Disclaimer: All the characters herein, with the exception of some random extras, are the intellectual property of Eiichiro Oda and all the companies involved with publishing and production of the One Piece manga and anime. I just twisted 'em a bit.
Spoilers/Warnings: This story will eventually encompass the entire first season of the anime, which is up to about halfway through volume 11 of the manga, just so you know. This is an AU, so many things have been changed/altered/warped to suit my needs. Also, there is some language and violence.
Pairing: None. However, I like subtext, so you can probably find hints of just about anything, if you look for it.
Dedication: To the OP at the fanforall at LJ, for requesting a cowboy AU and spawning this in my brain. Many thanks to Dandy Wonderous for beta-ing.
A/N: Name order for all characters has been westernized. Don't like it? Tough cookies! I do not claim to be an expert on anything involving gun fighting, the old west, or the cavalry. I did some very basic research for some of this, but I probably got lots of stuff wrong. Humor me!
Part 20- Into the Fire
Usopp crouched behind a large rock and desperately attempted to catch his breath. It seemed like he'd been running for ages! He was pretty sure he'd lost most of Arlong's men, except for the blond guy with the odd lips.
Part one of his plan, "distract Arlong and his men," had gone off without a hitch. Part two, "take the fight somewhere you have an advantage," was proving considerably more difficult. It didn't help that he was completely unfamiliar with the area.
He palmed his ammunition bag and frowned to himself: he was running a little low. Usopp preferred river rocks because the small, smooth shapes were more aerodynamic, but water had been scarce of late on the journey and he hadn't had a chance to restock. He'd run in the opposite direction of the creek, so that was out. He took a look around and blinked.
It seemed he'd wandered his way all the way up near the mining operation! Small rocks were in abundance here, but they were all rather jagged. He picked one up for closer inspection and sucked in a hissed breath as a sharp edge made a small slice in his thumb. He turned the piece over on his palm. It looked almost like flint... He pocketed the stone and peered over the top of his makeshift hiding spot.
Boulders like this one were scattered throughout the area. Given a little time to plan, this area would be perfect for him to make a stand! If he started over there, near the mine entrance... Usopp was so caught up in his plotting, he failed to notice the approaching footsteps until a shadow fell over him. He turned around into a sharp, back-handed blow.
"I've had just about enough of chasing you around, boy." Usopp saw stars and felt someone haul him to his feet through his daze. Both his arms were twisted behind him roughly, and his wrists were clamped in a bruising grip. "I'd take care of your worthless hide myself, but the Boss wants to deal with you personally."
***
Arlong was not at all pleased when he returned home to interrogate Roronoa and found an empty cell in the basement, an unconscious guard, and Nami nowhere to be found. Arlong and his men gathered in his study to discuss the situation.
"There's no way he could have reached the keys on his own," Kuroobi insisted. "Someone had to let him out. There was only one other person, besides the guard, here when we left."
"Nami's not an idiot." Arlong frowned. "She wouldn't do anything to jeopardize our deal. At least, not when she thinks she's so close to getting what she wants most."
"Maybe somebody broke in and freed him," another man suggested.
"You know she hates you," Kuroobi continued. "She probably set the gunman loose so he could kill you."
"If that were the case," Arlong rolled his eyes, "why wouldn't he wait here to ambush us?"
"Maybe he got bored?" It was the same man from before. Kuroobi preempted any further stupid comments with a cold glare.
"Whether she set Roronoa free or not," Kuroobi muttered, scowling, "her sudden disappearance is suspicious."
"Don't be so paranoid!" Everyone looked to the doorway, where Nami was standing, leaning casually against the frame. "I went for a ride. I needed some fresh air." Her eyes widened ever so slightly when she saw the small cut on Arlong's face. "Have a little trouble in town?"
"The incident is hardly worth mentioning." Arlong shrugged casually, but Nami knew him well enough to see the fury simmering just beneath the surface. "I plan to remedy it very shortly. Until then, I'd prefer to discuss other business. When did Hatchi's telegram say he would be returning?"
"It could be as early as today," Kuroobi informed him. "It depends on the marshal's schedule."
"That fool is almost more trouble than he's worth," Arlong grumbled. He strolled over to the window and scanned the area outside. A wicked grin slowly spread across his features when he saw two figures approaching the house. "It looks like Chu caught our friend the sniper..."
***
Zoro cursed under his breath. He'd found the road again, still unsure how he'd lost it in the first place, but he was almost certain he'd been to this very spot at least once before.
"Say, stranger, you lost?" Zoro was so preoccupied trying to figure out how he'd gotten where he was, he hadn't heard the horses approaching him from behind. He eyed the riders and tensed slightly when he realized that the man who had spoken was wearing a deputy badge. One of the other riders wore a marshal's badge and the rest screamed "hired muscle."
"Uh, yeah. I'm looking for Coco..." Zoro hoped he sounded casual. He didn't remember seeing this particular man at Arlong's earlier, and if he was lucky, the rider had never seen him either.
"Town's that way," the rider informed him, pointing down the road behind him. "What's your name, friend?" Zoro debated lying, but he wasn't sure how convincing his acting skills were. Finally, he opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted. "Who am I, you ask?" The deputy now pointed to himself. "My name is Hatchi." Again, Zoro attempted to get in a response, but Hatchi would apparently have none of it. "It was nice talking with you, but I must be going." With that, the deputy continued in the opposite direction from that which he had indicated led to town. All the other riders followed.
"That was... odd," Zoro mumbled to himself as he headed in the direction indicated before. He never noticed when he left the road again.
***
A small tributary of the stream ran through Arlong's property. He had his men dig out a small, artificial pond when he'd first settled here. Chu was currently holding the struggling Usopp's head under the surface of said pond. At a nod from Arlong, he pulled Usopp back upright by his hair.
"Are you ready to talk, now?" Arlong inquired, tone almost pleasant.
"I told you," Usopp spluttered, "I thought Zoro was here! Besides, even if I knew where he was right now, I wouldn't tell you! I won't tell you anything!"
"Well then," Arlong grinned wickedly, letting his hand drift down to the gun at his hip, "if you can't be of any further use..."
"I-I didn't say that!" Usopp almost wriggled free of his captor's hold in his panic.
"Keep him still, Chu." Arlong chuckled maliciously. "I'd hate to miss and make him suffer."
Usopp's mind raced, finally landing on a memory of a similar situation not that long ago. He slammed the back of his head into Chu's face and bolted when the man's grip loosened. He almost ran straight into Nami.
"You shouldn't have come here, Usopp," she told him solemnly. Usopp shuddered at the cold, emotionless mask of Nami's expression. He gasped aloud when he noticed the knife in her hand.
"Nami, wait! You don't really want to hurt me, do you?"
"Sorry, Usopp, but you're in my way." She really did sound disappointed. "You shouldn't have interfered."
Usopp's back was facing Arlong and his men, but they all saw him stiffen and then shudder as Nami stabbed forward with the blade. He raised one blood covered hand and stared at it in disbelief.
"Why?" The question was almost too quiet to hear. Nami's only answer was to shove him to the side and into the pond. He sank quietly out of sight.
"Hatchi's back," Nami announced dully, locking eyes with Arlong. "The marshal is waiting for you.
Arlong walked past her without a word. Kuroobi followed immediately after, not even attempting to hide the look of distrust on his face. The others left as well, leaving Nami alone and bloody at the edge of the pond.
***
"What in tarnation is wrong with this road?" Zoro wondered out loud as he looked around at what appeared to be a whole lot of nowhere in particular. There was a small hill ahead, so maybe he could get a better look around. The climb took more out of him than he thought it would, and he stumbled at the crest of the hill, rolling awkwardly down and, ironically, into the middle of the road.
"Whoa!" Zoro looked up to see that he'd almost been run over by a large horse with two familiar riders.
"Hey, it's Zoro! Whatcha' doin' in the middle of the road?" Luffy asked.
Zoro decided not to grace the question with a response. He stood stiffly and brushed some of the dust off of his clothes.
"Looks like things turned out okay at the restaurant..."
"It was wild!" Luffy beamed. "That Krieg guy had all these weird weapons and-"
"You can tell him all about it later," Sanji interrupted, rolling his eyes. He'd been listening to Luffy ramble the entire trip. He turned his focus to the dusty gunman. "Did you and that other fellow catch up with that delicate vision of beauty?" Sanji's eyes glazed over for a moment, and he was clearly picturing that "delicate vision."
"She's working for Arlong, the guy who took over this town and made himself sheriff. I don't think she'll be leaving with us, Luffy."
"Really?" Luffy frowned. "That mail guy said Arlong was the head of a gang, and Nami said she hates gangs..." He chewed his bottom lip for a moment. Then, another idea struck him. "Hey! I thought you were gonna call me 'Boss,' Zoro! Where's Usopp?"
"We got separated right after we got here." Zoro shrugged. "I figured I'd look for him in town."
"Perhaps he's already looking for you," Sanji offered casually as he lit a cigarette. Zoro's face paled as he thought about that.
"If he goes looking for me at Arlong's, they'll eat him alive! We've got to find him before he gets in over his head!"
"You're already too late." They all turned to see Nami had snuck up on them. Zoro mumbled a curse when he saw she was riding his horse, just as he'd suspected. She dismounted and thrust the reins at Zoro. He noticed she was wearing dark riding gloves, even though the weather was hot. "Take your horse and get out of here! All of you!"
"What do you mean we're 'too late?'" Zoro asked as he took the proffered reins.
"I mean Usopp is dead," she declared, straight-faced. "I killed him."
End Note:
Go ahead, give me a slow head shake of shame... I realize I copped out on the "Usopp death" by leaving it basically the same. What can I say? Faking a death is difficult!