and smashing into Nami who grunted and yelled out in annoyance. He ignored her, though, as he tried to peer down at Usopp. "You're from Baratie? That means you know where we can get food!"
"Luffy," Nami growled from beneath him, "get off me! And we have to find the bandits first, you idiot!" She shoved backwards really hard, forcing him off her so roughly that he would have slammed into Zoro if he hadn't caught himself just in time.
"What?" Luffy pouted, "But I want food... How can we go bandit-searching if we're too hungry to think?"
"Food?" inquired Usopp, looking up at the trio again. "Of course I know where to get food! I know where to get the finest food that will make your knees buckle and your hands tremble! It's the place for the most delicious-"
"We get the point," Zoro said shortly.
Luffy was drooling at the description, almost falling off Sprint as he leaned heavily toward Usopp. "Whaaa? I want that food! Can we go there? Where is it? Is it close? Is it really that good?" His eyes sparkled dangerously brightly at the idea.
Nami just looked at him in annoyance before turning to Zoro, hoping that he at least would look at this sensibly. "Zoro, do we wantto find the bandits or not? Are we seriously considering stopping for a freaking brunch?"
The bodyguard rubbed at his lightly aching temples, eyebrow lightly twitching. On one hand, he knew without a doubt that he needed to get his swords back. On the other hand, he felt like he couldn't put up with another minute of Luffy's whining. "You and Luffy here can get something to eat while I go look for them," he spoke at length.
Nami shook her head. "You'll never find them on your own—I've been to Baratie several times. I know the area well, and where you'll need to go to look. Besides, you'd get lost immediately and it'd take us all day just to find you again. Let's find this restaurant, check it out, and Luffy can eat there while we go look. I'm sure he wouldn't mind waiting around a restaurant until we returned." The last was added rather dryly; she may not know Luffy well but if there was one thing she knew, from the moment she had first seen him the boy had been obsessed with food.
Luffy nodded at the plan. "That works! Let's go!" He punched one fist into the air, the other hand holding his hat down as he grinned happily.
Zoro was quiet for several moments. He didn't particularly like the idea of leaving the prince alone, but knowing that he couldn't be shot made the suggestion slightly easier to consider. Not to mention the bodyguard liked the idea of killing two birds with one stone - feed Luffy, find swords.
"All right," he finally agreed. "But Luffy has to promise not to leave the restaurant."
Luffy's grin slipped and he looked over his shoulder at Zoro solemnly. He stared at Zoro for a moment, then closed his eyes and bowed his head forward slightly. "I promise I won't leave the restaurant. I'll absolutely stay there until you come back," he said, and he meant it.
Nami looked at Luffy, mildly surprised by his reaction. Strange. Apparently he took promises very seriously...
By now, they had entered the bustling city, it's streets lined with market tents and ornate buildings. A group of children was rushing past them, giggles floating airily behind them until they spotted the lizard. Stopping short, their eyes seemed to bulge from their sockets and their stares settled onto Zoro in particular.
Laughing nervously, Usopp waved his hand at them. "Go on, go on, there's nothing to see here. Captain Usopp has already brought them into submission. I won't let them get out of control!" Watching the trio crammed onto Sprint for a moment, the children eventually did as they were told, disappearing into a crowd of adults.
Staring over at Zoro, Usopp muttered, "Oi, you might wanna take off that shirt while you're here."
"Take off my shirt?" The idea seemed to irritate him, but he apparently saw enough sense in the idea to remove the garment.
Luffy watched Zoro then turned to Usopp. "Do we need to take ours off too?" he asked, gesturing to Nami and himself.
Nami twitched and smacked Luffy hard on the head. "I am not taking off my shirt!"
Luffy brought his hands up to his head and looked at her with a hurt expression. "...Ow," was all he said, a bit sulkily.
They walked along in silence, Usopp apprehensively leading the way. They passed by an entire market place, and Zoro's eyes roamed the area, trying to find his swords while they were passing through. When they left it behind with no missing sword in sight, the bodyguard frowned and held a displeased silence.
Finally, however, they arrived at a highly decorated building. The outside showed off cheery hues of pastels that filled almost any onlooker with a warm glow. A lavish sculpture of a fish perched upon the rooftop, staring down at the happenings of the city. It gleamed with the bright sun's rays, and Usopp gave a small smile while staring at it for a moment before he whirled around to his companions. "Well, this is it!" he proclaimed proudly. "Great, isn't it?"
Luffy made an appreciative, impressed noise, staring up at the fish on top as he held his hat down. "Amazing!" He paused, then inhaled deeply. "I can smell the food out here! It smells so good!" Excited, he shifted and was about to jump off when he realized Zoro was still holding onto his waist to steady himself. He grinned at Zoro over his shoulder, saying cheerfully, "My stop! I'm gonna get off now."
Zoro looked down at Luffy for a moment before silently sliding his arms away from his waist. Turning to Usopp, his voice was clear and direct. "Anything happens to the kid and I come looking for you. Got it?"
Usopp managed a short, "Eep!" which Zoro took to be an affirmative.
Luffy laughed, waving a hand at Zoro. "It'll be fine, it'll be fine! It always is somehow." He grinned brightly and carefully shifted so he wouldn't upset Nami or Zoro, then jumped off the lizard. He landed with a huge grin and a bounce in his step near Usopp, one hand holding down his hat while the other rested at his stomach. "I'm so hungry I could eat the whole building!" he declared, laughing and closing his eyes in merriment.
Nami stared at Luffy. He was such a strange person. They all were, really. Looking at Zoro over her shoulder, she raised an eyebrow. "Alright, ready?"
Scooting up slightly, Zoro gave a simple nod and cast a glance at Luffy that clearly said, Don't you dare wander off.
"C'mon-" Usopp took Luffy's arm, leading him inside with bright eyes. "The food here is great!"
Luffy glanced over his shoulder with an expression that read, Geez, I already promised, didn't I? I won't. Then, smiling brightly at Zoro and Nami for good measure, he yelled out a quick, "Good luck!" and, laughing, was pulled into the building. He quickly turned his attention away from Nami and Zoro as he looked around inside. He was actually pretty happy to be in there with just Usopp-even though he lied about the invisible men (or had he? Luffy still wasn't quite sure what was happening with that), he seemed like a lot of fun. He hadn't ever gotten the chance to meet so many people his age before; he was extremely excited to be lead through a restaurant with the best smelling food with a new friend his age. Luffy's grin widened even more, and he happily followed along with Usopp.
Outside the restaurant, Nami watched Luffy disappear into the building then turned to Zoro. "Alright," she said as she looked down at Sprint, "we can stay on Sprint through most of Baratie but some of the places we have to go, he will just get in the way. Obviously everyone here associates these lizards with the bandits, so we can do it one of two ways-walk on our own and try to infiltrate the area quietly, or we can use the fact that people fear the bandits and maybe they'll be more likely to help. But then we may run into resistance. I think we should leave Sprint here; we can pull out your shirt if we need the bandits' insignia."
"We can leave the lizard in a dumpster for all I care," grumbled Zoro. Upon hearing those words, the scaly beast pawed nervously at the ground, slits for eyes glaring at the swordsman. "I just want my weapons back. Walking isn't a problem for me."
Nami shrugged, jumping off Sprint and patting him on the neck. "Stay here, Sprint. We'll be back." Turning to peer down the street in the direction of the market she thought the swords were most likely to be, she shielded her eyes from the sun and said, "We're going this way, then. Don't lose sight of me, and don't get distracted. There's a lot going on in that market, but if we lose each other it'll just take that much longer to get your swords back." She turned and looked sternly at Zoro, "And if you see the swords, nod in their direction or somehow let me know without saying it aloud. If those people realize how much you want them we'll never get them back cheap."
Zoro waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, okay." Slipping off of their ride, the bodyguard headed off into the direction Nami had referred to.
Nami stared at Zoro's back with an unimpressed expression. Somehow, she doubted this would go as well as it should... Shrugging and putting her hands up helplessly, she jogged to catch up to him. "Hey! Didn't I just tell you not to lose me?" she demanded, though she didn't put much vehemence behind the words. Keeping at his side, she wandered toward the market place even as she considered the best places to check first. She hadn't been to Baratie in awhile. She wondered if her favorite merchants were still around...