Chapter 4: The desert dragon
"HELP IT'S SO HOT!" It almost seemed that Luffys scream was heard all over the desert.
"Man, what's wrong with him?" Sanji asked bugged
Kid gazed to Nami and asked dismissively: "is that guy someone of your group?"
"Unfortunately yes", Nami answered frustratingly with a crooked head, "It's our Captain!" she continued and asked herself what was gotten into that psycho.
All a sudden a burning Luffy passed them while he was running around yelling: "Help me! I'm burning!"
Ace gripped Luffy at his collar and used his Devil-Fruit power to absorb the flames from Luffys' back, but Luffy still had the dither: "People, people I saw a dragon, a real dragon, it's so awesome! It was huge!" Luffy yelled and instantly everybody knew why he had been burning.
"What have you done? The desert dragons normally don't attack out of nowhere not even when they are breeding!" explained Kid her question.
"Nothing at all… suddenly I was under attack I could barely escape!" Luffy started to defense himself, before he stopped and thought about it, "Well… I stumbled over a huge egg and broke it before I was attacked. do you think it has something to do with the dragons' attack?" He asked concerned.
"THAT WAS THE DRAGONS' EGG! OF COURSE THE MOM DRAGON'S UPSET!" Nami yelled and hit Luffy.
"By the way Luffy where is our provision?" Chopper suddenly asked.
"Ups I left it behind…" Luffy answered when the scales fall from his eyes.
"YOU STUPID DOUCHEBAG!" yelled everybody except for Robin, Ace and Kid.
"And now, what are we gonna do now?" Usopp asked worried.
"I think we should get our provisions back!" Zoro said pugnacious and pat his Katanas.
"Hang on, I'm getting it for you, just to finally pay back my debt. Whatever you do, don't follow me." Kid turned to the rocks and walked towards it.
"Do you really believe we are going to leave you alone with our provisions?" Ace asked and ran in Kids way.
"You know what? Compared to pirates and thieves I have my pride, so I don't steal from other people, not even from ruthless pirates." Kid said coolly and glared wickedly into Ace' eyes.
"I don't trust you at all, you damn shrew!" Ace said with a combative tone in his voice.
"Oi Ace, stop insulting that lovely Lady, or I'll have to beat the creep out of you!" Sanji said with an aggressive undertone before he turned to Kid, "Kitty~Kid would you mind if I would come with you?" He asked with enamored eyes.
"Yes, I do mind!" Kid said harshly and glared icily at Sanji.
"So just go ahead but be very carefully!" Sanji said admiringly.
Kid rolled her eyes and turned to face Ace again and hinted a bow, while she said sardonically: "Would you mind?"
Suddenly Ace seemed a bit stunned but he didn't move at all so Kid grant before she walked around him and ran towards the rocks. `Weird, for one moment I've got the strange sensation that I know that gesture from somewhere.` Ace thought shaking his head to get that feeling away, while Sanji was overwhelmed by Kids "good manners": "you are so well-bred my shining star!"
Just when Kid arrived at the rocks Luffys' stomach rumbled before he ran towards the rocks.
"Oi Luffy, where are you going Kitty~Kid said we should wait here for her!" Sanji yelled after Luffy.
"I just go and check if Kitty-Cat need some help to carry the food!" Luffy yelled back.
"Just let him keep going, you know when he set something in his head…" Zoro said casually.
Kid was flitting from one rock to another while her eyes darted around the area to make sure that she wouldn't draw the dragons' attention on her. Kid knew it's always dangerous to go on chase after a considered prey of a dragon, especially when the dragon is mad and there's not enough space to swerve. Suddenly Kid heard something that sounded like a deep, growling sigh. Kid looked from behind a rock and saw a rock-colored dragon mourn over a broken egg. When Kids eyes draft around, she found some meters from the dragon some food residues scattered with scrap of cloths over the sandy ground. Kid skulked behind the rocks to come closer to the nourishment while the mother dragon breathed heavily in sadness, every now and then. Kid sneaked noiselessly forward from the rocks, took the least ripped backpack and stated to pack the food residues together, keeping an eye on the dragon and put the rest, she couldn't fit in, in her messenger bag. "OI! Here you are and you found already the food! That's great, I'm already starving!" Kid heard Luffy yell after she finished packing.
Kid turned with concern around and stared up to Luffy who was standing on a rock, "Awesome there is the dragon again!" He yelled enthusiastically when he realized that the huge rock wasn't a rock but a dragon.
"Are you insane!" Kid yelled jumping on the rock to Luffy, just when she heard how the dragon took a deep breath and gripped on his arm, "RUN!"
Kid jump from one rock to another followed by Luffy, who only followed her because of the food; he even didn't realize that the dragon was spitting fire. "What's going on?" He asked not focusing on the situation.
"What's going on? The freaking dragon is going on!" Kid shouted back to Luffy still holding on to his arm so he would keep going while the dragon rear up and spread its wings to fly.
"What does he want from us?" Luffy asked after he looked back and saw that the dragon was approaching them.
"He wants to get the food!" Kid decided to answer after they jumped down the last rock before they entered the open desert.
"What? No way!" Luffy screamed furiously and gripped on the backpack and Kids messenger bag and freed himself from her grip just to stretch his arms to grabbed his hands around the closest person standing to them just to catapult himself to the rest of the group by shouting: "GUM GUM ROCKET!"
"You stupid dumbass!" Zoro screamed furiously, who was lying on the ground, while he put his hands around Luffys' throat.
"Oh my gosh!" Usopp shouted when he saw Kid running towards them, so he snagged the backpack and the messenger bag and hit the road just as Nami and Chopper did, who screamed in fear.
"Don't be afraid Nami~swan; I'll protect you and Robin~chan from any harm!" Sanji yelled and grabbed more or less gently on Robins' arm, so he could force her to run with him after Nami.
"Oi Usopp, that's my food!" Luffy yelled after he managed to put of Zoro, jumped on his feet and followed the food.
"LUFFY! IT'S NOT OVER YET!" Zoro roared in anger and chased after Luffy.
While the Straw hats where running deeper into the open desert Kid was running in the same direction still pursued by the dragon. `damn pirate! How dear you to take my bag from me!` Kid thought while she swerved the fire bursts of the dragon which roars as loud as he could, `but first things first!` Kid brought the focus back to the dragon and turned around to face the dragon, which was flying ten meters over the ground. Kid dived headlong towards the dragon when it again belched flames towards where she had stood. Kid ran towards the threateningly waving, seven meter dragons' tail, she jumped and grabbed on it. The dragon tried to dislodge Kid, but she jumped just farther upwards on its back. Just when Kid stepped on the dragons back she ran towards its head, drawing her dagger. Kid jumped on the dragons' snout, turning around and thrust her dagger into the dragons' right eye. The dragon roared in pain and finally dislodged Kid by using his paws, before she could pull out her dagger. Kid fell but she turned around and crossed her arms. To ease the collision Kid did a cartwheel when she hit the ground while the dragon was landing. The dragon tried to trample down its opponent still having the knife in its eye, it roared in rage. Kid dived headlong the dragons' foot stamps without troubles. The dragon started again to belch flames, so Kid had to turn several cartwheels to evade the rage of fire. The distance gave Kid the opportunity to take a run-up; she sprinted towards the dragon, which bend forward to catch Kid with its paws. Kid jumped on the dragons' paw and continued bounding up the arm until she reached the shoulder. The dragon raised into the air when Kid jumped on its snout again and Kid struggled, but she took over her balance and grabbed on the dagger, while the dragon started to fly away. Kid yank out her dagger and jumped from the fleeing dragon, which roared in pain. Again Kid managed to land unharmed on the ground.
Meanwhile Ace had watched the fight, because he wanted to see where Kids limit was.
"Man that was strong…" Ace admitted when he saw Kid standing up, brushing off the sand.
Then suddenly Kid turned around with a skilful smirk on her lips and she said: "You think that was strong? It was a pretty good warm up, though!"
`Damn she's got good ears!` Ace though annoyed while Kid walked over to him.
"By the way do you have any clue in which direction your friends bolted?" Kid asked while approaching Ace and he watched petulant in all possible directions.
Kid braced up her right elbow with her left hand and placed her fingers around her nose bridge before she muttered her discounted: "obviously not… All right let's catch up with your guys!"
Kid passed Ace and just when Ace decided to follow her Kid said across her shoulder: "But don't flatter yourself, I just want my bag back."
`How could I thought that I recognized a gesture of her, I've never faced an annoying person like her before!` Ace thought stressed out and stood still, but because Kid didn't stop he had no alternative but to follow her.