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!
Extra A/N: Anticlimactic gunfight will be anticlimactic! (I think you know who you are! ;P)
Part 24- Mad Dog and Englishman
Luffy suppressed a sigh as the horse that had been dragging him slowed to a stop. The animal was still acting very skittish, and anything could set it off running again. Luffy preferred to avoid that...
He hadn't the faintest idea where they were anymore. Everything looked different from a flat on the ground perspective, most of the scenery had passed in a blur, and a rock had temporarily knocked Luffy senseless at one point during the wild dash. He sat up slowly and looked around. Low hills and dry grass surrounded him as far as the eye could see. Well, that narrowed it down...
Luffy flexed his arms, hoping that the dragging had weakened or loosened the rope holding him. Nope. He managed to get his feet underneath him and stood. The horse snapped its head around at the sudden movement, eyes wide.
"Oh no," Luffy whined plaintively, "not again..."
The horse bolted.
***
Nami allowed herself some time to cry the tears she'd been holding back for what seemed like a lifetime. One hand firmly gripped the brim of the precious straw hat, while the other wiped the last few salty drops from her cheeks.
"That's quite enough feeling sorry for yourself, Nami," she scolded out loud. "Now, get up and go do something about it!" She simply refused to sit back while others put themselves in harm's way in her name. Jaw set determinedly, she started the long walk to Arlong's.
On her way through town, she ran into a small crowd outside the old jail. Most were holding hoes and shovels, and they all looked mighty angry. Nami spotted Nojiko and hurried over to her sister. The other girl gave her a reassuring smile and waved with her injured arm, as though proving the wound was nothing but a trifle.
Genzo stood in the middle of the small circle of townspeople, memento saber fastened at his belt.
"We've let that scoundrel grind us under his heel for too long," he declared to much nodding and grumbled agreement. "We know he'll have sent some of his men with the Marshal, and we've some outsiders fighting for us, even now!" The former sheriff's eyes softened slightly as they settled briefly on Nami. "I say we take back our town or die trying!" The tiny mob roared their approval.
"Don't say that!" Nami knew there was an hysterical edge to her voice, but she didn't care, so long as she was heard. "Please," she added in a softer tone, once all eyes had turned to her. "I know how hard the last eight years have been for all of you, but please don't throw your lives away."
"It's long past time we made a stand," Genzo insisted. "We all should have done this from the very beginning."
"I guess I can't talk you out of this," she sighed, head tilted forward and bangs concealing her expression, "so I'm going with you!" She grinned recklessly up at the man who was the closest thing to a father figure she'd ever had. He beamed back at her and tossed her a walking stick, before turning to lead them all out of town.
They were almost out of sight of the town when Genzo held a hand up for silence.
"Does anyone else hear that?"
Nami was about to reply in the negative when she noted a faint sound that appeared to be growing louder and approaching at a pretty good pace. It sounded like a long, drawn out "oh." The end of a word perhaps? Finally, off to their left they could make out a a cloud of dust drawing nearer. She recognized Arlong's horse just before it thundered past, directly in front of them, dragging a body behind it.
"I said, 'Whoooooooa...'" the poor battered soul's voice trailed off after the quickly departing animal.
"Luffy?" Nami blinked, instinctively putting a hand to the hat still firmly on her head.
"Somebody needs to help him!" Nojiko stated firmly.
"I'll go with you," Genzo volunteered. "The rest of you go on ahead. Be careful!" Nami watched her sister and Genzo leave the road, following the horse at a brisk jog.
"How does he get himself into these messes?" she wondered. Still, she couldn't keep a slight smile from quirking the corner of her mouth. Nami fought her face back into a determined frown. If Luffy was in trouble already, it didn't bode very well for the other three.
***
Things back at Arlong's home remained at a standstill. No one was even firing anymore, everyone saving their bullets in order to make each one count. Arlong wasn't enjoying the fight as much anymore, but he figured he could fix that.
"We seem to have reached an impasse," he called toward the shed. "Why don't we settle this face to face?"
"We're not dumb enough to just take your word for it." The gunman's gruff voice was muffled from shouting around the corner of the small building. "How do we know you won't just shoot us as soon as we leave cover?"
"I'm a man who enjoys a good fight," Arlong chuckled. "There's no real fun in shooting fish in a barrel."
"What's your plan, then?" the blond rifleman inquired.
"We'll face you one at a time," Arlong offered. "Hatchi's been itching to test himself against you, Roronoa. He's heard a lot about you."
"That I have," Hatchi agreed, boldly stepping out into the open space between the porch and the shed. "It can be very difficult to weed out the lies and exaggerations, however. Why don't you come on out and show me what you've got?"
"Those are fighting words, if I ever heard them." Zoro lurched out from behind the shed, despite Sanji's protests. "You just might regret calling me out."
"Really?" Most men would have asked the question in a mocking tone designed to further aggravate their opponent. Hatchi asked with genuine curiosity. He really had heard a great many stories about the Devil's Gunman, but of all the things he might have expected, a pale, sickly looking teenager hadn't even made his list. "You're not afraid are you?"
"Shut up!" Zoro snarled, swaying slightly on his feet.
"It's been a long time since I've been in a good gunfight," Hatchi rambled, completely ignoring Zoro's icy glare, "but it's possible you might have heard something about me, too. They used to call me the Octopus." Hatchi brushed the sides of his duster back, revealing six holsters along his torso. "They used to say I was so fast on the draw, I must have extra arms!"
"Speed isn't everything," Zoro mumbled. He blinked the sweat out of his eyes, vision blurring in and out of focus. "You've got to have something else to back it up."
Hatchi let his hands hover over the two topmost holsters, fingers wriggling. Then, in the space of a few heartbeats, he had drawn, fired, and replaced all six guns. Zoro never flinched, even when one of the shots grazed his left ear.
"Impressed?" Hatchi asked, grinning broadly.
"That was mighty fancy," Zoro conceded, "I'll grant you that, but it just won't cut it if you can't make every shot count." He let his own hands drift down over the grips of his two main guns.
There was short stretch where time itself seemed to hold its breath while the two gunmen stared at one another. Hatchi reached for a gun, only to have it shot out of his hand. The process was repeated until the older man found himself disarmed and facing an opponent with more than enough shots left to put him in the ground.
"Me," Zoro grinned darkly, "I don't do tricks." He fired a shot into each of Hatchi's shoulders and watched the man crumple to the ground before falling to his own knees.
Kuroobi stepped down off the porch and started to walk over to the oblivious gunman. However, a figure stepped between him and his intended target.
"I'm afraid not," Sanji chided in a cool tone. "It's my turn now, you see." Kuroobi noted that the man no longer had his rifle in hand.
"Fighting unarmed, are we?" Kuroobi sneered at his foe.
"A rifle's not much good to me at close range, now is it?" Sanji countered.
"Fine by me," Kuroobi smiled wickedly, unbuckling and discarding his own gun belt. "I've always preferred the hands on approach."
Without any warning he swung a fist at Sanji's head, followed closely by a leg sweep that the cook only narrowly avoided. He was quick to retaliate with a kick of his own that was expertly side-stepped by Kuroobi. They circled each other, occasionally exchanging blows, while Arlong watched the proceedings with a predatory smirk.
Subtly, Sanji directed their movements closer to the last remaining horse, which was currently grazing on a clump of grass a short distance away. In fact, it was on the slope of the very hill from which they had approached the property. If he could distract Kuroobi, he might be able to make a break for it and go after Luffy. He noted that Zoro had dragged himself back to his feet and was watching Arlong warily.
Sanji also took note that his foe fought chiefly with his upper body, though occasionally resorting to kicks. Sanji faked a kick to one of Kuroobi's knees, pulling the blow at the last moment and transferring the momentum into a roll past the outlaw. Unfortunately for Sanji, Kuroobi had seen him looking at the horse, and the chef found himself knocked to the ground by a kick at the back of his own knees.
He rolled quickly to the side, barely escaping an axe kick that would have impacted his skull. He tucked his powerful legs beneath him and launched himself at the temporarily unguarded Kuroobi, driving one rather bony shoulder into the other man's gut. Smirking with satisfaction at the sound of the wind being knocked out of his opponent's lungs, Sanji spun toward the horse again.
He paused to catch his breath part way through his climb to the horse, turning to look out from the relative height, seeking any sign of Luffy. His eyes widened as he saw Arlong's horse had come full circle, stopping behind the main house, out of view of Arlong and Zoro. He couldn't tell whether Luffy was moving at all, at first, but he let out a sigh of relief when two figures approached the prone boy. This quickly transformed to dread, however, when he realized he didn't see Kuroobi anywhere. He scarcely had a moment to process the thought before a body slammed into his back, sending them rolling back down the slope. Sanji cursed himself for not noticing his opponent sneaking around behind him.
The chef managed to snag two handfuls of Kuroobi's shirt and pull them into a face to face position as they rolled down the hill. He tucked his legs in and used the momentum of the roll to boost his own kick, sending Kuroobi flying just before his own body slammed into the ground at the bottom of the hill. The outlaw sailed through the air and through the window in the side of the main house with a crash.
Sanji dragged himself to his feet, wiping away a trickle of blood from a small cut to his scalp sustained in the tumble. He started to head behind the house when he heard a cry of pain around front. Oh, that was right, Zoro was still back there with Arlong...
"Abrasive bugger probably won't even appreciate the hand," Sanji sighed and limped toward the front of the house.
End Notes:
I have mentioned that I hate gunfights, haven't I? Well, I still do! DX Poor Hatchi barely gets any focus at all, and then his fight's over too quickly because of the stupid guns... At least Sanji's fight is decent.
Originally, I wanted Arlong to make a comment about "only mad dogs and Englishmen," but the earliest I can find that phrase in usage is the 1930s. Sadly, that means it got relegated to titling only...
Luffy being dragged past kind of broke up the dramatic tone, but it was too funny to me to not use it! XD