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 25- The End is Near
Usopp tried to keep as much distance between himself and his pursuer as he could, hoping to provide himself with a little preparation time at his destination. Unfortunately, Chu was the better rider, and he was forced to dive behind a nearby boulder for cover.
"Well," Chu called out mockingly, "this is familiar..."
Usopp planned a route further up the slope to the main mine entrance. He'd have to take it in quick bursts. He hoped his opponent would keep talking so he could tell where the other man was.
"If I recall," Usopp jumped when the voice was nearer than he'd expected, "the last time didn't end too well for you." Chu was now directly on the other side of the boulder. It was as good a chance as any! Usopp dove toward another nearby rock, tucking and rolling to present the smallest possible target.
Apparently, Chu hadn't seen him. Usopp peered around his hiding place to see that Chu had his gun drawn and was scouting the area, eyes narrowed.
"Why don't you surrender, instead of running like a scared rabbit?"
While Chu's head was turned in the opposite direction, Usopp dashed to another large rock, even closer to the mine entrance. That time he was seen, a bullet striking the ground just behind him as he took cover.
"You aren't really heading for the mine, are you?" Chu scoffed. "Hiding in the dark won't save you, you know!"
Usopp said nothing to confirm or refute Chu's hypothesis. He needed some sort of distraction... The former outlaw was still ahorse, so with a silent apology to the animal, Usopp dove to the side and hit the horse on the flank with a well aimed pebble. While his foe tried to regain control of his mount, Usopp scrambled over to the relative safety of the mine entry.
"There has to be one around here some place," he mumbled under his breath, frantically scouring the ground around him. "Aha!"
Wary of being caught by the same trick again, Chu had dismounted. He stood a short distance from the mine entrance, next to a low outcropping, ready to dive for cover if necessary.
"That hole is just a dead end, boy!" It was just another taunt, so Chu was slightly taken aback when he actually received a reply.
"I know." The kid actually sounded calm! "Here, catch!" A rather large object came flying at him from the mouth of the shaft, and Chu instinctively reached out and snatched it out of the air.
"A lantern?" Chu was incredulous. "Is this an invitation to follow you in there?" He held the lantern up by the handle, the main body swaying slightly.
"Not as such." Chu was about to further question the boy when a pebble came sailing out of the mine, striking the base of the lantern. Chu could only watch as the body of the lantern swung around, spilling kerosene on him and the ground directly around him. He spluttered and glared at the dark opening in the hillside.
"I suppose you're hoping that will keep me from firing at you?" Chu groused.
"Hmm... I honestly hadn't thought of it that way," Usopp mused. He pulled the sharp, black rock he'd found earlier from his pocket and took aim at the ground at Chu's feet. "It certainly won't keep me from firing at you!"
The rock set off a lovely spark when it struck the rocky ground, setting Chu on fire. With a wail of dismay, he threw himself to the ground, rolling around in hopes of quenching the flames. When he finally came to a stop, Usopp was looming over him. The boy smirked triumphantly and slammed a fist into Chu's face.
"Damn," Usopp hissed. "That still hurts!" He shook out the injured appendage and headed off to collect the horses, who had been frightened off by the flames. "I wonder how the others are faring?"
***
Nami and the small crowd of townspeople reached the main gate of Arlong's property at about the same time as Sanji rounded the corner of the house. Zoro was on his hands and knees in the dirt, with Arlong standing over him, a shotgun gripped in both hands. From the look of things, the gunman had taken a blow to the gut from the butt of Arlong's weapon.
Sanji rushed forward and made to land a kick to Arlong's side, but the man had seen him coming and blocked the kick with the barrel of the gun and backhanded the chef before he could recover.
With both men at least temporarily incapacitated, Arlong turned his attention to the townspeople. He aimed the weapon at the center of the group, where a shot would do the most damage, and sneered.
"What's this? Finally decided to find your spines after all these years?" Several people shifted nervously under his calculating gaze. "If you all run along home like good little citizens, I might be willing to overlook this... incident."
"We're not afraid of you anymore, Arlong!" Nami challenged. "Look around you! You're outnumbered!"
"That may be true," Arlong conceded, still grinning wickedly, "but I'm the only one with a gun. If you rush me, you're bound to lose several people in the process. Are you all really willing to die for this pathetic excuse for a rebellion?"
"Everyone here knows that's a possibility." It was the truth, but Nami could sense the unease coming off the people around her in waves.
"Shall we test that dedication?" Arlong prepared to fire into the group, but strong hands grabbed his ankle, tugging backward. The shot fired harmlessly up into the air.
***
While Arlong was addressing the group from town, Zoro dragged himself over to Sanji. The chef had just pulled himself into a sitting position and was gingerly massaging his bruised jaw.
"I thought you were going after Luffy," the gunman scowled. "What are you doing back here?"
"Someone's already helping Luffy, if what I saw was any indication. I thought you told me you hadn't been hit!"
"Never said I wasn't hit," Zoro retorted. "All I said was, 'Not today.'" Sanji's eyes widened in realization.
"Your injuries from your duel with Mihawk haven't had a chance to heal properly! Are you trying to kill yourself?"
"Things look like they're about to get ugly." Zoro was pointedly ignoring discussing his injuries, instead focusing his attention on Arlong's actions. "You need to go make sure Luffy gets back here. I can buy you some time, but it won't be much."
"You can't be serious-" Sanji was cut off by a sharp glance that, in no uncertain terms, said Zoro was very serious. He lurched to his feet and bolted for the area behind the house, forcing himself onward even when he heard a gunshot behind him. That bloody gunman had better not get anyone killed...
***
"You!" Arlong seethed down at the gunman gripping his ankle. He shook him loose with a vicious kick. He followed this with another sharp kick to the dazed gunman's ribs. Momentarily forgetting his other targets completely, Arlong let his shotgun fall to the ground and hauled Zoro up by two fistfuls of his collar. Zoro was scarcely able to remain upright on his own, and Arlong shifted one hand down to grasp his shirtfront, pulling the other fist back to strike. He felt a sticky dampness on the fingers clenching the shirt and paused.
"What's the... mattter?" Zoro panted mockingly. "You... tired already?"
Arlong shifted his other hand back to Zoro's collar and examined the blood staining his left hand and Zoro's clothing.
"What's this?" He took another fistful of the right side of the gunman's shirt and tore the item open, buttons flying, exposing the other man's torso. Nami gasped from behind them and there was a short, stunned silence.
The initial wound near Zoro's collar bone was bleeding again. The area was red and inflamed, indicating the beginnings of infection. Repeated blows to the gunman's chest and abdomen had caused the angled entry to tear a short ways along the bullet track.
"ARLONG!" a voice thundered from somewhere behind the house.
"You're in for it now." Zoro chuckled darkly, a trickle of blood escaping from one corner of his mouth.
***
Luffy groaned and opened his eyes, not expecting to find himself looking up into two rather worried faces. It was the old man from town and that blue haired girl...
"I can't believe he's still conscious!" Nojiko whispered in awe.
"I don't think anyone has seen us, yet," Genzo mused, glancing toward the house. "We'd best get him loose. You think you can keep that horse distracted, Nojiko?"
"Certainly." Nojiko cautiously stepped in front of the exhausted animal. She took a firm grip on the horse's bridle and stroked its nose, mumbling platitudes in a calming tone.
Genzo knelt down next to Luffy and eyed the rope. He thought about trying to untie the knot, but the dragging had tightened it considerably and the rope had also become twisted in some rather unique ways. Finally, he simply cut the rope away with his saber.
"Thanks," Luffy rasped, throat dry from a combination of dust and yelling. "I sure am glad I'm not gonna be dragged anymore!" He sat up and started to pull himself to his feet.
"Hang on, boy!" Genzo placed a restraining hand on Luffy's shoulder. "Rest a bit."
"That does sound good," Luffy agreed with a lopsided grin, "but I've got a fight to finish."
All heads turned toward the house at the sound of a gunshot. A lanky, blond figure appeared around the corner of the building, staggering toward them at a full run. Genzo tensed and put a hand to the hilt of his saber.
"Sanji!" Luffy hollered a cheerful greeting, and Genzo relaxed again.
"No time for pleasantries," Sanji gasped, pausing to catch his breath once he'd reached the small group. "Arlong's still standing. Zoro insisted upon stalling for us, but he's not in good shape."
Luffy's expression snapped from happy to stony in the blink of an eye. He pulled himself sharply to his feet, the rush of adrenaline drowning out the aches and pains from being dragged behind the horse.
"ARLONG!"
End Note:
I'm sure most kerosene lanterns had some kind of safeguards to prevent exactly this sort of thing from happening, but then I couldn't have set Chu on fire... Please excuse any blatant lantern related inaccuracies--I really don't know that much about them!