Great Captain Usopp! New Ship!
AN: And so, its time that Ussop makes his appearance into my story.
It was nighttime again; Nick took another shift and talked to Jarvis. "So, what did we change this time?" He lied down and looked up to the stars as Jarvis told him what he asked.
"According to history; the village you were just in has now been saved from full destruction. Also thanks to your intervention, Buggy's name has not gotten any bigger than an arrogant pirate to the World Government. Other than that, nothing really." Jarvis said showing pictures of the village and of Buggy's status not getting any higher.
Nick laughed at that last part, "Serves that 'chop-chop' bastard right. Were you able to clear that data about Nami yet?"
"Unfortunately, no. However, I do have hopes that I will clear it up eventually."
"You have 'hopes'?" Nick said while raising an eyebrow.
"I'm an AI, I have a right to hope."
Nick smiled at that comment, "Yes you do."
"Sir, I have just realized something."
"What would that be?"
"We are pirates now. At the moment we are still building our crew. But there is something else we may need in the future when you become the King of the Pirates."
"What's that?"
"Allies."
"What do you mean?"
"Like any other great pirate, you will need allies in the days to come. Like in the even that you need support or resources that we don't have, we can call on them for help. Not to mention, it would also benefit them as well; if they ever need assistance in any way, we would be there to help them."
Nick looked surprised, "Why didn't I think of that. Good idea, Jarvis."
"I am here to serve." If Jarvis had a face, he'd be smiling right now.
Nick outstretched his arms and yawned, "Well… I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Jarvis."
"Goodnight, Sir."
The next morning, Nami was looking over all the supplies they have left, after Nick had his fill of breakfast. "You know we can't survive like this!"
"What do you mean?" Nick said as he finished eating a piece of bread.
"If your plan is to go to the Grand Line, you'll need more than this!" Nami says as she gestures the boat they are currently in.
"I am fully aware the boat we are in isn't 'Grand Line material'. I was hoping somewhere along the way there we could buy a bigger ship to use." Nick finished as he laid back and put his hands behind his head.
"Ok, fine. But we are still short on crewmembers." Nami said.
"A ship and supplies are the easy parts, finding crewmembers is the hard part. You have any suggestions on where to go to get the supplies at least?"
"Well… there's a village due north. We should go there first. First thing we should do is get a better ship."
"Sounds good to me." Nick stood up and walked over to the rudder of the boat and then stopped. He looked down to Nami, "Which way is North again?"
She sighed and rolled her eyes, "Move over, let me do it."
Nick moved, letting her take over the boat. "It still technically her boat, after all."
They sailed on for an hour before they reached the island Nami mentioned. Once they exited the boat and walked on the beach; a man with a long nose greeted them.
"HEY THERE! I AM THE GREAT PIRATE CAPTAIN USOPP! I HAVE AN ARMY OF 74,000 MEN AT MY COMMAND!" Usopp was standing on a cliff-side looking over Nick and his crew.
"If you know what's good for you, you would leave this village alone!" Usopp demanded.
"You're lying right?" Nami said, her face was expressionless.
"How did you know?! Ah crap!" Usopp cursed himself for blowing his own cover after a simple question.
Nick couldn't help but laugh. Usopp got mad quick, "Hey! Don't underestimate me! I am a man with high self-esteem! And everyone calls me 'Honorable Usopp!'"
"Relax, buddy. We aren't looking for any trouble, I promise." Nick raised his hands, trying to defuse the situation before it escalated. A loud grumbling sound happened, everyone looked to Nick, he then looked to Usopp, "You won't happen to have any food on you, huh?"
Usopp lead them to a food café, while Nick was eating, Nami explained to Usopp about their need of a bigger ship. Usopp told them of the rich family that lives in the village. Nick also mentioned that they were looking for more crewmembers to Usopp, Usopp was overjoyed as he asked to help; in response, Nick, Zoro and Nami in unison said, "Never mind."
Usopp then looked to his watch and left the café. Three little boys showed up, while they were talking to Zoro and Nami, Jarvis was explaining to Nick about the rich family who owns that mansion Usopp talked about.
"From what I can tell, the current owner of the mansion is named Kaya. She inherited her family fortune at a young age because her parents died by a sickness. She herself is sick, but it's not fatal. It would appear that long nosed friend of yours visits her quite a lot." Jarvis shut down as he finished reading out the data.
Nick looked to the boys and asked, "Why does Usopp visit her?"
"To tell her lies." One of the boys says.
"Lies? Isn't that a bad thing?" Nami asked out of curiosity.
"No. They are good lies. He tells her about amazing adventures that he claimed to have been on." Another boy added in.
"I think the word you're looking for is 'stories' not lies." Nick attempted to correct.
"I guess you could say that." The third boy said.
"After losing her parents at a young age, listening to stories may help her mentally." Jarvis stated.
"I'm guessing, him telling her all these 'lies' helps her to feel better?" Nick discreetly asked.
"Yeah, and it's all thanks to our captain." The first boy answered.
"Ok." Nick stood up from the table, "Lets go get us a ship."
As he walked away while grabbing his suitcase before leaving; Nami protest, but he didn't listen. Zoro followed him out the door, as did the three boys.
The three boys lead Nick and his crew to the mansion. After hopping over the fence and walking to the backyard, Nick saw Usopp sitting next to a tree looking to a window that Kaya was sitting in. Nick first looked to Usopp then to Kaya twice, "Wouldn't be surprised if those two end up together in the future."
Usopp noticed Nick and introduced him to Kaya. "These guys are my new crewmates."
Nick gave a look to Usopp to stop, Nick then looked to Kaya, "We are not his crewmates. However, I would like to make a request of you, if you don't mind." Nick finished as he took his hat off and bowed to her.
"A request? To me?" Kaya seamed surprised.
Nick put his hat back on, "Correct. We are in need of a large ship for our voyage. And I was told by your friend here that you had some of the biggest ship on the island."
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Nick turned to see a man in a black tux with glasses standing a few feet to his left. "You can't just barge into the mansion like this!"
Usopp rolled his eyes, "Urg! The butler."
"Clahador. Listen, these people are…" Kaya tried to explain but was interrupted.
"You don't have to explain! I will ask you about it later." He then turned to Nick with a cold look on his face, "Please get out. Or is there something you need to say?"
"I requested a ship." Nick answered.
"No. Now be gone." Clahador said.
Nick was about to say something else, but Zoro stopped him by putting a hand on Nick's shoulder.
Clahador then turned to Usopp. "You… The guards told me that you were lurking around here. What do you want?"
"I heard that there's a huge mole inside the mansion! So I wanted to see it for myself." Usopp was sweating.
Clahador laughed, "I see that you certainly lie well." He then stopped smiling and gave Usopp a cold stare. "I also heard about your father… You're the son a filthy pirate. I'm not surprised you turned out this way, really."
Nick was caught off guard when he heard that. Nick looked to Usopp, he was getting angry. He could have sworn he heard him say, "Did you say filthy…?" under his breath.
"You and mistress Kaya belong to different sides of the world. If it is money that you are looking for, name your price." Clahador said with a little arrogance in his voice.
"THAT'S ENOUGH CLAHADOR! APOLOGISE TO USOPP NOW!" Kaya screamed.
He didn't listen; he continued to insult Usopp. Which only made him angrier, so angry to the point that Usopp punched Clahador.
"I'M PROUD THAT MY DAD WAS A PIRATE! I'M PROUD THAT HE WAS A BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEA!" Usopp screamed.
As he continued to scream, Nick noticed something familiar about Usopp. His hairstyle, eye color, and he had the same kind of energy of a pirate that he once knew. "Yasopp's son."
Usopp left after that argument, Nick followed, leaving his crew with Usopp's crew. Usopp was sitting cross-legged next to a cliff-side; Nick walked up behind him and dropped an apple on his lap. He then sat next to him, while taking a bite out of his own apple. "Yassop is your father. Isn't he?"
"You know my dad?" Usopp was caught off guard by Nick's question.
"Yeah. I met him a long time ago. He said that he was going to have a son when he visited my home village." Nick took another bite, "You look a lot like him, minus the hair color, though."
"Where is he now?" Usopp was getting excited.
"No idea. Last time I saw him it was 20 years ago." Nick took another bite, "I'm pretty sure that he's still with 'Red-Haired' Shanks' crew. He was one of my favorite of the crew." Nick finished with a smile.
"Tell me more." Usopp was eager to learn new stuff about his father.
Nick told Usopp all about when Shanks and his crew visited for that year. Yassop showed Nick how to hold a gun properly at a young age. He even told him about when he mentioned his son when he was drunk off Sake.
Nick's story was cut short when he and Usopp noticed that there were two men at the bottom of the cliff talking. One of them was Clahador, the other man neither have seen before.
"Are we all set?" Clahador said to the unknown man.
"Yes, sir. We can begin 'Assassinate the Mistress' at anytime." The other man answered.
Nick and Usopp left, not before hearing Clahador's plan. Usopp ran off to warn Kaya while Nick went to go find his crew. He found them close by and explained the situation to them, including the three little boys.
"We need to get to the mansion, Usopp is already on his way there. But we need to go and help him out." Nick said. His stomach growled again, "And maybe get some food on the way."
Nami wacked Nick upside the head with her staff as she screamed with razor sharp teeth. "There's no time for that, you idiot!"
When they reached the town, they found Usopp walking towards them; his head was hunched over, sadness in his eyes, he was depressed. He told his little crew to leave and go home. He stayed with Nick and his crew after they left, he gestured them to follow him, and they did.
Usopp led them to the beach that they came from; it was nighttime when they got there. Usopp then confessed to his lies.
"Because I lied so many times to everyone, no one believes me when I'm telling the truth… Even so, the fact of the matter is, those pirates will be here tomorrow and they will wipe out the whole village." Usopp tried not to cry. He took a deep breath and finished, "I'll protect them myself and prevent the pirates from attacking before they reach the village, that way everyone thinks it was just another of my lies!"
Usopp started to shake; he was scared. Given what was happening, Nick couldn't blame him. Nick looked to Zoro; they both knew what they were going to do next. Zoro nodded and smiled, Nick did the same thing.
"You're a brave guy, you lied to your crew to keep them safe." Zoro said as he stood up from the rock that he was sitting on.
"I don't care who these guys think they are, I'm not going to just stand around and watch as they lay waste to an innocent village." Nick said as he cracked his knuckles.
"But first things first, all their treasure is mine." Nami said with a half smile.
"What…" Usopp looked up to them in amazement. "Your goanna help me fight? Why?"
"I just told you. Plus, you're outnumbered. I like to root for the underdog and help out." Nick said with a confident smile.
"You have the words 'I'm scared' written all over your face." Zoro said.
"HA!" Usopp stood up, with a confident smile, "Me? Scared? So what if they outnumber me? They can't compete with me! I'm the great Captain Usopp! In my veins flows the blood of a courageous warrior." He sounded confident, ready to fight; his body however, was shaking like there was an earthquake.
Everyone saw that he was shaking, Usopp was ashamed when they looked at him, "What are you looking at?! They're captain Kuro's fleet! Of course I'm scared! I don't need your sympathy! Just go!"
"We're not sympathizing for you! We're commending you for your bravery." Zoro added.
"I prefer to fight for a cause that is morally right. Yours is more than enough." Nick said while crossing his arms.
Usopp crouched down to his knees and bowed his head to the ground, "Thank you."
Usopp lead them to the slope that Nick and Usopp saw Clahador and that other pirate earlier. Usopp was going over their plans.
"They are going to attack from this shore tomorrow morning. Because this is the only slope that leads into the village for miles, the rest of the island is all cliff-sides." Usopp said, pointing to the entrance to the island.
"This means as long as we guard this slope with our lives, they won't get into town." Usopp explained.
"Sounds easy enough." Zoro said with a confident smile.
"Easier said than done… what are you guys good at?" Usopp asked all three of them.
"I cut," Zoro said.
"I harden and stretch," Nick said.
"I steal," Nami said.
"I hide," Usopp said.
Nick, Zoro and Nami all said in unison with razor sharp teeth, "YOU'RE FIGHTING TOO!" Usopp nearly fell on his but after that outburst.
As everyone else was getting ready to fight, Nick walked away, saying that he was going to the restroom. But what he was really doing was getting information on that pirate Usopp mentioned.
"Jarvis, who is this Captain Kuro, that Usopp is so scared of?"
Jarvis activated the HUD and showed historical pictures of Kuro and his history. "It would appear that Kaya's butler, Clahador is really Captain Kuro, Captain of the 'Black Cat Pirates'. According to history, he was a ruthless pirate. One of the things that made him the most famous is that he was extremely good at setting up elaborate plans that usually never fail. That's odd."
"What, more corrupted data?"
"No, the data is fine, according to history, he was executed at Marine Head Quarters five years ago."
"How could that be, we just saw him?"
"He may have faked his own death."
"Why would he do that?"
"From what I could guess, he was being chased by the Marines so much that he quit all together. As for becoming a butler, I can't say without more data."
"Well, it doesn't matter now. What can you tell me about what he can do, does he have powers or something?"
"From what I have, he has some kind of blade weapons. There is not direct answer, only because he rarely let any prisoners live after one of his plans."
"No prisoners, no one to spread the word. What does history say about this town, what will happen if we hadn't come?"
Jarvis then pulled up old pictures and obituaries; one of which was a picture of Kaya. "History says that the town was wiped out, along with its people. Kaya herself was killed, and her family fortune given to her butler, Clahador."
Nick slammed his fist against a tree that he was walking past; the tree broke in half and fell. "We cannot let that happen, understood?"
"Understood, sir. Do you wish to use the Mk5?"
"No, it's too early to use the suitcase. I want to have a bigger crew before we show our little secret in the case. And I'd rather not repeat myself too." Nick continued to walk through the woods.
Not far from where Nick was, Nami was watching from the shadows. She heard all that Nick said of course, but even that was enough to be suspicious of him now. "He must be talking to a baby transponder snail." Her reason for thinking that is because she only heard Nick's side of the conversation, not Jarvis'. "What kind of little secret do you have in that suitcase of yours?"
When morning came, Nick went through with Usopp's plan on oiling the slope. Twenty minutes after the sun rose, there was no site of any ship or boats.
"Where are they?" Nick said.
To everyone else, they thought he was talking to himself; but in reality, he was really talking to Jarvis. "Scanning. There is no sign of any ship in the immediate area. However, I do detect a ship to the north of here."
"Oh no." Nick looked to Usopp, "Usopp, by any chance, is there any other slope like this one?" Nick sounded mad and worried at the same time.
"There are a few, why?" Usopp didn't understand his question.
"Is there any that are close to Kaya's mansion?" Nick asked.
Usopp's eyes widened like olives. "OH CRAP! THAT'S WHERE THEY'LL BE!" he screamed putting his hands to his face.
"Now that you mention it, I am starting to hear battle cries." Nami said putting her hands to her ears, like she was listening for something. She then opened her eyes fast as if she just realized something, "THAT'S THE SAME SLOPE WHERE OUR BOAT IS! THOSE GUYS WILL STEAL MY TEASER!"
Nick then ran off before anyone could scream or say anything else. He ran through trees and ended up in the town; as he was just about to ask Jarvis where to go, his stomach growled. "Can't fight on an empty stomach."
He then ran into a food store and started eating a few apples. Five minutes and twenty apples later, Nick saw Zoro pass by. Nick dropped the last apple and ran behind him, "Zoro, why are you covered in oil?"
Zoro stopped and gave Nick a cold and scary look, "I am going to kill that navigator when I get my hands on her."
"Sorry I asked," Nick said as they continued running. Without having to ask, Jarvis put an arrow on Nick's HUD, that Nick would assume was, pointing north. "Zoro this way."
Zoro followed while putting on his dark green bandana.
As they were getting closer, Nick saw that the pirates were overwhelming Nami and Usopp. Nick looked to Zoro, giving him a look that says, "Lets get them," and a smile. And in an instant, Nick used his Iron-Whip while Zoro used his Rengoku-Onigiri. All the pirates that were on top of Nami and Usopp were sent flying and tumbling down the slope.
"Took you two long enough." Nami said as she was standing back up.
"YOU JERK! YOU LEFT ME AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SLOPE!" Zoro screamed at her with razor sharp teeth.
While they were arguing on whose fault it was on the oily slope, Nick gave a hard look at the man at the bottom of the slope. The man pulled out a metal disk and swung it back and forth, "When I count, 'one, two, Jango, you will become stronger."
"What is that guy doing?" Nick asked, he was able to get Zoro and Nami to stop arguing and see for what he was talking about.
"One. Two. JAGNO!" the man said.
Once he said the word 'Jango', all the pirates started to get up as if they were never hurt to begin with. One slammed his hand against the cliff-side; it then broke off a large boulder.
Nami and Usopp were getting nervous at the sight of the cliff breaking off; it even surprised Zoro. "That was just one of them after being hypnotized. Imagine how strong the rest of the crew is." Nami said.
"Alright. Nick, listen, we need to hit these guys with everything we got." Zoro said. He looked to Nick and realized that he wasn't even listening.
Nick started to breath heavily, he then growled. "I am the strongest man alive." He said with a deep voice.
"DON'T TELL ME HE HYPNOTIZED YOU TOO, YOU IDIOT!" Zoro said with razor sharp teeth.
The pirates began to charge up the slope. Nick then charged as well, as he was running he started to flail his arms faster and faster. He swung them so fast it was as if he had a hundred arms at once. "IRON-STRECH GATLING!" he screamed as he ran down the slope.
His fists eventually hit every pirate that was running up the slope and knocked them all down. He kept punching until all the pirates were down, once they were, he then kept charging.
He ran past Jango and started to attack the pirate ship. He pulled off their animal prow and picked it up, getting ready to swing it at them. Jango pulled out his hypnotizing disk and swung it at Nick's face, "You will sleep at 'Jango'! ONE! TWO! JANGO!"
Right then, Nick's eyes shut fast and fell flat on his back, the ships prow landed next to him. All the pirates sighed in relief when Nick started snoring.
"Sir? Sir? NICK!" Jarvis practically screamed through the glasses, but with no luck.
Using the sensors in the glasses, Jarvis was watching the whole fight. Zoro was fighting a man with cat ears and another with a cowbell. Both had cat-like claws and were attacking Zoro who only had one sword defend him with. Nami was trying to reach Zoro's other swords to give them back to him, but Jango stopped her when he slashed her shoulder for trying.
Jarvis detected that Kuro had arrived and he did not look happy.
If Jarvis had a face, he'd look nervous right now, "YOU NEED TO GET UP! YOUR CREW NEEDS YOU, SIR!"
Kuro then threatened his own crewmates to kill Nick's crew or he'll kill them. Kuro was wearing gloves with what would be considered Claw-Swords. Jarvis even noticed that Kuro moved extremely fast, faster than any normal human Jarvis had ever scene.
It was then when Nami managed to give Zoro his swords back, Zoro was now fighting at full strength. He put one in his mouth and made a stance, the two who were attacking him before were released by Kuro and charged at Zoro. "TORA-GIRI!"
He cut both of them, causing them to tumble down the slope like the other pirates.
Zoro's victory didn't last long; the one who was wearing the cowbell was hypnotized by Jango to become stronger like before.
Jarvis then decided to use the last resort, "Initiating Emergency Awakening Protocol. I'm sorry, Sir."
The parts of the glasses that touch the ears started to vibrate at a certain frequency that would cause special sounds to hit Nick's eardrum. Sounds that will make him wake up with a massive headache. At the same time Nami was running towards Nick, hopping to wake him up.
Jango through his metal disk at Nami like it was a Frisbee, Usopp tried to warn her but it was too late to move.
The sounds frequency began to increase to the point that Nick's eyes shot open like a bat out of hell. He sat up fast, causing Nami to fall down, while he put his hands to his ears and screamed, "AHHHH! HEADACHE! MASSIVE HEADAH—" Nick's shout was cut short when the metal disk.
The disk shattered like glass; if you could see Nick's eyes through those glasses, you would be afraid. He then spat the metal bits out of his mouth and stood up. "I'm goanna kill you for that."
While everyone else thought he was talking to Jango, Nick was really talking to Jarvis. "It was the only way I could wake you up in time." Jarvis sounded nervous.
"Well… that was a nice nap. Lets get started, shall we?" He said as he cracked his knuckles.
Kaya had arrived, she confronted Kuro, still thinking he was her butler.
As she and Kuro were talking, Nick is talking to Jarvis.
"What happened when I was out?"
"While you were asleep, Zoro took on two high-level crew members. One is out cold, while the other has just gotten stronger because of Jango. Usopp at the top of the slope with Kaya. Nami is right next to you, her shoulder is bleeding."
Nick looked down to see that he was telling the truth, "Nami, how bad is it?"
She puts her hand over the cut, she smiles at him, "Its nothing, i'll be fine. Go kick their butts."
Nick didn't want to leaver her, thinking that she might bleed out. "The cut wasn't too deep, sir. She has two hours before it becomes serious."
That eased Nick's worries, he then looked up the slope and saw that Kuro had his 'claw-swords' around Usopp's head. Even thought they were a great distance away, Nick could still hear what he was saying, "I still owe you for that punch, Usopp."
Almost out of nowhere, a fist hit Kuro's face so hard he was sent flying five feet from where he was. The fist flew back from an extended arm that was retracting, Nick smiled as his arm returned, "If you don't like getting punched, then today is not your lucky day."
"Took you long enough to get up." Zoro said, still having a sword in his mouth.
"Zoro whats the matter with you?" Nick asked. Everyone was caught off guard by that moment, Nick then smiled while continuing, "You should have beaten this guy already. What's taking so long?"
Zoro smiled, "Wanted to make sure you were watching when I do." He made another stance.
At the same time, Usopp ordered his pirate crew, who had arrived in time to help, to protect Kaya. Jango ran after them, not before Usopp sling-shot him in the back with a lead bullet.
While Zoro was fighting the guy with the cowbell, Usopp was trying to stand up but fell back down after every attempt. Kuro began to laugh at the sight of it, "HAHA! You're a joke! You're better of staying there than going after that girl. Jango is out of your league, boy."
Usopp started to cry but kept a brave face, "Even if I'm not a mach for him... I'll still protect them. I WILL PROTECT THEM!"
The cowbell guy tried to take advantage of the situation and tried to attack Zoro, he dodged his attack and finished him. The man with the cowbell collapsed with a bloody 'X' across his body. "Don't interrupt." Zoro said after sheathing his swords.
"Zoro, take Usopp and go help the others. Leave Kuro to me." Nick said as he walked up the slope, passing Zoro.
Doing as he was ordered, Zoro picked up Usopp and started to run toward the tree-line, in the same direction that Kaya went. Kuro moved fast and got in front of them, "Who said you two could leave?"
His question was answered when another fist hit him in the face, moving him out of the way Zoro was running, "I did!"
"What do you have on this guy Jarvis?" Nick asked under his breath.
As Jarvis was explaining, Nick was throwing punches and moves at Kuro; Kuro was able to move out of the way fast enough for Nick to miss.
"From what I have gathered, Kuro has extremely high speed level and uses his momentum to make his 'claw-swords' attack stronger. If he used enough momentum, he may even have enough to break through your iron skin."
Nick dogged one of Kuro's claw swipes after that last statement, not wanting to risk proving Jarvis right.
"My database does however have intel on someone similar to Kuro: Pietro Maximoff AKA Quicksilver. He had a similar ability to move at extreme speeds to where he can't be seen; however, Kuro is slower than him."
Kuro kept disappearing and reappearing as fast as the eye could blink, Nick was having a hard time keeping up with his speed. "Still don't see how that helps me." Nick said under his breath.
"Like Quicksilver, he is more focus on his speed and not strength. If you can land a few direct blows to his body or head, he will go down."
"IRON-STRETCH WHIP!" Nick swiped the ground but Kuro dogged it with ease. "The hard part is trying to hit him."
Kuro then stopped and gave Nick an arrogant glare, "Before we can continue, I must know. You are a stranger to this island, why are you fighting for them? Why are you involved?"
Nick's hat was about to fall off due to all the attacks he used, he fixed it so that it sat just right on his head, "I have a friend in this village... and I'd hate to see him die."
"What a simple reason. Are you ok with that being the reason why you die today?" Kuro asked with an arrogant smile.
"I'm ok for fighting for a simple reason. But I'm not dying today." Nick made a combat stance, getting ready for their next round of fighting.
Kuro opened his arms out and widened his fingers with his blades and then charged straight for Nick. Nick lashed his arms at Kuro's wrists and launched himself at him. Kuro saw what he was doing and moved his arms, causing Nick to miss and land on the other side of him. Nick let go and did another whip, "IRON-STRETCH WHIP!" Kuro jumped over the attack again. "PISTOL!" Kuro ducked from the last attack, now it seamed like he was playing with Nick, he jumped on Nick's over extended arm and started running up his arm towards Nick's face, "This is boring, I'm begging to feel sleepy." He then stomped on Nick's face with his foot, Nick didn't flinch because he made his face iron in time. Kuro didn't seam to care that he had stepped on an iron face, either he was faking it, or he was that strong.
The crew were cheering on their captain, but he yelled at them not to. "The whole purpose of this plan... is to eliminate the name 'Captain Kuro' forever. I'm sick and tired of making plans for reckless morons." Kuro then turned to Nick, he looked mad and annoyed at the same time, "I 'killed' myself to stop the Marines from chasing me. As my name became more famous, I began to be hunted more and more. My plan can only be complete when i have obtained wealth and peace." He posed, seeing if he could get a response from Nick, "Do you understand now, boy? I've spent the last three years doing this plan... I CAN'T LET YOU RUIN IT!"
He charged at Nick again, as he got closer, Nick didn't move. Right when the blades were within a few centimeters of his chest, he moved to the right, Kuro's blades went between his arms and body. Because of Kuro's momentum he wasn't able to stop after Nick moved. As the blade moved past Nick, Kuro's hand got closer, Nick closed the gap between his arm and body just a few inches before Kuro's hand got close. Using his iron skin, he as able to hold the blades under his armpit and use his right hand to grab Kuro's forearm. All of which happened in a blink of an eye, even Kuro was shocked to what had just happened.
"So, you can't just stretch. You can make your skin hard too, and your well skilled." Kuro smiled.
"Yeah, i've been training for twenty years to be a pirate." Nick said, he looked mad.
Kuro tried to pull his arm out, but Nick wouldn't budge. "If you didn't want to be hunted..." Nick then twisted his body and broke all five 'claw-blades' off Kuro's glove. Still having a grip on his forearm, Nick twisted it so that Kuro would have his back to Nick,"YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE BECOME A PIRATE!" Nick then punched him right in the face with an iron fist after letting go.
Kuro managed to get back on his feet, although he was dazed by Nick's punch.
"My dreams are fare greater than any of your plans."
Kuro looked extremely angry once he was able to stand up straight. His crew were cheering him on to kill Nick, he didn't seam to like that, "SHUT UP! After I finish this guy, I'm gonna kill the rest of you. Including Jango." He then continued to give a monologue about how pirates are stupid and a waste of time.
"You seriously have anger problems, pall." Nick said. "No wonder Usopp is better than you."
All the pirates jaw's dropped to the ground, Kuro looked to him with anger in his eyes. "Excuse me? HOW IS THAT LITTLE BRAT BETTER THAN ME!"
He then disappeared because of his speed, "Because he knows what it means to be a true pirate." Kuro then reappeared behind him, he looked confused. "Got you." This gave Nick the chance to turn fast and punch him in the face again.
Kuro then stood up, blood started to drip from his lips, "You want a true pirate... Let me show you the terror of a pirate who's been at the brink of death and survived!" He then disappears again.
All the pirates down below were getting cut down one by one, "What the hell?" It was all that Nick could say at the sight of the slaughter. then some of the rocks were getting slashed with five claw marks. More of the crew members were getting cut down, Nami was on the enemy ship, watching the whole fight. Nick began to grow angry at the sight and the sound of people being slaughtered. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO YOUR CREW?!"
More crew members were getting cut down, Nami was starting to get nervous at the thought of Kuro slashing her too. "FACE ME YOU COWARD!" Nick screamed at the top of his lungs. And right at that moment, Nick was slashed across the chest. He looked down to see that Jarvis was right, given the right momentum, his blades would be able to break the skin. Nick touched the cut to see that it wasn't too deep, unlike the men below. Kuro came around for another slash, but Nick caught him mid-cut and through him to the ground. "Found you." Nick said, as if he was playing.
"Bastard. You should have let me finish, now my crew is half dead and begging for mercy..." Kuro then looked to Nick, Nick looked calm, "Don't you have anything to say?"
"Actually i do." he said with a smile as he made his battle stance again, "I will NEVER be a pirate like you."
"Of course not, you're goanna die here." Kuro said as he adjusted his glasses.
He was caught off guard when Nick grabbed him in a bearhug and lifted him up off the ground, "Try side stepping now." Kuro's crew started to cheer Nick on in the fight.
Nick made his head iron and neck rubber and laughed his head back far, "MY PLAN CANNOT FAIL!" Kuro screamed as Nick's iron head hit Kuro in the face,"IRON-STRETCH BELL!" The strike knocked Kuro out could. Nick let go, turned to the pirates at the bottom of the slope, took a deep breath and shouted, "I AM THE MAN WHO WILL BECOME THE KING OF THE PIRATES!"
The pirates down below began to get scared. Nick then through Kuro's unconscious body at them and gave them a scary look, "Don't ever come back." right then all of the pirates screamed. They grabbed Kuro and ran for the ship.
After it was official that they were running away, Nick stopped acting tough and stared to collapse. Nami arrived in time to catch him before he hit the ground. "Good job, captain." she whispered into his ear.
She layed him down on the ground, she then sat next to him, "I guess even someone as strong as you can't stand after a fight like that. Why did you get so angry earlier?"
"People like him make me sick. A captain who treats his crew like they were expendable pawns is no captain at all." He readjusted his sunglasses so that they wouldn't fall off his face and then looked to her, "Can you help me up, my legs fell asleep." He said with a half smile. Nami started to smile too.
The next day, Usopp told Nick that with Zoro's help, they were able to save Kaya from Jango. Nick was relieved to learn that he had stopped another dark chapter in history. "We keep this up, we might have a brighter future ahead of us."
When Nick, Zoro, and Nami were having lunch in the village's cafe, Kaya payed them a visit. "Hello, everyone. I wanted to thank you for all of your braver, for saving our village, saving me, and saving Usopp. I owe you a debt that i can never repay."
Nick gave Kaya a big smile, "Don't mention it."
"I believe I can help fulfill some of that debt now actually, I heard you needed a ship?"
Kaya and her other butler Merry lead them to the same slope that the battle took place. There was another ship next to their small boat waiting for them.
"Wow" Zoro said with a smile.
"A Carvel!" Nami sounded excited.
"Heh. This'll do." Nick said with a confident smile.
Merry walked up to them and explained the ship to Nick's crew, Nick however was walking towards it. Jarvis scanned the ship, in order to know the way it looked before they set out, that way they know what it would take to fully repair should they get into trouble. "This ship is a very suitable vessel to use when we reach the Grand Line. Given the size and space it will have, this ship would in fact support the amount of crew members that you plan on having."
Once Jarvis had finished talking Merry told them the ship's name, "... And the ship's name is the 'Going-Merry'."
"It's perfect." Nick said with a big smile, he then looked to Kaya, "Thank you."
"You are very welcome." Kaya then bowed to Nick in respect. "I had everything arranged on the ship for your voyage. You guys are all set."
"SOME ONE PLEASE STOP ME!" They all heard a scream from up the slope and saw Usopp being rolled over and over by a massive bag. Nick and Zoro put their feet up and stopped the bag before it hit their brand new ship. Their feet had hit Usopp in the face when the bag stopped. Once they let go, Usopp spat blood out of his mouth, "Thank you."
"No problem." Nick and Zoro said at the same time.
"So... You are leaving, aren't you?" Kaya asked Usopp, she looked sad.
Usopp got off the bag and sighed, "Yeah. I have to go before i change my mind. Please don't stop me."
"I won't... I had a feeling you might do this. Still makes me sad though." Kaya sounded even more sad.
"Next time I come to this village, i'll tell you adventure stores that are more unbelievable than my fake ones." Usopp said with a confident smile and a laugh at the end.
"Thank you. I look forward to it." She smiled and laughed.
"Sir, now might be a good time to make an ally." Jarvis suggested.
Nick walked to Kaya, "Hey, Kaya. Listen, so... I'm still new at being a pirate, and one of the requirements on being a great pirate is to have allies to call on for help or to help if they are in trouble. I'm not saying you need to do something for me anytime soon, giving us this ship is plenty, but in the event that another crew of pirates comes by, let us know." He handed her a piece of paper
"Thank you, but what is this?" Kaya asked with confusion.
"It's my transponder signal code. Call at anytime and we'll be back as soon as possible." Nick said, the code was connected to the transponder snail that Garp had placed in the 'Mobile Armory' with Jarvis in the event that they needed to contact through the snails.
"Hey, thanks for that." Usopp said as he started walking towards the boat Nick and his crew once used. "Well, safe voyage you guys. Hope to see you in the future somewhere."
"Why?" Nick asked, he crossed his arms and looked a little confused.
"What are you anti-social or something? We are departing separately, we won't meet again for a while..." Usopp tried to explain.
"What are you talking about, get on already." Zoro said.
"What?" Usopp now looked confused.
"I guess I forgot to mention, one of my conditions on recruitment is that you have to have spark, like a dream worth fighting for. After hearing what you did agains Jango from Zoro and what you did at the top of that slope." Nick then pointed to the slope that they fought in, "I have to say, you have spark, buddy. Welcome to the crew." Nick finished with a big smile.
Usopp was shocked to hear this, he didn't even try and he passed Nick's test to join the crew. "I'M GOING TO BE A PIRATE CAPTAIN!" He jumped around in excitement.
"What the hell are you going on about, Usopp? I'm the captain!" Nick yelled with razor sharp teeth.
And so, they set sail to the next island with a new crew member.
To be continued...
On the next "Marvels of One Piece", "Crew needs a cook! Zoro meets his idol!" I'M GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES!
Hope you guys like my story thus far.
Please review, I wish to hear feedback, but don't be mean. ;)