HELLO FANFICTION! Holy hell,it's been a long time since my last update,but to give a run-down of what's happened since last time: Me and my GF have been house-searching for about a year now,work is twice as troublesome,with Covid messing up our day-to-days,I'm finally getting started on recording my first-ever self-written songs,AND I'm working on getting the driver's licence! So yeah,it's been a lot to take into consideration.
Anyhow,I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please R&R
Chapter 9:Ussopp's home!Black Cats Beware!
It wasn't long from their departure from Orange town until they had Gecko Islands in sight. It was Coby who saw it first,as he had duty in the crow's nest. «Land Ohoy!» he shouted before looking through the spyglass again. «It looks like it's going to be under attack! By the looks of it,it's the Black Cat Pirates! They're almost an hour out!» he reported. Ussopp and Luffy came out from the kitchen, both determined. «The Black Cats are rumored to be under the leadership of Jango the hypnotist since the arrest and execution of their old captain,Kuro of a thousand plans. Aside from Jango,only the Nyaban brothers have any bounty worth mentioning. Do not hesitate and do not hold back!» Luffy commanded while cracking his knuckles,getting nods from everyone. Zoro smirked while preparing his swords,Nami assembled her staff, Ussopp loaded his pistols,while Coby had Ussopp's rifle in the crow's nest,ready to take down enemies from a distance. After a few minutes,Garp came out to see the crew all ready for combat.
«Oh? Is there going to be a fight,boys?» he asked. Ussopp nodded. «The Black Cat Pirates are going to attack my home island. I will not let that happen!» he said in a grim tone. Garp nodded. «I understand. Mind if I cut in? We don't even have to let them know it was us» he said. Ussopp grinned. «All right,gramps! We'll leave it to you this time!» he said with a thumbs up to the old sailor. Garp just nodded and went over to the cannonball rack and picked up one. Zoro just lifted an eyebrow. «What good is that gonna do from this distance?»
Luffy just laughed. «Shishishishi, just watch and learn,Zoro!» he said with a wide grin. Garp walked over to the starboard side of the ship,where the view to the Bezan Black was straight ahead. Garp grinned. «Let's see if this old man still has his strength,eh?» he said as he prepared to throw the cannonball. He charged up his arm and flung it towards the enemy ship. Not two seconds later,the Bezan Black was split in two,and sinking to the ocean floor.
Garp nodded. «Yup. Still got it» he said as he turned towards the rest of the crew,where Zoro,Nami and Coby stood with their jaws dropped and Ussopp and Luffy stood with huge grins and thumbs up. «Nice one Gramps!» Luffy said. «Alright,everyone! To Syrup village!» he yelled,snapping everyone out of their stupor. «Listen up! Even if the Bezan Black is now on the ocean floor,her crew might've survived! Our goal now is to get to the island as fast as possible to stop whoever is left of that crew from causing potential damage to the island! So everyone,step on it!» Luffy commanded,with no room for questions,snapping Zoro,Nami and Coby out of their stupor.
Earlier,aboard the Bezan Black:
«Captain Jango!We're nearing Syrup village!» a pirate yelled,causing their captain to come out from his quarters. «Excellent! Soon we'll have our true captain among us!» Jango said as he looked towards the island. Jango was...eccentric to say the least. He was average height and size,with greying yellow shoulder-length hair. He wore a navy blue jacket and pants with a white shirt. However his eccentric look was topped off by a pair of heart-shaped glasses and a pharaoh-style beard. He looked around the area, to see a ship off in the distance. «A ship? Oh well,we'll plunder them after we're done helping captain Kuro» he said.
As he looked,he suddenly noticed a small object coming towards them. His eyes widened. He only managed to shout «CANNONBALL!» before the object hit the keel. Only seconds later did the ship start breaking apart. Among the confusion,Jango managed to call out: «Everyone off the ship! We have to get to that island!» before jumping off to swim towards the island. He briefly looked back. It seemed most of the men heard his orders. That was good. He needed as many as possible to lead the attack on the village.
Meanwhile, back on The Sea Fox:
Garp took position behind the helm,while Coby and Ussopp was in the crow's nest. Zoro was practicing his Observation haki while meditating as Nami had a light warm-up spar with Luffy. «Great job,Nami! You're really starting to stop pulling your punches! And you're getting even better with your staff!» Luffy complimented with a huge grin,causing Nami to blush slightly. «That would be thanks to your training,captain,so thank you» she said honestly.
Luffy put a hand on her shoulder. «You'll be even better by the time we reach the Conomi Islands. We'll save your home, I swear it!» Luffy said with determination in his voice as he looked her in the eyes. «I know we will,so again,thank you,captain» she said as she hugged him briefly,causing them both to blush slightly,though unseen by each other. Ussopp smirked as he saw his captain and their unofficial navigator. He was happy for Luffy,who was his brother in any way but blood,just like Ace and Sabo. He was currently preparing his pistols,ready to take out any remaining pirates that threatened his old home.
When The Sea Fox arrived at the shores of Syrup village, Luffy,Zoro,Ussopp and Nami walked ashore,Ussopp leading the group. «This is one of two slopes on this part of the island. Out of the two,this is the one that the pirates are most likely to use» Ussopp said. When they reached the top,Ussopp pointed to a mansion further in on the mansion. «The family up there is the richest on the island,they might be the main targets here» he said.
Luffy furrowed his brow. «Ussopp,use your Observation and tell me what you can feel in that direction» he said as he pointed to the mansion. Ussopp raised a brow at Luffy,but did so anyway. A moment later he spread up his eyes. «That's a huge amount of bloodlust up there!» he said. Luffy nodded. «Zoro,Ussopp,get up to that mansion and find out where that bloodlust comes from. If any of the inhabitants are in danger,step in and stop it anyway possible,understood?» Luffy said,getting a nod from both men.
«Nami,you and I are going to wait here for the Black Cat Pirates and eliminate as many as possible» Luffy said,getting a nod from the navigator. "Alright,Zoro,let's go!" Ussopp said as he and Zoro started running up towards the village.
Nami looked out to where she could see the specks that were the Black Cat Pirates coming closer. "I'd say the first pirates will be here in half an hour,if they don't drown first" she said. "Let's hope not too many of them drowns,I'd really like to go all out" Luffy said with a grin.
Just then did Ussopp and Zoro come running back to them, Ussopp carrying an obviously unconscious man with glasses. "Mission accomplished,Captain! We caught this guy as he was about to take out a butler at the mansion up there" Ussopp said as he pointed with his thumb towards the mansion.
Luffy took a closer look at the man and instantly recognized the man from one the old wanted posters Garp and Shanks had shown him a couple of years back. "Well,well,well. Looks like we've caught a ghost,Ussopp!" Luffy said with a grin. "What do you mean,Luffy?" Ussopp said. Luffy looked to Ussopp. "Remember the wanted posters Gramps and the others showed us a couple of years back? Of the most notorious pirates in the East Blue?" Luffy said and pointed to the now awakening man. "Who...dare...to knock...me out?" he said as he sat up. "That would be us...Captain Kuro of a Thousand Plans" Luffy said as he looked directly in Kuro's eyes.
Kuro's eyes widened in shock. How was this obviously rookie pirate powerful enough to knock him out? Even so,how could he have recognized him? He was supposed to have been excecuted three years ago,after all.
He composed himself as he stood up. "I'm sure you must have me confused with someone else. I'm Klahadore,the manservant for Miss Kaya" he said. Ussopp looked deadpan at him. "What kind of manservant tries to assassinate the butler of the same household?Even for a pirate that's barbaric" he said.
"That said,we're taking your bounty" said Luffy,as casual as if he's just discussing the weather. "Excuse me?Who do you think you are,who thinks you can kill me as easy as that?" Kuro said,insulted at the thought of a rookie pirate taking his head. "Monkey D. Luffy. I'm sure you can add up who I am" Luffy said,before knocking him out with a quick burst of Conqueror's Haki.
Luffy then turned to the beach. "Nami, Cats are arriving. Go wild,but spare Jango and the Nyaban brothers." Luffy stated. Nami and Zoro nodded and prepared for battle. Luffy turned to Ussopp. "Let Coby provide cover fire for them,he needs the experience" he said. The sniper nodded and whistled,and promptly the pink-haired boy stood before them with a rifle in hand. "Coby,provide cover fire for Zoro and Nami. The Cats are coming. Spare Jango and the Nyaban brothers,we need their bounties. Kill the rest" Ussopp said. "Hai,Ussopp-sensei!" Coby said,before laying down on the side of the slope with a rifle he got from Ussopp to get a better view of the incoming enemies.
As the pirates gradually began arriving on the island, Zoro and Nami waited halfway down the slope for the first ones to begin their attack.
Jango and Sham helped each other up to the sandy edge of the slope,both panting heavily after the long swim to shore. Sham also had tears down his face,having lost Butchi to the main mast having broken off and killed him instantly. "Jango" he said as he fought to catch his breath. "Hypno...tize...me!...I'm...gonna...kill...those bastards..who killed..Butchi!" he said as he slowly regained his breath.
Jango listened to Sham and understood why he felt the way he did. He waited a few more moments for more of the pirates to come to shore while he regained his breath. "Guys!Listen to me!" he said as he took out a chakram on a string. "Look at this! When I say Jango,you are no longer tired!You do not feel any pain!You are ten times stronger than before!" he said as he started swinging the chakram in a pendulum motion. "One...Two...JANGO!" he said,as all of a sudden all the men that had come had shaken off their tiredness.
On top:
"Captain! I see no sign of the Nyaban brothers! Also,it looks like Jango is trying to hypnotize his men!" Coby reported,having seen it through his scope.
"Proceed as planned Coby,report if anything changes" Luffy said. "Aye captain!" replied the pink-haired boy as he continued scoping the area with his rifle.
With Zoro and Nami:
"Geez,what are they waiting for?An open invitation?" complained Nami as she and Zoro stood halfway down the slope,waiting for the pirates to attack. "Heh,maybe they're rethinking their idea of attacking this island"Zoro said as he looked down at the gathering of pirates. "There's at least 40 of them"he said. "First one to 21? Loser has to buy three meals for the winner?" Nami asked,her competitive side coming out. She didn't get an answer from Zoro before she heard a hoard of roars from the group further down. Looking down,Nami's eyes widened in shock.
"What the hell? They are stronger than before!?" she exclaimed as she saw one of the pirates punch a hole in the stonewall at the side of the slope. Zoro grinned as he saw the oncoming pirates. "First one to 21,eh?Sure,I'm in" he said as he readied his swords, putting his Wado Ichimonji in his mouth. Nami readily assembled her staff and prepared to fight.
Sure enough,it did not take the pirates long to attack after being hypnotized, and as they started running up the slope,Zoro and Nami ran down to meet them,both attacking the pirates with vigor,neither backing down from their bet. While they were fighting,Nami noticed that some of the Black Cats fell without her or Zoro touching them. She looked to the top of the slope,and spotted a pink mop of hair and the reflection of Coby's glasses. "Nice one Coby" she mumbled to herself right as she smacked her staff between the legs of one of the pirates,who fell to the ground without a sound.
Zoro weaved between the pirates,holding of three or more at a time. "Heh,is this all you've got?" he asked them before he cut them down without a second's hesitation. "You're gonna have to do better than that if you wanna best me!" he growled as he started attacking more of the oncoming pirates.
Jango was getting nervous. More than half of his men had died by the cannonball,and now the rest were being slaughtered by two kids? This was not good. "Captain Kuro is going to kill me for delaying his plan" he said to himself before yelling out: "Go on men! It's only two kids,how hard can it be? Kill them both,or Captain Kuro will kill us all!"
that sentence seemed to let a fire under the pirates' asses,as they started attacking even more desperately than before.
With Coby,Ussopp and Luffy:
"Captain! They need backup! They are being surrounded 15 to one!" Coby said.
Luffy didn't take his eyes of the unconscious Kuro as he said: "Ussopp,help them out,let me know if things get any worse". Ussopp simply nodded and fished out his own rifle,and stood next to Coby. "You cover for Zoro,I'll cover for Nami,got it?"he said,getting a clear "Yes,sir!" from the pink-haired boy.
With Zoro:
"Damn,Why the hell are there so many of you? Are you all that weak?"he asked as he easily sliced through 8 more pirates. "They were weak,let us see if I can provide a challenge for you,Roronoa Zoro" came a nasal voice that belonged to a lanky, green haired man that walked with a curved back. "I am Sham of the Nyanban brothers! I will kill you for killing my comrade!" he growled as he attacked Zoro,who quickly went on the defense. "Then come on little kitty,let's see what you got!" Zoro growled back, as he managed to push Sham away. "Oni...Giri!"
"Damn,I thought there wasn't more than 40 of these guys! How thick are their skulls?" Nami complained to herself as she knocked out another pirate with a vicious blow to the jaw with her staff.
With Luffy and company:
"Ussopp! Keep an eye on Kuro! I'll go and finish this!" Luffy said. "Alright,captain!" Ussopp said as he went to stand guard over the unconscious Kuro.
Luffy then walked calmly until he got to the middle of the slope, before he released a burst of Conqueror's Haki,which made the Black Cats drop like flies, with the exception of Sham,who was still standing,though badly damaged,but still kept on fighting Zoro. "Well,might as well collect the bounty while I'm down here" he said and charged for Jango, who tried to throw a chakram at him,but missed and immediately after was downed by a clothesline from Luffy.
"How the hell are you worth 9 million? You were easy to take down" Luffy mumbled as he dragged Jango by his collar up the slope. "Hey Zoro! Finish up,will you? We've got places to go and bounties to cash in!" he yelled.
Zoro grinned. "As you wish captain!" he yelled,a little muffled by the Wado Ichimonji in his mouth. He looked to the green-haired man and said: "You'll have to apologize me having to cut this short. Tora Gari!" he exclaimed as he cut Sham down. "At least you'll see your comrade again soon" Zoro told him as he sheathed his swords and walked to the top of the slope.
As Zoro got to the top of the slope,he saw Luffy busy tying Jango and Kuro together. "Alright! That's it folks! Let's put these two asses down below on the ship until we can cash them in!" Luffy said. Just then did a man come through the bushes. "Oh my! Did you all just do this?" he asked as he pointed to the slope.
Luffy grinned. "Of course! We have a crew-member from this village,so we couldn't just let some pirates run it down" he said. He then turned serious. "Honestly,it's lucky we were in this area when we were. Had we not,you and most of this village would be dead by now" he continued.
"Whatever do you mean?" the man asked. "Simple. this-"Luffy pointed to Kuro- "Is not who you think he is. This is the infamous pirate Kuro of a thousand plans. Three years ago he fooled the marines to believe he had been executed,when instead he used one of his own men as a scapegoat. The man next to him is his second-in-command,the hypnotist Jango. Together,these two have a combined bounty of 25.000.000 Beri" he finished.
The man nodded in understanding. "I see. By any chance,are you pirates too?" he asked. Luffy smiled. "No,we're not. We're just sailing my old gramps to Logue Town,where he wants to spend his retirement" he said. The man smiled. "I all means,your crew saved me just in time. My lady insisted that I invite my rescuers to her home. May I invite you all for supper?" Luffy and Ussopp smiled at the man.
"That sounds wonderful thank you,but I need to bring my gramps and sister from the ship in that case if you don't mind?" The man smiled. "Of course not! My name is Merry,by the way,pleased to meet you"
2 hours later:
"Mistress Kaya,may I introduce my rescuers,led by their captain" Merry said before heading for the kitchen.
Merry had led them all(including Makino and Garp) into the main sitting room in the mansion.
Kaya was a skinny girl,with pale skin and pale yellow hair.
"Greetings to you all,and thank you for saving Merry,he is most dear to me" the girl said. Luffy grinned. "Yeah,that was Ussopp and Zoro here who did the rescuing,I'm just their captain" he said as he scratched his head.
Garp hit him on the head. "Dumb-ass! Don't act like that while you're talking to new people!" Garp said. Luffy just looked at him with a "are-you-kidding-me"-look,but said nothing.
Kaya didn't seem to mind,and instead asked Ussopp: "If I may ask,how did you know Merry was in danger?" Ussopp knew he needed to lie to her,so he said: "Well,I'm originally from this village,so I wanted to show the crew around the island. When we passed by this house earlier,we managed to see through one of the windows that your man Merry was about to get stabbed by the "manservant" you had here. We have found proof that he is in fact a notorious pirate that had faked his death three years ago."
Kaya held her hands over her mouth. "Oh my,how horrible! I am so glad you came by when you did!" she exclaimed as she attacked Ussopp with a hug. Ussopp briefly looked at Zoro,who responded with a "You're-on-your-own"-look.
Ussopp mouthed "Traitor" to him before he briefly hugged her back and released her. "Yes,as my captain here told Merry earlier,it's lucky we were in these waters when we were,otherwise things here would be much worse. I couldn't let my parents' home village get run down by pirates, it wouldn't be right"he said. Kaya got an interested look on her face. "Oh?Your parents were both from here? If I may ask,what was their names?" Ussopp looked down for a moment before deciding to take a leap of faith.
"My mother was Banchina,she died when I was around 7. as for my father...well,it just so happens that he is a Grand Line Pirate who goes by the name of Yassopp" he said,not looking straight at her. Kaya looked out of the window. "I remember Banchina,however briefly. She used to babysit me a few times when I was younger. As for your father...do you know why he left you both?" she asked. Ussopp looked disturbed for a second,then responded: "Yeah,he told me he had felt the call of the sea,that there was adventures out there for him. He was the one who brought me to Luffy,actually. When my mother died,I had no one else here. A decade or so ago,my father and his crew visited Luffy's home island. While there,my father wanted to visit me and mom,but...it was too late. She had died the year before,and I was alone. Dad decided that he could not leave me alone like that,and took me with him back to Dawn Island to live with Luffy and his gramps,just so I wouldn't be alone anymore" Ussopp finished with a hard swallow.
Kaya had tears in her eyes after his story. "I am so sorry that has happened to you! It's a miracle you still have your sanity!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah,well,living with Luffy and his gramps helped a lot in keeping my head in the game,you know? At least I was never alone,and I'll be forever grateful for that" he said,with a serious look at Luffy and Garp,who both seemed to struggle with keeping their tears in check for that last statement alone.
Nami had also heard the conversation,and got tears in her eyes by thinking of her own mother and sister.
Zoro...well,he was himself. He had asked for a drink since they entered the mansion,and was currently on his fifth jug,but he too was brought back to Kuina and his days at Koshiro's dojo. That was where he had made a promise to Kuina on her grave,to become the best swordsman in the world.
Just in time,Merry came in the room and said: "Supper is served,everyone,so please,follow me." that snapped people out of the mood as several stomach's started to growl,most notable of which was Luffy and Garp's. Luffy chuckled nervously.
"I'm sorry about that,gramps always said that a large appetite runs in the family,right gramps?" he asked Garp. "You got that right,kiddo! Your dad's the same way in that aspect,he was a nightmare to fill the stomach of when he was younger" Garp said with a fond smile.
When they got to the dining room,Kaya sat down on the far end of the table,and insisted on having Ussopp on her left side,while Luffy was on her right. Nami was seated right next to Luffy,while Garp was seated next to Ussopp. Coby was seated next to Nami,while Zoro was seated on Garp's other side and Makino on Coby's other side. Kaya then turned her attention to Luffy. "Now then,as mistress of this mansion,it is my duty to give out any reward for your actions. As it was my butler you saved,I would ask if there is anything I could help you with at all?" she smiled at her.
"To be honest,we thought you inviting us for supper was reward enough, but since you bring it up,it would be nice with more supplies. Our kitchen is grossly under-supplied,and I do not think what we have can last us as far as Logue Town" he said. Kaya nodded in understanding. "I see what you mean,I shall have someone bring some of our food supplies to your ship in the morning. Is there anything else?" she asked. Luffy turned to Ussopp,who said: "We have an unarmed ship,miss Kaya. I would ask if you have any ship cannons? Pirates lurk everywhere these days,and it would be nice to have some measurement of self-defense for our ship just in case." Kaya seemed to think on this for a minute before calling for Merry.
"You called,mistress?" he answered. "Yes. Are there any cannons left from the ship you and my father built?" she asked. Merry looked surprised as he answered. "Umm,yes,there are a few. Your father and I didn't install them in the Going Merry as it would make it seem like it was meant for battle,so we only installed a couple of small cannons there. We still have four rather big cannons that can be installed on a ship,given the ship is big enough" he said. Kaya smiled at this. "Excellent! I would like you prepare them for transport and get someone who can transport them down to their ship in the morning" she said. "With your permission,miss Kaya. We are fully prepared to pay you for the cannons. We can not in good conscience take them without any form of repayment" Luffy said. Kaya seemed taken aback by this. "Oh? Well,to be honest,I'm not sure how much they would cost. Apparently,they are quite big and bulky" she said,a little anxious.
Luffy turned to Garp. "How much would you say,gramps? Four big and bulky cannons for a ship?"
Garp seemed to ponder on it for a moment. "I'd say...15.000 Beri per cannon,adds up to 60.000 beri altogether" he said before he took a swig of his drink. Kaya seemed shocked of the price.
"I cannot accept that much! Please,we have hardly any use for them. Can we settle for 30.000 instead? I would feel rotten having accepted that much from you people" she said. Luffy smiled. "I will agree on your terms,miss Kaya,and thank you" he said.
The rest of the night went on with small talk both in between the crew and with Kaya and Merry. "Once the supplies are fully loaded tomorrow morning,we'll set sail. We can not afford to linger here longer than necessary. Let Zoro and Coby know,I'll talk to Ussopp" Luffy said to Makino,Garp and Nami,who all nodded.
"Alright kiddo,you're the captain" Garp said with a chuckle as he stretched his back. "Well,I guess it's time for me to hit the hay. I'll see you all in time for breakfast at the ship tomorrow" Garp said as he prepared to leave. "Oh,you're not staying the night,Garp-san?" Kaya asked. Garp smiled at her.
"I'm afraid not my dear. Regular beds are not meant for this old sailor's back. I only ever slept in one with my wife,other than that,I sleep better in a hammock on a ship than anywhere else" Garp explained. "I'll tell you what,you're more than welcome to join us for breakfast tomorrow. I'll whip you up a proper breakfast" he said with a smile. Kaya smiled. "Oh,I would be honored!I'll be there" she said happily. Garp just chuckled,wished the rest of the crew a good night and then he was out the door.
"Will your grandfather be okay Luffy-san?I mean,it is quite dark outside" Kaya asked. Luffy grinned. "Shishishishi, Gramps will be fine,it takes more than darkness to do him in. There's a reason why we were never bothered by the animals on Dawn Island"Luffy said. "Oh?What reason is that?" Nami asked,joining in the conversation.
"All animals knew that Gramps was the alpha predator" Luffy said with a grin. "What-What kind of animals were there on Dawn Island,Luffy?" Nami asked somewhat nervously. "shishishishi,just the usual for a jungle island; tigers,bears,wild gorillas and gators. Me and my brothers were trained by fighting them since we were kids" Luffy explained.
With that bombshell out of the way,the night went on pleasantly until it was time to turn in for the night.
The Straw hats all made their way down to the ship,with the exception of Ussopp,who stayed to chat more with Kaya.
Once on the ship,a drunk Zoro put a passed out drunk Coby in his hammock before finding his own to pass out in,while Nami and Luffy went to their separate bedrooms.
The next day:
Luffy woke up early as usual,got dressed in his usual attire and walked over to the kitchen,where he knew Garp would be up and cooking breakfast. When he got in however,Garp wasn't ,Ussopp,Kaya and Merry all were already there. "Well,good morning to you all. Didn't expect to see you here so soon miss Kaya and Merry. On the other hand,I didn't hear you come aboard last night Ussopp,care to explain?" Luffy asked lightly,though Ussopp knew Luffy was being serious.
"Well,captain. I,uh,ended up staying the night up at the mansion" Ussopp said,quite nervously. Luffy poured himself a cup of coffee and took a sip as he fixed both Kaya and Ussopp with a gaze that made them both sweat. "I see. Care to tell me why you thought that was a good idea? Or is it too personal to discuss?" Ussopp knew what Luffy was insinuating, and his anger flared up.
"Now hold on just a minute Luffy! I know what you're getting at,and nothing of that sort ever happened! I'm shocked and hurt that you would think so little of me after all these years! Even if I made contact on the island I once called home, the island where my mother is buried,in no way does it mean I would abandon you to stay here in the East Blue! I swore to you that I would see our journey to an end,and that's exactly what I intend to do,you asshole!" Ussopp growled.
Luffy stood still,his straw hat covering his eyes. He then put the coffee cup on the table. "You're right Ussopp,I'm sorry. I jumped to conclusions,and I apologize to you as well miss Kaya for my untruthful accusations. I was just worried I'd lose my first mate and oldest friend" Luffy said as he bowed before Kaya,who,while surprised by his action,quickly responded with: "I accept your apology,Luffy-san. I would probably have been worried too,had the roles been reversed".
Luffy straightened up and grinned. "Now that that's over,breakfast is ready!" Garp exclaimed before signaling the still dozing members of the crew.
One by one,they staggered in. Nami looked quite fresh,as if she had just stepped out of the shower(which she had). Zoro came next,looking like a living alcoholic corpse,at least until he got a fresh cup of coffee served.
Coby came in last, pale,staggering and holding both his head and his stomach. "Ugh!" was his only greeting. Luffy smiled. "Good morning Coby! Are you hungry?" he asked,getting a non-verbal maybe in the form of signaling with his hand. "Excellent! Everyone better eat up,because straight after breakfast,we're gonna load this ship with supplies and cannons before we leave" he said as he sat down on his usual place at the table and started eating.
"Oh my,this is delicious,Garp-san! I wonder if my chef can get the recipe?" Kaya asked. Garp laughed. "Sorry little miss,but the recipe won't do any good without a homemade spice-mix that I made myself from herbs on Dawn Island" Garp said. At Kaya's down expression,he added: "Not for that,you can have this glass of it,we still have a barrel of it on board." Garp handed Merry a tiny glass which the smaller man quickly put into his vest.
"Thank you,Garp-san. I'm sure we can try to duplicate it if we run low" Merry said. Garp just nodded. "Aye. It should be easy enough,finding those herbs around the East Blue" he said.
Half an hour later,the crew,plus Kaya and Merry was all fed.
"Yosh!Thanks for the food gramps,it was delicious as always!" Luffy said. "Okay crew! Time to load up on supplies first,we'll deal with the cannons last" he said as he walked out of the small kitchen,followed by Ussopp,Nami,Zoro and Coby,who looked better after the meal.
"Indeed,your cooking could put some of the chefs at the Baratie to shame!" Merry said. "Baratie?" asked Garp. "You haven't heard of it? It's an amazing floating restaurant about four to five hours sailing from here" Merry said. Garp scratched his slightly bearded chin in thought.
"Hmm,perhaps we'll visit the place on our way to Logue town. One never knows" Garp said as he followed to help the others load the cargo onto the ship.
Three hours later,The Sea Fox was fully stocked and had four brand-new cannons installed,two on each side on the deck. The Straw Hats,Garp and Makino were all on shore,preparing to say goodbye to Kaya and Merry.
"Once again,I must thank you for saving my life" Merry said with a smile as he shook hands with Ussopp and Zoro. "It was nothing special,but just for future reference,do check the wanted posters the next time you need to hire" Ussopp said,getting from Merry and a small giggle out of Kaya as both nodded.
Not long after,The Sea Fox was sailing away from Syrup village,not to be seen again for a long time.