A/N: Whew! This was a fun chapter! Don't forget to tell me what you think!

Chapter 33: Two Lessons

Dark cloak billowing around them, Lucy marched through town with a grimace on their hidden face. "Oi, this is stupid! I feel like I've crossed this island hundreds of times! Where the heck is he!?" Lucy stopped their walk to cross their arms and began tapping their foot in impatience. "Wasn't even my idea to come here… huh?"

Across the street, Lucy saw another cloaked figure; the shoulders were clearly hunched, and they too were grumbling about something. "Rassa frassa… where the heck is that flashy square!? This town's too damn big…"

Lucy didn't catch all of what the person said as they departed, but his demeanor brightened immediately. "Oh! There he is! Why's he wandering around like that? Is he lost too?" Lucy didn't spend much time on the thought, as they followed after their intended target. After all, how many disguised people could there possibly be Loguetown in just one day? The odds would be ridiculous…

At the market stalls on the other side of the city, a tired and dejected pink-haired man in sharp sailor attire trudged up the road. "Huff… huff… 15 stands. How are there 15 stands, and not a single one that sells rice crackers? I need to hurry, too." The teen adjusted his glasses as he looked up at the dark gray clouds hanging overhead. "Looks like a storm could come down at any minute…"

The pinket was so distracted he failed to notice a well-wrapped fish fin as big as his head about to slap him in the face until it did. He was bowled over, falling back with a cry and a thud. One of the carriers of said fish paused at the noise. "Oh, did we hit someone? Sorry about that. Ussop, hold that end up better."

Said long nose huffed as he struggled under the weight of his half of the large catch. He barked back to Zoro, "Hey, some of us don't bench press battleships for a living, ya damn slave driver! Give me a break! Sanji, can't you help?"

Ignoring his comrades, Sanji tapped the ash off his cigarette and looked at the person the others had bowled over. "Sorry about that. This thing's a good deal, but these deliverymen are lousy."

"I'll show you lousy, you stuck-up cook!" Zoro barked back.

"I-it's alright," the man said getting up and dusting off his pants. "I'm used to not being noticed… whoa, is that a Blue Fin Elephant Tuna!?"

"Sure is! All the way from South Blue," the blonde-haired man blew the hair out of his eye (actually, covering his eye, the sailor noticed) and cheesed. "Got it for a pretty good deal! Ah~ Nami will be blown away by all my money-saving expertise~"

"If you weren't so busy daydreaming," Zoro threw out, "the kid wouldn't have gotten hit, you pervert cook."

That comment was enough to draw Sanji out of his daydreams and into Zoro's face in rage. "Did you say something, mosshead!? You should be quiet before I fix that mug of yours!"

"Try it, dartboard brow!" Zoro called back, "and I'll do you a favor and lop off that sorry-ass fringe on your head!"

"Sorry for them," Ussop said to the put-upon sailor. "I haven't known them for long, but this seems to be normal for them."

"Um, right…" the sailor blinked at the men threw insults back and forth, only just shy of breaking into a comical dust cloud of violence, and decided not to press the matter. "A-anyway, I need to go. I've been looking for rice crackers for five hours, and I haven't gotten close to finding them…"

"Rice crackers?" the blonde man hummed, his attitude doing a 180. "This is the wrong place for 'em. Those are dried goods, and stands for those are a few streets over to the west." He jammed a thumb in the direction he'd just come.

"W-what!?" the man blinked in shock. "Darn it, the weird kid with the checkered ascot told me to go east! Thank God! My boss seems pretty laid-back, but I don't want to fail my first mission. Thank you, sir!" With a quick salute, the goggled man ran off down the road, leaving the group to watch him run off.

"Hm, that's gotta be the skinniest Marine I've ever seen," Sanji hummed as he exhaled some smoke.

"I've seen a few like him when turning in bounties," Zoro added, adjusting the Elephant Tuna so he was holding it on one shoulder and arm, laying a hand on his new swords, Sandai Kitetsu and Yubashiri. "He's a new recruit, fresh too. Only danger he could be is if he recognized me. Looks like he didn't though…"

"Well, I don't want to test that theory!" Ussop said. "Let's get this fish on the Going Merry and ship out already! I may not have Hook's weird sixth sense, but something in my gut's been churning all day!"

"I'll be sure you get more fiber then," Sanji idly said, earning a stammer and blush of embarrassment from the sniper. "Come on, you two. Let's go."

"Don't go telling me what to do!" Zoro snapped as the group continued on their way.

In another part of the town, a smaller group was also heading for the Going Merry. "So, you all are ready to head out?" Hook asked as he and Kuwata walked through the busy streets.

"Heh heh, you bet!" the redhead grinned. "We're, uh, kinda packing light. We brought most of what we could get when we joined Krieg, and well… you saw how well that went."

"Yeah," Hook shrugged. "Well, no worries! We got a lot of beri, so between Sanji and Nami, I'd say we're all ready to go."

"Awesome!" Kuwata held up devil horns in excitement. "I can't wait to hit the open waters again! Uh, with less scary swordsmen, hopefully. First thing I'm gonna do when we reach the Grand Line again – I'll give our crew the performance of a lifetime!"

"Perform?" Hook tilted his head in confusion. "Do you sing?"

"Well, I'm no superstar yet," Kuwata bragged in a way that eerily reminded Hook of Ussop, with his nose pointed in the air, "but I'm something of a singer! When I get going, there isn't a dry face in the audience!"

"Whoa, seriously?" Hook snickered. "That's great! Haven't entered the Grand Line, and I've already got a musician!"

"Yeah, it's the best I can offer right now," Kuwata remarked with a small sigh. "Since I lost my weapon and all…"

"Huh? Your weapon?" Hook asked, but before he could receive an answer, the entire street jumped when the sky lit up. At first, many thought it was the rain clouds finally opening up, but upon getting a better look, everyone realized it was fireworks.

"Huh?" Kuwata blinked. "What the hell? Fireworks from Execution Square? Did I forget any holidays?" Kuwata was cut off from his musing when he noticed he was short a captain. Looking around frantically, he finally spotted the man… as he sprinted for the square! "E-eh!? Captain!? Where are you going!?"

"To that plaza, of course!" Hook called over his shoulder. "I can't believe I almost forgot! There's something I want to do there, and I just remembered!"

"Captain! Hook, come back!" Kuwata called as he gave chase. "Something's fishy about this commotion! Slow down and wait for me, at least!"

A few minutes before the fireworks display, Ryuji and Rantaro, bandages wrapped around his head, walked through Loguetown with purpose as they made for the coast. "So, you're sure we should just head back to the ship?" Rantaro asked again, resisting the urge to scratch at his bandages.

"Yeah, it should be fine," Ryuji noted, as he glanced at the darkening sky. "If I know Hook by now, he's probably already finished gathering everyone up! All that's left is to regroup and beat this storm-"

"Uhhhh…"

Ryuji glanced over at his friend in worry. "Rantaro, you ok? Gotta stomachache or something?"

Rantaro blinked at the sudden question. "No, I'm fine. Aside from the head injury, I mean…"

"Uhhhh," came the groan again. This time both of them heard it; as they looked around, a ratty-looking man sitting with his back on a lamppost grabbed Ryuji's arm, nearly wrenching it from his shoulder.

"H-hey! Lay off, man!" Ryuji tried to take his arm back, but the man held firm, the shake of his grip not aligned with the iron hold on the teen.

"Hey, man," Rantaro began, "Let go or-! Wait… isn't this…?"

Ryuji blinked at Rantaro's expression and did a double look at his captor. When he realized what who he was looking at, his face dropped. "Holy-! Gin!? Is that you!?" Sure enough, it was the former vice-captain of the Krieg Pirates, once more on the ground with a pale expression. "Shit, man! You look terrible! What happened?"

"Ryuji, he's clearly not able to answer that," Rantaro snapped, less out of irritation and more out of shock that this was the same man who they had answered to just over a week ago. "He needs medical attention!"

Finally acknowledged, Gin vehemently shook his head. "N-no.. no, I just… needed a moment. Where's… Hook and the others?"

The pair traded worried expressions, but ultimately Ryuji caved. "They're, like, scattered around town. We're gonna meet back at the Merry. Listen, you should come too. I'm sure we can do something about whatever's wrong-"

"We don't… have time!" Gin said as he got up using both boys as human crutches. "We need… to find Hook. Before… gets to them…"

As Gin blinked spots away from his blurry vision, Rantaro shook his head. "Not looking like shit, with all due respect, sir. You should get checked over first-" The green-haired teen was cut off as fireworks lit up the sky. "What the…"

Gin cursed as he looked up at the colorful display, worry gnawing at his mind. "No… it's already starting..."

As the citizens of Loguetown looked up in confusion, trying to discern the nature of the fireworks, Hook ran into Execution Square, making a beeline for the platform. "Alright! Made good time! Now…" Hook approached the stand, taking off his disguising glasses. He looked it up and down, a feeling of reverence as he took in the sight. "This is it… the place where the Great Age started." Smirking, he quickly pulled out a knife. "Clakaka! Let's see… how about…?" As Hook began to mutter, he took the dagger to one of the wooden legs holding up the platform and began to carve.

As he finished up, he heard footsteps behind him. "Ah, you caught up! I was wondering what took so long!" Wiping off the sawdust from his handiwork, he nodded approvingly. "There! Since this place is a landmark, this was easily the next step to make my dream a reality!"

"I'm afraid your dream is about to become a nightmare!" Hook turned around at the unfamiliar voice, blinking as Eric stood there to greet him, the fireworks glinting off of his sunglasses. "Thought you could defeat so easily, James Hook! Well, guess again! I am the great bounty hunter, Eric the Whirlwind! Today, I will claim the bounty on your head!"

Hook stood there looking at the man for a minute, before finally saying, "Who?"

Eric sputtered in annoyance, and growled at Hook, "Eric the Whirlwind! I just introduced myself! We fought this morning!"

"Eric… Eric…" Hook scratched his chin as tried to recall the incident, but ultimately just shrugged. "Sorry, doesn't ring a bell!"

"Doesn't-! I-! You-!" Eric's red got as red as magma as he glared at the ignorant pirate. "Never mind what you remember! I am a bounty hunter! And with my Sickle-Sickle powers, I-!"

Unfortunately, that was as far as Eric got, before a shrill voice called out, "Now! Drop it now!" Hook and Eric had seconds to look up as a large cage dropped around them, imprisoning them both! The figure that had dropped the cage had been standing on the platform, apparently unnoticed until he moved. With the sudden dropping of the heavy object, nobody was paying any attention to the fireworks, as the figure dropped down to reveal itself.

As they landed, Hook's face fixed into a snarl as he took in the familiar muttonchops and large chin. The only new thing on this old face, besides the fact his armor was clearly just some old steel plating and the giant axe he was now sporting, was his teeth were now wired shut, giving him a permanent scowl on his face. "Hello again, you damn pest," Don Krieg spoke around his impediment. "Are you ready to die?"

"W-w-what!?" Eric said in a clear panic. "D-d-don Krieg! I heard he was dead! What's he doing here!?"

"Gyahahaha! I can answer that!" The shrill voice from before revealed itself; as a crowd of cloaked figures gathered, they threw off their cloaks, revealing a mixture of rough-looking men and women some dressed in carnival attire. The man in the front of the pack threw off his cover… to reveal a very prominent red nose that many confused and terrified citizens recognized. "Bet you thought you'd seen the last of me, eh, ya flashy bastard!?"

"Buggy?" Hook blinked as he looked back between the surprise pairing, before smirking a bit. "Is it just me, or is your voice higher than it was before?"

"SHUT UP! NO, IT'S-!" Buggy cleared his throat as his pirates tittered behind him. In a (barely) deeper tone, he said, "No, it's not. I suppose you're wondering how this little alliance came to be?"

"Well, I don't really care-"

"After you left me for the dogs," Buggy ran over Hook, just happy to have an audience, "a Navy ship came to pick me up. Thankfully, they were unaware of my full ability, so with a little sleight-of-hand…" For emphasis, Buggy's gloved hand came off at the wrist and held up a peace sign. "I made my daring escape, and even got a few of my men to boot!" At the mention of his crew, they cheered and even howled, even shooting a few bullets in the air.

"Those damn Marines were relentless! Chasing us up and down the East Blue – it was getting so we were running out of sea! By then, a stroke of fortune! That same vessel got called off, probably to tackle some other big fish! It was shortly after that I ran into Krieg here, as he was wrapped in chains and being dragged off by his traitorous crew!" As Buggy hammed it up, his crew actually crying as he told the tale, Cabaji, who had been standing behind the mad clown, began playing violin as if to up the faux sadness of the recounting. "Why, it was enough to make an old salt like me-"

Hook's anger shot up to eleven, as he suddenly snarled, "You ran into Gin! Where is he!? If you did anything to him, I'm punching that big ugly nose to the other side of your damn head!"

The crowd gaped at the bold threat. The Buggy Pirates wept as they knew what was coming next. Krieg rolled his eyes, already sick of the clown's antics. Blood vessels popped and pulsed all over Buggy's face as he glared bloody murder at Hook. "ARGH! I'M GONNA KILL YOU FLASHILY FOR THAT INSULT, YOU SITTING TARGET!"

At that, Hook smirked. "Target? Maybe. But sitting? Guess you forgot my powers, ya old fart!" Hook grabbed the bars of his cage. "Consu-!" Hook bit the inside of his cheek as a wave of weakness washed over him. He let go of the cage, stumbling back. "Huh… let's try that again. Consu-ergh!" Once more, Hook grabbed the cage, and once more he felt like all his strength had left him. He fell to one knee, feeling like he just wet ten rounds with Silk. "What the heck... is going on?"

Meanwhile, the Buggy Pirates had been laughing at Hook's attempt to break through the cage. Buggy and Krieg, especially smug, watched with twin shit-eating grins as Hook failed to understand what was happening. "Good luck 'Consuming' that, you half-pint punk!" Krieg spoke, his teeth glinting in what little light could shine through the clouds. "We made a quick stop at a Navy Cargo ship. Guess your idea was spot on, clown."

"Gyahahaha! Of course! You're talking to the – WHO'S THE CLOWN, YOU WIRED ASSHOLE!" Buggy went from preening to fuming in a second flat before he recovered enough to begin bragging again. "You talk a big game, but you're only just stepping into the world of being a Fruit User. Here's your first lesson: those that eat Devil Fruits become the sea's hated enemy. You will drown down there, nothing doing!"

Hook, who had given up trying to tear through the cage, turned his hand into its cannon form. "Cannon Party-!"

"Stop!" Eric cried out in hysterics. He grabbed Hook's arm and shook vigorously, preventing him from concentrating on firing. "Are you trying to kill us!"

"Get off!" Hook elbowed the greatly blubbering bounty hunter off of him. "It's just some weird cage! Once I blow it open-"

"Oh-ho-ho~ I wouldn't!" Buggy crowed, wagging a finger on a disembodied hand. "Lesson two: the cage you're in is made from Sea Stone Prism. It's hard as diamond and somehow possesses the same energy as the ocean. It's very useful for keeping flashy brats in their place!"

Hook frowned as he looked around his current prison, ignoring the jeering laughter of Buggy and Krieg's men. "So what? This isn't gonna hold me for long!"

Buggy grinned evilly, as some of his men wheeled in something covered by a tarp. "Maybe it won't stick forever, but you're not going anywhere-!" Buggy ripped the sheet off, revealing a cannon identical to the one used in Orange Town.

"Not until you're blown everywhere," Krieg finished with a mad gleam in his eye. Hook glared down the barrel of his demise, while Eric whimpered in the corner of the cage. Meanwhile, at the back of the crowd, a certain redhead had already run off, his mind a flurry of emotion as he tried to figure out what to do.

On the far side of the plaza, Marines had gathered in the abandoned office buildings, watching what could only be described as a carnival on drugs. Dancers, jugglers, and all manner of contortionists had gathered in Execution Square, with the main focus the front of the scaffold. As one sailor made notes on everything he saw (though his brain had to take a second to reset at the female sword swallower, as did most of the Marines), two people entered the room behind them. "Report."

The observant Marine turned and saluted the man and woman. "Hello, Captain Smoker! Master Chief Tashigi!" The two officers took the salute in stride. At a casual glance, one would be hard-pressed to think of the duo as Marine officers. Smoker, as his name implied, was chomping on two cigars at once, sported messy white hair, and wore a white windbreak, unzipped so everyone saw his washboard abs. By contrast, Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi appeared too bookish to be seen as a vicious Pirate chaser. She wore a casual short-sleeved button-up, dark pants, and sensible tan shoes. Her most defining accessory was her red glasses, covered in smudges and scratches from drops and many a time tripping over her own feet. However, anybody with a more discerning eye would catch a couple of details belaying their true nature: their posture, their gait, and their focused looks. And even if they missed that, the jutte on Smoker's back, covering the kanji that read "Justice," and the Meito-level sword at Tashigi's side would express strongly not to mess with them.

The Marine dropped the salute and answered his superior's unasked question. "There are over 60 pirates down in the square. The most notable would be Don Krieg, Buggy the Clown, and James Hook."

Smoker nodded at each one but paused at the last name. "James Hook? Who is James Hook?"

"James Hook, the Iron Fist," Haru read off the bounty in hand. "Wanted for a rampage across at least two populated islands, and struck a Navy officer. His two accomplices, Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro and Daybreaker Silk, have caused wanton destruction both inside and outside his sphere of influence."

On the complete opposite side of the plaza, directly across from the Marines, the Pride Hunters were watching the spectacle as well from a rooftop vantage point. Haru was sitting on a crate, a napkin placed on it so she didn't dirty her dress. "From what little info I could scrounge up from my sources, their flag's a silver skull with a cannon and a golden ax."

"Geez, Haru! As usual, your info-gathering is scary!" Ann looked out over the crowd, binoculars scanning over the whole crowd, a whip hanging from her hip. "Just what we expect from our info broker!"

"Knowing who they are isn't going to change anything," Makoto spoke up, leaning on a smoke stack. As she continued, she went over to Ann to take the binoculars. "Names, epitaphs, bounties – it's all meaningless." A quick scan brought her attention to her target – James Hook, sitting in a Sea Stone Prism cage, looking incredibly irate, as another figure next to him was crying like an infant and appearing to beg Krieg for freedom. She pulled the binoculars away from her face, but her gaze never wavered from Hook's direction. "In the end, a pirate is a pirate. Crooked, dishonest, and bloodthirsty. Nothing more than sea scum floating on the water."

Ann and Haru nodded resolutely; after two years of bounty hunting, they had never met a pirate that wasn't a piece of human garbage in baggy skin, so why would that change now? "So, what's the plan, Mako-chan?" Haru asked.

"Plan? There's no need to rush," Smoker said to the shock of the reporting Marine.

"W-what!?" the man stuttered. "But, Captain-!"

"Shut up!" Smoker barked, and his subordinate instantly grew silent. With a determined look, the Marine officer said, "When has a pirate ever escaped me?"

"Never, Sir!" Tashigi nodded in the affirmative. "So, what will we do?"

"Let them kill each other," Makoto said, as she broke out some brass knuckles.

"What!?" Ann gaped at Makoto's declaration. "But, that bounty… think of all the cakes we could buy~"

"Hu hu!" Haru giggled behind her hand. "It seems Ann the Glutton has made an appearance."

"Oh, shut up!" Ann snapped, blushing profusely.

"The bounty isn't important," Makoto grinned. "Only the kill matters. So, the minute they blow that monster away…"

"We go in and mop up every pirate left," Smoker commanded. "At the sound of that cannon firing, all units move!"

Coby was humming a happy tune as he carried a large crate of rice crackers. True, the cargo was heavy, but he considered it training to become a strong Marine. Furthermore, he successfully completed his mission for Vice Admiral-! Coby almost dropped his load when he came to a sudden realization. "...Holy crap! Pirate Hunter Zoro's in Loguetown!"

A/N: Oh, Coby... I feel like I'm doing you dirty in this fic! Well, don't forget to tell me what you think! Next time, some of the new recruits get to show off their moves!

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