Checkmate-13 is the irreplaceable Beta for this story!
Chapter 12. The Tale of the Gutsy Liar
Luffy grinned at the already paling pirates. "Oh, we meet again!" He lowered his head so that the rim of the straw hat shadowed his eyes, and his happy grin slowly changed into the wicked one. "Ready for round two?"
Some pirates stepped away from him, several plainly fell on their butts with terror etched across their features.
"C-c-captain Jango! It's them!" stuttered one of them.
"What?! You were defeated by three kids?!" the hypnotist yelled in outrage.
"Actually," Luffy interjected, "Nami didn't participate, so they were defeated by only two of us."
Zoro smiled, and Nami chuckled.
"We'll just have to deal with them now!" Jango ordered.
"B-but, captain…"
Zoro narrowed his eyes at the man's title. He glanced at Luffy, but the boy observed them passively.
"YOU IDIOTS!" Jango reprimanded his crew. "Did you forget captain Kuro's orders? We can't mess it up or else he'll kill us all!"
"If you want to fight, I'll be your opponent," the three-sword user said with a smirk, before turning to Luffy. "No objections, right, captain?"
The straw hatted teen stared at him, confused. "Uh, sure, Zoro."
Zoro's smirk grew into a satisfied grin as he pulled out all three of his katanas and readied himself for the fight.
Jango gritted his teeth. "Fine! I'll deal with you myself!" he declared while pulling out a chakram. "Look at this. After I say '1, 2, Jango!' all three of you will fall asleep," he instructed, swinging the ring on the string like a pendulum. "1… 2… Jan–"
"Oni Giri!" Zoro cut off his opponent by unleashing an attack on him. The pirates gasped in horror as their captain fell down, blood splattering from his wounds. The swordsman took the blade out from his mouth and faced Luffy with a wide grin. "And with this," he pointed a katana at him, "I have eighteen."
Slowly the realization dawned on Luffy, and his eyes widened. "WHAT?! No way! It's not fair!"
"Our bet is a draw now," Zoro claimed, grinning at him smugly.
Nami couldn't hold in her laughter after seeing Luffy's dumbfounded expression.
"You cheater!" the teen hissed. He snapped his head to the nearest pirate, causing him to flinch in fear.
The knuckles planted themselves in the poor bastard's mug, sending him flying. He crashed into his friend, standing right behind him, and flung them both across the shore.
"See?" Luffy pointed at the beaten men. "Now I have twenty!"
"No, Luffy," Zoro shook his head, "you can't count them twice."
The straw hatted captain bended his brows in discontent. "Why not?!"
"Sorry to tell you, Luffy," the navigator said, finally able to catch her breath after her fit of laughing, "but Zoro has a point. You already defeated them before."
The teen crossed his arms in front of him in a childish pout. Nami chuckled again, and the swordsman broke into a victorious smile. Even if he didn't actually win it still felt good to end the bet as a draw.
Usopp watched the exchange between the pirates and the three teenagers with an open mouth from shock. As he understood it, they were responsible for the current condition of that crew. Whatever their quarrel was about, the sharpshooter was glad that the strange trio appeared at such a convenient moment.
Usopp was so absorbed into observing what was happening on the shore that he failed to notice the presence coming at him from behind.
"It's been pretty long since dawn, I was wondering why the plan wasn't carried out…"
The liar almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a voice right behind his back. He leapt to the side and gulped nervously as his eyes locked on the man in the black suit.
"Klahadore…" Usopp whispered in terror.
Kuro sneered at him, adjusting his glasses with his palm, before looking down on the people at the beach. Several veins popped on his forehead, and he couldn't hold in the rage building up inside of him. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?"
It drew the attention of every person present as they turned to look at the tall man on the top of the slope. Already scared out of their minds, the pirates suddenly plunged into a total panic. Their eyes darted between the newcomer, the straw hatted kid, his companions, and back to their former captain.
"Cap… Cap… Captain Kuro!" wheezed out one of them.
"We… We're done for now!" another wailed.
Luffy frowned while staring at the new person. It was quite rare that he took an instant dislike to anyone. But this man had such a dark, sinister presence that the teen marked him as his enemy the moment he laid eyes on him.
"The Black Cat pirates have been reduced to a truly sad state…" Kuro remarked, glancing over his terrified, beaten looking crewmembers. His eyes fell on Jango's body, and he scowled. After pushing his glasses up with his palm, the pirate captain shifted his gaze to the three unknown kids. "You were the ones who took them down, I take it?"
"That's right!" Luffy replied.
Kuro focused on the straw hatted boy. "Who are you? What's your business here?"
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy!" the teen introduced himself, smiling. "We're pirates who just landed here."
Usopp gasped. So these strangers were pirates! This situation was getting worse by the minute. His shoulders dropped. There was no way he could deal with two groups of pirates, especially with that bastard butler present.
"Pirates..?" Kuro repeated. He glanced over the Black Cat crew, frowning in thought. His plan got completely ruined. His men were defeated, those still standing could hardly do anything against a group of villagers. The most important figure in his long three year scheme was also taken out. There was no other choice now but to scare Kaya and force her to write the will, but how to make the attack on the village happen?
The former pirate captain smirked slyly as all the details in his newly changed plan clicked into place. He adjusted his glasses, and addressed the straw hatted kid again. "I would like to make a deal with you," Kuro proposed. "If you and your pawns could ransack the village on this island, I would reward you."
Luffy's smile faltered. "My pawns…?" he repeated, glaring at the man, but only loud enough for his two nakama to hear. "I don't like him," he finally admitted.
Nami and Zoro smiled at his words and nodded in agreement.
"Captain Kuro!" called one of the pirates. "But what about us?! Aren't we suppose to attack the village?!"
Kuro snorted. "You fools are expendable," he replied calmly, putting his bag on the ground and pulling out the strange gloves with long blades attached to every finger. "I will exterminate all of you. As long as your bodies are here, I can prove my innocence."
"Don't joke around like that, captain Kuro!" someone pleaded.
"We can still attack the village!" another insisted.
Luffy fixed his hat more firmly on his head. Before he could yell to shove his offer where the sun doesn't shine, he felt one more person rushing towards the man in the suit.
"KAYA!" Usopp screamed, pushing the girl away and jumping in front of the descending glove blades when Kuro spun around and slashed at the possible assailant.
The liar winced as the claws slid over his arm, but he held in the urge to scream in pain. Getting Kaya away from here was more important. He looked at the girl who was shaking from the near death experience and staring at her ex-butler with wide eyes full of terror. Kuro glared at her, pushing his glasses up in his usual manner.
"Kaya, why are you here?!" Usopp demanded, holding his hurt arm and trying to stop the bleeding.
The girl shifted her gaze onto him, then down to the blood seeping from his wound. Her already pale complexion blanched even more, and she put a hand over her mouth. Tears collected in her eyes. "Usopp-san…" the young mistress squeaked out. "I'm sorry, Usopp-san! We treated you so badly, and yet you're–"
"That doesn't matter now!" the sharpshooter interrupted. "Why did you come here? I told you to run away! He wants to kill you, Kaya!"
"But, aren't you fighting?!" Kaya shouted helplessly.
"We're different! I'm the son of a pirate, a brave warrior of the sea!"
"KLAHADORE!" the girl yelled at the pirate in front of her. "If you want my money, I'll give it all to you! So just leave this village! Please!"
"You surprise me, Ojou-sama," Kuro admitted. "How do you know about that?"
"Merry told me everything."
"Oh, so he didn't die?" the pirate noted. "I didn't show any mercy to him."
Kaya bit her lip, trying to stop the tears from spilling out. This man wasn't the Klahadore she knew. He couldn't be the same gentle and attentive caretaker she loved. This man was a pirate, an unmerciful killer who wanted nothing more but to take hers and the villagers' lives.
"But you're wrong, Ojou-sama," Kuro continued after adjusting his glasses. "It's not only money I'm after. What I desire is the tranquility of my soul."
"Kaya, just run!" Usopp shouted. "He's not the butler you know!"
The blonde winced from his words, then bit her lip again and with trembling hands pulled out a pistol, pointing it at Klahadore. "Leave this village!" she ordered with a shaky voice.
"Oh, you've grown a lot these past three years, Ojou-sama. Do you still remember? A lot has happened in"-
"DON'T YOU DARE!" Usopp suddenly roared, jumping to his feet. He grabbed the pistol from Kaya, instantly pointed it at the butler and pulled the trigger.
"Usopp-kun," the cold voice rang from behind, and the long-nosed teen flinched, still staring at the empty spot where just a split second ago Kuro had been standing.
Blades surrounded his head. A chill ran down his spine as Usopp realized that he would be killed now for sure.
"You really shouldn't interfere when I'm speaking," Kuro commented with a cold-blooded smile on his face. He narrowed his claw's grip…
A fist smashed into Kuro's face, sending him backwards and onto the ground. The moment after, a joyful laughter resounded from the shore.
Luffy's arm snapped back, and he turned to Zoro with a face-splitting grin. "NINETEEN!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.
The swordsman blinked. Nami burst into laughter. Even if she thought that this whole situation wasn't funny at all, the pure happiness on Luffy's face was really contagious. Not to mention the completely dumbfounded expression of Zoro.
"Wait, wait, WAIT!" the three-sword user protested. "Can we even count that man for our bet?!"
"Sure, we can!" Luffy affirmed. He looked at the nearest pirate and asked him the question, "He's your captain, isn't he?"
"Y-yeah… Sort of…"
The straw hatted teen grinned at his swordsman again. Everyone could practically see stars twinkling around him from his absolute confidence.
Zoro groaned, palming his face. "Damn…" he cursed quietly.
Luffy turned to look up at the top of the slope, a slight frown marring his face. The man in the suit was standing tall and glaring at them.
Kuro seethed at Usopp, suddenly lifting his leg and kicking him hard in the stomach. The long-nosed teen yelped, skidding along the slope and finally stopping in the middle. Kaya gasped, but she couldn't muster even an ounce of strength to do anything.
"I guess you're not just playing pirates, like this trash." Kuro sneered at the trio.
"Don't talk about Usopp-san like that!" Kaya cried out.
"Ojou-sama," the man addressed her softly, but then his eyes hardened and a chilly chuckle escaped his mouth. "I will take care of you after them, so be patient."
Usopp managed to lift himself off the ground. He staggered a bit, calling all of his will not to drop down. "I'll not allow you to touch Kaya, you bastard!" he proclaimed. "Even if I'm no match for you… I'll… I'll protect her! I'll protect them all!"
"Oh, you speak such brave words despite being the son of a filthy pirate who abandoned your family, leaving you to play make-believe with a bunch of kids."
"Don't insult my father!"
"Hmph," Kuro dismissed him, looking back at the straw hatted kid. "I'm a bit curious… That was quite an odd attack you just used. Looks like you possess the power of a Devil Fruit."
Luffy's frown deepened. "You should be down," he stated, deeply annoyed. "I can't count you if you're not down."
"What are you talking about?" the enemy captain asked, confused. "Never mind," he added, while pushing his glasses up. The glass crackled and crumbled from the frame, causing Kuro's face to screw with malice. He moved his arms to the side, spreading his blades. "I'll just deal with you quickly!"
There was a puff of dust, and Kuro was gone from his spot. Everyone widened their eyes from surprise. On the contrary, Luffy narrowed his eyes. That was interesting. He swayed to the side, eluding an attack from behind, and smirked at his opponent.
"That was a neat way to move," the straw hatted teen commended. "Can you show it one more time?"
"You insolent fool…!" growled Kuro, ignoring how easily the kid avoided his blow. "Fine! Let me show you the terror of a real pirate!"
He seemingly vanished from the sight again. This time Luffy closely watched his footwork. That was definitely similar to a technique he had witnessed in the past. In that place. He remembered its user very clearly now. After all, if not for Luffy's mystery power, that guy would have killed him. The rubber boy even tried to copy his movements, but he was too weak at that time for it to work.
Now he was different.
A smile spread across the straw hatted captain's face, when he moved his body just enough not to be scraped by the claw's slash. He promptly threw a spinning back fist, knocking Kuro onto the ground once again.
"Real pirate, huh?" Luffy taunted. "Honestly, I don't think you know what a true pirate is supposed to be. That guy," he pointed at Usopp, startling him, "has more guts than you."
The enemy captain hauled himself up. "Are you saying that I'm inferior to that 'captain' in a childish pirate game?" he inquired, glaring at the straw hatted kid in front of him.
"Shishishishi, I guess I'm saying exactly that."
Unexpectedly, Kuro burst into laughter. "You're so stupid!" he exclaimed. "Don't get cocky just because you landed a couple of hits!"
"At least I landed a couple, you haven't done even that much," the boy countered, goofy grin plastered on his face.
The man glared at Luffy, baring his teeth in rage, but then he smiled and fixed his hair with his palms, calming himself down. "I'll show you, puny ant," he said in a dangerously low voice, lowering his hands and his head, "the terror of the pirate who's been at the brink of death and survived!"
"WAAAAH! That stance!" a random pirate cried out.
"Don't tell me it's that special technique!"
"I'm pretty sure that's it!"
Zoro eyed the panicking men, then the slowly swaying captain. He also glanced at his own captain who had his eyes fixed on his opponent, but didn't seem too stressed about his odd behavior.
"Please, don't use that technique!"
"We'll do anything!"
Nami raised an eyebrow at the sudden chaos. "What are they talking about? He's just swaying there…"
"We're all going to die!"
Usopp looked at Kuro, then at his crew, then at the straw hatted boy, then at his two companions, then back at Kuro. He had no clue what might happen in the next minute.
Suddenly Kuro disappeared.
Nami gaped, Zoro frowned. Usopp gasped and ran up where Kaya was sitting on the ground. The rest of the crowd kept wailing and pleading him to stop.
Two pirates got knocked down with deep cuts across their bodies. Two pairs of slashes appeared on the rocks near Luffy.
"Zoro, protect Nami!" the straw hatted captain ordered, and the swordsman instantly fell into the defensive pose in front of their navigator with a katana at the ready. Luffy's eyes darted to the left and right as he followed Kuro soaring throughout the area, looking for an opportunity to stop him.
Two more pirates fell down as his victims. An invisible attack rammed into Zoro's sword. The swordsman groaned, pushing it away, but the force disappeared as quickly as it came.
Luffy smirked when the man finally swung at him in his blind dash. He jumped from the claws reach, stretched his arm after Kuro, grabbed him by his collar, and then flung the man over his shoulder and into the ground.
"Gotcha!" the teen grinned at Kuro. "You know, you fail as a captain," he said, his voice taking a serious tone. "A captain's duty is to protect his nakama, not harm them."
"Nakama? What's that?" Kuro chuckled, while standing up. "A pirate crew is just a bunch of random outcasts!"
"And that's why you fail not only as a captain, but as a pirate too," Luffy stated before flashing him a cheeky grin. "Also, you suck at your own movement technique."
"You…!" Kuro now was trembling from the inner rage. "I'LL ENJOY KILLING YOU!" he roared.
"Nope!" the rubber pirate popped 'p'. "Here, I'll show you how it's done efficiently."
Luffy put one hand on top of his straw hat to hold it in place… and vanished from sight, leaving only a small dust cloud in his previous spot. Kuro's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets from the force of the punch aimed right into his stomach. His body flew backwards and smashed into the cliff, destroying part of it in the process.
"And stay down!" the future Pirate King ordered. He turned around and grinned at his shocked nakama before exclaiming happily, "Nineteen!"
Zoro smiled. This kid was such an oddball. "Fine, captain, you won," he admitted with a sigh.
"YOSH-A!"
Nami laughed merrily from their antics. She couldn't even remember a day when she'd laughed so many times since Bellemere… Her smile faltered. It was all temporary. The thief couldn't get attached to these guys. She wasn't allowed to. Her nakama… No, this alliance–
"Nami, are you hurt?" asked Zoro, interrupting her line of thought.
The navigator looked at him. There was slight worry visible in his eyes. "No, no," she shook her head, and laughed it off. "I'm fine, thanks."
The swordsman stared at her for just a bit longer. "Alright then," he accepted.
"–and begone!" Luffy finished his speech to the Black Cat pirates with an authoritative shout. Then he shifted his attention to the long-nosed teen who was just standing at the top of the slope and gawking at them.
Feeling the eyes of the straw hatted pirate on him, Usopp winced. This kid was dangerous. He defeated Kuro so easily! Without a scratch on himself! "Kaya, can you stand up?" he asked of the girl behind him, watching the trio cautiously. "They are pirates, too. We need to get away from here."
"I'm sorry, Usopp-san…" blonde answered quietly after struggling to stand. "My legs… they just don't listen to me."
The sharpshooter clenched his teeth. The boy seemed younger than him, and kids were supposed to be simple-minded. He gripped his slingshot tighter. "I'm the great pirate captain Usopp!" he shouted, while striking a heroic pose. "It's best if you don't try to attack this village, because my 100 million men are not going to forgive you!"
All three pirates blinked at him.
"He can't be one of that creep's men, right?" Nami wondered in a hushed voice, so that the long-nosed teen wouldn't hear her. "With an outrageous lie like that."
"I doubt it," Zoro agreed.
Luffy smiled, amused. "Oh, so you desire a fight then?" he asked. "We're pirates! No one orders us around!"
Usopp cringed. That was not the reaction he'd tried to achieve. Summoning all the bravery he could muster, he stood his ground. "Don't underestimate me!" He aimed his slingshot at the black-haired kid. "Leave now!"
Luffy said nothing as he started walking up the slope towards him. His eyes were hidden under the shadow of the straw hat, the ominous smirk playing on his lips.
"What's he doing?" the navigator hissed to Zoro. "He doesn't plan to kill that boy, does he?"
The swordsman gave her an incredulous glance. "He's not serious, just playing," he explained. "Can't you tell?"
Nami stared at him for a moment then looked at Luffy. "No," she confessed. "Are you sure that you know him well enough after only a week?"
"Don't come closer!" yelled Usopp, not able to control his trembling legs anymore. He wanted to just bolt from here, but… The liar glanced at Kaya over his shoulder. The girl stared at the approaching pirate with eyes full of fear. "Damn…" he cursed under his breath. Turning back to face the black-haired boy, he shouted, "Or I'll make you stop!"
"So, make me," Luffy urged him, not faltering in his steps at all.
Usopp fired a barrage of pachinko balls, but the pirate captain sidestepped them all without any effort, not even slowing down.
Luffy's smirk grew into a wide grin. This guy was certainly worthy. Judging by this short performance, he was a good shot, but what mostly caught Luffy's attention was that he refused to leave his immobile friend and flee. Anyone could stand up against a weaker adversary, but only a really brave person had enough strength to face an opponent he couldn't hope to defeat, just so that he could protect others.
Usopp was shivering violently, sweat poured from him in a fountain as the straw hatted pirate stopped just a step away. That was it. The end of the great captain Uso–
"Join my crew!" Luffy proposed, showing the man in front of him his usual sunny grin.
Usopp blinked, feeling his jaw drop. "Huh?"
Next Chapter: The Smile of the White Sheep
A/N:
Any guesses what kind of favor Luffy is going to ask of Zoro? :)