I don't own One-Piece, it belongs to Eiichiro Oda.

Selias: 1) I would never leave a Story unfinished so don't worry!
2) My PM answered you.
3) It wasn't a year, right?

blarg7865: The answer is in PM.

Lightningblade49: Thank you!

Jarjaxle: 1) Glad to heat it!
2) It was an important Plot-Twist, try to accept it.
3) No Spoilers.

NaruHarem4ever: I don't do Beta, I'm try to develop my own skill enough to not need a Beta.

Chrome Cheetah: Here!

Alucard-Masters: Don't worry, both stories will be continued and finished!

serpentguy: 1) There wasn't that much to change actually. The whole point of this Chapter was Nami's introduction, Buggy's introduction and the display of City's status.
2) Buggy won't be much of a Challenge, but no Spoilers.
3) Only the next Chapter will tell.
4) Thank you! Here is more!

Guest: 1) Thank you! Here!
2) She's awesome, isn't she?

Funny-Little-Cute White Fox: 1) Thank you?
2) 'Pearing'? Even Google can't tell me what does it mean.

Mythfan: 1) Thank you!
2) I'll try!

Yuuzhan Vong Jedi: 1) Thank you!
2) Sorry, bad force of habit.
3) Here it is!

giboh92: Here!

norris321: Thank you! I'm trying to make the whole thing close to the Canon's Quality while telling an absolute different Story.

NeoZero13: 1) Thank you!
2) Well, her it is!
3) He was a sacrifice for the Greater Future!
4) She's is a part of this Future!
5) Oh, yes, there will be! I won't spoil it for you but the Crew will be actually pretty different from the Canon one.
6) Your hope were answered!

DJ Rodriguez: 1) Thank you, I'm trying to create something new that wasn't already done before!
2) No problem!
3) Here!
4) Oh, I will!

ethan. lukkar: Thank you and here it is!
P.S. It's really hard to answer you due to your name being seen as an site-address by the system.

Linkonpark100: 1) It's so close to Canon because the changes are still not strong enough yet.
2) Heh, good try, I'll answer you in PM.
3) We all want to know.
4) Well, not exactly but close enough.
5) That she is, but in Canon she was not as skilled as him.
6) Yes, it's possible.

valdiusmacto: 1) I'm trying to get this problem fixed, sorry.
2) Yeah, that's one of my main problem.
3) Something like that.

Guest: 1) Reading things over without getting the context is a Sin.
2) Please, don't call it here, we're keeping this story clean of it and we don't want yours.

Primordial Vortex: It worked!

Chapter 006: The Beauty vs. The Beast!

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'!

Nami was not someone you could call strong, her physical abilities were just slightly above average and her stamina and agility were her best qualities that save her from some serious troubles from time to time. While mostly she was able to save herself with her sharp tongue and wit, sometimes she was only able to get away by running like the hounds of Hell were right behind her, so while not stronger than any other person she was actually pretty flexible and good on her feet.

It didn't do her any good when she was put against a gigantic furious and hungry lion that had pawns bigger than her head! What could possible be done against something like that?! Her trusty staff was nothing but a toothpick for the beast, she wasn't fast enough to outrun it and there was no way she would be able to actually beat this monster in a fight!

'Why did it all turn out like this?!' Nami mentally screamed as she ducked and rolled to the side to avoid another swipe from Ritchie. 'How something so big can be so damn fast?!' The lion looked almost bored while actively trying to gut her, it was almost insulting but her fear overrode that little feeling of anger that appeared in her chest. Being dismissed as nothing but a toy was far better than being seen as a serious threat, at least he won't attack seriously...

*Crash*

The last attack connected with a barrel nearby and tore it to shreds and splinters without any resistance. Nami's already pale face became the same color as paper, one of those would be enough to leave her in two pieces! There was no way for her to actually win here, she was going to die here. She couldn't run and there was no way for her to fight the damn thing off, she was a human and humans simply weren't capable of such feats! The absent thought about him being probably strong enough to face this beast made her feel even worse, even if he didn't count, he was no person, he was nothing but a monster.

*Crack*Crash*

She avoided another blow by dropping on the ground face-first and rolling away like a rolling-pin, the now totally annihilated wall of the nearby building was the one to take the blow. Her small hope that the damn beast actually managed to break its pawn, or at least its claws, against the solid rock and metal were crushed when the lion didn't even twitched and easily pulled it from leg from the rubble with not even a scratch in sight. Nami wanted to cry, this was not how she was hoping to finish this trip, not one damn bit! She was not a fighter, she was a thief and a navigator and even she was forced into combat she never tried to fight an opponent that much stronger than her. A quick and painful jab into family jewels or a bludgeon to the head with her staff but never a direct confrontation, she had absolutely no idea how to fight properly and most of it came from experience and luck.

The same luck that apparently decided to leave her now as her would-be-executioner laughed as his pat's next attack gazed her side, leaving a long thin gash that already started bleeding. She managed to jump away, she simply wasn't fast enough to fully dodge the attack. Nami gasped in pain as she rolled away, clutching her wound as she gritted her teeth trying to hold back a scream. This was the first time she was wounded this severely, bruises and cuts were mostly common during her travels and weren't that much of a hindrance but an open wound on her side... This was the first time, and probably the last.

*Pow*

Being too distracted by the pain and shock Nami failed to dodge the next attack and was sent flying right into the building nearby. Was it luck or something else, she didn't know and had no time to ponder about but her trajectory was lined right through the window and therefore she was a little less hurt by the impact than she would have otherwise been.

*Crash*Boom*Crack*Bam*

The glass didn't stand a chance and shattered upon contact, Nami could feel as several shard pierced the skin and dug deep into the flesh of her back. Her flight didn't end however as she crash into several chairs and a table, breaking them upon the collision and adding several splinter to the collection of glass shard sticking from her back. She half slid half rolled on the floor and finally stopped upon ramming head first into a wall. Nami felt copper in her mouth and her vision was blurry at best and slightly blackened from edges at worst, it was hard to tell which eye could see better due to the picture spinning and her head feeling like it was about to burst open. She released a pitiful mix of a groan and a whine as she tried to get up, one thing was still clear in her mind, she had to get out of here and run or she will die.

Mōji yawned as he slid down from Richie's back onto the ground. This girl was absolutely no fun, she didn't run, didn't fight back and even didn't try to bribe her way out, she just dodged and that was pretty much it. While an easy victory was always welcomed, he also enjoyed a good fight that would get his blood pumping and give Richie some good workout, the last time something like this happened...

'Hm, I can't even remember how long it was since the last good fight.' He shook his head, and the turned towards an old man that was wearing light wooden armor and clutching a spear. 'That's... new?'

"And what exactly are you going to do with it?" Mōji asked with clear amusement, he could practically see the sweat that was forming on the man's face and the fear in his eyes. "You know what happens with people who oppose us, right?" His smirk grew a bid wider. "It was some time since I got to fight by myself, I think an small exercise wouldn't hurt." He reached behind his back and pulled out a long black whip that was hidden under his sash. "Richie, finish off the thief while I would get my own little entertainment." The lion behind he released a growl of agreement and prowled towards the building in which girl was thrown into.

"I... I'm the Mayor of this town!" Boodle clenched his weapon tighter. "I won't let you destroy my precious town any longer you filthy pirates!" He proclaimed as he charged as the still smirking man.

"Oh, big words for such a small man." Mōji didn't make any threatening moves, he just stood there without moving an inch. "Well, you won't be much of a challenge but at least I will have something to do to kill time until Richie will finish the thief off." Faster than the old Mayor could see Mōji's whip blurred forward and tightly wrapped against the spear, right at the base of its head.

Boodle tried to pull his spear away, free it from the whip or even tear the whip's handle from Mōji'a hand but the old man didn't have a physical strength to actually accomplish any of those acts. While Mōji was not the physically strongest person in the crew, he was still far stronger than a mere civilian without any previous training and an old age weighting him down, there was no contest and the white-haired pirate didn't even budge from the mayor's efforts.

'I... I can't... I can't let them tear my city apart any longer!' Boodle heaved as he pulled his spear back with all the strength he could muster, not much but it was far more than he did during Buggy's reign of terror up until now. 'Now!'

Boodle stopped pulling and suddenly switched to a mad rush towards his opponent, trying to impale the pirate upon the spearhead. Mōji's eyes widened slightly but it was the most reaction that he gave as he easily sidestepped the charge and with a flick of he wrist made the whip unwrap from the spear. Boodle had not time to react as he overstepped and stumbled due to his attack missing its intended target, he already started pulling himself around but it was too late as from the corner of hi eye he saw a blur heading his way.

*Bam*Crack*Crack*Crack*

The end of the whip impacted the back part of his wooden armor, the old worn down thing had no chance as broke under the blow. Pieces, splinters and small metallic parts of the shattered relic of old flew everywhere, the whip didn't stop there and impacted Boodle's back with a sickening sound of a fleshy impact. The old man stumbled forward and collapsed, his back screaming in pain with his spine leading, he wasn't sure he could get up after this.

"Gah!" Boodle grunted as he finally managed to get enough air into his lungs for a proper breath.

"Well, that was honestly pathetic." Mōji was slowly walking towards the downed man, his face bearing an expression of boredom. "Even if I was to fight with my hands behind my back I wouldn't have been able to get more of a challenged out of, would I? Buggy-Senchō is right, East Blue is too weak to hold us any longer, heading to Grand Line is the only way for us to properly demonstrate our power. There is no treasures in this Sea that we can't take, the problem is that most of them aren't worth the effort, the same if with your city actually." He stopped and looked at Boodle, who was trying to force his body into a crouching position and failing. "We came, we chased you out and then took everything we wanted, where is the fun in that? There wasn't even much in this place to take, the money we acquired weren't worth the effort and I'm pretty sure that robbing one of the trade-ships would have earned us much higher profit than this whole island did."

"You..." Growled the mayor as he managed to get on all fours.

"Yes, we're pirates, I'm aware of that little fact." Mōji droned. "You know, if every time I heard people say that I got a Belli..." He smirked. "Tell me, what do you think will happen when we will leave?" He put his foot on Boodle's back and with a little applied pressure he made the old man collapse back onto the ground. "What do you think we will do to celebrate our departure towards Grand Line?" He applied more force, making the Mayor groan in pain as the wound on his back screamed in protest against harsh treatment. "We will burn this town to the ground."

Boodle felt his blood turn into ice, the pain on his back suddenly a lot less predominant than a moment ago. Riding on his pure numb shock he managed to turn his head slightly, he was lucky enough that he was lying on the right side of his face so he could see the smile on Mōji's face. Considering that cold malicious smile that the First Mate was wearing on his face, he really didn't feel lucky at that exact moment.

"You... can't..." It was all he could squeeze out, his throat and mouth were not cooperating. He wasn't sure if it was because of the shock, the pain or something else. "This town... My town..."

"Yes, your town." He chuckled. "What do you think, a big celebration for our departure should end with a nice flashy bonfire, am I right?" Mōji crouched down with his foot still on the mayor's back. "You know, after I will recover the map from that thief I think I will make a detour to that little camp you and other citizens made. It would be quite unfortunate if we were to leave without every last bit of valuable stuff you have, how would we be able to call ourselves pirates if we didn't rob our victims dry. Also, I don't think Richie would be full after only two meals, it will be cruel to leave him hungry, don't you think?"

Boodle couldn't think at the moment. It was like the world around him suddenly become too narrow for anything other than Mōji's words that were still ringing in his head. They were going to burn the town down, Mōji was going to visit the refuges' camp, his people were going to die and he couldn't do a damn thing about. An old fool who decided to fight, a leader who failed to protect his charges.

*Woof*

Suddenly a small white blur shot right in front of his vision and collided with Mōji's face, a glint of white sharp teeth and a pained yelp of the pirate were the only thing that Boodle was able to register as the pressure on his back disappeared and...

*Whooosh*

The nearby building suddenly came aflame, fire bursting from the hole made by the lion and the broken windows.

*Boom*

And then it exploded...

"... Wah?" Was the only thing the mayor could say as he was hit by several small chunks of wood and stone, the improvised shrapnel was too small and not having an actual kick to hurt him.

Nami gritted her teeth as she finally managed to pull herself into a somewhat vertical position, her legs were trembling and her grip on the bar-counter was slippery due to her fingers being covered in blood. With a hiss of pain she another shard from her back with her other hand, it was the ninth so far and there was still more of them sticking from her back and left side. She honestly wasn't sure how the hell was she still conscious or able to think straight with how much pain she felt and how little in her opinion there was left blood in her body.

'What the hell was that?' She was still a tad bit dazed. She knew, intellectually speaking, that her chances of coming out alive from this whole ordeal were slim at best and zero at worst, it didn't mean that she would roll over and die that easily. She was no fighter, she wasn't in a honest fight for years because fighting always meant that she screwed up badly and got caught which she now was too skilled to let happen, and even then she only fought grunts and nobodies that couldn't put two and two together no matter how hard they tried. Cunning mind, sharp tongue and agility were her fortes, not a frontal assault!

*Cough*Cough*Cough*

She cleared her throat, spitting out blood and managed to finally stop the room that she was in from spinning. With her other hand, the one that was not currently used to keep her from falling down, she wiped some blood from her face and looked around for the first time. She was in a bar, or maybe a small tavern, she honestly couldn't care at the moment considering that there simply wasn't all that much brain power she could spare from keeping her conscious and rational enough to get out of here. She couldn't let it end like this, she had people who were relying on her and a deal that she had to complete without fail.

Nami forced herself to stand fully up and with a trembling hand she reached and pulled out on of the glass shards that she could reach, with a painful hiss she dropped the bloody thing and pulled out the next one. Her clothes were done for, there simply was way to salvage them after this ordeal no matter how much she would try with all those tears and blood making her look like a serial killer after a good night walk.

*Raaawr*

Her head snapped to the side as she watched the sense that made her blood run cold. The gigantic lion was slowly pushing its head through the doors of the building, it was too big to actually get inside but it was making a very decent attempt to. Maybe she was safe? If it couldn't get in she could just leave through the back-door or the other window? There must be a way out for her predicament that didn't involve being mauled to death by an overgrown animal!

*Rawr*Crash*

Her hopes were crushed under the weight of reality, with a mighty heave the lion forced its way thought the door frame while destroying it in the process and tearing part of the wall on both sides of said door. Nami couldn't move as she was too shocked to even look away as her would-be killer slowly looked around and upon noticing her slowly started prowling towards its next meal. It just wasn't fair that she would die here, she had people that were depending on her, even if they didn't know it and hated her for it, their view of her wasn't important and while she knew that after what was to come in the near future she would be forced to leave one way or another there were thing for her far more important than acceptance.

"We will always love you, Nami. No matter what."

'... No.' She refused to let it end like this. Without even thinking things through she reached and grabbed the first thing that she could, the hard smooth surface of the object and its shape made her aware that it was just a bottle but she didn't care. She threw it with all her might right into lion's forehead, the bottle of wine flew true and broke against far stronger surface and sprayed its content all over the animal's mug. Richie, if Nami remembered its name right, stopped and blinked several times as if in shock from sudden attack, it was impossible to tell if it was more surprised that its pray fought back or the fact that Nami attacked it with a bottle of booze.

*Blink*

*RAWR*

While the bottle itself didn't hurt it, the alcohol that was currently leaking in its eyes did and the now enrage beast charged forward with a powerful leap. Nami jumped to the side, a doze of adrenalin the only thing that made such a move possible as she rolled to the side and got on her feet far faster than any person in her condition had the right to, at least in her mind. Richie tore through the tables and chairs like through wet paper, its charged being halted only for a moment by the wall but it managed to stop and turn towards Nami again with an angry snarl.

*Bam*Crash*Splash*

Only to be met by another bottle, now with whiskey, shattering against the side of its skull. One shard managed to get into its eye and made the lion roar in pain and the beast started pawning at its now itching eye.

*Bam*Crash*Splash*

Nami had no desire as she dashed towards the bar counter, throwing another wine bottle towards the now positive murderous monster of a lion. This one broke against its side, soaking its fur with its content. While it wasn't really a very effective tactic, Nami knew that she was stalling at best, but there really wasn't all that much she could honestly do at the moment and while blinding her opponent would normally be a good idea...

*Crash*

When your opponent was a several tons of an enrage lion and you was technically locked in the not so spacious room with him it only made the situation worse. A corned and hurt animal, that was also left without its eyesight and sense of smell was almost guarantied to go on a rampage and without any way to escape you would be left in a very bad position. Richie lashed out towards what he perceived was the direction the attack came from, its clawed paw shredding the nearby tables that were still standing to splinters and crushing come glasses and leftovers plates in the process. Nami jumped with all her might and managed to cover the rest of the distance between her and the entrance to the bar-counter, quickly crawling behind it she took a moment to catch her breath and then look around.

Well, at least sh would run out of bottles any time soon, she honestly had no idea why there was so many of them still here with pirates prowling the streets like they own the town. Well, their loss was her gain here, more ammunition for her to throw at the damn monster that was currently trying to blink through the booze that was stinging its eyes and smell her through the overpowering stench of alcohol that was now slowly starting to fill the bar. Nami took a deep breath and stood up, polling to bigger bottles and throwing them at the lion, her aim was true as she nailed it righting into the side of its muzzle. Richie's mane was now almost fully soaked in the booze and its right eye was bleeding from its attempts to remove the shards of glass from under its eyelid, the lion was now hurt, pissed and disoriented which lead to it taking the only available option about the prey that was currently throwing the nasty smelling things at it.

Smash shit and hope to catch it.

*Rawr*

Nami didn't stop from her attempt to nail the animal in its still good eye but with it trashing around so much she simply didn't have the chance to do so. So she simply threw more bottles and made the now pretty damn big puddle of booze and a carpet of glass shards even bigger. While she didn't have a plan as she usually did there was still only good opportunity that she could try and explore, she just had to time it right or the now going berserk lion would tear her to shreds. She stopped her bombardment for a moment and reached under her skirt, her loyal three-piece staff that she used most of the time to defend herself and get around was not a weapon to fight against such an opponent, Nami wasn't even sure that she would be even able to hurt it in any way but it wasn't what she was aiming to do.

Reaching the side of the big shelving with raws upon raws of bottles and other vessels for booze of a different kind she shoved the end of her staff into the small space between it and the wall and pushed. The huge wooden construct slowly but surely toppled over with a thunderous crash, raining bottle all over the counter, the floor and even some nearby chairs, creating literally a flood of booze that spilled all over the now severely trashed bar. Nami didn't waste any time as she dashed towards the exit, Richie flew past her with a roar as it attacked the source of the loudest sound in its vicinity and promptly crashed into the mostly still intact counter, the wood gave in but it wasn't important at the moment and Nami couldn't care less about it.

What was important right now was the small box that she was carrying in her hand, that one that she managed to grab from under the counter and the same one that would end this whole fight. Nearing the exit she hastily pulled the matchbox open and pulled the match, lighting it she turned at looked at the lion which currently was trying to tear through the wall behind the counter.

She dropped the match and instantly dashed outside with all the speed she could force out of her aching body.

*Whooosh*

She could hear as the fire spread thought the flammable liquids, her back already feeling the heat as the flames reached the fully soaked Richie. No matter how tough the damn beast was, being literally turned into a living torch would make anyone go down sooner rather than later. At least Nami hoped that it would be enough to put the damn thing down for good because she could feel her body protesting against the unusually brutal treatment, she was not born for this kind of shit!

*Boom*

The building suddenly exploded right behind Nami, as if by some divine intervention the shock-wave from the blast sent her right into something other than stone or wood and she managed to not break any bones upon impact. Whatever she crashed into made a strange chocking sound as Nami tried to cover her head from the flying burning pieces of the now destroyed building. For only a moment she wondered if her life would end with a stray piece of wood logged deeply in her head or back, but when the rain of shrapnel stopped and she was still alive Nami banished the grim thought away.

'I hope I would never have to do it again.' A groan escaped her lips as she tried to pull herself up, her everything her everywhere and she would need a bath and some medical attention before she would be able to move any further than to the nearest bed. Food, some drinks and a lot of rest, that was her top priority right now and damn it if she wouldn't those essential three in a quick succession!

"Ergh..." Nami looked down and ignoring her injuries managed to jump back and land three meters away from the prone form of Mōji that was laying under her, apparently the pirate was the one who softened her fall with his own bulk.

And was that a small white dog gnawing on his face? Nami blinked and then rubbed her eyes with her uninjured hand, apparently she was seeing thing right at the moment, she actually defeated the pair even if by pure luck. She didn't dare pinching herself, the pain from her sore body and her wounds was enough to make sure that she wasn't dreaming and even if it wasn't real she still wouldn't want to wake up because reality always was far worse than a dream. Even if she did beat this guy by some absolute miracle, there simply was no way that she...

"Shushu?" Nami turned and saw the mayor that was laying sprawled on the ground, his head turned towards the barely conscious pirate and his eyes wide in astonishment. "What are you doing...?"

"Gah!" Apparently done laying around Mōji suddenly jumped up from where he was and with a rough tug pulled the dog away from him. "You pathetic rat!"

He then threw the dog away, making it smack against the nearby wall and then fall onto the ground. Shushu, which apparently was the dog's name, was apparently far tougher than normal as he managed to stand up and shake the impact off while glaring and growling at the pirate. Nami had to wonder what the hell was wrong with this Town, because time after time she was faced with absolutely bizarre circumstances and somehow they managed to pull her in, it certainly wasn't her day!

Boodle took a deep breath as he watched Mōji glaring at the orange-haired girl that just body-slammed him into the ground, the mayor could see some blood running down the back of his head, painting his white hair red. While he had absolutely no pity towards the pirate, he was more worried about the fact that being wounded would push him over the edge and he would kill them here and now. The old man knew that he wouldn't be in any shape to fight and the girl was wounded even more than him and it would leave her at the mercy of the now pissed of First Mate, they had no chance to do anything here.

At the back of his head there was a little voice that was asking what the hell happened to the bar and why did it explode suddenly, but the pain and the immediate threat was far more important than the now probably lost case of a building. Building could be rebuilt, lives could never be returned if lost.

"... Maybe we can talk about it?" The orange-haired girl asked with a strained smile.

"I was going to be merciful in the end..." Mōji growled out, he didn't have his whip with him as it was lost during his collision with the girl but he didn't even need it to finish them off. "You humiliated me, humiliated us! Some pathetic old man and a girl managing to lay a finger on me?! Absurd!" He shifted his glare to the burning and now slowly collapsing building, something akin of comprehension flashed in his eyes as he suddenly dashed towards it. "No, Richie!"

"His lion?" Boodle blinked and looked at the burning bar. "Oh... Oh!" Suddenly he understood, the lion followed the girl and...

"What have you done with him?!" The pirate wailed as he pace in front of the doors, the flames preventing him from entering and saving his pet. Suddenly he turned around, his face murderous and tears streaming down from his eyes. "You're going to pay for that!" He roared.

*Bam*

"Get lost!" Suddenly a wooden staff impacted Mōji's face with enough force to send him flying backwards, right into the burning building.

The girl, Nami he finally remembered, apparently decided to take matters in her own hands and delivered a devastating blow right into the face of the pirate that was trying to kill them. The mayor numbly wondered where did she get the staff but decided not to press the matter as he sat on the pavement and watched the the bar that h helped building was slowly crumbling down on top of the two members of the group that wanted to burn his town to the ground.

'Well, the got their farewell bonfire, but not in the way they through they would.' He almost chuckled but decided to hold onto it as he pulled out his pipe that somehow survived during his short confrontation with Mōji, he needed hi small fix to calm down his racing heart. What happened today, it was something that he honestly still had hard time comprehending as the fact that the pirates that were terrorizing his town for so long would be finally gone. While Boodle was a realist, he for some reason knew that that kid that left to fight Buggy was far from helpless and would come out on top, call it gut-feeling but...

"So, I'll just beat up Buggy and you'll give us a boat? Alright!"

'Old fool, aren't I?' He honestly had no idea just why did he agree to that but something told him to do that. Maybe he was finally going senile?

*RAAAAAAAWRAAAA*

Boodle almost had a heart attack when a flaming figure of Richie burst from the building, the lion was burning like a torch and blindly charging forward in so much pain that it was even thinking where it was going. Apparently it was blinded quite literally as it suddenly stumbled and crashed into the ground, the inertia carrying him a bit further as something detached from the animal's face and flew right into the wall, impacting it with a crash.

"Wah?" Boodle dropped his pipe as he recognized the now severely burned, shirtless and mostly hairless form of Mōji lying on the ground out cold.

Richie didn't get up too, both apparently unconscious and severely wounded from their fight, at least now they weren't a threat. Looking at their wounds Boodle failed to feel any pity to the people who wanted to do the same thing to his town and its citizens, apparently karma had a sense of humor. He looked at the girl that looked stunned at the two burned but still living bodies, apparently he wasn't the only one who had trouble believing what he was seeing.

Orange Town South Block
'Burning Wick' Pub: Battle on Market Street

Nami vs. Mōji & Richie
Winner: Nami

Nami ran towards the place that served the pirates' temporal base, at least according to Boodle's words it was. She still had hard time understanding just what the hell did happened back there, she actually won and it for some reason was like a final rind of a bell for her. She defeated an opponent several time stronger than her, it was pure luck and the guy with his pet underestimating her, not by much in her mind, but it was still like a shock going through her body as the image of the charred bodies of those two flashed before her eyes.

It was the first time something like this happened, there simply wasn't any precedent in her life because while she beat up some pirates they were no more than the lowest grunts that had less brainpower than sea-cucumber. This time it was different, she was put into the situation where fighting her opponent was the only option she had available no matter how you look at it, she knew she could run pretty damn fast but it was nothing when compared to the speed of the lion that would be hunting her down and she had no chance of outrunning it. There simply was very little she had going in terms of combat capabilities and it made her less of a fighter and more of the one who sneaked around and hitting her opponents before they would notice her presence.

She didn't like it but it was the only option she had and she didn't have neither time nor the chance to properly learn how to fight and it was grating on her from time to time. But it had nothing on what she had went through today, it was the first time she came so close to dying in years and that was saying something about her skill at evading danger. She still felt the pain from her side, the gash even after being properly bandaged was a hindrance that was slowing her down considerably and it would take time to heal from that, the time she didn't have. Losing her possessions was a setback that would take months to recover from and it meant that they would still be in danger for months to come.

'No!' She could not, would not let that happen no matter what.

While she really didn't like deceiving people, she had no choice in this case. She couldn't go on alone because of her injury and she had no time to heal from it and therefore she had to rely on someone to help her get the money she so desperately needed at the moment. While she dislike pirates with passion, she knew that putting all of them under one banner would be stupid and illogical and there always were exceptions to the general rule. Those two, Luffy and Tashigi, they were exceptions to the rule and while they weren't the first choice she would have made under normal circumstances, Tashigi being too sharp made manipulating them too hard to bother normally, there simply wasn't any other choice at the moment.

She was already panting hard and normally she wouldn't even feel winded by such a short dash, she knew she didn't lose that much blood so there was no way that she would feel the negative effect already. Maybe the fight, if it even could be called that, strained her more than she thought it did? She didn't care at the moment as she sneaked behind the building that served as a storage for the goods that the pirates collected during their pillaging and plundering. Even pirates like these were not dumb enough to leave their treasures on the ship as it would've spelled disaster in the making for them, Nami knew as she hit a jackpot with less intelligent ones from time to time and owned about a forth of all of her findings to their barely functioning grey matter.

The door was closed but not locked, she apparently had enough troubles for today and the world decided to cut her some slack as she quietly opened said door and sneaked inside. It was dark and smelled like in a sewer along with the stench of cheap alcohol and sweat, apparently the guard wasn't as devoted to his task as he should have been and decided to relax with a bottle of booze being his only companion. Nami could use this, while the fat man in a dirty shirt, trousers and brown shoes was dozing off on the crate nearby she slowly and silently creped behind him and pulled out her staff, she just needed to time it perfectly and...

*Boom*

The whole basement shook from the distant but powerful explosion, the sudden sound and tremor made the pirate wake up and blink around with a dazed expression on his face.

"Wah? W'ht wiz tha'?" These were almost words in Nami's opinion.

'Well, no time like now.' She readied her weapon and prepared to bash this man into unconsciousness...

*Creak*

*Bam*

*Thud*

The drunk wobbled slightly and suddenly fell forward, he head connecting with the crate in front of him and then his body hitting the floor and going limp. He managed to fall and knock himself out while drunk out of his mind, it was almost anticlimactic. Nami blinked owlishly at the prone form of the guard, this was the first time when her target knocked itself out before she even tried to do it herself. Well, it wasn't any of her business and she could count her lucky stars as the came because she may run out before the end of this crazy day. Slowly she walked around the crate and carefully pocked the man with her staff, ready to put him out of commission for more time if he as much as twitched. The pirate didn't react and just lay there like a cadaver, the only thing making Nami think otherwise was the slow breathing she could hear from him.

'Well, this works too, I suppose...' She shook her head and moved towards the locked door that led into the room with treasures. 'Honestly, what kind of a security is this?'

While Nami wouldn't look a gifted horse in the mouth, there simply was something wrong with the fact that there was only one guard near the treasury and no other measures to insure the pirates' possessions' safety. No traps as far as she could tell, no actual protections beside the old lock that she managed to pick in about a minute and on guard that was so drunk that knocked himself out without even putting up a fuss. Either these pirates were incompetent or too arrogant to even consider the possibility of someone sneaking inside and taking away all the treasures they collected over the time of their voyage. Well, in either case she wasn't complaining here, it was far easier for her to get away when there wasn't anyone trying to catch her.

'Now I just need to make those two take me along...' She tried to come up with a good excuse but was coming short, there simply wasn't any way for her to salvage the situation in the usual way as she simply had no idea how. Yes, they invited her and she agreed to join but it was more in lines of her helping them getting from place to place while having those two protect her but it didn't guarantee her any type of an actual income. How much would she get, one third of the whole pile in the end? That wouldn't be even remotely enough to rebuild her stash in a such a short period of time unless she went after some really wealthy big shots that normally wouldn't be even on her radar, the amount of firepower they packed was something she honestly couldn't overcome no matter how good she was. It's not like she had a choice, right?

Nami grunted as she shoved the last piece of the treasures inside the huge bad that she had with her, while the gold and the coins weren't as high-quality as she wanted them t be, it was far from cheap and would let her kick-start her new race for the money. While she didn't have the strength to carry the bag, the damn thing probably weighted a fucking ton with all those treasures inside it, she could at least drag around and it was enough for her at the moment. All she needed to do now was to get to those two while hoping that they weren't dead and then get away from a bloodthirsty bunch of pirates that would want her dead because of the fact that she cleaned out their treasury. Normally she would be already far far away before anyone would notice that she robbed them dry but these were some extraordinary circumstances and relying on already failing option was pointless. She screwed up the first time when she was spotted by the grunt that was on patrol, which led them onto the merry chaise that ended up with her running into Luffy and Tashigi.

'What a stupid way to get caught!' Nami gritted her teeth as she pulled on the bag and tried to get it out of the basement, the fact that she was wounded made it pretty damn hard to pull that off because each time she tried to lift it on the stairs a flash of pain shot directly through her side. That lion sure left a mark on her, she hoped that it wouldn't scar at least, her image would be ruined forever if those wounds would leave a mark on her side forever.

"W'th ya' dui'?" Suddenly a hand landed on her butt along with a slurry voice that came from behind her, the sudden influx of rough smell made her eyes water as she reacted in the only way she knew.

"Pervert!" With the strength she didn't know she possessed she managed to swing the heavy bad around a bash the formerly unconscious guard right into his head.

*Bam*

Being hit by a bag full of treasures, including golden bars, coins and pieces of jewelery along with coins was something that could be compared to an impact of a battering ram, the weight of the bag was just too big and the force to great for the almost comatose pirate to stand against. The impact threw him right into the crate that he smashed through with his bulk and hit the wall with enough force to leave several cracks in the stone, Nami actually blinked several times while observing the results of her attack as her brain tried to process the fact that yes, it really did just happen.

"Eh..." Nami blinked again and then shook her head, this was just another thing that happened and she had to deal with it later.

Without any more interruptions she made her way out and started dragging her load towards the building that was currently Buggy's temporal base, while normally she would stay away from the battles today was a very backwards a weird day altogether and therefore she decided not to bother and try to apply her usual logic to anything. While she had no idea just how strong Luffy was, Buggy was no slouch or he wouldn't have been labeled as a pirate with a bounty of fifteen millions while being stationed in East Blue of all places. Nominal bounty for a pirate of this sea was about three millions and that was more than enough but with a sum five times that he had to be incredible strong if she was to judge from her own experience, five millions couldn't make such a huge difference, could they?

When she rounded the corner she stopped, he jaw falling down and the bad slipping from her weakened grasp.

Boodle was running towards the bar that the pirates were using as their current camp, his old spear in hand and what left of his antique armor still attached to his body. He was done, hiding and running away while strangers were fighting his battles was not something he was very happy about but he really couldn't do anything about it no matter how much he wanted to. He was too weak and old to make a difference and it was grating on him the whole time since he saw that kid and his friend going out to confront Buggy and his henchmen, this would not do, not on his watch!

He wouldn't let those scum get away with the shit they had done to his home, to the town that he helped building with his own two hands! He wouldn't involve anyone, they were citizens and it was his job as a mayor to keep this town safe and intact, it was his battle and he will fight it to the end! As long as his heart was still beating, as long as his old bones were still intact and as long as his mind was clear he will protect his treasure with everything he had!

Boodle turned the corner and stopped, he blinked once but when the visage in front of him didn't vanish his jaw slowly dropped and the spear clattered on the ground as he grasp wavered from the shock.

Techniques used in the Chapter:

N/A

Well, I hope you like it! I honestly had the hardest time writing Nami's fight due to her simply not having anything going for her until Alabasta, without her Climat-Tact she was kind of hopeless and due to lack of training her skill with her staff would only be able to take her so far. I couldn't pull something Naruto-like due to me hating that abomination who only ever won or did something due to the STRONGEST Plot-Armor in the history of Manga/Anime, Nami had to actually win and not make the world itself bend over backwards and win it for her and it was painful how little choices I had. Well, I hope you like what I did and if not I would gladly accept any criticism and suggestions on how to make the whole thing better. While I knew that she was far from civilian-level, she had nothing on Luffy and Tashigi and this fight was mostly here to show how much she need to progress to actually do anything worth noticing against her enemies.

About Mōji, I honestly had nothing on him, he had very little going for him beside his whip and Richie. Yes, he had some good hand-to-hand as it was shown during his brawl with Cabaji but that was pretty much all there was to know about him. Yes, I gave him a bounty and it would be shown later how it would affect the plot but at the moment he's not a very big threat as a whole and served as a very good wake-up call for Nami. The fight was anticlimactic but only because both opponents were honestly not that good to begin with and it was seen during Canon, Mōji keeled over from one punch and Nami almost keeled over from a cut on her shoulder, for a One Piece World that is kind of pathetic.

Next thing that i wanted to talk about is Luffy's strength because several people had a very negative opinion on Logia!Luffy due to him being too dependent on his Akuma no Mi. In we remove the Fruits from the calculations then Canon!Luffy would be physically weaker and less tough than SW!Luffy due to SW!Luffy not having the enhancement from his rubber-like body that made him far more physically capable and therefore he had to train his body double-time to cover this particular weakness, Garp literally beat the idea of being invincible because of his Logia out of Luffy's head with his Haki-Enhanced fist. Canon!Luffy was lean and a beat scrawny because his rubber body compressed his muscles and made him that way while SW!Luffy didn't have that and therefore have some serious muscles and is taller than before, if anything he is built like Zoro due to his insane regime and almost suicidal training methods. So please, stop sending me PM about how SW!Luffy is actually weak without his Logia, it's annoying and doesn't actually have ground to stand on due to me actually showing how strong he is!

Next thing that I wanted to address is Luffy's crew. Yes, it will be bigger than in Canon and would require more screen-time but I'm taking up this Challenge and won't fail you so don't worry!

Two more things.

1) Stop trying to perform a debate though PM without actually having a point beside 'I don't like it!', it doesn't work that way! You have to bring an argument with you, show what is wrong and how it can be fixed but a blatant whining about not liking one thing or the other won't do any good because you don't tell us why you don't like it or how can I fix it to make it better! Please, lets all be reasonable here and understand that I can't read your minds and see what you want and don't want and guessing is not my strong point because if you don't like Luffy eating apples and crapping fecal matter I can always replace them with a frag-grenades and cannon-shells respectably but I don't think it would make the story better, am I right?

2) If you want a debate with a multiple opinions present, stop asking me to ask other readers because it won't work and will only turn the whole thing into a mess! I made a FORUM for it, the link is on my page so please don't be lazy and use it! Seriously, I understand that some people are afraid of Forums like they would still their firstborn and then enslave them on the gold-mines but it's you being shy and to get your opinion going in the masses you need to overcome it. Please, I have a high tolerance but even I can get tired from blatant stubbornness like that. You want to ask a question directly from me? PM, I'll answer what i can. You want to rise an argument with a mass debate? Forum, use it and don't be shy!

As always, the Challenge to guess the members of the Crew are going strong, try your luck! For each guessed member you will get a small prise!

Good luck, please leave you Reviews, Suggestions and Criticism in the appropriate places!

P.S. If you're leaving a Review please leave it in an appropriate Chapter, Primordial Vortex left his on the first one and asked when the next Chapter will come out while it was within one click of the mouse away from him. I always answer Reviews in the next Chapter so he can look up the asnwer to his in the beginning of the Second Chapter.