Wooh! Sorry this is so late! It's been storming around here and Aro's been in the hospital for a while so we've had some problems with updating.
Chapter Five
In Which Nix Wakes Up
Aka: The Honorable Liar? Captain Usopp!
"Fiction is the truth inside the lie."
- Steven King
Nix was warm.
That was the first thing she took note of in her sleepy daze.
Warmth and a rising and falling motion.
She smiled happily, snuggling into her pillow contently. The pillow grunted as she held it tighter.
Wait, grunted?
Nix's eyes flew open and landed on a pair of silverish eyes, glazed with pain. She released Zoro and fell backwards off the bed.
"You're usually more coordinated," Zoro groaned, sitting up.
"W-where are we?" she stammered, trying in vain not to look at the swordsman.
"Your locket," he said, popping his neck. His eyes roamed over it. "Very dark."
"I like it," Nix said, shrugging. She looked down at her outfit, which was smudged with dirt, sweat and Zoro's blood. "I need a shower." She stood, wincing at the ache in her arms, and headed down the hall, leaving Zoro to explore.
After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Nix stood before Zoro, staring him down stubbornly.
"Yes,"
"I don't need it."
"Yes, you do."
"No."
"You're taking that shower even if it kills you!" she exclaimed, looking mournfully at her now bloody sheets. "You're destroying my house!" she wailed, pulling on her hair.
"Fine, just shut up!" Zoro grumbled. "I'm getting a headache." Nix smirked.
"Great, the bathroom's the blue door down the hall. You'll find a change of clothes waiting for you there."
"You planned this!" Zoro asked, eye twitching.
"Maybe~!" she grinned.
"Damn manipulative woman." he mumbled, moving past her. Nix laughed and turned to examine herself in her mirror.
A dark red shirt hung off one of her shoulders, a large glittering skull and crossbones on the front. Her black pants matched her black converse. The chakra gloves from earlier were still on her hands, ready for action. Her hat's ribbon was now a blood red. A pair of earrings made from some dice, hung from her ears.
"Hey, Zoro!" she called, throwing the locket door open. "Take a rest and try not to bleed on anything or else you're confined to the couch!"
"Yeah," she heard him shout back, accompanied by the sound of the shower stopping. Nix blinked and a trickle of blood ran from her nose as he walked out in a towel.
"I'll be going then," she muttered, taking her eyes off his abs. She hurriedly stuck her head out of the locket.
"You're awake!" Nami exclaimed.
"Hey, Tangerine!" she said cheerfully.
"You slept through it!" Luffy laughed, looking down at her. He pulled the locket off and held it out in front of him. "After you collapsed, the mayor went crazy and took off after Buggy! Then we went after him and this weird acrobat guy tried to fight Zoro, but he lost big time! After Zoro went to sleep, we put him in your room with you. Then, Buggy tore up my hat and started talking about how much he hated Shanks! He hates him for saving his life, I think. Anyways, then I kicked Buggy's ass, but he split up into all these little parts and went after Nami, cuz she was stealing his treasure, but I stopped him and we started fighting again. Then, when he tried to pull himself together, Nami tied all of his extra pieces up! After that, I kicked him right over the island!"
"Then the villagers showed up," Nami sighed as Nix climbed out. Zoro followed her, wearing a black T-shirt and a pair of jeans. Nix mentally drooled at the sight of him. It wasn't her fault she had a little fangirlish crush on him (ooh, foreshadowing! -grins-). "They chased us out. The mayor woke up before we could get completely away. He thanked us as we were sailing off. Strawboy here forgot my treasure on the docks." She glared at Luffy when she said the last part.
"Where'd the apples come from?" Nix asked, biting into one happily. She loved apples, they were her favorite fruit.
"They were below deck on my ship," Nami said, pointing at the little cabin on the boat she stole from the Buggy pirates.
"Cool," One anime question down, several more to go.
"So what are we doing now?" she asked, looking at Luffy curiously. The young captain looked at her, Pixel sitting in his usual spot atop his hat-clad head.
"We're going to Syrup Island. There's something I want to get there." Nix raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly.
"Should be interesting." Luffy grinned.
"That's what I'm hoping for!"
As the crew landed on the shore, Nix and Luffy jumped out, followed by everyone else. The magician stretched happily, grinning at Pixel who sat at her feet.
"It feels great to be on land again!" she laughed, tipping her head back. Zoro stretched, agreeing with her while Luffy asked Nami about where they could find meat, then Zoro stiffened, reaching for one of his swords.
"Careful," he said, eyes scanning the tree line. "We're being watched.
"By who?" Luffy asked excitably. "Do they have meat?"
"Look out!" Zoro shouted. Whistles rang through the air as small projectiles were shot at them. Nix did the smart thing and hid behind Zoro, her fan raised to protect her face. Pixel stood near Luffy jumping nimbly to avoid Usopp's aim. Sweet-Pea was being held by Nami, who hid behind one of the boats. Small Jolly Rogers began to go up in the bushes along the cliffs, and Usopp finally made his apperance.
"That's so cool!" Luffy shouted, waving his arms excitedly.
"Are we supposed to be impressed?" Nami asked scornfully.
"Ahahahahaha," Usopp laughed, towering over them from his place on the cliff top. Nix stepped out from behind Zoro, exchanging a look with Luffy as the captain realized who he was. "I am Usopp! Leader of the great nation of pirates that live on this island. You stand before a living legend, the most revered pirate to ever live! I am the great captain Usopp."
"And here I was, thinking that Gol Roger was the most revered pirate to ever live." Nix said sarcastically, mischevious light dancing in her green eyes. Usopp continued, ignoring her.
"Surely you knew that attempting an attack on this village would mean certain doom! My army of eigthy-million super bad pirates soldiers could squash you like bugs!"
"Must be crowded," Nix commented. "What with this being such a small island and so many people, not to mention the civilians that live here too."
"Awessooooooooomeeee!" Luffy shouted. Zoro looked at him strangely.
"You expect us to believe that?" Nami called, making Usopp jump.
"Oh no! She knew I was lying!"
"Actually," Nix said, smiling pleasantly. "You just told her that, she was just asking a question."
"How could I have been so dumb?" Usopp yelled, doing a little wiggle dance. "I practically told her I was lying! I'm such an idiot. So stupid." Nami just stared awkwardly.
"What?" Luffy exclaimed, looking towards the girls. "He was lying?"
"Curse you crafty women!" Usopp shouted. "But no matter! Eighty-million might have been an exaggeration, but I have a great many men under my command!"
"My guess is three," Nami and Nix chorused, smirking at the wannabe captain. In the bushes, Carrot, Onion, and Pepper shouted in terror, taking off towards the village.
"AH!" They shouted, disappearing. "They knoow!"
"Hey! Where're you going?" Usopp shouted, eyes bugging out of his head. "Come baaack!" He turned to face the crew nervously.
"A pirate using a slingshot," Nami said, picking up one of Usopp's 'bullets'. She blew the sand off of it and looked at it curiously. "Now I've seen it all."
"Ever been to the Grand Line?" Nix asked. Nami shook her head. "Then you've seen nothing yet."
"That's pretty cool," Luffy laughed. Usopp growled and pulled out a loaded slingshot, aiming it at the small crew.
"Shut your mouth," he said, glaring at them. Nix personally thought it was very brave of him to even aim at a pirate. "I'm a proud man and I won't stand for it! This is your last warning. You'll get to see why they call me Proud Usopp, and not, Pushover Usopp. You've already seen how good I am with this thing, so you know I can rival anyone with a pistol."
Luffy pushed his hat down low in his head, no longer laughing. Nix tipped her head down, the shadow from her own hat hiding her face and smile. She pulled out a charged card, ready to demonstrate, not that she would have to.
"Now that you've drawn your pistol," Luffy said, beginning to quote Shanks, much like Nix had done with Hellmepo. "Are you willing, to use it?" Zoro, seeing what Luffy was trying to do, smirked and slid one of his swords slightly out of its sheath.
"Guns aren't for threats," Nix said, her voice low and dangerous. Inside, she was trying desperately not to laugh, knowing Usopp was shaking in fear by now. "They're for actions."
"Are you willing to risk your life?" Luffy finished, looking up at him through his dark hair. Zoro chuckled.
"I can assure you," he called. "We're real pirates, so consider your next move carefully." Usopp maintained his aim for a few moments, then dropped the slingshot, sinking to his knees.
"Real pirates have a lot more puch behind the words because they can actually back it up," he said reverently. "That's so cool." Luffy stared up at him for a moment, expression blank, then he grinned. Nix joined Zoro and Luffy in their laughter, grinning up at the young sharpshooter.
"I stole that," Luffy said. "I stole those words from Red-Haired Shanks, a pirate I know."
"What?" Ussop gasped. "You know Red-Haired Shanks?"
"He's my dad," Nix said, smiling serenly.
"I know your dad too," Luffy continued. "His name's Yasopp, right?" Usopp gave a cry of delight, sliding off the cliff to land before them.
"You're right," Usopp said, slightly surprised. "My old man's name is Yasopp. But, uh, how in the world do you know him?"
Nix grinned, knowing a good meal would come during the explanation.
A few minutes later, the crew and Usopp sat in a small resturant called Meshi, happily eating their lunch. Nix fed Sweet-Pea small bits of stewed potatos and carrots while Pixel tried to eat a steak that was almost as long as him. Nix smiled, listening idly to the conversation around their table.
"This is good." Usopp said, starting up a conversation with Luffy about Yasopp. Nix smiled as Luffy recounted the days when Yaopp was in the village, showing off his skills and sticking beer mugs on his head. Vaguely, she wondered how he got the glass off of his head.
"Maybe you can help us," Nami said after Usopp told Luffy he was proud of his father. "Do you know anyone who can provide us with a decent ship? Or anyone who can sail for that matter?"
"Well," Usopp sighed, looking away. "It's a pretty small village. I just don't think we can help you." Zoro exchanged a look with an amused Nix, who had a mischevious twinkling in her emerald eyes.
"What about that house on the hill? Generally there should be someone there with resources." Usopp froze as the swordsman and magician looked out the window at it.
"Hey," Nami said, smiling at the sharpshooter as she clasped her hands beneath her chin. "Do you know them Usopp? With all that money, surely they can help us get a ship!"
"You stay away from there," Usopp snapped, looking irritated. He immediately regretted it seeing the surprised expressions of the crew. Well, Nix's was more because Sweet-Pea began to roll down the table, but she fixed that by quickly picking him up. "Ah!" Usopp said awkwardly. "I just remembered something I really need to do. Uh, everybody knows me at this place, so, stay and eat as much as you want. Well, uh, gotta go!" He stood up and grabbed his back, running out of Meshi and towards Kaya's mansion.
"Why was he in such a hurry to get out of here?" Nami wondered. Luffy shrugged and bit into an apple. Nix's eyes drifted to the window, where she saw Usopp running up the hill. If only he knew what was going to happen.
"Togeprrrriiii!" Sweet-Pea trilled, wobbling around on the table. He fell into Zoro's lap with a squeak, making the moss haired man jump in surprise.
"What the - What are you doing?" he asked, holding the baby Pokemon up in front of his face.
"Prriii!" he trilled, smiling at the swordsman. Luffy grinned took a drink of his apple juice, a habit that stuck with him because of Nix's dad.
"Haha," she said, propping her head up on her palm. "That's cute, Zoro." A slight pink tinge entered his cheeks as he handed her Sweet-Pea.
"Shut up," he grumbled. Nix and Nami exchanged an amused look but, before they could tease him further, the doors of the resteraunt slammed open and three little boys rushed into, wooden swords raised.
"The Usopp Pirates have arrived!" they shouted.
"Who are these kids?" Nami asked, turning to look at them.
"Captain Usopp is gone," Carrot said as they froze up.
"Did they," Onion asked nervously, "eat him?
"'Fess up you filthy pirates!" Pepper shouted, running over to them. Nix could've awed at the cuteness of the three. "What have you done with our beloved captain. Pixel took that moment to rip off a chunk of meat and swallow it, looking directly at the play-crew.
"Ah," Luffy sighed, ignoring them. "That meat sure was good." He rubbed his stomach, making a hysterical thought run through Nix's mind. Luffy seriously looked pregnant. Nix reached over and poked his belly.
"What meat?" Carrot asked as he and Onion grabbed onto Pepper.
"These pirates are canibals!"
Nami giggled as she realized what they were doing. Zoro copied Nix's stance and looked at the boys, the air around him darkening as he grinned, looking rather shark-like (Oda-sensei said Zoro looks like a shark, so we put that in).
"What have you done, you savages?" Pepper asked, quaking in fear.
"If you're looking for your captain," Nix began, smirking.
"We ate him." Zoro finished. The boys screamed, eyes bugging out of their heads as they turned to the nearest person: Nami.
"AH! CANNIBALS!"
"WHAT ARE YOU PUNKS LOOKING AT ME FOR?" she shouted, glaring at them. Nix and the guys burst out laughing, Pixel rolling around on his back while Sweet-Pea looked on, smiling and confused.
"You just had to go and say something stupid, didn't you!" Nami snapped, put out by the fact they called her a cannibal.
A few minutes later after the Usopp pirates were convinced the Straw Hats weren't cannibals and Pixel wouldn't be snacking on them any time soon, they stood outside the gates of Kaya's mansion, searching for Usopp.
While the others listened to the three boys, Nix walked over to where Usopp usually entered and climbed through the gap he left.
"He should really hide this better." she sighed, picking up Sweet-Pea. Pixel had stayed with Luffy and the others, riding on the captain's head like always. She walked up to the base of the tree, a smile on her face. "Hello, Usopp!" she called.
"Prrii!" Sweet-Pea trilled, waving his arms at the long-nosed boy, who froze up.
"Nix!" he exclaimed, looking shocked. "How did you get here?"
"Same way you did." she said, nodding at Kaya. "Who's your friend?"
"I'm Kaya," the blond said, looking curious. "Who are you?"
"I'm Kenna D. Nix," the red head said, giving an elegant bow, even taking her hat off. "My father sailed with Usopp, so I've heard a bit about him and decided to come meet him." she lied smoothly, completely convincing Kaya. "The rest of the crew I'm on is here and want to meet you, so please, don't be surprised if they show up suddenly." The Straw Hat Pirates and the Usopp Pirates crashed into the ground behind her. "Like that.
"That worked well," Luffy rasped.
"Yeah, real well." Nami snapped sarcastically.
"My goodness!" Kaya exclaimed. "Are you okay?"
"Don't worry about them," Nix told her before Usopp could speak and embarrass himself. "Though if Zoro opened that wound again, I'm going to hurt him." she glared at the swordsman to emphasize her point. Luffy stood adjusting her hat.
"I'm here to see you," Luffy said, looking up at Kaya. "I wanted to ask a favor."
"A favor? From me?" she asked, surprised by the rubbery stranger.
"Uh-huh," Nix walked over to stand between Nami and Zoro, Sweet-Pea clasped firmly in her arms. "I was wondering if you could help us get a boat."
"You there!" Klahadore, really Captain Kuro, said, walking up to them briskly. "What do you think you're doing?" Feeling some movement from Sweet-Pea, Nix looked down to see him waving his fingers back and forth in a familiar pattern.
"What the-" she mumbled, surprised and a little aprehensive that the baby Pokemon would be using Metrenome. That move completely unpredicatble. Nix was so mesmerized by the spiked ball type Pokemon that she didn't even notice Kuro insulting Usopp or the sharpshooter running past them to slug the butler/pirate in the face.
But she did notice, however, that before the curly haired boy even reached him, a blast of light shot from Sweet-Pea and at Kuro. The Solarbeam knocked the man off his feet, sending him to the ground and his glasses flying.
"Togeprrrriiiiii!" the baby trilled happily, thrilled that it sent the poop-suit wearing man to the ground.
"What," Zoro asked, staring at the Pokemon he had been holding only a few moments ago. "The hell was that?
A/N: About Nix collapsing last chapter: her energy was depleted. Using the gloves forced her chakra from her body, exhausting her. Since she hasn't practiced anything with it, chakra isn't easy for her to manipulate. Also, how many people are Zoro fans? And if you want to see a picture of Nix, look at our profile avatar!
- Perona - thanks for Story Alerting and Favoriting!
- irenia - thanks for Story Alerting and Favoriting!
- JediFanPadawan - thanks for Favoriting!
- ichigo1508 - thanks for the Review! Don't you just hate cliffhangers? They're fun for the authors but horrible for the readers.
- .is.. - thanks for Story Alerting and the Review!
Nix: A cookie? For me? [hugs] Thank you!
Omake: Tophat
Zoro stared imapssively at the ground. He had been tied up for three weeks. One more and he would be a free man. Of course, it was a strike against his dignity, but he could handle it. After all, the girl and her mother had done nothing. They deserved to be protected.
He blinked hearing a few unfamiliar voices. His silverish eyes landed on the three figures sitting atop the wall. There was a boy with glasses and pink hair sitting beside a boy in a red vest, knee-length jean shorts, and a straw hat. The latter looked at him with curiosity while the other stared in fear. However, the most unusal of the spectators was the girl.
She wore a knee-length black jacket that had a hood on it over a black tanktop and some blue jeans. A black locket rested on her collar bone, the silver chain glinting in the bright sunlight. A black top hat sat on her head, tips of black hair peeking out from beneath it. A bright crimson ribbon was tied around the base, like a splash of fresh blood.
"Don't worry, I could protect us." the straw hat wearing boy said confidently.
"Hey you three!" Zoro said suddenly. The pinkette jumped, nearly slipping off the wall. The girl turned her green eyes towards him, piercing him with her gaze. "You're an eyesore. Get lost." She grinned, absentmindedly pulling her companion up to a more secure perch.
"I resent that statement," she told him, grinning. "It thought I looked pretty good." Zoro snorted.
Strange girl, but strangely enough, those few words made him like her.
