Just one chapter for you guys this week. I've fallen behind on my writing so I can't be double posting if I'm not finishing two chapters a week, you know?
Also, a big thank you to everyone who had followed and favorited! We're already nearing 100, and that's honestly wild to me.
Enjoy!
"Alright you two," Zoro said. "This will be your first official test as students of mine. Let's see if you can handle some of these guys. Let's go!" Johnny gaped at his teacher as he leapt from the rooftop they were standing on, right into the fray of enemies below.
"Yeah, good luck with that." Nojiko said. "I'll go down the normal way." The Quartermaster started to climb down, leaving the two swordsmen confused.
"W-What do we do?" Yosaku asked weakly. "Do we jump?"
"I guess we have no other option," Johnny replied weakly. Steeling himself as battle sounded off below, he leapt from the rooftop, aiming for the open space Zoro had created. Landing and rolling, Johnny drew Sutomukora and raised it, waiting for the battle to begin. Yosaku landed as well, which signalled that the fight would start. Zoro quickly made work of anyone who came to close, this Three Sword Style demolishing the lesser swordsmen who charged them. Johnny turned and easily deflected an attack a horizontal strike aimed to main him, disarming the combatant and kicking them in the stomach. He turned and locked blades with another man who came for him, clashing with him violently.
Remember your training! These guys don't match up to Big Bro Zoro at all!
It was time that he started to use his special style. During his rigid training with Zoro, he had advised that both him and Yosaku come up with a style of fighting, one that would be all their own that they could use. That way, they weren't just swinging their blades around uselessly. He was nowhere near perfecting his technique, but he liked to think that his new attacks were interesting.
"Sword of the Sea: Cascading Slash!" Kicking his opponent again, Johnny twirled and brought his blade down vertically, slashing the bounty hunter across his front and dropping him immediately. Grinning at his success, he turned and repeated these blows a few more times against people who weren't looking at him in an attempt to weed them out.
"Got you!" A voice said. Johnny whirled just in time to parry a strike from another swordsman, but the angle he was holding was too awkward for him to hold for long. Before either could do anything, a gunshot rang out and blood spurted from the mans right arm. This momentary opening allowed Johnny to overpower him, slashing him away. He looked up to catch a glimpse of Nojiko in a nearby building before she ducked under the windowsill, being fired at by other Barque Works members. It was obvious that her shot had saved him, but he'd have to thank her later. For now, he could simply return the favour. Falling into line with Yosaku, the two cleaved their way through the attackers besieging the Quartermaster. They worked their way through most of the members fairly easily, and as they did so Johnny noted just how fast and well he was reacting. Prior to training he never would have been this on top of his game, and now he was blowing people out of the water with relative ease. He could definitely be of use to Luffy like this.
"Watch out you two, reinforcements!" Nojiko shouted, peeking out of her hiding spot to take a shot. Johnny turned to find that a group of twenty or so were running up to them, weapons ready.
"We should split up," Yosaku said from his right. "That way we aren't letting ourselves get swarmed."
"Good call," he agreed. "Meet you back here."
Splitting off from his partner, Yosaku ran down the alleyways of Whiskey Peak, a sizeable number of the hunters following after him. He spared a thought to wonder when he had gotten so confident in his abilities against multiple opponents, but he knew what the answer was. It was because he had been training with Zoro day in and day out. The man was an unforgiving yet excellent teacher.
Gripping Jishin's hilt, Yosaku turned and took a wide swing at the nearest of his pursuers, knocking him into a nearby wall and crumbling it from the force.
"You guys made a big mistake messing with us!" One of the pirate hunters said as he and his friends encircled Yosaku. Keeping on his toes, Yosaku kept his eyes planted firmly on the man squarely ahead of him in the circle, waiting for an attack. Sensing one coming from behind, he ducked and felt the mans slash go over his head. Using this change in momentum he slammed the man into one of his comrades, knocking them both to the ground. Four more remained, who all rushed Yosaku at once. Using Jishin's size he swatted the first mans blade downwards, propelling himself off of it as the others also missed their attacks. Landing on top of one of the other men, he swung at another two widely again, his brunt force knocking them into the walls again. This left only one, who was rearing his blade over Yosaku. Blocking it, the other mans force was becoming a bit too much for Yosaku to bear. Making a split second decision before he fell over, he let himself fall to gain leverage, ducking under the mans raised left arm and coming out behind him.
"Sword of the Earth: Landslide Slash!" Bringing Jishin over his head, he slammed it downwards with all the force he could muster. The attack sent the Baroque Works agent straight into the dirt, cracking the ground as he impacted. Sighing in relief, Yosaku looked down at Jishin as he recalled the sparring sessions he'd had with Zoro.
"The Sea and the Earth, huh?" He asked. "Why those specifically? Any reason?"
"I want to be unrelenting like the crashing waves!" Johnny said as he practically sang his response.
"I want to be unmoving like the ground beneath us!" Yosaku said. Zoro gave the pair an unimpressed look, sighing.
"I see," he replied simply. "Well, if that's the case then I know what we'll have to do. Johnny, with you I'll focus on affirmative action and taking control of the fight. With Yosaku, we'll train to to be a reactive fighter and wait to take the fight away from your opponent. Sound good?"
"Anything you say, Big Bro!"
"Big Bro's training really is paying off!" He said with a grin. "I waited and took control of the fight when I saw an opening! I can't wait to tell Big Bro!" Deciding it was best to look for the aforementioned teacher, Yosaku kept Jishin ready as he rounded corner, looking for anyone that looked like they wanted to fight. For the most part he saw no action, only hearing the occasional slash and gunshot. Finally, after what felt like forever he rounded another corner and found Zoro grappling with what looked like a man yet had the facial features of a woman. He watched as Zoro was pounding into the ground and punched in the face, making his eyes widen.
"Big Bro Zoro!" He shouted in surprise, readying his blade to run in. Before he could make a difference, however, Zoro had regained control of the fight and stood, grabbing his attacker around the face with his hand.
"Ah, where did all that bravado go?" He demanded. "You looked so tough a second ago." Squeezing a little harder, Yosaku watched as the man or whatever hit the ground, unmoving. Zoro finally seemed to notice his presence now, looking up. "Ah, Yosaku. Did you defeat some of them?"
"A-Ah, yes I did. I did exactly as you taught me and it worked so well!"
"Well, I'm glad. Let's hope Johnny and Nojiko are okay. Especially Nojiko. I'm not a fan of leaving her on her own in this."
"I'm fine," a voice said. Yosaku and Zoro looked up to find Nojiko dangling her feet off of the rooftop above them, pistols in hand. "I was playing cat and mouse with these idiots."
"Did they get you?" Yosaku asked, noting the blood dripping down the woman's face. Nojiko shook her head as she wiped it away.
"Nah, they just nicked me." she replied. "Nothing to worry about."
"Big Bro Zoro!" Johnny's voice came as he rounded the corner. "Big Sis Nojiko! Yosaku! Are you guys alright?"
"We're fine," Zoro replied. "More importantly, is that everyone dealt with?" As if one cue, the named agents of Barque Works showed themselves again. Ms. Wednesday and Mr. Nine accompanied Igarappoi as they faced off the four of them from the other side of the road.
"It seems we underestimated these pirates after all," Igarappoi said, a saxophone in his hands. "For one hundred agents to be defeated by four people...Truly shameful."
"We'll have to deal with this ourselves then!" Mr. Nine said, steel bats in his hands. Ms. Wednesday smirked as she raised a hand to her mouth.
"I'll follow your lead, Mr. Nine!" She said, whistling. "Karoo! Give me your hand!" A loud quack somewhere in Whiskey Peak came in response, and Yosaku watched as a duck wearing some sort of blue hat appeared out on nowhere behind the pair.
And he just stood there, a wing outstretched.
"Not literally, you moron!" Ms. Wednesday shouted angrily. "Just come here!" Karoo quacked again and rushed to her aid as Igarappoi raised the saxophone to his lips, bullets shooting out of the end like a gun. Realising they were sitting ducks, the three swordsmen ducked for cover as Nojiko sprang back over the edge of the building to conceal herself. Yosaku waited until the bullets had stopped firing to peak out, but by doing that he nearly got his head taken off by Ms. Wednesday as she rode by, swinging a peacock slasher on her finger. He was fully prepared to defend herself until he watched her ride away on the duck, yelling for him to stop.
"What was that?" He demanded, confused. He recovered from his confused just in time to dodge the next oncoming hail of bullets from Igarappoi, who was still covering the whole street with his attack. How exactly was he supposed to get out of this?
Nojiko knew that Mr. Nine had followed her, and she wasn't going to let him have his way. Despite not liking the danger Nami had frequently put her life in, Nojiko figured that stealth was probably a very valuable skill. So, she decided that trying her hand at it would be in her best interest. She couldn't tell if she was good at it though, as Mr. Nine might have just been oblivious.
"Come on out, little girl!" Mr. Nine shouted. "I just want to turn you into the Navy to earn a cut from your Captain's bounty!"
Like hell I will.
Waiting until he passed the chimney she was hiding behind, Nojiko burst forth and slammed her leg into the back of Mr. Nine's knees, crumbling him to the ground. Without missing a beat she beat him over the head with the butt end of her pistol, knocking him to the floor quickly. She sighed as she put the weapons away and regarded the man weakly.
"Are you seriously supposed to be a good member of this agency?" She demanded. Shrugging, she reached down to drag him back, only for him to whip around and slam a foot into her stomach, winding her and forcing her back.
"Stupid woman!" He shouted. "Don't you know who we are?! You don't get away from Baroque Works!" Winded and dazed from the kick, Nojiko felt adrenaline begin to pump through her body. She'd never been in a fight like this. It was almost exhilarating. Rolling away from Mr. Nine before he could bring his bat down on her back, she drew a pistol and aimed it at him, clicking the hammer back threateningly. Without missing a beat the end of Mr. Nine's bat sprung out, wrapping itself around Nojiko's wrist and causing her to drop the gun. Growling, she drew the other one and fired a shot into the mans shoulder, making him lose the grip he had on his bat and drop to the ground. He didn't missed a beat though, charging her with his bare hands. Nojiko blocked the initial attack almost on instinct, blocking the right hook with her arm. As he tried to pull away she veered back and slammed her leg into his body, sending him to the ground again. He rolled away and stood, grabbing his bat and swinging it widely at her. She took the first swing hard, groaning as the metal bore into her arm as she blocked it. Ducking underneath the next swing, Nojiko drove her fist into his stomach, knocking the wind from him as well. Sighing in relief as her heart pounded, Nojiko picked the other pistol up and kept it aimed at Mr. Nine, who looked feebly as he raised his arms.
"Walk back towards your friends," she warned, aiming squarely at him. "Move funnily once and I'll blast you." Growling but also knowing defeat, Mr. Nine raised his hands up and walked back towards the street, where gunfire could still be heard. Once they arrived Nojiko saw Johnny and Yosaku tackle Igarappoi to the ground, Zoro leaning over him with the butt end of his sword aimed in between the mans eyes.
"Checkmate," Zoro said with a grin. "Guess a three versus one was unfair, eh old man?"
"Mr. Eight!" Mr, Nine shouted in despair. "How did you let them beat you?!"
"Same can be said to you, Mr. Nine!" Igarappoi, or Mr. Eight, said angrily. "She's just an unknown pirate!"
"Enough talk," Nojiko said. "Now, where did that blue haired girl go?" As if to answer her question, Ms. Wednesday reappeared.
However, she had the sleeping Luffy held at knife point.
"Let both of them go," she threatened with an uneasy smirk. "Or else the Captain gets it." The group watched the woman silently before Nojiko drew her spare pistol and aimed it at the woman.
"Just trying hurting him," she threatened. "I wonder if my bullet will hit faster than the knife."
"I'll use him as my meat shield then!" Ms. Wednesday said with a smirk as she hid behind the comically inflated Luffy. "Would you shoot your own Captain?" Nojiko made a face at this, realising she was right. What could she do now?
"Nojiko," Zoro said, speaking up. Turning to him, she saw that he had a smirk on his face. "Shoot the gun."
"W-What?" Nojiko asked weakly. "I-I'll hit Luffy."
"I know," Zoro said as he winked at her. "Fire the gun." Nojiko stared at the swordsmen in confusion, unsure as to what she was to do. Ms. Wednesday, however, laughed.
"A mutiny at a time like this?" She asked. "Pirates truly are despicable. Now, put the gun down sister." Nojiko ignored her, keeping her eyes on Zoro. He nodded firmly at her, which she guessed was for affirmation. Taking a deep breath, Nojiko turned her eyes back to Ms. Wednesday and Luffy.
Exhaling, she pulled the trigger.
She watched as her shot dug into Luffy's body before ricocheting outwards, startling Ms. Wednesday away from him in surprise. In one fell swoop both Yosaku and Johnny charged down the alleyway like men possessed, tackling the woman to the ground and holding her there. Zoro just laughed.
"Looks like we got you anyway," he said, smirking down at Igarappoi. "Next time, don't have a chat about what you're going to do." With this, Zoro smashed Igarappoi in the head with the butt end of the blade, knocking the mayor to the ground. Johnny performed the same action, albeit more lightly, to Ms Wednesday, also sending her to the ground. Taking her cue, Nojiko hit Mr. Nine in the back of the head again, sending him off the roof and into the dirt in between his allies. Zoro smirked as he sheathed his blades.
"Good work everyone. Looks like we can go back to drinking peacefully now."
Zoro laughed as Nojiko recanted her rooftop encounter with Mr. Nine, and how she'd gotten the upper hand on him. Right now the four were sitting n the rooftops drinking in celebration of the victory, as one should.
"It was amazing," the girl said as she took the bottle from Yosaku and took a sip. "The adrenaline made it so much easier to see what I needed to do... I've never been in a situation like that."
"Fights get like that," Zoro said as she handed the bottle off to Johnny. "I'm glad we all made it out of that without getting too hurt, that would have sucked."
"All because of your training, Big Bro Zoro!" Johnny shouted. "With you, we'll never lose!"
"I'll have to ask Sanji for more help in close quarters," Nojiko said. "He almost had me back there."
"Just make sure he doesn't try and sneak a peek at you, that Love Cook doesn't have the best intentions in the world." The pirates laughed at the cooks expense as they drank, ignoring the sounds of people speaking just below them on the street. Looking over out of curiosity, Zoro noted that two new people had appeared. One was a man dressed in red, the other a woman in yellow. Both were speaking to Igarappoi, Ms. Wednesday and Mr. Nine, about what he didn't know.
"Anyway, the boss said that someone knew his secret." The man said as he picked his nose. "And we all know what happens to those who know his secret. Don't we now, Nefertari Vivi? Igaram?" It was then that Igarappoi stood bolt right up, and pulled at his bow tie. Guns appeared out of the rolls in his hair, and he fired them on the pair.
"Princess, run!" He shouted, clearly referring to Ms. Wednesday. "I'll hold them off!"
"Igaram I won't leave you!" Ms. Wednesday, or Vivi, replied.
"We knew this was a possibility!" Igaram said. "Please leave this to me and make a run for it!" Before Vivi was even given the chance to run, Igaram exploded. Zoro's eyes widened as he watched the man collapse to the ground, unmoving.
He also noticed Luffy still laying in the street, which made him frown.
"We really should move Luffy," he said, hopping down off the roof. He quickly went and moved his Captain as Mr. Nine also stood up to the pair of agents before also being swiftly knocked to the ground. Once they'd gotten the Captain out of harms way, they watched the so called Princess flee from her pursuers.
"I feel like we're missing something here," Yosaku said as he played with the bottle of booze.
"Who cares?" Nojiko demanded. "They tried to kill us. Internal conflict is not our concern."
"Y-You there...Pirates!" Zoro made a face and looked down as Igarappoi/Igaram crawled up to them, looking like absolute hell. "P-Please, I'm begging you! Do not let those monsters kill Princess Vivi! They've got Devil Fruit powers, so I can't best them on my own! Please, you must save her!"
"We'll pass," Zoro replied. "Sounds like your problem."
"Please, you must! It's of the utmost importance that Vivi survives!"
"You do realise you just tried to kill us, right?" Nojiko asked. "Why the hell should we help you at all?"
"I don't have time to explain!" Igaram shouted again. "Please save her! If you don't, Alabasta will lie in ruin! For the sake of millions of people, please save her!"
Were Johnny and Yosaku's moves corny? Absolutely. Do I care? Nope! That was the whole point, cause these two guys whole thing is corny. And I love it. I hope you enjoyed, leave a review!