Pushing his body to its very limits, Usopp prepared to let out a humongous roar. " Pirates ar-"

"Stop."

Usopp skidded to a sudden stop, the sudden change in speed nearly sending him to the ground. He turned to find the speaker of the voice, eyes darting to and fro. Has Klahadore caught up to him?

"Behind you." There was a trace of amusement in the voice.

The sniper turned with his hand slowly reaching for his slingshot, only to relax instantly. Roronoa Zoro was leaning against a tree, half-eaten apple in one hand. "Zoro," Usopp exhaled, his knees shaking, "you have no idea how scared I was."

"They won't believe you," Zoro stated matter of factly. "About the butler actually being Kuro," Zoro added, seeing Usopp's puzzled face.

Usopp's mind whirled at this information, Zoro has no way of knowing that. Unless...he was with the butler. Steeling his resolve, he pointed his slingshot at the green-haired man's face. His home was on the line. "I won't let you have your way!" He declared as his entire body shook like a leaf.

Zoro took another bite of his apple. "Idiot, put that down. I'm with you."

The other man's casual stance, the way he had his thumb curled under the hilt of his sword, his steely eyes. All this things made Usopp want to run with every fiber of his being, but he stood his ground. "How do I know you aren't lying?"

Zoro rolled his eyes and flicked the apple into the air. Usopp instinctively fired at the target and apple pulp rained down between them. "Why the hell would I not just kill you if I was Kuro's guy?"

Usopp considered that and slowly lowered his weapon. "Okay, I believe you."

Zoro's visible eye softened. "Good, now let's gather the other two and prepare for tomorrow."

Clearing guilty thoughts about Luffy from his mind, Usopp shook his head, "No, I have to warn the village. Get everyone to evacuate before tomorrow."

The swordsman shook his head. "They'd never believe you," Zoro said, "you already tell them that every day."

Usopp felt the blood in his veins turn to ice at Zoro's words. He was right, he was just like the boy who cried wolf. "But if you back me up," Usopp said desperately, "then they'll believe me."

Zoro snorted. "Oh yeah, the stranger with green hair would really back up your accusation against a respected member of the community. Let's just get Luffy."

"I have to try!" The long-nosed teen roared before turning on his heel and running. "They'll listen," he thought to himself, "they have to listen."


Luff whistled as he walked down the trail, or rather, did his best attempt at whistling. Which sounded a lot like a cross between a dying cat and raspberry noises.

Luffy absent-mindedly picked his nose as he walked. He'd been really shocked to walk up amongst the rocks at the bottom of a cliff. Ah well, he must've fallen over in his sleep. He glanced at the setting sun, he should try and find the others soon. Maybe they went back to the mansion.

With nothing else to go on, the rubber boy set out with a stride. He wondered if that butler from early was still angry? Probably not, he would've had dinner and calmed down by now. He blinked and paused when he picked up a voice in the trees to his right. "I saw him die."

"Bullshit." Luffy's ears perked, that had been Zoro's voice cursing. He jogged over and snapped basically every twig in the forest on his way. A hush fell amongst the group as he burst through the trees and into a clearing.

Usopp was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his body covered in small scrapes and bruises. Nami sat beside him, applying bandages. Zoro sat across from them, leaning against a log, boredom visible on his face. The swordsman's eye flickered to Luffy but he stayed noticed him next, flashing him a smile as she put a bandaid on Usopp's cheek. And Usopp was the last to notice.

The sniper's mouth fell open in shock and he pointed a shaking finger at Luffy. "Y-you're dead," Usopp stuttered, "I saw you die."

Luffy cocked his head to the side. "Are you sure? I don't think I'm dead."

Zoro let out a laugh. "Told you he was fine," the green-haired man muttered to Usopp.

"But you fell off the cliff," Usopp protested, "that fall should've broke your neck."

Luffy grabbed the edge of his mouth and pulled. He laughed at Usopp's shocked face. "I'm a rubber man," he explained, "I at a devil fruit."

"And you didn't think this was worth mentioning when I told you he fell off a cliff?" Usopp roared at Zoro.

"I was going to," Zoro retorted, "but you were too busy not following my advice."

"I had to try!" Usopp growled, "but...no one would listen."

Unsure of what was going on, the rubber teen plonked to the ground beside Zoro. "What's going on?" He stage-whispered to Nami.

The orange-haired woman rolled her eyes at him and sighed. "You were there, how do you not know what's going on?"

"I was sleeping," Luffy protested. "Is this about the guy with the weird walk and the hungry butler?"

"Hungry?" Nami questioned.

"Yeah, that butler was mean, so he must've been hungry."

"He's a pirate!" Usopp exploded out with.

"Really?" Luffy let out a laugh, "that's great."

"No, it isn't!" Usopp yelled, "he's going to get all of Kaya's money and plunder the village."

"He's a bad guy," Zoro elaborated.

"Ah, gotcha." Luffy nodded. "What are you going to do?"

The long-nosed teen's face was filled with determination. "I will defend my home."

Luffy grinned, that was exactly what he had hoped to hear. "Then we'll help."

Hope filled Usopp's eyes. "You will? You'd do that out of the kindness of your own heart?"

"Nope," Luffy stated flatly, making an x symbol with his arms, "we're doing it because we're friends."

Luffy could see tears forming in the liar's eyes. "Thank you," Usopp said, his voice full of gratefulness."

"What's the plan then?" Nami interrupted.

"Are you stupid?" Luffy asked her, "we beat up the butler and his crew."

"That's not a plan," Nami hissed.

"I have a plan." Usopp revealed suddenly.

Luffy turned back to face the sniper. "Really?"

"Yeah," Usopp confirmed, "I was going to cover the slope in oil and caltrops."

"Which slope?" The silent Zoro suddenly butted in.

"Huh? The south slope obviously," Usopp said.

"What makes that obvious?" The green-haired man pressed.

"We saw the two of them there discussing the invasion there," Usopp explained.

"Even more reason for them to come from the other beach then," Zoro countered.

The group fell into silence, mulling over Zoro's words. "I don't have enough supplies to trap both slopes," Usopp moaned.

"You and Nami trap up the north slope." Zoro finally broke the silence, "me and Luffy will handle the south."

Luffy grinned over at the swordsman. "Sounds good," he agreed.

"Are you sure?" Usopp questioned hesitantly, "can you handle them all by yourself if the land at the south slope?"

Luffy laughed, "don't worry. Me and Zoro are strong."

"Luffy's right," Nami agreed, "we're the ones who should be worrying."

"Usopp, do you have a flare?" Zoro questioned the sniper.

"No, but I can put one together," Usopp responded, "why?"

"Make one and fire it if the pirates appear on your sides. Me and Luffy will come running."

Usopp nodded and stood up, dusting off his overalls. "I'll get started on the traps then." Usopp and Nami began walking away.

"Zoro let's go," Luffy ordered,.

Zoro stood up with a grunt. "This'll be fun."

"Yeah," Luffy agreed," it will be.

The duo settled down on the south slope for the long haul. Zoro began to do one finger push ups. "Hey Zoro," Luffy questioned, a serious tone entering his voice.

Zoro stop his workout and sat up, sensing the change in atmosphere. "Yeah?"

"I've been wondering….is that hair colour natural?"

Zoro collapsed back onto the sand. "That was your serious question!" The green-haired man roared.

Luffy laughed and the duo fell back into companionable silence. Before he knew it, the sun was rising in the sky. "Seems like we're in the wrong place," Zoro commented, pointing at the sky.

Luffy looked up just in time to see the tailend of a dissipating flare. WIthout a word, the duo burst off towards the north side.

"Wait for us guys!" Luffy roared.


Nami smashed her bo staff into another thug's head, sending him smashing back down the hill and into other pirates. The way the pirates were thrown about was oddly reminiscent of bowling ball. "This is bad," she muttered under her breath, looking at the scene in front of her. The pirates were slowly pushing up the oil-drenched and caltrop covered slope. When they did, Nami and Usopp would have no defence.

A pirate roared and, with every last bit of his strength, pushed through the oil and was upon Nami in an instant. Nami froze as a sabre descended towards her unprotected face.

A rotten egg smashed into the pirate's face and he fell back sputtering. Seizing the chance, Nami tripped him up and he fell back down the hill. "Thanks Usopp," she called over her shoulder, "I owe you one."

"No problem," the sniper replied, "you've done so much for me already."

Nami cast a nervous look over the mass of writhing bodies on the slope. "This plan isn't going to last any longer."

Usopp fired another pellet into the enemy crowd before replying. "Any ideas?"

"No," Nami replied, "not really to be perfectly honest."

Usopp's reply was drowned out by a yell from the base of the slope. "Men, look at me." The oddly-dressed man roared holding out a shortened chakram, "look and grow ten times stronger. One, two, Jango!"

Nami instinctively shut her. "Usopp, don't look!" She clamped her eyes shut just in time to avoid the obvious tree laid for them. After all, no one would be stupid enough to activate a strength boosting hypnosis with enemies around. It would probably just knock them out when they looked at it.

Her blood ran cold as thunderous war cries filled the air and her eyes snapped open. All of the men, wounded or not, were on their feet: eyes dilated, feral grins plastered across their faces, popping veins and bulging muscles.

"Crap," Usopp whispered softly beside her. And she nodded in agreement. The men charged up the slope with renewed vigour, pushing through the oil like it didn't exist. Nami weakly brought up her bo staff to defend against the first wave, desperately ignoring the shaking in her hands.

"Yakkodori!

Blood splattered into the air as a crescent moon-shaped projectile of compressed air swept through the enemy pirates and down the slope, stopping a hairsbreadth from Jango.

Shell-shocked, Nami turned and gaped as the green-haired swordsman landed beside her in a crouch. "Yo," he greeted with one hand.

"Nice!" Usopp let out a cheer, "thanks for the save, Zoro."

"Hey," Luffy said as he jogged up, "did the butler show up?"

"No," Nami muttered absent-mindedly, "he hasn't." Her eyes strayed to the massacre that had just occurred and the still shocked Jango. The hypnotist's bulging eyes had knocked off his funky glasses as he took in his defeated crew.

"Protect me," Jango screamed in a shrill voice, "Nyaban Brothers!"

There was a flicker in the air and then two men stood in front of Jango: one fat and one line. They both wore cat-themed outfits and had clawed gloves on their hands. The duo's face were set in stone as they slipped into combat stances. Nami gulped. She could tell these two meant business.

The navigator's head snapped to the side when the sound of chuckling reached her ears alongside the sound of metal being drawn from a sheath. "Nice to see that you two are taking me seriously from the get go this time."

This time? Nami frowned as Zoro began to walk down the hill towards the last of the pirates. Had Zoro fought them before? Maybe in his bounty hunting days?

"Die," the leaner of the duo growled, "Neko-Yanagi Daikoshin!" Jango's protectors once again flickered out of existence.

"Not good enough," the green haired man announced as the two pirates appeared above his head. "Hiryu: Kaen!" Zoro leapt above the duo, avoiding their frantic claw slashes, and brought his arm down like thunder twice.

It was over before Nami had really grasped what had happened. A large gash ran down both men's midsections shortly before their chests burst into blue flames as they writhed on the ground. Zoro pointed his sword in Jango's direction. "Even think about hypnotising them...and you're dead."

"Jango." A voice said with icy calm from behind Nami, making her jump. "What the hell is this?"

Nam sprang back and turned to face the newcomer, bo staff positioned to strike. She gasped at what she saw. The butler had changed from the man she had seen yesterday. His posture was far straighter and his eyes were filled with anger and fur. And long clawed gloves covered his hands.

Claws dripping with blood.

The butler's eyes flickered down on her as Jango stammered off excuses in the background and Nami suddenly felt like a small mouse at the mercy of a cat.

And then her views was filled with the red vest covering Luffy's back as the rubber boy stepped in between them and Nami could breath again.

"Kuro?"

"What's it to you, you little brat?"

Luffy cracked his knuckles and Nami pondered briefly that she still wasn't used to the pirate's personality changes. "I'm here to kick your ass."


"Luffy," the fallen man rasps out, holding his remaining sword to the sky, "can you hear me?"

When the teen in the straw hat responds in the affirmative, the green-haired man ploughs on. "Sorry for worrying you. If I don't become the greatest swordsman in the world, you'd be in a dilemma now, right?"

And now there are tears of frustration in the man's eyes "I will...I will never...LOSE AGAIN!"

The promise rings out loudly across the silent ocean and it seems like the entire world has forgotten to breath.

"Until I defeat him and become the greatest swordsman, I'll never be defeated anymore!" A grin tugs at his lips at the man's, no, Roronoa Zoro's proclamation. Excitement begins to burn in his chest and flood his veins.

"Any problem with that, Pirate King?"

And for the first time in a long time, Dracule Mihawk is satisfied from a fight

…

Mihawk lurched awake, hand clawing at the burning pendant constricting his neck. He ripped it off after a few seconds of fumbling and throwed it to the other end of the rowboat.

He cupped his head in his hands, massaging his temple. His body was clammy and his heart was pounding. What the hell had just happened?

The swordsman looked up and saw an armada of ships appearing from the fog, they bore the Jolly Roger of a skull on an hourglass.

"Bow before the might of Don Krieg's fleet!" A voice boomed out.

Dracule Mihawk rose to his feet and drew Yoru with a flourish.

Time to vent.