Thank you for all the fantastic reviews! I really cherish them!
Thank you all for your patience! The holidays have been a pretty busy time. Here is one of my favorite chapters because of the beginning part. I love all the little ZoLu moments I can get in here and this is a big one. I hope it makes up for my late posting!
Thank you Shirani-Chan, Shizuka Taiyou, and .5!
A special shout out to .5 who got my ass in gear and made me get this chapter posted. I promise to not abandon this!
This is not completely my story. Some conversations and parts have been borrowed from other Fem!Luffy and LuffyxZoro fanfictions. However, most of this has been completely redone and rewritten by me.
The authors I have borrowed from are: Pen-Woman, ChemGirl, and Killjou. (If someone thinks I have added some of their story, I apologize for not listing you. PM me and I will add you)
Beta reader for Pen-Woman is TheBlackSeaReaper.
One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda
The Honorable Liar, Captain Usopp
Words expressive of life's lessons. Guitar chords reveal reflections, to moments passed by time's resolve. And the storyteller dances within verses; subtle moments. Presenting images unknown yet understood by quiet souls, inside their own contemplations. Common bonds, unrelated thoughts, come together with shared embrace, as connective humanity….by STP
After everything Nami had gone through this past day in Orange Town, particularly with Buggy, it was no surprise she found herself unable to sleep that night, kept awake by the swirling thoughts of everything that had happened, everything she knew would eventuallyhappen, the treasure she had obtained that day, when she would have to return…
The list was impossibly endless and it made her head hurt just to think of it.
And then her thoughts turned to Luffy and Zoro. Her new "crew-mates." She sighed, pushing herself up from her cot so she could sit against the wall of the small cabin on Buggy's tiny cruiser. How did all of this happen? It had all rushed by so quickly that it felt like a blur to her. The defeat of Buggy, the fleeing from the town, and the agreement she made with Luffy; to stick with them until her needs were served. Then, she would ditch, and take their treasure. That sounded right, it was what she always did.
So why did she find herself dreading that coming day? Sad at the fact that she would have to leave that dorky girl and her brooding man behind?
Shaking her head quickly in an attempt to throw all such thoughts out, she swiftly stood, giving up all thoughts of getting back to sleep that morning, and exited the tiny cabin for a bit of fresh air.
The sun was bright and shining, and the sea was calm, just as she had predicted the day before. Nami breathed in the cool salty air, already feeling the calming effect it had on her working it's magic. The other tiny dingy that contained Luffy and Zoro bobbled along next to her commandeered boat and out of slight curiosity, she glanced over at it.
What she saw had her eyes widening in surprise at first, and she froze, throat tightening with emotion, before forcing herself to relax. Placing a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing, she gave the sight before her a fond smile.
Zoro lay in the middle of the boat on his side, left arm curled under his head as a makeshift pillow and sound asleep... and Luffy was curled up right against his chest on her back, right arm clutching loosely at the arm he had draped unknowingly across her stomach. Her other hand clutched her straw hat. Both of their faces were contented and peaceful, their bodies unconsciously meshing perfectly.
Nami didn't know what she had expected when she first looked to their boat, but as she watched them sleep, she found that she wasn't really all that surprised. After everything she had seen from them during the past day, the care they showed each other, the determination, and urge to protect the other, she knew they fit well together. By now though, she was positive that neither had pieced together the obvious clues in front of them. At times, she doubted Luffy ever would. The girl was insightful and wise at times, but at her core she was still naïve and innocent and would probably not understand her feelings for what they were. Zoro on the other hand, she knew, would eventually figure it out. And then he would bury them and refuse to say anything to the girl. Nami rolled her eyes at that thought. Men and their pride. Even as she shook her head in resignation, small, caring, and rare smile came to her face.
Oh, yeah. Now she remembered why she had chosen to follow them, to give them her all...
… because they gave her hope. They were her friends.
Luffy mumbled quietly in her sleep and tightened her hand on Zoro's arm, the slight sound drawing Nami out of her thoughts. She watched as Zoro shifted slightly in his sleep at the noise and smoothed his hand over Luffy's shirt in a comforting way.
"Mmmm… sush…" He mumbled to her in exceedingly bad and tired english. "…Shleep…" Luffy mumbled what could have been an agreement, before snuggling closer to the swordsman, who pressed a light kiss to the top of her head, before they were both out again.
Nami smiled once more, her heart truly warming at the sight, before turning away from the two, thinking that she could let them sleep for a bit longer.
The sun was high in the sky and it had to be at least midday but Luffy and Zoro were still sleeping. Nami exited her cabin, having finally memorized every detail of the chart of the Grand Line they had stolen and glanced over at the small rowboat. Zoro had turned onto his back, unconsciously pulling Luffy further onto him and allowing her to use his chest as a pillow. She, in turn, had rolled onto her side, still clutching her straw hat which now rested on Zoro's stomach. The positions looked so natural it was if they had planned to sleep like that, and Nami shook her head in exasperation.
"Are you two going to sleep all day?!" She asked, walking over to the edge of her boat. There was no reply except for a loud snore from Zoro. Nami narrowed her eyes, annoyed, and glanced around her boat quickly, before grabbing an apple from the barrel next to her cabin door. She stared at the apple for a second before turning and throwing it straight at Zoro's face, hitting him square on the nose. He sat up with a scream of pain, right hand clutching the sheath of his white sword, which Nami had not noticed earlier, and left wrapped around Luffy, holding her securely against his chest.
His eyes quickly scanned the surrounding area before settling on Nami.
"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" He screamed, narrowing his eyes at her and growling. Nami ignored his screeching shout, and took a deep breath so that she could calmly reply.
"HOW CAN YOU SLEEP ALL DAY LIKE THIS?! WHAT IF SOMEONE ATTACKED US WHILE YOU WERE STILL ASLEEP!" Well, it was calm by her standards.
"Hn, just because I'm napping doesn't mean I'm helpless. My mind is always open and on high alert in case any danger approaches," Zoro smirked at the orange-haired navigator. As if he would leave himself or his captain unprotected. Nami frowned at his smug smile. She was not impressed with his boastful confidence and she crossed her arms over her chest, subconsciously filing away that Zoro hadn't realized he was still holding a sleeping Luffy.
"Don't try to act all high and mighty to me just because you're the so-called fearsome Pirate Hunter..." then she smiled, the kind of smile that said 'I've got you now!'
"You know, it's common for people with famous reputations to actually get stupider as time goes on," She joked, baiting him.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?! ARE YOU TRYING TO PICK A FIGHT, BECAUSE I WON'T HESITATE TO FIGHT A WOMAN!" yelled Zoro, his face darkening with anger and mild embarrassment, and the knuckles of the hand wrapped around his sword turned white as his grip tightened.
"GO AHEAD! I DARE YOU! I'VE FOUGHT PEOPLE DUMBER THAN YOU!" Nami yelled back.
"BRING IT!" Sparks could almost be seen dancing between the two of them as their anger built.
"What are you two doing?" A quiet and innocent whisper broke the deadly silence, causing both Nami and Zoro to snap back to reality. Nami's eyes darted down to where Luffy was just now stirring in Zoro's arms, rubbing at one eye in an almost childish manner. Zoro, on the other hand, froze like a statue, just now realizing that he had been clutching the younger girl to his chest this whole time. Luffy tilted her head to the side in a cute manner, still awaiting an answer.
"Oh, uhh, it's nothing. Zoro and I were just…talking" Nami mumbled, trying to think up a quick excuse.
"Oh, well, I guess that's good." Luffy let out a bright smile and yawned before sitting up straighter. Zoro's arm slid limply down her back, his mind still in shock over their current position.
"You ok, Zoro?" He shook his head quickly and glanced down at the raven-haired girl still sitting in his lap. She was smiling at him and he caught himself staring into her dark brown eyes, a blush spreading across his cheeks.
'What the hell is wrong with me? She's my Captain! I need to get a hold of myself before…'
"Zoro?"
"I'm fine Lu. Just still a bit tired." He replied quickly, glancing away from Luffy, and from Nami's knowing gaze.
"Ok," She replied happily, satisfied with Zoro's answer. She gingerly climbed out of Zoro's lap and the swordsman immediately missed the warmth that had seeped through his body at her close contact. His hands clenched at his sides, fighting the urge to pull the she-pirate back against him and bury his face in the crook of her shoulder.
'I don't know why I feel like this around her, it doesn't make any sense!' he thought teeth clenching. His head began to hurt and he pushed the confusing new feelings to the side, telling himself he would think more on it later.
"Good morning Luffy. Sleep well?" Nami asked, a barely noticeable teasing note in her voice. Zoro ground his teeth in annoyance, knowing that the navigator was going to hold this little scene above his head for a while yet. Luffy, oblivious to the unspoken question, nodded happily.
"Yeah, I slept great. Zoro made a great pillow!" She turned to grin at her swordsman but was quickly distracted by the sun shining in her eyes, missing the way Zoro's face darkened with a blush. "Ooh, the ingredients for my cream should be done drying soon. Now I can make some more of it for Zoro since I lost my other cream."
"When did you have time to pick up medicinal stuff?" Nami asked tilting her head to watch the girl curiously.
"After you left with the mayor."Luffy replied happily. "I saw a store by that doggy's place and grabbed a few things while I was waiting. Last night I set out some stuff to dry. Like plant roots, bunches of seaweed, and rainbow algae." She ticked off the items on her fingers. "Now I can mix these and make a cream that will heal Zoro's wound. Makino taught me how."
"How many times do I have to tell you, no need to worry about it. I'll just sleep it off," Zoro immediately replied, a little exasperated. Luffy had been pestering him about the wound all yesterday while they were sailing and even though he kept telling her there was nothing to worry about, it didn't seem to make her stop worrying.
"Are you an idiot? Sleeping won't make the wound magically disappear," Nami snapped angrily. Zoro just snorted and moved to lay back at his designated end of the boat to go back to sleep. Luffy giggled and climbed over into Nami's boat carefully, wanting to check the status of her ingredients and grab the rest of the necessary supplies.
"Luffy? There is something I've been meaning to ask."
"What is it?" The raven haired girl replied while she settled onto the deck, placing her ingredients around her and preparing to make her medicine. She brought out an old looking bowl that she had borrowed from Nami's boat and put some of her dried seaweed in it before grinding it with the pestle.
"Both you and Captain Buggy are devil fruit users, right? But you're different. How many types of devil fruits are there and how did you two manage to find them out here in the east blue? It must've been incredibly difficult. What do they look like?" Nami continued to ask all the questions that had built up since watching the fight yesterday. Zoro opened one eye, he also wanted to know about those devil fruits in case he ever had to face one someday. Luffy nodded as she proceeded to smash the seaweed.
"Yep, that right. Devil Fruits are originally found in the Grand Line but I guess it's possible to find them anywhere. Old legends say that there are more than one hundred different kinds of devil fruits but the devil fruit only has three types that determine the base form of the abilities."
"Wait a second; you say there are more than a hundred different devil fruit? Then how come there are only three types of devil fruits?" Nami was bewildered to hear that there were so many countless devil fruits that could give people powers as strange and crazy as Buggy's and even Luffy's. It was insane.
"I don't know why there are only three types of Devil Fruits in the world, there just are." Luffy shrugged, stopping in her mixing to cross her arms over her chest and tilting her head to the side as she tried to remember all that Shanks had taught her about devil fruits.
"The three types of devil fruits are Paramecia, Zoan, and Logia. Each one has different forms of powers and abilities. First, the most common type is the Paramecia type, which is what both Buggy and I have. Paramecias gain superhuman physical abilities or powers. Some users can alter features of their bodies or their environment. Others can even manipulate and generate some kinds of substances. The second type is the Zoan type. The users of Zoan class devil fruits gain the ability to transform into an animal and access all of that animal's strengths and weaknesses. There are Zoan devil fruits not only for normal animals, but for super ancient or some legendary creatures as well." Luffy paused and turned to grab the pile of dried plant roots before adding them to the mortar with the seaweed and continuing her mixing. "Lastly are the Logia type. These guys are bad news. If you eat one of those you'll gain the ability to transform into one of the elements. Logia devil fruits are considered the most powerful as well as the rarest of the types of devil fruit as a whole. I've never seen one but I've heard there's Logias for water and fire, and probably lightning and other things." Once she was finished, silence engulfed the three, the only sounds coming from Luffy's mixing.
Zoro didn't move an inch after Luffy finished explaining but a smirk spread across his face and his eyes showed exhilaration. Each of these devil fruit users could be way stronger than Buggy and would be a perfect way to test his skills and grow stronger. Nami just cringed as every word that Luffy spoke sunk into her brain. Every one of these users was automatically dangerous and deadly in her book. If Buggy was strong then there was bound to be someone a hell of a lot stronger that made the clown pirate look like a wimp. Then Luffy turned her head, as if she sensed Nami's distress, and grinned happily.
"Don't you worry Nami. Even though they're strong, I'm a lot stronger and Zoro can beat anyone we face that uses swords." Zoro's smirk widened in response, confident he could take on anyone who dared to face him. Not just him, anyone who even looked at his captain was going down as well.
"YOU TWO ARE COMPLETELY BONKERS!" Nami yelled.
After what seem like an hour had passed, Luffy had finished enough of her cream to cover the wound Buggy had inflicted on Zoro. She grinned at her achievement and climbed back over into her boat before walking up to where Zoro was laying peacefully, like one big, lazy cat.
"Okay Zoro, the cream is done. Now lift up your shirt so I can spread it on your wound," Luffy sang, humming happily. Zoro cracked one eye open and sighed.
"Lu, I don't need any medicine or anything, I'm fine. I'm as healthy as an ox so there's no need for any medicine." Zoro's eye slipped closed when he finished. Luffy stood there for a second, watching her first mate before saying.
"…I see." Then suddenly, she leaned over him and started to pinch his cheek really hard pulling on him until the swordsman sat up with a shout.
"WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" Zoro yelled, rubbing at his cheek and staring at Luffy in shock, he hadn't expected her to do something like that. Even Nami was stunned and she had seen the whole thing. Luffy replied with an easy smile.
"Because Zoro is being stupid."
"…EHH!"
"When I see a wound, it needs to be treated, not ignored. Zoro won't be able to fight if the wound gets worse, no matter how small the wound is," Luffy said, still smiling, Nami bit her lip, trying so hard not to laugh while Zoro growled. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right and that damaged his pride. As he was about to tell her to get the medicine, Luffy pulled his shirt up and started smearing the cream on his wound without warning.
"EH, WHAT THE? YOU CANNOT JUST DO THAT TO OTHER PEOPLE LIKE THAT! AND CAN YOU AT LEAST WAIT TIL I GIVE MY ANSWER!" Zoro shouted, slightly annoyed at her for invading his private zone and at himself for immediately basking in the closeness between them.
"It's done, no thanks are necessary." She said, patting his stomach reassuringly after she neatly re-wrapped the bandages around Zoro's side.
"…Were you ignoring me?" Zoro asked in an almost deadly calm tone. Nami muffled her giggle as she watched the two interact with one another. Zoro appeared to be angry with the raven haired girl, but Nami knew that the swordsman was never truly angry with his captain and the other girl seemed to know it too. Luffy continued to smile at her first mate, settling herself down into the small space between his legs before continuing their impromptu staring match. Nami just shook her head, amused, before turning to look at her map again.
They continued to sail for another hour, Nami's frown deepening by the minute as she considered the situation they were in. She knew that the Grand Line was also called the Pirate's Graveyard, the ocean itself was so treacherous that no one could survive for long on the Grand Line, even with serious preparation. Even though both Luffy and Zoro were strong that didn't mean they could survive that sea on their own.
"There's no way we can go to the Grand Line in our condition," she finally spoke, her tone serious. Both Zoro, who was napping, and Luffy, who was sitting on the figurehead of the boat eating an apple, turned at Nami's voice.
"You're right, we can't survive by just eating apples, we need meat!" Luffy said, chucking the core of the apple overboard.
"And some Sake would be nice too," Zoro spoke then and was quickly greeted by a flying apple in the face, courtesy of Nami.
"Is that all you two think about? Food is the least of our problems. I'm saying that the Grand Line is the most dangerous place in the world, there are other pirates who are looking for One Piece and they have strong crews and better ships. Not only do we lack numbers but we also don't have a decent ship," Nami explained patiently.
"So we just need more crew members, maybe a Chef…and a Musician," said Luffy.
"Musician..." Zoro started laughing at Luffy's priorities in terms of crew mates and Nami just sweat dropped.
"This is no laughing matter!" She eventually exclaimed. "If we head south, there's a small inhabited island. It would be best to find a good ship there." Nami sighed and turned back to looking at her various maps.
"Ahh~ finally. Let's go get some meat!" Luffy yelled, throwing her arms up in excitement.
"And some Sake too," Zoro added, closing his eyes again.
"Why am I even bothering to talk to either of you?" Nami sighed.
Meanwhile, in Syrup Village, it was a quiet and peaceful morning in the slow and typically uneventful town. Suddenly, a boy emerged from the forest, running down the path that led to the North shore. He wore a dark yellow plaid bandanna, a blue and white striped armband on his left arm, brown overalls with a white sash and no shirt underneath and carried a yellow satchel and a pair of rectangular goggles strapped around his bandanna.
"PIRATES ARE HERE, THEY ARE HERE ON THE COAST!" He screamed, sprinting through the small town. "THEIR BLOOD LUST IS LIKE NOTHING YOU'VE EVER SEEN! PLEASE RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" He eventually began to slow, huffing and panting from all the running, trying to get air back into his heated lungs. After he regained his breathing he suddenly threw his head back and laughed.
"Lie! It's all a lie," he laughed some more, amused by his prank, when a fraying pan slammed into the side of his head.
"You liar, wait till I get my hands on you!" A man yelled from the window the frying pan had come from. Then a door burst open and another man emerged holding a broom.
"You never learn, do you?" The thrower of the frying pan emerged from another door, holding a second frying pan in his hand.
"Once we're through with you, you will never tell a lie again!" One by one, the remaining doors began to open and more people holding weapons emerged. They all began to charge the boy, attempting to capture him but the long nosed boy didn't appear to be the least bit afraid of them. He actually appeared to be looking forward to the chase as his body began to shake with anticipation.
"Wait for it, Wait for it, Wait for it, Wait for it," he mumbled quietly, counting down before turning to run off, laughing in delight.
"Come and catch me!" He yelled as he ran back towards the woods and disappeared from sight. The villagers followed suit but quickly lost sight of him. It was a daily occurrence for them, he would lie, bait them, and run off before they could catch him.
"Great, he got away again."
"That boy has been causing nothing but trouble." With a sigh, the villagers finally gave up and slowly made their way back to their houses while the long nosed kid watched from the branches of a treem snickering at their retreating forms. That been his best lie yet and he lay back on the thick branch enjoying the peaceful breeze and warm sunlight.
"Today's lie was good. The refreshing wind sweeps through this boring village once again, signaling another normal day." His peaceful relaxation was soon disturbed by a loud and familiar voice.
"Hey, there he is!" The long nosed boy looked down to see two new boys. The first one was a freckled boy with short spiky purple hair wearing a red hat with a Pirates Jolly Roger on it. He wore a black sweater, a sash, lightly brown pants, and dark colored shoes. His name was Carrot.
The other one, named Pepper, had dark green hair shaped like a pepper. He wore a light green shirt with the same Pirates Jolly Roger on the front. He also wore a sash, dark blue pants, and black shoes.
"Good morning, Captain Usopp," Pepper said raising his wooden sword.
"The Usopp Pirate Crew is here." Carrot, the first boy, raised his wooden sword too as the long nosed boy, Usopp, jumped down from the branch and greeted both with a smile.
"Good morning, my fellow crew mates but uh, where is Onion?" Usopp asked. He soon got his answer when he heard a screeching scream. They all turned to look and saw their friend Onion running toward them looking very much afraid. He had straight brown hair and he wore glasses. He had on a yellow shirt with a blue jacket over it. He also had a sash, dark brown pants, and black shoes.
"It's horrible, horrible, HORRIBLE!" Onion yelled from afar.
"It's Onion," Carrot said, sounding bored. Onion was almost as bad as Usopp when it came to lying.
"What's he yelling about?" Pepper asked.
"PIRATES ARE HERE! THERE'S A BOAT HEADING TOWARD OUR VILLAGE!" Onion yelled but none of his friends believed him, they just sweat dropped.
"Stop that Onion, only I can come up with lies," said Usopp, a disbelieving expression on his face.
"It's not a lie; it's true I saw it."
"True!?" Usopp nervously asked, and Onion nodded much to Usopp's dismay. The older boy quickly turned and began to sprint away.
"I just remembered something! I forgot to bring my snacks."
"You lie!" the boys said in unison.
"Then I'm sick, the doctor said if I don't eat my snacks I'll die."
"Liar!"
"Captain, didn't you want to be a real pirate? How can you be a real pirate if you're afraid of other pirates?" Carrot asked. Usopp flinched at the question, it had been his dream to become a pirate ever since he was a kid, maybe this was his chance.
"I saw two boats and one of them had Buggy's flag on it," Onion continued, waving his hands for emphasis. Usopp began to shake like a leaf; he had heard of the Buggy pirates, they were the meanest pirates in the East Blue. Screw that chance, he didn't want to die.
'I better run' Usopp thought and he slowly turned back to continue running but before he could take a step, he heard Onion continue.
"But there are only three pirates, two girls and one man."
"ALRIGHT, let us fight! The Usopp Pirates will protect the peace of this village," Usopp yelled, quickly changing his mind, as he stood in his hero pose. The boys shook their heads in exasperation, knowing that the only reason their captain wasn't running away was because there were only 3 pirates.
"Onward, to battle!" Then Usopp ran off to defeat the incoming pirates. The kids watched him go, a little impressed. Even though their captain could be a coward, they still admired his courage and drive to protect his beloved village.
Nami, Luffy, and Zoro had finally made it to the island after sailing for another few days. Luffy was grinning like a happy child and bouncing from one foot to another, wanting to explore and hungry for some real food. Nami had told her that the village was called Syrup village and it had to have something she could eat. Zoro was yawning and stretching his cramped muscles, uncaring about his current surroundings.
"It's been a while since we've been on land," Zoro sighed, stretching his back, keeping one eye on his captain. He knew her penchant to run off as soon as they hit land.
"Ah, so the village is further down that way, right Nami?" Luffy asked as she stared at the rocky slope that would lead to Syrup Village, already inching her way up the path.
"Yes, although it's just a small village. Let's hope we can find a decent ship that will get us to the Grand Line," Nami replied with a nod, rereading her map.
"Do you think they have meat here, I'm starving?" The raven-haired captain whined, rubbing her flat belly soothingly.
"IS THAT ALL YOU THINK ABOUT!?" Nami hissed, annoyed by her seemingly one track mind. As Zoro yawned again, he heard a rustling from the bushes and swiftly put his hand on the handle of his white katana.
"Be careful, we're not alone" the swordsman muttered, causing Luffy to freeze and glance around, excited.
"Where, where, where? Is it an enemy or meat?" she asked, automatically moving closer to Zoro, trying to see where he was looking.
"Watch out!" Zoro yelled, hearing the attack as soon as it was launched, and then out of nowhere someone was shooting bullets at Luffy. She avoided every invisible bullet, her movements almost graceful as she dodged back in forth. The attack stopped after a second and several pirate flags emerged from the bushes, surrounding the Straw Hat crew.
"Wow! This is AWESOME!" she laughed, looking like a kid in an amusement park, as her eyes darted around the area.
"This isn't the time to be amazed." Nami's voice came from behind her and Luffy turned to see that her navigator had ducked back behind her boat. The she-pirate giggled at her friend's nervousness before turning back to the enemy in front of her when she heard a confident laugh. Before her stood a boy with a long nose. He was smirking down at her, holding onto a pirate flag planted in the ground next to him. Luffy gasped in surprise and shock, her eyes quickly scanning the boy, recognizing him from somewhere.
"Wait, that guy is…"
"I'm the Captain of the great Usopp Pirates and you three are trespassing in my territory. I strike fear into the hearts of the citizens with just the mention of my name! Now, behold and beware! My eighty million men will crush you like a little bug if you don't leave immediately." Usopp's voice held as much arrogance and confidence as he could muster as the flags around him fluttered proudly in the wind. Nami just rolled her eyes, at both the Boy's speech and at Luffy's clearly impressed face.
"It's a lie," the orangette said bluntly, rising from her hiding spot and approaching the group.
"Oh no, she saw right through it!" Usopp's smug demeanor immediately faded and he began to panic, fearful now that he had been discovered.
"See, he even said it," said Nami pointing at him, exasperated, but Usopp couldn't let her win completely so he quickly came up with another lie.
"Okay, so eighty million men might have been a bit of an exaggeration but I DO have many strong and powerful crew mates that can beat you!" As if to prove his point the flags started to shake, controlled by Carrot, Onion, and Pepper who were hiding in the bushes. Nami saw the three boys out of the corner of her eye and sighed again.
"I only see three of them."
"AHH~ SHE FOUND US, RUN!" All three of the kids dropped their props and scrambled back towards the village, leaving Usopp to his fate.
"Hey, you guys! Don't leave me!" Usopp whined, taking a step back as Nami approached him, picking a small ball up off the ground near Luffy's feet.
"A pirate that uses pinballs…" She muttered to herself, examining the small metal ball. "I've never heard of such a thing," Luffy just laughed, amused and a little impressed.
"You're a pretty funny guy," The female pirate giggled, finally remembering where she recognized Usopp from. She was so excited to finally meet him, the son of the Red Hair Pirates sniper. Her laugh only seemed to anger Usopp though and he growled.
"Shut up, don't you dare laugh at me. I'm a very prideful man because of my greatness, people call me Usopp the great!" Usopp drew out his green slingshot with a flourish, inserting a pinball and aiming the weapon at Luffy's head. The girl just continued to grin, not the least bit concerned by his threat.
"As you saw earlier, my slingshot skill is better than a pistol, so don't you dare make fun of me!" He continued. Luffy just tipped her hat, covering her eyes and quietly said.
"Now that you've drawn your weapon, are you willing to use it?" Her tone was cold and she lifted her head, revealing only one eye, a mischievous smirk on her lips. Usopp got goosebumps just by staring at the black haired girl's expression.
"Pistols are not for threats, they're for action," she continued, scaring the long nose even more. Zoro stared at Luffy, a little surprised at her suddenly serious demeanor before catching on to her plan. He smirked meaningfully before pulling out one of his katanas and taking a step forward.
"The girl that stands before you is a real pirate," He said, giving Usopp a sinister look that could even scare a fleet Admiral. Usopp flinched back as he stared at the shadowed and menacing looks on their faces. He started to sweat uncontrollably and the continued silence didn't help his fear and he finally dropped to his knees, hands on the ground in front of him.
"Oh man, real pirates are so cool; a real pirate's speech is much more intimidating, incredible!" The boy moped, shaking his head. Zoro and Luffy glanced at each other for a second before both began to laugh. Luffy's hands wrapped around her stomach as she bent over, giggling. She had always wanted to say that. Zoro just watched her laugh, grinning himself.
"I stole that line," Luffy finally admitted, straightening up and tipping her hat back. Usopp frowned, not quite understanding what she meant so she continued.
"I stole that line from pirate I admire, Shanks."
"Sh-Shanks?! You mean you know Red-Haired Shanks?" Usopp asked in disbelief. Luffy nodded, still smiling happily.
"Yeah, you're Usopp, right?" Luffy vaguely remembered what name Yasopp had told her and the long nosed pirate had just mentioned his name so she was pretty sure she had it right.
"Uh, yeah, how do you know my name?" Usopp was surprised that this girl he had just met already knew his name, forgetting that he had mentioned it to her earlier.
"I know because I know your Father, Yasopp." Once she said his father's name, Usopp gasped in utter shock and lost his balance from where he had been attempting to stand back up. He tumbled forward, falling down the cliff to land in a pile at her feet, thankfully unharmed.
"It's true. That's my father's name! Please tell me about my dad!" Before Luffy could reply, her stomach growled loudly. She blushed, a little embarrassed that her stomach had made such a loud noise.
"I'll tell about your dad once we get something to eat." She giggled. Zoro saw her blush and felt his heart flutter slightly. She looked kinda cute like that. Once he realized what he was thinking, he mentally shook his head.
'What the hell is wrong with me? First the boat, then this. I'm not thinking straight. Maybe I'm just hungry, that's got to be it.' he nodded, attempting to convince himself.
After the gang introduced themselves, Usopp led them to the town's restaurant and ordered food. As they enjoyed the peaceful silence while they ate and drank, Luffy struck up a conversation about Usopp's dad.
"I met your dad when I was young."
"So my dad is one of the Red-Haired Pirates?" Usopp asked excitedly, remembering what Luffy had said. The girl nodded as she took another bite of food.
"Yep, that's right. Your dad talked about you nonstop, practically made my ears bleed. I knew it was you when I first saw you." She scratched her cheek, trying to remember what had first caught her attention about him. "You look so much like him, except for the nose."
"Wow, I never thought my dad would be a part of the famous Pirate Shanks' crew." Usopp was really proud of his dad. To be a main member of such a famous pirate crew, his dad really was something else.
"That's right!" Luffy exclaimed. "He is considered the best sniper in Shanks' crew. He can shoot an ant between his eyes, blindfolded! I saw it once and it was so cool! Yasopp is a great pirate!" Luffy used her hands to emphasize her words, pointing between her eyes as she talked.
"Yeah, to risk his own life and indulge himself in the vast and endless sea. I feel so proud of my father," Usopp sighed happily, eyes unfocused as he dreamed of a life of adventure for himself, wanting to be a pirate just like his father.
"Well then, this makes our search a lot easier," said Nami, relieved.
"Hm, what do you mean?" Usopp asked, turning to the orange haired navigator.
"Do you know if there's anyone who can build us a ship or a place we could acquire a large ship in this village?"
"Sorry, no." Usopp shook his head sadly. "As you can see, my village is pretty small so there is no way I can fulfill your request."
"What about this big mansion on top of the hill?" Zoro asked, gesturing out the window towards the large house. Usopp cringed slightly.
"Hey, do you know them?" Nami had noticed Usopp's slight twitch. "I wonder if we can ask them to give us a little financial support?" The navigator's eyes had switched to berris as she thought of the amount of money those rich people had to have.
"Stay away from that place!" Usopp shouted, jumping to his feet and surprising everyone.
"Uh, I mean, I suddenly remembered that I still have something to do. So stay here and eat as much as you want and don't worry about paying the bill. I already talked to the owner of this restaurant, he's a good friend of mine, so see ya!" And then he was off running, leaving behind his new friends.
"I wonder why he's in such a hurry?" Nami frowned, pondering Usopp's strangeness for a second before shrugging it off, thinking it was nothing to worry about. Luffy and Zoro shrugged as well before all three continued to eat.
On top of the hill was a very large and beautiful mansion that was heavily guarded. It had a garden filled with many exotic flowers that could only be found in the East Blue.
Inside, in one of the rooms, was a girl. She was sitting on her bed holding her pillow to her chest in a tight grip. She was fairly tall, thin, and pale with blonde hair. She appeared to be very sick.
Next to her was her trusted and most faithful butler, Klahadore. He was a slim man with glasses and slicked green-and-black hair. He wore a black suit with two golden ornaments on it over a white shirt with a curious collar, with spiral-like protrusions on the edges, and a standard black tie. He also sported striped shoes.
"You want to see Usopp, not this again Lady Kaya," Klahadore sighed; his lady has asked him to see Usopp multiple times when she was clearly sick and barely able to walk.
"I'll be fine. I just want to see him," said Kaya softly. Klahadore sighed as he adjusted his glasses.
"That boy is nothing but a liar, his lies have become out of control and he may hurt you one of these days, my lady."
"But…"
"Your parents entrusted me with your safety and your well-being," he said firmly, adjusting his glasses again. Kaya was saddened to hear that but she believed Usopp was a good person, despite being a liar, and had always believed that. As always, Klahadore was too overprotective of her and wouldn't let her see her friend.
"Now, I will leave your medicine here, please remember to take it on time," The man said, turning to leave the room.
"Stingy" Kaya mumbled.
"I'm okay with stingy but no means no." and then he left.
Usopp managed to sneak inside the mansion using his secret passage by pulling aside a piece of a hedge that he had made long ago. Once he was in, he climbed up the tree and settled onto a branch that was right next to Kaya's room and knocked on her window using a pebble. After a second, Kaya opened the window and smiled, happy to see him again.
"Usopp!"
"Hey Kaya, you're looking weak as usual," Usopp said, saying his usual greeting as he seated himself comfortably on the branch.
"I'm sorry, I want to treat you as a guest but Klahadore just won't agree to it." She sighed softly beofre waving her arms hastily. "But he's not a bad person!"
"Ah, don't worry about it!" Usopp waved her off, grinning. "After all, I'm a brave warrior of the sea. Being in a small room would probably suffocate me to death." Then they both laughed.
"So, what tale are you going to tell me today?"
"Hmm, let's see…okay, I'll tell you about the time I fought the giant goldfish on an island in the South Blue when I was five years old."
"Goldfish?"
"Yeah, I landed on an uninhabited island when I realized it wasn't an island, it was just his droppings I was stepping on." Usopp gave Kaya a disgusted look before grinning. They both began to laugh, just enjoying their time together. Just the two of them.
Back with Luffy, Zoro, and Nami, the two girls were enjoying a calming herbal tea after finishing their meal. Zoro, on the other hand, refused to drink anything other than sake. All of them were relaxing, not knowing that they were being watched by the Usopp pirates, who thought that their brave captain was being held hostage by the three teens.
"That's them," Pepper confirmed, recognizing the people they had seen on the beach.
"C'mon, let's go inside and rescue our captain before it's too late!" Onion hissed, concerned for his captain's safety.
"But those are real pirates, we might get 'gulp' eaten!" Carrot whispered back, shaking in fear. He had heard that pirates were cannibals and he didn't want to get eaten.
"You idiot, pirates don't eat humans!" said Pepper. "Only witches." The purple haired kid nodded to himself, sure he had remembered that right.
"But there's no time for thinking now, we have a captain to rescue, this will be the Usopp Pirate's greatest battle ever!" They each raised their wooden swords and their eyes were filled with determination as they barged into the restaurant startling the Straw Hat crew.
"The Usopp Pirate crew is here, prepare yourself pirates!" They cried in unison trying to make themselves look brave enough to scare the three pirate teens, however they were greeted with silence. The Usopp crew began to sweat, worried, because not only had they failed to intimidate the pirates, but they didn't see their Captain anywhere. This worried them even more and they sprinted to the table where the three teens sat.
"Hey you Pirates," Pepper yelled, pointing his wooden sword at Luffy. "What have you done with our Captain, Usopp?"
"Where's our Captain?!" said Onion and Carrot as well, their tone demanding that the three answer. Luffy just took a sip of her green tea, enjoying the silky warmth sliding down her throat, ignoring the kids' outburst.
"Ahh~ nothing like drinking a good herbal tea after a meal" She sighed happily. "That was delicious!"
"M-meal?" the Usopp Pirates cringed and huddled together, their eyes darkening with dread.
"Don't tell me the Captain is…" Onion didn't want to finish the sentence out of terror and fear, and Nami was covering her mouth behind them, giggling at the boys who thought Luffy had eaten their Captain.
"Wh-what have you done to our Captain?" Pepper asked, as he and the others began to shake and sweat. Zoro just grinned, enjoying the looks on the boys' faces and thinking of a way to make things a little more…fun…for him.
"You're captain was…" He began with a terrifying look on his face.
"Delicious." And then the boys screamed, the sound high pitched and terrifying as their eyes turned to Nami, who hadn't been able to hold in her laugh. Their eyes bugged out even further as they watched her and they screamed again.
"AHHHHH! A WITCH!"
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Nami yelled, slamming her fist into Pepper's head, causing a very large bump. Zoro started laughing wholeheartedly, one hand moving to cover his eyes.
Luffy smiled over at her first mate as he took a sip of his sake, liking the sound of his laughter. It made her feel happy and light. She started to laugh herself, punching the swordsman lightly on the shoulder. "That was terrible, Zoro!" She tried to berate him but couldn't keep the grin off her own face as he turned and smirked at her.
"It was only a harmless joke." He chuckled, taking another drink of his sake. Suddenly, Nami bashed Zoro's head with her fist, causing him spit his drink out and leaving a big bump on his head.
"You guys are nothing but idiots!" She hissed, still a little annoyed at being called a witch. Her new crew-mates were ill-mannered but in her eyes, Zoro was the worst of them all.
"Ah, it was only a joke, thank goodness," Pepper said, sighing in relief. The Usopp Pirates were glad that their captain was okay.
After the boys introduced themselves to Usopp's new friends they guided them to where their captain had run off to, which turned out to be the big mansion that Zoro had mentioned before.
"Wow, this place is huge!" Luffy whistled, eying the mansion with glee. To her, it was just another place to explore and she was starting to get excited.
"If you can't find the captain around this time of day, he's probably here." said Onion.
"What does he come here for?" Luffy asked, turning towards the boy.
"He comes here to lie," Carrot replied, moving to glance at the garden beyond the bars.
"That awful, he shouldn't be doing that," Nami scolded, crossing her arms over her chest.
"There's nothing wrong with it, what he does; it's different." said Pepper defending his Captain.
"What do you mean?" Zoro questioned, a little curious.
"Lady Kaya lives in this mansion and she is very weak," Pepper explained the story.
"A year ago, her parents died of an illness, and she's been depressed ever since, despite all the money she has, there was nothing that could cheer her up." Onion added.
"That's why the captain makes up outrageous lies. He does it to make her laugh, Captain's lying ability is first class, I'm sure you've never heard of a pirate captain like that before!" Carrot's tone was impressed. Even though they knew their captain could be a coward, Usopp was a good person and they wanted people to know that fact.
"So Usopp is good guy." Luffy caught what the boy's had been trying to get across and she smiled happily. She already knew that Yasopp's son was a good person, she could see that from the moment she met him. What Usopp was doing for Kaya was sweet and the boys nodded in agreement.
"I like the way he keeps meddling in other people's business." said Carrot.
"I like the way he overreact to everything." Pepper added.
"I like the way he lies." then lastly Onion added his opinion to the group.
"And that cheers the lady up?" Nami appeared bewildered that Usopp's lies made the girl of the mansion happy and as the boys nodded happily, she guessed that she had misjudged the long nosed boy.
"Good, then let's go in and ask her for a ship," Luffy suggested, remembering what Nami had said about their reason for being there.
"The one that cheered her up is Usopp," Zoro remarked. Just because they were Usopp's friends didn't mean that the girl, Kaya, would help them out.
"Getting in is impossible, there are very large bodyguards guarding the gates at all times." Pepper sighed, turning to look at where Luffy was standing, only to find that the raven-haired girl was gone.
"Where's Luffy?" He asked, wide eyed, head swinging from side to side.
"Let's go in and have a look!" The she-pirate said, causing them all to look at where she was approaching the gate.
"Wait; don't tell me you're…" Zoro began, but he didn't get to finish it as Luffy grabbed on to the spikes at the top of the gate before stretching herself back, preparing to slingshot.
"WHAT IS SHE?!"
"WHAT'S GOING ON!"
"SHE STRETCHED!"
"Sorry to…" as Luffy readied herself to launch, everyone sprang forward, grabbing onto the girl in an attempt to stop her.
"INTRUDE!" she yelled as she flew over the gate taking the others along with her.
"Then we threw a huge pinball down from the sky, scaring them away, and that's how we won!" Usopp finished the story and Kaya clapped happily at the wonderful ending. The she saw something in the sky.
"Hey, what's that?" Kaya asked pointing to the black dot in the sky that was slowly getting larger. Usopp looked up, following Kaya's gaze to see Luffy and the others…falling towards them really fast.
"YAHOO~" Luffy sang happily before she slammed into the ground, taking the others with her while Usopp screamed in surprise. As the smoke cleared it showed that Luffy and Nami had landed on the bushes, the Usopp Pirates landed on a grassy field, and Zoro had been unfortunate enough to land on the stone path. The swordsman groaned in pain as he sat up, feeling like his bones were now broken into a million pieces.
"HAHA, now that what I call an entry!" Luffy laughed, standing up and dusting herself off.
"NO, IT WASN'T!" Nami yelled, trying to calm her racing heart. If she had her way, she never wanted to do anything like that ever again.
"Are you alright?" Kaya asked worriedly, glancing at the new group, not recognizing the teens that had accompanied Usopp's normal crew.
"It's okay Kaya," Usopp soothed, waving a hand at the blonde girl dismissively. "They heard how great I was, so they came to join the Usopp Pirate crew." Luffy turned towards the window where Kaya sat, not immediately dismissing Usopp's lie.
"That's not it, we have a favor to ask," she asked, bowing towards the lady politely.
"Favor? From me?" Kaya blinked, a little surprised.
"Yes, we were looking for a large ship and…"
"You there!" Luffy was cut off by a voice to her right and she and the others turned their heads to see a man in a butler suit tottering towards them.
"Klahadore," Kaya whispered, shifting uncomfortably. Now that her butler was here who knew what he'd do or say.
"You're trespassing." The man said adjusting his glasses.
"And causing trouble here," he added. Usopp flinched, a little worried now that the mean butler was here. He was probably going to get it trouble and that would make it that much harder to sneak in here to visit Kaya. Luffy cocked her head to the side, not the least bit intimidated by the straight laced man, and mumbled.
"Who is this guy?"
Meanwhile, in the middle of Syrup Village, a man was slowly moon walking down the road that led from the south slope to the village. It was a very unusual thing to see. He wore a long coat and heart-shaped glasses and the villagers watched the man and his strange moves, almost entranced by his oddness. Eventually, they shrugged and turned away, thinking that he was probably just a harmless man, not knowing that he would bring nothing but trouble to their town.
Woohoo! Another chapter done. This arc is going to have a few cute ZoLu moments, especially with Luffy's accidental fall off of the cliff and the match against Jango and the Meowban brothers. I'm looking forward to getting those parts posted.
Thanks again to everyone who has stuck with me. Your support really gets me to write and edit and makes me work faster!
Hope you all enjoy and look forward to the next chapter!
Til then!