I HAVE REACHED 145 FOLLOWERS and 111 FAVORITES! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
As for my life in general, my wisdom teeth are long gone and I'm told I was very loopy when waking up from the anesthesia. Like, singing Bink's Sake and playing with my face kind of loopy. Apparently, at one point I started complaining about everything that was wrong in my country; the super volcano in Yellowstone, the national debt, etc. I also apparently referred to my dentist as a certain singing skeleton, went on about how my older sister's ex-boyfriend was a jerkass, and how Zoro and Sanji look awesome without their shirts on. That's only the tip of the iceberg, and I have very few memories of any of it. My twin sister Goldenrose101, on the other hand, wasn't loopy; only lethargic. Though, she kept asking for a mirror, at least according to my mom.
I hope to never be put under anesthesia ever again. It's too weird.
Afterwards, I've been having to deal with a lot of school work and impending projects and papers and exams and SATs hanging over my head. (To this day I hate that my dad talked me into entering the advanced program. Worse headache ever.) Not much time to write, ya know?
Sorry this chapter took so long. I didn't work on it over spring break as much as I'd hoped, and I had to keep re-writing sections until I was satisfied with it. Put all that on top of being drowned in last minute school stuff (the year's almost over, so teachers really pile it on)... well, again I apologize for the long wait. Not much stuff action-wise occurs in this chapter, but I'm sure it will be more action-y next chapter. So without further adieu, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, and I never will. Which is a major bummer.
Chapter 8: Curiouser, Curiouser, and Curiouser Still
Time: Day at Night
Location: Camp of the Carrion Bounty Hunters, Kāla
Siobhan refused to look at him. If she had to look at Vaughan one minute more, she was going to scream.
"Come on," he was saying while smiling (not that she could tell. She wasn't looking at him) deviously. "I know you heard it too."
Nope. She wasn't going to look. She was going to sit in her cage and keep facing the wall of the tent (which was like, made of thousand-count thread sheets. Sissies). She would not take his bait.
"It was an interesting sound," Vaughan went on, leaning back in his chair. "The sound of all those voices falling silent. I can't help but wonder if something happened to the men we left on the ship."
Well, didn't he sound choked up about that. Please. Vaughan said it as if he were discussing whether or not it would rain that day. And what really pushed her buttons was that he was right. She had heard the sound of 'voices' falling silent. Hearing such things was difficult on Kāla, but she had had a long time overcome that obstacle. She was impressed he'd been able to overcome it so quickly (not that she's ever admit it. Vaughan clearly didn't need a bigger ego).
Vaughan had been chattier ever since the Den Den Mushi call from Erity. Speaking of which, the call itself had been bugging her.
"Why'd you agree?" she said at last, turning her head to look at him.
"She speaks!" Vaughan joked before becoming serious. "However, I'll need you to clarify your question."
"I remember when you left Moss Hair in the woods," she continued. "You said his crew was of low priority. Why are you now so eager to hunt them down?"
The red-eyed hunter shrugged. "A man has his reasons. Maybe I'm just itching for a fight."
"Or maybe you just want these Straw Hats to get involved."
"...Involved? With what?"
"You know what," Siobhan spat. She stood up and gripped the bars of her cage. "Boss is trying to find Kāla's treasure, and you want those pirates to get involved. Why?"
"I thought you'd want them to get involved too. You said that the 'others' that were coming would stop us."
"I know, and I still think that. That doesn't change that I want to know why you're so adamant about them getting involved that you're helping them along."
Vaughan stood up and walked over to the cage, then kneeling down to Siobhan's eye level.
"This is the Straw Hat Pirates we're talking about, kid," Vaughan said with a smirk. "They don't need my help to get involved with the going-ons of this island. They can do that much on their own."
"You're avoiding my question, Blood Eyes."
"You've been refusing to answer my questions all day, Gold Eyes."
Siobhan scowled. She couldn't help the way her eyes looked; everyone in her family had them.
...Wow. There was a lot of hypocrisy in that thought.
Vaughan's smirk grew even more smirky. "And for the record, 'Boss,' as you so insistently call him, has a name. It's Carrion. Just thought you'd like to know."
She wrinkled her nose. "Carrion? Who names their child after rotting meat?"
"You got me, but you have to admit, it sums up his personality quite well. Whereas the name Siobhan means 'God is gracious', and there ain't anything gracious or godly about you."
Instead of going on with the conversation at this point, Siobhan stuck out her tongue at him and then sat back down. Vaughan shrugged and returned to his chair. He didn't fall asleep this time, for someone was going to be coming along soon to relieve him of brat-watching duty. Erity had talked to Boss (Siobhan calling him by his actual name would imply she actually cared) on the transponder snail, and like she predicted, he had been thrilled with the plan. Vaughan was to start the hunt as soon as possible. He would leave when Runo arrived to pick up his "toys."
Siobhan looked to the side, where her father's staff was laid against a desk.
These fools, she thought. They have no idea what they're getting into. I need to get out of here before these idiots do something they're going to regret.
She then looked down at the palms of her hands. On a side note, why were these Straw Hat Pirates so important to Boss and his men? They were important enough that the island revealed itself to them, but still...
"Pirates are the freest people on the sea, Siobhan. No regrets, no responsibilities; it's only them, freedom, and the wide open sea. And they're about the most interesting people you'll ever meet."
"You mean like you?"
"Not like me; I'm one of a kind!"
"Yeah, that didn't sound conceited at all."
"You're lucky I like you, kid."
"Freedom," Siobhan whispered so quietly, not even Vaughan could hear her (she was sure). "No regrets. No responsibilities."
She bet these pirates had all those things. When her friend first told her about pirates, for the first time in her life, she had felt... jealous. She had responsibilities; and she currently failing at them. She had regrets; too many to count. And most important of all, she wasn't free; and she didn't mean she wasn't free of this stupid cage.
Siobhan wasn't free of this island; of Kāla. And she never would be. She had a promise to keep, and she'd be damned if she ever broke it.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden shouting.
"Oi, Vaughan!" a voice hollered from outside the tent. Runo had arrived. "Come on! Time is money, and we've got a lot of it to make up for!"
A nameless lackey entered the tent and turned to the red eyed man. "I'm here to relieve you, sir."
Vaughan stood up and stretched his arms. "Finally. There's only so many scathing glares I can take before I get bored."
That comment earned him another said scathing glare from Siobhan.
"Still bored," Vaughan taunted her. He picked up his weapons from where they lay against the tent, and strapped them to his back and sides. "Well, I'm off. Be a good girl for your new chaperone, alright Siobhan?"
"Bite me, Blood Eyes."
"I think you do enough biting for the both of us, brat, and Carrion has the scars to prove it."
Vaughan then strolled out of the tent and went out to meet up with Runo and his toys. The nameless lackey claimed Vaughan's old chair and began his vigilant watch over the girl.
Siobhan frowned. Darn. As annoying as he was, Vaughan had been her only source of intelligent conversation since they stuck her in the cage (which she still thought was totally unnecessary; ropes or chains or even a leash would work just as well). Whoever this Straw Hat guy was, he'd better be appreciating the attention. She was going to be bored out of her skull until either he got caught or got involved in this whole mess.
Stupid Straw Hat.
"Jeez, what took you so long?" Runo said as Vaughan exited the tent. He spun a flintlock pistol on his index finger. "Was guarding the brat so entertaining that you couldn't be dragged away?"
"Shut up, Runo," Vaughan said, barely paying the other man any mind. "I was just wrapping up my chat with the prisoner. And don't spin that thing on your finger; you'll make it misfire."
Sure enough, the pistol went off and from somewhere off to the side they heard a cry of pain. Runo winced, then stuffed the gun in his pocket and tried to look as innocent as possible. It wasn't working.
Vaughan sighed. "See what what I mean? Anyway, where are your 'toys?' I thought you came here to get them."
Runo shrugged and put his arms behind his head. "I gave them their orders and sent them on ahead."
"Was that wise? What if they come out from under their trances because you're not there?"
"Do you have any idea how my powers work? They can only come out of a trance either by my saying so or somebody somehow figuring out the release phrase I put in place... or if they get clocked on the right temple, but what are the odds of that?"
"I'd say fifty-fifty; you are just as likely to hit the left as the right."
"... That was rhetorical, stupid."
"Pot and kettle, Runo," Vaughan said with a shrug. "Why the right though?"
"Nobody ever aims for the right temple," Runo replied matter-o-factually.
"Ah."
Runo grinned and threw his arms up into the air. "Now, enough dilly-dallying! We gots hunting to do!"
"You go on ahead," Vaughan said, waving him off. "I'll be right behind you. I just have some housekeeping to take care of."
"Housekeeping?"
"You just shot a guy, remember?"
"Oh yeah."
"Do you have to say that so nonchalantly?"
Runo snickered creepily (as usual), as if the idea of accidentally shooting people was fun, before running on ahead back into the forest. Vaughan rolled his eyes and strolled in the direction the earlier cry of pain had come from. The victim was lying on the ground next to the medical tent (luckily), and had ironically been one of their snipers. Runo did love irony.
"Vaughan!" one of the men shouted when Vaughan got close. "Brady has been shot! Are we under attack?"
"No, Runo just had a mishap with his gun," Vaughan replied. "What are you waiting for, an invitation? The medical tent's right there, so bring Brady in!"
The subordinate saluted and dragged Brady into the tent, leaving behind a trail and pool of blood. There was actually quite a bit of it; the bullet must have went in close to an artery or something.
Well, there was no use in letting it all go to waste. Vaughan took out a pocket knife and made a thin slice in his palm, then held his now cut hand level over the pool of blood. After a moment or two, the pool bubbled before long streams of the blood arose from it, curling and twisting towards Vaughan's palm. All the red liquid formed into a sphere the size of a marble, then absorbed into the cut. The cut scabbed over almost right away.
"Hmm. Brady has XF blood type. Who knew?" Vaughan muttered absently to himself.
Vaughan stretched his arms. Now that 'housekeeping' was taken care, he could follow after Runo. Kāla was by no means a very big island, but it was still a lot of ground to cover. The rest of the Straw Hats could be anywhere, and they still hadn't procured the treasure Carrion was so obsessed with.
Vaughan frowned and reached into his pocket, removing a medallion. It was a large gold circle attached to a long ribbon; nothing fancy. He carefully slipped the medallion over his head and let the gold fall against his chest. It was his lucky medallion, and if everything was to go as planned, he needed all the luck he could get.
Vaughan turned and ran into the jungle. Runo had been right for once; they had hunting to do.
Location: Wreck of the bounty hunters' ship, beach of Kāla
Remember when it was stated that if asked, the Straw Hats would agree that the previous night's dinner-for-lunch was the most awkward atmosphere they had ever collectively been in?
Scratch that. This was now most definitely the awkwardest atmosphere they had ever collectively been in.
Roronoa had decided that bringing the talking skeleton (whose name was Brook, apparently) over to the rest of crew was a good idea, despite the fact said crew was terrified of said talking skeleton.
(Well, except Luffy. If the expression of sheer awe and the mischievous grin on his face were any indications, he was currently having the best day of his life.)
Brook, naturally, was focusing more on the fact there were two Zoros before him than the rest of the crew, much to their relief. If it- er, he said anything to them, they wouldn't know what to say back. He was a living skeleton, for the love Mike! How was that even possible?! (And to greater extent, what crack were their future selves on when they allowed him to join their crew?)
Speaking of which, Brook had been staring at Zoro for a solid five minutes now. It was starting to aggravate the latter.
"...You can stare for the next decade for all I care, cause what you're seeing isn't going to change," Zoro growled at last.
Roronoa crossed his arms and said to the skeleton, "Well? Anything to say?"
Brook turned to look at the older swordsman. "... So, Zoro-san, when were you going to tell us you had a younger brother?"
"WE'RE NOT BROTHERS!" the two swordsmen hollered, both pounding him on the skull. "GET IT RIGHT, DAMN SKELETON!"
Brook laughed as he fell to the ground. "Yohohoho! So harsh!" He stood up almost immediately. "But if this other man is not your brother, then who exactly is he?"
"We should be asking the same thing!" Usopp yelled from where he was hiding behind Carue. He paused. "Not about the brother thing, but who the heck you are!"
"And how the heck a skeleton is walking and talking anyhow!" Sanji added angrily, though he was hanging back with Nami.
Brook looked confused, or about as confused a guy without a face can look.
"Hey, skeleton guy!" Luffy announced suddenly. "Join my crew!"
"NO WAY!" everyone scolded him.
"He's already part of your crew," Roronoa pointed out.
"Shishishi, oh yeah, I forgot!" Luffy laughed.
Everyone else groaned.
Luffy didn't see what was so wrong about the skeleton guy. He was so amazing, and not just because he was a walking/talking afro skeleton. Didn't they see how he cut down all those bounty hunters? Yeah, he'd wanted to be the one to fight them, but he hadn't seen Brook ever draw his sword, and the thing with ice was pretty awesome. Luffy could tell by the way Zoro kept glancing back at the skeleton's cane-sword that he was trying to figure out how he did it.
"Am I missing something here, Zoro-san?" Brook asked. "Everyone is acting very strange, I can't wrap my brain around it... although as a skeleton, my brain has long since rotted away! Yohohoho, skull joke!"
"Shishishi, skull joke!" Luffy echoed.
Roronoa rolled his eye. "That's why I said you had a lot to catch up on. To make a long story short..."
Roronoa quickly went on to describe what had happened after he and Brook were separated. This included waking up on the Merry and everything he and the past Straw Hats managed to deduce so far. This meant the whole issue with time, Zoro being Roronoa's younger self, and the bounty hunter threat.
"So on top of the fact we're being hunted by bounty hunters and something has happened to Nami-san, what you're saying is that somehow a past version of our crew arrived on this island not long after we did, and they were in the first half in the Grand Line when they did so?!" Brook summarized.
"More or less," Roronoa shrugged. "And when I say past, it's way in the past. To them, Chopper only joined the crew a couple of days ago."
"... Alright then."
"That was a total under reaction!"
"Yohohoho, not really, Zoro-san! I too have noticed the abnormal sunrises and sunsets, so I'm pretty much used to them. But as whole, our crew gets into strange occurrences almost on a daily basis. At this point, nothing phases me!"
Roronoa frowned skeptically. "What about when we met Aokiji in the bathhouse?"
"... Alright, almost nothing phases me," Brook corrected himself. He turned to face the younger crew. "In any case, this does explain why Usopp-san ran from me in the jungle, and why none of you recognize me. I know all of you, but this the first time any of you are meeting me!"
"You... you know who I am?" Vivi asked nervously.
"No, but I can guess. If I recall from what I've read in Nami-san's log book, Chopper-san came aboard before the crew arrived in the sand kingdom of Alabasta. If that's the case, then the lovely blue-haired young lady before me must be none other than Princess Nefertari Vivi!"
Vivi allowed herself a small smile at the compliment. "That's right."
Brook laughed and clapped a bony hand on Roronoa's shoulder. "Yohohoho, our crew seems to befriend many princesses, don't we?"
Roronoa raised an eyebrow. "What? Counting Vivi, we only know, like, two princesses. The second we met not even a week ago."
"Shirahoshi-san was truly a beautiful sight, even for my old eyes. Oh, but I don't have eyes! Yohohoho!"
"Um... Mr. Brook?" Chopper piped up from where he was hiding the wrong way behind Luffy. "If you don't have eyes, how can you see?"
"The same way I hear, Chopper-san."
Chopper just became more confused.
"That doesn't explain anything!" Nami shouted. "And you still haven't introduced yourself!"
"Oh, of course. My apologies." Brook removed his hat and bowed. "My name is 'Dead Bones' Brook, swordsman and musician of the Straw Hat Pirates. A pleasure to meet you all once again!"
Luffy's eyes widened to comical proportions. "You're... my musician?"
"Indeed, Luffy-san!"
"Awesome! I finally have a musician!" Luffy cheered.
The rest of the crew's eyes widened as well.
"You mean, we actually found a member of the living undead who was musician..." Usopp began.
"... And actually took him into consideration?" Nami finished.
Sanji turned to glare at Zoro. "I blame you for this."
"Hey!" Zoro protested.
"Actually, you and Nami-san were the ones with Luffy-san when he initially tried to recruit me, Sanji-san," Brook explained.
"So if anything, any blame to give is all on you," Roronoa added.
Sanji couldn't help but think Roronoa didn't have to sound so darn smug when he said that.
"My musician is a talking afro-skeleton! This is officially the best day ever!" Luffy went gleefully. "Hey Brook, do you poop?"
Sanji and Nami whacked their captain in the head. "DON'T ASK HIM THAT!"
"As a matter of fact, I do," the skeleton replied.
Now it was Brook's turned to be whacked. "AND DON'T YOU ANSWER HIM!"
For the second time that day, Brook went crashing into the pink sand. He didn't seem particularly bothered by it though. He just continued to laugh (and the crew couldn't help but like that laugh. It was just so happy). "Yohohoho, how nostalgic! This reminds me of the day I first met Luffy-san!" He stood up once again and bent over Nami. "Pardon me, Nami-san..."
Nami flinched slightly. "Um... yes?"
"... May I see your panties?"
"NEVER, CREEP!"
Make that three times Brook landed in the sand that day, this time courtesy of Nami performing a kick even Sanji had to admit was impressive.
"You kick beautifully, Nami-swan!" Sanji praised.
"SHUT UP, SANJI!"
"Yes, Nami my love~!"
Usopp sweatdropped.
"This is also like the day I met Luffy-san!" Brook exclaimed from his spot on the ground. "Yohohoho!"
Nami had to be held back by Vivi at this point, for the navigator was ranting about breaking every bone she could see before her. Vivi, who had already been asked that question, only sighed and kept her friend from killing Roronoa's comrade. (Though technically, he was already dead. Could you kill someone twice?)
"I don't get it," Chopper said. "Why does Brook want to see their underwear so badly?"
Usopp patted his head. "We'll tell you when you're older."
Chopper scowled. He wasn't a little kid; they didn't have to keep treating him like one. He was a man and a pirate!
"Guys, stop hitting my musician!" Luffy shouted. "I just got him and I don't want him broken!"
"Is he your musician or your toy?" Vivi asked with a sweatdrop. Nami finally calmed down and just settled for crossing her arms.
"Quaaaw!" Carue agreed.
Roronoa rolled his eye again, then helped Brook stand. "If Brook's had enough of eating sand, could you excuse us for a second? I need to talk him. In private."
Without waiting for an answer, Roronoa dragged Brook past the fallen bounty hunters and pulled him behind a large section of the wrecked ship. Luffy and the gang stared at the direction they went in, all looking puzzled.
"What was that about?" Sanji wondered aloud.
"Must be a future thing, or they would've talked in front of us," Usopp theorized.
Zoro narrowed his eyes skeptically. What was his older self up to...?
With Brook and Roronoa...
"Brook, how much of the severity of the situation do you actually understand?" Roronoa asked once they were out of sight.
"Enough to know we've really dug a deep hole for ourselves this time," Brook replied, leaning on his cane. "What possessed you to bring them along? Luffy-san's strong, but if they're from as far in the past as you say, they're not ready for a stage like this yet. New World bounty hunters and Paradise rookies are not a good combination no matter how you look at it."
"You think I don't know that?"
"They're not ready, Zoro-san. If we can't get them to leave, it's going to be Sabaody-"
"I know!" Zoro snapped. He calmed right away. "I know. I tried to get them to back off, but..." He sighed, looking sheepish. "Luffy made it a captain's order that I let them help."
Brook understood immediately. Captain's orders were absolute; a fact Roronoa took very, very seriously.
"Ah, I see," the skeleton said softly. "Loyal to a fault as always, Zoro-san."
Roronoa shot him a glare. "Like you're one to talk."
Brook laughed and Roronoa let himself smile. They all really were too loyal.
"That much hasn't changed about Luffy over the years, at least," Roronoa said somewhat fondly. "If Luffy wants something badly enough, he does everything in his power to get his way. And this time he wanted to help me find our crew."
At his mention of this, Brook glanced around the wreckage, looking at Luffy. Roronoa looked with him. Luffy was currently riding on Carue while chasing Chopper in circles around the beach. He must have gotten bored again.
As far as they could see, Luffy was laughing and having the time of his life. He looked so happy and carefree.
"Luffy-san... looks very different," Brook observed, speaking slowly.
"You noticed too, huh?" Roronoa said as he crossed his arms.
"Yes. You can see it in his eyes. They're... lighter."
Roronoa glanced down. "Yeah... they are."
"...Zoro-san, what if we-"
"No."
"You don't even know what I was going to say!"
"I do know, and I'm telling you now, we're also under captain's orders not to reveal anything substantial about the future." Roronoa gave the skeleton a stern look. "Anything, no matter how much we might want to."
"But if we warned Luffy-san about-" Brook continued.
"Even if we did warn him, there's no guarantee it would change anything," Roronoa interrupted. "And even if it did change something, there's no guarantee it would be for the better."
"But-"
"Brook. I'm going to be saying the same thing to the others when we find them, so listen carefully. There are just some things you shouldn't mess with, no matter what good intentions you may have. Besides, do you really want to be one to tell Luffy about that?"
Brook didn't reply.
"That's what I thought." Roronoa placed a hand on Brook's bony shoulder. "I understand where you're coming from, but for now, ignorance is best for those guys. Understand?"
Brook sighed, but nodded. "I understand, Zoro-san. I will not say anything about the future, for Luffy-san's sake if nothing else."
The green-haired swordsman nodded as well, satisfied. "Good. Oh, and one more thing. To keep from getting the two of us confused, everyone else has been calling me by my surname. You should probably do the same."
"Roronoa-san it is, then!" the musician agreed, regaining his previous cheerfulness."Now, shall we rejoin the others? They're most likely starting to wonder what's taking us so long, and I wouldn't be surprised if they're frustrated that they can't hear us from way other there. My ears would be strained as well if it were me... not that I have ears! Yohohoho!"
Back With Luffy and the Crew...
"What's taking them so long?" Nami grumbled, tapping her foot. "We're on a schedule."
"They've only been over there for five minutes," Vivi pointed out. She was sitting in the sand playing tic-tac-toe with Usopp and Sanji.
Usopp drew a line through three Os. "Ha! I win!"
"No way, you cheated!" Sanji argued.
"I didn't cheat. It's tic-tac-toe, it's impossible to cheat!"
"You found a way!"
"SHUT UP!" Nami barked. She turned to glare at Luffy, who was still chasing Chopper around a Carue. "And Luffy, leave poor Chopper alone! He's not here to relieve your boredom!"
Luffy pouted, but listened and dismounted Carue. Chopper gratefully fell on to his back, exhausted.
"Roronoa was the one who wanted to get searching so badly," Zoro added. He was lying against a big rock. "And now he's holding us up. What an annoyance."
"Uh, Mr. Bushido?" Vivi asked. "You do realize that you're talking about yourself, right?"
"I know," Zoro admitted. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."
"Tell me about it," Sanji agreed. "Roronoa's twice the jerk our Mosshead is. 'I just curb-stomped him'... lousy sword freak."
"You're still mad he threw you into the mast?" Chopper asked.
"He didn't throw me!" Sanji shouted. "He caught me off balance, that's all!"
"Keep telling yourself that, love cook," Zoro snickered. If there was one thing he liked about his older counterpart, it was that he humiliated the cook quite nicely.
"Shut your trap, Mosshead! I'm not in the mood!"
"Who're you calling mosshead, ero-cook?!"
"That does it!"
Nami groaned as Zoro and Sanji began another fight, resting her forehead on Vivi's (who'd stood up just for this purpose) shoulder. "They're never going to grow out of this... are they?"
Vivi patted her head. "Given how Mr. Roronoa keeps trying to bait Sanji... I'm going to say no."
Nami only groaned again.
Luffy walked ahead of the crew and called out, "Oiiiii, Zoro-ossan, Brook! You guys done talking yet?! We're getting bored over here!"
"One more second!" they heard Roronoa call back.
Luffy nodded. "Yosh!"
"That skeleton can just stay over there," Usopp muttered. "I'm still not completely sold on the idea of him. Has everyone forgotten he scared the living daylights out of me and Vivi back in the woods?"
"To be fair... now that I think about it, he didn't really do anything to scare us," Vivi interjected somewhat hesitantly. "Well, except for that inappropriate question. Other than that, all he did was talk to us and we freaked out."
Usopp considered that. Now that he thought about it as well, the princess was correct. Brook didn't do anything to try and frighten them. He'd merely greeted them and they panicked. Brook himself had admitted he didn't understand why Usopp had ran. He actually felt a little bad about how he had reacted, but not too bad though. Deliberate or not, he was a flipping skeleton for crying out loud! Some warning would have been nice!
"Well, Luffy? Despite being an afro zombie-monster, he did take out all those bounty hunters for us. What do you think?" Zoro asked. His and Sanji's scuffle had ended in yet another tie.
Luffy crossed his arms. "If Brook is one of our nakama, then that's that. Who cares if he looks kind of scary? There are loads of monsters on this crew already, so what's one more? Besides, he's cool!"
"Watch who you're calling a monster, crappy rubberhead!" Sanji scolded.
"You are a monster," Usopp pointed out.
"I was talking about Vivi-chan and Nami-swan!"
"I don't know about Vivi, but Nami..." Zoro trailed off.
Sanji kicked the swordsman in the ribs and then began yet another scuffle (two in five minutes. That was a new record). Everyone else decided to just ignore them for the time being until they finished.
"B-Being a monster is okay on this crew, i-isn't it?" Chopper asked timidly, standing up.
Luffy grinned at him. "Shishishi, of course! Especially afro zombie and seven-transformation reindeer-doctor monsters!"
"If Luffy's any indication, anyway," Nami sighed.
Chopper giggled and Vivi patted him on the head.
"Hearing such words warms my heart, Luffy-san! Not that I have heart! Yohohoho!"
The crew turned to see Roronoa and Brook now standing right next to them, both looking mildly amused. The crew members who had been sitting down jumped to their feet, and Zoro and Sanji stopped their duel.
"How long have you two been standing there?" Vivi asked.
"Just got here," Roronoa replied. "I'm done talking to Brook, so we can move on."
"Roronoa-san tells me you're all looking for the ship so we can find Franky-san," Brook said. "I've held you up long enough, so let's be on our way!"
When Brook mentioned the ship, Usopp gained a glum expression. Vivi rested her hand comfortingly on his shoulder.
"Just hold on, Brook," Nami said. "Before we continue, are you sure there isn't anything you've discovered about this place you can tell us? Like where the rest of your crew may be? Or whether you've seen a little girl who knows about this place around somewhere?"
Brook placed his bony hand where his chin would have been. "Aside from Franky-san, I'm afraid I haven't a clue as to where to find the rest of my nakama. But what's this about a little girl?"
"Zoro-ossan said he met a weird kid in the jungle who knew about the time stuff on the island," Luffy replied. "We figure if we find her, she could tell us something about this place."
Brook tilted his head. "... Zoro-ossan?"
"He means me," Roronoa clarified.
Brook stared at Roronoa for a moment, then burst into peals of uncontrollable laughter. He even fell to his knees and beat the ground with his fist.
"Shut up, it's not that funny!" Roronoa yelled. That made Brook laugh even harder. "I said it's not funny!"
"Oh yes it is! Yohohohohohohoho!"
"If anyone should be called an old man, it should be you! You're the one who's in his nineties!"
"Yohohohoho! But I'm an immortal skeleton! You have no excuse! Yohohohohohoho!"
Roronoa drew his white sword, looking seriously ready to use it on the laughing musician. Zoro found that little odd though.
He uses his black one when he goes for one-sword-style, Zoro thought. Why not on Brook?
"That's enough," Nami said, getting between the two. "Brook, get up and answer my question."
Roronoa re-sheathed his sword reluctantly, but did not make another attempt to kill the skeleton.
Brook took a few calming breathes (despite not having lungs) and got back on his feet. "I apologize, Nami-san. Anyway, as I said, I'm afraid I don't have any new information for you. I'm just as much in the dark about this island as you. However, when you all mentioned this island is time-challenged, it sounded familiar to me."
"Familiar?" Usopp asked skeptically. "How so?"
"You see, I hail from the West Blue, and in the West Blue, children are often told a fairy tale about an island lost in the waves of time," Brook explained. "The Tale of the Island of Kāla. It's quite popular in that sea."
"Kāla?" Vivi repeated.
"Our boss is gonna promote us for bringing in the infamous Straw Hat Pirates along with the treasure of Kāla!"
Vivi gasped. "That's what the tattooed bounty hunter said!"
Everyone turned to look at her.
"Remember?" she prompted. "Mr. Brook, you weren't here, but one of the bounty hunters said he was going to be promoted for turning in the Straw Hat Pirates and the treasure of Kāla. I thought it might be a name, but he was actually referring to the island! I thought it sounded familiar as well, and now I remember. I've heard the story too. This island must be Kāla!"
"But Brook just said that island was a fairy tale," Usopp said.
"So are Millennial Dragons, and Devil Fruits are considered myths in the four Blues," Sanji pointed out.
"Oh, good point."
"It's been many years since I heard the story, but I do recall it said there was a treasure hidden somewhere on the island," Brook said helpfully.
"I've read that as well," Vivi added. "But I don't remember much of the story either."
"There's treasure here?" Luffy asked. "What kind of treasure? I hope it's meat!"
"Meat's not treasure, you moron!" Nami said. Her eyes became berry signs. "I bet's it's gold and jewels from all eras of history! We're on a time island, so it makes sense!"
"Gold and jewels? Neato!" Chopper said. "Are we going to look for it? I heard pirates try to find treasure all the time!"
"Of course we're going to look for it!" Nami declared.
"We're not looking for it," Roronoa countered. "You came along because Luffy ordered me to let you aid in searching for my crew. If you want to go on a treasure hunt, do it on your own time."
Nami frowned, feeling a bit guilty. Roronoa was probably worried about his crew (and she knew he was, even if he tried to hide under all that machismo. He was an older Zoro), and she'd wanted to go off to find a treasure that might not even be on the island.
Curse my generous heart, she thought. I'll just have to add on to Zoro's debt to compensate.
And at that moment, Zoro gained the sudden urge to wring that money-grubbing witch's neck. He didn't know why though.
"Sorry Nami, we promised Zoro-ossan we'd help him first. The treasure- that might or might not be meat- is gonna have to wait," Luffy said, patting Roronoa's back. He paused. "Hey, Vivi said these bounty hunters were looking for the treasure too, right? Why are bounty hunters hunting treasure? Shouldn't they be hunting bounties?"
"They were coming after our ship originally," Brook pointed out. "I doubt they were expecting Kāla to appear out of nowhere like it did."
"And if they did, then what's the point of driving us to it?" Roronoa added.
"Hold on," Sanji interrupted. "We're getting ahead of ourselves. As much as I trust Vivi's judgment, we don't even know for sure if this island's actually Kāla."
The group realized that was a fair point. Just because this place reminded Brook of fairy tale didn't mean this was really the place. And only Vivi had heard the bounty hunter supposedly say Kāla.
"We don't know," Sanji repeated. He glanced at the fallen bounty hunters, smiling around the cigarette in his mouth. "But I do know how we can find out."
The last thing Tattoos remembered was hearing the skeleton say he and his men had already been defeated. Then he'd felt bitterly cold and everything went black. The blackness had lasted a long time, until he felt someone shaking his shoulder with what felt like a foot.
"Wakey-wakey, crappy hunter. We need to talk."
Tattoos opened his eyes when the voice spoke, only to wish he hadn't. He was surrounded by Straw Hat Pirates, and none of them looked happy to see him. He tried to stand, but the fact he was still half-frozen with ice made that a little difficult. He settled for sitting up as straight as he could.
"What do you guys want?" he growled. "Can't you leave a guy to die in peace?"
"Stop whining," Black Leg said. "According to Brook, he wasn't even trying to kill you."
"Luffy-san doesn't approve of lethal force when it isn't necessary," Soul King explained further.
"I don't?" Straw Hat asked. "Wow, my future self must be a pretty decent guy!"
Straw Hat was ignored.
"However, if you don't answer our questions, your survival can easily be rectified," Pirate Hunter (the younger one) said sinisterly, partially drawing one of his swords.
"We're not actually gonna kill him, are we?" the pet asked worriedly in a whisper.
Wait, the pet could talk?
Sniper King shushed him. "Shh! You're gonna give away our bluff!"
Tattoos raised an eyebrow. They did realize he could hear every word they were saying, right? He'd heard rumors that the Straw Hats, while dangerous as hell, were not a very bright bunch. It seemed those rumors were true, at least for some of the crew.
"Just ask your questions," Tattoos sighed. "I don't even care anymore."
"That was easy," Cat Burglar commented. "Too easy. How do we know he's not going to lie?"
"He's surrounded by pissed-off pirates, including the two guys who fought him," Pirate Hunter (the older one) stated in deadpan. "For some reason, I think he's smart enough not to be stupid and lie."
Tattoos growled more deeply. "Ask your damn questions already so I can lay here and wait to die."
"Don't be so eager to die," the blue-haired girl said. "Here's our first question. Is this truly the island of Kāla, like the one in the West Blue fairy tale?"
"It is, unless that brat the higher-ups caught is lying," Tattoos replied. "I wouldn't put it past her. According to the reports I've received, she's bitten the boss five times and still refuses to give any substantial information."
The pirates all glanced at each other.
"Sounds like Roronoa's mystery kid has been captured," Black Leg muttered to his crew.
"We'll worry about that later," Sniper King muttered back.
"Hey, you said you were looking for our ship before," Straw Hat broke in. "Why were you looking for it? What'd the Going Merry ever do to you?"
"Luffy, I think it wasn't the ship he wanted, but the pirates who owned it," the blue haired girl said.
"Good, cause Merry's a great ship and you'd better leave her alone!" Straw Hat threatened.
"You bet she is!" Sniper King agreed with a hearty fist-pump.
"Your blue-haired friend is right," Tattoos replied. "We were told to patrol for your ship, in the hope we'd find the rest of your crew."
"The 'rest' of our crew?" the raccoon dog echoed.
"You mean you've encountered more of us?!" Soul King shouted.
"Not me personally, but Miss Erity did say they were having issues with a sniper. Something about a damn coward and damn flytraps."
The elder Pirate Hunter turned to Soul King with a grin. "A coward and flytraps?"
Soul King nodded. "Yohohoho! Sounds like Usopp-san has been keeping busy!"
Sniper King's eyes widened but he didn't say anything. Tattoos couldn't help but wonder how many snipers the crew had. Maybe this Usopp guy was Sniper King's sidekick or something.
"Last question," Cat Burglar said in a sickeningly sweet tone. "The story says the island has some kind of treasure. What is that treasure, and why are a group of bounty hunters looking for it?"
"Nami, Luffy said we weren't going to look for the treasure!" the pet scolded her.
Tattoos didn't hear the pet's scolding though. His mind was still stuck on the girl's question. Treasure... there was something he had to remember about the treasure...
"...you listening? Good..."
The treasure... Kāla's treasure was...
"...Carrion wants our extracurricular activities on the down-low, so he asked me to do this..."
What did Boss Carrion want...?
"...if anyone outside of our group ever inquires about the treasure or why we want it, this is what will happen; you will begin to feel a throbbing pain in your temple. It will hurt really bad, and feel like your head is going to split open..."
Tattoos winced. He did have a throbbing pain in his temple. Where was some aspirin when he needed it...?
"...but lucky you; in your pocket will be a brand new invention. It's a device that will dispense pain medicine directly into your skull. Just hold it up to your temple and press the button on the handle. It's that easy!"
Tattoos' hand slid into his pocket and sure enough, the device was there! He really was a lucky man. Maybe now he could get rid of this agonizing headache...
The Straw Hats had been busy reprimanding Nami for her question (or in Sanji's case, defending her actions), that they didn't notice how eerily quiet Tattoos had become.
That is, until he pulled out a gun.
Carue was the first one who noticed it. He began to quack loudly, hoping to catch someone's attention. Fortunately, he succeeded.
"He's got a gun!" Usopp shouted with alarm.
Before anyone else could react, Luffy swung/stretched his arm out and knocked his crewmates aside, stepping in front of Tattoos in preparation for taking the bullet himself.
However, the bounty hunter didn't turn his gun on the pirates. He calmly lifted it up and placed the tube against his temple.
"He's not-?!" Sanji said with disbelief.
"Stop him!" Chopper cried out. "He's going to-!"
BANG!
Location: Somewhere in the jungle of Kāla
"Runo?" Vaughan asked as he stopped running. "You okay? Why'd you stop running just now?"
Runo was standing several feet behind the red-eyed man, facing the direction Vaughan was pretty the sure the beach was in. For once, Runo was not smiling creepily. In fact, he looked vaguely irritated.
"I'm fine," Runo said blandly. "Why do you ask?"
"The fact you stopped running out of nowhere, you're looking towards the beach, and now have an "I want to punch something" expression."
"Drop dead, Vaughan."
Vaughan leaned against a giant tree root. "Come on, tell me what's got your knickers in a twist."
Runo shrugged. "It's nothing. One of my post-hypnotic suggestions just went off is all."
"And that's a bad thing? I thought you got a sick kick out of your powers being used to make people's lives miserable."
"I do. This suggestion just wasn't a personal favorite."
Vaughan rolled his eyes. He had never tried to understand Runo, and he wasn't about to start now. Just as he was about to tell the feral man to get his rear in gear, a ringing came from his coat. Someone was calling him on his baby Den Den.
Ring ring ring. Ring ring- clank.
"This is Vaughan-" Vaughan began.
"And Runo!" Runo interrupted.
"-And Runo," the red-eyed man continued. "What's up?"
The transponder snail's mouth moved weirdly, making strange sounds. Were those... explosions?
"Hello?"
"Vaughan," Erity's voice came out of the snail. She sounded extremely pleased with herself. "Guess what I just found."
"... a purple-spotted elephant with a diamond tiara?" he guessed.
"... What? No, of course not. Why would you even-"
"Just tell me why I keep hearing explosions in the background."
"Let's just say the guy who's been a constant source of aggravation for me for the past day isn't too happy that I found his hiding spot." Erity chuckled to herself. "I'm going to enjoy this."
"You found the sniper?" Runo asked eagerly. "Perfect! Save a piece for me, okay?"
"Screw you, Runo. You're not the one who had drag a pair of idiots from the jaws of venus flytraps twelve times. I'm breaking every bone in this guy's body, starting with that stupid nose," Erity said grouchily. The snail looked out of place with a snarl. "Vaughan, make sure I don't see the two of you without some Straw Hats in pursuit. Am I clear?"
"As a church bell," Vaughan answered.
"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work. This coward's a sneaky little- HOLY CRAP IS THAT A WOLF OR A PINE TREE?! GOTTA GO!"
Erity hung up and the Den Den Mushi went back to sleep.
Runo flashed Vaughan a smirk. "You know, I think that fun you mentioned earlier is finally starting. 'Bout time."
Vaughan didn't reply. Instead he sprinted on ahead, not even caring he was leaving Runo behind to wonder what the heck had gotten into him.
It's starting, alright. Kāla's secret just within my grasp, Vaughan thought. He looked up towards the sky. The sun was coming out from behind the clouds. Better late than never, right Bhanu? It's been waiting for centuries, but what we've worked for is finally becoming a reality. And the Straw Hats are my ticket to attaining it.
Next Time:
"Truthfully, I have no real interest in capturing you, Cat Burglar," Erity sighed, slipping on her other gauntlet. "But if I don't, my boss might start wondering what's up with me, and I do have a reputation to uphold."
Nami swallowed the thick lump in her throat. She had to move. She had to move or this psycho was going to kill her. But... she couldn't. Her legs weren't listening to her.
Erity extended all of the fingers on her right hand, the sun glinting off the clawed gauntlet. "Relax, girlie. I'm not going to kill you. That'd put a huge drop in your bounty."
Move, damn it, Nami scolded herself. Move, RIGHT NOW!
Erity stepped forward and drew her arm back. "Sorry, but this is going to hurt. Go Shi-"
"GREEN STAR: SKULL BOMBGRASS!"