[A/N] Hey guys! Long time no see huh? Sorry I haven't updated in a while, life's been hectic with school and my new job, but no worries! I will still continue updating so please stay with me! I hope you guys will stay loyal til the end :)
Oh, and if I haven't told you this before, the reason why i respond to reviewers at the beginning of the chapters is because I am really grateful for all of you readers who have stumbled upon my story and thought it was good enough to stick with! I just want you guys to know that I read every single one of them and I love you all!
Thank you's and replies to reviewers:
RedtheAmazing: Thanks! I'm glad I could get you into One Piece! :D
Leyshla Gisel: Ha! He does like what he sees XD Getting him to admit it is a different story. Damn stubborn Zoro!
Mamc97: Thanks for letting me shorten your name lol I'm glad you like it!
ZabuzasGirl: Well here you go!
ComicGeek: Hahaha you're okay! I love their flirting too:) enjoy the update
Manderss.x.x: Omg thank you so much! I really do try my hardest to keep them all in character. Oh, and Nicole is just like me with certain aspects of her personality lol and thanks for commenting on my pic on DA ^.^
Chopperlover14: Thanks! It really wasn't supposed to be a funny story at first, but my personality made it that way I guess XD and Haki is freakin awesome!
Luffy, Nicole, and Zoro stood side by side on top of the hill that overlooked Jango, Kuro's men, and their ship. The red head in the middle grew more irritated by the minute. Not by the enemy who was being quite silent at that moment, but by her own crew. Zoro was to her left yelling at Nami because she pushed him down the oily slope, and Luffy was to her right, chewing Usopp out for not telling him which way was North.
"Bunch of morons," She sighed and rubbed her head as she noticed the fallen crew rising from the ground, motivated by Jango who was telling them to get up and fight back, "Hey guys, you might want to start paying attention."
The straw hats turned their attention to her before they looked at Jango and his crew. The man began to chant and swing the hypnotizing ring that he pulled out of his pocket, and his men all watched it go back and forth, "I will count one two Jango, and you will all begin to grow stronger. Your wounds will heal and you will grow as strong as steel!"
"So what is he doing? It looks weird..." Luffy asked questionably and held the rim of his hat.
"It looks like hypnosis!" Nami pointed out, "It looks like he's trying to make them think that they're stronger then they are. Heh, I doubt that'll work."
"I wouldn't write it off just yet Nami," Nicole glanced at her and crossed her arms, looking down at the men, but making sure not to follow the hypnotizing ring, "He's a pirate, so expect the unexpected."
"Stronger...stronger...STRONGER!" Jango continued to chant and swing the ring back and forth. All of his men watched it intently, "...one...two...Jango!" He stopped the ring and the entirety of the pirates yelled out loudly. The bellowed out battle cries surprised the Straw Hats, and they were even more shocked with the next thing they saw. One of the men slammed a fist into the side of the cliff, and just like that it cracked and collapsed onto the ground in one gigantic chunk of land.
"One guy completely destroyed the cliff!" Zoro exclaimed, he was taken back by the man's strength, "Now that's what I call power!"
"I always thought hypnotizing people was just a bunch of crap!"
"Oh geez," Nicole gave an exasperated sigh and rubbed her forehead, "Really? For fuck sakes, is this really happening right now?"
"Now go, and strike down whoever gets in your way!" Jango ordered the crew who then cheered and began to run up the slope.
"Hey guys, you might wanna move!" Zoro spoke towards Nami and Usopp and pointed his thumb behind. The men all ran and yelled like savages towards the Straw hats, "Luffy, Nicole, we will take it from here."
"Right, you guys get somewhere safe," Nicole nodded as she helped Usopp off of the ground and handed him over to Nami. The two walked up the slope to the side as Nicole walked back to Luffy and Zoro.
Zoro glanced at her and nodded before looking back at the crowd advancing towards them, "Alright then, what now?"
Luffy stayed silent, which made the two beside him look at him with confusion,""Uh...Luffy?" He was gritting his teeth and his fists were clenched. The rest of his face was shaded by his hat, which is why they couldn't foreshadow his next action.
"EEEEAAAAUUUUUUGGGGHHH!" He yelled out and threw his arms up and back. Nicole blinked and growled irritatedly as Zoro yelled at his Captain for getting hypnotized himself, which indeed he was.
Luffy continued to yell as he started running towards the pirates coming up the slope. He began moving his fists and punching the air, gaining speed and making his arms stretch forwards and back, "GUMM GUMMM GATLING!" The fists were fast and they all began to make contact with the pirate's faces and stomachs, sending them all flying back and down to the ground.
Jango was appalled by what was occurring. He was realizing that the people he was facing were no average village idiots. Luffy stopped in place and growled as the men who started to get back on their feet. He looked up and gave a scowling face before continuing to run towards them. They all let out a frightened gasp and quickly began to run away from him, now afraid of what the Straw hat would do next.
They ran until they were in front of Jango and fell to the ground, but Luffy didn't stop. He ran past the pirates and Jango, which surprised everyone.
"Where is he going?!" Zoro questioned as he watched his idiot Captain. Nicole threw her hands up and shook her head, frustrated by who she willingly chose to follow. He continued to run until he reached the front of their ship. He gripped the bottom of the cat faced mast and began to pull.
"Oh...so he's trying to destroy that ship?" Nicole tilted her head as she watched him pull harder with a grunt.
Nami nodded and cheered still holding Usopp to her side, "That's right! Tear it down!"
Luffy's muscles began to bulge before the mast finally gave and tore apart from the rest of the ship. With it in his hands he turned towards the enemy pirates. All of their jaws dropped before they did a 180 and ran the other way. They all yelled for their Captain to do something, but Jango just stood there before Luffy began stomp towards him.
Instead of waiting there for his doom he hectically took out his hypnotizing ring and quickly spoke his trance, "One two Jango you will fall asleeeppp!" He swung the ring, "One..two..Jango!"
All in that second Luffy's head drooped and his muscles stopped bulging, going back to their lanky selves. He began to snore and fall back, the mast going back along with him. The mast fell on top of Luffy and it also scattered Jango and his crew on the ground, landing on a few of them also.
To their amazement, Luffy was still sleeping while a large mast lay on top of him. Nicole facepalmed and sighed, "At least his Dumb-assery took them out."
"It looks like they're down for the count," Nami agreed as she walked off of the slop and to the onlooking side of it.
"I guess so..." The green haired swordsman said as he observed them.
Usopp frowned, "They might be, but Luffy is still trapped underneath that cat! Just look!"
"Relax, he's fine," Zoro turned to him and smirked with his katana resting over his shoulder, "You should really worry about your own injuries by the looks of it."
"I don't think this is over just yet," Nicole sighed and pulled Zoro's ear to get his attention.
"Hey, what are-" He growled and glared at her before looking down at what she was talking about. Jango had stood back up, and two strange looking guys were walking on the ship.
"I forgot we still have our trump card," Jango wiped the sweat from his brow and called out, "Come forth Meowban Brothers!" The two jumped high off of the deck of the ship and landed in front of their Captain. They both had gloves with claws on them, and they both had a strange...well, unique style to them.
"Yes, Captain, did you call for us?" The first one said grinning widely.
The other man frowned, "Well did you?" The two looked at each other before striking poses and calling out their names.
"Sham!" He was thin and had a hunchback along with a painted cat like nose and dark green hair that parted to the side and curled at the end. He continued to grin as his partner called his name out.
"And Buchi!" He was a chunky fellow, and his outfit was based off a black and white cat. His teeth were sharp, and he wore a hat with cat ears that went over one eye.
They continued and made different poses as they spoke in unison, "Together we are the Meowban Brothers, at your service!"
The Straw hats watched the two new players intently. Usopp and Nami looked over with mouths opened while Zoro and Nicole continued to observe as they stood on the slope.
"Buchi, Sham. We need to get up this hill, but as you can blindly see our path is blocked. If you would be so kind as to remove this obstacle, immediately!"
They both looked up at Zoro and Nicole who was glaring down at them. They both made a shriek and moved back, feigning fearfulness.
"No way! We couldn't do that! They look too strong! Right Buchi?!"
"Oh yeah! Especially the swordsman! He looks way stronger than us!"
"Huh?" Nicole and Zoro said in unison, but for different reasons.
Nicole scoffed, "Especially the swordsman? Please!"
"What?" Zoro glanced at her and smirked, "You think you're stronger than me?"
"Uh duh," She glared at him as her eye twitched, "Of course I am."
He snickered, "Sure, we'll settle it when you get the guts to fight me. Or have you forgotten that challenge back at Shell town?"
She blinked before growling and putting her fist up, "What?! I would have had that fight with you weeks ago if we had the time! Dumbass," She put her fist down and glared harder at the Meowban Brothers, "Don't lose focus swordsman."
"I take it back! I take it back! I don't want to go up against her either!" Buchi gritted his teeth as Sham hid behind him.
"Besides, we only guard the ship, not fight people!"
"He's got a point! We're really not the guys you want to send into battle!"
"So, they're a couple of pansies...I guess they're not the trump card after all," Usopp spoke, a little sooner than he should've.
Jango frowned as a vein popped out of his forehead, "Sham, just do it already!"
"Ah! What! Please not me!"
"Just go!" He yelled back at the Meowban brother, who jumped and had tears brim his eyes.
Sham nodded, still looking and sounding frightened, "Okay, I'll go...just stop yelling!"
"The guy's crying like a baby!" Nami furrowed her brows and sounded aggravetedly confused, "What are they doing down there?! Of all people, why force that guy?"
"Ahhhhhh! Ahhh! Ahhh! I'm a vicious killing machine and I'm coming for you!" Sham ran towards Zoro, looking scared out of his mind.
Zoro put his sword out in front of him, "You come any closer and I'll cut you in half!"
"Somethings not right..." Nicole thought to herself. She had a bad feeling about the hole situation. It didn't add up how Jango acted towards the Meowban brothers showing up and how the two acted like scaredy cats, "Zoro..."
"I'm not joking, I'll do it!" Zoro continued to focus on the advancing Sham.
He yelled until the last minute, when the Sham's demeanor changed. He looked at Zoro as a wide grin reappeared on his face, "Not likely," Sham threw himself towards Zoro and claws clashed with his sword. The green haired swordsman clenched his teeth as the grinning Cheshire looking man continued to talk, "Too bad...it seems you fell for my little ruse. I'm impressed you blocked me!" He lifted himself up and over Zoro to land a distance behind him, taking Zoro's two other katanas in the process, "Considering what a brilliant performance I gave! Don't let the tiniest bit of skill you have cause you to underestimate Sham of the Meowban Brothers!"
Sham licked his hand as Zoro went to reach for his two other swords. He was taken back when he found nothing looped to his side, and the cat like opponent's grin grew wider, "Are you missing something? Not that I would know anything about it."
"Give me my swords back!" Zoro growled, pissed that the cat burglar had even touched them.
Nicole blinked before scowling. It all happened so fast, and she cursed herself for letting her guard down. She took a step to attack, but was prevented from even touching Sham by the second more chunky Meowban brother.
"Where do you think you're going? It's not your turn yet!" Buchi slashed at her, forcing her to move back away from Zoro and Sham's encounter.
"Your swords? But you already have a sword, how greedy can you be?" Sham spoke as his grin grew wider. He took the swords off of his back and held them in his hands, "Say goodbye swords! Goodbye!" And like that, he threw the swords over his shoulder to skid and clank to the ground.
As soon as they fell on the path a vein popped out of Zoro's forehead and he begun to grit his teeth. The catlike man licked his paw and spoke, making him even more furious, "Now, I feel lighter!"
"You should take care of other people's things!" Zoro yelled as he ran towards the man, sword ready to attack. When he swung his katana, it went through Sham and he didn't stop running.
He was going for his two other swords lying on the ground, but was surprised when Sham jumped up from behind him and pinned him on the ground by sitting on his back and holding his arms in place,"You really have to be faster, I'm as agile as a cat!" He grinned even wider as he called for Buchi, who was still blocking Nicole's path. The entire time She had been trying over and over again to get away, but somehow always got held back, "Buchi, you're up! Get in here!"
"Sure thing Sham!" He grinned before pushing Nicole into the cliff and jumping high up in the air above Zoro. He stuck out his leg and began to fall closer and closer to the green haired swordsman. Right before Buchi's foot could make contact with his face, Zoro got loose and rolled out of the way. He gained back his footing and wiped his mouth as Sham frowned.
"Damn Buchi! He got away from you!"
Buchi scowled and looked at his brother, "Now he's right there so hold him tight this time!"
"Careful, he's strong! Stronger than I thought he'd be even without all his blades."
"This is getting worse by the second!" The green haired swordsman began to think to himself as Nicole recovered from being shoved into the cliff, "If tubby there would've landed on me, I would've been pounded in the dust!"
"Whew, that was a close one!" Nicole laughed and patted him on the shoulder, "You almost didn't make it in time!"
"It isn't funny Nicole, I almost died!" He yelled at her before standing, "And you weren't much of a help now were you?!"
"It's not my fault!" She scowled and put her hands on her hips, "You were the idiot who turned his back on his opponent! I would've helped if I didn't get thrown into a cliff!"
"Hello?! Are you two listening?!" The Nyaban Brothers called out, gaining the two bickering Straw Hats attention, "It's time to get you two out of the way once and for all!"
Zoro put himself into a fighting stance and held his sword in front of him, "On swords style isn't my forte fellas, but what the hell."
"Claws vs. Swords huh," Nicole glanced at Zoro, then back at the two, "I wonder how Fists against claws will do."
"Why don't you just sit this one out," Zoro suggested, knowing what kind of reply he was going to get from it. She opened her mouth to disagree and retort, but he stopped her and gave her a look, "I can handle these guys, there's something else that you need to do."
She looked at him once more and nodded, understanding what he meant. She took a step back and gave a smirk, "I gotcha...They're all yours swordsman."
[A/N] Finally I can put this up! lol I hope you guys enjoyed it.
Nicole: The hell?! I'm not out of this fight for real, am I?
Me: ...didn't you understand what Zoro was trying to tell you?
Nicole: Pshhh yeah! How would I not?
Me: *sigh* oh well...anyways, please Review! :D