Hello everyone! Here's another chapter for you all to enjoy!
I might change some things in the summary, seeing as how I can never be random, so expect an actual storyline. Since I am so dependent on the One Piece world, I can only ask that you forgive me for using parts of the actual story.
As for other story updates, the next story I'll probably update is "Road to Despair", and then maybe post a new chapter of "A Different Take". I like that story too much because it requires next to no effort on my part. Just a little bit of this, and that, and bam! Chapter is made.
This story though...I went through so many revisions of doing this chapter that I just said screw it. I'll try to update more, but no promises! Next time I update might be a month from now, depending on my level of laziness.
I do not own One Piece as that belongs to Eiichiro Oda, Toei, and whomever else owns it.
Coby struggled to keep up with the weird man. Luffy had claimed that he was headed in the direction he felt was right, but the purple haired marine-wannabe knew that the sinner knew more than he was telling him.
They stood in front of the casino known as Rain Dinners again. Luffy looked annoyed.
"You have got to be kidding me..."
"Well, I was telling you that we were headed back towards Rainbase..."
"That doesn't matter!" Luffy growled out, his vest and eyes becoming red.
Coby made a small squeak of fear out and cowered near the ground.
The sinner stared at him for a bit before sighing. His clothes returned to normal and he started walking into the casino.
"Whatever. Sorry, Coby, but I'm not in a good mood right now." Luffy grinned maliciously as he walked in.
"At least I know a great way to relieve myself of this stress..."
Coby didn't know whether to run away or to huddle in a corner and cry.
"Hey! Come on out, you sandy asshole!"
Managing to catch everyone's attention, Luffy strolled in. Anyone who dared to look at him flinched in fear at the maniacal, enraged expression he wore.
"Brat, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"
The sinner's path was blocked by many loyal guards of Rainbase, intending on stopping the young man.
Without a word, Luffy's clothes turned to a dark purple.
"Get out."
Even as they protested, the guards couldn't stop as their bodies ran out of the casino and Luffy continued towards the detestable scent of a dead man.
Crocodile finished explaining the final details of his plan to the remaining single digits of Baroque Words. Sadly, most of his forces had been decimated, but it showed him the quality of his former subordinates. Miss All Sunday, Mr. 1, Ms. Doublefinger, and Mr. 2 had survived. The others were either dead, or in hiding, in which case they should hope he never finds them.
Before anyone could leave, the doors leading to the upstairs casino burst open.
"What?! Who dares interrupt-?!"
"Eh? This is your secret base?" A man suddenly appeared in on of the empty seats at the table, "What kind of idiot surrounds himself with their weakness? You all must be a whole new breed of stupids."
Crocodile's eyes widened as he recognized the man in the chair.
"Monkey D. Luffy! What are you doing here?"
The other Baroque Works members got up at the mention of his name. It didn't carry a high bounty, but he was well known in the world of criminals, and the World Government.
"Oh hey, don't get up on my account. Wait, you're that lady from before! Have you reconsidered-"
"No. Now that I know who you are, I don't even want to be near you." She said coldly, though she had begun to sweat in fear.
"Now, for why I'm here..." Luffy brought his hands down on the table as his vest turned red.
The table at his end was shattered, "...it's because some asshole decided to intterupt my sleep with a sandstorm. Even if everyone's got some sand in their panties, only one of you smells arrogant enough to think he can get away with it."
He stood up from his chair as flames erupted from his body.
"Hmph. So you have flames now? What do you call that one, you wretched excuse of a human?"
Sand swirled around the sandman as the others backed off, knowing that to get into this fight would lead to death or serious injury.
"Remember your orders." Crocodile told his underlings when he noticed their retreat.
They didn't hesitate once they saw the embodiment of hellfire leap into a wall of sand.
Rainbase was a place well known for its shady dealings. People would come to the city to either waste away, or to indulge in their darkest desires.
Though, on that fateful day, the city began to change. It would go on to show that any city, and anyone could rise from the depths and become a place known for its hospitality and kindness.
The event that triggered this change was when Rain Dinners became a massive fireball that released a hellish flame tornado that would destroy half the city.
When the storm died down, Crocodile looked around, trying to find his enemey. The city was far behind them, and they were now in the middle of the desert. This worked for the Shichibukai as he still needed the people to be on his side if he expected to easily rule this kingdom.
He never saw Luffy descend on him from above. The strike passed through Crocodile's body, but it melted his sand body. The pain was so great that it even caused him to hesitate, wondering if he would die from such a thing.
Luffy didn't get away unscathed. The sand in the area shot towards the sinner, but he managed to avoid the blades of sand. A large gash formed in his side and as he tried to get his bearings, the storm of sand raged around him, effectively blinding him.
"I know that if we were to fight in that place two years ago, you would kill me." Crocodile's voice rang out around Luffy, "But here, I am invincible! In this dry, desolate land, I am king!"
Luffy grit his teeth before calling on more of his strength. It was dangerously low as is, but he couldn't lose!
Not until he was able to demolish this bastard!
"Pride!"
In an instant, the sandstorm stopped. The Shichibukai found that Luffy was in front of him, fist buried in his stomach.
The sandman grabbed Luffy's arm and to mummify it, but his concentration was interrupted when Luffy hit him hard in the face. His fists were heavier than before, and it was clear that whatever the sinner was doing, it was draining his strength.
Before the sandman stood not a man, but a monster that was able to drive long, sharp spikes of fear into his heart. Something that only one man had been able to do before in his life.
Driven more by instinct than rational thought, Crocodile impaled Luffy with his hook. The golden blade pierced through the flesh, gouging through the man, but he barely noticed it. His mind was clouded by the sudden weakness of using too much power.
Going above and beyond his limits was something he did occasionally, but he had been too careless. In a fight between strong, experienced fighters, something like weakness was deadly.
But even if he felt numb and weak, a fire still burned in his heart. He couldn't lose here. He couldn't fall because of something like getting impaled! He still had unfinished business!
Luffy pulled his adversary closer, grabbing his arm and keeping him in place. The sandman couldn't react in time as a fist was smashed into his face. He tried to reform away, but he knew it was too late.
Logia types might seem to be the strongest, but they were only human. And all humans felt fear, and fear is an overwhelmingly powerful emotion, capable of bringing the strongest to their knees.
Again and again, Luffy continued to hit Crocodile. The man's head would fly back, only to be brought back to get hit again, and again, and again. Blood flew through the air, landing and being absorbed by the sand below their feet.
Each time, the strikes would get stronger as the sinner felt the need for justice grow, until finally, he hit hard enough to send the sandman flying. The hook was ripped violently out of his body, taking an obscene amount of flesh with it, and drenching his lower body in his blood.
Luffy stumbled before falling to his knees. He didn't his eyes off his fallen foe until his strength started to fade rapidly. Cursing, he could only muster the smallest amount of energy he had left.
There were no words uttered as his wounds started to heal. He could only fall to the ground unconscious.
He hoped that had been enough. It wasn't everyday that he would have to use Pride more than twice in one week.
Soft steps were muffled by the sand as Robin walked towards the two fighters. The others had left for Alubarna, but she had stayed behind. Crocodile dying here would be too detrimental to her plans, so she had to make sure that he would survive.
It didn't take too long to find the two. It wasn't hard following the large trail of molten sand and glass to where they had finally taken each other out.
Crocodile didn't look too good, but he seemed to be alive. He was only beaten badly, but Logias healed a bit differently than most. He was lucky that none of his limbs had been severed, and that he had only been brutally pounded into the sand.
The other man, Monkey D. Luffy was even more disturbing. The amount of blood that was in the area was shocking, and she could only suspect that it was his. Strangely, from just looking at him from afar, it seemed like he was okay. There was a large hole in his shirt and vest, but his tanned skin was the only thing there.
She walked closer to the sinner, pausing and kneeling down to his face.
It would be easy. There were worse ways to die than being suffocated in your sleep. All she would have to do it block his airway. A peaceful way to leave this soiled world.
But even as she contemplated it, she knew she wouldn't be capable of doing such a thing. Nor did she want to. Killing someone like this...didn't feel right. A well known man that had managed to change history, something she had thought impossible, didn't deserve to die like this.
Plus, she knew he was after Crocodile. He would chase the man down and kill him after he recovered. It's not like the historian was planning on giving Crocodile some sort of ultimate weapon, so the sinner could take her boss down and save the country.
"I wonder...why are you men of D. capable of doing such outrageous things...? Heh...maybe I'll never know the answer to that."
She got up, and used her power to carry her employer to her F-Wani.
After all of this, it would be over. If this was truly the path to the Rio Poneglyph, then it didn't matter. If it wasn't...
Then it would be too hard to move on. This weight that she carried, the burden that had been on her shoulders since that day would be too much. She would only have to hope that if she met her mother and her old friends in the afterlife were capable of forgiving her.
Hope you all enjoyed! I was planning on writing a bit more, but might as well start the next one with Luffy waking up. Oh, spoiler alert.
See you all next time!