I don't own One Piece, it belongs to Eiichiro Oda.
Well, here is the third one, I hope you'll like it!
Apok: Not to worry, see for yourself, he isn't dumb, just incurably twisted.
apocalyps24: I'm going to change a lot of things, and considering the plot that I'm cooking up... Well, you'll just have to wait and see. As for the reason for replacing Zoro? I'm going to replace most of the Crew with new and almost unused Characters, so don't be surprised when things will start changing rapidly from the routine that everyone is used to!
Lightningblade49: Probably, people tend to shun things that are out of their comfort-zones, Zoro being dead kind of threw them out of the loop, and they actually lost the desire to read simply because they don't know what will happen.
WaMiLoe: The glasses weren't enough of a hint? Well, here is the third Chapter, I hope you won't be disappointed.
serpentguy: I'm trying to twist the world as much as humanly possible without loosing the plot or starting to need OC. I really hate when people help themselves by spawning crappy OC that has shitty illogical powers and absolutely no reason to even be strong in the first place. I'll try to cut the amount of Scenes Changes, but considering that they are also POV-Changers it's kind of hard. Thank you, I'll try to keep up the good work and their good characters, also what do you think about Tashigi's lack of ambition and Luffy's slightly improved intelligence?
Wacko12: Yes, he is.
NAFNAF509: No problem! I hope everyone will like what I'm doing with the story!
w1lliam: Oh, don't worry, I won't kill them all, there will be Canon Character on the Crew, it's unavoidable!
OnePieceFan2: 1) Thank you! 2) Well, she's a loyal and slightly prudish, so what do you think? 3) Don't worry, Luffy know that his powers are dangerous, Garp and Shanks made sure of that! 4) Can't tell, Spoilers won't be released! 5) I'm mostly writing in the evenings and my mind is kind of half-bake from work, so sorry if their some problems with grammar and spelling. 6) Well, here you go!
R .D. T: It's all part of the plot and of course I know what I'm doing! Thank you for reading!
NARUHAREM FOREVA: And apparently you didn't read the part where I said that I will be screwing the Canon over. There will be far more fights, different outcomes and even deaths.
Chrisfragger: Where? Where did you see Fem!Zoro? I'm pretty sure that I didn't wright it!
Alucard-Masters: Luffy is far from that Level of Power, even if a Logia he's still a Rookie and from the weakest of all Blues in the World. It will be a harsh journey for him, Logia or not.
Funny-Little-Cute White Fox: Thaaaanks!
Yami-Guy: 1) It wan't easy, she's a lot harder to write than Zoro.
2) I agree, she has a lot more depth than some other pin-heads that we saw in the Series.
3) Yep! She has them and more, right now one of them was fulfilled through Luffy, she found her place in the world.
david. teague. 3950: 1) Why the hell would I do it? That's kind silly and unnatural.
2) It was stated in the first Chapter too, you know.
DarkPirateKing69: 1) It will be different, sure.
2) I'm working on them.
3) Good, wait until things actually will start happening.
4) Good, you know how to properly Review!
5) More of a nightmare, the amount of cheap gay-porn is disturbing.
6) Thank you!
: And that's not even the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
NinjaFang1331: Thank you!
Chapter 003: The Reason to Fight
Wealth, fame, power... Gold Rodger, the King of the Pirates obtained this and everything else the world had to offer. And his dying words drove countless souls to seas.
"You want my treasure? You can have it! I left everything I gathered together in one place! Now you just have to find it!"
These words lured men to the Grand Line in pursuit of dreams greater than they've ever dared to imagine! This is the time known as 'The Great Pirate Era'!
'Impossible.' Was the first thought that ran through her mind. Luffy was standing in front of her, absolutely unharmed and smiling, his words were still ringing in her ears. 'Coby said that it was Luffy's goal, but to hear it from himself is absolutely different.'
She didn't really know how to react to his statement.
"Wha... What?" She muttered in awe. "Do you know what does it mean? Do you even understand what you're saying?!"
'That fire in his eyes, this dream is the source of it?' Tashigi saw as his grin became wider. 'Someone like him can actually exist?' The warm feeling in her chest almost fully banished the cold emptiness that plagued her for so long.
"The Pirate King is the Pirate King..." Answered Luffy. "What else could it mean?"
Marines and Morgan were standing and staring in shock at the impossibility in front of them.
Normal person just couldn't survive being shot with so many bullets.
They just didn't know what to do, nobody knew how to handle an opponent that wouldn't keel over from being shot!
"I was surprised too, but that's the kind of person he is!" Exclaimed Coby with a smile, while still holding his bleeding shoulder. "He will become the Pirate King and find the ultimate treasure, One Piece!"
Luffy only grinned at the statement.
'A person with an impossible goal, huh?' Thought Tashigi. She then finally noticed the two swords that Luffy held under his left arm. 'He brought them, he actually brought Shigure and Wadō Ichimonji!' She knew what did it mean.
*Ba-dump*
The warmth in her chest erupted from something akin of a glowing embers into roaring flames, that spread through every bone, every muscle and every vein in her body. She didn't feel tired anymore, she didn't feel the fatigue that plague her for several weeks, she felt more alive that ever in her life. But the most important part was that the creeping coldness that haunted her for years was gone, fully gone without even trace left.
"Here, your sword." Said Luffy. as he offered her Shigure and Wadō Ichimonji. "Which one is it? I couldn't tell so I grabbed both."
"The green one is mine." She answered truthfully. "The white one I came here to collect, something as beautiful as it can't be left in the hands of such corrupted people."
Luffy seemed to consider her words, but then he just smiled again.
"So, I brought back your sword, what do you say about joining me?" His smile didn't faltered, not even for a second.
'It's not like I don't have a choice, I'm sure he will give me my swords back even if I decline.' Thought Tashigi. 'But the fact is that I want to go with him. I don't know why or how, but he was able to purge that horrible feeling that I was plagued by for so many years, and there is now way I will simply let him go after that!' Thought the young swordswoman.
"Aya, Senchō." She nodded with a wide smile that she wouldn't be able hold back even if she tried.
'Senchō, huh?' She thought. For some reason the title was really easy for her to apply to Luffy. 'I'm really not sure what awaits me in the future, but seeing his determination and will, I'm sure that my life will become anything but normal.' And she didn't mind it in the slightest, not when she finally found the reason to draw her blade.
Until Coby informed her about Helmeppo's treachery, she couldn't quite place the feeling that was slowly but surely replacing the emptiness in her chest. But now she understood, now she knew what she felt. It was something so simple, so basic that she actually felt stupid for not acknowledging it earlier.
Loneliness that was eating her away, sadness at the lack of purpose and bitterness at the feelings of hollow victories.
'But not anymore.' She now had it. 'The reason to fight.'
Luffy, no, her Senchō actually stormed a Marine base to rescue her from being executed because of a blond bastard's treachery. He took bullets for her and didn't even flinched simply because he considered her his comrade, even if she didn't agree to be one yet. And he assaulted the son of the Marine Captain for his treachery, of which he didn't tell her because it didn't matter at that moment.
"Ehem, Senchō, I know that you're happy and all..." She actually smiled at his childish outburst. "... but can you please untie me first?"
"What is that guy?" Mumbled one of the Marines in fear.
"Our bullets were useless!" Added another one.
"The guy with a straw-hat isn't a normal human." Said Morgan, finally overcoming his own shock. "It seams that he ate one of the Akuma no Mi."
"Akuma no Mi?" Asked one of the Marines near him.
"Treasure of the ocean?" Tried to confirm the other one.
Morgan, as any other Marine Captain was briefed about Akuma no Mi, their weaknesses and possible abilities of their users. He didn't bother to remember all the details, considering that it would have been almost an impossibility to meet someone who ate an Akuma no Mi here, in East Blue. The damn thing were extremely rare and each one that was found by Marines was immediately categorized and sent to the Marineford, the Headquarters of the Marines to be presented to a worthy Marine upon his or her promotion to the Rank of a Commodore or higher.
"Akuma no Mi, it is said that whoever eats one will obtain an unbelievable power." Explained Morgan. "The power to breath fire... The power to create tsunami..." If the rumors were true, then this two abilities were actually quite real and belonged to a very strong people. "There are many rumors about the Akuma no Mi, too many to know which ones are actually true." He swallowed nervously. "The secret to this is supposedly hidden in the Grand Line." During the whole explanation Morgan didn't stop staring at the teen. "Without a doubt, that straw-hat's power is the power of the Akuma no Mi!"
He didn't remember much from the briefing, it was years ago, but at least he could recall the three classes of the Akuma no Mi. This teen didn't seem wounded and considering that the bullets actually hit and penetrated his body he could only be Logia. Morgan knew, that even against the weakest Logia he and his soldiers wouldn't stand a chance, they didn't have any Kairōseki with them to bind the damned brat and Morgan wasn't arrogant enough to think that he would be able to persuade him to jump into the ocean by himself.
Marine Captain's gaze shifted to the other two traitors.
'The straw-hat may be invincible, but this two aren't.' He smirked. 'He will just intercept all our gunfire, so swords will be a better choice to kill these two while someone will retrieve the Kairōseki-cuffs.'
Luffy didn't waste any time, as he pulled Wadō Ichimonji from its sheath and cut the ropes that were holding Tashigi's torso.
He could probably use his Akuma no Mi to free, but there was too high risk of a rope, post or Tashigi's clothes catching on fire, one lesson he learned when he was really young.
"Luffy! You moron!"
"I'm sorry!"
"Who the hell tries to dry clothes with magma!?"
Ace and Sabo, his two older brothers in all but blood, screamed at him for almost an hour for burning almost all of their clothes. How should he have known that wet clothes were so easily combustible when you put on overheated fist made of magma near them? At least Ace was able to save the outfits somewhat, if you forget about the holes with black scorched edges that were present all over them.
"It doesn't matter who he is, those who oppose me will be executed!" Luffy heard Morgan's voice as he cut the ropes holding Tashigi's left arm. "If your weapons doesn't work on him, aim for the other two traitors! They are just some brat and a half-dead girl, use your swords and cut them to pieces!"
The Marines drew their swords and charged.
"Luffy-san!" Screamed Coby as a Marine swung his sword at the boy.
*Shink*
The soldier suddenly stopped.
"Attacking an innocent boy?" A female voice rang from behind him. "You're pathetic."
Suddenly Marine's chest erupted in a fountain of blood and he fell down.
Behind him was standing Tashigi with Shigure in her right hand and its sheath tied to her left hip. Her glasses were now covering her eyes as she stood before the now motionless Marines. For them she was nothing but a blur, just barely visible as she appeared behind their comrade.
"You..." Growled Morgan.
Tashigi was feeling better than ever, like something that she didn't even know she was missing and now was back in its place. Her heart was beating fast, her body wasn't feeling tired or sore, she could feel the warmth from before spreading through it and energizing her.
"Anyone else?" She asked glaring at the group of soldiers. They paled and took a step back.
"I'm scared." Muttered one.
"I thought so." She lowered her sword slightly, but didn't drop her guard even for a moment.
"Whoa, cool!" Luffy had a big grin on his face. "I knew that you were strong."
"Thank you, Senchō." Said Tashigi with a warm smile, looking at Luffy over her shoulder. The happy expression on her face contradicted with the murderous one that she had a moment ago. "Anytime." She added as she turned back to the soldiers and her face again became serious.
'Up until this moment I trained only to be strong enough to survive, to not let my skills rust and my blade become dull.' Thought Tashigi and her grip on Shigure tightened. 'But now, it won't be enough. Senchō wants to become the Pirate King, and after what he did for me today, I refuse to let him down simply because I wasn't strong or skilled enough.' From the corner of her eye she saw smiling Luffy, who was standing near the crucifix with his arms crossed over his chest. The warmth in her chest became stronger, her resolve solidified and became harder than steel. 'I will become stronger, if the need will arise I will even surpass the greatest swordsmen in the world, but I won't fail him!'
A blade drawn without purpose will be broken easily.
A strike delivered without a will behind it won't be able to reach its target.
A swordsman without a reason to fight will always wield a dull blade, no matter how much time he or she will try to sharpen it.
For the first time in her life Tashigi felt the fire of determination ignited in her heart. Right now, even a stick in her hands would be equal to a sharpest blade when compared to the swords held in Marines' hands. A blade drawn with a purpose, a blade in which you channel you will, hopes and desires, a blade that is not just a tool but a way to reach you goal would never be defeated!
"Why are you all just standing there?!" Roared Morgan. "Execute her right now!"
Tashigi looked at Luffy again.
"Senchō, do you mind if I'll take them all out?" She asked.
Even if it was a bit childish, she just wanted to prove herself to him, to show him just how strong she was and her resolve to fight for him. Tashigi never care about anyone's opinion, they could look down and underestimate her all they want, it didn't matter in the end. But right now, for the reason that even she didn't know, one person's opinion became important to her, the opinion of the person that helped her find her reason to fight, her new Senchō.
"Sure." He nodded at her.
That was all she needed.
She spun her sword in a reverse grip and positioned in front of her while crouching a little bit with her left leg being put slightly forward. She really didn't need to actually utilize any technique to defeat this goons but, even if it was a bit childish, she wanted to make a good first impression on her Senchō.
[Ittōryū: Akisame Buyō]
She blurred forward, with only Luffy being able to see her movements, and he was really impressed! Basically, she was spinning while moving forward and not crashing into anyone, each of her movements delivered a nasty slash to nearby opponent. The movements of her feet actually made it look like she was dancing around her targets, not even once missing a step.
She appeared behind them while crouching and holding Shigure in her outstretched right hand.
'Damn, this took a lot more out of me than it should have.' Thought Tashigi panting slightly.
Normally this technique wouldn't even strain her, but after three weeks of being tied up and beaten without any proper food or water to provide her with energy, she was currently running on fumes and pure willpower, and the last stunt took a lot of both to perform.
"Alright!" Exclaimed Coby. "Amazing!"
"What... What was that?" Asked one of the Marines standing next to Morgan.
"She defeated them all without even breaking a sweat!" Added another.
Morgan was now practically boiling with rage, his useless subordinates couldn't even defeat a half-dead starved girl! The ones that right now were lying on the ground will be executed, he would make sure of it! Being defeated by treacherous trash was treason and therefore they would die as any other traitor who decided to oppose him!
Marine Captain was too emotional at the moment to thing rationally, and therefore couldn't comprehend the simple fact that even in her weaken state Tashigi was leagues above any normal Marine grunt in skill department. The battle was lost before it even started. But right now his rage-clouded mind could only understand that anyone who opposed him or couldn't follow his orders, no matter how impossible to accomplish they were, were traitors and traitors must be executed!
"Captain! We're no match for her!" Said one of the Marines that didn't attacked and stayed near Morgan. "We can't do it!"
This was the wrong thing to say, as the statement itself became the last straw for the Captain.
"This is the Captain's order!" Growled Morgan darkly, his voice filled with pure rage. "Those can't follow it shot yourselves in the head!" He roared at his subordinates. "This military officer doesn't need weaklings like you!"
Tashigi was shocked by the fact that Morgan actually gave such an order! It was utterly despicable!
'How can he make them commit suicide?!' She gritted her teeth in anger.
Another reason that she agreed to join her new Senchō was because of what he had done not long ago. He put himself to protect her, to make sure that she wouldn't be harmed while she didn't have the ability to fight back. Any lesser man would've just let her die, simply returning for his search for a new crew-members.
What Morgan said, what he ordered them to do was something she couldn't even start to understand, refused to understand!
Without missing a bit she shot forward with an incredible speed, her sword once more held in a proper position and already moving to cut into Captain's chest.
*Clang*
But Morgan wasn't a Captain for nothing, he was able to lift his axe to block Tashigi's attack, at least she was satisfied to see a slight strain on his face from doing it. She jumped back and landed a couple of meters in front of him, straightening herself she glared at the tall man.
"A civilian with no Rank is no match for me!" Roared Morgan removing his coat and throwing it away. "I am the Captain of the Marines!" Tashigi could see an unhealthy glint in his eyes, apparently the last couple of hours made the arrogant Marine finally snap. "Axe-Hand Morgan!" Without even pausing he lunged at Tashigi, swinging his axe with enough force to actually bisect any normal person.
Tashigi wasn't normal by any means, without even blinking she jumped up and over the enraged Captain, landing behind his back. Morgan saw it and turned around with speed far greater than a man of his size should possess. Delivering a vertical strike right at his opponents hear, he put every ounce of strength in one chop of his axe.
*Crash*
Tashigi once more avoided his attack by sidestepping it, the edge of the axe impacted the earth, splitting it apart and creating a small canyon in it. This was an opening that Tashigi was waiting for.
*Shink*
With one fast slash of he sword she created a deep gash on Morgan's right side, blood erupted from the wound and painted the earth red. The wound itself wasn't lethal for a man of Captain's size, but it still hurt quite a lot! Morgan wasn't able to keep his balance with his arm outstretched and a painful shock from his wound, he collapsed forward, barely having time to support himself with his left hand so not to kiss the ground.
Tashigi wasn't really trying to defeat Morgan by the 'thousand paper cuts', she simply was in any shape to put him down with one overpowering strike at the moment.
"Wh... What's going on?" She heard Marines muttering behind her back.
She was really glad that they didn't try to interfere, facing against Morgan and his goons in her current condition would've been troublesome.
"Bitch!" Growled Captain, pulling himself back on his feet and raising his axe for another powerful vertical strike. "Die!"
*Crash*
Tashigi again sidestepped hi attack, but this time to the right. Seeing another opening she jumped forward...
*Shink*
... cutting deeply into Morgan's left shoulder.
"Argh!" Morgan let out a grunt a pain and feel forward face-first on the ground, this wound was deeper than the first one and left his left arm almost useless.
"Captain Morgan..." Mumbled on of the still conscious Marines. "... is no match for her!"
Tashigi didn't even look back at him, her attention was solely on one person whose opinion really mattered, her Senchō. He was standing there, with a grin on his face.
"Awesome job, Tashigi!" She couldn't help by smile back at him.
'Why is Helmeppo lying there?' She blinked a couple of times, seeing Morgan's son unconscious on the ground behind her Senchō.
Luffy was watching how Tashigi was easily beating Morgan, who didn't even come close to landing a hit on her. Luffy actually wanted to beat them all up by himself, but when he saw the look Tashigi sent him, he couldn't deny her this fight. He actually knew this look very well, it was the same look that he had when he was younger and wanted to impress Shanks so the pirate would take him on a journey.
Tashigi wanted to prove herself to him. Luffy didn't see the point in it because she already proved herself to him, she had a very good look in her eyes when she agreed to join his crew. He didn't like to complicate things more it's absolutely needed, but even he could understand that he First Mate was trying to prove it to herself that she was good enough to join him.
'And I still fail to see the reason for it.' He thought to himself. 'It's really hard to understand girls.' He sighed. 'Makino was confusing enough with her strange joke about girls chasing me, or me being an adorable magnet... I really didn't get what she was talking about, I mean, Marines got girls in their ranks and there is female pirates, so of course they would be chasing me, the former to arrest and the later to rob and kill.' Luffy's left eye twitched. 'And when I told her that she gained that strange scary expression on her face with that creepy smile and told me to stay such adorably clueless as long as I could! What did she mean by that?! She was scarier than Gramps when he's angry!'
He wasn't able to finish the thought because form the corner of his eye he noticed Helmeppo trying and failing to sneak up on Luffy and Coby with a pistol in his hand. You didn't need to be a genius to understand just what he was trying to pull and considering that it won't work on Luffy, his target was probably Coby.
'Is he serious?' Luffy really wasn't impressed with the blond. 'And people call me stupid.'
Without taking his eyes from the fight between Tashigi and Morgan Luffy moved to the right and...
*Bam*
... delivered a devastating punch on top of Helmeppo's head, effectively knocking the moron out. With the annoyance being removed he returned his full attention to the fight, which was already basically over, Morgan was on the ground a bleeding while Tashigi was looking at Luffy.
"Awesome job, Tashigi!" He congratulated her.
Luffy didn't know whatever it was his imagination or it actually happened, but he could've swear that Tashigi puffed her chest in pride a little.
Tashigi started walking towards her Senchō while returning Shigure back into its sheath. All things consider this wasn't even in top ten of the hardest fights she had been in, even being weakened and basically running on fumes she was still strong enough to put down someone like Morgan without any trouble.
Slight pain in her chest reminded her that she really needed a change in her wardrobe, using bandages to bind her chest maybe made it easier to fight, but the pain from a prolonged use made it pretty pointless in the long run. Considering that she was stuck with it for almost a month she was actually considering cutting it off right here right now.
Suddenly she felt a slight chill down her spine. All experienced fighters with time develop some form of a six-sense or danger-sense as some people like to call it, and right now hers was ringing all bells, making her prepare to dodge...
"I am the Captain of the Marines, Axe-Hand Morgan!" Roared Morgan from behind her.
She barely resisted the urge to facepalm. It was a total mystery to her how the heel this moron was able to sneak up upon her, he was injured and absolutely furious and he managed to actually almost get a drop upon her! If he actually managed to do it she wouldn't be able to live with such a shame.
'And who is actually dumb enough to scream while trying to attack someone from behind?' She could only sigh.
She could tell from the whistling sound of air being cut by a sharp edge when the Captain tried to attack her with his axe.
[Ittōryū: Kiri Shigure]
She appeared behind Morgan holding her Shigure with two hands over her back.
Morgan stood still for a moment, frozen in a position with his ax almost reaching the place where Tashigi's head was a couple of moments ago. Suddenly a long deep gash appeared on his chest with blood spraying out all over the ground in font of him and a little bit even leaking from his mouth. Captain's eyes rolled back and he collapsed on the ground unconscious.
"Nice, Tashigi." She heard her Senchō congratulate her for the second time in this battle.
She turned towards him.
"It was nothing, Senchō." She said with a smile, while sheathing her sword.
"They defeated Captain Morgan!" One Marine that was till conscious exclaimed.
"I can't believe it!" Added another one.
"Who are they?" Third one called out.
Tashigi looked over the Marines, about six or seven of them were capable to fight, while others could barely stay awake. She never removed her hand from Shigure's handle.
"If anyone else wants to fight, come now!" She said loud enough for them to hear.
She still had some fight in her, and Senchō was fresh and full of energy so there was no way this little band of Marines would emerge victorious from the battle. They exchanged looks and suddenly... cheered?
"Alright!"
"We did it!"
"Yahoo!"
They were cheering, dancing, throwing their weapons and caps in the air...
"Banzai!"
Some were even hugging each other.
'I lost the plot here.' Sweatdropped Tashigi.
"What the...? Their Captain was just defeated and they are... celebrating?" Muttered Luffy with a raised eyebrow.
"It's because everyone was afraid of Captain Morgan!" Answered Coby.
Tashigi suddenly remembered a very important fact, she she collapsed backwards on the ground.
"What the matter, Tashigi-san?!" Coby ran up to her. "Are you injured?"
It was really embarrassing for her, considering that she just collapsed in front of her Senchō...
*Gurgle*
"Hungry..." She groaned.
"Sorry." Said the already familiar orange-haired girl as she made sure that the two Marines were tied up wouldn't escape or make too much noise. "Just hang in there for a bit."
She was in the Captain Morgan's office, searching for a particular item. When she first came here she was horrified as she saw the biggest safe in the room melted open! Even the edges of the hole were still red-hot! At least the smaller one was untouched and she was really pleased to find that it contained money.
'Not this thing that I was looking for, but 378.000฿ is a nice compensation for whatever was in the big one.' She thought with a smile as she hid the money in her special pouch.
But money wasn't the reason that she came here, so she kept searching. After about fifteen minutes she found several bottles of cheap wine, a box of cigars, some documents that were useless to her, some fake jewels and... even more cheap wine. Finally, after she checked the table for any hidden compartments she noticed another safe poorly hidden behind the barrels in the corner.
After moving the surprisingly heavy barrels out of the way she tried to open the safe.
'... What?' Her heart almost stopped when she noticed that it wasn't locked.
If someone got here faster than her then they could have taken it, and all of her efforts were for nothing. She released a sigh of relief when she noticed a rolled up piece of paper lying inside.
"There it is!" She muttered to herself with a smile. "The map of Grand Line! I knew he had it!" She took the map and unrolled it.
But instead of a map she found a familiar mark of a skull-and-crossbones, with the unique feature of a large red clowns nose, and black crosses on the eye sockets. There also was a message written for whoever owed the map before.
{I Have Finally Found The Map}
{~Captain Buggy.}
"Th... This isn't the map!" She was shocked. "It's the mark..." She really didn't like the implications of this. "Captain Buggy."
'He is also called Heartless Buggy.' She thought with a shudder. Suddenly something flashed in her eyes and she crushed the piece of paper in her hand, her eyes burning with determination. 'It doesn't really matter, does it?'
"I'm full." Said Tashigi with a smile. "This meal was worth not eating for three weeks." Her words caused laughter from Rika, her mother and Coby.
After three portions she was finally full and well rested. She was actually happy that she removed the binding on her chest earlier, or they would have painfully cut into skin. She really didn't know why most girls wanted big breasts, her high C-Cup were more of hindrance than anything else, she could really do without those lecherous stares that she received while walking towards the tavern.
'Perverts...' Thought Tashigi to herself.
"I'm too!" Said Luffy, finishing his fifth portion.
"Senchō, I still don't understand how could you eat more than me." She was really surprised just how much her Senchō could consume during one meal.
"Because it's tasty..." He said while take a good swing from the mug. "Right, Coby?"
The pink-haired boy only smiled sheepishly.
"I'm sorry, I helped myself too." He said while rubbing the back of his head.
"It's alright, you helped save our town after all!" Ririka, Rika's mother just waved him off with a smile.
"You were amazing back there!" Said Rika to Tashigi while refiling swordswoman's glass.
"Thank you." Answered Tashigi with a light blush, not used to being prised so openly. "But if it wasn't for Senchō, me and Coby would have been dead. I still can't believe that he stormed the whole base by himself."
"Yeah, I'm great!" Said Luffy with a smile, there wasn't any arrogance in his statement, he was just playing along. "And I'll become even greater! I'm gonna become the Pirate King!" He finished he drink in one big gulp and looked at Tashigi. "I found myself a First Mate too!"
'And the warm feeling is back.' Thought Tashigi with a smile. Then a thought crossed her mind. 'Actually, if Senchō is aiming that high then he will need a strong crew and a very good ship to sail through the Grand Line.' She never visited the legendary sea, but heard enough horror stories about it to know just how dangerous it was. 'And he said that I was his First Mate.' She knew that being in such a high position, second only to Senchō, she would be responsible for the whole crew in Senchō's absence.
"Senchō, out of curiosity, just how many shipmates do we have?" She asked him. When he looked at her with a raised eyebrow she clarified. "You earlier said that you were looking for a crew members. With an ambition as big as yours you must already have a strong crew."
Senchō smiled at her.
"Nope, just you." He said simply.
Tashigi's jaw dropped, desperately waiting for him to say that it was a joke.
"Wha..." She regained her ability to speak. "Then?" She pointed at herself and him.
"Yep, us two." He nodded with a smile.
'He's serious?!' She thought.
"Sir, if you want to reach your goal then you'll need a very strong crew!" She said heatedly.
"What does it matter? We're strong." Answered Senchō.
Tashigi could only sigh. While Senchō was somewhat right, by the standards of the East Blue they were pretty strong, they would be eaten alive in the first ten minutes after they will step on the Grand Line.
"What about our ship, sir?" She asked without any actual hope in her voice.
"It's over there." Senchō pointed outside through the window where Tashigi could see a small boat with one mast and sail floating near the pier.
"That?" Muttered Tashigi, not impressed with a small vessel.
'Is that dog taking a leak on it?' Her left eyes twitched.
"It's small now, but in the future I'm planning on getting a really big one!" Said Luffy.
"Senchō..." Muttered Tashigi in defeat.
She could respect his optimism, but the lack of an actual plan was something that she would need to correct. Getting a good ship and enough supplies wasn't that hard, they would probably need money first. She knew that her Senchō wouldn't just rob innocent civilians, she could see it in his eyes, she was against it too considering that it went against her own morals. The only other ways were for them to either rob some other pirate crew or work for it.
The first option was far more suitable for their situation, considering that as soon as people will know that they are pirates there would be no way someone would hire them.
"Also I want a pirate flag!" Said Senchō with a dreamy smile.
"Luffy-san was born without the ability to plan things ahead." Said Coby with sheepish smile.
"Oh, don't worry, will get a bigger ship and more comrades as we go along." Senchō waved Coby off.
"Hey, hey..." Called Rika, making him look at her. "Where are you guys going now?"
"That's obvious." Tashigi already knew his answer. "We're going to the Grand Line!" He didn't disappoint her.
The last statement made Tashigi sigh and Coby make an impressive imitation of a fountain with juice that he was drinking instead of water.
"With just the two of you?!" Coby explained, orange juice running down from his mouth and nose. "No matter what, that's impossible! Impossible, impossible, impossible!"
"Is the Grand Line really that dangerous?" Asked Rika.
"Of course it is!" Answered the pink-haired boy cleaning his face with a napkin. "You know that there is two oceans in this world, right? The stretch of land in between the two oceans is called the Red Line. There is a road in the center of the Red Line, that road is aligned with the Red Line..." He gulped. "... that is the Grand Line." He voice dropped to almost a whisper, but somehow everyone was still able to hear him. "A long time ago, the Pirate King, Gold Roger, obtained everything in the world. It is said that he left his greatest treasure, One Piece, in the Grand Line..." Tashigi was sure, that if Coby wouldn't became a Marine, he would make a pretty good storyteller. "And that's why hordes of pirates flocked to the Grand Line. Now, the place is a battlefield. It's also known as the Graveyard of Pirates." His lips were trembling from emotions he put into his speech.
"I heard from a costumer that people who enters Grand Line never came back." Said Ririka.
The atmosphere in the tavern become gloom and slightly depressing. Tashigi didn't really think much of it, but even she could see that the light inside the building became dimmer, for the lack of better word.
"But One Piece is there somewhere, so we'll have to go!" Said Senchō without any hesitation.
Tashigi felt her smile return from his words. Senchō's burning conviction and will were two of the main reasons that she joined him.
"Well, I guess we have no choice then." She said with a smile.
"Tashigi-san, you too?" Exclaimed Coby, jumping down from his bar-chair.
"Stop worrying so much please, you aren't even going and you're more nervous than me and Senchō combined." Tashigi couldn't help bu chuckle at the kids attitude.
"Even thought I'm not going, I' worried!" He looked so torn... "I can't just... Because me and Luffy-san are friends, even though we just met, right?" The word he addressed to Senchō, who just grinned at him.
"Yep! We're parting ways, but we'll always be friends!" His answer made Coby smile.
"When I was little, I never had any friends." Coby lowered his had a little and his smile turned a bit melancholic. "Nobody stood up for me and I never stood up for myself..." He looked at the two pirates with determination burning in his eyes. "But because of both of you, I've learned to strive for my own goals! I'm going to make my childhood dream come true! I will become a Marine!"
"We really appreciate your gratitude, but you really should worry about yourself first." Said Tashigi seriously. Coby just watched at her questioningly. "Even thought you were forced in it, you still served under the pirate, Alvida." Senchō told her all about his meeting with Coby, and the kid's circumstances. "Don't underestimate the Marines' information intelligence. When they'll find out, you won't be able to join."
Tashigi didn't want to sound cruel, but the kid needed to hear the truth.
"Speaking of which..." Said Coby, looking at the tavern's door.
"Excuse me." Said a voice from said door.
Luffy turned around and looked at the Marine that entered the tavern, with the rest of them standing outside. This one was actually different from the others because his tie was green instead of blue. The Maine walked up to their table and looked at Luffy.
"Is it true that you guys are pirates?"
"Yup, and I just found a new comrade." Answered Luffy with a grin. "We are pirates!"
Marine looked at him for a moment, as if measuring him.
"We are very grateful that you saved us from the clutches of Morgan." Even Luffy could hear sincerity in his words. "However, now that we know you're pirates, we can't look the other way." He said why fingering the peak of his cap. "You must leave this town immediately! We own you own lives, so we will not contact Headquarters."
"Hey, Marine!" Screamed one of the citizens of the town, that arrived to see their saviors. "What the hell are you talking about? You guys were also controlled by Morgan!"
"Those guys saved all of our lives!" Added a woman nearby.
"Right, right!" Came the support from the crowd.
Luffy looked at the gathering of people in front of him. He could see that the fight was going to start, civilians versus Marines, and he really didn't want to become the reason for it. He was a pirate, but he was also a person with a strong set of morals, and hurting innocents, even not directly, was one of the things he didn't want to do.
"Well, shall we go?" Luffy asked with a smile as he stood up. "Thanks for the food, Oba-san!" He said to Ririka.
"Are you guys leaving already?" Asked Rika in a sad tone.
Luffy only nodded and picked up the bag with food that Ririka gave them for the road. Tashigi was not far behind, picking up both of her swords and walking towards the exit.
"Just a minute, is he with you?" Asked the leading Marine, while pointing at Coby.
Luffy and Tashigi stopped.
"Nope." Said Luffy, half-turning toward the Marine. "But I do know some interesting things about him."
'Luffy-san, you wouldn't!' Said Coby as a chill ran down his spine.
"There was this overweighted whale-shaped pirate-hag!" Started explaining Luffy.
"Luffy-san!" Muttered Coby in horror. 'If they found out I was on a pirate ship, I wouldn't be able to join the Marines!' He thought in desperation.
"She had this big club..." Luffy was still talking with a smile on his face. "She was one ugly-looking old whale!" Luffy walked up to Coby and started poking him in the side of his head. "This squirt here was her cabin-boy for two whole years!"
'Please stop!' Thought Coby, but on his face could be seen the traces of anger. 'Luffy-san!' He couldn't take it any more and punched Luffy in the cheek.
Normally, if Luffy wasn't aiming for this effect, and someone tried to punch him without any form of protection, the attacker would be missing a hand or even a good portion of his or her arm. Shoving your hand into hot magma was one of the things that even a retarded person knew would hurt, a lot! Coby was lucky that Luffy held back his reflex and didn't activate the power of his Akuma no Mi.
Everyone looked at what happened in shock.
Tashigi, who was standing near the door, smiled a little.
Coby looked at his fist in shock.
"Now you did it, bastard!" He didn't have enough time to comprehend just what did he do because Luffy's fist impacted his face.
"You bastard!" Screamed Coby, shaking off the dizziness from the punch and delivering his own counter-attack.
The situation degenerated into a fistfight pretty quickly, the screams 'You Bastard' could be heard coming from both combatants. The fight itself wasn't as fierce as it appeared to be, considering that Luffy barely felt anything from Coby's punches. Soon their brawl made the nearby dishes fall down from their places and break, covering the floor in sharp shards of glass.
"Stop this at once!" Roared the Marine. "I will not allow you to disturb the piece of this town!"
"Senchō, I think that would be enough." Said Tashigi, who appeared behind Luffy. "Don't overdo it."
Coby, being left without a reason to stand, and with only adrenalin keeping him upright just fell backwards on the floor while breathing heavily.
"It's clear that he isn't with you!" Said the Marine. "Leave our town, now!"
Luffy just smirked and adjusted his hat on his head, dusted off his suit and coat and walked away with Tashigi in tow.
'On purpose...' Thought Coby still lying on the floor. 'He did that on purpose...' After adrenalin left his system somewhat and he was able to think more clearly, Coby understood what just happened. 'For my sake... He made me punch him on purpose!' He gritted his teeth. 'I... received help from him even at the very end!' He had to hold back tears. 'Nothing has changed at all... Am I stupid?'
Ignoring pain, fatigue and a couple of pretty decent bruises that Luffy gave him, Coby forced himself to get back up on his feet.
"I want to..." He started, catching his breath and getting Marines' attention. "I want to join the Marines! I'll do anything you want..." He bowed to them. "... to become a Marine!" The fire of determination was burning in his eyes.
The Maine in charged stared at the boy, as if measuring him.
"Commander!" Said one of the Marines behind him. "I'm against it! I can't trust this boy yet. It's possible that he's a spy for the pirates." He then looked directly at Coby. "First, we have to run a background check on you."
"I sincerely want to become a Marine!" Exclaimed Coby straitening.
The leader of Marines just grunted and looked Coby directly in the eyes.
"We have lost many Marines to the pirates." He said, walking past Coby. "The life of a Marine is not an easy one."
"Then?" Whispered Coby.
"Permission on joining, granted!" Said the Marine.
Coby turned around to look at him with the biggest smile on his face.
"Yes, Sir!" The pink-haired body saluted.
In the dock a familiar orange haired girl could be seen preparing her boat for departure. She took one last look at the piece of paper she found in the save before crumbling it.
"This was very nice of you, Senchō." Said Tashigi as she and Luffy walked towards the docks. "But don't you think they will figure it out though?"
"I'm sure Coby can handle the rest." Answered Luffy with a smile. 'And I really hope Gramps won't find out about this, or he'll personally drag me to the nearest Marine base to be enlisted.'
"Still, it was an interesting little adventure." Said Tashigi. "But from now on everyone will hate us." She smiled wistfully. "Such is pirate's life."
They both boarded the small boat and was preparing for departure.
"Right." Laughed Luffy while untying the boat.
"Luffy-san!" The two pirates turned to look at the source of the voice. Coby was standing on the pier with Rika and Ririka near him. "Thank you very much!" He saluted. "This Marine will never forget you!"
'So you succeeded, eh?' Thought Luffy with a smile.
"It's the first time I see a Marine thanking a pirate." Said Tashigi with a smile while Luffy just laughed.
Their sail was raised and the boat started moving towards the sea.
"We'll meet again, Coby!" Screamed Luffy.
"Luffy-san..." Muttered Coby.
"Goodbye, Onii-chan, Onee-chan!" Called Rika.
"Everyone, salute!" Said the Marine in charge, making the whole group of Marines salute the departing pirates.
How they were able to get behind Coby, Rika and Ririka without them noticing was a mystery.
"See ya!" Waved Luffy.
"You have a great friend there." Coby looked up and saw Commander smiling at him.
"Yes, sir!" Said the boy with tears in his eyes.
"What we're doing is against the code of the Marines! Out punishment is no food for three days! Understood?" Called the Commander.
"Yes, sir!" Was the answer.
'Someday...' Thought Coby. 'Someday we will meet again, Luffy-san! As pirates and a Marines... Someday, we will meet again!'
"Well, now we're well on our way to becoming pirates!" Said Senchō with a smile while standing on the bow.
"Looks like in will one hell of an adventure, right, Senchō?" Tashigi grinned while resting against the side of the boat.
"I will become the Pirate King!" Said Senchō with his own grin.
"Senchō, you always talk about becoming the Pirate King, do you have a particular reason for it?" She couldn't help but ask.
"Nope, nor reason." He answered. "But..."
"But?" She raised an eyebrow.
"I made a vow... to that man." Explained Senchō. "To form an amazing crew... To find the world's greatest treasure... And become the Pirate King!" He smile and adjust his hat on his head and smirked. "This straw-hat knows it all!"
'The straw-hat?' She looked at it and then understood.
"I see." She knew that she would never regret following this man, not in the slightest.
'The man with an impossible dream...' She gripped Shigure's handle tightly. 'Thank you, Senchō, for helping me find it.'
"Alright, lets go!" Screamed Senchō. "Grand Line... Here I come!"
Techniques used in the chapter:
-Tashigi:
Ittōryū: Akisame Buyō - One Sword Style: Autumn Rain Dance
Ittōryū: Kiri Shigure - One Sword Style: Cut Autumn Rain
Well, here is the End of the Romance Dawn Arc. I hope you'll it!
Alright, about Tashigi and her level of strength. Yes, she is stronger than in Canon, considering that she didn't spend most of her time pushing papers or dreaming about swords, but actually travelled and fought she gained experience and power. I know that I'm not very good with coming up with Techniques, so I want you honest opinion about her new one. And I mean it, honest!
About Luffy... Well, he didn't beat up Morgan because he saw that Tashigi needed it more. As I already said earlier, he is somewhat smarter than in Canon, but not by much.
One more thing! This story now officially have a Forum Topic on My Forum(You can find the Link in my Profile), so join the discussion, ask question and so on!
As Always, I'm waiting for your Reviews, Criticism, Questions and Suggestions!