"The preparations are complete!" Itomimizu called out. "The most exciting event of the day is starting! It's the Battle Round! The fight will start soon!"
BANG
BANG
BANG
A thick smog of black smoke covered the sky so that everything went darker.
"Nami~ Robin~ Mamori~ There are seats here!" Sanji called out, waving to us as he walked towards a large set of seats that faced the Foxy Pirates' boat. Apparently they had decided to build seating for the match.
"Eh? The sky turned dark," Robin noted as Nami and herself walked towards Sanji.
"It's filled with black smoke!" Chopper gasped, glancing up.
'Come on.' I nudged Chopper with my nose so that he followed Robin and Nami.
"The two fighters of the final round are the corresponding captains!" bird-man commentated as two large wanted poster banners unrolled from a large frame that was set up in front of the seating. "On the left, the returning champion with a record of 920 straight wins! He is the captain of the Foxy Pirates! Our boss, Foxy the Silver Fox!"
"YEAAAH!" The crowd cheered and whistled as Foxy stepped into view on the figure head of the ship. The noise coming from the crowd had my head spinning again, they were too loud for my poor ears.
"Boss!"
"Take him down in a second!"
"On the right," Itomimizu continued as everyone settled down on a seat, "The captain of the small but ferocious team of pirates, with an amazing bounty of 100 million beli, he is known as the Straw Hat Kiddo, Monkey D. Luffy!" Luffy stepped out into view with Usopp next to him. For some reason Luffy was wearing only a pair of shorts, boxing gloves and had a massive afro. Usopp… Was hard to describe. He looked like a pimp with dreadlocks. "Davy Back Fight, Final Round, battle start!"
"Luffy you look so cool!" Chopper cheered.
"Who's that?" Zoro twitched.
'…I'm disowning them.' I sighed, rolling my eyes.
"Hell yeah!" Luffy yelled, throwing his fists up into the air.
"Alright, the fight is about to begin!" bird-man yelled over the sound of the cheering crowd. "Both combatants are in the battle field!"
"I'm Luffy's coach! Open your eyes for the golden right punch!" Usopp yelled, posing like a pimp.
"Yeah! Ring the bell already!" Luffy pumped his fists again.
"Fueh, Fueh," Foxy laughed as he cracked his neck. "Interesting…"
"Who died and made Usopp the coach?" Zoro grumbled.
'Usopp isn't a coach, he's a pimp,' I corrected Zoro.
"Hell yeah! I'm burning up, Bro!" Sanji cheered.
"Can't he be more serious?" Nami questioned.
"Heehee, I think he looks fine," Robin laughed.
"…Mamori, what's a pimp?" Chopper asked me after thinking about it for a few seconds.
'Oh!' I choked, sending him a wide eyed look as the others turned their attention to me with accusing looks. "Umm, well, uh!'
"Mamori! What are you saying to him!" Nami scolded me.
'It's not like that!' I complained, ducking my head in embarrassment, ears flattening themselves against my skull. 'Chopper, there are some things that you don't need to know yet, and that is one of them, okay?'
"Oh, okay," he agreed.
"I suggest you start digging your grave, you'll need it after the fight!" Usopp warned Foxy, pointing his pimp ring covered finger at him.
"Alright! All seconds get out of the ring!" Itomimizu ordered.
"Hang on! I'm not finished yet!" Usopp protested.
"Seconds, get out!" he repeated as the crowed continued to cheer. "I will repeat the rules. The battlefield is our ship. That included the entire main deck and every room under it. All the action will take place there! The field also includes the terrain in the 100 meter radius of the ship's mast! Lastly, there is no time limit! One point wins the game!" The audience stand suddenly shook before rising up into the air with all of us on it. "Now only the two contestants are on the field!"
"Fueh, fueh, Straw Hat Luffy, the entire ship is part of the battlefield! Fight however you want! Don't worry if you break anything, we have plenty of ship mechanics." Foxy informed Luffy.
"Okay!" he agreed.
"Go boss!"
"Straw Hat, nice outfit, but you're still going down!"
"Luffy! You have to win!" Sanji yelled.
"Be careful of his beam attack!" Nami cautioned him.
'Urgh,' I groaned at the load cheering crowd. It was giving me a massive headache and making me feel boxed in. I couldn't even get off the stands if I wanted to.
"The excitement level is at its peak!" bird-man felt the need to point out. "Will they lose or acquire a crew member? There is no turning back now! Davy Back Fight, Final Round! Foxy the Silver Fox VS Straw Hat Luffy! The clash between two captains! The fare of their crews is in their hands. Let the game… BEGIN!"
"COME ON!" Foxy jeered at Luffy.
"GOMU GOMU NO…" Luffy started to say, pulling back one of his fists before letting it fly. "PISTOL!"
"Noro Noro* Beam!" Foxy called out, jumping out of the way of Luffy's punch as he sent his Noro Noro Beam at Luffy's extended arm.
"OH NO!" Nami gasped.
"What!" Luffy yelped when his fist slowed down. "My punch became so slow!"
"Fuehehehehe!" Foxy laughed. "The harder you hit, the harder you trip?"
"What! It won't come back!" Luffy struggled to pull his arm back in for a few second before it snapped back into place naturally with such force that it knocked Luffy back onto his ass. "WAH!"
"Fuehehe!" Foxy laughed again, aiming his hands at Luffy who was on the ground. "Noro Noro…"
"Must dodge it!" Luffy snapped at himself, jumping up into the air.
"Just kidding," Foxy taunted before aiming at the airborne Luffy who couldn't dodge the beam. "Noro Noro Beam!"
"LUFFY!" Chopper cried out from next to me.
"I TOLD YOU TO WATCH OUT!" Sanji yelled.
"Fuck him up, boss!"
"Hahaha, that guy is weak!"
'Watch your damn mouths before I shut them for you!' I growled, sending dirty looks at the loudest of Foxy's crew.
"Why won't I fall!" Luffy gasped, floating in the air.
"Enjoying the moment, Straw Hat Luffy?" Foxy questioned, hands on his hips.
"Even the falling speed decreased…" Zoro pointed out.
"Luffy is so cool!" Chopper gasped.
"Fueh, fueh," Foxy laughed, jumping up onto Luffy's stomach.
"What… Are… You… Doing!" Luffy protested.
"Kyubi* Rush!" Foxy called out, pounding into Luffy's stomach and face repeatedly with his fists.
"Huh? No effect from the punches?" Sanji sounded confused.
'Luffy…'
"No," Zoro grumbled. "The beam probably made it slower too."
"Fuehehehe." Foxy jumped off of Luffy and raised his fist at the crowd. "That felt good!"
"Damn… You…" Luffy hissed.
"My punches will add up and become effective soon. You're done for even if you are a rubber man," Foxy teased. "1… 2… 3… Ding! That's thirty-seconds!"
"WAAAH!" Luffy suddenly slammed back into the ground with enough force to send him bouncing up into the air and off the side of the figurehead.
"All the hits take effect at once after 30 seconds!" Sanji gasped.
"LUFFY!" Nami called out.
"He'll fall into the sea like that," Robin pointed out.
"Grrr!" Luffy flung his fist back upwards and grabbed hold of the figurehead, pulling himself safely back up.
"Oh look!" the crowd gasped. "His arm stretched! Interesting! So that's the power of the Gomu Gomu Fruit!"
"Damn!" Luffy panted, wiping the blood off of his cheek. "It's stronger than I thought! That "Noro Noro Beam"… What is it? I better not stretch too much!"
'Come on Luffy! You can do it! KICK HIS ASS!' I barked from the crowd.
"Grr! I'm pissed now!" Luffy hissed, looking around for Foxy who had disappeared. "COME OUT, BROOM HEAD!"
"Ooh!" bird-man chirped. "The Final Round has barely begun and our boss' flawless combo attack totally knocked Straw Hat down! It's firing up!"
Luffy jumped off the figure head and onto the main deck of Foxy's ship only too have multiple arrows shot at him.
"Wah!" Luffy bent over backwards and only just managed to dodge them.
"Fueh, fueh, fueh!" Foxy laughed, appearing on the railing on the front deck where Luffy was. "Welcome back to my ship!"
'This is going to be a long fight…' I sighed nervously, glancing around.
"It's Round 3 of the Davy Back Fight, Combat!" Itomimizu commented as he flew over the ship. Luffy and Foxy had gone deep into the ship to fight it out, and no one knew what was going on. We all had to sit and wait. "No one can see what is going on inside the ship, however we know for sure that it is a rigorous duel to the finish! Even though we cannot see, everyone is cheering for our great boss!"
"Boss!"
"Boss!"
"Booosssss!"
'Oh shut your damn pie-holes you bunch of fluffing seagulls!' I snarled, trying to tune down my swearing because Chopper was right next to me.
"Don't lose," Zoro grumbled, a serious look on his face.
"Luffy won't lose!" Chopper chirped confidently.
"Yeah! His afro will prevail!" Usopp exclaimed.
"Foxy should be no match for Luffy," Sanji shrugged.
"Why would the afro increase his power anyways?" Nami asked.
"He sure looked stronger!" Robin laughed.
BOOM
An explosion rocked the ship and sent wood flying from the front deck, causing me to flinch from the loud noise. My ears were hurting enough from the loud cheering, let alone adding explosion to it.
"Something is happening!" bird man gasped. "Who prevailed? Has it been decided? There are two shadows!"
"YEAAAAAH!" the crowd cheered when the smoke cleared, leaving Foxy standing on the front deck, Luffy at his feet. Luffy looked worse for wear, his whole body was covered in burns, cuts and scratches. Too bad that damn afro was still living.
"Fuehehehe!" Foxy laughed, throwing his fists up in the air.
"The boss is still standing!" Itomimizu gasped. "On the other hand, Straw Hat Luffy is badly burnt! He likely suffered some sort of fierce punch!"
"AAH!" Chopper cried.
"LUFFY!" Usopp wailed.
"No way!" Sanji muttered.
"Why! Why would he be burned from punches!" Nami protested.
"Look!" Robin pointed back at the ship as Luffy pushed himself back up to his feet.
"Straw Hat Luffy is standing back up!" Itomimizu sounded shocked. This was Luffy we were talking about.
"He stood back up!" Foxy gasped. "Straw Hat Luffy! Must be something about that afro after all…"
"Knock him out!" The crowd cheered.
"Yeah, finish it!"
Foxy just smirked and slammed his gloves together before flinging them back and throwing something invisible towards our captain.
"What?" he gasped, not being able to move yet again.
"Fueh, fueh, fueh!" Foxy laughed showing off his sword that was made of his own beam. "This is the Noro Noro Beam Sword. I have locked your arms and legs with it. Looks like you're not going anywhere for a while."
"Ngh! Dammit! I'm stuck!" Luffy struggled but it didn't achieve anything other than frustrating him.
"Megaton Kyubi* Rush!" Foxy called out, throwing his fists at Luffy yet again. I flinched as they hit over and over and over and over again while Luffy couldn't escape.
'LUFFY!' I shot up in my chair, fidgeting nervously.
Foxy stopped punching him just as the effects of the Noro Noro Beam Sword wore off, and Luffy went flying back into the main mast, flopping to the deck.
"Fuehehehe!" Foxy laughed, throwing his head back.
"This time-" Itomimizu started to say before pausing. "No… Not yet… Straw Hat Luffy has stood back up!"
"Luffy!" Nami, Chopper, and Usopp called out as our captain stood back up.
"How is he still standing after that!" Foxy's crew gasped.
"Is it because of the wig?"
"The wild African Hairdo!"
'SHUT UP ABOUT THAT STUPID THING ON HIS HEAD!' I snapped, shooting and annoyed glare at the crowd. 'IT LOOKS LIKE A DAMN RAT AND IT NEEDS TO BURN IN HELL.'
"NORO NORO BEAM!" Foxy shot his beam at Luffy before rushing him again and pummelling him with punches again. "Megaton Kyubi Rush!" When the effect wore off, Luffy went flying into the mast again, but this time the force of his body managed to snap the sturdy beam in half.
"Screw you!" Usopp snapped, jumping up out of his seat and flinging one of his legs over the railing of the stand. "That beam thing is way too cheap!"
"Usopp!" Zoro and I jumped up at the same time, latching onto the idiot so he didn't jump. Zoro grabbed hold of Usopp's arm and bit down on his pants, yanking him back.
"GOOOO!" the crowd cheered.
"Heh… Heh…" Foxy panted. "This is really tiresome business."
"That's just torture, not a fight!" Usopp screamed, struggling against Zoro and my hold on him. Zoro was alright with his grip, but if Usopp struggled any harder, I'd probably end up pulling down his pimp pants.
"He's standing up!" the crowd gasped, but I couldn't see around Usopp's ass which was right in my face. If he farted right now, I swear I'd take away his ability to reproduce.
Seeing my plight, Sanji reached over and grabbed Usopp firmly, dragging him back so that I could let go. As I ducked out from behind him, I saw Luffy just in time to watch scream, "TO SAVE MY NAKAMA, I WILL FIGHT TO THE DEATH!"
"Luffy…" Usopp sniffled, tears running down his face from behind his pimp glasses.
"Straw Hat is standing back up!" bird-man yelled out. "What amazing stamina! He keeps standing back up again and again!"
"Luffy…" Usopp and Chopper cried.
"Why won't you just stay down!" Foxy hissed.
"Luffy!" Nami yelled.
"His legs are shaking! He's out of breath, yet his eyes are still so keen as he keeps standing up!" Itomimizu sobbed. "For the sake of his nakama, that is the true spirit of the Davy Back Fight! My tears are pouring out! I can hardly see anything!"
"Luffy!" Usopp yelled.
"Luffy!" bird-man yelled.
"Luffy!" The crowd yelled.
"Luffy!"
"Luffy!"
"Luffy!"
"Luffy!"
"Luffy!"
"Deafening cheers for Luffy comes nonstop from the audience!" Itomimizu commented. "There has never been another man who could survive against our boss to this extent!"
"Luffy!"
"Luffy!"
"Idiots! Why the hell are you cheering for the enemy!" Foxy yelled at the crowd.
"Boss!"
"Boss!"
"Boss!"
'Well,' I snorted, 'the mood changed quickly…'
"Watch carefully because this is the end!" Foxy threatened Luffy, putting up his fists again. "Noro Noro Beam Sword!" Foxy flung the flexible sword at Luffy who tried to dodge it by jumping to the side. Unfortunately it still hit him in several places, throwing him into the ground. "Fueh, fueh, it's impossible to run from me!"
"Damn! He doesn't even have the strength to run!" Usopp panicked.
"I can't bear to see Luffy like this!" Chopper whimpered like a child.
'He's doing this for us Chopper,' I cooed, rubbing the top of my head against his cheek. 'He will win! Just you watch! He won't let us down!'
BOOM
"Time for the finisher! Noro Noro Beam!" Foxy shot a beam at the cannonball that had been fired towards Luffy. The ball slowed down and Foxy kicked up something that was at his feet, sending it towards the cannonball.
"Boss is on the offensive! First he slowed down the cannonball!" bird-man commentated.
The bit of wood landed neatly on top of the cannonball, and when it settled we could all what it was. It was a giant wooden model of a flying fox that was built to fit onto the cannonball. "Foxy Fighter! Using the speed of the cannonball, this megaton punch will K.O. you for sure!"
"There it is!" Itomimizu gasped. "It's boss' ultimate cannon-riding attack! Soon the Foxy Fighter will charge and obliterate the target.
"Luffy! He got you a moment before the cannonball! Start running as soon as you are free!" Sanji encouraged.
"Fuehehehe."
"Ah!" Luffy gasped, pushing himself sluggily back up. "I can move now!"
"Straw Hat got free from the effect of the beam first!" bird-man yelled.
"It's useless! You won't get away!" The glider suddenly shot forward towards Luffy who was scrambling to get out of the way in time. He didn't make it. Foxy's fists connected with Luffy's face with more enough force to sending him flying back across the ship and into the railing. Foxy jumped off of the glider at the last second and it continued to fly at Luffy who was half hanging of the boat in-between the ruins of the railing. "Take that as my farewell gift!"
BOOM
"Game over!" Itomimizu yelled as the cannonball exploded right over Luffy, covering the area in a ball of flames and smoke.
'LUFFY!' I yelled in shock.
"LUFFY! NO!" Chopper screamed.
"Perfect hit! There is no way he could've survived."
"Fueh, fueh!" Foxy laughed in the clearing smoke.
"Isn't that going a little too far!" Nami muttered.
"Heh, heh," Luffy panted, but he was standing in an upright position as the smoke cleared.
"H… He… HE STOOD BACK UP AGAIN!" Itomimizu cried in shock.
"Impossible!"
"He's not human!"
"I'm… Going to win!" Luffy gasped.
"Bullshit!" Foxy snapped in reply. "You can hardly stand! If you want to die so badly, I'll keep hitting you until you drop! Megaton Kyubi…"
"Heh, heh, Gomu Gomu no…"
"RUSH!"
"GATTLING GUN!"
Both their attacks connected at the same times, fists flying everywhere while the crowd cheered and screamed at the two contestants.
"Amazing!" Itomimizu yelled in excitement. "The fight is so fierce even this late in the game! The fighters have entered a pummelling rage!"
"Luffy! Go! Smash him up good!" Usopp cheered.
"Smash!" Chopper yelled.
"Not stopping! They don't seem to be stopping any time soon!" Itomimizu's eyeballs were almost popping out.
"Ahhh! Such… Power! How can this dying man have so much strength left!" Foxy gasped, not stopping their punch out. "This is… Noro Noro Be-"
Suddenly the punch-out stopped, both of them stopping in place as the crowd went silent.
"Huh?"
"What happened?" Usopp asked.
"They're not moving," Robin answered.
"Heh… Heh," Luffy panted, falling to his knees.
"D… Down! Straw Hat is down!" bird-man yelled. "That's not right! Straw Hat is still moving! What the heck happened!"
"Damn… You…" Foxy hissed.
"What!" Nami gasped.
'He didn't!' My eyes widened. 'Don't tell me he figured it out!'
"Boss!" the foxy pirates cried.
"A mirror!" Itomimizu announced as something dropped out of Luffy's hand, landing on the deck. "Straw Hat has a piece of mirror in his hand!"
"It got stuck on my afro..." Luffy panted, "When I was in your mirror room…"
"You… Little… Shit…" Foxy hissed as Luffy got back up to his feet and started to swing his fist around like a rope.
"Gomu Gomu no… Flail!" Luffy let his fist fly, nailing Foxy straight in the face with no effect.
Luffy's arm then snapped back to him as he turned around and started to walk away from Foxy, jumping up on the figure head.
"8 seconds," Zoro said calmly.
"Huh… Ah…" Usopp pointed at Luffy, but look at Zoro.
"Is this the end!" bird-man gasped.
"7," Sanji sighed.
"Hmph?" Nami questioned.
"6." Robin smirked.
"BOSSSS!"
"5!" Usopp and Chopper cheered, and I joined in with a bark.
"What are you staring at!" Usopp snapped at the crowd. "Count with me!"
"4!" Everyone joined in this time.
"3!"
"2!"
"1!"
Foxy went flying up in the air and over the side of the boat just as Luffy threw his arms up and screamed, "YEAAAAAAAH!"
"ALRIGHT!" Nami, Usopp and Chopper all cheered.
'WOOT! GO LUFFY!' I howled, throwing my head back.
"WAIT! THAT'S OUT BOSS FLYING!" Foxy's crew cried out in shock.
"Boss is sent flying!" Itomimizu yelled.
"BOSS!"
SPLASH
Foxy landed in the water and all of Foxy's crew gaped in shock at seeing their captain being beaten.
"The point of landing is outside the battlefield!" Itomimizu announced. "For the fateful battle of the Third Round of this Davy Back Fight, the Captain VS Captain combat round, our boss, Foxy, has tragically fallen after 920 straight wins! The winner of this round is Straw Hat Luffy!"
"You really made me worry back there!" Usopp snapped out our unconscious captain, poking his cheek over and over again.
"You're poking too hard! Are you trying to kill him!" Chopper panicked.
"I was scared too," Nami sighed from her place sitting near Luffy's feet. "All that talk about the afro making you strong…"
"Nami, the afro does make you strong!" Sanji protested.
'Mmm, bloody idiot scared us all. I knew he'd do it, but still,' I grumbled, my head resting on Luffy's thigh.
"Ah, he woke up!"
Luffy's eyes slowly started to open before he jumped up into a sitting position, forcing me to pull my head off his leg. "Huh! The game! What happened to the fight! Didn't I win! Was I dreaming!"
"Relax, you won," Zoro laughed.
Wordlessly Luffy flopped back to the ground and I dropped head back on his leg. "That's good."
"I wasn't worried for a second," Usopp boasted.
"My ass," Sanji snorted.
"I thought about it. If I left this ship, I'd have no point being a pirate anymore," Zoro grumbled.
"Boss, you should be resting!" a voice protested and we all glanced to the side in time to see Foxy approaching us. He looked like he'd seen better days, but he was still moving so he couldn't be that bad off. When the crew saw him, they all tensed up. Zoro put his hand on the hilt of his sword with a glare and Usopp slipped into a cowering fighting position. I pressed myself closer to Luffy, lifting my head off of his leg and placing one of my paws possessively across his stomach with a growl aimed at Foxy and his crew.
"Hey, Straw Hat!" Foxy called, stopping in front of us with his crew behind him. "It's all because of you that I've lost my perfect record. Not bad, brother."
Foxy held out his hand towards Luffy, and odd look on his face. I snarled at the stupid fox, flashing him my teeth as he looked down on us. My growl cut itself off when Luffy placed his hand on the top of my head, ruffling the fur in a cue for me to get off him. Reluctantly I pulled back, but not before rubbing the top of my head against his palm.
Luffy sat up, but didn't stand as he took Foxy's offered hand. "Pfft," Hamburg and Porche snickered and I knew something was up.
"Eat this!" Foxy yelled, spinning around with a grip on Luffy's arm, trying to throw him over his shoulder. "Overhead throw of vengeance!"
THUNK
Luffy's arm stretched harmlessly and Foxy ended up smacking his head against the ground.
"Idiot," Zoro sighed.
'Cheap mother…' I snarled, trailing off when I thought of Chopper.
"Fine!" Foxy snapped, letting go of Luffy's arm and pushing himself back up. "Let's just get this over with! What do you want!"
"That's right!" Urgh, I thought I'd heard the last of the bird-man. "The last part of the game still needs deciding. The winner. Captain Straw Hat gets to take a new crew member! They seem to be looking for a shipwright. In that case, will they take the leader of our 50-men mechanic team, Sonieh? Or will they take the battle ready shipwright, Donobam? Or, the downright sexy shipwright, Gina? Only the captain can decide who to pick! Now, please decide!"
Luffy stood up and I quickly place myself by his side, hovering against the side of his leg as I glared at the Foxy Pirates. Luffy smirked and chirped, "I choose your flag!"
"WHAT!" everyone yelled.
"Hey, Luffy!" Sanji snapped, spinning on Luffy. "Think again! Isn't sexy Gina a lot better! You won't get another chance at this!"
"If we had fought for something like that, it wouldn't be worth it." Luffy smiled innocently.
"Phew," Nami sighed.
"You're… Evil!" Foxy protested. "You didn't even give it a thought and you want to rob us of our pride!"
'PRIDE!' I snapped, my temper exploding. 'WHAT FUCKING PRIDE! YOU'RE A BUNCH OF CHEATING SCUM!'
"I don't want your sail," Luffy reasoned. "Just the flag. Otherwise you won't be able to leave, right?"
"How thoughtful…"
"But our symbol is on our sail! We won't be able to use that!"
"Yeah! Stop pretending to be nice! Just take everything!"
"Okay, okay. I'll just erase your symbol for you," Luffy answered. "Then I'll give you a new one. That way you will be able to use your sail."
"Straw Hat… You're so nice!" Foxy gasped.
"I see," Nami mumbled. "So this is why you accepted the challenge." After the Foxy Pirates had left, with a new design on their flag, Luffy had taken us to an old man's house. Apparently the man had been stuck on stilts for a long time and his horse, who looked like a giraffe, waited for him the whole time. Luffy saved him, according to him, although it was probably a freak accident, and then Foxy had come along and shot the horse. Luffy got pissed and accepted the challenge. Now the old man wanted to rejoin his friends and family who were on another island nearby. Simple. "But, an idiot like you would've accepted it either way."
"Hey!" Luffy snapped. "Respect your captain!"
"Why don't we take you to your people on our ship?" Nami asked the old man.
"No… These ten islands are actually the same one. The Log Pose won't point to them individually," Usopp argued.
"No problem, no problem," the old guy laughed. "I'm an easy-going guy. I'm not in a hurry. While you are all here, allow me to treat you with something nice!"
"What do you have? That cheese again?" Usopp asked sceptically.
"Haha!" the old man laughed, walking towards his door only to run face first into the legs of a tall man that was standing in the way of his door.
"Zzzz." The tall wan was sleeping, a sleep mask over his eyes as he stood there with his hands in his pockets.
"Wa! What is that!" The old man gaped, bending his head back to stare.
"It's a person!" Luffy exclaimed.
"Was he there the whole time?" Nami questioned.
The man suddenly seemed to wake up because of the loud noise and he pulled up his mask, glancing at us curiously. "Huh? Who the heck are you?"
"That's what we were asking you!" several people snapped.
"Ah… Ah!" Robin gasped, her legs giving out on her as she collapsed to the ground in fear. Her whole body was shaking, wide eyes staring at the man that was the source of her fear.
Before my mind had fully processed the idea that Robin was scared, my body had acted. I threw myself in front of the fallen woman, peeling back my lips to snarl at the strange man. Robin was not one to show emotion very often, so for her to be scared… It must be serious.
"Robin!" Luffy gasped, glancing between his crew member and the strange man. Wordlessly Zoro put his hands on the hilt of his sword, glaring dangerously as the stranger. Even Usopp had pulled out his slingshot, aiming one of his bullets at the man.
"What's wrong Robin!" Sanji called out.
"Ararararara," the tall man laughed, looking right over my head at Robin. "You sure have grown into a fine young woman, Nico Robin."
'Who the hell…' I snarled, my tail swishing aggressively as all my fur stood on end.
"Robin!" Luffy called again in a serious voice. "What's wrong? Do you know this guy!"
Robin just stared at him with wide eyes, clearly scared, as the odd man said, "We've met once before."
"To terrify Robin to this extent!" Nami gasped as everyone continued to stand on guard, their fists and weapons aim towards him. "Who is he!"
"Ararara," he laughed, holding up his hands in a surrender gesture. "Chill~ Chill~ Little boys and dogs shouldn't be so aggressive. It's not like I was ordered to come here. I'm only here for a walk."
"Ordered? Who do you work for!" Zoro demanded.
"The Marines…" Robin answered, finally speaking up. "He's a Supreme Admiral of the Marine Headquarters."
"SUPREME ADMIRAL!"
'Who…'
"Sup… Supreme Admiral… as in…" Sanji stuttered. "The highest ranking fighters of the marine?"
"In the entire Marine Navy, there are only three people with the title of 'Supreme Admiral'. Akainu, the red dog. Aokiji, the blue pheasant. Kizaru, the yellow monkey. The only superior to them is Sengoku, the Commander in Chief. Those three men are crowned the title "Ultimate Assault Force" by the World Government, and he is one of them!"
"What is someone like him doing here!" Usopp yelled, ducking behind Zoro to hide. "There are plenty of pirates worth more than 100 million. Go get them! Just leave us alone!"
"Ohh! What do we have here? Another sexy lady!" Aokiji turned his attention to Nami and I had to shove down the urge to run over and jump in front of her too. She could take care of herself, it was Robin I was worried about.
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!" Sanji raged.
"PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT I SAY DAMMIT!" Usopp snapped.
"I told you to chill, kids," he sighed. "You are the ones who should learn to listen. I told you that I am only here for walk. No need for such hostility. What I'm trying to say is that you guys are… I forgot… Oh well."
"YOU'RE NOT MAKING ANY SENSE!" Sanji and Usopp protested at the same time.
"Are you sure you're not mistaken Robin!" Usopp asked, pointing at the tall marine. "There's no way that someone like him can be a Supreme Admiral of the Marines!"
"Hey, hey," Aokiji protested. "Don't judge people by their cover. I always uphold the model of "Uptight with Absolute Justice"."
"I can see that!"
"Oh well," Aokiji suddenly knelt down onto the ground. "My legs are tired from standing. Time to rest…" He laid himself across the ground, slipping down his sleeping mask as he rested his head on his arm. "Anyways, I do not intend to arrest you… So chill. I'm only here to confirm the whereabouts of Nico Robin after the Alabasta incident. I thought she would be with you."
"You're really not here to pick a fight?" Sanji asked.
"He just doesn't like a 'Supreme' Admiral to me…" Luffy muttered.
"I'm only going to report the discovery so they can recalculate the bounty for your group." Aokiji said. "One more person will increase it by… 160 million plus 79 million would be… Too hard to count. It's roughly the same amount."
"Too lazy to count?" Zoro grumbled.
'It's 239 million...' I mumbled grumpily.
"Gomu Gomu…"
"Wait! Luffy! Don't do it!" Usopp and Sanji both jumped on Luffy, restraining him so that he couldn't pick a fight with the man who was trying, unsuccessfully, to take a nap.
"Hm?"
"Let go of me!" Luffy struggled, swinging his fists. "Let me go!"
"Don't start an unnecessary fight!" Sanji argued struggling to hold Luffy.
"He's a "Supreme" Admiral for God's sake!" Usopp yelled.
"So what!" Luffy replied, not giving up. "I still won't let him take Robin!"
"You're mistaken," Aokiji sighed yet again waving a hand. "I already said that I don't want to do anything…"
"I'M GOING TO SEND YOU FLYING!" Luffy cried before finally settling down enough for Usopp and Sanji to deem it safe to let him go. Luffy, nostrils still flared in anger, took two steps forward before pointing to the horizon. "Go take your walk elsewhere! You're not welcome here!"
"You're overreacting…" Aokiji sweat-dropped.
I snorted prissly, still not moving from my place in front of Robin. 'Overreacting? Yeah, right. Luffy's correct, get lost!'
"Why does it feel like Luffy is winning the argument…" Nami mumbled.
"Okay, okay," Aokiji finally conceded. "I'll leave… But I overheard something while I was napping… You." He pointed at the old man. "I wasn't in a deep sleep, so I heard what you said. Pack up and get ready to move."
"No!" Luffy yelled. "Don't listen to him! He's from the Marines! The Marines!"
"…" The old man just stared dumbly at Luffy for a few seconds. "Why not?"
"Oh!" Luffy slammed his fist into his palm. "That's right! You can listen to him. Normally the Marines are the good guys and we're the bad guys!"
"This is no time for jokes!" Usopp scolded.
"He sounds like he wants to help the old guy!" Luffy chirped, smiling again.
'Mood swings, Luffy, learn how to control them… You're worse than a PMS-ing woman sometimes,' I grumbled.
"That's impossible to do," Usopp argued.
"Basically you want to catch up to the people who moved when you were stuck here," Aokiji continued. "You plan to push to the 3rd island after this one, and that you need to wait until low tide to ride your horse across? But that horse's leg is wounded, correct?"
"Yeah," Usopp agreed. "And that is why moving is impossible now."
"It'll be fine," the lazy man shrugged.
"That doesn't sound convincing at all!" Usopp replied.
"It's true…" Robin spoke up again. "With his help, it's possible."
"Okay, we're here."
The old man was all packed and we had all gathered at the edge of the island where the old man was planning to cross when the tide went down. The water was almost up to the top of the ramp though, so crossing right now would be near impossible.
"The tide will subside once a year and a road will appear when it does, yes?" Aokiji confirmed. "It sure feels good to work out once in a while."
"It sure is!" Luffy agreed. "So you're a nice person after all!"
"Thank you for helping me," the old man thanked us, before offering us some old mouldy cheese. "Here, have some cheese."
"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US!" Usopp snapped at him.
"Now they're acting like friends…" Nami pointed out, standing back away from the guys with Robin and I. I had been shadowing Robin's steps the whole time since that guy showed up, and I was sending him dirty glares whenever I got the chance. I just wanted him to disappear off the face of the planet.
"So, what now?" Luffy asked Aokiji, pointing to the trailer full of the old man's stuff. "Are you going to pull everything along while you swim across?"
"No, that impossible," he replied before walking up to the edge of the water. "Move away for a little bit please." He squatted down, slipping his hand into the water.
SPLASH
"ROAR!" I jumped as a giant sea-king rose out of the water right in front of the Marine, roaring its challenge. Aokiji didn't even flinch.
"AH! It's the sea-king that lurks around here!" the old man yelled.
"Get away from it!" Usopp cried.
"Watch out!" Luffy warned.
'Eat him!' I silently cheered for the sea-king.
"Ice Age." The whole sea, monster and all, were suddenly frozen over in the blink of an eye. As far as the eye could see, it was just ice. Everyone gaped at the same time, staring in shock at the show of power from the Marine.
"Devil fruit!" Usopp gasped. "The sea… Froze over!"
'…Damn!'
"Elemental class, the freezing power of the 'Hie Hie no Mi*'," Robin explained. "This is the power of an Admiral of the Marine Headquarters."
Aokiji pulled his hand out of the icy water, straightening back up before walking towards us. "That should hold for about a week… You can take your time. Good luck locating your village. It's a little cold by the way… You should wear more clothing."
"Is this a dream!" the old man muttered. "The sea became an ice land… Sherry, we can cross the sea now! After 10 long years we can finally reunite without friends! Thank you! Thank you so very much for this miracle!"
Aokiji just waved and kept walking away from us. I hoped that was the last we'd see of him. It'd make Robin feel better to not have him around.
"Alright, we'll be going now," the old man informed us after we'd helped him shift his gear onto the ice.
"Okay, good luck old guy and horse," Luffy said.
'Luffy, I'm sure they have names…' I sighed. 'It's rude to call them that.'
"I really can't thank you enough…" he said. "If it wasn't for you, I would still be stuck up there. Thanks again!" The started to walk away, dragging his stuff along with him. "I won't forget you guys!"
"Be careful!"
"Take care!"
"Don't play with stilts again!"
We all watched him until he was out of sight, waving while Chopper, Usopp, and Luffy shouted goodbyes. Once he was gone, we all turned around and made our way back up onto the grass of the island.
"Wah! So cold!" Usopp complained, wrapping his arms around himself.
"It became winter all of a sudden," Luffy agreed, pausing when he saw who was waiting for us on land. "Hm?"
I slipped back in front of Robin, my ears flat against my skull. I hoped I saw the last of Aokiji, but he came back and waited for us. He was currently sitting calmly on the grass with his legs crossed. Aokiji stared at us for a few seconds before dropping his gaze and scratching the top of his head.
"What?" Luffy questioned, unsure how to react.
"How should I say this…" Aokiji mumbled. "You and you Grandfather are really alike Monkey D. Luffy. Is it open-minded…? Or is it absent-minded?"
"G-Grandpa!" Luffy choke, looking shocked at the mention of his grandfather.
"Luffy's Grandfather?" Usopp asked. "Eh, Luffy, why are you sweating so much?"
"N… Nothing!" Luffy protested, waving his hands in the air. "It's… Just… Uh…"
"I dealt with your Grandpa a long time ago," the Marine continued. Even though I only came to see Nico Robin… Maybe all of you should just die here and now."
*Noro Noro Beam: Slow Slow Beam (Noro means "Slow" in general).
*Kyubi Rush and Megaton Kyubi Rush: Nine-Tails Rush. Named after the Nine-Tailed Fox from Japanese mythology.
*Hie Hie no Mi: Ice Ice Fruit (FUNimation) or Chilly Chilly Fruit (Viz) depending on the translation. Turns the user into a "Freezing Human." (Beta Note: There's one person you might not want to get a hug from.)
Beta read by praeses (For the record, the whole "Why does everything sound better in French" was a rhetorical question. *sigh* Never mind. Just never mind...)