Writer's block is truly a pain, I guess I needed this change of pace more than I thought. My MHA stories got a little easier to write for after the last chapter of this story, I got halfway through finishing multiple, but there's still something there preventing me from finishing one. Here's hoping that this chapter will help push past that.
Where last we left our not-quite-hero, he had finished subtracting a clown's head and adding a knife to his furry comrade's throat. Only to sprint off away from a giant lion and find out that he was in significantly worse shape than his companion. It was not his finest of days, but after a quick nap let us see if it will turn itself around.
*Slapslapslap "Ugh! Alright alright, I'm up. You could have just shaken me awake Nami." I opened my eyes to the redhead standing over me. Feeling refreshed from the nap. "How long have I been out? Has anything happened?" Judging from the sunlight I could see flooding the room, it was certainly more than a few hours.
"Things have been quiet all night, and I thought you could use the sleep so I waited until sunrise to wake you up." So it was probably around six in the morning. I was asleep for four to six hours. No wonder I felt so refreshed. "By now the mauling should be over, think we can go back and steal their treasure now?" Right, that was still a thing.
"We'll scout it out first, just in case they came out of that massacre better than we thought. If it looks like we have good odds, we'll prioritize the map. We already have the lion's share of their money in that clown's head." I decided. Nami's eyes were shining. It made sense, she just got the opportunity to gather over a quarter of her goal in a single day.
"Even if we do get lucky and steal their treasure, we still can't leave the island though, we have to wait for Luffy and Zoro to arrive. So it's best to stick to the map and wait. What do you think Nami?" At the question Nami shook her head, getting the thought of millions of Belly out of her head.
For now.
"Sounds like a plan, I'd rather not fight a whole pirate crew, even a weakened one with just the two of us. Besides…I've come to accept that you aren't lying about that power of yours." Well, that was good to know. "Everything you've said so far has been correct. So the money doesn't mean too much to me at this point, as long as we can convince those two to take out Arlong. That's all that matters." I give her a reassuring smile, she would be rid of that fish sooner rather than later, I could guarantee that much.
A chill went down my back when she smiled back at me. It was a bloodthirsty one. Well, it was some kind of thirst at least. "Now, about that world map." Oh boy.
Hours later, Orange Town, 1km above ground level.
"STUPID BIIIIRD!" *Boom
Back with Arthur and Nami
"And that's how they made such a high-quality map of-" "stupid bird" *Boom!... A large explosion combined with a yell in the distance stopped our conversation. Though Nami took a few more seconds to react since she was still processing what I had been telling her about Earth earlier.
"Well, that's probably Luffy, we can continue this conversation later. We should get to him before he runs off. And before Zoro gets here." I said while moving toward the sound, not wanting to waste a moment. Nami trailed behind for a bit longer but caught up quickly.
"Look out below!" A red blue and yellow blur shouted from above, impacting the ground with the force of a small bomb only to bounce around the floor and walls several dozen times before finally stopping himself. "Haha, that was fun…Who are you guys?" The rubbery king asked us, as we were the first people he saw after recovering from his fall.
"Sup, I'm Arthur, globe-trotting explorer. And this is Nami, the best navigator in the East Blue, and I dare say in the whole world." I introduced us without missing a beat. Already prepared for Luffy's unique brand of dumb and charismatic. Nami blushed slightly at the compliment, though to me it was just a statement of fact.
"That's so cool! What happened to this town by the way? Looks empty and I saw a bunch of rubble while I was falling." Huh, he was actually a little more observant than the Luffy I knew. It wasn't by much mind you, the town was partially leveled to the ground. But that's still unusual for the monkey boy.
"A pirate attack, the people of this town are scared and hiding. The crew won't be here for much longer though, since we beat their captain." I show off the head of one Buggy D. Clown. He pales a bit. "Not killed though, the guy had a devil fruit that could separate his body parts. The water is just keeping him unconscious."
"Wow. That's freaky…But cool! And you said that Nami was the best navigator? Join my crew!" Well, that was fast. Though I guess showing him the head of a pirate captain boosted my own credibility with him, along with Nami's navigation ability, or my claim of it anyway. "It's just me and Zoro for now, and with you two that makes four. The crew is growing quick!"
"Hey, we never agreed to join! But I guess we can think about it while we travel. We were just about to rob the rest of the clown's crew for their treasure before leaving this place. There's ten million Belly in it for us and a map to the grand line." Nami said before being corrected.
"Five million." Her neck snapped to me. "This town will need funds to repair their homes and recover their livelihoods. We'll leave half behind, and take half for ourselves as a service fee for saving them from Buggy." I give her a light glare to make a point that this was happening. "Before you yell at me, remember that you wouldn't even have five million without me, or the fifteen million Buggy is worth. And if we play this right, you won't need the hundred million anymore."
The orange navigator looked furious. "Ffffine." She ground up before gaining a small, dangerous smile. "But I'm keeping every belly from this little adventure of ours. You just lost your share." I shrugged at that.
"I already told you, I don't care about money. I was going to give it all to you anyways." She looked surprised again, looks like she forgot about that. "My goals don't require money, I just need to get to someplace, and it happens to be in Paradise so it would be beneficial for me to tag along."
"And honestly, giving you control over the crew's pursestrings is probably for the best. I only ask that you not be stingy when it comes to buying provisions for the crew. Isn't that right Luffy?" The rubber boy nodded his head in affirmative, he had little knowledge of what money was worth anyways, so he was more than ok with handing that workload off to someone else.
So long as he had plenty to eat, he was good.
"Oi Luffy! I found you, what was with you, getting caught by that bird? Why didn't you punch it or something to force it to let you go?" Zoro called out, questioning Luffy on why he forced Zoro to row such a long distance for no real reason."
"Shishishishi, that would be no fun. The dumb bird didn't deserve that, and I did try to eat it first, so it was only fair that it got me in its mouth." It made some twisted kind of sense, I was going to have to get used to that with Luffy. "Anyways, meet the two newest members of our crew! He's Arthus and she's Nami, our explorer and navigator."
"New crew mates huh, I'm Zoro. Former pirate hunter. And what do you mean by explorer exactly?" He asked me, the swordsman was much more scrutinizing than his captain.
"I've been to a lot of places and know a lot of things. If you need information, I'm the guy you go to. Go ahead, ask me something." I boasted a little, ready to back it up, and fairly certain about what Zoro would ask me.
"Is that right? Then maybe you can help me find a certain man. One with the eyes of a hawk who is considered by many to be the greatest swordsman in the world." Yeah, pretty predictable.
"Hawkeye Mihawk, yeah, I can tell you where he is. Or at least, where he's going to be soon enough. What do you want to do with that information? Because if you're looking for a fight, I will tell you now, you will lose. And Mihawk may just kill you for wasting his time." I tell him flat out, surprising Nami at my frankness and causing Luffy to give me a blank look that I couldn't quite decipher.
"...You're probably right. But that doesn't matter, my dream is to be the world's greatest swordsman. And if I want that title, I need to defeat the current greatest. Tell me where he'll be." I sighed, knowing that this was how he'd respond.
"Fine, but there's no point telling you now. We'll come across him soon enough before we enter the grand line in fact. Until then, train as hard as you can. Otherwise, Mihawk will kill you. Who knows, if you give him a good enough showing, he might let you live, maybe he'll even offer to train you." He would, but not for a good long while. Unless perhaps, If I told Zoro about Haki and had him train in it early.
But I wouldn't approach him with that offer, it would benefit him and myself far more if he came to me instead.
"Tsk, I can understand losing, but how can you be so certain that he'll kill me so easily? You've never seen me fight. And I've been training intensely every day of my life for years. I doubt that a few days more will make much of a difference." Zoro was getting angrier, mixed with disbelief of how I could know what I know. "And how the hell do you know exactly when and where Mihawk will be?! Knowing where he frequents would be one thing, but you sound certain that he'll be in this ocean at a specific location."
"Arthur…He has a power of his own, like Buggy and Luffy but from a different source. It lets him know things that he has no right knowing and I can confirm that his information is accurate. I have no idea how he does it or how the power works, he hasn't told me." Nami backed me up, calming Zoro down a bit. Though he still had doubts.
"What kind of information exactly? And what are your limits?" He asked me directly.
"Anything and everything from general knowledge to personal information of various…Let's say, people relevant to the fate of this world. Emperors, warlords, admirals, high members of the world government, etc. Past, present, and future." The swordsman began sweating, realizing the implication.
"That includes you, by the way. And yes, that's a compliment. If you don't do anything too foolish, there is a very real chance that you will achieve your and Kuina's dream. Please don't throw that potential away." That all but cinched it, Zoro now believed that my information was the real deal at the very least.
Now for the carrot. And not the furry one.
"And there is a method of training that could rapidly make you stronger. Strong enough to surpass any swordsman in any of the four blues, and even most of those in the grand line." I was going to continue but was interrupted.
"Teach me."
…That was way faster than I expected, but ok. I can work with that.
"...Alright. Just know that I'm no combatant, not one of any quality anyway. I know the theory behind the training method and I can teach you that, but I won't be a good training partner. Luffy would have to fill that role. That training applies to you too, by the way." I shift to our captain, who seemed eager at the chance to get stronger along with his first mate.
"Does that training include me? Or is it a monster-only kind of thing?" I give a so-so gesture.
"Anyone can learn from the training, it's even mandatory once you get high enough into the navy rankings and it's a necessity for those that go deeper into the grand line. But the training is not easy. Or pleasant. And I can't guarantee quick results with you. Sorry Nami, but you just aren't as strong as Zoro or Luffy. And I can tell that your skills lie elsewhere." I'll train her if she asks, but she probably wouldn't take to it as well as the other two.
"I'll pass then, for now. Maybe I'll take you up on it later if it doesn't look too crazy and the results look worth it." So probably not for a while once she sees what the training entails.
"Fair enough, we can start after we take care of the rest of Buggy's crew, steal their treasure, their map, and their ship. No killing though, their blood doesn't belong on our hands. I'm sure the people of this town would be ecstatic to see their tormentors tied up and waiting for their tender mercies." I said with a violent smile.
"…" The crew was silent until-
"…Remind me not to piss you off." Nami said, I just shrugged. I had little mercy for them and the townspeople deserved a little vengeance.
"I'd never be that brutal with any of you. I actually respect you." Also, I probably wouldn't live long after making an attempt. Even Nami could easily kick my ass as I was now. "By the by, I would appreciate reciprocal training, Zoro. I'm not strong in the slightest, so having a proper training partner and a swordsman teaching me would be nice."
"I'd say it was weird that my teacher will also be my student, but you're pretty weird all around. And I guess this entire crew is strange, is that a prerequisite for joining?" It was definitely one of them. There was no such thing as a normal straw hat.
"Shishishi. Sounds like a plan, strange is interesting, normal is boring. I don't want a boring crew, I want the best crew in the world. Nothing less for the king of the pirates!" I smiled at Luffy's declaration. Damn straight, to be normal, especially in this world, was to be boring and thrown into the sidelines. You had to be at least a little weird to make it here.
"It's decided then, weirdos only on the Straw Hat crew. And I'll make sure that each of you reaches your true potential and peak monster status. Starting with you two, let's go and get that ship so that we can get started!" That seemed to rally the two future monsters into action, both moving toward where I pointed. Where the remains of Buggy's crew were.
'I hope that they don't mind the carnage too much. Lion maulings probably leave one hell of a mess.' Oh well, either way, it should be fine. The next step is the Gecko Islands and Syrup village. Time to collect our crew's sniper and temporary shipwright.
'Wait, our? Has Luffy's charisma already affected me?'
And that's all for this chapter, the initial crew has been formed, and the events of East Blue can begin in earnest now. And with any luck and Arthur's machinations, it will be at an accelerated pace. I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter. Hopefully, this will give me the kick in the pants I need to finish off those MHA chapters next.
Either way, until next time.
