JEEZUM PETE! THIS HAS 98 FOLLOWERS!
I've never gotten this many followers, this fast before. *tears up* You like me! You really, really like me!
So, let's see if we can bump this up past 100! I want to surpass my current top story, Night Falls, with Tomorrow's Romance Dawn!
Surprisingly though, none of you called me out on Yari's comment on how Robin would make "a lovely doll." I didn't even realize what I had written until my sister pointed it out to me. Accidental foreshadowing is not something I do often. Also, on a side note, if anyone wants to create fan art for this, by all means, go ahead! I want to see what you come up with! My sister, Goldenrose101 on deviantart, is in the process of drawing some of her own. She'll be posting them as soon as they're finished, and I'll put the links in my profile when that time comes.
This chapter is a lot longer than previous ones. Consider it an apology for omitting Brook's introduction from the previous chapter.
Disclaimer: One Piece is the property of Eiichiro Oda, Shonen Jump, Shueisha, and Toei Animation. (I read Oda makes, like, 25 million dollars every year in One Piece royalties. This manga is gonna put his daughter through college. And his daughter's daughter, and his daughter's daughter's daughter, and so on...)
Chapter 7: Dead Men Tell No Tales... But They Do Sing Songs
Location: Beach of Kāla
"Bye, Carue! Bye, Vivi! Bye, Usopp!" Luffy called out, walking backward as he waved the duck, princess, and sniper goodbye. "Take care of the Merry while we're gone!"
Vivi and Usopp waved back, while Carue quacked and saluted Luffy with his wing before beginning to pace the deck. He was taking his duties very seriously.
Once everyone got what they felt they needed for their escapade along the beach (Chopper packed medical supplies, Usopp packed extra ammo and weapons, Sanji packed food, etc.), they had come to the realization that if they were all going on Operation SAVE THE FUTURE, this would leave the Going Merry completely unguarded. Usopp immediately offered to stay behind, until Zoro pointed out that if the bounty hunters showed up and he was all alone, he'd be dead meat. Usopp then had mysteriously come down with I-can't-remain-on-the-ship-or-I'll-die disease, causing Chopper to panic and rifle through his medical books trying to find a cure.
After much debate and convincing the little reindeer that Usopp's disease didn't exist (and drawing some straws), it was decided that Vivi, Carue, and Usopp (who drew the long straw by pure coincidence) would be staying behind to guard the Going Merry.
"Think Vivi and Carue will be okay on their own?" Sanji asked as Luffy ran to the front of the group.
"What about Usopp?" Chopper asked. He was in Walk Point so he could carry extra supplies.
"Him too, I guess."
"They should be fine," Roronoa replied. "Bounty hunters usually only go after people with bounties. Vivi doesn't have one, and you wouldn't be able to recognize Usopp based on his poster. If we're lucky, they should just ignore them."
"I wasn't asking you, bigger sword fre-" Sanji began. Roronoa's words then registered with him. "Wait a minute. Usopp has a bounty in the future? Usopp?"
Roronoa glanced at Luffy.
"That's okay," Luffy said, understanding the glance. "I expect all of my crewmates to have bounties any day now. Just don't tell us when he got it or how much it is, alright?"
Roronoa nodded. "Aye-aye, captain."
"Usopp," Sanji repeated. "Has a bounty. Usopp."
"Saying it over and over isn't going to make it any less true, cook," Zoro said irritably.
Sanji still looked incredulous as he walked along the sand. "... What the heck did he do?"
Roronoa smirked. "That would be telling."
"... Do I have bounty poster yet?"
The elder swordsman stopped walking and stared at Sanji for a long time. He seemed ready to answer the question, but then he shook his head.
"Nope," Roronoa said to himself, grinning as he began walking again. Zoro recognized it as his 'I know something you don't, and it is freaking hilarious' grin. "Even I'm not that cruel."
"Hey, what's with that stupid grin?!" Sanji shouted. "Come on, you don't have to tell how much it is, I just want to know if I have one! Roronoa!"
Roronoa started to laugh, ignoring Sanji's shouting. Zoro knew himself well enough to know his counterpart wasn't laughing at Sanji's frustration, but at the idea of Sanji's poster.
Dang it, he has all this great material against the cook, Zoro thought bitterly. I know Luffy ordered to stop asking about the future, but now I really want to know about that stupid poster!
Zoro then realized he was now walking pretty close to Roronoa, so he sped up until he was walking next to Luffy.
The search party walked in relative silence for awhile after that. Other than passing large mossy rocks that popped up along the beach every now and then, there wasn't really much to see except the ocean, the rest of the beach, and the jungle to their right (Luffy stretched his arm out at one point to snatch a branch, just so he could use it as a walking stick). At least the weather was nice, and the sun showed no signs of setting. Of course, this didn't change fact just walking quietly was boring, and when the situation got boring...
"Oh, the island in the south are warm," Luffy sang off-key. "And their heads get really hot. The grow-a pineapples, they grow-a coconuts... and they're morons!"
The crew winced (Chopper had even flattened his ears against his hat). Luffy really was a horrible singer.
"Next verse!" Luffy announced, waving his walking stick. "Oh, the islands in the north are snowy, and their heads get really cold..."
"Luffy!" Nami interrupted. "If we actually talk about something, will you promise not to sing?"
"Okay!" Luffy agreed. "What do you want to talk about?"
"I think I may have a topic," Roronoa said. "Is it true you guys heard voices in the fog when you first came here?"
That had come so out of nowhere, it took a few seconds to register with the present Straw Hats.
"We did," Chopper said at last, slowly. "We thought they were ghosts, until Nami and Sanji heard voices of people they recognized."
"Why do you ask?" Nami asked. "Didn't your crew hear voices as well?"
"No, we didn't hear anything when we passed through the fog," Roronoa replied. He paused. "Well, unless you count the sound of Usopp hyperventilating, but that's hardly out of the ordinary."
"How did you know we heard voices if you didn't hear any yourself?" Sanji asked suspiciously. "We never talked about it in front of you."
Roronoa jerked his thumb towards his younger self. The crew turned to look at Zoro.
Zoro rubbed the back of his neck. "I may have brought it up during a... discussion, we had the other night. Didn't know it was supposed to be a secret."
To his credit, it wasn't like it supposed to be a secret. It was just that most of the crew had been trying not to think about the voices after hearing their own speak within the rainbow fog. Especially so with Zoro, so they were a little shocked that he had brought it up of all people.
"The voices were really annoying a first," Luffy said. "They said we were weak and had no pride, that we were powerless, and that desert sand would bury us."
"The voice that said that last part sounded just like Crocodile," Sanji pointed out. "You thought he was a ghost for a minute there."
"Crocodile was still alive last I saw him," Roronoa said. "If you want to call that living, anyway. What else did you hear?"
"After Crocodile, it was just a bunch of random phrases," Nami answered. "It was more like parts of sentences, actually; as if the fog were breaking into the middle of the voices' sentences. Then we heard Hatchan's voice-"
"Hachi's voice?" Roronoa asked, sounding somewhat surprised. "What was he saying?"
Nami's eyes widened and she stumbled mid-step before regaining her balance. Did... did Roronoa just refer to that octopus fishman as Hachi? It was Hatchan's nickname, true, but the only people he let call him that...
...were his close friends.
"Nami dear?" Sanji said. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay? You look a little pale."
"Nami's pale?" Luffy gasped. "Oh no! Is she sick again?!"
"Maybe we should head back to the Merry and have Chopper give her a check up," Zoro suggested seriously.
Chopper immediately went into doctor-mode (read: frantic Brain Point), jumping around Nami and telling her to sit down so he could make sure she hadn't relapsed from the Kestia (which, if Kureha had been there to tell him, was impossible). He was still new to the crew, and therefore wanted to make sure he didn't fail in his duties as doctor.
"Guys!" Nami broke in. "I'm not sick! I'm perfectly fine!"
"You sure?" Luffy asked.
"I'm sure," she confirmed. "If I were feeling sick, I'd tell you. I promise."
By this point, her color had returned and she did look healthy, so the crew had no problem believing her.
"Okay," Chopper said, calming down and helping Sanji pick up the supplies he (Chopper) dropped. "You'd better keep that promise and tell me if you start feeling ill again, alright?"
Nami nodded. "I'll keep my promise, don't worry. Now that that's taken care of, where were we?"
"You were about to tell me what Hachi's voice said in the fog," Roronoa reminded her.
Nami swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "Right. If I recall correctly, he was saying something about somebody promising something. It had to do if they saw someone shot before their eyes."
Nami remembered the out-or-breath, pained tone Hatchan's voice was using. If he hadn't been one of her tormentors for the last eight years, she might have felt sorry for him. The navigator was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice that Roronoa had ceased walking. Everyone else stopped as well once they noticed (though Sanji had to tap Nami on the shoulder get her attention).
"Zoro-ossan? Why'd you stop?" Luffy asked.
"Yeah, you were the one who wanted to start searching so badly," Zoro said, crossing his arms.
Roronoa ignored the other two, instead focusing on Nami. "Nami, were Hachi's exact words, 'you promised, that even if someone was shot before your eyes, you would not lay a hand on the... on them'?"
Nami raised an eyebrow. "How did you know that?"
"The octopus's voice said the first part, but where did that second part come from?" Sanji asked.
Roronoa didn't reply. "Quick, tell me something else one of the voices said."
"Okay..." Nami said slowly. "Um, I think Vivi told me she heard a woman's voice cry out 'I want to live-'"
"-'take me with you, take me away from here,'" Roronoa finished for her. He bit his thumbnail. "Damn it... how is this possible?"
"Whoa, Zoro-ossan! How do you keep doing that?!" Luffy asked excitedly. He turned to Zoro. "Why didn't you tell me you were psycho?"
"I thought that was a given," Sanji snickered.
"Shut up, ero-cook!" Zoro barked. "If I'm psycho, then at least I'm not whipped pervert like you."
"What did you call me, mosshead?"
"You heard me, dartboard!"
"Take it back!"
"Make me!"
Sanji aimed a kick at Zoro's face, Zoro deflected it with his sword, and it all went downhill from there. While the cook and swordsman exchanged blows, Chopper spoke up, "Luffy, I think you mean psychic, not psycho. Am I correct?"
Luffy nodded. "Yeah, that."
Roronoa watched his younger self fight Sanji, sweatdropping. "You know, now that I'm the one watching this for once, I can see how this can get kind of annoying."
Not that he would change his habits any time soon. That cook was just too annoying to not fight all the time. Besides, if he didn't fight the cook, then that pervert would call him a scaredy-cat and never let him hear the end of it. (Choosing not to fight younger Sanji didn't count. Roronoa didn't fight people that much weaker than him unless the situation demanded it.)
"Don't just change the subject! How do you know what the voices said?!" Nami shouted. She then turned on her heel and pounded her fists into the dueling men's heads, sending them plowing into the sand. "AND WOULD YOU STOP FIGHTING AND PAY ATTENTION?!"
"Yes, Nami my swaaaan~!"
"Damn it, woman! Stop hitting us all the time!"
Chopper hid behind Luffy, while Luffy laughed at the scene. Roronoa just continued to sweatdrop. Once Sanji and Zoro were back on their feet, it was also back to the matter at hand.
"You didn't answer my question or Nami's, Zoro-ossan," Luffy said. "How do you keep guessing what those voices were saying? And how do you know what they were going to say afterwards? It's really freaky."
"I'm not guessing anything," Roronoa admitted, crossing his arms. "I know what they're going to say because I was there when those respective voices said them. Or more accurately, when the people those voices belonged to said them. I don't how, but I think what you guys were hearing were things that were said to you in the future."
"WHAT?!" the crew yelled collectively.
"How can that be?" Chopper asked. "We heard our voices too! I heard myself say I was going to be a more reliable man."
"My voice was calling somebody flighty and scolding them for not considering how others feel," Nami said.
"Usopp's fog voice said this place wasn't hell," Luffy added. "And my fog voice was asking somebody what made them a god. I sounded really pissed."
"I don't know about Nami's, but I do know Usopp's and Chopper's, and I can guess Luffy's by context," Roronoa said.
"What about what my voice said?" Zoro asked. "I told you about it last night. Recognize that?"
Roronoa narrowed his eye. "Seeing how your voice is also my voice, I think I know what situation I was in when I said that."
Luffy remembered what Zoro's fog voice said.
"...can't even protect my captain, then my ambition is..."
Luffy frowned a little. Zoro's ambition was what? He promised Zoro he'd never get in the way of that. So if Zoro really said that in the future, what did it mean for their vow?
Roronoa noticed his young captain's frown and clapped a hand on his shoulder, which was Zoro-talk for "don't worry about it." The younger swordsman scowled at his older self's gesture but did nothing to interrupt it. Luffy looked like he needed it.
By this time, some clouds had rolled across the sky and blocked out the sun, dimming the area quite considerably. It fit, considering how dismal the atmosphere had become in the last few minutes.
"And after we heard our voices, it got really disturbing," Sanji went on. "There were still other voices, but only one really stood out. The things it said... were very troubling."
"Yeah," Nami agreed. She looked at Luffy. "If these really are voices of the future, I can only wonder why Ace's voice was saying those things. Do you think he gets into some kind of-"
"Hold on a second," Roronoa broke in. "Did you say 'Ace'?"
"Don't interrupt Nami, you uncouth-!" Sanji started to rant.
"Cook, shut up," Roronoa said sternly.
Sanji did shut up, the authority and stern tone in the swordsman's voice preventing him from arguing.
"This is important," Roronoa continued. "Did I just hear you say 'Ace'?"
"Ace is the name of Luffy's big brother," Chopper explained. "He told us about him after we set foot on the island."
"I know who Ace is!" Roronoa snapped, and then immediately felt bad when he saw Chopper's frightened expression. "Sorry. I meant I do know who he is, but I'm surprised that you all know."
"Huh? Why's that?" Luffy asked.
"Your crew shouldn't know about Ace yet. We didn't know your future self even had siblings until he told us about him in Nanohana."
"That's the city Vivi said we'd visit first when we arrived in Alabasta," Nami remembered.
"That doesn't sound right," Zoro said. "Luffy told us about him just the other day. Why would I forget by the time we arrived in Alabasta?"
"And why would I also forget coming to a freaked-up island between Drum and Alabasta?" Roronoa countered. "It's because I didn't forget. These things didn't happen. At least they didn't before."
"What, are you saying because we all came to this island, history's being changed somehow?" Chopper asked.
"How'd you come up with that?" Roronoa asked. He shook his head. "Never mind, because it actually makes sense. Despite my efforts and Luffy's orders, you are going to learn about the future, and the fact you know might change what decisions you make later in your journey."
"Different decisions, different outcomes," Sanji added reluctantly.
"So it's a mystery effect," Luffy concluded.
No one bothered to correct Luffy, because just like with the "mystery island", he was right.
"It's the only logical explanation," Nami said. "Unless Roronoa and his crew just miraculously forgot everything once they left the island."
Sanji glanced at Zoro and Luffy. "I wouldn't put it beneath certain members of our crew."
"Shut up, cook," Zoro said. He turned to his counterpart. "You looked kind of spooked there when Nami said Ace's name. It's not that surprising, is it?"
Roronoa just shrugged. He didn't really look like he wanted to talk about it.
"Do we... meet Ace in Alabasta?" Luffy asked suddenly. "Is that why I tell you guys about him?"
Roronoa raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't telling you be going against-"
"Just tell me!" Luffy snapped.
"Okay, okay! Yes, we do meet him in Alabasta!" Roronoa answered. "We were heading in the same direction, so he traveled with us for a couple days before leaving. That's it."
"Luffy, what's your problem?" Nami scolded. "You didn't have to snap at him like that."
Luffy's brow furrowed as he ignored Nami and thought back to his dream. So they did meet in Ace in Alabasta... or at least they were going to. His dream must have been about Ace's departure, but how was that possible? He hadn't experienced it yet, so how would he know what would happen, even if it was a dream?
"Zoro-ossan," he began. "Did Ace-"
"LUFFY!"
Time: A good 15-20 minutes earlier
Location: The Going Merry
Vivi, as anyone who knew her could tell you, was something of a worrywart. She worried at Whiskey Peak, she worried on Little Garden, and she worried heavily on Drum Island (with good reason). This time was no different. She paced the deck alongside Carue, worrying about her friends who had gone off in search of the future Mr. Bushido's ship.
Usopp looked up from his chemistry set. He was making extra ammo in the case of an attack. "Would you stop pacing? You're going to make a rut in the deck and I don't want to have to fix it."
"I'm sorry," Vivi apologized (though she continued to pace). "I'm just a little on edge. I hope the others make it to Mr. Roronoa's ship safely."
"You're worried about them? They have Luffy, Sanji, and two Zoros with them," Usopp said as he began to clean up his supplies. "If you should be worried about anyone, be worried about us! If the bounty hunters hunters come here, we're pretty much screwed!"
Vivi stopped pacing and crossed her arms. "I thought you were a brave warrior of the sea."
"I am!" Usopp said proudly. He began to shake in fear. "I just want to live long enough to continue being one!"
"I've spent two years among bounty hunters. They usually ignore those without bounties, so if we're lucky, we'll be just fine."
"That makes me feel so much better."
Vivi sighed and sat down on the deck. Carue got down behind her so she could lean back on him. She began to absently rub her hair between her fingers.
Usopp gave her a concerned look. "Are you okay?"
"Of course!" she replied a little too quickly. "Why do you ask?"
He shrugged. "No reason. It's just you seem a little off is all."
She chuckled weakly. "Is it that obvious?"
"Kind of. You're a chatty worrier, and you've been unnaturally quiet this whole time." He thought about it. "Oh, does it have to do with Alabasta? Helping Roronoa is really cutting into the time we have to get there."
Vivi gave him a smile. "Looks like you and Nami think alike. She said the same thing to me before we went to sleep last night."
Usopp sat down across from her. "Well, does it?"
"A little, but I'll tell you what I told Nami. Past or future, Mr. Roronoa is my friend and I want to help him out. Still, the sooner we find his friends, the better."
"I'm with you on that," Usopp agreed. "Although I have defeated many a bounty hunter in the past, I don't even I could handle ones from the New World. It's best we find our future selves before the hunters find us." The sniper noticed Vivi was chewing on her lip. "But that's not your reason, is it."
Vivi shook her head. "No, it's not. I've also been thinking about what will happen when we arrive in Alabasta. Roronoa said we beat Crocodile, but... well, that doesn't necessarily mean we stop the actual rebellion."
"Vivi, it's going to be fine," Usopp assured her. "You just have to tell them Crocodile is behind all the bad stuff and they'll stop, right?"
"But what if I can't do that?!" Vivi shouted, jumping to her feet. "And what about you guys? You're risking your lives helping me! I know none of you die given Mr. Roronoa's description of his crew, but who knows what could happen there? Look at Mr. Roronoa; he's missing an eye! For all we know, he could've lost it in Alabasta!"
"Don't you think you're getting a little ahead of yourself?" Usopp asked, also standing up. "Anyway, I don't think Roronoa's eye was blinded in Alabasta, and even if it was, he seems to manage just fine without it."
"Yes, but-" Vivi started to argue.
"Just calm down and stop worrying, okay?" Usopp went on. "Luffy promised he'd help, and he keeps his promises... like, 95 percent of the time, but he usually keeps them. Also, you're our friend; if you weren't, we wouldn't even be bothering." He slumped a little. "Besides, you're not the only one who's afraid of failing the people they care about."
Vivi frowned. "I couldn't help but notice, but you've also been kind of 'off' today. Not to mention you've been acting strange around Luffy. Is there a problem?"
"You'd think I was crazy."
"Try me."
Usopp sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I haven't been meaning to act strange around Luffy, but it has to do with this dream I had last night."
"A dream?" Vivi repeated.
Usopp nodded and described it to her.
It was nighttime. The dark sky was overcast, and Usopp was surrounded by a rocky landscape. In the distance behind him, there was a large city. To the side, the ocean and the Going Merry.
He winced. The Merry looked horrible. She was just barely being held together by metal plates and mismatched planks. What had happened to her?
He could also see Sanji, Nami, Chopper, and Zoro standing on the deck. Nami looked distraught, Zoro looked distant, Sanji was scowling, and Chopper looked like he was ready to start crying. What was going on? And where was Luffy?
"Gum Gum... Pistol!"
Usopp turned in time to see Luffy, despite there being smoke everywhere. He was performing one of his signature attacks... only that attack was coming straight towards him! He tried to call out his captain's name, but found he couldn't make his lips move.
Usopp had seen Luffy use this attack on many enemies before, but never had he ever been subject to it. The rubber fist rammed into his jaw, sending him flying across the ground and damn, did it hurt!
It was just then Usopp realized his entire body hurt. He was covered in so many bandages he looked like a mummy. Not that Luffy looked much better. The rubber captain was covered in burns, scratches, and blood. Why were they both hurt this bad? Why was Luffy attacking him out of nowhere like this?
Luffy ran forward, stretching both of his arms behind him.
"It's time to put an end to this!" Luffy growled. "Gum Gum... BAZOOKA!"
Usopp felt his body stand up and hold up what looked like a little pink shell. (Why was his body moving on its own?) The bazooka hit the shell, and all of a sudden, all the force seemed to vanish from Luffy's attack. Usopp was surprised, and Luffy looked doubly so.
"Recognize this?" he heard himself say. His lips were moving on their own as well. Why did his voice sound so angry? "I bet that bazooka would've hurt. Let's find out!"
Usopp ran forward and placed the shell right in front of Luffy's face.
"IMPACT!"
Usopp wasn't sure how, but the shell seemed to release the force it had absorbed from Luffy's bazooka. Luffy went flying backward, blood spraying from his mouth. It took all of Usopp's willpower not to scream, for he had now officially lost all feeling in his arm. He ended up screaming anyway.
He felt his body seize up, and he screamed out, "I WON'T LOSE TO YOU!"
Usopp was dumbfounded by his own words. Were he and Luffy were in some kind of duel? Why would they do that? Luffy was his best friend; he wouldn't fight him for no reason!"
Luffy wasn't down for long. He was soon back up on his feet, though he was breathing very hard. Usopp got on his feet also, struggling with every movement. Luffy stretched his arm backward as far as it would go.
"Gum Gum..." Luffy cried out. "BULLET!"
Luffy's fist plowed into Usopp's stomach. The sniper didn't go flying, but he did cough up blood.
Luffy... he thought. Why? Why are we fighting? You're my friend, damn it!
He fell forward, landing on his face. The dream (and how he desperately hoped it really was one) began to fade out. Right before it did, he heard Luffy muttering.
"You idiot," his captain whispered. "You knew it would end like this! You knew you could never beat me!"
Usopp didn't reply. The last thing he remembered was the sound of Luffy's voice, sounding on the verge of tears.
Usopp took a long, shuddery breath as he finished recounting the events of his dream.
"Oh, Usopp," Vivi whispered sympathetically.
"And now whenever I look at Luffy, his last words in my dream replay in my head," Usopp sighed. He sat down on a barrel and ran his fingers over his bandanna.
"I can see how this would bother you," Vivi said. "I may not have been traveling with you guys for long, but even I can see how close you all are. So to fight someone you care about like that..."
"What gets me is I don't know what we were fighting about," Usopp went on. "Going off what Luffy said at the end, I'm pretty sure I was the one who instigated the duel. What could have occurred that would make me angry enough to challenge my best friend to a fight I know I'm going to lose? Did I fail him somehow...or did he fail me? I have to know!"
"Nothing has occurred, nobody has failed anyone, and you clearly have no intention of challenging Luffy to anything," Vivi pointed out. "It was just a bad dream."
"That's just it. Remember when I said you'd think I was crazy if told you about my dream?"
"Yes."
"Here's the crazy part; I don't think it was just a dream. It felt too real to be one."
Vivi's eyes widened. "Are you saying you think it was a memory?"
Usopp shrugged. "That's my best theory, but it's a flawed one. I think I would remember something so awful." He rested his chin in his palm. "But some details of my dream stuck out to me. You weren't there, but Chopper was. The Merry was badly damaged, and we were next to a city I had never seen before."
When mentioning the Merry, Vivi noticed an almost pained expression grace Usopp's features.
"You're worried about the Merry too?" she asked.
Usopp nodded. "Yeah, I guess I am. It was bad enough seeing her in that state in my nightmare; but I've also been thinking back to when Roronoa first woke up."
Vivi knew what he meant. "Mr. Roronoa asked if anything happened before his crew brought him back to the Sunny."
"The Thousand Sunny," Usopp added grimly. "Sounds like the name of a ship to me."
Carue, sensing his princess's friend's distress, scooted up next to him and nuzzled him. Usopp scratched under the duck's bill appreciatively.
Vivi, Carue, and Usopp were currently sitting pretty close to the figurehead. Vivi reached over and ran her hand over the adorable lamb's head. She had grown fond of this little ship; the thought of the Straw Hat Pirates losing it saddened her. With that on top of his nightmare, she was surprised the sniper wasn't a complete wreck. She was about to attempt comforting Usopp, when she suddenly heard something.
"...no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo. Umikaze kimakase..."
"Usopp," Vivi whispered. "Did you hear that?"
Usopp looked up from his brooding. "Hear what?"
"Just listen."
Usopp grew quiet, as did Carue. As Vivi predicted, the sound returned.
"...no mukou de, yuuhi mo sawagu. Sora nya wa wo kaku, tori no uta..."
"It sounds like... singing," Usopp said the time it faded out.
Vivi pointed to the jungle. "It's coming from over there."
Usopp and Vivi shared a quick glance.
"No way!" Usopp hollered, forming an 'x' with his arms. "We are not going in there to check it out!"
"But Usopp, it could be one of Mr. Roronoa's crewmates!" Vivi reasoned.
"And it could be one of the bounty hunters!"
"A bounty hunter wouldn't be randomly singing; a member of Luffy's crew would!"
"...Touché."
"It's just a quick peek," she insisted. "We'll be in and out, just like that."
Usopp fell off the barrel and on to the deck, lying on his back and grasping at his throat. "Oh no, it's my I-can't-go-ashore-or-I'll-die-disease! I don't think I can make it Vivi..."
Vivi rolled her eyes. Usopp could be such a drama queen. "Fine. I'll just go with Carue and leave you all alone on the ship."
Usopp thought for a moment that she may have been bluffing, but sure enough, Vivi hopped on Carue's back and jumped from the Merry and on to the beach. Usopp was all alone on the Merry.
"If she thinks she can scare me into coming, she's got another thing coming," Usopp muttered. "I am the Great Captain Usopp! I can handle being alone on the ship."
As soon as he said that, clouds rolled over the sky, blocking out the sun and darkening the deck quite a bit. On top of that, the wind picked up and there were odd, scratching noises coming from the jungle.
A screeching noise that sounded like some big, ugly bird echoed across the ship.
That was the last straw.
"VIVI! WAIT FOR ME!"
"Stop smiling like that."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You just stay there on your duck. I didn't come here because I was scared; I came here to protect you."
"I appreciate the sentiment."
With the sun now behind the clouds, the jungle had grown extremely dark. Usopp walked closely next to the mounted duck, aiming his slingshot in random directions. So far, their little search wasn't very successful.
"I don't see anyone," Vivi observed. "I'm sure this is where the singing was coming from."
They walked a bit farther. The jungle was now getting a little misty too (at least it wasn't rainbow colored).
"Hey, Vivi?" Usopp piped up.
"Yes, Usopp?" Vivi responded.
"I just had a thought," he whispered nervously. "What if the reason we can't find who was singing... is because it was a ghost?"
Vivi ordered Carue to halt, and she gave Usopp a slightly exasperated look. "Don't tell me you still think this island is haunted?"
"I'm just tossing around ideas!" Usopp insisted. "This island already has a backward sense of time; why not throw the living dead into the mix?"
"Backward senses of time and the living dead have nothing to do with each other."
"You don't know that!"
"And neither do you." Vivi sighed. "Honestly Usopp; and you say I'm a worrier. I think the worse we have to be concerned about on this island are the bounty hunters. There are no living dead on this-"
"Yohohoho! Usopp-san!" a voice interrupted from out of nowhere. "I thought I recognized your voice!"
Vivi, Usopp, and Carue turned in time to see a figure step out from the bushes. And what they saw...
"I'm happy to have finally located a familiar face!" the figure said jovially. "I'm afraid I got myself a little lost; this island is quite confusing. Have you noticed the odd sunsets and sunrises? When I saw that sunset so early in the day, my eyes nearly bugged right of my head! Ah, not that I have eyes! Yohohoho!"
Vivi, Usopp, and Carue said nothing. Their minds were still trying to process the sight before them.
"Oh," the figure went on, taking notice of the blue-haired princess. "And who would this lovely lady be?"
The figure was impossibly tall; over nine feet. It wore a trim back coat, a blue cravat, a flashy orange feather boa, floral-print pants, fancy pink sunglasses, and a white hat that seemed to be combined with a crown. It had hair, a large black afro in fact. But that was the only thing remotely human about it. It already said it didn't have eyes... only empty sockets. It didn't have ears, a nose, or any flesh for that matter.
Vivi and Usopp stared up in horror. This thing was a... it was a... a...
"Excuse me, miss," the tall skeleton before them said, leaning towards Vivi. "Would you be so kind as to show me your panties?"
"AIIIIIEEEE!" Vivi and Usopp shrieked. "PERVERT ZOMBIE!"
"AHHHHH!" the skeleton shrieked back, looking from side to side. "WHERE?!"
Time: Present (relatively speaking)
Location: A ways down the down the beach of Kāla
After divulging a few details about Ace, Roronoa was starting to look somewhat uncomfortable.
Roronoa, who was Zoro, looked uncomfortable. Even if it was only slightly and barely detectable, Zoro, past or present, never looked uncomfortable about anything (unless one counted the last forty five minutes, during which Zoro looked uncomfortable whenever he got too close to his older self). Call the crew crazy, but they partially suspected he was uncomfortable with talking about Ace.
"Zoro-ossan," Luffy began. "Did Ace-"
"LUFFY!"
The crew turned around to see Vivi and Usopp riding down the beach on Carue. The sniper and the princess had identical terrified expressions on their faces. Usopp looked so scared that tears of fear were streaming down his face. Seeing them instantly pushed the subject of Ace out of their minds. They had their friends to worry about at the moment.
"Vivi, Usopp!" Nami called out.
"Vivi-chan!" Sanji shouted out, jogging over to meet them. Zoro, Roronoa, Luffy, Nami, and Chopper followed after him.
Vivi yanked on Carue's reins and the duck skidded to a stop. Unfortunately, the sudden force caused Usopp to go flying off the saddle. Luckily for him, Roronoa caught him and immediately set him back up on his feet.
"Thanks," Usopp said, sounding out of breath.
"No problem," Roronoa replied.
Sanji helped Vivi dismount, for she was too shaky to do it on her. The blonde cook took the princess's hand in his own. "Vivi-chan, are alright? Why aren't you still on the Merry?"
"I'm here too, you know!" Usopp shouted indignantly.
Sanji, of course, ignored him and went on right trying to soothe Vivi.
"Was it the bounty hunters?" Chopper gasped. "Are you guys hurt?"
"The bounty hunters showed up?" Luffy asked. "And I missed it? Darn it!"
"It wasn't bounty hunters," Vivi said slowly. "It was much, much worse."
"Did the Marines show up?" Zoro asked, a hand on one of his swords. "Or Baroque Works?"
"Even worse than that!" Vivi continued.
"What's worse than the Marines, Baroque Works, or New World bounty hunters?" Nami asked. It must have been bad, if it was enough to make them abandon the Going Merry.
Vivi and Usopp looked at each other before yelling, "A ZOMBIE!"
"A ZOMBIE?!" the Straw Hats yelled back.
"I told you this place was haunted! I told you so!" Usopp said, his legs knocking together furiously. He was on the verge of a panic attack. "But did you listen to me? Does anyone ever listen to me?!"
"We went into the jungle because we thought it might be one of Mr. Roronoa's crewmates, but then it just appeared!" Vivi explained. "It was awful! I didn't think zombies existed, but now-!"
"A real live zombie?' Chopper said. "That's medically impossible! This is an amazing discovery! Totally scary, but amazing!"
"A zombie?" Luffy repeated with a large grin. "Awesome! Was he a musician?"
Nami grabbed Luffy by the ear and hollered, "A ZOMBIE IS NOT JOINING OUR CREW!"
"But Zoro said if the zombie happened to be a musician, we could take him into consideration!" Luffy whined, rubbing his ear.
"If Mosshead said it was okay, then we're definitely not doing it!" Sanji shouted. He held Vivi close. "Besides, that zombie assaulted my precious Vivi-chwan! If I see it, I'm sending it back to the grave!"
Vivi looked up at Sanji, then gently pushed him away. He remained standing close to her though.
"It attacked Usopp too," Zoro pointed out.
Carue quacked loudly. Everyone was forgetting about him again.
"It technically didn't attack us," Usopp admitted. "We made a break for it before it could."
"See? It didn't attack them!" Luffy said happily. "So now we can ask it to join our crew! What do you think, Zoro-ossan?"
Roronoa was standing off to the side, trying rub away an oncoming headache through his temples.
"Zoro-ossan?" Luffy said again, only more quizzically.
"Zombies," Roronoa muttered. "Brilliant. For once, I'd love to come to an island enshrouded with fog without there being zombies involved."
"Wait, you mean you've encountered zombies before?" Nami asked.
"Unfortunately," he replied. "Let's just say it wasn't a good day and leave it at that."
Zoro was mildly surprised. He'd said it would be interesting to fight zombies back when they first entered the fog. He didn't actually think he would ever get the chance to do so for real. Though, Roronoa didn't sound to thrilled...
"Then you should know all about defeating them!" Usopp said hopefully.
"Please tell us how, Mr. Roronoa!" Vivi pleaded. "I want that thing gone. Not it only was it really scary, it was completely perverted! Who does it think it is, asking me such an inappropriate question?!"
Roronoa stopped rubbing his temples. "Pardon?"
"The zombie was a pervert as well?!" Sanji gasped. "Vivi-chwan, I swear I will find this zombie and kick it so hard it'll wish it was still alive just so it could die again!"
"I don't get it," Chopper said. "How can zombies be perverts? Even if they can move around, their ability for higher thinking would be heavily impaired due to rotting brain tissue."
"You've actually thought about this?" Zoro asked the little reindeer.
"Uh, Vivi?" Roronoa broke in, stepping in front of the princess. "May I ask you a couple questions?"
"Oh, uh... of course," Vivi agreed. "What are they?"
"This zombie. By any chance was he more of a skeleton than an actual zombie?"
"Yes, he was! He didn't have any flesh whatsoever!"
"Was he dressed in really flashy clothing?"
"Um, I guess? The feather boa was a little much."
"Did he have an afro?"
"He did! But how did you know?"
Luffy's eyes widened. "The zombie has an afro too?" He chuckled gleefully. "Shishishi, that's so cool! Now I really want it to join the crew!"
"What does it having a stupid afro have to do with anything?!" Nami shouted.
"Hey, never disrespect an afro!" Usopp declared. He crossed his arms. "It's a widely known fact afros hold untold power. This zombie will be quite the adversary indeed."
"Really?" Chopper asked. "I've never heard of such a thing!"
Zoro sweatdropped. This conversation only got weirder and weirder.
"Last question," Roronoa continued, ignoring the afro discussion. "That inappropriate thing he asked you; by any chance was it if he could see your, ah..." He looked away, rubbing his neck. "...panties?"
Roronoa other hand flew up immediately after he said this, just in time to once again catch Sanji's foot.
"Damn it, Roronoa!" Sanji ground out, nearly biting his cigarette in half. "Let me kick you for crying out loud!"
"Stop being so predictable, and maybe I'll let you," Roronoa deadpanned, pushing the offending foot away.
Sanji stumbled a bit, but quickly regained his footing. "Apologize for saying such a crude thing to Vivi, you clod!"
"Hey, the skeleton was the one who originally said it, not me," the elder swordsman shrugged. He turned back to Vivi. "Well, was that his question?"
Vivi and Usopp stared at Roronoa, gaping and looking very much like fish. How did he know that was the question it asked? It was a totally random and unpredictable question!
"I'm going to take your dumbfounded expressions as a yes," Roronoa said. He sighed and facepalmed. "That idiot. Way to make a first impression..."
"Zoro-ossan, do you know this talking afro-zombie?" Luffy asked. "He sounds really interesting!"
"A perverted zombie isn't interesting!" Nami argued. She turned to Roronoa. "But seriously; do you know this zombie?"
"I do, unfortunately," Roronoa sighed again. "Sorry about him asking that question; it's kind of a habit of his no amount of knocks to the head will break. You see-" He froze mid-sentence, and absently cocked his ear up a little.
"Roronoa?" Nami asked.
Roronoa's eye widened. He lept forward, knocking the crew away. "GET DOWN!"
Not a second later, the sand where the Straw Hats had previously been standing exploded. Several areas of the beach nearby exploded as well. It was only due to Roronoa's reflexes that they were pushed out of the way in time and avoided being blown to smithereens.
Roronoa jumped to his feet and drew two of his swords; Kitetsu and the black one (he said during breakfast it was called Shusui). Now that the Straw Hats were paying attention, they could see what had caused the explosion. Something was firing cannonballs at them.
As cannonballs got close, Roronoa effortlessly sliced them in two and the remaining halves went flying into the woods, exploding harmlessly. Now that he knew what he was up against, Luffy got up as well and joined his future swordsman's side.
"Gum Gum..." Luffy began, inhaling deeply. "Balloon!"
Luffy's body inflated until he was indeed as fat and round as a balloon. The cannonballs that hit him were immediately sent flying back in the direction they came.
"Where are these coming from?!" Sanji shouted. He was still on the ground, shielding Nami with his body. Carue had Vivi and Chopper covered. Zoro jumped to his feet as well and joined his older self and Luffy in deflecting cannon fire.
Usopp stood up as far as he dared and lowered one of his goggles' lenses. After a moment or two, he spotted the source of the cannonballs.
"Over there, beyond that cove!" Usopp announced, pointing at said cove.
And just in time too. The cannonballs ceased as a large ship emerged from around the cove, sailing perfectly despite the shallow waters.
It was an incredibly large ship; about the size of the average galleon. The upper exterior of the ship was covered in thick steel plates, most likely for protection, and the figurehead resembled a snarling ape. Cannons lined the rails, and the people manning them looked downright sadistic. On the sails and flag, there was a jolly roger that resembled a broken skull. Printed next to the broken skull was the image of a gun.
Geez, why not just paint the words WE KILL PIRATES in big honking letters on the sails? It wouldn't be half as obvious.
Sanji helped the girls and Chopper up, then they along with Usopp ran up to join Luffy (who had deflated) and the swordsmen.
Roronoa snarled. "I recognize that flag. This is the ship that was chasing us when we got caught in that current."
"T-They're bounty h-hunters?" Usopp stuttered. "From t-the New W-World?"
"Zoro-ossan," Luffy said softly. He cracked his knuckles. "Can we fight them?"
"I haven't decided yet," Roronoa replied softly, only his soft voice had a dangerous edge to it. "Give me a minute to see what we're up against."
"My first fight as a real pirate," Chopper whispered excitedly. He looked up at Usopp. "What should I do to help?"
Usopp gulped and pulled out his slingshot. "I'll tell you as soon as I figure it out myself."
Sanji shushed them. The ship was approaching.
As the ship got closer to the shore, large grappling hooks were fired from the figurehead's mouth, latching on to the trees in the jungle behind the crew. The loud cranking sound that followed revealed that the ship was being dragged closer to the beach. It wasn't long before the giant ship was partially on the pink sand, and someone was standing on top of the figurehead. The ship was so big that the crew was forced to look straight up to see whoever it was standing there.
It was an extremely muscular man with a shaved head and way too many tattoos. He had a broad ax slung across his back, and brass knuckles on each hand. He smiled smugly down at the pirates.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Tattoos asked sardonically, yelling down to them. "We were given orders to find a pirate ship, and instead we come across the actual pirates. What luck."
Zoro grit his teeth. So these clowns were actually looking for them, huh?
A man carrying papers walked up next to Tattoos on the figurehead. "We've identified most of them, sir."
"Good," Tattoos said with a nod. "Read them off."
The lackey nodded and started by pointing at Luffy. "We have 'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy..."
Luffy grinned. He loved his epithet.
The lackey pointed at Roronoa. "...'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro..."
Zoro glanced at his older self. His pirate epithet was pirate hunter? Would that title haunt him forever?
Nami was pointed at next. "...'Cat Burglar' Nami..."
The navigator's hands flew to her face. "Not me too!"
Next was Chopper. "...'Cotton Candy Loving' Chopper, their pet..."
Chopper's jaw dropped. "I'm their... pet?"
Sanji and Usopp snickered at the cutesy epithet.
The lackey gestured towards Vivi and Carue. "...some blue-haired girl and her duck..."
Vivi breathed a sigh of relief. If she didn't have epithet, she didn't have a bounty. Then she realized that the fact the others had epithets meant they did have bounties. Oh dear...
Usopp came up next. The lackey stared hard at the piece of paper he was holding. "...I'm not entirely sure who that guy is, but going off the nose, I'm assuming he's 'King of the Snipers' Sniper King without his mask on..."
Usopp's eyes widened. In the future, he was referred to as the King of the Snipers?
The lackey finally got to Sanji, who actually looked excited to hear what his epithet was. However, the lackey gave the cook a blank stare.
"Something wrong?" Tattoos asked.
"...I have no idea who this dude is," the bounty hunter lackey admitted.
Sanji looked like he'd been punched in the stomach. The stooge knew who everyone else was; even the reindeer! Had that been the reason Roronoa laughed so hard? He was the only one without a bounty?
Tattoos took the paper from his colleague and examined it. "Hmm... well, he could be 'Black Leg' Sanji. They have the same curly eyebrow."
Sanji perked up considerably.
The lackey raised an eyebrow at the paper. "If that's true, then the Navy really needs to update his photo. Or at least find someone who's a better artist."
Roronoa made a quick snort that sounded like an attempt to hold back a laugh. And a bad one at that. Sanji vowed that orders or no orders, he would see what was so funny about his poster.
The lackey then automatically gestured toward Zoro. "And lastly, we have... Roronoa Zoro?"
"You counted him already," Tattoos pointed out.
"No sir, there's two of him."
At those words, the other men on deck crowded to the front the ship so they too could see the second Roronoa Zoro. It seemed each man had something to say.
"Whoa, they look so much alike!"
"Nah, the first one Charlie pointed out looks older."
"They both even have three swords!"
"I didn't know the Pirate Hunter had a little brother!"
"THAT GUY IS NOT MY BROTHER!" Zoro hollered, waving his swords threateningly.
"THAT WAS RIGHT IN MY EAR, YOU DOLT!" Nami hollered back, punching him the head.
Tattoos shrugged and hefted his ax off his back. "Whatever. Brother or not, we're flexible. Although I don't see Devil Child, Cyborg, or Humming Swordsman here, there is still a good 643,000,050 berris worth in bounty before me." He pointed his ax at Luffy. "Hope you don't mind if we collect it, Straw Hat."
Luffy punched his fist into his hand. "We'd like to see you try it, Tattoo guy!"
"No, we wouldn't!" Usopp, Nami, and Vivi argued.
"I'll protect you, Nami-swan and Vivi-chwan!" Sanji cooed.
"What about me?!" Usopp shouted at him.
"Eh, you'll be fine."
"I'll do my best Luffy!" Chopper said with a salute. "I'll show them I'm not a pet!"
"Finally, some action," Zoro grinned.
"Oi!" Roronoa interrupted. "You promised no fighting unless I gave the okay, so settle down!"
The meeker Straw Hats were more than happy to comply, but the more hardheaded ones (Luffy and Zoro) looked ready to start throwing punches. Sanji was too busy doting on the girls to form any solid opinion on the matter.
"Good!" Tattoos laughed. "I like my targets to have attitude and guts! I promised everyone else on this boat free reign with your crew. so you're getting a fight whether you want it or not. Our boss is gonna promote us for bringing in the infamous Straw Hat Pirates along with the treasure of Kāla!
Nami's eyes became berri signs. "Treasure?"
Kāla? Vivi thought. Is that the name of this island? It sounds familiar, but I can't put my finger on it...
"Oi, Straw Hat!" one of the bounty hunters on the ship's deck shouted down.
"Yeah?!" Luffy answered.
"Don't answer him!" Usopp loud-whispered.
"I have a cousin in the Navy!" he shouted. "He said he saw you at Marineford!"
Since everyone was now paying attention to that lowly bounty hunter, they failed to notice the steely gaze reappear in Roronoa's eye, as well as his forming snarl.
"Marineford?" Luffy asked, confused.
"That's where Navy Headquarters is," Vivi explained. "It's right next to the holy land, Mariejois."
"And Mariejois is where the main base of the World Government is," Nami added.
Luffy nodded. "Ah, I see."
(This was Luffy for "I don't really get it, but I'll pretend I do.")
"So your cousin saw our crappy captain there," Sanji called up. This new subject was enough to pull him away from the girls, if but for a moment. "So what?"
The bounty grinned maliciously down at the rubber boy. "He wanted me to tell you: "It was a nice effort, but you missed a spot!""
For some reason, this sent many of the ship's bounty hunters into spiels of laughter, as if it were the funniest thing on the planet. Luffy didn't get it, of course. It was a mystery future thing; he could tell you that much. He didn't want to know what it meant because of that. Most aspects of his future adventures he wanted to be a surprise. It was bad enough these guys spoiled his crew's future epithets for them; seeing what name you got on the wanted poster was half the fun!
He was about to tell them so, when the ship- which, I'll remind you, was a galleon- suddenly split in half.
There was no warning or anything; one second the ship was in one piece and the bounty hunters were laughing, the next it was in two pieces and the crew was screaming (especially those who got cut up along with the ship). Pieces of the ship went flying into the water or fell into the jungle (depending how far down on the sand that the part of the ship in question was), along with a good number of the bounty hunters. Tattoos and many others jumped off and onto beach just as the ship collapsed completely. Sadly (not), many of the bounty hunters did not make it off in time.
The pirates and princess stared at the scene before them in shock and awe.
"Uh... what just happened?" Usopp wondered aloud.
"Good question," Nami said slowly, gaping.
Chopper pointed a hoof at what the part of the ship remained; the point where it split. "Look at that! It's like it's been cut by a giant knife or something!"
"No way..." Sanji said. Memories of the day Don Krieg attacked the Baratie came flooding into his mind. "It's like that one time..."
"What one time?" Vivi asked.
"I once saw Hawkeye Mihawk cut this huge galleon in half with only a sword," the chef explained. "It looked just like this."
"But... how?!" Vivi went on. "Not only was it this giant ship, it had steel plates on the upper exterior! Who can cut steel that easily?!"
Zoro's mouth had gone dry at sight of the demolished ship. Cutting a ship that big... and cutting through steel as well... these both were things he was not capable of, but he had no doubt Mihawk could do quite easily. But since the greatest swordsman in the world (at the moment) couldn't be possibly be on this island, who did that leave who could have done the deed?
"Hey guys?" Luffy spoke up, though he was still marveling at the destroyed galleon. "Where'd Zoro-ossan go?"
That was another good question. The future swordsman was nowhere in sight. Then all of sudden, Carue began quacking and pointing his wing to the side. When they looked in the direction the duck was gesturing to, that was when they found Roronoa.
Roronoa was now a little farther down the beach. If the ship wasn't cut up and no longer on the beach all that much, he would have been on the other side of it. He had his back to the crew, and was slowly sliding Shusui back into its sheathe.
It was him. He was the one who cut the ship, Zoro thought. I can't even cut steel-hard wax right now, much less cut a galleon in half. But this guy... have I really grown so much in just two years? It's almost as if...
Zoro's heart skipped a beat. Was it possible that in the future... he was already...?
"Wow," Chopper whispered, interrupting the swordsman's thoughts. He looked up at Zoro admiringly. "You. Are. So. Cool!"
Zoro looked down at the reindeer. Just earlier that morning, Chopper had been as afraid of him as ever. Now all of sudden, because of something Zoro's older self did, he was cool? What a weird little guy.
Roronoa turned and gave the surviving bounty hunters (there was still a good number of them) a snide grin.
"Sorry about that," he pretended to apologize. "Your ugly ship was starting to bug me, so I decided I didn't want to look at it anymore. I hope I haven't inconvenienced you too badly."
Tattoos was seething with rage. He raised his ax. "You'll pay for that, Pirate Hunter. Nobody screws with the Carrion Bounty Hunters and gets away with it!" He pointed a finger at Roronoa. "KILL HIM!"
The bounty hunters charged with their respective weapons, but Roronoa was ready for them. He turned away and quickly drew all three of his swords, placing the white one in his mouth.
"Rengoku..." he said, crossing his swords in front of himself.
Faster than you could blink, he turned back around and lept forward towards the rushing bounty hunters. He cut through them, leaving x-shaped slashes of blood in his wake.
"...Oni Giri!" the elder swordsman finished.
Many bounty hunters fell, but their still-standing comrades did nothing to aide them. Instead they chose to try another attack at Roronoa.
Roronoa waited until they got close before making his next move.
"Kokujo: O Tatsumaki!"
The crew had seen their Zoro do this technique before, but never on this scale. The spinning motion accompanied with Roronoa's swords actually created a giant twister. Hunters screamed and bled as they were sent flying into the air, their weapons shattering from the cyclone of slashes.
"AWESOME!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper cheered.
"He's a monster..." Nami whispered.
Vivi nodded in agreement.
"That's our mosshead; reckless to a fault," Sanji commented. If Zoro didn't know any better, he would said the cook sounded almost impressed.
Tattoos was not amused, however. He jumped at Roronoa, heaving his ax down towards the swordsman's head. Roronoa guarded in time, and for the briefest of moments, the two were at a stalemate.
"Ah," Tattoos noted, pressing his ax down hard. "You have Haki, don't you?"
Roronoa gave his signature shark grin around the sword hilt in his mouth. "Didn't think it'd be that obvious."
Tattoos smirked. "Several of our boss's higher ups can use it adeptly. I'd recognize another user anywhere."
"Good to know."
The dueling men managed to push the other off; Tattoos back towards his remaining men, and Roronoa back towards the Straw Hats. The clouds that had been blocking the sun got thicker, and it got darker. Some of the mist that had been forming in the jungle had leaked out on to the beach and water.
"Zoro-ossan!" Luffy said once Roronoa back next to them again. "That was amazing! You've gotten so much stronger!"
Roronoa gave him a smile. "I appreciate the compliment, captain."
"So, can we fight?"
"How did I know you were going to ask me that?" Roronoa closed his eye for a second, then it opened it again. "I think you should be able to handle the cronies. Just leave Tattoo guy to me."
Luffy cheered, and the other began to take battle stances. Nami assembled her bo-staff, Vivi pulled out her Peacock slashers, and Usopp aimed (with shaking hands) his slingshot. Chopper had a Rumble Ball ready, Sanji lifted his leg into kicking position, and Zoro pulled out his own three swords.
"Ready?" Roronoa asked his captain.
Luffy nodded. "Yosh."
Tattoo guy lifted his ax again and addressed his men. "I don't care if their bounties drop thirty percent; I want them all pushing up daisies, you hear?!"
"Yes sir!" the bounty hunters chorused.
It was a stand off, with both sides ready to throw the first attack. And they would have too, if it weren't for a sudden shout of:
"Yohohoho! Zoro-san!"
Vivi and Usopp went rigid. They knew that voice.
The bounty hunters parted as they turned to look at the speaker, and the Straw Hats could clearly see the flashily-dressed skeleton standing behind their opponents.
"That's it!" Usopp shouted. "That's the zombie!"
"How did it find us already?!" Vivi cried out. "And how did it get over there?!"
Nami's eyes widened in fear. "No way... it's real?"
Chopper's medical side immediately began to mentally label all the bones visible to him, although he was shaking like a leaf.
Zoro's eyes widened. This was... this just wasn't natural.
Sanji's expression was halfway between terrified and pissed. Terrified of the walking, talking skeleton, and pissed that this was the same crappy pervert who asked to see Vivi-chwan's underwear.
"He really does have an afro!" Luffy said with zeal. "He's a real skeleton with an real afro! This is so amazing! Think he'll join the crew if we ask?"
"NO!" his crew shouted at him.
The skeleton began walking through the crowd of bounty hunters, calmly swinging around a dark purple cane. If it concerned him to be walking through a group of bounty hunters, you couldn't see it on his skeletal face.
"Is that a skeleton?" one hunter said.
"No way, it has to be a mask," another argued.
"Skeletons can't walk. They're dead."
"Hey, isn't he the Soul King? My sister has all his tone dials!"
"There you are, Zoro-san," the skeleton said conversationally, ignoring the bounty hunters. "I've been looking all over for you. Imagine my surprise when I turned and you had simply vanished. It was quite a shock to my old heart... well, not that I have a heart anymore. Yohohoho, skull joke!"
Roronoa rolled his eyes and re-sheathed all of his swords. He wasn't afraid of the skeleton in the least. If anything, he looked annoyed. "You're the one who got lost, not me. Where have you been all this time? Is anyone else with you?"
"Sadly, no," the skeleton replied, coming to a stop in front of the bounty hunters. "I've been wandering the jungle in search of the crew and the Sunny. I did see Usopp-san, but he ran for some reason." The skeleton then noticed the rest of the Straw Hats. "Oh, you've already found everyone! What a relief! Though I don't see Robin-san or Franky-san anywhere."
Roronoa casually stepped in front of his younger self, hiding him from view. "Yeah, I may have to explain a few things. The situation's a lot more complicated than you know."
"You don't say?"
"Um, Zoro-ossan?" Luffy piped up. "Can we fight now? Just standing here is boring."
The annoyed expression was back in full force on Roronoa's face. "There's no need to now."
"What do you mean there's no need to?!" Tattoos shouted. "We still need to collect your bounties, and we're more than ready to battle you all for them."
"There's no need to because you gentleman had already been defeated," the skeleton answered simply.
"Eh?" Tattoos grunted.
The mist surrounding them suddenly grew colder, sinking into everyone's pores and chilling them from the inside out.
"This chill," Nami shivered. "I didn't sense a change in atmosphere. This isn't coming from wind or anything."
The skeleton held up a sword and a section of his cane. The crew could now see they had been one and the same. But it begged the question; when did he draw it?
Roronoa smirked. "He can be such a show-off."
Luffy and his crew looked between Roronoa and the afro creature before them. Just who or what was this new guy?
The skeleton began re-sheathing his blade, speaking to the hunters. "You've lost because I've already cut you. Pastoral Song..."
All of the bounty hunters stiffened. Frost began to form on their bodies.
The sword slammed back into its sheathe."...Blizzard Slash!"
Long cuts appeared out of nowhere on the hunters' bodies, but they carried no blood. Only thick ice came bursting from these wounds, and all at once, the hunters fell to the sandy ground. The skeleton spun his cane and planted the bottom of it into the ground.
"The cold you feel is the chill of the underworld," he said icily. "Remember it well the next time you contemplate threatening my nakama."
That last word echoed in the Straw Hats' ears.
His nakama?
"Nicely done, Brook," Roronoa said, walking up to the skeleton. "Personally, I wanted a crack at some of them, but whatever. Now, come on. You have a lot to catch up on."
Next Time:
Not saying! You got an extra-long chapter! Be satisfied!