"THE SKY!" Luffy shouted from his perch, we all gathered around him. I glanced around, everyone was smiling, grateful to be out of Laboon.
Usopp sighed after we had gotten a little ways out of Laboon, "Fifty years... Geeze, those pirates sure know how to test a person' patients."
Sanji lit a new cigarette. "You idiot," He said, giving Usopp a vert pointed look, "Don't you get it? This is the Grand Line, the pirates Laboon knew are dead." He took a drag.
"Sanji's right." Nami said sadly, Back when they sailed the Grand Line was mostly uncharted, a thousand times more dangerous than it is now."
Usopp rushed closer to Merry's head, "Come on guys, why are you being so pessimistic?" Tiny tears formed in Usopp's eyes. "You don't know they're dead! Have some sympathy will ya?" he closed his eyes, "I thought it was touching. Him still believing a promise made by his friends fifty years ago."
"A true bond of friendship..." I said staring off in the distance.
"Yes." Crocus said, "but the lesson here is that reality is crewel. Indeed they are not dead, instead they abandoned their quest."
I felt a pang in my chest, something about that didn't feel right. "What?"
"It's true," The old man said. Crocus had turned his back to us, the part was hard for him to tell, I guessed. "I learned that his cohorts turned tail and left the Grand Line."
Usopp, who had given Crocus his full attention, turned to the crew and Laboon. "I don't believe it!" He shouted, eyes wide, an under lying hurt for Laboon there, "I mean why would someone abandon him like that?!"
I solemnly looked at Laboon as well. "Some promises... Just can't be kept..." I winced slightly at the memory of my drunken promise to beat Zoro.
Nami looked at Crocus, "You said they left the Grand Line, do you know if they made it through the Calm Belt?"
He shook his head, "I can't claim to know exactly what happened to them, but I doubt they'll ever come back here again." He sighed, "Seasons, weather, currents... on the Grand Line these things seem to defy the laws of nature. Common sense is useless here... It's not surprising they turned tail and ran."
A different feeling formed in my stomach, and I just knew Laboon's tale only got worse from here on out.
"So..." Sanji started with a dangerous look on his face. "If I've got this straight, what you're saying is that these pirates cared more about saving they're own asses..." I could almost feel the malice oozing from the chef, "Than keep a promise to a friend."
Promises were important things to the Straw Hats. I gnawed on my lip. They all had some promise to keep... I supposed I did too, technically, but a drunken promise doesn't quite mean as much as... oh say, swearing never to lose while you lay there, almost dead.
That was something I had picked up from Usopp, it was probably the only story he didn't twist to make himself the hero. I had been a fool to say I would beat Zoro.
But enough about that. Back to the story.
Usopp got in on the pirate bashing. "Why would anyone just abandon such a loyal creature?!" He frowned, "I mean just look at him..." I shifted, there was more to the story... I could feel it. "That's cruelty on a grand scale!"
Nami stepped forward, "But if you know all this why havn't you told Laboon? I mean he seems to understand human surprisingly well for whale, and you two can obviously communicate."
I bit my lip harder, "My bet is that he already did..." I looked up at the scars on Laboon's head, not seeing Crocus nod.
"I did. I told him down to the last miserable detail." There was a moment of silence before he continued. "That was the day Laboon started wailing at the Reverse mountain." I glanced at Luffy, he seemed a lot less... jumpy now, almost as if he was thinking about something. "Soon after he began ramming his head into the mountain."
I sighed, crossing my arms. "I bet he thinks that the Red Line is keeping his friends from him."
"That's probably it."
Sanji puffed on his cigarette, "I admire his dedication."
Usopp wiped a dramatic tear away, "He never gave up on 'um."
The old caretaker shook his head, "Laboon refuses to believe me, because if he does he'd have to admit it's over, and that terrifies him more than anything."
"Rightfully so," I frowned, "Endings are... scary things..." I tugged on my bandana, pulling it down more.
Crocus ignored me, "And what's more, he can't get back to his home in the West Blue. So what we have here is a paradox of tragic proportions, Laboon is a lost soul dying to be with his friends, but he won't stop killing himself to get to them."
I rubbed my eyes, trying to get at the tears that weren't quite there. I sniffed, a feeling rising in my chest, of someone I cared for deeply, someone I haven't seen in a long time. I tried my hardest to not cry, though it wasn't very hard. I couldn't seem too. I bit my lip, hard.
Sanij slumped, "tragedy... Still with all the grief those pirates put him through they did the same to you by saddling you with their burden." He took another drag from his cigarette, "I mean, you've done enough for Laboon, what about you?" I almost wanted to punch the chef for being so blunt, but I held back.
"The scars in Laboon's hide are deep, the ones on his heart deeper." Crocus looked up at poor Laboon. "He needs someone to take care of him and tend his wounds. I'm all he's got, for years he's beaten himself up while I patched his wounds. It's a strange friendship, but it works."
"RRRRAAAAAHHHHH!" Suddenly Luffy was shouting a battle cry and running up Laboon. Sanji looked up at him in irritation, "Damn, now what's that idiot up to?"
Zoro sighed angrily, "Ya gotta watch him every damn second."
The chef sighed as well, "We have been watching him and look what happened."
"Actually... we haven't..." I said dryly, all thoughts of tears gone. "It's almost surprising he hasn't done anything sooner."
"He... took our mast..." Usopp said softly.
"Yep. That he did."
"Doesn't he realize we need that to sail?"
"He's in a blind determination state, he just wants to make his point at any cost." I sighed as Luffy impaled our mast into Laboon.
Laboon, naturally didn't react well. He reared up, then rammed his head into the mountain, sending Luffy flying.
"LUFFY!"
"That boy is going to die!" Crocus shouted.
Thanks to Laboon's wide fast movements Merry was now bobbing wildly on waves that hadn't been there before, "Don't worry!" Nami shouted to Crocus, "It'll take a lot more than that to kill Luffy!"
I bit my lip, grabbing the railing with one hand and my hair with the other. Deep down I knew no harm would come to Luffy, he was going places, and I'm sure even if I hadn't had Shanks telling me that every other day I would have known just by traveling with my new captain for this long.
The battle went on a little longer, the entire crew was tense.
"Do you wanna tell us what your plan is before you kill yourself!?" Zoro shouted to our captain, who admittedly looked really beat up after being smashed around by a giant whale.
Laboon payed Zoro no mind as he sped in to deal what might have been the final blow until Luffy called out, "It's a draw."
Everything stopped. Luffy stood up, putting his hat back on. "I'm stronger than I look..." He smiled at Laboon, "But I have a feeling you already knew that." I smirked, I had a feeling I knew where this was going. "I can always tell when someone's inching for a fight." Luffy stood tall, pointing at the giant whale, "If you want a fight, I'll gladly give you one."
"What's he doing?" Usopp asked.
"Hush." I told him, wanting to hear the rest of the speech.
"I bet your shipmates used to spar with you, and you miss it." The rubber boy returned to a much more casual stance. "Well I can rival what ever they threw at ya." He smiled wider, "Tell ya what, after my friends and I have sailed the Grand Line, we'll come back for ya. So you better be ready for a rematch!"
Laboon's eyes began to water. Luffy's promise meant a lot to him. He actually started to cry as he let out a wail of what I guess was agreement.
I chuckled, "Way to go, Captain!"
Zoro shrugged, "I have to admit... that was pretty impressive."
"I knew he had a plan all along!" Usopp declared.
Nami nodded, giving the sharpshooter a skeptical look. "Of course you did. You do realize you do have to fix the mast right?"
Usopp groaned and was about to say something but Luffy shouted over him, "Hey old man! Ya got any paint?! I'm gonna need lots of it! Oh! And a brush too!"
Crocus nodded, disappearing into the- now crumbling- lighthouse. I shook my head then turned to Sanji, "Hey, it's about lunchtime. If it's not to much trouble would you make something?"
"Oh no trouble at all, Leanah dear!" The chef bounced off into the kitchen.
I scratched the top of my head through the bandana. "Nami... could I... borrow a hair tie?" My hair had been getting rather long, and I think I still had whip lash from when we were coming down the mountain.
Quicker than a blink Nami was at my side, a hair tie in the palm of her hand, "I'd love to let you borrow one! It'll just have a 300% interest!"
"How about I buy one!" I suggested.
She sighed, "Fine, I suppose I can spare one... for say... 10,000 berries?"
I sighed, "Fine. Just..." I pat down my pockets, and scrounged up one 5,000 note. "Shit.." I mumbled, that was all I had left. I gave most of my money to Nami when I got on the ship to make her feel better about me just joining like that. I bit my lip, then thought of something, I closed my fist before Nami could see how much money I had. I smiled evilly. "Well, I can always buy one on the next island for about 10 berries, but, since we are crew mates... I'll buy a hair tie off of you for 200."
"Oh come one, Don't be so cheep."
"I a world like this one you've got to be cheep, no matter how much money you have. So I repeat 200."
"9,500." She raised an eyebrow, trying to see where I was going with this.
"250." I crossed my arms, confident my plan would work.
"9,000"
"300."
"8,500."
"300."
Nami narrowed her eyes. "8,200."
"400." I could feel it getting heated.
Usopp and Zoro watched with interest as it got more and more heated. "7,050!"
"1,000!"
A fire lit behind Nami, "6,900!"
A similar fire lit behind me, "1,500!"
"6,400!"
"2,500! Final offer!"
"No! 5,000! THAT'S the final offer!"
I smiled, slapping the 5,000 berry note into her hand, "Deal!" I snatched the hair tie from her.
Nami looked at the note in her hand, realization slowly set in. "YOU ONLY HAD 5,000!?"
I chuckled, pulling off my bandana, "Got ya."
"ARUG!" Nami stomped off as Zoro and Usopp applauded me as I put my hair up.
"Good show." Usopp commented.
I bowed, then tied my bandana back around my head. "Thank you. I honestly try."
Zoro smirked, I returned the look. He raised an eyebrow in silent question, I nodded in silent answer. Usopp seemed to understand the question that wasn't asked and the answer that wasn't spoken. "I... I'm going to go get the mast!" He near-shouted before running off, leaving only Zoro and I on the ship.
He started reaching for his bandana, then stopped, "Are we taking this seriously?"
"Is there any other way to take a sword fight?" I asked.
He nodded, pulling his bandana off of his arm, and tying it to his head, "Good point. Any rules?"
I thought for a moment, "Let's not destroy the ship anymore."
He unsheathed the Wado ichimonji and stuck it in his mouth,. "Shounds good to meh."
"Bleh, I can't imagine what that tastes like." I drew my swords getting into a comfortable stance.
"Heh." He slid into a stance as well, "Thish 'll be good practish for my new showreds."
"Right, I almost forgot Zoro of the Three-swords Style only had one sword when I met you."
In a split second we were running at each other. He attacked to my right, I countered with Ana and went for his left with Ami. He blocked me then pushed off, sending me back a few feet. I concentrated and slashed vertically with Ami. "Ha-di!" A more defined green energy separated from my blade, keeping it on track and making sure it didn't ruin the deck.
"What the!?" Zoro dodged to the right, and the wave disappeared.
I smiled, "A little trick I learned, and well as..." I slashed mt blades again, "Ritter's Cross!"
"Gah!" Zoro dodged to the left. I ran at him, attacking full force. "How... Did you do that?" He managed to ask through the effort of keeping me back.
"I.. Told you. It was.. a trick I picked up... My old... captain taught me how." I pushed with all my strength. "Maybe.. one day... I'll teach you."
He managed to smile with the sword in his mouth. "I'd rather.. learn.. myself!" Once again he pushed me back. I saw him shift to a different stance and I just knew what move was coming next. I quickly readied myself. "Tiger. TRAP!" He shot forward and I just barely blocked him.
"Ha!" I had Ami blocking the swords in his hands and Ana blocking the Wado Ichimonji. "That's a.. pretty risky move isn't it?" I stared at the spot on his chest that I just knew Mihawk had stabbed, "It leaves your chest wide open.."
The look he gave me told me he knew this fact. Yet he still used it... I admire him for that. He withdrew his blades. "Are you ready?" He asked.
"Why not?" I smiled, bringing the hilts of my blades together.
"Never use this technique unless you're really in trouble or practicing, OK?"
"Yeah, yeah. I hear ya."
"Leanah..."
"I understand. Tjesu heru is a last resort only move!"
"Good. And don't forget it."
Zoro brought his swords back, I got into my stance.
"Oni... GIRI!"
"Tjesu.. HERU!"
The duel was brought to a stand still. We were both holding the other back. No way for either of us to win.
Stale mate.
It was a complete and total draw.
Author's Note:
I know this isn't the chapter title y'all were probably expecting. But this is a very important event concerning later events. And... as the title implies, there will be many more duels between Leanah and Zoro. I'm also not promising all of them will end in draws, but I am promising that their is no way she's fulfilling that promise she made. Until next time...
Your ever willing author,
kari910