Episode 3: Bonding at Sea! Bellamy and Hachi's Bromance!
(Coyler's note: Damn it's been a real long time since I've written anything, I've seriously been sleeping on my fanfics and stuff so I'm terribly sorry about all that. At least I'm back for now so...uh...fun. At least these One Piece Rogues chapters have been kinda short, maybe with time they'll eventually become longer but for now I do like the shorter form of chapters being around 5k words since it can make it a lot easier to jump in and jump out whenever I go on breaks. The time off at least helped me out a lot with making plans for the series, initially I had a few ideas but not a lot, however now I thankfully came up with a lot of concepts for future arcs, fights and characters both new and old to be in the series which should be pretty enjoyable to at least a few people. The way I see it, this fanfiction really isn't meant to be anything too crazy that all One Piece fans can read and absolutely adore by being overly detailed with a perfect plot that makes total sense for the lore of the One Piece canon. It's just...a dumb idea that I had and thought would be fun, so I'm doing it just to see what I can make out of it. Nothing wrong with that at all, right? Coyler, out!)
Wealth, Fame, Power. Monkey D. Luffy, King of the Pirates had finally achieved it all, his discovery of the legendary treasure One Piece sent millions of men home from the sea as the treasure hunt for Gol D. Roger's fortune came to a close. However not all were spurred to return to land, as for one new group of pirates, now was the time to return to call of the sea. Luffy may be the Pirate King, but that doesn't mean he can't be overthrown, right?
Now it's time to set sail! For a mystery! Dunno where we will go! Or what we're gonna see!
ONE PIECE!
Gotta find a good crew, and I'll work 'em to the bone! Just no time to rest, it's all mine and mine alone!
I've always believed, this is my destiny! To be the greatest pirate the world has ever seen!
If you're NOT on our side, then you better run and hide! We'll defend 'till the end all of our friends! On that you can depend!
Now it's time to set sail! For a mystery! Dunno where we will go! Or what we're gonna see!
We will never give up! The ship or the hunt!
One Hope! One Dream! One Day!
ONE PIECE!
The Grand Line! An infamous part of the four seas, it is here that Monkey D. Luffy has established his home base where the One Piece lies. However the exact location is still currently unknown to the world and our ragtag team of pirates and fishmen, Luffy's reign of thievery on the four seas of the world is known to all with the help of his loyal followers that number over 10,000 sailors of men and women alike. While our heroes of the Arlong-Buggy Alliance sail on, Luffy sits in his secret base known only to men who swear loyalty to him.
"Y'know *chomp* being King of the Pirates but not being able to leave *chomp* is sorta dumb, isn't it?" asked Luffy, as he ate his way through the largest slab of meat that Sanji could cook.
"It's not that you can't leave Luffy, there's just no point in going out when we've got thousands of others to do looting for us" explained Nami, "Besides, you've got the highest bounty in the world! Even the most prideful of pirates would be willing to join forces just to see you killed".
"Ha! I could easily beat up anyone who tries to come between me and my meat!" Luffy scoffed, spraying food across the room.
"Heh, that sounds weird out of context" giggled Usopp, kicking his feet up on the large dining table.
Sanji quickly smashed a platter over the back of the sniper's head, "Keep your DIRTY FEET off the table and away from the food you idiot!" he snapped, as Usopp rubbed his sore head.
The doors at the end of the large dining hall flew open with a gust of wind as a familiar face walked in, rolled up paper sticking out of his pocket and a bandana being unwrapped from around his head. Luffy waved with a grin, "HEY ZORO! YOU LOOK KINDA MESSY!".
"Sorry about that, got into a scuffle with some guys down at the harbour who were tryna sneak off and betray us" Zoro explained. "Heh, 'clan'? Ominous way to put it" replied Usopp.
Zoro pulled a small pocket knife out of his pocket and unfurled the pieces of paper, stabbing the blade through the top to hold them together and throwing it across the room. It stuck into Luffy's golden throne, making him react with a delayed response by jumping after it had stopped moving. "Picked these up from a passing Navy ship earlier, figured you might wanna take a look" Zoro explained, sitting down in his usual spot and kicking up his feet as Sanji brought him a pint.
"Hey! How comes HE can put his feet up?" Usopp whined. "Because he's Zoro" Sanji smirked, as Zoro nodded and gave the cook a fist bump.
Luffy reached over and grabbed Zoro's knife to look at the papers, laughing when he saw what was on them, "WOAH! CHECK THIS OUT! I NEVER THOUGHT THESE GUYS WOULD SHOW UP AGAIN!" he beamed. Flipping the pages around, the other members of the crew were surprised. The papers in question were the latest wanted posters, explaining why they were in possession of the Navy.
[Hachi - 15,000,000] [Kuroobi - 20,000,000] [Mohji the Beast Tamer - 15,000,000] [Cabaji the Acrobat - 20,000,000] [Big Savage Richie - 1,000] [Iron-Mace Alvida - 25,000,000] [Buggy D. Clown - 4,500,000,000] [Arlong the Sawtooth - 80,000,000] [Bellamy the Hyena - 210,000,000]
"Dang, those are some pretty beefy bounties!" Luffy exclaimed.
"Heh, still ain't nothing on your bounty of 10 billion man" chuckled Zoro.
"Woah, Arlong and his fish pals got out of Impel Down? When the hell did that happen?" asked Usopp, tapping his nose.
Robin rubbed her chin, "I feel like I've heard that name before".
Nami sighed, "He's a fishman pirate who used to work with Jimbei decades ago...he's also the man who killed my adoptive mother, forced me to work for him and held my home village hostage for a decade until Luffy showed up and beat him into the next millennium" she explained.
"...Ah...unlucky." Robin replied blanky, but nodded, "It's interesting to see Hachi has somehow become wanted again. He was the octopus fellow that assisted us during our ordeal at the fishman islands against Hody Jones, correct?".
"Ah fuck Arlong, I'm surprised to see that guy Bellamy back up again, I thought that dude retired years ago after we had that whole Dressrosa thing go down" added Zoro.
Luffy shrugged, "Whatever, maybe we'll run into him again! Would be great to see how he's doing!" he said, "Maybe he can update our flag for us!" he gasped, pointing upwards at the large Strawhats Pirates flag draped across the wall above the throne.
As the main leaders of the Strawhats continued to dine on Sanji's perfect meal and discuss the latest wanted poster bounties, none of them noticed somebody standing outside by the main doors listening in and walking away.
[Sawtooth - On route for Reverse Mountain]
"Y'know I find it weird that after all these years, everyone still has to get to the Grand Line the exact same way. You'd think after all these years we'd at least have a way to get through the calm belt, y'know?" asked Buggy, kicking his feet up on a table in the galley.
"It's not that ships ain't good enough, it's the sea kings and monsters in the ocean that pose a real threat Boss" replied Mohji, who was brushing Richie's mane.
Buggy scoffed, "Nothing but a bunch of big fish, what's the worst they could possibly do? No fish could ever pose a threat to great Genius Jester Buggy-sama!" he laughed...as Arlong stood behind him cracking his knuckles menacingly.
"I don't suppose you could repeat that, hmm? My fish ears are filled with water after my swim" Arlong growled.
Buggy immediately yelped in fright and split into pieces which all hid behind Richie. "A-A-Arlong! DON'T MESS ABOUT AND SCARE ME LIKE THAT!" Buggy snapped, while his body parts connected together again.
"SHAHAHAHA! It never ceases to make me wonder how on earth a man like you became an Emperor of the Sea with a bounty of 4.5 Billion, truly you're an anomaly Buggy" Arlong laughed.
"Honestly...sheer dumb luck and having good speech skills, that's about it" Alvida chuckled, sipping some cider before one of Buggy's detached hands smacked her in the back of the head. Of course this resulted in a scuffle breaking out, a usual occurrence among many pirates. Outside on the deck, Bellamy was just relaxing by looking up at the sky while lying down next to helm and talking to Hachi.
"Why do you still have that big tattoo on your chest? Doesn't it hurt thinking about the guy who put it there?" Hachi asked, scratching his head with a tentacle while pointing at the big Doflamingo Pirates insignia adorned across Bellamy's chest.
Bellamy shrugged, "Meh, I hate the guy's guts but I ain't found anything good to replace it with...so until something comes to mind, I guess it's just there as a reminder for the life I used to have...heh...back when I was Captain Bellamy the Hyena the Big Time Rookie...and then...when I met the one man who caused my entire world to come crashing down" he chuckled, "Ah...yeah...there was a lotta bad times for sure but...I dunno...a part of me does miss the days when I used to be a real pirate, even though now I'm trying to do it again with you guys".
Hachi nodded, very interested on what Bellamy had to say, "I wonder...whatever happened that made all that bad stuff happen? It must have been like...super super super bad, r-right?".
Bellamy thought for a moment but nodded, "Aye, it...uh...well...I'll tell you how things went down and what happened if you want, I can't promise it'll be too interesting though".
"O-Of course! We're buddies now, and that's what buddies do!" Hachi smiled, holding the helm with some of his tentacles but sitting down on the deck floor next to Bellamy". Bellamy chuckled at the octopus man's enthusiasm and decided that it wouldn't hurt to tell him more about his past.
"Aheha, well if you insist" Bellamy chuckled, "It all happened about 10 years ago in Jaya...".
(Epic Flashback - Bellamy Addition)
"So YOU'RE head is worth 30 million, Strawhat Luffy?" Bellamy smirked as he strode into the pub.
Luffy, Nami and Zoro all raised their eyebrows as they looked up from the bar while the others customers gasped and murmured at Bellamy's sudden appearance.
"Huh...we've met a lot of big guys today!" Luffy chuckled, as Bellamy walked over and sat next to Luffy. He demanded the most expensive alcohol for himself and Luffy, which of course Luffy gladly accepted while the other Bellamy Pirates came into the pub laughing and forcing some onlookers out. As Luffy gleefully drank, Bellamy quickly grabbed his head and smashed it straight through the bar counter and obliterated it into pieces. Everyone gasped, while the Bellamy Pirates just laughed.
"Aheh...you got a problem, tough guy?" Bellamy smirked, slowly turning his head to look down at Zoro, who was holding the edge of his sword inches away from Bellamy's throat. "You're the one with a problem" Zoro muttered under his breath, not faltering at all.
Nami panicked and waved her hands to try and diffuse the situation, "Z-Zoro! W-We haven't learned what we need to know about the sky islands yet!".
"SHUT UP! He's looking for a fight, so I'm gonna give it to him" Zoro snapped, still looking at Bellamy and holding up his sword as Luffy picked himself off the floor. Though to the Strawhat's confusion, the entire pub erupted into laughter, not from Luffy's humiliation but from the mention of Skypeia.
"What a disappointment! I was going to see if you had what it takes to join my crew in this new age of pirates...but you're too gullibe." Bellamy spat, "LISTEN! THE AGE OF PIRATES PIPE DREAM IS OVER! EL DORADO?! THE EMERALD CITY?! THE ONE PIECE?! Fools who are blinded by fantasy treasures can't see the real riches lying right at their feet!" he yelled, "In this age, some of the most able seafarers...get themselves KILLED chasing such foolishness! And then people say; 'They were lucky to die chasing their dream!'..." Bellamy sniggered, "HAHA-HAHA! I SAY THEY'RE ALL A BUNCHA DEAD IDIOTS!" he cackled, as the rest of the pub laughed too while Luffy, Zoro and Nami stood dumbfounded at Bellamy's harsh words and his dismissal of sky islands and dreams.
(Later that night...)
"You see there's no point in trying! I've eaten a devil fruit so you don't stand a chance against ME!" Bellamy yelled, standing proudly atop one of the tall towers in Mock Town with the moon illuminating his figure while Luffy picked himself out of the wooden debris on the floor while onlookers watched in awe. Bellamy grinned seeing Luffy standing back up, crouching down and turning his legs into springs, "You don't know when to quit, do you? FINE, HAVE IT YOUR WAY! MY SHOW'S JUST GETTIN' TO THE GOOD PART! SPRIIING...HOPPER!".
Rocketing forward off the top of the tower, Bellamy began to rapidly bounce around the town and increasing his speed to the point of being nothing but a blur, appearing as if he was everywhere at once as Luffy stood still and the crowd remarked that Bellamy had used this move to kill Roshio the Executioner.
"COME TO THINK OF IT, YOU'RE A LOT LIKE THAT OLD MAN AND THOSE MONKEYS! YOU BELIEVE IN 400 YEAR OLD LIES OF HIS FOOL ANCESTORS! HAHA-HAHA! WHAT CITY OF GOLD?! WHAT SKY ISLANDS?! THE AGE OF DREAMING IS OVER, YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO ALL PIRATES!" Bellamy cackled as he continued bouncing all over town.
Throughout all of this, Luffy stood quietly and simply raised one fist, "You wanna see me land a punch, eh?" he asked calmly.
"SO LONG STRAWHAT!" Bellamy yelled as he ricocheted off a wall and bounced directly at Luffy. Just before he could make contact though, Luffy let out a might roar and pounded Bellamy straight into the wooden ground of the town, completely stopping the pirate in his tracks and completely knocking him unconscious leaving a giant fist mark imprinted in Bellamy's cheek.
(End of Flashback Time)
Hachi's mouth was agape in awe as he listened to Bellamy recount his meeting with Luffy in Jaya all those years ago, and how Luffy beat him into the ground after all of the shit he had talked on dreams and sky islands. "WOAHHHHH!" he gasped, covering a mouth with a tentacle, "YOU were that mean?!".
Bellamy laughed and nodded, "Mhm...y-yeah...yeah I was...y'know it was that exact moment I got my lights punched out that I suffered my first real defeat and things started to go wrong. Doflamingo pretty much banished me and my crew from his alliance for good, but I was certain I'd be able to keep going no problem and just continue pirating perfectly fine. But...then..." his voice trailed off, "One day...I was out walking around the cliffs near the coast like I'd always do...when I heard this ringing sound. I looked up...and saw Luffy's shadow in the clouds".
Hachi gasped again, "WOAHHHHHHH! YOU MEAN SKYPEIA?! HE TOTALLY WENT THERE, DIDN'T HE?!" he asked excitedly. Bellamy chuckled and nodded, "Yep...he certainly did...and it was that exact second when I saw his silhouette in the sky that my entire life changed...in some cases for the worse...but mainly for the better, as bizarre as that sounds" he explained, "See once I learned that the sky islands did exist after all, it was like my entire view of the world changed! So I gathered my crew and took them all there, and while I was the only one to come back alive I still managed to find a golden pillar and present it to Doflamingo to get back in his good books" he chuckled.
Hachi nodded, seemingly taking all of the pirate's words as gospel of sorts, "W-What happened after that? Please tell me! P-PLEEEEEASE!". Bellamy laughed and shook his head, "Relax man! I'll get to it!" he chuckled.
Sitting up and crossing his legs, Bellamy rubbed his chin. "Hmm...let's see...well after that I kinda just kept doin' my usual. Basic pirating, kept tryna get with Doflamingo's good side to be let back into his crew, I even picked up some armament haki along the way. Then a few years later, I went to Dressrosa to try and win this big gladiator tournament and...w-well...I...uh...".
"W-What happened? Did you die?!" Hachi asked anxiously, despite the fact Bellamy was clearly alive and well right in front of him. Bellamy scratched the back of his head, "Ehhhhhhhh...about that...".
(Epic Flashback - Bellamy Addition 2)
"STRAWHAT! If you're not gonna accept my challenge to a duel...t-then...I...I-I'LL JUST KILL YOU!" Bellamy yelled, as he crashed and ricocheted off the walls inside the palace, crushing them to pieces as he bounced around the room while Luffy stood with a stoic and serious expression on his face.
"I-I'LL KILL YOU!" Bellamy yelled again as tears streamed down his blood soaked face, "PREPARE YOURSELF STRAWHAT! I'LL END THIS ALL WITH BUT A SINGLE BLOW! Why are you just standing there?! TAKE A FIGHTING POSE, YOU COWARD! I-IF BY ANY CHANCE...Y-YOU STILL KNOW HOW TO THROW A PUNCH!" he cried.
Luffy heard Bellamy's cries of despair and anger, as he continued to stand with a scowl on his face. However his anger didn't come from Bellamy, it came from the man who caused Bellamy to act this way...and who had hurt so many others in his quest for domination, "...Mingo!".
"S-STRAWHAT! GO TO HELL!" Bellamy shouted, bouncing off a final wall as he flew towards Luffy with an armament haki covered fist held out. In response, Luffy raised a fist of his own and coated it in haki...he knew what had to be done, even if he didn't want to do it.
"SO LONG, STRAWHAT!" cried Bellamy as he sailed through the air straight towards Luffy. However right before he could make contact, a final message rang threw his head, "...T-Thank you...for saying that I'm your friend...Strawhat" he thought, as Luffy finally punched the pirate straight into the ground and knocked him out with a single blow once more.
(End of Flashback Time)
"After that, I don't really remember much. But from what I was told, Luffy beat the absolute shit outta Doflamingo for all the hell he put me through me in my life...how he used me as nothing more than a pawn and threw me away like a piece of trash one he'd had his fun with me" Bellamy explained, a scowl on his face thinking about Doflamigo as he looked down at the tattoo on his chest.
Hachi nodded as he listened attentively, stroking his chin with a tentacle, "Dang...are you sure you're really a strong pirate if you got beat in one punch twice?"
"O-OF COURSE I'M STRONG! YOU SAW HOW I BEAT SMOKER BACK IN LOGUETOWN!" Bellamy snapped, folding his arms and pouting. Hachi's comment had definitely taken him out of his reminiscing mood.
"O-Oh yeah! That's right! You totally did do that!" Hachi exclaimed with a smile, "So...did you come with us because you wanna beat up Luffy? H-He's my buddy so...I was kinda sceptical when Arlong came to me about it".
Bellamy sighed and shook his head, "No, no I didn't. I mean c'mon, you remember what I said when I agreed to join you guys, right? That I'd help you steal his treasure but wouldn't kill him or his men...even then, I still don't really know if I wanna do this...y'know?".
Hachi tapped his chin, "Hmmmmmmmmmm...yeah! I get it! I don't really wanna do bad stuff either! See...the thing is...I didn't really wanna be a pirate again either, but after Buggy let Arlong and the others outta Impel Down they kinda forced me to follow them" he explained, "I was just happy to see my buddies again when they came to my store for Takoyaki! B-But...then Arlong said he'd smash up my store and hurt Camie if I didn't go...".
Bellamy was surprised to hear this. He knew Hachi was definitely one of the more innocent-minded of the crew and clearly didn't have a violent idea in his head at all. In fact...he felt as if he could relate to this, that feeling of being trapped in a sort of toxic alliance. He outstretched a spring hand and patted the octopus man on the back. "I see...don't worry about it Hachi...y'know if you ever need help with something, I got your back, okay? We're...heh...we're buddies now, and that's what friends do".
Hachi gasped at this revelation and hearing Bellamy declare their friendship, excitedly wrapping all six of his tentacles around him to give out a massive hug. "A-ALRIGHT! W-WE'RE BEST BUDDIES NOW...r-right?". Bellamy nodded with a chuckle, "Hell yeah dude, I know you and Arlong got a bit of history between ya, but if he tries to rough up you or your store or that person Camie...then...yeah...you can count on me to give you some support. Best buddies for sure dude".
A smile appeared on Bellamy's face as he reciprocated the hug, he could tell Hachi wasn't exactly the smartest around and was really a guy just in need of a real friend in this sort of situation they both found themselves in. Hachi didn't wanna hurt Luffy either and was forced into this mission against his will, so surely it meant there had to be a way to get rich without betraying the Strawhats. Bellamy thought back to the last time he'd ever seen the Strawhats in person. It was right before the Grand Fleet was formed for the first time, he had turned down all the offers and refused to be a subordinate but took a piece of Luffy's vivre card...something he still had to this day, but before he left Shisuto's store to board Arlong's ship he chose to leave the vivre card in his bedside table.
"Y'know if it makes you feel any better, I'd love to try some of that takoyaki you mentioned...even if it's a little morbid since you're an octopus but...uh...you get what I mean" Bellamy explained. Hachi's face lit up and he nodded excitedly as he stood back on his feet, "O-OH YEAH! OF COURSE OF COURSE OF COURSE! J-JUST HOLD THE WHEEL FOR A BIT, I-I'LL MAKE US SOOOOOOOO MUCH TASTY TAKOYAKI FOR JUST ME AND YOU, NEW BEST BUDDY BELLAMY!" he exclaimed, placing Bellamy at the helm before eagerly running off to the galley.
Bellamy chuckled, firmly holding the helm and looking out at the night horizon. The ocean was still without any breaking waves as the moon light reflected off the surface and the wind blew through his hair. In just another day or two they'd arrive at the Reverse Mountain and sail into the Grand Line...once they went in, Bellamy knew he'd be fully committing to this mission and that there would be no going back.
[Navy Ship "Great Justice" - On route to Reverse Mountain]
Smoker sat in the captain's quarters of his ship as it sailed through the seas. Having gotten his ship, and a crew assembled as fast as he could he'd given chase to the Arlong-Buggy Alliance but didn't know how far behind he was. Studying some maps to try and plan out the most optimal route he realised that even with perfect conditions there would be a slim chance of catching the pirates before they reached the Grand Line. Scowling, he stuck two cigars into his mouth and rolled up his maps before starting to carefully stack rocks on his desk as the office filled with smoke.
A light knock was heard on the door as Ippo entered and gave a salute, "Evening Admiral Smoker, Sir! We just got some intel from Headquarters that the deal with Strawhat Hunters went through. The five men have all been issued government protection, and as such we've been given strict orders not to attack if we find them" he explained.
Smoker raised an eyebrow, sitting back in his chair and carefully pushing his rocks to the side while puffing his cigars. "The Strawhat Hunters, hmm? I still don't understand why the Navy needs them...it's no different than the Warlord system, and look how horribly that failed".
Ippo sighed, "I know you hold strong opinions against them...b-but I assure you Admiral Smoker, not even you or Admiral Akainu could beat most of them. They're devil fruit abilities are all much too strong to handle, if anything it's a blessing that they've all agreed to work with us peacefully...I just hope they don't plan on using their abilities for evil anymore".
Smoker rolled his eyes, "Whatever...is that all you came to tell me Ippo?". Ippo shook his head, "Unfortunately not...we also received intel via transmission that the former East Blue pirates Don Krieg and Kuro of a Hundred Plans have recently been meeting to discuss business together. While we aren't quite sure what it is yet, with the alliance between Sawtooth Arlong and Buggy the Clown we can only assume that these two might potentially be considering a return to piracy". Smoker nodded, reaching into his pocket and jotting down the names into a notepad.
Don Krieg and Kuro had been absent from the pirating world for over a decade now. After being defeated by Luffy, both had seemingly retired in the East Blue and lived quiet lives while paying their bounties off with treasure they'd acquired over their days at sea. "Hmph...well...if they try anything funny we can easily handle them, those two were nothing but fodder anyway" Smoker scoffed, standing up from behind his desk as he heard the dinner bell being rang.
Ippo quickly followed after his superior and walked alongside him while trying to stand up straight, "So...uh...h-how's your day going Admiral Smoker, Sir?". "Don't talk to me soldier." Smoker replied bluntly, causing Ippo to red with embarrassment as he quickly saluted and profusely apologise.
As Smoker sat down in the galley with the rest of the ship's crew, he quietly ate his food as thoughts swam through his head on how to take out the Arlong-Buggy alliance. He knew it was just a stroke of luck that they'd beaten him in Loguetown, a complete fluke, he didn't even get the chance to use his armament haki to defend himself. He shook his head thinking about it, there was no point in dwelling on the past, especially since he knew that he'd get a rematch whether Bellamy and the others were asking for it or not. One thing was for certain though, whenever it was that they crossed paths next...he wouldn't lose twice.
{TO BE CONTINUED}