Yay! I finished my first chapter of my first One Piece story :D ! So read it and tell me what you think…! I appreciate all ideas you give me, so just DM me something that came to your mind while reading this, and I'll find a way to fit it in the story somehow! Hope you enjoy~!
"Don Krieg, it's him! The one who destroyed our fleet!" the panic in the voice of the man who said that was easy to notice.
"He came all the way out here to kill us!" one of Krieg's pirates was scarred since the last time they faced him they survived by a hair.
"He's the one who destroyed a fleet of 50 ships?" Patty, one of the tough cooks which hated Sanji a bit too much, muttered more to his nose than the people around him.
"Then, he's the one who destroyed Krieg's ship just now?!"
"He looks like any normal guy… And he doesn't seem to be wielding any special weapon…"
"If you're looking for his weapon, it's on his back." The owner of the Baratie, the one who once sailed the waters of the Grand Line, Red-leg Zeff crossed his arms on his chest.
"Y-You mean he cut that gigantic galleon by swinging that?!"
"Yes. The 'Hawk-eyed man' is a renowned swordsman. More renowned than any other swordsman in the world."
"Dammit! What did we ever do to you?! Why the hell do you have to follow us all the way out here?" one of Krieg's worshippers pulled out a gun and aimed it towards the man in shadow.
"…To kill some time" he looked up to see the scared faces of the self-loving pirates.
"That's bullshit!" the one that pulled out a gun shot at the man on the wee boat, whose real name was Dracule Mihawk (the man, not the boat). But, the hawk-eyed man didn't seem that interested. He just pulled out his sword and blocked the bullets' path, changing their trajectory.
"What? I-It missed?!"
"He deflected it. It will be the same no matter how many times you shoot. He can change the bullet's path with the tip of his sword" the green-haired man came from behind the shooter, scarring him "I've never seen such graceful moments."
"A sword with no grace is no strong sword" the man with the black hat shortly replied, sheathing his sword.
"Did you cut this ship as well with that sword?" the younger swordsman continued.
"Yes, indeed."
"No wonder…you really are the strongest" "Ehh, three swords..? Could it be..?" Krieg's pirates just now noticed that that moss-head is actually former 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro.
"I set sail to meet you."
"What do you aim for?"
"To be the world's strongest."
"And how do you plan on doing so?"
"You said you were free, how about having a duel?" Roronoa tied his bandana around his head, which meant he's being serious.
"Fine." Mihawk stepped onto the part of the ship that Zoro was standing on. Before starting the duel, he took the cross that was around his neck and pulled off the top. Turned out it was a little knife.
"What is that toy?!" Zoro was offended to see that his opponent wasn't taking him seriously.
"I am unlike those idiots that go all out just to hunt a mere rabbit. I'm afraid this is the smallest blade I have in the moment."
"There's a limit to where you can underestimate me!" Zoro was getting into his signature pose "Don't regret it when you die! Oni giri! "
Mihawk, clearly he was all that what it was said, quickly discovered the attack's weak spot and aimed for it. Zoro's swords were stopped with a single knife.
'How can this be?!' a drop of sweat came down his forehead 'He stopped my signature move with that toy! Surely there isn't that big of a gap between our strength! The world can't be this far away!'
"Such ferocity…" from a distance it looked like Mihawk was just playing with the young man. Of course, the difference in level between them was vast, which was why Dracule was able to take Zoro on so easily.
"I didn't train so hard until today just to fight this stupid toy! I trained to win!" a flash of Kuina when she expressed her wish to be a boy flashed in Zoro's head. He backed away and then went for another strike. One false move allowed Mihawk to thrust his tiny knife in Zoro's chest. Blood dripped on the wooden planks, as the man with the yellow eyes asked his opponent "Why don't you step back? Do you wish me to pierce your heart thus? Why do you refuse to step back?"
"Beets me…not really sure myself… But I get the feeling that if I take even one step back right now, I'd lose something very important to me, a promise or oath…or whatever it is would be irreversibly broken, and that I'd never be able to return back to where I'm standing right now."
"Yes, such is defeat."
"Haha, then I guess that's why I can't step back."
"Even if it means your death?" the man slightly raised his head.
"I'd rather much die!" the green haired swordsman grinned as more blood dropped from the corners of his mouth.
'What conviction he possesses! To rather choose death than defeat…' the world's strongest thought to himself, pulling the small blade out of his young opponent's chest "Kid, tell me your name."
"Roronoa Zoro."
"I shall remember it. For your strength is not oft seen in this world. And to pay you respect as my fellow swordsman, I shall end this duel with my black sword, the world's strongest sword."
He pulled out his sword as Zoro ran towards him in a last effort to defeat him. "Sanzen sekai!" Two of his swords shattered and he spit out more blood. 'I lost…I'm no match for him', he thought sheathing his only remaining sword 'Never even thought about the possibility of losing…So this is the strength of the world's strongest…!' He turned around to face his opponent with his arms wide open.
"What…?"
"A wound on one's back, is the shame of a swordsman!" what proved his determination even more was the huge grin he had on his face.
"Splendid" a quick move with his sword declared Mihawk the winner and caused Zoro to lose his consciousness and fall in the deep water.
"ZORO!" Luffy, who was tensely watching the battle, was now charging with his fist towards Mihawk.
"Brother!" Yosaku and Johnny jumped into the ocean to save Zoro from certain death.
"Don't throw away your life just yet, young one."
"Is he breathing?!" Johnny said as they pulled him out of the water and onto the small wooden boat.
"Quick, apply the medicine to his wounds!"
"I am Dracule Mihawk! It is much too early for you to die. Know thy self! Know thy world! And become strong, Roronoa! No matter how many months or years pass by, I shall stand here at the top of the world and wait for you! So forge on ahead with that fierce conviction and try to surpass my sword! Surpass me, Roronoa!" Mihawk gave a speech, followed by a clap, but no one noticed the applauding person until later.
"Bro! Answer me!" Johnny was yelling worriedly.
"Boy, what do you aim for?" Mihawk turned to Luffy.
"Pirate King" the straw hat wearing boy quickly replied.
"A tough path indeed. Tougher than surpassing myself."
"Whatever! I'm going to do it anyway!" Luffy stuck out his tongue at Mihawk "Usopp! Is Zoro alright?!"
"Like hell he'd be alright!" Usopp, who went with Yosaku and Johnny to save Zoro, yelled at his captain "But he's still alive anyway! He only lost his consciousness!"
"Bro…please answer us..!" the two bounty hunters were even more worried than before.
Zoro, regaining his consciousness, with an unsteady hand, raised his only remaining sword "Luffy…can you hear me…? Sorry for…worrying you… I know that, if I don't become the world's strongest swordsman, it will only embarrass you" he coughed up some blood.
"Please don't talk anymore, bro!"
"I swear, that I will never lose again!" the young swordsman was crying and covering his face with his other hand "Until the day I fight him and win, I swear, to never lose again! Any problems, Pirate King?!"
"Hee-hee. Nope" the young pirate grinned.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here…? I haven't seen you in a while, Dracule. What business do you have, almost killing this man..?" a mischievous woman's voice interrupted the moment.
"Ah, Yajiko, I've been looking for you" the man with the black hat turned confront a beautiful black haired girl with a devilish smile "I heard that you caused quite some trouble in East Blue, have you not?" Mihawk knew the woman well since he addressed with her surname.
"Well, those marines were asking for it."
"Wait, could you be…Yajiko Mai, the world's most famous female pirate…?!" some unknown pirate said, his face pale.
"I see…I'm even famous in these weak waters. Well, that doesn't matter at the moment, what, or more precisely, who, I'm searching for is Monkey D. Luffy, the leader of the Strawhat pirates."
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy" the boy whose name the girl mentioned stood up to face her.
"Ah, yes, I see" she smiled dearly "Well, I wish to join your crew, if you would accept me."
You'll have to prove to me that you're a good person first."
"What should I do future Pirate King?"
"Hmm…"
After the Don Krieg and Arlong Park arcs…
"So Luffy, did I prove to you that I'm a good person?" the girl laughed along with the others.
"Yup, you bet!" Luffy grinned, which approved that Mai was now an official member of the Strawhats.
"Hooray! Welcome to the Strawhats, Mai!" the crew was cheering and Mai couldn't help but smile.
Few days ago…
"Yosaku, you can stop crying now…" the girl sweatdropped at the man with the weird hat. She had an astonishing beauty, black wavy hair with a red headband strapped over it, one streak of which was decorated with three wooden beads. Her eye color varied between blue and green, depending on her mood and surroundings. Around her neck she had a necklace and something similar to a cowboy mask, but not that big. The sleeveless shirt she wore was short, so it partially covered her front, which Sanji found most delightful. On her stomach and her back there were some noticeable cuts and bruises, probably from a battle. Her light denim shorts went great with her tall brown boots. The way she approached Mihawk and observed his battle with Zoro made her all the more mysterious. And not to mention that she had some letters carved on the biggest bead on her necklace.
"But it was so touching..!" Yosaku continued to cry.
"Oh Mai-kwuun~! You are so kawaii~!" Sanji's eyes were shaped like hearts as he stared at the 'beauty of the sea', as he called her "And, uhm, are you keeping an eye out for the boat's direction?"
"I can't wait until we get Nami back!" the captain was stretching his arms, a foolish wide grin on his face, as usual.
"Even if we do get Nami back, there will only be 5 people in the crew. Are you planning on going to Grand Line with only five people?" Sanji lit another cigarette.
"Ahem..! Six people!" Mai was pouted like a child.
"You're still not a part of the crew, you know. But, I wish you were, Mai-kwuun~!"
"You bet I'll be!" she placed her hands on her hips "Besides, you need someone who's been to Grand Line in your crew…someone… who knows the world better…"
"You mean you've been to Grand Line…?!" they all looked at her surprised.
"By myself. At the age of 10" the girl smirked throwing back her hair.
"Whoa! That's so cool~!" Luffy leaned towards her "What's it like?"
"Paradise!…" and she started to tell them about her adventures in the toughest waters.
Unexpectedly, and just when she was getting to the good parts, Mai stopped with the story, raised her head, stood up and said with that mysterious accent "I have to get going now…"
"But we're surrounded by sea. Where do you plan to go…?!" Sanji raised his twisted eyebrow.
"You need not threat. For I shall be fine. The one for whom you should be worrying is you. Off I go now" and just like that, she jumped from the ship and into the water.
"Mai..!" they all lined up at the edge of the boat. In the vast distance they saw a human arm waving at them, heading towards Fishman island with great speed. At least she was okay…physically, anyway…
A few minutes later, Arlong Park…
'I knew you'd be here, Roronoa…!' Mai thought to herself while standing on the third roof of the main building, lurking in the shadows.
"…Some bandages you've got there." Nami looked at the green haired swordsman, who had jumped in the water not too long ago.
"I just didn't have any change in clothes, that's all!" Zoro was hiding the fact about the battle with Mihawk. After he said that with his dreamy smirk, the orange haired cartographer punched him in the stomach which made him bend over and then fall down on his back.
"Some punch you landed on 'im…!" the sound of someone landing on the ground was coming from near the main building in Arlong Park.
"And who are you supposed to be…?" Nami turned around to face the black haired beauty.
"Yajiko Mai. I will be joining your crew" the girl smirked.
"…Arlong…?" the thief turned to look at her captain raising his shoulders.
"No, not Fish-food-to-be's crew… I'm talking about the Strawhats."
"Well, I'm not a part of that crew, so that doesn't concern me. I was just using them to get money. And it worked."
"How much do you wanna bet that you'll return to the Strawhats sooner or later?" Mai slightly raised her head.
"Would you get out of here?! You're an eyesore" Nami was getting impatient.
"Whatever Nami. Just, don't let Roronoa escape. Hehehe…" she laughed mysteriously.
"That bitch…" Nami turned around and was about to tell some of the fishmen to throw Zoro in jail when she realized something "How did you know my name…?!"
"Heh. You really wanna know, don't ya…?" the black haired girl didn't bother to turn around. She could see Nami's face, on which were traces of anger and impatience, perfectly well.
"Yes. Now tell me if you know what's good for ya…!"
After that threat, Mai turned slowly to come face to face with Nami, "Oh really…! And what is good for me, if I may ask…?" she was toying with the crew officer of the Arlong pirates. Nami huffed, which meant that she was getting really pissed.
"Just leave already!" not knowing what to say, she tried to chase her out.
"Now, now, is that the way you treat guests around here?" she was looking down at a frustrated Nami "Arlong, you should really teach this young girl some manners…!"
"She's right, Yajiko. Leave already. You know you're not wanted in these waters" Arlong spoke with her in a different tone, kind of quiet. Like a weak little kid when talking to a big bully.
"I'm not wanted in any waters, if you put it that way. Even you witnessed how much trouble I can cause. Well, I'll try and forget your rudeness and escort myself out. Au revoir…!"
"Who is she, Arlong…?!" Nami asked after the girl had finally left.
"She is…on such a bigger level than any of us. The Queen of Destruction is what they call her. With the ability to destroy an entire island, she outpowers even us fishmen…! I'm sorry to say, that a human can actually defeat a fishman, but it's true. She is the one that can 'read'."
"Read…?!" Nami looked tense.
"It's better that you don't know. Although, one thing bothers me…what's a monster like her doing out here?! She should be somewhere in Grand Line…maybe she returned to get revenge or something…!"
"Search me…" Nami helplessly raised her shoulders.
After some time…
'How can he live with these wounds…?' Arlong was looking at the wounds that Zoro earned from his fight with the world's strongest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk 'And that glare…that's not the look of a dying man…!' Before he could do anything that would harm the badly wounded swordsman, a quick flash saved Zoro. Mai.
"Heh. Quite the thickhead, aren't you…?" she said as he was leaning on her shoulder, catching his breath "Can't believe you went and fought that guy with such a wound. Although, I would've done the same thing. But next time, don't rely on my speed. I can't save your sorry ass all the time."
"Who are you…and why did you save me…?" Zoro grabbed his wound.
"Hurts, doesn't it..?" Mai said after introducing herself and helped Zoro sit down.
"A little" he bent over and then spread on his back "Okay, a lot…"
"I got cut by that kitchen knife once. Just when he got it and I told him to try it out by fighting me. Dracule. Apparently he wasn't as strong back then as he is now."
"You know Mihawk for a long time, huh..?"
"Can't say I don't. We were really close a long time ago, like father and daughter. But something happened and we drifted away from each other. I mean, I grew up and I didn't need his care anymore. I was eight then. I still see him as a father figure, though…"
"Eight…? You consider yourself grown up at the age of eight..?"
"My childhood is way different than anyone else's. Like a butcher's shop. Too much blood…"
"…"
"Well, I gotta go watch the big fight..!"
"You can watch it from here as well."
"But I like to get up-close to the action. It's more thrilling that way!" she smiled and with the blink of an eye was standing next to Nami.
'I sure hope she joins our crew…' Zoro was thinking to himself 'We need someone that knows the world better. And I feel kinda better around her. But is she really a good person? She did save me from Arlong. Well, it's all up to Luffy to decide. I feel like I've seen her somewhere before…'
'He oughta be throwing that desk out any second now…Heh' Mai was predicting. After a few shortmoments Nami's desk went flying out of the building.
The present day…
"So anyways, where'll I sleep?" Mai's voice was tired as it was nearly midnight.
"Ah, well…you can sleep in the girls room with Nami…!" Usopp, being the one on guard tonight, proposed a sleeping spot for the eccentric young lady.
"Meh…" the girl shook her head in disagreement "Too boring. Ya know what…?! I'll sleep up there!" she pointed to the crow's nest.
"You can't sleep up there! If you do, we'll step all over your items when we go up there…!"
"Don't have any" she simply said, looking at what she saw as her sleeping spot.
"And, Zoro sleeps there often as well. What if he doesn't agree with you suddenly taking his spot?!"
"Who cares what Pickle-head says…?!"
"Suit yourse - wait, what did you call Zoro just now…?!"
"Pickle-head."
"…"
"…"
"AHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAH P-Pickle head AHAHAHAHAHAHHA"
With all the commotion it was only natural that the others would get out of their rooms.
"Oi! What's going on out here?!" Sanji's voice was the first that came after Usopp's laughter.
"S-She called Zoro Pi-Pi-Pick- AHHAHHAHAHAHAAH"
"What was he trying to say?" Sanji then turned to Mai, seeing that his friend lost it for good this time.
"Pickle-head." Mai said with the same straight face from when she repeated it to Usopp.
"GAHAHAHAHAHA PICKLE HEAD AHAHAHAH" everyone – except Zoro, who was the target of the joke, and Mai, who didn't think that her joke was that funny – bursted out laughing.
"It's…not that funny…" Mai sweatdropped at her looney crewmates.
"It's…the way you say it- HAHAAHAHAHAHA" Luffy was rolling on the ground.
"You say it with such a straight face –AHAHAHAHA I can't AHAHAHA" Usopp grabbed his stomach.
"Okay guys, calm down." Mai still didn't understand the way these lunatics behaved. And she doubted she ever will.
Few minutes later…
"So Zoro, I'll be sleeping in the Crow's Nest from now on" after the bunch calmed down, Mai told the swordsman.
"Whatever" he shook his head and went to the boys' room to get back to sleep.
"Well, bye guys. See ya in the morn" Mai waved at the others as they entered the rooms, "And Usopp," she turned to the sniper "if you want, we can trade shifts."
"Nah" Usopp looked at the girl in pyjamas sitting in the Crow's Nest "My shift ends in about an hour, so you won't have to take over. It's your first day in the crew, after all. Relax a bit."
"Whatever you say. Gun'night" she slid to the ground with her back pressed on the wooden railing. After fixing her pillow, she buried her head in it and fell fast asleep.
Ta-daa~! What'ya think? I know pickle-head isn't that funny, but it was the best thing I could think of in the moment. All critique is appreciated. Please review :3 !