Waiting
Adventures in Wano- Story 3 Part 1 of 2
"Ah, what a pleasure to see you again, Law-dono," their informant known as Anaguma gushed from between the two other samurai he'd brought with him. They were both silent and more stern-faced than Zoro though they carried just two swords each. They seemed like they would be fun to fight, but Luffy had promised to hold off on fighting anyone until the time was right.
"I see you've brought a companion along tonight," Anaguma noted.
"I'm Luffy, the man who's going to be Pirate King," the young captain stated proudly, his arm looped in Law's.
"Well we've got a special treat for you gentlemen tonight. One most suitable for a king. Right this way," Anaguma spoke, leading them into restaurant.
"Truly, your generosity is unrivaled," Law complemented, ushering Luffy along as they followed him down a narrow hallway a private room. "Please forgive us for imposing."
"Oh, it's always a pleasure meeting foreigners," Anaguma gave an accommodating smile as he gestured for his guests to enter their private room. "We appreciate the exchange of goods and information after all," he added in a low whisper.
Luffy had just met the man, but already he didn't like him. He was seemed too friendly and said a lot of unnecessary things. He got Law to say a lot of unnecessary things- things that didn't sound like what Law would usually say. If given a reason, he wouldn't hesitate to send the guy flying, but there were more pressing matters for him at the moment- meat scented matters.
A middle-aged woman, was just finished setting variety of fresh, steaming dishes on the table, ready for them to enjoy. She bowed to her guests before making her way to the door to leave them to their meal.
The aroma of roasted fish had Luffy diving toward the table with a "thanks for the food!"
"Please excuse my associate's manners," Law spoke, taking a seat beside his ravenous companion.
"Not at all. I'm pleased to see that the hospitality is so deeply appreciated. The real treat, however, should be arriving shortly," Anaguma laughed from the other side of the table.
The door to the room slid open to allow two women in elegant yet simplistically coloured kimono to greet them, bowing on their knees from the doorway before moving into the room to sit at the table with them. They wore both elaborate hairstyles accented with delicate hair ornaments. They had applied white makeup to their faces and necks, pairing the look with painted red lips.
They introduced themselves as Kiku and Kitsume, coming to sit with the men to make a toast to enjoying a fun evening together. Luffy didn't care much for the pungent alcohol, but drank only because it was Law who prompted him to.
"So you're foreigners," Kitsume noted, as she refilled Luffy's cup before moving to Law's. Her eyes traveled up to Law's face, lingering there long enough for Luffy to take notice.
"We're pirates," Luffy proclaimed, reaching for a large fish.
"Oh! I knew there was something unique about you," Kitsume smiled sweetly to Luffy before her eyes wandered back to Law.
"Do we really look that out of place?" Law tired, making polite conversation.
"Not entirely, although I never knew foreigners were so handsome," Kiku chimed in. She turned to Luffy adding, "or so cute!"
Luffy was not cute! He was manly! He didn't like the way these women talked to him or the way they looked at Law. He would have told them so had he not resumed stuffing his mouth.
Law had also made him promise to be as nice as possible to everyone until he told Luffy that he was allowed to fight these guys. Law had confided in Luffy that even though he'd known Anaguma to be a traitor to their cause and used him to get captured by the beast pirates, he still might have some useful information. And so Luffy was stuck here with these women with their eyes all over his Torao.
"I don't think we've ever entertained foreigners before let alone pirates. Would you like to see us to perform a dance?" Kiku offered.
Kitsume and Kiku had just stood up when several samurai pushed through the door, swords drawn. The women cried out in surprise, running to the far corner of the room to get out of their way.
"Sorry to ruin our relationship like this, but you can't expect me to go against the shogun," Anaguma spoke. He and his men drew their swords as well. Instead of standing in opposition to the samurai, they turned their blades toward Law and Luffy.
"Now, Mugiwara-ya!" Law shouted, standing to draw Kikoku. "I said you can fight now!"
"Jus'a min'ute," Luffy mumbled, trying to stuff more food into his already full mouth.