9. Count Rickety Arc: Loyalties and Allies
Luffy felt slightly guilty. Note. Slightly.
He was eating a feast in Count Rickety's house which was fit to be called a palace.
Kid and Law were probably going through hell now.
Well. He'll just think of it as payback from the previous timeline.
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"No."
"Pardon?"
"No." Law squinted his eyes. "I refuse." He said his hand at the hilt of the nodaichi.
"Why you just met didn't you?" The old man asked.
"Still I'm part of the crew." Law stated in a firm voice.
"Oya? Then how about this?" Count Rickety calmly addressed him.
"It's either him or his Captain. Which to choose? It's your choice."
Kid gritted his teeth cursing the hologram he could not touch.
Granted he had idiot of a captain and he didn't know Trafalgar than much ( and he already got on his nerves ), but this was his crew the guy was threatening. He was shaken off his thoughts when he saw the fog thicken even more.
"Trafalgar."
No response.
He turned his head around to see not only Law missing but that the old bastard was also gone.
Silent footsteps made him increase his guard.
"Who's there?"
A silhouette, different either Law's or the enemy's slowly made its way towards Kid. Kid squinted husband eyes to narrow his vision and focus on the approaching figure.
When the figure emerged, Kid's face twisted in horror.
It was Jamung.
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Law narrowed his eyes.
"No." He denied firmly, not believing what he was seeing.
"Fu fu fu Law. How have you been?"
Doflamingo laughed, his ever huge grin plastered on his face.
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Count Rickety observed with a curious look on his face. Both his sample… umm victims were down unconscious.
The redheaded was coping much better than he had anticipated but the other one was frozen, probably due to fear.
Well not his problem. The Captain had openly showed his faith in his crew so who was he to doubt?
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Kid dodged again and again as Jamung attacked with his devil fruit.
"What? Not going to attack?" Came his tormentor's taunting voice.
"Or maybe you can't." He laughed.
Kid swiftly turned a sharp corner to dodge another attack but was not fast enough and Jamung's finger dug into his right arm, painfully.
Kid hissed.
He could partially thank for the maze right now as it was the only reason he had not turned into minced meat.
Putting some distance between himself and his predator he looked at his arm to inspect the wound only to be surprised by what he found.
There was nothing.
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Law couldn't move a muscle. The strings dug into his skin, his nodaichi fifteen feet away.
"Room." He called out, mildly panicked.
Nothing happened.
This caused to fuel his already anxiety ridden emotions and he tried again and again to use his powers, much to the amusement of his captor.
"Tch. Tch. Tch. Law. You're still this weak. No wonder your new crew mate does not believe you. Does not trust you." Doflamingo ranted on tauntingly.
"Aren't you gonna backstab him? Like with me. Smart kids. They've abandoned you, haven't they? At my mercy."
Doflamingo's words spread dread within him and his struggles ceased as the pink flamingo made his way towards him.
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"Found you." Jamung attacked Kid from behind with a cocked fist.
Surprisingly Kid dodged with ease, contrary to earlier happenings.
"Illusion." Kid murmured hesitantly.
"What did you say?"
"You're not real." Kid yelled this time. "Luffy defeated you."
"So what?" Jamung drawled. "I just came back for revenge. And now that he is not here, it is fairly easy to get rid f you right?"
"I said you're not real." Kid said solemnly, his frown turning into a smirk.
Jamung raised an eyebrow.
Kid looked at hi unflinchingly.
"First you can't come from West Blue to North Blue if you weren't half as crazy as my Captain. Second I can't summon Trafalgar's nodaichi no matter how much tightly he's holding it and third…" He raised his right arm. "…I'm not wounded. So this is either not real or an illusion."
"Let's just suppose I'm an illusion. How you'll defeat me hen. Huh?"
"I've already figured out that damn trick of yours or whoever that's controlling this illusion. You…" he pointed at Jamung "..are only as strong as my mentality potrays you. So…"
Kid got into his fighting stance.
"…if I think you're incredibly weak…"
He punched the image straight into the gut.
"…I can get rid of you easily."
He finished.
Immediately after his self-proclaimed victory, Kid woke up from his coma like state.
Rubbing to relieve the ache in his muscles and the coldness of his body in the maze.
He looked around and saw Law lying motionless on the ground. Clicking his tongue he immediately started shaking the brunette.
"Wake up Trafalgar. Whatever you're seeing is not real." He shouted.
No response.
Kid paused.
"…Idiot."
Nothing.
"Stupid."
"…"
"Blockhead."
"Imprudent."
"Irresponsible."
"Senseless."
"Dunderhead."
"…"
"Oh come on." Kid shouted when he received no response. "Wake up."
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"Oh come on."
Law's head jerked as he heard Kid's voice.
"Wake up."
Wha..?
He was dreaming?
Looking forward, Doflamingo gave no indication that he had heard anything at all.
Taking a deep breath Law started chanting mentally.
'The strings don't exist. The strings don't exist.'
To his shock the strings disappeared.
So it was a dream.
"You're a Strawhat Trafalgar. And I don't accept scaredy cats on the crew. If you can't figure this is an illusion Trafalgar, you're a damn coward." He heard Kid say.
Law narrowed his eyes.
Coward? Did he just call me a coward? With him screaming like a girl and all? Oh it's so own.
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"… you're a damn coward."
Immediately Law's fist flew and slammed right into Kid's jaw who cursed and clenched it in pain.
"Ah sorry about that. My body moved on its own." Law said insincerely while silently muttering. 'Ha that's what you get for calling me a coward' under his breath.
"I was just hitting Doflamingo's illusion-"
Suddenly realizing what he had babbled out, he firmly shut his mouth.
Kid's eyes widened.
"Doflamingo? As in Shichibukai?" He exclaimed.
Kid nervously nodded his head, suddenly feeling exposed.
"Heh ~ " Came Kid's amused voice. "I guess you're not that much of a coward Trafalgar."
Though appreciating the compliment he had a sudden urge to bash the red headed's skull. Instead
"Could you keep this a secret?" He asked in a smaller than usual voice.
"You would have to tell Luffy eventually." Kid got to his feet.
"Come on Trafalgar. We have a Captain to find."
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"Hi guys." Luffy greeted cheerfully still stuffing his face with food.
Kid and Law looked wide eyes at him for the moment.
They had spectacularly entered the castle only to find their Captain calmly eating like nobody's business.
"What are you doing here?" Kid asked him shell shocked.
"Eating of course." Was the reply.
"No… I mean shouldn't we be trying to kick the old man's ass?" Kid pointed at Count Rickety, who was sipping his tea, mind he add, at the same table.
"Kid." Luffy started pouting like a child. "You shouldn't bully the elderly."
Kid opened his mouth but nothing really came out.
Luffy finally stopped eating and went to pat Kid on his back.
"Ma ma. He's our ally now. Me and him struck a deal, ya know. If you guys won he would be our ally."
"And if not?" Kid gritted through his teeth.
Luffy paused for a second.
"Who knows? We didn't discuss that." He shrugged.
"What were you thinking?" Kid yelld. "Trafalgar tell him how stupid it was."
"He's right Luffy-ya. It was risky-"
"I got you your books." Luffy chirped.
"Thanks."
"Trafalgar. You traitor."
"Law you're officially part of the crew now." Luffy said ignoring Kid's shouting of 'Hey are you guys listening to me?' in the background.
"Wait, he wasn't before?" Kid asked surprised.
"Nah I won't let anyone on the crew just like that. Do you think I'm stupid?" Luffy retorted.
Both his crew members looked at him deadpanned.
Luffy shook his head.
"On second thought don't answer that."
"So are you planning to visit West Blue too? That's a long way Luffy-ya." Law asked hurriedly before Kid could start again on their Captain's rashness.
"Yep." Luffy grinned.
If this went on he might be able to recruit most of the supernovas before they set out, he thought with glee.
"Sorry to interrupt you Luffy-san but I'm afraid outside this island 6 months have already passed so if you had any plans-"Count Rickety's calm voice was cut off with a huge shriek of
"WHAT?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER?"
"Well I thought you knew. This island, after all, is called Time Island. A day spent here is roughly half an year in the outside world." The old man explained.
"That's why I told him to take some responsibility." Kid scowled at his Captain pouting and crying anime tears.
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"… so now we have allies in North and South and I guess East too." Law concluded as Kid recounted the adventure at Scrap Islands to him on the deck of the Raging Waves.
"Can we even trust that old guy?" Kid huffed.
"He's nice." Luffy answered.
"And wise." Law added. "He said he was 4000 years old."
Luffy's eyes sparkled.
"Maybe I should have asked him to join my crew-"
"NO!"
Luffy raised his hands in mock surrender.
He then slowly unpacked the Celestial sword from his pack and gave it to Kid.
At his questioning brow Luffy answered.
"You need a weapon in case there's no metal near you and I wasn't using it anyway."
"Isn't it important?" Kid asked doubtfully.
"Kind of. It belongs to Red haired Shanks after all." Luffy watched amused as Kid nearly dropped it and Law whipped his head to listen better from the steer.
"Nice Captain. Really." Kid ranted sarcastically. "You have ties to the Red Pirates, Me to Whitebeared and Trafalgar to a Shichibukai. What an awesome crew."
Luffy knew he deliberately left out the said Sichibukai's name.
Oh you have no idea. Our crew is going to get even more awesome.
"Well we still need a swordsman, a cook, a navigator and a liar."
"The first three I can understand but why the liar."
"Coz I said so. Yosh. Back to East Blue it is."
There were two identical groans in return.
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The longest chapter finally. RFFs.